NOW Foods Creatine Monohydrate Powder Review

This site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. Read Our Disclosures

NOW Foods Creatine Powder is one of the best value pure creatine monohydrate powders available, with 5g of creatine per serving and a 7-day recommended loading phase.

But how do you know if this is the best creatine for your strength and endurance goals? Would a complete pre-workout/creatine combination, such as MuscleTech CellTech, produce more significant strength gains in the same period of time?

In this review we compare the NOW Foods creatine powder to other pure monohydrate supplements, in terms of price per serving, recommended dosage, loading phase, and customer feedback. This is to guarantee you only buy the best creatine for your fitness goals and budget.

We’ve also created a series of supplement stacks designed to boost your energy pre-workout, increase your strength during the workout, and promote protein synthesis and muscle recovery after your training. These have been tailored towards CrossFit, powerlifting, bodybuilding, and general fitness.

NOW Foods Creatine ingredients

NOW Foods Creatine Monohydrate Powder represents good value for money, but only if you’re buying the larger 1 kg tub. At this size, the average cost per gram is close to $0.02, putting it level with Optimum Nutrition and half the price of MusclePharm.

All 3 of these creatine supplements deliver the same dose of the same ingredient (5 g of creatine monohydrate), so why pay more for a smaller tub?

Being in powder form also has its own advantages. You’re not paying for the added manufacture of capsules, and there’s no gelatin involved, making it a good choice for vegetarians and vegans.

Having the creatine monohydrate isolated like this makes it easier to mix with a pre-workout energy drink or post-workout protein shake. It also puts you in complete control over the dosage levels if you want to combine it with BCAAs or L-glutamine.

Cheaper to buy an all-in-one?

If you wanted to combine all 3 ingredients (creatine, glutamine, and BCAAs), all-in-one supplements like Vintage Build 3-in-1 are available. However, you’re paying a high premium for the convenience of someone else doing the mixing.

At the time of writing this review, Vintage Build was priced around $1.33 per serving. Each serving contained 3 g of creatine monohydrate, 5 g of BCAAs, and 2 g of L-glutamine.

The larger tub of NOW Foods Creatine was priced at $0.10 for a 5 g serving. Sticking with the same brand, NOW Foods L-Glutamine was priced at $0.20 for a 5 g serving, and their BCAA powder was $0.36 per serving for the same 5 g dose and 2:1:1 ratio.

So by stacking NOW Foods supplements exclusively, you’re looking at a total cost of $0.66 per serving. That’s half the price of Old School Labs Vintage Build. This even includes 2 g more glutamine and 2 g more creatine per serving!

Health benefits of creatine

For a comprehensive list of creatine health benefits, we recommend taking a look at our Creatine Buying Guide.

Post-workout or pre-workout?

Suggested usage

As a dietary supplement mix 1 heaping teaspoon in fruit juice or other sweetened liquid 3 to 4 times daily, before and after exercise, for the first 7 days (loading phase). After loading, consume 1 to 3 times daily for the duration of the maintenance phase.

If you don’t plan to cycle the loading and maintenance phases, cut the dosage down to 1 serving per day after 28 days.

NOW Foods vs. MuscleTech Cell Tech

NOW Foods vs. MusclePharm Creatine

What size is the best value?

NOW Foods Creatine can be purchased in 3 different sized tubs; 227 g (45 servings), 500 g (100 servings), and 1 kg (200 servings). Although prices tend to fluctuate between sellers on Amazon, the 1 kg tub is consistently the best value.

The 500 g tub is usually priced around $12.31 per pound, whereas the 1 kg tub averages out at closer to $7.80 per pound. By ordering the larger tub you’ll also have enough for more than 2 months of continuous use, even if you have a loading phase.

Who are NOW Foods?

NOW Foods has specialized in the development of healthy foods and natural supplements since 1968, with a goal of empowering people to lead healthier lives.

Their supplements have been featured in just about every major health publication in the U.S., including Men’s Fitness, Prevention, Health Magazine, and Better Nutrition Magazine. They’ve also experienced global success through the creation of NOW® International in 2000, which extended the reach of their natural health products to more than 70 countries.

As for their current product line, this includes a wide range of bestselling dietary supplements. These are designed to address specific health needs, such as digestive support, joint support, heart health, and cognitive health. Categories include Beauty & Health, Essential Oils, Sports Nutrition, and Natural Foods.

But knowing what’s contained in each supplement isn’t always easy, which is why we created the NOW Foods supplement guide. It’s essentially a summary of the most important health benefits, dosages and main ingredients for each product.

We’ve also added in-depth reviews and comparisons with other top rated nutrition companies, to guarantee you only buy the best supplement for your fitness goals.