3Are lot-level results for DCD, DHT, DMS and heavy metals published?
4Is a raw-material brand such as Creapure® named?
5What is the price per gram and the days of supply at 3 g (women) / 5 g (men)?
Creatine monohydrate has the strongest evidence base in sports nutrition; the ISSN calls it one of the most effective and safest supplements available (ISSN 2017). The newer frame is that it is no longer just a sports supplement: a single dose under sleep deprivation improved cognitive processing and brain energy metabolism (Scientific Reports, 2024), and women may benefit more because stores run lower across the life cycle (Smith-Ryan 2021). Quality is decided by synthesis by-products: USP-DSC caps creatinine at 0.1%, while Creapure® holds 0.005–0.01% — 10–20× stricter. Loading is unnecessary; consistency at 3 g (women) or 5 g (men) is what matters.
01Effects & latest research
What does Creatine do, and what does recent research say?
What is established
Effects on strength and lean-mass retention are the best-evidenced in sports nutrition (ISSN position stand: among the most effective and safest supplements), with accumulating evidence for preserving muscle mass and reducing fall risk in older adults.
What is new
Creatine is no longer framed as a sports-only supplement: a single dose under sleep deprivation improved cognitive processing and brain energy markers (Scientific Reports, 2024); a 2023 meta-analysis reported memory gains in older adults; and a review notes women carry lower stores across the life cycle, suggesting greater benefit (Smith-Ryan et al., Nutrients, 2021).
Limits — we stop here
The cognitive evidence is not settled. In 2024 EFSA rejected a cognitive-function health claim for insufficient evidence; only the exercise-performance claim (3 g/day) is authorised in the EU.
Conflict-of-interest disclosure: KNI and EGA share ownership and management. EGA products are included in our NMN comparisons. We apply the same published criteria to all products; please review the evidence behind EGA's score.
Grade
Product
Total
Cost per active unit/g
Daily costWomen 3g / Men 5g
Days of supplyWomen / Men
S
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine
Names Creapure® German raw material, single-ingredient monohydrate, no additives
Retailer link pending
92/100
79원
238원 / 396원
200 / 120d3 / 5 servings/day
A
Nutricost Creatine
Micronised monohydrate; SuppCo testing verified creatinine <46 ppm — but no ingredient brand named
Retailer link pending
75/100
52원
157원 / 261원
151 / 91d3 / 5 servings/day
B
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine
Micronised monohydrate with good solubility, but lot-level impurity results are not published
Retailer link pending
64/100
49원
148원 / 246원
333 / 200d3 / 5 servings/day
C
Pre-workout / booster blendsCategory (not named)
Actual creatine content and form undisclosed, heavy sweeteners — per-gram cost cannot be calculated
13/100
Not calculable
Not calculable
—
S
92/100
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine
Names Creapure® German raw material, single-ingredient monohydrate, no additives
Cost per active unit
79원/g
Daily cost · Women 3g
238원
Daily cost · Men 5g
396원
Days of supply · Women / Men
200 / 120d
Servings per day
3 / 5 servings
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
22/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
16/20
Raw-material grade
15/15
Information transparency
9/10
Retailer link pending
A
75/100
Nutricost Creatine
Micronised monohydrate; SuppCo testing verified creatinine <46 ppm — but no ingredient brand named
Cost per active unit
52원/g
Daily cost · Women 3g
157원
Daily cost · Men 5g
261원
Days of supply · Women / Men
151 / 91d
Servings per day
3 / 5 servings
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
20/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
Raw-material grade
5/15
Information transparency
8/10
Retailer link pending
B
64/100
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine
Micronised monohydrate with good solubility, but lot-level impurity results are not published
Cost per active unit
49원/g
Daily cost · Women 3g
148원
Daily cost · Men 5g
246원
Days of supply · Women / Men
333 / 200d
Servings per day
3 / 5 servings
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
10/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
Raw-material grade
5/15
Information transparency
7/10
Retailer link pending
C
13/100
Pre-workout / booster blends
Actual creatine content and form undisclosed, heavy sweeteners — per-gram cost cannot be calculated
Cost per active unit
Not calculable
Daily cost · Women 3g
—
Daily cost · Men 5g
—
Days of supply · Women / Men
—
Axis scores
Effective dose
5/30
Purity & impurity testing
0/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
6/20
Raw-material grade
0/15
Information transparency
2/10
See axis-level scores (5 axes, 100 points)
Product
① Effective dose/30
② Purity & impurity testing/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification/20
④ Raw-material grade/15
⑤ Information transparency/10
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine
30
22
16
15
9
Nutricost Creatine
30
20
12
5
8
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine
30
10
12
5
7
Pre-workout / booster blends
5
0
6
0
2
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
22/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
16/20
④ Raw-material grade
15/15
⑤ Information transparency
9/10
Nutricost Creatine
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
20/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
④ Raw-material grade
5/15
⑤ Information transparency
8/10
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
10/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
④ Raw-material grade
5/15
⑤ Information transparency
7/10
Pre-workout / booster blends
① Effective dose
5/30
② Purity & impurity testing
0/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
6/20
④ Raw-material grade
0/15
⑤ Information transparency
2/10
How these are calculated
Cost per active unit = price ÷ total active content · Daily cost = cost per unit × daily dose · Days of supply = total active content ÷ daily dose
Unit costs are converted from the purchase option listed at the official retailer. Where the basis is not a single unit, that option is stated beneath the figure — costs on different bases are not directly comparable.
Days of supply is not how long an effect lasts — it is how many days one pack covers at the daily dose used here. Nor is it the number of sticks or tablets in a pack: when the daily dose exceeds one serving, a 30-stick pack lasts fewer than 30 days.
Daily dose used — Women 3g · Men 5g. The 3–5 g/day maintenance range comes from the ISSN 2017 position stand; reflecting body-mass differences, KNI compares at 3 g for women and 5 g for men. No loading phase is required.
All named products in this table are made in the US and sold via cross-border purchase. Named listings are limited to overseas brands and to top-tier (S/A) domestic products whose evidence — ingredient brand, certifications and test reports — is publicly verifiable. All other domestic products appear as a category. Third-party product links earn no affiliate commission. KNI and EGA share ownership and management; purchases do not change the published scoring criteria. Based on official retailer listings and published test reports · Data as of 2026-08
So which one should you choose?
To summarise — single-ingredient monohydrate, disclosed creatinine in ppm, lot-level impurity testing, a named raw material, and price per gram. Value ranking and quality grade do not line up.
If raw-material grade comes first —
SHealthy Origins Performance Creatine79원/g
Creapure® holds creatinine at 50–100 ppm — 10–20× stricter than the pharmacopoeia limit of 1,000 ppm — and carries Cologne List doping-free verification. At 79 KRW/g it is not the cheapest; the difference is what raw-material grade costs.
If you want verified value —
ANutricost Creatine52원/g
No named ingredient brand, but external testing (SuppCo) verified creatinine below 46 ppm — premium-grade by the numbers, at 52 KRW/g. Without a named source, though, nothing guarantees the same quality across lots.
The lowest price per gram is not the best product. We keep the value ranking and the quality grade in separate columns so you can read them apart.
Conflict-of-interest disclosure: KNI and EGA share ownership and management. EGA products are included in our NMN comparisons. We apply the same published criteria to all products; please review the evidence behind EGA's score.
Not in healthy individuals — a 2019 meta-analysis found no adverse effect on renal function markers. Creatine does raise blood creatinine, which can be misread on lab tests, so tell your clinician before a checkup. Anyone with existing kidney disease should consult a physician first.
Current evidence does not support this. The claim traces to a single small 2009 study where DHT rose but stayed within the normal range — no study has measured actual hair loss. A 2021 evidence review concluded the claim is unsupported.
No. Taking 3 g/day for 4 weeks reaches the same muscle saturation as loading (Hultman 1996). Loading (0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days) only speeds up saturation. Skipping it is a reasonable default if GI comfort is a concern.
It is not fat gain. The initial 1–2 kg comes from intramuscular water and creatine retention — the ISSN position stand notes this water-related weight gain as the only consistent side effect.
The evidence is mixed. 2023–2024 meta-analyses report small improvements in memory (especially in older adults), but a well-designed RCT found small, uncertain effects, and EFSA rejected the cognition health claim in 2024 for insufficient evidence. Ads guaranteeing cognitive benefits overstate the current evidence.
People with kidney disease must consult a physician. Data are lacking for pregnancy, and case reports suggest caution in bipolar disorder. Adolescents can use it safely under appropriate supervision per ISSN 2017.
