How to compare whey protein prices

A tub's sticker price doesn't tell you what a serving actually costs — that depends on how many servings are in the container and how much protein each one delivers. Divide price by servings for a per-serving cost, then divide that by grams of protein to compare two tubs with different serving sizes fairly.

Price per serving is the first check

Two tubs at the same shelf price can cost very different amounts per serving if one has 15 servings and the other has 30. Price per serving — total price divided by number of servings — is the number that actually lets you compare two products, the same way unit pricing works on any grocery shelf.

Price per gram of protein is the more precise number

Serving size alone doesn't finish the comparison, because grams of protein per serving vary between products even at the same scoop count. A tub charging less per serving but delivering fewer grams of protein per serving isn't automatically the better deal. Dividing price per serving by grams of protein per serving — price per gram of actual protein — is the number that controls for both variables at once.

What our label works out to

Electric Tiger Whey Protein (Chocolate) is as low as $39.75 a tub on subscription — the largest multi-bottle break available — with 15 servings of 22 g of protein each. That works out to about $2.65 a serving, or roughly $0.12 per gram of protein.

Where price differences actually come from

A blend that doesn't disclose its isolate-to-concentrate ratio — ours included — can still be fairly priced for the protein it delivers; price per gram and dose disclosure are two separate checks, not one. See how to choose a good whey protein for the disclosure check specifically. What tends to push price per gram up, independent of the protein source itself, is a flavored blend with more added ingredients, a smaller total serving count per container, or a pure isolate rather than a concentrate blend — isolate is more heavily filtered and typically costs more per gram of protein than concentrate. See types of whey protein compared for that difference.

Questions people ask

Is whey protein worth the money?

At a fair price per gram of protein, whey is one of the more efficient ways to add protein to a diet. Whether the research supports what you're hoping it does for muscle or strength is a separate question — see whey protein benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for that.

What should cheap whey protein cost per serving?

There's no single benchmark number, since concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate genuinely cost different amounts to produce. The useful check is price per gram of protein across products at a similar form, not the sticker price on the front of the tub.

Why do whey protein prices vary so much?

Differences in form (concentrate vs. isolate vs. hydrolysate), added flavoring or other ingredients, serving count per container, and brand positioning all affect price — not necessarily a difference in the protein's effectiveness. See whey protein isolate vs concentrate for how those two forms specifically compare on cost and composition.

Where can I find whey protein deals?

Ours is available directly through our product page, including a subscription option at the lowest per-serving price we offer. Shipping costs and thresholds are shown at checkout.