Head to head · Creatine
Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate Powder vs Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
Nutricost scores higher overall (8.6 vs 7.8 out of 10), mainly on efficacy, value and experience. Transparent Labs still leads on quality & purity.
Updated September 2026 from our full reviews · How we score
The budget benchmark: 5 g of micronized creatine monohydrate for about $0.22 a serving, scoop included, and one of TikTok Shop's top-selling creatine tubs.
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A double-certified creatine stack with 5 g creatine plus 1.5 g HMB. The quality is excellent, but at about $1.67 a serving you pay a lot for add-ons with modest evidence.
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 Nutricost if…
- Budget-conscious lifters
- First-time creatine users
- Buying in bulk (1 kg tub)
- You care most about efficacy, value, experience
Choose Transparent Labs if…
- Drug-tested athletes who want a flavored, NSF-certified creatine
- Lifters curious about HMB who want it in one scoop
- Buyers who prioritize label transparency
- You care most about quality & purity
Side by side
| Creatine Monohydrate Powder | Creatine HMB | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.6 / 10 | 7.8 / 10 |
| Efficacy (30%) | 9.4 | 8.8 |
| Quality & Purity (25%) | 7.4 | 9.2 |
| Value (20%) | 9.5 | 5.0 |
| Experience (15%) | 8.3 | 7.2 |
| Transparency (10%) | 7.8 | 8.0 |
| Form | Powder | Powder |
| Serving | 1 scoop (5 g)100 servings per container | 1 scoop (7 g, unflavored)30 servings per container |
| Price per serving | See retailer | $1.67 |
| Testing & certifications | Third-party testedcGMP facility | NSF Certified for SportInformed Choice |
| Dietary | Non-GMO, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Vegetarian | Vegan |
| Key ingredients |
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| Flavors | 8 (Unflavored, Blue Raspberry, Fruit Punch…) | 8 (Unflavored, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry Lemonade…) |
| Creator video reviews | 4 | 4 |
Pros and cons
Creatine Monohydrate Powder
- About $0.22 per 5 g serving, among the lowest for a major brand
- Single-ingredient unflavored formula with a scoop included
- Brand says products are tested by an independent, accredited lab
- 4.7 stars from more than 60,000 buyer ratings
- Many flavors and sizes from 300 g to 1 kg
- No named third-party certification such as NSF Certified for Sport
- Taste and solubility draw mixed reviews; some find it bitter or gritty
- Batch test results are not published on the product page
- Pineapple Mango flavor carries a California Prop 65 lead warning on the brand site
Creatine HMB
- Full 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving
- Listed as NSF Certified for Sport in every flavor we checked
- Fully disclosed label with no proprietary blend or artificial sweeteners
- 12 flavors plus unflavored, and a scoop is included
- About $1.67 per serving, several times the cost of plain creatine
- 1.5 g HMB is about half the dose commonly studied, with modest benefits
- Taste and value feedback on Amazon skews negative
- Unflavored version has a noticeable HMB odor, per reviewers
Our verdicts
Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Nutricost is the value leader among mainstream creatine brands: the same 5 g of monohydrate as the big names for about $0.22 a serving, with a scoop included and strong buyer satisfaction. It lacks a named third-party certification, so competitive athletes should look elsewhere, but for everyday lifters it is hard to beat on cost.
Full review
Creatine HMB
This is a carefully made, double-certified product with an honest label, and the 5 g of creatine alone guarantees it works. The HMB is dosed at about half of what research typically uses and adds modest benefit at best, which makes the roughly $1.67-per-serving price hard to justify. Tested athletes who want flavored, certified creatine may still find it worthwhile; everyone else can save money with plain monohydrate.
Full review