The best whey protein powders you can buy

Why you'll love it: Legion Whey+ Isolate Protein Powder is made with milk from grass-fed cows raised on small Irish dairy farms and has minimal added ingredients.

One 30-gram serving of Legion Whey+ Isolate Protein Powder gives you 22 grams of protein, while only adding 100 calories, one gram of fat, and three grams of carbs to your daily total.

There is no sugar in this powder. Instead, it’s sweetened with Stevia, a plant-based sugar substitute that is generally considered healthier than artificial sweeteners. The powder is also free of antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, Legion Athletics offers a full refund within 90 days of your purchase date.

Very Well Fit recommends the Legion Athletics Whey+ Protein Powder because in its tests the consistency of the mix was excellent, and the reviewer didn’t experience any aftertaste. However, she did note that she wished the flavor was a bit stronger.

Best Pre-Workout for Women also complained about how this powder tasted, but the reviewer still recommends it because of the small ingredient list and the high protein content.

About 85% of the people who reviewed the Legion Athletics Whey+ Protein Powder on Amazon gave it five stars. The most common comment from buyers is that they appreciate how few calories are in it and that there’s no sugar. Many buyers of the chocolate peanut butter flavor say that they like the taste. They say it’s similar to chocolate milk with telltale protein notes to it. One reviewer appreciated that it was a healthy way to satisfy her chocolate cravings.

Comments about the price are all over the board suggesting that it regularly fluctuates. So, keep your eye out for good deals. Currently, it’s the most expensive option in our guide at $1.76 per serving and 7.6 cents per gram of protein.

Pros: Grass-fed, mixes well, no sugar, low-calorie, 90-day money-back guarantee, lactose-free

Cons: Expensive, complaints of unsatisfying taste, 180 mg of sodium per serving

Buy the Legion Whey+ Isolate Protein Powder (Chocolate Peanut Butter – 30 Servings) on Amazon for $47.47 or $49.97

Why you'll love it: The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder packs 24 grams of protein into each serving and is one of the better-tasting powders according to experts and buyers.

The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder gets its sweetness from a little bit of sugar (1 gram per serving) and acesulfame potassium, which is an artificial sweetener also known as Ace-K.

Each serving has 120 calories, a gram of fat, three grams of carbs, and most importantly 24 grams of protein. At 78.2 cents per serving and 3.3 cents per gram of protein, this is one of the most affordable options on our list. Optimum Nutrition has also curated a number of recipes in which you can use the powder.

The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey is The Wirecutter’s top pick for whey protein powders. The reviewer found the powder met safety and accuracy criteria, had a pleasant texture, and tasted the best of the 10 powders in her taste test. Her main complaints are that you have to dig the scoop out of the container and the taste is a bit sweet. Several other expert sites also recommend this brand, including BarBend, NutriProtein Supplement, and USA Home Gym.

More than 13,000 people have left four- or five-star reviews of the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey on Amazon. There are several buyers who say this is the best protein they’ve ever tried. However, there are numerous complaints that the formula has changed recently.

The most helpful reviewer, in a review from over two years ago, pointed out that the blend of digestive enzymes was replaced by ingredients like salt and the artificial sweetener sucralose. Another buyer in a more recent review argued that the formula has not changed for double rich chocolate (and the label backs this up). Yet, he does warn against flavors like cake batter, ice cream, and banana.

Pros: Tastes good, relatively affordable, safe ingredients

Cons: Complaints about the formula changing, contains an artificial sweetener

Buy the Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder (Double Rich Chocolate – 5 Pounds) on Amazon for $55.04 or $57.94

Why you'll love it: The Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate Protein is a great option if you want as much protein packed into each scoop as possible without extra fat, carbs, or calories.

Depending on the flavor you choose, the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate Protein fits up to 22 grams of protein into each 25-gram serving.

It does this with little or no fat or sugar and only 90 calories per serving. The sodium content is also low at 25 mg per serving. At $1.06 per serving and 4.8 cents per gram of protein, this is one of the more expensive alternatives on our list.

Labdoor independently tests dozens of whey protein powders, and the site recommends the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate because it scored high in Labdoor's ingredient safety, nutritional value, and product purity tests. The testers found there were 21.9 grams of protein in every 25-gram serving.

Fuelboard says this powder provides the best value for his money in his experience. He notes that after taking 2 or 2.5 scoops per day, he’s experienced significant muscle gains.

Approximately 82% of the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate reviews on Amazon are positive. One buyer liked that the powder is easy to mix and tastes great without being too sweet. He also found the texture to be smooth, and it sat well in his stomach. There are a few complaints, though.

One reviewer warns buyers to make sure they are getting the whey isolate and not just the whey concentrate. If you follow our links, you should be fine. Another buyer complained that the protein she received had different ingredients than what was advertised.

Pros: Safe ingredients, excellent product purity, a high concentration of bound protein, fat-free, low in sodium

Cons: Concerns about quality control, contains artificial sweetener

Buy the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate Protein (Cookies and Cream – 2.2 Pounds) on Amazon for $35.49 Buy the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate Protein (Matcha – 5.5 Pounds) on Amazon for $64.99 Buy the Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate Protein (Salted Caramel – 5.5 Pounds) on Amazon for $64.99

Why you'll love it: If you’ve found protein powders leave your stomach feeling queasy, consider the lactose-free Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Powder.

The Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Powder is not the only lactose-free option on our list — the Legion Athletics powder is also lactose-free — but it’s the only one that uses hydrolyzed isolate protein, which is supposed to help with digestion and absorption.

Each serving has 25 grams of protein, less than a gram of fat, 120 calories, and 2 grams of carbs, including less than 1 gram of sugar.

There are 13 flavors to choose from, including cinnamon bun, fudge brownie, gourmet chocolate, and chocolate coconut. At 91.7 cents per serving and 3.7 cents per gram of protein, it’s in the middle of the pack price-wise.

Labdoor recommends the Dymatize ISO 100 as one of the best whey protein powders. In its tests, the powder had high scores for nutritional value and product purity, including less than 1 part per million of six harmful substances. Around 91% of the calories in this powder come from its protein content.

The reviewer at Best Pre-Workout for Women found the flavors were sweet, bold, and tasted as advertised. Her favorite is the cookies and cream flavor.

There are more than 2,000 five-star reviews of the Dymatize ISO 100 on Amazon. One reviewer with decades of experience in the pharmacy and biotech fields noted that most supplements are marketing trickery, but for him, this was not the case with Dymatize. He appreciated that it helped with his muscle gains as he lifted weight and that it didn’t cause him gastrointestinal distress.

There are a few quality control complaints from a few years ago about foreign objects in the powder and broken seals. The complaints are not found in more recent reviews, though.

Pros: Lactose-free, 91% of calories are from protein, less than a gram of sugar and fat

Cons: Complaints of foreign objects found in the powder, contains an artificial sweetener, 160 mg sodium per serving

Buy the Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Powder (Cinnamon Bun — 5 Pounds) on Amazon for $63.59 or $66.94