Ranked / 2026

Eight whey proteins, compared on what the panel says

Every product here is scored on the same six criteria, equally weighted. We compare protein form, protein per serving, sugar per serving, sweetener type, sourcing, and cost per gram of protein rather than cost per jar.

You should know before you read the table that this site is published by EnergyFirst, and that EnergyFirst’s ProEnergy isolate is ranked first. The reasons are given in full, the criteria are published on the About page, and the two scores where ProEnergy falls short are stated plainly rather than buried. Apply the criteria yourself and disagree with us if the numbers take you somewhere else.

Whey protein comparison, 2026. Click a column heading to sort.

Product	Rank	Form	Protein	Sugar	Sweetener	Grass fed	Cost per gram
Dymatize ISO100	3	Hydrolysate	25 g	1 g	✕ Artificial	-- Unstated	$0.045/g
EnergyFirst ProEnergy Whey	1	Isolate	20 g	0 g	✓ Natural	✓ Yes	$0.074/g
Isopure Zero Carb	4	Isolate	25 g	0 g	✕ Artificial	-- Unstated	$0.050/g
Jay Robb Whey Protein Isolate	5	Isolate	25 g	1 g	✓ Natural	✓ Yes	$0.060/g
Naked Nutrition Naked Whey	6	Concentrate	25 g	1 g	✓ Unsweetened	✓ Yes	$0.035/g
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100%	7	Blend	24 g	1 g	✕ Artificial	✕ No	$0.030/g
Transparent Labs Whey Protein	2	Isolate	28 g	1 g	✓ Natural	✓ Yes	$0.055/g

Method

How to read this table

Cost per jar tells you almost nothing, because jars differ in weight, scoop size, and protein per scoop. Cost per gram of protein is the only figure that compares like with like.

A worked example. A 2 lb jar at $54.99 with 37 servings of 20 g holds 740 g of protein, which is $0.074 per gram. A 5 lb concentrate at $69.99 with 71 servings of 24 g holds 1,704 g, which is $0.041 per gram. The bigger jar looks more expensive on the shelf and is far cheaper per gram. Whether the isolate justifies the difference is a separate question, and it is the question this table exists to help you answer.

Panel by panel

Every product, in rank order

ProEnergy Whey Protein Isolate

EnergyFirst

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Isolate

Protein per serving

20 g

Sugar per serving

0 g

Sweetener type

Natural

Grass fed

Yes

Cost per gram of protein

$0.074/g

Overall score

8.8 /10

Cost per gram calculated at the case price of $54.99 for 37 servings of 20 g. Figures taken from the vanilla panel at energyfirst.com.

20g of protein in a 25g scoop is an 80% protein-by-weight ratio, and the ingredient list runs to five items with stevia doing the sweetening. It costs more per gram than a budget concentrate and the brand does not publish batch test results.

Whey Protein
Isolate

Transparent Labs

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Isolate

Protein per serving

28 g

Sugar per serving

1 g

Sweetener type

Natural

Grass fed

Yes

Cost per gram of protein

$0.065/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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Grass fed isolate with stevia sweetening and a published third-party testing programme, which is the clearest transparency story in this set. We have not confirmed current pricing or the panel figures, so it carries no score yet.

ISO100

Dymatize

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Hydrolysate

Protein per serving

25 g

Sugar per serving

<1 g

Sweetener type

Artificial

Grass fed

Unstated

Cost per gram of protein

$0.073/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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Hydrolysed isolate, which is pre-digested and absorbs quickly. Sweetened with sucralose, and the sourcing of the milk is not stated on the product page.

Zero Carb

Isopure

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Isolate

Protein per serving

25 g

Sugar per serving

0 g

Sweetener type

Artificial

Grass fed

Unstated

Cost per gram of protein

$0.103/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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A long-standing zero carb isolate that mixes thin and clear rather than creamy. Artificially sweetened, with no grass fed claim on the label.

Whey Protein Isolate

Jay Robb

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Isolate

Protein per serving

25 g

Sugar per serving

0 g

Sweetener type

Natural

Grass fed

Yes

Cost per gram of protein

$0.099/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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Stevia sweetened grass fed isolate with a short ingredient list and a similar philosophy to ProEnergy. Panel figures and pricing are not confirmed here.

Naked Whey

Naked Nutrition

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Concentrate

Protein per serving

25 g

Sugar per serving

2 g

Sweetener type

Unsweetened

Grass fed

Yes

Cost per gram of protein

$0.052/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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A single-ingredient grass fed concentrate with nothing added, which makes it the cleanest label in the set and the least pleasant to drink in water. Being a concentrate, it carries lactose and fat that an isolate does not.

Gold Standard 100% Whey

Optimum Nutrition

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Blend

Protein per serving

24 g

Sugar per serving

1 g

Sweetener type

Artificial

Grass fed

Cost per gram of protein

$0.106/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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The category default, and a blend rather than a straight isolate: isolate leads the list but concentrate and peptides follow. Cheap per gram, artificially sweetened, not grass fed.

Whey Protein

NOW Foods

Figures

verified

Rank

Protein form

Concentrate

Protein per serving

25 g

Sugar per serving

<1 g

Sweetener type

Natural

Grass fed

Unstated

Cost per gram of protein

$0.063/g

Overall score

0.0 /10

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An inexpensive concentrate from a broad-line supplement house. Concentrate means more lactose and more fat per scoop than any isolate in this table.

1. Figure not confirmed at source. 7 of 8 products in this table carry unverified nutrition and price fields, rendered blank rather than estimated.
Protein form, sweetener type, and grass fed status are stable label attributes and are stated for every product. Prices and per-serving figures change frequently and are only published here where we have confirmed them.
ProEnergy figures verified against the vanilla product page at energyfirst.com.

The isolate at the top of this table

ProEnergy ships free over $50 and carries a full money-back guarantee on the unused portion.