Editorial Standards
How We Test
Anyone can rank the top ten sellers on a retail site and call it a review. Here is what we check instead, what we will not do, and how we make money — so you can judge our recommendations for yourself.
We start from the goal, not the bestseller list
Every guide begins with what the reader is trying to do — hit a protein target on a budget, avoid dairy, pass a sports drug test, find something that does not upset their stomach. The shortlist comes from what that goal demands, not from what is selling well this week.
We read the whole nutrition panel
Protein per serving, serving size in grams, and protein as a share of the scoop — a 30 g scoop with 25 g of protein is a different product from a 45 g scoop with the same 25 g. We read the full ingredient list for sweeteners, thickeners, added sugars and fillers, and we check flavours separately because the numbers change between them.
We work out the cost per 25 g of protein
Price per tub is meaningless when serving sizes and protein content vary this much. We divide the typical retail price by the grams of protein in the container and compare products on cost per 25 g of protein — the number that actually tells you what you are paying for.
We check who else has checked it
Supplements are not approved before sale, so independent verification matters. We look for third-party certification such as NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport / Informed Choice, which test for banned substances and label accuracy, and we look up the specific product in the certifier's database rather than trusting a logo on a web page.
We look for the tricks
Amino spiking (padding the protein number with cheap free amino acids such as glycine or taurine), proprietary blends that hide quantities, "protein blends" that are mostly the cheapest ingredient, and serving sizes chosen to flatter the label. A powder that relies on any of these does not get recommended.
We publish the trade-offs
Every product in every guide gets a cons list, and it is never padded with fake weaknesses. If a product is wrong for the reader most likely to buy it — too much lactose, sweeteners that cause trouble, a price that is mostly branding — that goes in the verdict.
How we handle money
We earn commission on some links. When you buy through a link in one of our guides we may receive a share of the sale at no additional cost to you, as a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. That commission is identical across the products in a guide, so it cannot influence which product we rank first.
We do not sell coverage. No brand can pay to appear in a guide, to move up a ranking, or to have a criticism removed. We do not run sponsored reviews, and no brand sees a guide before it is published.
Label figures come from the label. Protein, calorie and serving figures are taken from the manufacturer's nutrition panel at the time of writing and vary by flavour and by reformulation. The tub in your hand is always the authority.
What our guides are not
Our guides explain published nutrition research and what is on the label. They are not medical or dietary advice for you personally. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a food allergy, or take medication, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian before adding a supplement.
When we get it wrong
Formulas change, certifications lapse, and sometimes we simply miss something. If a guide is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and note the change. Guides are revisited when a product is reformulated or discontinued, when a certification changes, or when readers report a problem we did not see.
Corrections and questions go to our contact page.
Who writes the guides
Best Protein Powder Editorial Team, Supplements Desk
The editorial team reads the label, the certificate and the price per gram of protein before a powder gets near a ranking — and says plainly when a cheaper tub does the same job.