The 6 Best Creatine Supplements of 2024

Bottom Line: The Best Creatine Supplement

For its combination of high-quality ingredients and affordable price, NOW Creatine Monohydrate (view at Amazon) is an excellent choice for creatine beginners and seasoned athletes. However, if you prefer a finer powder, Thorne Creatine (view at Amazon) is another alternative we like for its rigorous standards for quality and purity.

Choosing a Creatine Supplement

Types of Creatine

Creatine monohydrate is the most common type of creatine found in supplements. Braddock says most research to date has used the monohydrate form, which she recommends to clients. Other brands may offer proprietary forms of creatine that Braddock says are usually more expensive and not any more effective compared to creatine monohydrate, even though the packaging may suggest the opposite.

Form of Creatine

Creatine is a white powder that can be sold in a canister and mixed into water or any other beverage of choice or sold as powder-filled capsules. Both forms are considered equally effective, and choosing comes down to personal preference and lifestyle.

Third-Party Testing

“The most important thing is to choose a brand that is third-party certified,” says Braddock. Look for supplements that use an outside lab to conduct third-party testing on their products and verify the supplement contains what the label claims and is free from harmful contaminants. The quality of third-party testing can vary significantly by company, so choosing a supplement tested or certified by a highly reputable company or organization such as NSF, USP, UL and Consumer Lab is recommended.

Read the Ingredients List

Creatine is widely available as a single-ingredient supplement, allowing one to control dosage and avoid other unwanted ingredients. Some pre-workout supplements contain creatine in combination with other ingredients. Braddock says these can be good if they contain other nutrients or compounds you already take in those desired amounts. However, she recommends reading the label carefully, since many also contain ingredients such as caffeine. 

Our Search for the Best Creatine Supplement

We researched many different brands of creatine supplements, consulting with two registered dietitians to gather recommendations and criteria for selecting a quality supplement. The products on our list all come recommended by dietitians and are tested for purity and potency, either in-house by the brand or externally by independent third parties.

We Also Considered

RSP Creatine Monohydrate ($29 for 60 doses at Amazon): RSP isn’t a brand we know much about, but we liked the look and texture of this unflavored creatine powder. It’s third-party tested, and the powder is micronized into smaller particles for easier mixing.

Life Extension Creatine Capsules ($14 for 120 capsules at Amazon): These high-quality creatine capsules are third-party tested, contain a small amount of vitamin C, and are smaller in size, making them easier to swallow. However, a 5 g dose requires taking ten capsules.

The Genius Brand Creatine ($25 for 25 doses at Amazon): One scoop contains 5 g of creatine monohydrate along with small amounts of beta-alanine (another performance-enhancing amino acid) and a proprietary blend of ginseng and astragalus to enhance energy and nutrient absorption. We like the idea behind the blend, and the amounts appear safe within safe ranges, but be aware that less is known about the additional ingredients.

Common Questions

What is creatine? 

Creatine is a non-structural amino acid, meaning it’s not used to form proteins that comprise body tissues like muscle. Instead, creatine helps to recycle phosphate compounds to generate more ATP or energy within cells. Most creatine (95%) is stored in muscle, but a small amount is stored in major organs like the brain, liver, and kidneys. By facilitating greater energy production, creatine allows for enhanced or longer workouts to promote improvements in performance and body composition and may support cognitive and mental health.

What is the best form of creatine to take? 

Creatine is sold in two forms: a powder that you mix with water or other liquid, and capsules filled with that powder. The first is the most popular form and is usually sold in a tub with a scoop. One scoop (usually one to two teaspoons of powder) typically contains 5 g of creatine, which you can stir into a water or other beverage. If desired, you can stir powdered creatine into foods such as oatmeal and smoothies. The capsules can be a good option for those who are not keen on drinking their creatine. The only downside is that it usually requires several capsules to meet your intake goal.

When is the best time of day to take creatine?

Braddock advises consuming creatine 30 minutes prior to your workout if your goal for taking creatine is to enhance performance in terms of stamina, strength and endurance. If you’re looking to reap other benefits from creatine supplementation, such as improved cognition, she says creatine can be taken any time of day, with or without food. You can also divide a 5 g dose over a day, which may be helpful if taken in capsule form. For example, if a 5 g dose requires six capsules per day, you could take three in the morning and three in the afternoon.

How much creatine should I take—and does the amount differ between men and women?

Creatine intake recommendations are based on body weight. A dosage of 0.03 g/kilograms per day (approximately 2 to 5 g) is considered safe for men and women. To simplify, Braddock recommends a 5 g dosage for most adults. She says this is the amount used in most studies demonstrating benefits from creatine.

How do I get started taking creatine? 

There are two approaches to starting creatine. The first is to begin by taking a 5 g “maintenance” dosage each day to gradually build and maintain creatine stores. The second is to take a “loading dose,” or an initially higher dose (0.3 g/kg per day, approximately 15 to 25 g) for five to seven days. Then, transition to a daily 5 g maintenance dose to maintain those stores. 

In the past, the loading dose approach was considered an optimal way to reap benefits from creatine supplementation, but the International Society of Sports Nutrition now says this may not be necessary. After one month of supplementation, creatine levels appear to be the same regardless of the dosing approach. For most people, Braddock says starting and continuing a 5 g maintenance dose is effective. The loading dose approach can be beneficial for athletes or individuals who are just beginning supplementation and have an event or competition within the next few days. 

Consistency is key for most supplements, including creatine, but the good news here is that Braddock says one will still reap the benefits of creatine when it comes to sports and performance even if one is “slightly inconsistent.” She says that missing an occasional dose will not immediately deplete the body’s creatine stores or usually impact performance, but consistency is best for optimal benefits. She also says there is no harm in missing a dose or stopping supplementation cold turkey.

What are the benefits of taking creatine? 

The body makes a small amount of creatine, but any additional creatine must come from diet. However, meeting a daily intake of 5 g through diet alone is tough. This is because creatine is found almost exclusively in animal proteins, and even in those sources, it’s found in low amounts. For example, Braddock says one pound of uncooked beef or salmon only contains 1 to 2 g of creatine—which is why supplementing can be useful and healthier than relying on diet alone.

According to a 2021 Nutrients journal review, creatine supplementation is associated with improvements in performance, increases in exercise capacity, increases in lean body mass and improvements in body composition in both athletes and untrained individuals. Research also suggests that creatine may lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, improve glycemic control, slow cancer growth, maintain physical abilities as one ages, minimize bone loss, enhance cognition and memory and improve the effectiveness of some antidepressant medications.

According to Braddock, most of creatine’s benefits stem from its role in energy production. In the body, creatine is stored as phosphocreatine, a compound involved in the resynthesis of ATP (aka fuel or energy for cells). Higher phosphocreatine levels promote more rapid ATP production and delay fatigue by buffering acid generated by muscles. From a performance perspective, this means muscles can do more work, which allows for more significant gains in workouts and improvements in body composition. Braddock is quick to point out that creatine by itself doesn’t cause one to gain muscle or strength or get leaner. Rather, creatine facilitates your body to do more work, fatigue less quickly and maximize your workouts. 

Some brain and cognitive benefits also stem from creatine’s role in ATP resynthesis. Brain cells are highly active, meaning they go through much more ATP than other body cells, particularly when doing high-level work requiring concentration, or when fatigued or stressed. Braddock says brain cells respond well to creatine supplementation to support ATP production to “help brain power work at a higher level.” Less is known about creatine’s potential benefits on mental health, but Braddock adds there is some data on creatine and anti-depressant medications. “Supplementing with creatine may increase how quickly benefits [from an antidepressant medication] are observed or felt,” says Braddock. 

Braddock is a big proponent of creatine supplementation in perimenopausal and menopausal women. Because estrogen declines during these life stages, she says it’s harder for women to build and maintain muscle mass. Creatine supplementation aids in building lean body mass which, in turn, can improve metabolism and lead to a leaner physique, two common goals Braddock sees among her clients in these stages. Creatine may also help older adults maintain muscle mass to extend physical mobility and independence. 

What are the side effects of creatine? 

Creatine supplementation is associated with relatively few side effects or risks. The most common complaint is digestive upset, which Braddock says is often due to taking doses higher than recommended. Another side effect that some experience is water retention and bloating. This is most common when starting or taking a higher loading dose. Creatine is attracted to water, so higher creatine intakes will cause the body to retain slightly more water. Research suggests this is only a short-term effect and not associated with long-term usage. There’s also a common belief among some that creatine supplementation leads to kidney damage. However, research does not back this up when creatine is taken at recommended dosages by healthy individuals.

Our Trusted Expertise

Carolyn Williams, PhD, RDN, is a registered dietitian, tenured college professor and freelance journalist who’s written on a host of nutrition and health topics. She specializes in the relationship between diet and chronic inflammation and co-hosts the podcast Happy Eating, which explores the connection that mental wellness has to diet and lifestyle. 

In addition to her own expertise, Carolyn consulted with Jenna Braddock, MSH, RDN, CSSD, CPT, a performance dietitian in Florida and creator of Eating for Purpose group nutrition program for women over 40. She is considered an expert in her field when it comes to healthy, active living at all ages, and on supplements, such as creatine, that support those goals. 

This article was edited and reviewed by Brierley Horton, M.S., RD, senior commerce editor, who has 15 years of experience reporting, writing, and editing nutrition and health content. Since working on this article, she has started taking a creatine supplement.