What is the best protein powder? There’s a wide variety of protein powders out there but how do you choose the best for yourself? Whether you are trying to gain weight, gain muscle, get lean or maintain your athletic physique, you have either already purchased a protein powder in the past or you want to try the benefits of a healthy protein shake for the first time. In any case, deciding one that is right for your needs can be a daunting task at best. No worries! Read on and you will be glad you visited this one-stop review site that gives you all the details you need to buy the highest rated protein powders at the best possible prices.

Below you will find an interactive list of protein powders in a comparison table format which will help you choose the best protein powder for yourself.

2019’s 15 Best Protein Powder Comparison List

The columns and their meanings:

Protein Powders – images and links of the protein powders. Click the links for details or to buy

– images and links of the protein powders. Click the links for details or to buy Flavor – the most popular flavor (there might be others available)

– the most popular flavor (there might be others available) Size (lbs.) – weight of the container or multi-pack in pounds

– weight of the container or multi-pack in pounds Total Servings (approx.) – the approximate amount of total servings per container or multi-pack

– the approximate amount of total servings per container or multi-pack Cost Per Pound ($)

Protein Amount Per Serving (grams)

Protein Source – Whey protein (concentrate), whey isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein, egg protein or whey & egg protein

– Whey protein (concentrate), whey isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein, egg protein or whey & egg protein Price ($)

Rating – out of 5. Minimum 4 and above

NOTE: To sort the list, click on any of the column headings to toggle between ascending or descending order.

Click Here for a Complete List of 35 Best Rated Protein Powder Supplements

This is a comprehensive list of some of the highest rated protein powders on Amazon in their respective price ranges. The list contains all three types of whey protein, namely whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey protein.

What are Protein Powders?

Protein powders are primarily protein shakes that are consumed as workout or bodybuilding supplements to complement your diet. Most of these shakes can be consumed pre, post or during workout or as a meal replacement supplement. The most common main ingredient of these protein powders is whey (other sources include soy, brown rice concentrate and egg protein). The reason why whey is the most common protein source is because it is a complete water-soluble milk protein that consists of all the essential amino acids that our bodies need. If you are either allergic to dairy products or are a vegetarian, you can choose a soy based powder instead.

Protein powders are not only for bodybuilders or athletes. They might also be used by growing teenagers to complement their protein intake while they workout, since their growing bodies require more protein. You might also need protein powders if you are a beginner to workouts and want to gain lean muscle mass or want to increase intensity of your workout regime. If you are recovering from an injury, you need more protein in your diet than usual to help you heal faster. And if you’re simply becoming a vegetarian and want to remove all meat and/or dairy products from your diet, you may want to choose a soy based protein powder.

How to calculate your body’s protein requirement?

As per information gathered from WebMD and Livestrong, whether you are a beginner bodybuilder or a seasoned athlete, you need 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your body’s weight depending on your activity level. So if you weigh 150 lbs. and are looking for a convenient way to increase muscle mass through your workout regime, your maximum protein intake should be 150 grams per day. Since our bodies can conveniently absorb about 10 grams of protein per hour, experts say that each protein shake should consist of a maximum of 30 grams of protein.

As with most things in the field of the human dietary needs, there are exceptions and you may find people who take much more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein and still stay healthy. That is especially true in the case of heavy weight lifters or competition bodybuilders whose requirements are generally much higher than the average recreational athlete.

What is the difference between Whey Protein, Whey Isolate and Hydrolyzed Whey Protein?

Whey protein is derived from milk. As mentioned above, it is the highest quality protein as it contains all the nine essential amino acids that our bodies need and has the highest water-solubility. When a product’s main ingredient is stated to be Whey Protein, the manufacturers mean Whey Protein Concentrate. Whey Protein Concentrates are extracted by micro-filtration of milk so that only the proteins remain eventually converting to powder. Whey Protein Concentrates are not generally recommended for lactose intolerant individuals, unless stated otherwise on the product label.

Whey Protein Isolate (also known as Whey Isolate) is a more refined version of Whey Protein Concentrates. The Whey Protein Concentrates are further filtered using cross-flow or ion-exchange filtration methods to achieve purer form of whey protein.

Hydrolyzed Whey Protein is the purest and highest quality whey protein currently available. It is derived from further filtering Whey Protein Isolates to achieve even more refined protein.

Therefore, when taking into consideration the digestibility of each type of whey protein quality, whey protein concentrate is fast, whey isolate is faster and hydrolyzed whey protein is the fastest. Below is a short video from the Whey Protein Institute explaining the differences between the three types of whey proteins.

Reviews of the 5 Best Protein Powders of 2019

There is a pretty diverse range of protein powders available today. The list at the top of this page includes a comparison of the top 15 protein powders of 2019. You will find many different brands, each with their own unique qualities that have received high ratings from people who have purchased and consumed them. The following are reviews of the top 5 protein powders on our list.

Now Foods Whey Protein Isolate Unflavored, 10 lbs.

Some of the qualities of Now Foods Whey Protein Isolate are that the powder mixes instantly. It is micro-filtered and contains a large amount of amino acids which our essential for our bodies. It is also one of the best bioavailable protein supplements in the market and is very easily digested by the human body. Suggested usage states that you mix 1/3 cup (about 28 grams) into 4 to 8 ounces of cold water milk or juice. Because of its unflavored nature and its high quality and refined whey isolate, the powder can be mixed into any liquid or solid food or drink.

Customers of the product absolutely love it and swear by it. One female customer has stated that she could see a definite positive difference in her nails after having consumed this protein powder for some time. This powder is also considered to be one of the only ones that do not contain artificial sweeteners. The quality of the taste is actually the most discussed and praised characteristic of this product on Amazon by real customers. They say the best thing about this product is that you can mix it into practically anything you want. That means you won’t be stuck with a large container or bag of a specific flavor that you don’t like.

The price of the product is also something to be happy about. It is one of the cheapest protein powders at only $11 per pound. All those qualities and pros have made 18 customers give it a 5.0 rating on Amazon.

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Oh Yeah! Total Protein System

Now let’s talk about a top-rated protein powder that is flavored for a change, if you are not one of those people who like the unflavored quality of the one reviewed above. Oh Yeah Total Protein System has many different flavors, of which Strawberries and Crème is one of the highest rated ones. In fact, the customers who purchased and reviewed this product rate other flavors just as high. Most of the reviews on Amazon praise this powder as the best tasting protein powder compared to other popular brands they have tried.

30 out of 38 customers on Amazon have given it a 5 star (5.0 rating). It is one of the only highest rated protein powders that customers claim to have taken during practically any time of the day whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It also contains amino acids like most other whey protein powders and has some carbs as well that make it a well-rounded protein powder supplement that can be taken as a meal replacement as well. With 32 grams of protein per serving and a price just under $40, it rightfully deserves its place on the best protein powder list.

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BiPro Whey Protein Isolate, 2lb. (41 Servings), Unflavored, NSF Certified for Sport®

Just by reading the name of this protein powder, you know upfront that its primary ingredient is whey protein isolate. As discussed above, whey isolate is the second fastest digesting protein and also the second highest quality protein out of the three types of whey protein powders. So right off the bat, we know that this particular BiPro protein powder is superior from the rest.

Secondly, as you can see its rating is 4.8 which is highly impressive. Out of the 28 reviews it has gotten, 25 of the consumers have given it a 5.0 (five star) rating. That goes to show that whoever purchased and consumed this product was happy with its price, quantity, quality and the results that it produced. It is also in the medium price range and is currently on sale for $49.99 on Amazon.

According to the reviews of customers who bought this product, the best way to take it is to mix it with a fruit shake or smoothie such as a banana nut smoothie or other fruits you might prefer. According to some customers, the unflavored feature of the powder actually helps the fact that you can mix it with pretty much anything. Flavored protein powders on the other hand are flavored to mask the foul taste of low quality and impure protein. Another attractive reason for some to buy BiPro is that the company is family owned and the product is American made.

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Dymatize Nutrition ISO 100, Smooth Banana

How can we have a top 5 best protein powder list and not have a hydrolyzed whey protein in it? Dymatize Nutrition’s ISO 100 is just that product. Hydrolyzed whey protein isolate as discussed below is the highest quality and most refined whey protein form. It is known as the ultimate zero carb whey protein that actually tastes good. It contains the perfect mix of the essential BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids). And as you will read later, hydrolyzed whey isolate is absolutely perfect for lactose intolerant individuals and is considered one of the best post-recovery powders.

Customers who have purchased the product say that the banana flavor is great and they didn’t find the need to add fruits or juices to make the shake taste more pleasant. It definitely is not the cheapest top rated protein powder but customers say it is surely worth the price. Customers, who were tired of the regular flavors of other protein powders (such as chocolate and vanilla) found the banana flavor to be quite surprisingly tasty. If you sum up all the customer reviews, it sure sounds like an excellent protein powder and deservingly one of the top 5 best protein powders on the market.

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MLO Milk And Egg Protein Powder 16 oz. (Multi-Pack)

As the name suggests, MLO Milk and Egg Protein contains whey protein and egg protein. This particular multi-pack consists of eight 16 ounce containers. The price for each container comes out to about $19. Six out of the ten customers who have purchased and consumed the powder have given it a 5 star rating.

The characteristic of the product that customers found to be superior are the unflavored taste of the protein powder which makes it a great additive to cake mixes and muffin mixes. Most people add Crystal Light by Kraft Foods to the mix to give it a flavor of their choice. You can make your own smoothie or shake out of it by adding it to fruits, yogurt, and some have even tried it with orange juice. The powder is said to be very fine and that allows it to mix really well with just about any drink or food recipe.

Milk and egg are actually one of the best sources of protein. So when you get a protein powder that has both whey (comes from milk) and egg protein, you are getting a much superior product without all the unnecessary synthetic additives that our bodies find hard to process, digest and don’t really need to begin with. Even though the manufacturer has clearly stated not to use the product for weight reduction, some customers claim to have lost weight. That is probably the case since it only has 2 grams of impact carbs per serving. MLO Milk and Egg Protein Powder also contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and naturally occurring amino acids. The directions given by the manufacturer state, that you should mix two tablespoons of MLO Milk & Egg Protein into a glass of nonfat milk or your favorite fruit juice. They also suggest that you can mix it with fruit or crushed ice in a blender, add it to salads or cereals or use it in cooking and baking.

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Conclusion

There you have it. The list of the best protein powders on the market in terms of the customer rating each has received by people who have bought and consumed them. Since the list above had 15 entries and there were those that had only a few number of ratings, we further filtered them into the top 5 protein powders and their reviews. You can be pretty safe in buying one of the top 5 based on the number of people who have awarded them a five star (5.0) rating. However, this site was built to provide a detailed listing and comparison of the best protein powders available so you can make a decision yourself.

You can simply sort the table above by clicking on the headings. And if you want a more comprehensive list of protein powders, then you can click the complete Protein Powder List link. Please let us know by leaving a reply below if there is any way we can improve the list or if you would like a product added to the list.

Hope you find the protein powder that is best for you!