Nutricost vs Thorne Creatine (2026): Which to Buy
By Erin Rose Updated October 5, 2026 Methodology
Buy Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate (the plain 500 g tub). Each scoop is the same 5 g of creatine monohydrate as Thorne, with nothing added, for $0.21 instead of $0.49. Pick Thorne only if you are drug-tested in sport: it is NSF Certified for Sport, and Nutricost is not.
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Our pick
Nutricost
- Cost
- $0.21 per 5 g
- Testing
- Brand says third party tested; on no public list
Drug-tested athlete? Buy Thorne. It is on NSF Certified for Sport, which screens for substances banned in sport. It costs about $8.22 more a month. What each one’s testing means.
Is it the same creatine?
Yes. Both tubs hold creatine monohydrate and nothing else, and a scoop of either gives 5 g. Creatine monohydrate is the form with the most research behind it (Kreider 2017). No study compares these two brands, so at the same dose we don’t expect one to work better. What differs is testing and price.
| Per scoop | Nutricost | Thorne |
|---|---|---|
| Serving | 1 scoop (5 g) | 1 scoop (5 g) |
| Creatine | 5 g | 5 g |
| Form | Creatine monohydrate, micronized | Creatine monohydrate (micronized, per Thorne’s site) |
| Other ingredients | None | None listed |
| Servings per tub | 100 (500 g) | 90 (450 g) |
| Price on Amazon | $21.50 | $44.00 |
| Cost per 5 g | $0.21 | $0.49 |
| Creapure | Not stated (sold as a separate tub) | Not stated |
| Made where | “Made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients” | “Manufactured in the USA using US & imported ingredients” |
| Testing claim on label | “Third party tested” | NSF Certified for Sport mark |
Who checks each tub
Thorne Creatine is on two NSF lists. We found Nutricost on none of the five testing lists we searched.
- NSF Certified for Sport lists Thorne Creatine, unflavored, in the 453 g tub (the 90-serving tub we link). This program tests for substances banned in sport and checks that the label is right.
- NSF/ANSI 173 also lists Thorne Creatine, 1 scoop (5 g). That standard checks the label and sets limits for contaminants.
- Nutricost is not on NSF Certified for Sport, NSF/ANSI 173, USP Verified, Informed Sport or Informed Choice. Its label says “Third party tested,” and its site says an independent, accredited lab checks the label. That is the brand’s own claim: it does not name the lab or post results on the product page, and it is not a banned-substance program.
Thorne Creatine on NSF Certified for Sport
Listing 1204244
Nutricost: no listing found
NSF/ANSI 173
Informed Sport
Testing matters most if you get drug-tested for sport or work. For everyone else, it shows the company lets an outside group check its work where anyone can look it up. It does not mean the creatine works better.
How we checked this
We searched each program’s own list for both brands on October 5, 2026. “Listed” means we found this product on the program’s list; for NSF Certified for Sport we also matched the tub size and flavor.
| Program | Nutricost | Thorne |
|---|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Not listed | Listed (453 g tub) |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Not listed | Listed |
| USP Verified | Not listed | Not listed |
| Informed Sport | Not listed | Not listed |
| Informed Choice | Not listed | Not listed |
What the labels say
Both Supplement Facts panels list one ingredient: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop. Nutricost’s says micronized, which means a finer powder that mixes more easily. Thorne’s tub carries the NSF Certified for Sport mark.
How big is the price gap?
Thorne costs about 2.3 times as much per scoop. On Amazon (October 5, 2026), Nutricost’s 500 g tub is $21.50 for 100 scoops, or $0.21 per 5 g. Thorne’s tub is $44.00 for 90 scoops, or $0.49 per 5 g. At one scoop a day, Thorne costs $8.22 more a month, or about $99.97 more a year.
| Tub | Price | Scoops | Per 5 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutricost, 500 g | $21.50 | 100 | $0.21 |
| Thorne, 90 servings | $44.00 | 90 | $0.49 |
| Nutricost Creapure, 500 g | $37.95 | 100 | $0.38 |
Prices move. To check a tub you see somewhere else, divide its price by its scoops.
Does either one use Creapure?
Neither label says so. Creapure is a brand of creatine monohydrate made in Germany. Thorne’s current label lists “Creatine Monohydrate,” and its product page calls it micronized; neither names Creapure. Nutricost’s plain tub doesn’t name it either.
If you want Creapure, Nutricost sells a separate tub: Nutricost Creapure, 500 g, $37.95 or $0.38 per 5 g. Like the plain tub, it is not on a testing list we checked.
Who should buy which
- You lift or train and are not drug-testedNutricost
Same 5 g of creatine monohydrate for $0.21 a scoop. Nothing else in the tub.
- You are drug-tested for sportThorne
On NSF Certified for Sport (listing 1204244). Check that your sport accepts that program.
- You want a product you can look up on a testing listThorne
On NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173. $0.49 per 5 g.
- You want Creapure at the lowest priceNutricost Creapure
$0.38 per 5 g. Not on a testing list.
- You already have a tub of plain creatine monohydrateBuy nothing yet
Finish it. Switching between these two changes the price and the testing, not what you take. How much to take: creatine dosage guide.
More comparisons: Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition, Momentous vs Thorne, cheapest creatine per 5 g and third-party tested creatine.
Questions
Is Nutricost creatine third party tested?
Nutricost says so. Its label says “Third party tested,” and its website says an independent, accredited lab checks that what is on the label is in the tub. Nutricost does not name the lab or post the results on the product page, so you cannot check it yourself. On October 5, 2026 we did not find Nutricost on the NSF, USP or Informed lists, where you can look a product up.
Is Nutricost creatine NSF certified?
No. We searched NSF Certified for Sport and NSF/ANSI 173 on October 5, 2026 and found no Nutricost products. Thorne Creatine is on both. If your sport tests for banned substances, that is the reason to pay more for Thorne.
Is Thorne creatine Creapure?
Thorne does not say so today. The Supplement Facts panel lists “Creatine Monohydrate,” and Thorne’s product page calls it micronized creatine monohydrate. Neither names Creapure. If you want Creapure, Nutricost sells a separate Creapure tub for $37.95 ($0.38 per 5 g).
Is Nutricost creatine good?
Yes, for most people. Each scoop is 5 g of creatine monohydrate with no other ingredients, the same form and dose as Thorne. It costs $0.21 per 5 g on Amazon, less than half of Thorne’s $0.49. Its weak spot is testing: it is not on a public testing list.
Is Nutricost creatine made in China?
The label says it is “made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients.” It does not say where the creatine itself comes from. Thorne’s label says “manufactured in the USA using US & imported ingredients,” which also leaves the source open.
Sources
- Labels: NIH DSLD 319643 (Nutricost Performance Creatine Monohydrate, 500 g, unflavored) and 298066 (Thorne Creatine, 16 oz / 450 g). Amazon listings for Nutricost 500 g, Thorne 90 servings and Nutricost Creapure 500 g, read October 5, 2026.
- Testing: NSF Certified for Sport listing 1204244; NSF/ANSI 173 for Thorne and Nutricost; USP Verified, Informed Sport and Informed Choice. All searched October 5, 2026.
- Brand pages: Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate (third-party testing and made-in claims) and Thorne Creatine (micronized, NSF Certified for Sport).
- Kreider RB, et al. “International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. PubMed 28615996