Head to head · Pre-Workout
Cellucor C4 Original Pre-Workout vs RYSE Loaded Pre
RYSE scores higher overall (7.9 vs 6.8 out of 10) and leads on four of the five factors we score.
Updated September 2026 from our full reviews · How we score
America's best-known budget pre-workout: 200 mg caffeine and great flavors, but beta-alanine, citrulline and creatine all sit below research doses.
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A TikTok Shop best-seller with solid citrulline and beta-alanine doses and licensed candy flavors, but caffeine ranges from 300 to 390 mg by flavor.
We may earn a commission when you buy through these links — it never affects our scores. How we make money
We may earn a commission when you buy through these links — it never affects our scores. How we make money
The short answer
Choose Cellucor if…
- Beginners wanting a moderate stimulant pre-workout
- Budget-conscious lifters
- People who value flavor variety
- You want the lower cost per serving ($1.17)
Choose RYSE if…
- Lifters who want strong flavors with effective doses
- Experienced stimulant users
- Value shoppers who buy on sale
- You care most about efficacy, value, experience, transparency
Side by side
| C4 Original Pre-Workout | Loaded Pre | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 6.8 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Efficacy (30%) | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| Quality & Purity (25%) | 7.0 | 7.2 |
| Value (20%) | 7.4 | 8.4 |
| Experience (15%) | 8.0 | 8.6 |
| Transparency (10%) | 5.5 | 6.8 |
| Form | Powder | Powder |
| Serving | 1 scoop30 servings per container | 1 scoop30 servings per container |
| Price per serving | $1.17 | $1.33 |
| Testing & certifications | None verified | None verified |
| Dietary | Sugar-free | — |
| Key ingredients |
|
|
| Flavors | 7 (Icy Blue Razz, Watermelon, Rainbow Blast…) | 8 (Kool-Aid Tropical Punch, Ring Pop Cherry, Sour Punch Sour Blue Raz…) |
| Creator video reviews | 4 | 2 |
Pros and cons
C4 Original Pre-Workout
- 200 mg caffeine per scoop is a meaningful, well-studied dose
- Zero sugar, and Cellucor says the core flavors use no artificial colors
- About $1.17 per serving at list price ($34.99 for 30), less with Cellucor's subscription discount
- Many flavors, including licensed Jolly Rancher, Popsicle and Hawaiian Punch versions
- Uses branded ingredients (CarnoSyn beta-alanine, Velox, NO3-T creatine nitrate)
- Beta-alanine (2 g), citrulline + arginine (about 2.4 g combined) and creatine nitrate (1 g) are all below clinically studied doses
- 4.5 g proprietary blend hides the individual citrulline and arginine amounts
- C4 Original is not third-party certified (only the C4 Sport line is NSF Certified for Sport)
- Old 150 mg and new 200 mg formulas are sold side by side, which makes comparing listings confusing
Loaded Pre
- 4.5 g L-citrulline and about 3.2–3.5 g beta-alanine per scoop
- More than 20 licensed and original flavors
- Large buyer base: 4.7 stars from 8,000+ reviews on RYSE's TikTok Shop listing
- About $1.33 per serving at list price and often less
- Caffeine varies from 300 to 390 mg per scoop depending on flavor
- Several formula versions sold at once; facts panels published only as images
- No named third-party certification; Amazon listings carry a Prop 65 warning
- Sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium
Our verdicts
C4 Original Pre-Workout
C4 Original is a sensible pick if you mainly want a caffeine boost in a flavor you will enjoy at roughly $1 a serving. Beyond the caffeine, its key ingredients are under-dosed or hidden in a proprietary blend, so it will not match fully dosed pre-workouts for pumps or endurance. Drug-tested athletes should choose the NSF-certified C4 Sport instead.
Full review
Loaded Pre
Loaded Pre is effective and great-tasting, which explains its huge TikTok Shop following. Its main problem is inconsistency: caffeine and some doses vary by flavor and formula version, so check the tub before you scoop, never exceed one scoop, and choose a certified product if you are drug-tested.
Full review