Why is the ranking based on protein per 100 calories?

Grams per serving can be inflated by simply making the scoop bigger. Protein per 100 calories measures how much of what you are actually consuming is protein, which is what makes one powder leaner than another at the same protein target.

Why are collagen powders excluded?

Collagen is not a complete protein: it lacks tryptophan and is low in the essential amino acids that drive muscle protein synthesis. It has its own uses, but it does not belong in a like-for-like ranking against whey and plant proteins.

Best Protein Powders

“Best” here means the most protein for the calories, from data we transcribed and verified against each manufacturer’s nutrition label, not marketing claims. Every powder below is scored on protein per 100 calories, then lower sugar. To qualify, a powder needs at least 20g of protein per serving and a complete protein as its lead source, which is why collagen-led powders are excluded. Prefer a specific style? See the whey and dairy powders or plant-based powders lists, or read our full guide to choosing a protein powder.

Rankings recompute automatically as new verified products are added. Tap a column to sort; product lines with multiple flavours show their best scoring flavour.

#	Product
1	Isopure Zero Carb6 flavours	25g	100	25g	0g	0g
2	Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Isolate2 flavours	25g	100	25g	≤1g	0g
3	Nutricost Whey Protein Isolate13 flavoursvaries by flavour	30g	130	23.1g	≤1g	0g
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4	Isopure Low Carb3 flavours	25g	110	22.7g	0g	≤1g
5	Ascent Native Fuel Whey12 flavoursvaries by flavour	25g	110	22.7g	≤1g	0g
6	Dymatize ISO10014 flavours	25g	110	22.7g	≤1g	0g
7	Naked Nutrition Naked Pea5 flavoursvaries by flavour	27g	120	22.5g	2g	0g
8	PEScience Select Protein13 flavoursvaries by flavour	24g	110	21.8g	0.5g	0.5g
9	Quest Protein Powder6 flavoursvaries by flavour	24g	110	21.8g	≤1g	0g
10	Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Casein4 flavours	24g	110	21.8g	2g	0g

How this ranking works

Every nutrition value is transcribed from the manufacturer’s published nutrition label and verified by hand, with no third party food databases.
Product lines are ranked, not individual flavours, so one product’s 20 flavours can’t fill the list. Each entry shows its best scoring flavour.
A maximum of two lines per brand keeps the list diverse.
Labels that don’t state sugar or fiber are treated as unknown (never as zero) and are excluded from sugar and fiber rankings.
Want to hit a daily protein target? The Protein Pal app lets you scan any label and track your protein day by day.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the ranking based on protein per 100 calories?: Grams per serving can be inflated by simply making the scoop bigger. Protein per 100 calories measures how much of what you are actually consuming is protein, which is what makes one powder leaner than another at the same protein target.
Why are collagen powders excluded?: Collagen is not a complete protein: it lacks tryptophan and is low in the essential amino acids that drive muscle protein synthesis. It has its own uses, but it does not belong in a like-for-like ranking against whey and plant proteins.

Best Protein Powders

How this ranking works

Frequently asked questions

More rankings

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