# Muscle building supplements and protein powder, compared on price

Muscle building supplements are compared here on seven shelves: whey, whey isolate, plant protein, protein blends, mass gainers, creatine, and amino acids as BCAA or EAA. "Best" here means one thing: the lowest price on the measure that suits each kind. For the protein powders that is price per kilo of protein from the label, for gainers and creatine price per kilo of powder, and for amino acids price per serving.

The British Nutrition Foundation writes: "As most of us are eating more than enough protein already, we do not need to add protein supplements or special products with added protein into our diets."

Best and median price per ingredient, updated 18 October 2026

| Ingredient | Best price | Product | Median price | Shops | Products |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Whey Protein](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/whey-protein) | £8.00 /kg | [Sports Fuel ANABOLIC Whey Matrix – Chocolate / 5kg](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/sports-fuel-sports-fuel-anabolic-whey-matrix-chocolate-5kg-133003) (Bodybuilding Warehouse) | – | 8 | 85 |
| [Whey Isolate](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/whey-isolate) | £0.55 /kg | [Iso 100 610g Dunkin Cappuccino](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/dymatize-iso-100-610g-dunkin-cappuccino-125673) (Predator Nutrition) | – | 7 | 60 |
| [Creatine](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/creatine) | £24.44 /kg | [Biethica Creatine Monohydrate Unflavoured Powder - 500g](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/biethica-biethica-creatine-monohydrate-unflavoured-powder-500g-148858) (Vitamin Planet) | – | 12 | 162 |
| [Plant protein](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/plant-protein) | £11.99 /kg | [Applied Nutrition ENDURANCE Protein & Recovery 1.5kg – 1.5kg / Chocolate](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/applied-nutrition-endurance-applied-nutrition-endurance-protein-recovery-15kg-15kg-chocolate-132697) (Discount Supplements) | – | 9 | 98 |
| [Protein blend](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/protein-blend) | £11.11 /kg | [Warrior Serious Protein - 4.5kg – Chocolate Milkshake](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/warrior-warrior-serious-protein-45kg-chocolate-milkshake-133768) (Bodybuilding Warehouse) | – | 8 | 47 |
| [Mass Gainer](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/mass-gainer) | £6.50 /kg | [The Bulk Protein Company Vegan Gainz - 4kg – Chocolate](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/the-bulk-protein-company-the-bulk-protein-company-vegan-gainz-4kg-chocolate-132015) (Bodybuilding Warehouse) | – | 6 | 53 |
| [BCAA & EAA](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/bcaa-eaa) | £0.10 /serving | [Glycine](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/p/bulk-glycine-125439) (Bulk) | – | 9 | 139 |

## A kilo of powder against a kilo of protein

A bag of [whey protein](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/whey-protein) carries two weights worth reading. The front gives the net weight; the nutrition table gives the grams of protein per 100g of powder. Only the second turns a price per kilo into a price for the protein itself, so two bags with the same price per kilo can sit far apart once their tables differ.

The whey, whey isolate, plant protein and blend shelves therefore rank on price per kilo of protein. Bags whose label we have not read yet follow after all of those, ranked on price per kilo of powder.

Flavour counts in the nutrition table. Cocoa, flavouring and sweetener weigh something too, so a chocolate bag usually prints a different protein figure from the plain bag of the same powder.

## What the pack says about isolate, plant protein and blends

[Whey isolate](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/whey-isolate) names isolate among its ingredients, where ordinary whey names concentrate; hydrolysed whey, broken down further, is filed on the same shelf. Protein and fat per 100g are the lines that show the difference, while lactose is not always printed.

[Plant protein](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/plant-protein) names its source on the same list: pea, soy, rice or hemp, or a mix with the heaviest source written first. A soy isolate and a three-plant powder meet on one measure, the price of their protein.

A [protein blend](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/protein-blend) combines sources, such as whey with casein, or several plants. The list orders them by weight but seldom says how much protein each contributes.

## Weight gain powders are ranked on the whole bag

In a [mass gainer](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/mass-gainer), carbohydrate makes up most of the powder and protein the rest, in a balance each brand sets. You pay for the whole mix, so gainers are compared per kilo of powder.

## Creatine: the form on the tub before the name on it

[Creatine](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/creatine) has a short label, and the form is written out on it: monohydrate, HCl, ethyl ester or buffered. Creapure is a trade name for one maker's raw material, not a separate form. Capsule tubs state milligrams per capsule, and only a tub that also states a net weight gets a price per kilo to rank on.

## BCAA and EAA are counted by the scoop

[BCAA and EAA](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/bcaa-eaa) rank per serving, and the manufacturer decides how large a serving is. Two tubs at the same price per serving can hold different amounts of powder, so the serving in grams is the figure to check. A BCAA tub usually gives its leucine, isoleucine and valine ratio, for example 2:1:1, 4:1:1 or 8:1:1; an EAA tub lists each amino acid per serving.

## Casein, pre-workout and the rest of a gym bag

Searches for the best supplements for muscle growth also turn up [casein](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/casein-protein), a milk protein with its own page, and [pre-workout](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/category/pre-workout), which belongs with the caffeine products under [energy and focus](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/goal/energy-focus). [Weight loss](https://supplementscanner.co.uk/goal/weight-loss) keeps shelves of its own, from fibre and green tea to L-carnitine.

## Sources

- [British Nutrition Foundation: Protein](https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritional-information/protein/)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best protein powder for muscle gain?

A price comparison does not judge what a powder does, so best here means cheapest on a fair measure. For whey, isolate, plant protein and blends that measure is the price of a kilo of the protein inside, worked out from the nutrition table.

### Do people need protein powder?

The British Nutrition Foundation writes: "In the UK, on average, we are eating enough protein in our diets." It adds: "If you are doing an intensive exercise programme, then your protein needs may be higher, but you can still get enough protein from foods."

### Should I buy a mass gainer or protein powder to gain weight?

Which suits you is a question for a GP or a registered dietitian. On the label the difference is plain: most of a gainer is carbohydrate, most of a protein powder is protein, which is why the two are priced on different measures.

### What is the difference between whey and whey isolate?

Isolate is filtered further than ordinary whey concentrate, and its pack names it as isolate. On the nutrition table the difference shows in the protein and fat per 100g.

### What is worth checking when buying creatine?

First the form, which the label writes out in full, and for capsules whether the tub states a net weight at all. A Creapure mark tells you where the raw material came from rather than naming a different form. Two tubs of the same form are then compared on price per kilo.

### Which supplements do people buy for muscle building?

Mostly protein powders, from whey and isolate to plant protein and multi-source blends, plus creatine, mass gainers and amino acid tubs. Casein and pre-workout turn up in the same searches and are compared on pages of their own.

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Source: Supplementscanner, https://supplementscanner.co.uk/goal/muscle-mass (live prices per product)

Information for comparison, not medical advice. Ingredients are chosen based on what people often search for, not as a treatment.