Best creatine supplements: Thorne, Momentous, Klean Athlete and Transparent Labs compared

Which creatine should you buy?

Choose Thorne Creatine if you want plain creatine and an NSF Certified for Sport listing. It’s 5 g of creatine monohydrate a scoop, $44 for 90 servings, about $0.49 a serving and $178.44 a year at one scoop a day. NSF’s Certified for Sport database lists it with 66 certified lot numbers^{1, 3}. The catch is that approved returns carry a 25% restocking fee, and Thorne doesn’t state the tub’s weight^{1, 2}.

Choose Momentous Creatine if you want a stated 450 g net weight for a little less: $42.99, about $0.48 a serving and $174.35 a year^{4, 5}. The catch is that Momentous’s refund policy says delivered products generally can’t be returned, even though its product page advertises a money-back guarantee. It also no longer names where its creatine comes from^{4, 6}.

Klean Creatine is $34.50 for about 60 servings. That’s the lowest tub price but about $0.58 a serving, or $209.88 a year, because the tub holds fewer scoops¹⁰. NSF lists two entries for it, with 2 and 16 lot numbers^{12, 13}. Klean’s page asks you to log in to add to cart¹⁰.

Transparent Labs Creatine HMB isn’t like for like. Each 7 g scoop has the same 5 g of creatine plus 1,500 mg of HMB, 500 IU of vitamin D3 and 5 mg of BioPerine. It’s $49.99 for 30 servings, about $1.67 a serving and $608.21 a year^{14, 15}. Choose it only if you want those extras.

All four give 5 g of creatine a scoop, so none gives you more creatine. What differs is the price per serving, the certifier listing and what happens if you want to send the tub back. None of that shows that one works better. For what trials found, see our supplements evidence review.

Thorne, Momentous, Klean and Transparent Labs side by side

Prices are US one-time prices on each maker’s page, before tax and shipping. All four prices were checked on November 6, 2026. A year assumes one scoop a day: 365 servings, divided by servings per tub, times the tub price. Everything below is a maker’s or certifier’s own statement. None of it is an independent measurement.

These links go to each brand’s own store and earn us no commission.

Which one fits which need

Each suits a different need. Start with whether you want plain creatine, then decide how much a return matters to you.

• You want plain creatine monohydrate and an NSF Certified for Sport listing: Thorne Creatine. It’s $44 for 90 servings, about $0.49 a serving, and NSF lists it with 66 lot numbers^{1, 3}. The catch: approved returns carry a 25% restocking fee, and the tub’s weight isn’t stated².
• You want a stated net weight and may subscribe: Momentous Creatine. It’s $42.99, about $0.48 a serving, with a 450 g net weight, and Subscribe & Save is $38.69 after the first delivery^{4, 5, 22}. The catch: delivered products generally can’t be returned, and the money-back guarantee on its page has no stated terms^{4, 6}.
• You want a plain 5 g scoop in a smaller tub at a lower up-front price: Klean Creatine. It’s $34.50 for about 60 servings, with Other ingredients: None¹⁰. The catch: about $0.58 a serving, a login to add to cart, and returns that carry a 15% fee plus shipping^{10, 11}.
• You want creatine with HMB, vitamin D3 and BioPerine in one scoop: Transparent Labs Creatine HMB. It’s $49.99 for 30 servings and returns are open for 45 days^14–16. The catch: about $1.67 a serving, return shipping at your cost, and an HMB dose below the one most studies used^{16, 19}.

Does creatine work? What the trials found

Our supplements evidence review covers this in full. In short, a 2017 meta-analysis pooled 22 randomized trials in 721 older adults, with mean ages of 57 to 70, who did resistance training while taking creatine or a placebo. The creatine groups gained 1.37 kg more lean tissue mass (95% CI 0.97 to 1.76)²⁰.

Those trials tested creatine, not these products. They measured lean mass and strength tests, not health outcomes²⁰. NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) describes a typical regimen as 3 to 5 g a day after an optional loading phase. It reports no consistent side effects apart from weight gain, and it says people respond differently¹⁹. Anecdotal reports of stomach upset and cramps exist, but they are not consistent findings.

Each scoop has 5 g of creatine, the top of that range^{1, 4, 10, 14}. Thorne lists hypersensitivity to creatine monohydrate as a contraindication, tells pregnant users to ask a health-care practitioner first, and says New York law bars sale to people under 18¹. A maker’s benefit wording on a store page is a claim, not a study of its product.

What an NSF Certified for Sport listing does and doesn’t tell you

We looked each product up in NSF’s database instead of relying on the badge on a store page. Thorne Creatine has 66 certified lot numbers, Momentous’s 450 g entry has 26, Klean’s two entries have 2 and 16, and Transparent Labs’ unflavored entry has 12^{3, 7, 12, 13, 17}. Momentous also has a second entry covering 5 g to 450 g packages with lot “All”⁸. A bigger number isn’t a better product. It’s how many lots NSF has listed, and you can match the lot number printed on your tub to the list.

None of the listings we read shows a certification date, and none says what was screened for^{3, 7, 12, 13, 17}. A sport certification is about what’s in the tub, not about health effects. Transparent Labs also says Informed Choice certifies the product, and Informed Choice’s October 2026 list names Creatine HMB without sizes, flavors or lot numbers^{15, 18}. For the same check across all 17 supplements we reviewed, see are supplements third-party tested.

Makers add their own statements. Thorne says it tests each ingredient for identity, purity and potency and publishes no results¹. Momentous describes six-stage testing, and its certificate of analysis page lists a certificate for each batch, though we couldn’t tell whether they cover heavy metals^{4, 9}. For how we weigh these, see how we choose third-party tested supplements.

Is Transparent Labs Creatine HMB worth the extra cost?

Only if you want what’s added. The creatine dose matches the others at 5 g, so the extra comes from 1,500 mg of myHMB calcium HMB, 500 IU of vitamin D3 and 5 mg of BioPerine. The label also shows 200 mg of calcium^{14, 15}. At $608.21 a year, it costs about $430 more than Thorne’s $178.44 at one scoop a day.

ODS describes numerous HMB trials with conflicting results and a most common study dose of 3 g a day, double what one scoop holds. It says there is no expert consensus on HMB for months of use¹⁹. If you want plain creatine, this isn’t it. The 60-serving tub, $89.99, brings the yearly cost down to about $547.44¹⁵. This comparison covers the unflavored 30-serving tub, and flavored versions use bigger scoops¹⁵.

Returns and guarantees

Thorne takes return requests within 60 days and offers a 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, but every approved return carries a 25% restocking fee, and the page doesn’t say who pays return shipping². Klean allows 30 days with preauthorization and keeps a 15% processing fee plus shipping¹¹. Transparent Labs gives 45 days for a refund or store credit, and you pay return shipping¹⁶.

Momentous is the outlier. Its refund policy says it generally doesn’t accept returns of delivered products, and the policy doesn’t mention the money-back guarantee on the product page^{4, 6}. If a return matters to you, that is the one to avoid or to ask about first.

What we couldn’t confirm

Thorne doesn’t state the tub’s weight or where its creatine comes from, and whether a given tub’s lot is on NSF’s list depends on the lot printed on it^{1, 3}. Momentous no longer names a raw-material source, and the terms of its money-back guarantee aren’t stated⁴. Klean’s page doesn’t give a net weight or the creatine’s source, and it’s unknown whether the logged-out price applies to every buyer¹⁰. Transparent Labs doesn’t state the 30-serving tub’s weight or who supplies its creatine¹⁴. Where a fact wasn’t stated, we left it unknown instead of guessing.

Where creatine fits in the supplements guide

Creatine is one of four supplements in the third-party-tested supplements guide, alongside omega-3, vitamin D and magnesium. For a two-product comparison, see Thorne Creatine vs Momentous Creatine. Reviews of all four: Thorne, Momentous, Klean and Transparent Labs.

All four have a 5 g creatine scoop. For when to take it, whether to load and what women should know, see when to take creatine. For magnesium, see best magnesium glycinate supplements. For fish oil, see best fish oil supplements. To see creatine’s cost next to vitamin D, fish oil and magnesium, see what the stack costs a month.

Sources

1. Creatine - 90 Servings (SF903) Thorne · manufacturer
2. Returns and Exchanges Thorne · manufacturer
3. Certified for Sport listing: Thorne Creatine NSF · certifier
4. Creatine Monohydrate Powder (90 Servings) store product page Momentous · manufacturer
5. Creatine - 90 Servings store listing (variant price and SKU) Momentous · manufacturer · price read from the store’s product data
6. Refund policy Momentous · manufacturer
7. Certified for Sport listing: Creatine Monohydrate, 450 g (Momentous) NSF · certifier
8. Certified for Sport listing: Creatine Monohydrate, all lots (Momentous) NSF · certifier
9. Certificate of analysis page (batch certificates) Momentous · manufacturer
10. Klean Creatine product page (SKU KA57692P-315) Klean Athlete · manufacturer
11. Return Policy Klean Athlete · manufacturer
12. Certified for Sport listing: Klean Athlete Klean Creatine NSF Certified for Sport · certifier
13. Certified for Sport listing: Klean Creatine NSF Certified for Sport · certifier
14. Creatine HMB Powder | 30 Servings Transparent Labs · manufacturer
15. Creatine HMB product description, directions and FAQs Transparent Labs · manufacturer · price read from the store’s product data
16. Refund policy Transparent Labs · manufacturer
17. Certified for Sport listing: Creatine HMB Unflavored NSF Certified for Sport · certifier
18. Informed Choice Certified Products List (October 2026) Informed Choice · certifier
19. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals NIH Office of Dietary Supplements · guideline
20. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis (Open Access J Sports Med 2017, doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S123529) PubMed · meta-analysis
21. Creatine - 180 Servings (SF904) Thorne · manufacturer
22. Creatine - 90 Servings store listing (Subscribe & Save plan prices) Momentous · manufacturer · price read from the store’s product data