Creatine Pills vs Powder: A Side-by-Side Comparison
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When it comes to creatine supplements, there are now a variety of forms in which you can take them, including powder, gummies, and pills.
Pills can make it quick and easy to consume creatine, especially if you’re on the go a lot. But there are some downsides to taking it this way versus the old-fashioned way: mixing creatine powder with water or your preferred beverage.
In this article, we'll compare the pros and cons of creatine pills versus creatine powder so you can decide which is right for you.
Key Highlights
Both creatine pills and creatine powder are effective ways to consume creatine.
The greatest benefits of taking creatine in powder form are cost and dose.
The greatest benefit of taking creatine in pill form is convenience and no mess.
Creatine: What It Is and How It Works
Creatine is a compound made from three amino acids (arginine, glycine, and methionine) and is stored in the body's muscles and brain. It is a natural source of energy that helps your muscles contract, especially while you’re exercising.
Although it is commonly viewed as a supplement to increase lean muscle mass and strength, research shows it may also help support cognitive function.
Your body primarily stores creatine as phosphocreatine in your muscles, where it's used for energy. Phosphocreatine aids the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key molecule your cells use for energy and all basic life functions.
During exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy. The rate of ATP resynthesis limits your ability to continually perform at maximum intensity, as you use ATP faster than you reproduce it.
Creatine supplements can increase your creatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy to fuel your muscles during high-intensity exercise and improve your exercise performance.
The physical benefits of creatine are well documented and include improved muscle strength and power, enhanced recovery, and improved energy levels.
Side effects of creatine supplementation can include weight gain (typically as lean body mass) and water retention.
Whether you prefer your creatine in powder form or pill form, let’s look at the pros and cons of each.
Creatine Pills
Pros
Convenience: Consuming creatine in pill form is quick, easy, and convenient, especially if you’re on the go a lot and/or travel frequently and don’t want to contend with the hassle of packets and powder.
Mess: Mixing creatine powder with water can get messy; taking creatine capsules instead saves on the mess associated with mixing powders.
Cons
Price: Creatine pills are typically more expensive than creatine powder.
Unwanted ingredients: There can be a number of additives/unwanted ingredients in capsules, such as gelatin, which are necessary for capsule formulation. Many of these ingredients aren’t present/needed in creatine powder.
Dose: There can be variance in the actual amount of creatine dosage in pill form.
Personal preference: Not everyone likes or is able to swallow pills.
Creatine Powder
Pros
Price: Creatine powder is typically more cost effective than creatine pills.
No unwanted ingredients: Unlike creatine capsules, there’s no need to include any additives in creatine in powder form, making the finished product cleaner and safer.
Dose: Creatine in powder form—especially from brands that are certified by the likes of NSF and Informed Sport—is more likely to contain the ingredients/dose stated on the label.
Creatine loading: It’s much easier to creatine load with powder than it is with pills. Achieving 20 grams of creatine consumption per day (when loading) would equate to swallowing eight capsules per day.
Cons
Convenience: Powder isn’t as easy or convenient to travel with compared to capsules (although Momentous now offers single-serve Creatine travel packs too).
Mess: Mixing creatine powder and water/your preferred beverage can be more messy and more hassle than capsules.
Taste: Not all creatine powders taste great when mixed with water/your favorite fluid.
Creatine Pills vs Powder: Head-to-Head Comparison
| Creatine Pills | Creatine Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | ✗ | ✓ |
| Effectiveness in building muscle | ✓ | ✓ |
| Taste | ✓ | ✗ |
Our Top Picks in Each Category
Top Pick for Creatine Powder
Momentous Creatine is sourced from Creapure®, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available and widely considered to be the gold standard of creatine. While the majority of creatine on the market is sourced from China, Momentous Creatine is a single-sourced ingredient from Germany with no additives, sweeteners, or other ingredients.
It can be added to water or any liquid pre-workout or post-workout and mixes quickly and easily with zero taste. With third-party certifications from the NSF and Informed Sport, you can trust that what’s on the label is what’s in the powder—and nothing else.
I often include creatine in post-workout smoothies together with whey protein powder and collagen to help kickstart recovery. It’s easy to incorporate into any post-workout routine.
Although it can come down to personal preference on capsules versus powder, creatine powder typically proves to be more cost effective. Momentous Creatine costs $37 for 90 servings, equating to $0.41 per serving.
Top Pick for Creatine Pills
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Capsules can help support muscle growth, strength, and high-intensity performance. Each capsule contains 2.5 grams of pure creatine monohydrate. Popular with weightlifters and power athletes, there are zero calories and zero carbohydrates in each capsule.
At $30 for 100 capsules (50 servings), they are less cost effective than Momentous Creatine ($0.60 per serving). They also contain gelatin and magnesium stearate. There are no third-party certifications although packaging does state the product is tested for banned substances.
If you are looking to hit a loading phase with creatine and want to significantly increase the grams of creatine you’re looking to consume (i.e., consuming closer to 20 grams a day compared to the regular 5 grams) then this can prove more difficult with creatine pills (e.g., with this product it would require taking eight capsules a day).
Emma-Kate Lidbury
Emma-Kate Lidbury is a freelance writer and editor with 20 years of experience working in the health and fitness world.
