Thorne vs Transparent Labs Creatine (2026): Which to Buy
Buy Thorne Creatine. You get 5 g of plain creatine monohydrate for $0.49 a scoop. Transparent Labs Creatine HMB has the same 5 g for $1.67, because it adds HMB, vitamin D and calcium. Both are on NSF Certified for Sport, which screens for substances banned in sport.
By Erin Rose Updated October 12, 2026 Methodology
Want HMB in the same scoop? Buy Transparent Labs. It sells no plain creatine: every scoop has HMB. It costs about $35 more a month, and the research does not show that HMB adds muscle or strength. What HMB does.
Is it the same creatine?
Yes. A scoop of either gives 5 g of creatine monohydrate, the form with the most research behind it (Kreider 2017). Thorne’s scoop is creatine and nothing else. Transparent Labs’ 7 g scoop adds four things: HMB, vitamin D3, calcium and a black pepper extract. No study compares these two products.
| Per scoop | Thorne | Transparent Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Scoop | 5 g | 7 g |
| Creatine monohydrate | 5 g | 5 g |
| HMB | None | 1.5 g |
| Vitamin D3 | None | 12.5 mcg (500 IU), 63% DV |
| Calcium | None | 200 mg |
| Black pepper extract | None | 5 mg BioPerine |
| Scoops per tub | 90 | 30 |
Is the HMB worth paying for?
Probably not. A 2020 review pooled 11 trials of adults aged 18 to 45 who lifted weights. Taking HMB did not add muscle, cut fat or add strength (Jakubowski 2020). HMB is made in the body from leucine, an amino acid in protein.
The scoop also has 500 IU of vitamin D3. Count it if you already take vitamin D.
Who checks each tub
Both tubs are on NSF Certified for Sport, which tests for substances banned in sport and checks the label. Transparent Labs is also on Informed Choice.
- NSF Certified for Sport lists Thorne Creatine in the 453 g tub (the 90-scoop tub we link) and Transparent Labs Creatine HMB Unflavored with a 7 g scoop.
- NSF/ANSI 173 lists both. That standard checks the label and sets limits for contaminants.
- Informed Choice lists Transparent Labs Creatine HMB, certified since June 26, 2023. It buys samples from stores and tests them for banned substances. Thorne Creatine is not on it.
Both on NSF Certified for Sport
Thorne, listing 1204244
Transparent Labs, listing 1755008
Transparent Labs also posts lab reports for each lot on its website. The two we read for Unflavored (lots 26072951 and 26070186) check heavy metals and germs. They do not measure the creatine dose. The one dose test we found, for a Fruit Punch lot (26020469), measured 4.6 g of creatine a scoop against 5 g on the label; the report shows no pass range. Thorne posts no lab reports on its product page.
How we checked this
We searched each program’s own list for both brands on October 12, 2026. “Listed” means we found this product on the program’s list; for NSF Certified for Sport we also matched the flavor and scoop size.
| Program | Thorne | Transparent Labs |
|---|---|---|
| NSF Certified for Sport | Listed (453 g tub) | Listed (Unflavored, 7 g scoop) |
| NSF/ANSI 173 | Listed | Listed |
| Informed Choice | Not listed | Listed (Creatine HMB) |
| Informed Sport | Not listed | Not listed |
| USP Verified | Not listed | Not listed |
What the labels say
Thorne’s Supplement Facts panel lists one ingredient: 5 g of creatine monohydrate. Transparent Labs’ panel lists five, led by the same 5 g of creatine monohydrate.
How big is the price gap?
Transparent Labs costs about 3.4 times as much per 5 g of creatine. On Amazon (October 24, 2026), Thorne’s tub is $44.00 for 90 scoops, or $0.49 a scoop. Transparent Labs’ tub is $49.99 for 30 scoops, or $1.67 a scoop. At one scoop a day, that is about $35 more a month for Transparent Labs.
| Tub | Price | Scoops | Per 5 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne, 90 scoops | $44.00 | 90 | $0.49 |
| Transparent Labs, 30 scoops | $49.99 | 30 | $1.67 |
Transparent Labs’ own store sells a 60-scoop tub for $89.99 ($1.50 a scoop, one-time price, read October 12, 2026). That is still about 3.1 times Thorne’s price.
Who should buy which
- You lift or train and want creatineThorne
Plain 5 g of creatine monohydrate for $0.49 a scoop, on NSF Certified for Sport.
- You are drug-tested for sportThorne
Both are on NSF Certified for Sport, so Thorne costs less for the same program. Check which program your sport accepts.
- Your sport asks for Informed ChoiceTransparent Labs
Creatine HMB is on Informed Choice. Thorne Creatine is not.
- You want a flavored scoopTransparent Labs
12 flavors plus unflavored, each with its own NSF listing. Our button goes to the unflavored tub; pick a flavor on Amazon. Thorne’s tub is unflavored.
- You already take vitamin DThorne
Transparent Labs adds 500 IU a scoop. Thorne adds nothing to count.
More comparisons: Thorne vs Optimum Nutrition, Nutricost vs Thorne, Momentous vs Thorne, third-party tested creatine and cheapest creatine per 5 g. How much to take: creatine dosage guide.
Questions
Is Thorne creatine better than Transparent Labs?
For most people, yes. The creatine is the same 5 g of creatine monohydrate, and Thorne costs $0.49 a scoop against $1.67 for Transparent Labs Creatine HMB. What the extra money buys is HMB, vitamin D and calcium.
Is Transparent Labs creatine NSF certified?
Yes. Creatine HMB Unflavored is on NSF Certified for Sport (listing 1755008, 7 g scoop), and the flavored versions have their own NSF listings. It is also on Informed Choice. We read both lists on October 12, 2026.
Is Transparent Labs creatine third party tested?
Yes, in two ways. It is on NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Choice, which test for substances banned in sport. Transparent Labs also posts lab reports by lot on its website; the ones we read for Unflavored check heavy metals and germs, not the creatine dose.
Does Transparent Labs make plain creatine monohydrate?
Not that we could find. On October 12, 2026 Transparent Labs’ store listed one creatine product, Creatine HMB, in 12 flavors plus unflavored. Every scoop has 5 g of creatine monohydrate plus 1.5 g of HMB. If you want plain creatine monohydrate, Thorne is the one on a testing list here.
Is Thorne or Transparent Labs creatine Creapure?
Neither says so. Thorne’s label lists “Creatine Monohydrate” and its product page calls it micronized. Transparent Labs’ label and product page say creatine monohydrate. Neither names Creapure or where the creatine is made.
Is there a difference in creatine brands?
Not in the creatine itself if both are creatine monohydrate at the same dose. The differences are what else is in the scoop, whether an outside program tests it, and the price. Here both are tested, so the choice comes down to the HMB and the price.
Sources
- Labels: NIH DSLD 298066 (Thorne Creatine, 16 oz / 450 g) and the label NSF holds for listing 1755008 (Transparent Labs Creatine HMB Unflavored). Amazon listings for Thorne 90 servings and Transparent Labs Creatine HMB Unflavored, 30 servings, read October 24, 2026.
- Testing: NSF Certified for Sport listings 1204244 and 1755008; NSF/ANSI 173 for Thorne and Transparent Labs; Informed Choice, Transparent Labs Creatine HMB; Informed Sport and USP Verified. All searched October 12, 2026.
- Brand pages: Thorne Creatine; Transparent Labs Creatine HMB (flavors, one-time prices) and Transparent Labs lab reports.
- 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
- Jakubowski JS, et al. “Supplementation with the Leucine Metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) does not Improve Resistance Exercise-Induced Changes in Body Composition or Strength in Young Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1523. PubMed 32456217