Glimpse ahead at our curators first 3 best reviewed protein powders:
- Transparent Labs 100% Grass-fed whey – best all-around protein powder for men and women
- Natural Force Organic Whey Protein – minimally processed whey protein
- NutraBio Grass-fed Isolate – great tasting low carb protein powder
Its common knowledge that supplementing your diet with protein powder can be advantageous. Protein powders are highly used and therefore highly trusted across the board.
Here are just a few ways protein supplements are part of daily life:
- Bodybuilders take protein to increase muscle growth.
- Athletes take protein to recover faster and perform their best.
- Mom’s take protein powder smoothies to stay lean.
- Grandparents take protein to maintain muscle and live a more active life.
TL;DR – Using protein protein powder is common and you’re not the only one.
But, there’s a problem. We focus so heavily on the reasons to take protein powder, that we avoid a just as important elephant in the room:
You wouldn’t eat a steak coated in preservatives from sub-par cattle, so why would you take a protein powder ‘juiced’ with artificial sweeteners, preservatives and other flair to make up for sub-par sourcing? Sounds dramatic, but that’s the point.
If you’re not buying with that intent in mind, then that may explain why your current protein powder isn’t working as well as it should be.
What we looked for when picking the best protein powders:
As with everything else you eat, the care that goes into the protein powder you take matters. The following includes what you should be looking for.
- Type of protein: we look for whey protein. Whey is easier to digest and doesn’t contain the allergens that you may find in casein and egg protein powders.
- Source of protein: we look for grass-fed. Grass-fed cows live a more humane life outside eating grass, and that means healthier micro and macro nutrients in their whey protein.
- Level of processing: we look for isolate. Whey protein powder that has been isolated contains significantly less lactose and will digest easier.
- Added ingredients: we look for no added sugars. Protein powders should be low calorie with no added sugars, not chalked up like a soft drink.
- Style of flavoring: we look for natural options. Grass-fed whey protein powder doesn’t taste bad. If you’re protein contains artificial flavors and sweeteners, then they are likely masking low-quality whey.
Using these rules, our curators purchased and tested 25 of the top rated protein powders. Below is how they ranked.
Top 15 protein powder supplements on the market
#1 Protein Series 100% Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
If you want an award winning body, then you’ve got to be mindful of what you are putting into it. Our curators consider 100% Grass-Fed Whey Isolate to be the most detail-oriented protein powder available.
100% Grass-Fed Whey Positives:
- 28 Grams Whey Isolate Per Serving (highest)
- 30 Servings Per Each Bag
- Zero Artificial Flavors, Sweeteners, Colors
- Delicious, Refreshing, and Feels Clean
- Chocolate and Vanilla Flavor Options
#2 Natural Force Organic Whey Protein
Ranking in at second place on our health conscious best protein powders ranking is Natural Force’s own Organic Whey Protein.
Organic Whey Protein is minimally processed, organic, and modestly flavored to give you a natural, earthy product.
Organic Whey by Natural Force is a distinct second place ranker for two reasons: first, it is more expensive than TL Grass-Fed Whey; and second, Grass-Fed Whey tastes much, much better.
Natural Force Organic Whey Specs:
- 20 Grams Organic Whey Per Serving
- 15 Servings Per Container
- Zero Artificial Ingredients
- Available in Chocolate, Vanilla, and Unflavored
#3 NutraBio Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
NutraBio has been around for quite a while and they make a massive line of supplements. It’s only right that they provide their loyal customer base with a high quality grass-fed whey isolate protein.
In comparison, NutraBio Whey Protein Isolate is similar to Transparent Labs Grass-fed Whey isolate.
- They are both Grass-fed
- They both come in chocolate and vanilla flavors
But, Transparent Labs Grass-Fed offers 28 grams of protein per serving while the latter 25 g. When we choose between the two, we pick Transparent Labs every time.
Review of NutraBio Grass-Fed Whey Specs
- Grass-fed Whey Isolate
- 25 Grams of protein per serving
- Flavors: Vanilla and Chocolate
- Respectable Brand with a long history
#4 Featured Value Buy – Staunch Whey Isolate
If you want an affordable whey protein isolate, our favored recommendation would be Staunch Whey Isolate. We choose these guys because they are US based and a relatively small company. This means fresher protein powder, as you buy it directly from them, not some overstrung distribution network where protein sits in a warehouse for years.
Staunch Whey Isolate Specs
- 24 Grams of Whey Isolate per serving
- Quantity Discount with Free Shipping
- 3 Delicious and Unique Flavors
- Fan Favorite Bodybuilding Brand
If you do not care about grass-fed sourced protein powders, or are simply tight on cash – Staunch Whey Isolate is what we would choose to supplement with.
Get Staunch Whey Isolate#5 Naked Nutrition Naked Whey Powder
Naked Nutrition chose its name based on their choice to use as few additives as possible. Hence, they label their products as ‘naked’. Their Grass-Fed whey protein powder is no exception, and is a fantastic option for an unflavored grass-fed protein supplement.
Naked Grass-Fed Whey Protein Pros:
- Good Value at about $1 per Serving
- Only Unflavored, no chocolate or vanilla
- Made from California Grass-fed cows
It’s worth noting that the naked brand also contains ‘less naked protein supplements’. While they are not grass-fed sourced, they are a reasonable option for flavored proteins. We really like this brand, and anticipate their rankings rising, and more of their products entering our site (keep up the good work naked nutrition!).
Get Naked Whey Protein#6 Garden of Life Sport Certified Grass Fed Clean Whey Protein Isolate
Garden of Life has a strong history with making plant-based healthy supplements. With that in mind, they have been very strict to produce a milk based grass-fed whey protein powder supplement.
It is important for us to point out, that just because this protein powder is ranked #6, doesn’t mean it is bad by any means. In-fact, this is the cumulative list of all the best products that we’ve ever taken across our whole staff. We just feel that the protein powders above have earned your money more, if a quality yet economical protein powder is what you are after.
Garden Of Life Grass-Fed Whey Powder Specs:
- 24 Grams Whey Protein per Serving
- 20 Servings Per Container
- Available in Chocolate and Vanilla
- Uses Sugar Alcohols and Organic Creamers for flavoring
- Whey Powder Sourced From Ireland
#7 Catalyst Grass-Fed Whey
Catalyst Nutrition is an interesting brand that has been lingering around for years. They make a few protein products, of them we have featured Grass-Fed Whey here.
What makes Grass-Fed Whey by Catalyst different from other brands, is that they use a blend of both grass-fed isolate and concentrate. They disclose this as a 3:1 ratio, meaning for every 3 grams of isolate protein, there are 1 grams of concentrate.
Given that each serving provides 24 grams of total protein – the breakdown is 18 grams of grass-fed isolate and 6 grams of grass-fed concentrate per serving.
Catalyst Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder Specs:
- 3:1 Isolate to Concentrate Ratio
- 24 Grams total protein per serving
- 30 Servings per container
- Expensive for not exclusively isolate
- 3 Flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry
#8 Promix Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
Promix is a lesser-known brand with a supplement line-up focusing on non-gmo supplements. They use a similar quality grass-fed protein powder as many of the others above.
Of importance for many readers, is that this protein is unflavored. Thus, it will have a bland flavorless taste to it.
Despite its lack of flavors, you can be excited about getting a quality sourced protein supplement into your body that is more bio-available and less likely to cause inflammation and GI distress.
Promix Whey Isolate Protein Specs:
- Mostly Non-GMO
- Does Have Some Bad Reviews
- Available in Concentrate and Isolate
- Rather Expensive, Big Investment
#9 Reservage Organics Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate
Reservage Organics offers a small-sized specialty whey concentrate derived from grass-fed cow milk. This is an unflavored product, but if you are looking for a minimally refined whey protein that you can mix into your self-flavored smoothies… This is a fantastic option!
Reservage Organics Whey Protein Concentrate Specs:
- 12 Servings Per Container
- Whey Protein Concentrate
- Grass-Fed Cow Sourced
- Unflavored, but great texture
#10 Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein
Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard 100% Whey is literally the most popular whey protein powder on the planet. Go to any supplement store, online or in person – and this is a product that you will certainly find!
But with this intensely value-insinuating name… Does the protein powder stack up?
Well, it’s more ‘average’ than you would think. 100% Whey is a blend of concentrate and isolate protein. It is artificially flavored, artificially sweetened, and even contains artificial dyes. To us, that’s not the ‘gold standard of optimum nutrition’…
But on the bright side, it is extremely inexpensive and comes in a vast selection of flavors. So, if you fear no food dye, milk source, or processing practice – then this is exactly what you want, hands down.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Specs:
- Very Affordable Whey Protein Powder
- Countless Different Flavor Options
- Wide Availability In-Store and Online
- Contains Artificial Ingredients
#11 Dymatize: ISO100 – Ultra-Pure Whey Isolate
Dymatize is more mind-full of their protein quality as you can see in their ISO100 protein powder. Where many other popular brands use a combination of whey isolate and concentrate, ISO100 features ultra-pure whey protein isolate.
While the sourcing of this whey protein is up for debate, at least they are purifying it to the best of their abilities and taking out any junk.
ISO100 is reasonably priced, and provides 25 grams of protein per serving totaling 110 calories per serving. Unlike our top reviewed protein powders, ISO100 uses artificial sweeteners and flavors.
Dymatize ISO100 Whey Isolate Specs:
- 25 Grams Protein Per Serving
- Whey Protein Isolate
- Ultra-Filtered Whey
- 110 Calories Per Serving (averaged)
- 24 Servings Per Container
#12 Muscletech Nitrotech
Muscletech has always made very excitingly named products. Nitrotech is a perfect example, and it makes our list of the best protein supplements. So, what’s in the scoop?
Nitrotech contains 30 grams of protein per scoop, which is awesomely high. This protein is a mixture of isolate and concentrate which they do not disclose.
Something that looks great at first, is how they advertise Nitrotech containing 6.9 grams of BCAAs. However, these BCAAs are not additional. Instead, this is the naturally occurring amount in that 30 grams of protein.
So, with Nitrotech you are getting 30 grams of protein along with 3 grams of creatine monohydrate and a small enzyme blend.
Muscletech Nitrotech Protein Specs:
- 30 Grams Protein Per Serving
- 3 Grams Creatine Monohydrate Per Serving
- Many Different Flavor Options
- Low Servings Per Container
#13 Jym Pro-Jym
It wouldn’t be a top 15 supplement list without at least one Jim Stoppani product. However, unlike pre workout supplements where Jym makes a fantastic performing pre workout like Pre-Jym… They are slacking on the protein side of business, using lesser sources.
But in defense of Jim, while the sources of protein may be questionable – he does excel at explaining why he chose the ratio of protein forms in Pro Jym.
The Pro Jym protein breakdown is this per scoop:
- 7.5 grams whey protein isolate
- 7 grams micellular casein
- 2.5 grams egg albumin
- 7 grams isolated milk protein
This blend of protein sources allows Pro Jym to supply your body with fast digesting protein, medium digesting protein, and slow digesting protein. This may or may not lead to enhanced gains.
Jym Supplement Science Pro Jym Specs
- 24 Grams Protein per Scoop
- Multi-Protein Blend
- 7 Grams Carbohydrates per Serving
- Available in 4 Flavors
#14 Cellucor COR Performance Whey
COR Performance Whey is really the same story that we see among many other supplement companies: Flashy branding, value suggesting name, and same old average protein.
When you look into this ‘new’ COR Performance Whey, you will find a mixture of whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate. That’s it. They boast a BCAA content on the front, but that isn’t added BCAAs… It’s the naturally occurring BCAAs found in the protein blend.
COR Performance Whey:
- 24 Grams Protein Per Serving
- Whey Isolate and Concentrate Blend
- Artificial Sweeteners and Flavors
- Nothing Special Here
#15 BSN Syntha-6 Whey Protein “Candy-like Protein Supplement”
Ranking in at last place is Syntha-6 by BSN – the makers of NO Xplode. We’ve taken Syntha-6 frequently, and while it tastes really, really delicious (seriously delicious)… We always found ourselves not making any gains at all.
This sucks, and doesn’t make sense when you look at BSN’s marketing for Syntha-6.
- BSN Claims Syntha-6 is Ultra-Premium Protein Powder
- They Boast 10 Grams of Essential Amino Acids Per Serving
But, what you are actually getting is 22 grams of protein per serving, containing several different concentrates, along with 14 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fat!!!
Yes, this is the first ‘ultra-premium’ protein to contain nearly as much carbs and fat as actual protein!!
Is this a good thing? Probably not, but at least it tastes good…
Syntha-6 Protein Powder Specs:
- 22 Grams Protein Per Serving (Very Low)
- 6 Grams Fat Per Serving
- 14 Grams Carbohydrates Per Serving
- Relatively Inexpensive
- Flashy and Shiny Label
Different types of protein powder:
Casein Protein: Casein is a globular protein derived from dairy. Most notably, is its slow-digesting nature, due to the fact that it clumps up in the stomach. A few years ago we wrote this article: difference between whey and casein proteins; which summarizes the different reasons to take each type.
However now we recommend against the use of casein proteins. This is because casein causes a great deal of body inflammation, GI distress, and may be linked to higher risk of cancer.
Call us skeptics, but this is how we see it. You can ultimately choose whatever you want to subject your body to.
There is a definite quality gradient among protein powders as you can see.
We’ve finally reached the end of our 15 best protein powders ranking. Through this list, we hope that you’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a quality protein powder so good. From there, you can judge exactly where your budget and health needs meet.
If you want the utmost best for your body, then our #1 choice Transparent Labs Grass-fed Whey through #3 NutraBio Grass-Fed Whey are the best choices. However if you’d like to save money, and don’t worry as much about sourcing – then Staunch Whey Isolate trumps all others!
Top 15 Protein Powder Supplements on the market Recap
- #1 Protein Series 100% Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
- #2 Natural Force Organic Whey Protein
- #3 NutraBio Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
- #4 Featured Value Buy – Staunch Whey Isolate
- #5 Naked Nutrition Naked Whey Powder
- #6 Garden of Life Sport Certified Grass Fed Clean Whey Protein Isolate
- #7 Catalyst Grass-Fed Whey
- #8 Promix Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
- #9 Reservage Organics Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate
- #10 Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein
- #11 Dymatize: ISO100 – Ultra-Pure Whey Isolate
- #12 Muscletech Nitrotech
- #13 Jym Pro-Jym
- #14 Cellucor COR Performance Whey
- #15 BSN Syntha-6 Whey Protein “Candy-like Protein Supplement”
