Most creatine products are best compared by the exact creatine form and amount declared per recommended daily portion, the other ingredients, net quantity and price. Terms such as “micronized” or a raw-material trademark should not replace those checks.
Compare available products
Portion prices are calculated from the net contents. Portion sizes differ between products; this is not a dosing recommendation. Read the full ingredients and directions on the product label.
Price per 3 g creatine = portion price ÷ declared creatine per portion (g) × 3.
 Bloom
Creatine Monohydrate, Raspberry Lemon - 203 grams
|
 Osavi
Creatine Monohydrate, 5000mg - 300 grams
|
 Nutrend
Creatine Monohydrate Creapure - 500 grams
|
 Olimp Nutrition
Creatine Monohydrate Powder - 250 grams
|
 Weider
Creatine Capsules - 100 caps
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pack size | 203 g | 300 g | 500 g | 250 g | 100 capsules |
| Main ingredients | Creatine monohydrate | Creatine monohydrate | Creatine monohydrate | Creatine monohydrate | Creatine monohydrate; HPMC capsule |
| Label portion | 4 g | 5 g | 3.5 g | 3.4 g | 3 capsules |
| Creatine per label portion | 3 g | 4.4 g | 3 g | 3 g | 3 g |
| Pack price | €18.99 | €11.99 | €35.99 | €11.99 | €26.99 |
| Price per portion | €0.37 | €0.20 | €0.25 | €0.16 | €0.81 |
| Price per 3 g creatine | €0.37 | €0.14 | €0.25 | €0.16 | €0.81 |
| Allergen information | See the manufacturer’s full allergen statement. | See the manufacturer’s full allergen statement. | See the manufacturer’s full allergen statement. | See the manufacturer’s full allergen statement. | See the manufacturer’s full allergen statement. |
| Certifications | Creapure® GMP | GMP HACCP | Creapure® | — | GMP IFS Food |
| Label information | Label information | Label information | Label information | Label information | Label information |
Authorised EU Health Claim (HC-045 • Reg. (EU) 432/2012)
“Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise”
Conditions of use: The claim may be used only for food which provides a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. In order to bear the claim information shall be given to the consumer that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine.
A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.
Prices include VAT for Ireland. Courier delivery: €6.99; free from €65.00. Estimated delivery: 2–4 working days.
Product facts checked: 2026-10-28.
How much creatine should a daily portion give?
The performance evidence behind creatine is built on 3 g a day — that is the intake the EU’s authorised claim assumes, and the benefit it describes is for adults doing repeated short, high-intensity efforts. So the first number to find on any tub is the declared creatine per daily portion, not the scoop size or the container weight.
Follow the specific product’s own portion instructions on its label; this guide is for comparing products, not individual dosing or medical advice.
What differs between creatine products?
- Ingredient form: for example, creatine monohydrate or another named form. Do not assume two different forms supply the same creatine amount from equal powder weights.
- Declared amount: compare the amount of creatine per recommended daily portion, not only the scoop size or capsule count.
- Additional ingredients: flavoured powders, blends and capsules can include acids, flavours, sweeteners, coatings or other actives.
- Net quantity and price: calculate cost from the declared creatine amount when the label provides enough information, not from the container size alone.
- Exact identity: make sure the page shows the exact product, flavour and pack you will receive, not a lookalike listing title.
What do “micronized” and raw-material brands tell me?
“Micronized” describes particle size; it is not a separate authorised health claim. A raw-material trademark identifies a supplier or specification, but the name alone does not prove the finished product’s current purity, dose or regulatory status. If that distinction matters to you, look for traceable manufacturer documentation tied to the exact batch or product.
Is creatine monohydrate actually better than other forms like HCl or buffered creatine?
Sports-nutrition guidance consistently points to monohydrate as the most studied form of creatine. Newer forms — hydrochloride, ethyl ester, buffered or “kre-alkalyn,” magnesium chelate — are marketed on solubility or reduced-bloating claims, but none has demonstrated a performance advantage over monohydrate in the body of evidence that monohydrate itself is built on.
Creatine monohydrate has been studied for several decades, longer and more thoroughly than any alternative form, which is why our creatine-supplements range treats it as the default rather than a legacy option. The authorised EU health claim, as listed in Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, reads: “Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise”. The claim covers creatine as a nutrient; monohydrate is the form that carries the research behind it. The claim may be used only for food which provides a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. In order to bear the claim information shall be given to the consumer that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. The claim may be used only for foods targeting adults performing high intensity exercise. A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important. Follow the product’s daily portion and warnings; do not exceed the recommended intake.
Alternative forms typically cost more per gram of actual creatine delivered, since the added hydrochloride salt or ester group dilutes the proportion of creatine in each dose. Unless you have a specific, tested reason to try another form, monohydrate is the more evidence-backed and cost-effective starting point.
Powder, capsules, or flavoured creatine — which should you choose?
Powder is the most cost-effective and flexible format, letting you weigh out an exact daily dose. Capsules offer convenience and portability at a premium price per gram of creatine. Flavoured powder improves palatability but often costs more and includes ingredients beyond creatine itself, such as sweeteners.
- Unflavoured powder — the cheapest way to reach your daily gram target, easy to combine with a shake from our pre-post-workout range, but needs a scale or scoop for accurate dosing.
- Capsules — convenient for travel or for avoiding the taste of creatine in water, though you’ll typically need several capsules to reach a full daily dose, and you’re paying for encapsulation.
- Flavoured powder — easier to take consistently if you dislike plain creatine’s taste, but check the ingredient list to see how much of the product is creatine versus flavouring, sweeteners and anti-caking agents.
What does a fair price per serving actually look like?
A fair-value creatine product is judged by cost per gram of actual creatine delivered, not cost per tub or per capsule. Work out the total grams of creatine monohydrate in the container, confirm the serving size stated on the label, and be wary of blends padded out with unnecessary extras that push up the price without adding creatine.
Because creatine monohydrate is a simple, well-characterised compound, price differences between reputable brands mostly reflect purity testing, micronisation and packaging rather than the product itself. Unusually cheap products can raise questions about sourcing and testing rigour, while a higher price doesn’t automatically mean better quality — it may simply reflect flavouring, capsule format or marketing.
The most useful comparison is grams of creatine per serving divided into total price, applied consistently across every product you’re weighing up. A plain, unflavoured monohydrate powder from a transparent source is typically the most efficient way to reach the 3 g daily intake at which the authorised claim applies.
Should you do a loading phase, or just take creatine every day?
Loading — a higher intake for around five to seven days — saturates muscle creatine stores faster, but daily dosing at a steady 3-5g eventually reaches the same saturation point without a loading phase; it simply takes a few weeks longer. Neither approach is required by the authorised claim, whose beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine.
A loading protocol typically means splitting a higher total dose across several servings a day for under a week, then dropping to a standard maintenance amount. This isn’t necessary for creatine to work — it’s a way to reach full saturation sooner for people who want the effect established quickly.
Timing relative to training, whether that’s before, during or after a session as covered in our pre-post-workout range, matters far less than taking it consistently every single day. Creatine works by building up stores in muscle over time rather than acting acutely from a single dose. If you have a kidney condition or take regular medication, check with a healthcare professional before starting creatine, as you should with any supplement.
Frequently asked questions
The questions below cover what people most often ask about creatine monohydrate — including water retention, whether it suits vegetarian and vegan diets, and what the authorised EU claim does and doesn’t cover — to help you decide if it’s right for your routine.
Does creatine monohydrate cause bloating or water retention?
Creatine draws water into muscle cells, which can cause a small, expected increase in body weight and, for some people, a feeling of fullness in the first couple of weeks. This is intramuscular water rather than the subcutaneous water retention linked to excess sodium, and it typically settles as intake continues daily.
Can vegetarians and vegans benefit from creatine?
Since dietary creatine occurs mainly in meat and fish, vegetarians and vegans may have lower baseline muscle creatine stores, though this varies between individuals. Manufactured creatine monohydrate is generally produced synthetically and is typically suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets — check the specific product’s label to confirm.
Is creatine only useful for short bursts of exercise, or does it help endurance too?
The authorised EU claim is specific to physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting or heavy lifting sets. It isn’t an authorised endurance claim, so if steady-state endurance is your main focus, supplements aimed at that goal, such as those in our endurance range, may be more directly relevant.
The bottom line
Plain creatine monohydrate with a clearly declared 3 g daily portion is the benchmark. Pay more only for a difference you can actually see on the label — a form, dose or added ingredient you specifically want — not for a shinier front of the tub or a promise no label supports.
Next, run any tub through the EU supplement label checklist. How we review product claims ourselves is described in the Editorial Standards.
Sources used for this guide
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 — authorised health claims and the conditions attached to the creatine claim.
- European Commission: EU Register of nutrition and health claims — current reference for authorised and non-authorised claims.
- Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements — composition and labelling requirements for food supplements in the EU.