Creatine has remained amongst the most popular and effective supplements when it comes to getting better results in workouts and muscle building. There are a ton of places where you can find good, effective creatine that will help you meet your strength and fitness goals. However, finding where the very best creatine supplements are is a bit more difficult. 

With so many options out there, it can be a real chore to find the best creatine products. Luckily, we went ahead and did the work for you. This article will briefly cover the 5 best creatine options on the market today, how we chose them, as well as answer some common questions people have regarding these types of products. 

5 Best Creatine Supplement Options

1. Promix: Best Creatine Supplements Overall

2. BulkSupplements: Best for Buying in Bulk

3. Onnit: Best for Pro Competition

4. PI Nutrition: Best Value

5. Naked Nutrition: Best as a Nutritional Additive

5 Best Creatine Supplement Options - In-Depth Reviews

1. Promix: Best Creatine Supplements Overall

Pros

• Designed to be easy to absorb and easy to mix with other products
• No flavor so you can combine it with whatever you want
• High-quality creatine is available at a fantastic value
• Awesome customer support and delivery teams

Finding the best creatine supplement can be a real challenge when you are dealing with so many good companies, but in the end, we chose Promix as our top pick because it hits every one of our key aspects of quality, efficacy, value, and brand support, and each aspect is excellent.

The flavorless, non-GMO creatine from Promix is designed to mix smoothly into your drinks and is optimized at every stage to support muscle growth in both size and power. There is nothing artificial, no soy, no gluten, and no dairy - just pure creatine powder. 

As a micronized creatine monohydrate powder, this best creatine product is also able to be absorbed faster and more thoroughly, both in the liquids you add it to, as well as your body, so your drinks will taste better, and your stomach will feel better when compared to other lesser creatine blends. 

Each container has roughly 180 once-a-day servings of creatine monohydrate (though dosage will be measured to body weight), and since it is tasteless, it can be mixed with any other pre-workout or protein you are taking without compromising flavor. 

What Sets This Brand and Their Creatine Supplements Apart?

Promix was founded in 2011 in order to offer supplements that could meet the ultimate standards for purity and quality. All Promix products are tested by athletes and are proven to work in the most intense conditions. 

The micronized creatine monohydrate sold by Promix is no different and is both GMP-certified and certified by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) for use in competitive sports. NSF Certified for Sport is the only third-party certification recognized by USADA, so it is good for leagues like the NBA, NFL, or Ironman competitions.

All purchases come with a 90-day money-back guarantee, so you can try this top-of-the-line creatine monohydrate risk-free.

What are Customers Saying About This Best Creatine Supplement?

This is creatine supplementation at its best, and there is no shortage of happy customers across the internet happy to talk about why they choose Promix for this creatine, as well as their other supplements.

The fact that the micronized creatine monohydrate from Promix mixes more easily than other brands, has no flavor, and is easier on the stomach without causing any bloating, are all huge positives that are commonly mentioned by customers. The NSF Certified for Sport citation, its value, reliable delivery services, and customer support teams are also high notes that seem to be highly appreciated. 

In short, Promix offers a simple but highly effective and well-valued micronized creatine supplement, perfect for muscle building and combining with your other supplements, and backed by a fantastic team. 

Learn more about Promix creatine supplement

2. BulkSupplements: Best for Buying in Bulk

Pros

• Bulk prices but premium quality and testing standards
• Micronized so it is easier to absorb and mix
• Pure creatine with no additives

Cons

• You need to order large to take full advantage of the brand value

As the name would suggest, BulkSupplements allows you to buy micronized creatine monohydrate in bulk. However, this is not a supplier of low-quality or poorly tested creatine supplements. 

BulkSupplements offers you cost-effective bulk creatine that is of an incredibly high quality, manufactured with carefully chosen ingredients in an FDA-inspected facility and with openly available third-party lab tests. In short, this is bulk done without cutting quality. 

You can get both creatine capsules and creatine powder from BulkSupplements, and in both cases, the same micronized creatine monohydrate is being used; this means direct fueling of weight gain, muscle growth, and more at incredible values.

What Sets This Brand and Their Creatine Supplements Apart?

When one thinks of bulk purchasing, they think lower quality, but BulkSupplements works hard to break that trend by offering one of the most pure and overall best creatine supplements in bulk format. In fact, BulkSupplements uses only pure and raw ingredients for all of their supplements, with third-party lab testing done for each one. This brand is the perfect long-term partner for muscle growth.

What are Customers Saying About This Best Creatine Supplement?

There are nearly ten-thousand customers of BulkSupplements who will stand by both the quality of their purchasing experience as well as the efficacy of this best creatine supplement. There is no doubt that this creatine monohydrate product has helped countless people get more done in the gym and look and feel better at the end of the day. 

Of course, uniquely, this brand also has a large number of happy customers who appreciate the ability to get large amounts of their supplements delivered all at once with little hassle and at a fantastic value.

Learn more about BulkSupplements’ creatine supplement

3. Onnit: Best for Pro Competition

Pros

• Designed for optimal enhancement of high-performance athletes
• Certified to be competition safe and is Informed Sport certified
• Great for moving on from your fitness plateaus

Cons

• Very popular to the point it will sometimes go out of stock
• Big container takes up space but is only about half filled

Onnit is a very well-known name in the world of fitness, and it should come as no surprise that they are able to offer one of the best creatine supplements on the market today. This is pure creatine monohydrate - meaning no gluten, soy, or other additives are found inside, and it comes from a brand that is known to provide high-quality supplements reliably. 

Of course, you don’t have to trust by name alone. This best creatine powder from Onnit is independently certified to be competition safe and is Informed Sport certified, meaning it has been carefully tested several times for any foreign substances.

With their science-forward approach, Onnit is able to put forward a best creatine supplement in powder form that is effective, easy to use, and that comes from a brand that you can feel safe trusting. 

What Sets This Brand and Their Creatine Supplements Apart?

Onnit provides a wide variety of supplements for optimum nutrition, including the growth of muscle mass. The creatine powder they offer benefits from the lessons they have learned selling, testing, and shipping tons of other supplements to locations all over the country and the world. 

When you order from Onnit you know you are getting a product that you can trust. If you want creatine monohydrate that you know will work, you know you can always turn to Onnit.

As with many of the other brands on this list, you can get the best value out of Onnit by taking advantage of their subscription offers. You are able to sign up for a monthly bottle and can save up to 15% by doing so. If you plan on taking full advantage of what creatine monohydrate and Onnit offers this is going to be the way to go.

What are Customers Saying About This Best Creatine Supplement?

This is another best creatine supplement that is able to be mixed into almost anything without messing up the taste, and you will see reviews of some people taking it in their coffee and not noticing a difference. This is not recommended, but it is worth noting - people appreciate the real lack of taste and the smooth way it blends into other foods and drinks. 

Of course, there is also the general appreciation of the quality of service that Onnit is well known for.

Learn more about Onnit’s creatine supplement

4. PI Nutrition: Best Value

Pros

• Well-made premium micronized creatine monohydrate for better absorption
• Large container with a great deal of value per scoop
• Fine enough you don't even need a shaker bottle

Cons

• The certificate of analyses are not obviously readily available

The fourth item on our list of best creatine supplementation options is PI Nutrition (PI stands for Performance Inspired) and the pure micronized creatine monohydrate that they offer. This is yet another top creatine monohydrate product for getting better workouts, gaining strength, and building more lean muscle mass. 

This best creatine supplement is also unflavored with no other additives or fillers and is very fine, so it easily mixes with your favorite drinks without disrupting taste. This is 500 grams per container, so roughly a hundred servings in each container.

As you would expect, PI Nutrition also ensures the product is free of banned substances and made using good manufacturing practices in certified facilities.

What Sets This Brand and Their Creatine Supplements Apart?

The brainchild of a movie star and a navy seal, this unlikely pairing has allowed for a company that stands out from much of the competition. PI Nutrition is dedicated to quality and is adamant that before any machines in their facilities are turned on, that they have only the best raw materials to work from. They actually get a COA on every ingredient that they use in their products, including the creatine.

What are Customers Saying About This Best Creatine Supplement?

This creatine monohydrate supplement has a large number of more casual users, likely due to the fame of the creators, but this has only led to there being a large following of those who otherwise may not have used such strength enhancing products. 

These people love the way that they look and feel after sticking with this best creatine supplement, and even serious athletes love the overall value and fine quality of the PI Nutrition creatine monohydrate.

Learn more about PI Nutrition’s creatine supplement

5. Naked Nutrition: Best as a Nutritional Additive

Pros

• High-quality pure creatine monohydrate and nothing else
• Solid pricing for the volume of creatine received
• Very reliable company with award-winning service

Cons

• Not a micronized creatine, so it absorbs a little slower
• Some are not a fan of the flavorless chalky taste

These creatine supplements from Naked Nutrition are nothing but creatine monohydrate and not a thing else. Of course, this means that the product is soy-free, GMO-free, dairy free, and really free of anything that isn’t the exact creatine that you want. 

The refined process that this creatine powder goes through allows it to mix easily, and the third-part lab testing means that you know it is only exactly that sole ingredient that you want. The creatine is all sourced here in the United States, and each bottle contains roughly 200 servings (at 5g).

If you want pure creatine monohydrate that will help you look and feel better and can be mixed with almost anything, Naked Nutrition’s creatine supplementation product is another fantastic option to add to that list.

What Sets This Brand and Their Creatine Supplements Apart?

While the extreme dedication to purity and quality that Naked Nutrition has may not seem strange when compared to the other brands on this list, when compared to the rest of the industry they stand head and shoulders above the majority of the competition. 

This is a great-priced helping of creatine monohydrate that is designed and tested around giving you only exactly what you need without any fillers or extra noise.

What are Customers Saying About This Best Creatine Supplement?

Unlike most creatine supplements, this creatine powder is incredibly pure, and this allows you to mix it into a large variety of other products, even other supplements, with little issue. As such, this brand has taken off in health circles and is the creatine monohydrate you will often see being recommended outside of strength training circles for optimum nutrition. 

That being said, this best creatine powder can hang with the big boys when needed and is still amazing for putting on lean muscle mass.

Learn more about Naked Nutrition’s creatine supplement

How We Determined What Creatine Supplements are the Best?

Putting together a list of the best creatine supplementation options on the market was a pretty big challenge, especially since there are so many different choices available these days. The first thing we had to do was figure out a way to narrow down the number of options for creatine supplements for us to examine, so we created a basic checklist of necessary requirements to be a top brand. 

These requirements included things like high customer ratings, a good track record for health practices and customer service, and a provable pure and high-quality product that contains what it says it does. After eliminating the brands that could not meet those basic criteria, we had a list that was a lot easier to browse through and examine.

While we mainly looked at powders, several of the creatine powder options on this list also come in easy-to-take creatine capsules, which allow you to get exact amounts per serving without all the guesswork or measuring.

At this point, we took the time to go in-depth with each brand and really see where each one stood out, how the pricing structure stood up, if they do any 3rd-party lab testing or not, and if they had any industry citations or awards such as being NSF Certified for Sport. 

By the end of that process, we were left with only a handful of brands that you could really argue deserved to stand at the top of the pile. After a bit more debating and wrangling we were able to rank order our best creatine supplement list and decide on some key highlights for each brand.

What is Creatine?

CNCH₂CO₂H (creatine) is a naturally occurring compound found in muscle and other tissue. This is an organic compound that exists in various modified formats and naturally occurs within vertebrates, where it helps facilitate internal functions, mostly in the brain and muscle tissues. 

When taken as a supplement, creatine helps produce energy for your cells, especially during high-intensity exercise as it can increase your strength, power, and performance. Today creatine supplements are regularly used by athletes to increase muscle mass, for added weight gain, and to obtain optimum nutrition.

About half of the creatine in your body comes from the food you eat, and foods like seafood and red meat have higher amounts than other foods.

What is Creatine Monohydrate?

Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine and is the basis for many of the studies we use today to gauge the efficacy of creatine. All of the options on our list are creatine monohydrate powders and are typically pure creatine monohydrate. 

A few grams of creatine monohydrate, the combination of creatine and water molecules, has been shown to absorb easily and to help in a myriad of ways ranging from muscle growth to brain health. There is also micronized creatine monohydrate which has been mechanically altered for the body to have an even easier time absorbing it. Many of the best creatine supplement options we recommend here are micronized creatine monohydrate as well.

There are also other forms of creatine like creatine ethyl ester, which is thought to be even better at being absorbed, but which is not available in the same volume or as regularly as the large 200 grams of creatine monohydrate you can get in most stores, and it lacks the same value per purchase.

Creatine hydrochloride, or creatine HCL, is another alternative form of creatine that is also thought to be better at being absorbed and is thought by many to be superior (and requires smaller doses) but it has yet to be truly proven or tested. 

There is also creatine magnesium chelate and creatine nitrate, all of which have their supporters but which lack the same level of testing. For now, creatine monohydrate is the creatine molecule serious athletes and bodybuilders will want to stay focused on.

History of Creatine

Creatine was actually discovered way back in the early 1800s and was used among recreational, collegiate, and professional athletes for decades, however, its benefits were always widely debated. 

Experiments were done in the later 20th century that helped to uncover and prove many of the benefits creatine had related to muscle growth, and scientists soon agreed it could play an essential role in fighting the atrophying of muscles. Interest grew, and more studies took place that proved even more benefits. 

Today creatine monohydrate is amongst the most popular sports dietary supplements in the world. 

How Does Creatine Affect the Body? What are the Benefits?

Creatine supplements are very popular for building greater amounts of muscle mass, general muscle growth, weight gain, and more. There is also, in fact, quite a bit of evidence to back these claims.

• Enhancing athletic performance

Many athletes use creatine since it helps them recover faster after their high-intensity exercises and since creatine supplementation is thought to boost overall energy levels and muscle growth. 

In many studies, the best creatine supplements have been shown to help in endurance training, speed training, strength training, as well as also being able to benefit cognitive function, mood, and several other areas.

• Supports muscle growth and function

When it comes to building muscle mass and supporting muscle growth, creatine monohydrate is one of the most popular supplements used today. Several studies have borne this out in detail, and there is little to no debate around its efficacy. 

In a 12-week study on weightlifters, creatine increased muscle mass growth over two times more than training alone. Creatine also helps with recovery and energy going to the muscles, allowing you to work out longer and more often.

Some science has come forward showing that creatine is able to help in the shaping of cellular pathways, which lead to new muscle growth, and that it can help to stimulate the proteins that produce new muscle fibers.

• Faster recovery from injuries

Creatine powder or pills may help athletes avoid muscle damage and can help to speed up the recovery process after an accident. 

There is some evidence to show that the best creatine supplements can have an antioxidant effect which will stop cramps, make muscles feel better, and all around allow your muscles to perform at a higher level.

• Helps muscle cells use energy more efficiently

Creatine increases the level of phosphocreatine in your muscles which plays an integral role in the processes surrounding your muscle’s use of energy. 

With a higher rate of production of some molecules due to the presence of creatine, muscles are able to perform longer and at a higher level during an athletic or high-intensity performance.

When is the Best Time to Take Creatine?

Most sources will say that the best time to take creatine supplements is 30-45 minutes before exercise. This ensures optimal absorption and utilization of the supplement during your workout. It is worth noting, however, that most of what creatine does is more of a long-term effect, and it should not be thought of the same way as something like a pre-workout. 

In other cases, it is suggested that you take your 20g a day (a standard dosage for building muscle) in 5g increments throughout the day. On rest days, it is often suggested that you should take your creatine supplement dosage along with your meals. 

How Much Creatine Should I Take?

The amount of creatine you take depends on your individual needs and goals. Most studies suggest taking 3-5 grams daily, although some have found that up to 20 grams may benefit those looking to increase their strength and muscle mass. 

Bodybuilders will often take a loading dose of 5-20 grams per day for the first 5-7 days, then drop down to 3-5 grams afterward.

To find the proper dosage for you, it's best to speak with a doctor or dietician who can provide personalized advice.

Note that there is some evidence that eating a carb or protein-heavy meal will allow your body to absorb the creatine more readily. And, since creatine helps to pull more water towards your muscles, you should make sure to stay hydrated while taking your best creatine supplements. 

Is Creatine Provided Through My Diet?

The type of food you eat will determine how much natural creatine you are getting through your diet. For some people, creatine supplements may be necessary - not necessarily for muscle building but simply for overall optimum nutrition. 

Meat, fish, and poultry are all common sources of natural creatine. Milk has about .1g of creatine per liter. It has been found that the body has to synthesize creatine for vegans since they do not have as many natural sources in their diet.

It is recommended that you take a creatine supplement if you feel like you are not getting enough through your natural diet or if you are unable or unwilling to eat any form of meat or fish products.

How Long Does Creatine Take to Work?

Creatine typically takes about four weeks to take full effect. During this time, you may experience an increase in strength and muscle mass and improved recovery times post-exercise. However, individual results may vary depending on your dosage and activity level. If you are more active, then you may notice results sooner.

Creatine takes approximately two weeks to reach peak levels in your muscles. During this period, you may experience an increase in strength and endurance during your workouts. However, it is important to note that individual results vary depending on various factors.

What are the Side Effects of Creatine?

Creatine is generally considered safe when taken in recommended doses. However, some people have reported side effects such as stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle cramping. 

It is important to speak with a doctor if you experience any adverse reactions while taking creatine. 

There may also be an increased chance of kidney stones, muscle cramps, and liver damage if taking creatine.

How Does Creatine Interact With Other Supplements or Drugs?

Creatine should not be taken with caffeine or other stimulants as this could lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally, it should not be taken with certain medications, such as anticoagulants (blood thinners) or diuretics (water pills), due to possible interactions. It is also important to speak with a doctor before combining creatine with other supplements or medications.

As an athlete, you should also make sure you are taking a supplement that is NSF-Certified for Sport, so you know that you are using only approved products and that the supplement you are taking has been screened for banned substances.

Is Creatine an Anabolic Steroid?

No, creatine is not a steroid. While both creatine and steroids can help in building muscle, they are very different items in terms of how they work and in legal classification. 

Steroids are drugs with a different type of chemical structure and are Class C Schedule III controlled substances. Creatine is instead a dietary supplement and falls under The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). 

There are no laws against the use and selling of creatine powders or creatine capsules, and creatine doesn't have the same harmful side effects as anabolic steroids.

Are You Ready to Try Creatine?

Now that we have gone over the best creatine products on the market today, as well as answered some essential questions about creatine, the various types of creatine such as creatine monohydrate and creatine hydrochloride, as well as its uses, you should have all the information you need to make a more informed purchase. 

All of the best creatine supplements on our list come from top-shelf brands and have a proven track record for quality. Better yet, each of these products can be ordered right now!