Premier Protein vs Fairlife (2026): Premier Is the Better Buy
By Erin Rose Updated October 3, 2026 How we score
Buy Premier Protein. It has the same 30 g of protein as fairlife Nutrition Plan for less: $2.06 a shake against $2.61 at Costco’s list prices (October 3, 2026), about 21% less, and still less with fairlife on sale. It has 1 g of sugar and more vitamins and minerals on the label. Pick fairlife only if lactose bothers you.
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fairlife Nutrition Plan
- Cost
- $2.61 a shake at Costco
- Testing
- Not on a testing list
No link: on Amazon it is sold only by resellers, not fairlife or Amazon.
Why Premier Protein wins
- It costs less for the same protein. $2.06 a shake against $2.61 at the same store’s list prices, about 21% less. Even with fairlife’s current sale ($2.17 a shake), Premier is cheaper. Each has 30 g of protein.
- It has less sugar and more vitamins. 1 g of sugar against 2 g, and about 24 vitamins and minerals on the label against 12.
- It is easy to buy. Our button goes to Premier’s standard 12-pack, sold by Amazon. When we looked, fairlife Nutrition Plan on Amazon came from other sellers, not from fairlife or Amazon, so we do not link it.
fairlife does three things better: it adds lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose; it has 10 fewer calories (150 against 160); and it has more calcium and potassium. Only the lactose point is a reason to pay more.
Neither shake is on a testing list (we checked NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice and Informed Sport’s brand list on October 3, 2026). If you need one that is, see the tested option below. We did not taste either shake.
The price test: Premier costs about 21% less at the same store
Costco sells both as 18-packs, so we compared them there on October 3, 2026, at list price. Both showed out of stock online that day. Premier’s 18-pack is $36.99, or $2.06 a shake. fairlife Nutrition Plan’s 18-pack is $46.99, or $2.61 a shake; on sale it was $38.99, or $2.17 a shake. Each has 30 g of protein, so Premier gives you the same protein for less either way.
Costco’s Premier is its own version, in an 11 fl oz pack: the same 30 g of protein and 1 g of sugar, with 25 vitamins and minerals and no carrageenan, per Costco’s listing. On Amazon we link Premier’s standard 12-pack. Prices change and stores run sales, so check the price per shake where you shop.
Per bottle: almost the same shake
Both are milk protein shakes with 30 g of protein in an 11.5 fl oz bottle. Here is everything on the two labels.
| Per bottle | Premier Protein | fairlife Nutrition Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 11.5 fl oz | 11.5 fl oz |
| Protein | 30 g | 30 g |
| Calories | 160 | 150 |
| Sugar | 1 g | 2 g |
| Carbs | 4 g | 4 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 3 g | 2.5 g |
| Sodium | 230 mg | 230 mg |
| Calcium | 650 mg | 730 mg |
| Potassium | 320 mg | 460 mg |
| Vitamins and minerals on the label | 24 | 12 |
| Protein from | Milk protein concentrate and calcium caseinate | Filtered lowfat milk |
| Sweeteners | sucralose and acesulfame potassium | monk fruit, acesulfame potassium, sucralose and stevia |
| Added lactase | No | Yes |
Both use sucralose and acesulfame potassium; fairlife adds monk fruit and stevia. Both list milk, so neither is safe for a milk allergy.
If lactose bothers you, pick fairlife
fairlife adds lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar). Premier’s label has no lactase, and its protein comes from milk protein concentrate. If lactose bothers you, fairlife is the better fit. You will pay about $0.56 more a shake at Costco’s list prices for it.
Neither is on a testing list; one similar shake is
We searched NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice and Informed Sport’s brand list for Premier Protein, fairlife and Core Power on October 3, 2026 and found none of them. If you are drug-tested, Dymatize Performance Protein Shake is on Informed Choice as “Performance Protein Shake (USA)”. It has 30 g of protein, 1 g of sugar and 340 mg of sodium a bottle. It is made by the same company as Premier Protein.
Check price: Dymatize Performance Protein Shake
Which fairlife? Core Power is a different shake
fairlife sells two protein shakes. Nutrition Plan, compared above, has 30 g of protein in 11.5 fl oz. Core Power has 26 g of protein in a bigger 14 fl oz bottle, with 5 g of sugar and 170 calories. fairlife’s own store sells a 12-pack of Core Power for $46.99, or $3.92 a bottle (October 3, 2026). That is $4.52 for 30 g of protein, so Premier is the cheaper protein here too.
Has Premier Protein been recalled?
No recall of Premier Protein shakes has been reported since March 2023, according to the FDA’s recall database (searched October 3, 2026); we found no fairlife Nutrition Plan or Core Power recall either. Earlier recalls covered some Premier 11 oz cartons with “BT” in the lot code (2022) and a limited-edition Winter Mint Chocolate shake (early 2023).
Who should buy which
- You want the most protein for your moneyPremier Protein
$2.06 a shake against $2.61 at the same store, for the same 30 g of protein.
- Lactose bothers youfairlife Nutrition Plan
It adds lactase. Premier does not.
- You are drug-testedDymatize Performance Protein Shake
It is on Informed Choice. Neither Premier nor fairlife is on a testing list.
- You can eat a meal insteadBuy nothing
A shake is a convenient option, not a requirement; food can cover your protein (ISSN 2017). How much you need a day: protein dosage guide.
Prefer powder? Every protein powder we price, and which powders are on a testing list.
Sources
- Labels: Premier Protein Chocolate, fairlife Nutrition Plan Chocolate, fairlife Core Power Chocolate and Dymatize Performance Protein Shake, read October 3, 2026.
- Prices: Costco, Premier 18-pack and fairlife Nutrition Plan 18-pack, regular price, October 3, 2026; fairlife’s store (Core Power). We print no Amazon prices; Amazon is only where the buy links go.
- Testing: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport and Informed Choice, searched October 3, 2026.
- Recalls: FDA food recall database and Premier Protein’s recall page.
- Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. PubMed 28642676