Head to head · Creatine
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder vs Thorne Creatine
Optimum Nutrition and Thorne finish level in our scoring (8.8 vs 8.9), so the right pick depends on what you value most — Optimum Nutrition is stronger on value, Thorne on quality & purity and transparency.
Updated September 2026 from our full reviews · How we score
One of America's best-selling creatine tubs: 5 g of micronized monohydrate per scoop, Informed Choice certified, about $0.20–$0.30 a serving.
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NSF Certified for Sport creatine monohydrate: one ingredient, 5 g per scoop, tested for label accuracy and banned substances, at about $0.49 a serving.
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 Optimum Nutrition if…
- Lifters who want a trusted, widely stocked brand
- Stirring into a daily protein shake
- Tested athletes who want Informed Choice screening
- You care most about value
Choose Thorne if…
- Drug-tested and competitive athletes
- Buyers who want NSF Certified for Sport verification
- People who want a single-ingredient, unflavored creatine
- You care most about quality & purity, transparency
Side by side
| Micronized Creatine Powder | Creatine | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.8 / 10 | 8.9 / 10 |
| Efficacy (30%) | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Quality & Purity (25%) | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| Value (20%) | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| Experience (15%) | 8.4 | 8.7 |
| Transparency (10%) | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Form | Powder | Powder |
| Serving | 1 rounded teaspoon (5 g)60 servings per container | 1 scoop (5 g)90 servings per container |
| Price per serving | See retailer | $0.49 |
| Testing & certifications | Informed Choice | NSF Certified for Sport |
| Dietary | Keto-friendly, Sugar-free | Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free, Sugar-free |
| Key ingredients |
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| Flavors | 5 (Unflavored, Mango Orange, Strawberry…) | 3 (Unflavored, Pineapple Orange, Strawberry) |
| Creator video reviews | 4 | 4 |
Pros and cons
Micronized Creatine Powder
- 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving, the dose used in most studies
- Unflavored version is a single ingredient with nothing else added
- ON lists its creatine as Informed Choice certified for banned-substance screening
- Large tubs cost about $0.20 per serving
- Neutral taste that disappears into shakes, per most buyer reviews
- Dissolvability is the top complaint; many buyers see grit in plain water
- Some buyers report tubs arriving without a scoop
- Not Creapure and not NSF Certified for Sport, unlike premium rivals
- Costs more per serving than budget bulk brands
Creatine
- Listed as NSF Certified for Sport (Unflavored, 453 g) on nsfsport.com
- 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop with nothing else added
- Thorne reports testing for heavy metals, pesticides and microbes
- Fine powder that most buyers say dissolves easily and tastes neutral
- Labeled gluten-, dairy- and soy-free
- About $0.49 per serving, roughly double mainstream brands
- Some buyers report stomach upset or diarrhea
- Texture feedback is split; some buyers find it slightly grainy
- Scoop can sink into the fine powder, per one long-term reviewer
Our verdicts
Micronized Creatine Powder
A dependable, no-frills creatine from the category's best-known brand, with Informed Choice certification and a clean single-ingredient label. It is not the cheapest per gram and it does not fully dissolve in plain water, but it delivers exactly what the research supports at a fair price.
Full review
Creatine
Thorne Creatine is the reference choice when verification matters: a clean 5 g of monohydrate with NSF Certified for Sport status and an unusually strong quality program behind it. You pay about double the mainstream price for that assurance, so recreational lifters on a budget can get the same molecule for less, but tested athletes should put it at the top of their list.
Full review