Is cost per gram of protein the right metric?

It's the most honest one for comparing powders as a protein source specifically. Price per serving alone hides differences in scoop size and protein content, and price per tub hides differences in how many servings it holds. Cost per 30g of protein puts every powder on the same footing.

Is isolate worth paying more than concentrate?

Isolate is filtered further than concentrate to take out more of the fat and lactose. Whether that's worth paying more for comes down to the numbers on the two tubs you're looking at, so put both in the tool and compare cost per 30g of protein.

Is cheaper whey protein worse?

Price alone doesn't tell you. This tool compares cost, not quality, so read the ingredient list too. If testing matters to you, some powders carry a third-party certification such as NSF Certified for Sport on the label.

Tools

Protein Powder Cost-per-Gram Comparison

Which protein powder is actually the better deal? Price per container tells you almost nothing on its own, a $40 tub with 30 servings at 20g of protein each is a worse deal than a $25 tub with 25 servings at 25g each. Cost per gram of protein is the number that actually compares them.

Add each powder you're considering below: price, servings, and protein per serving. I'll rank them by cost per 30g of protein and flag the best value.

Name	Price	Servings	Protein / serving	Cost / serving	Cost / 30g protein	Remove

A worked example

Here are the two tubs from the top of the page, run through the same math the tool uses. The prices are made up for the example.

Powder	Price	Servings	Protein / serving	Protein in the tub	Cost / 30g protein
Tub A	$40.00	30	20g	600g	$2.00
Tub B	$25.00	25	25g	625g	$1.20

Tub B costs less and holds more protein, so it wins by a wide margin. When two tubs are closer than this, the cost per 30g column is what settles it.

Reading a protein powder label

Everything the tool needs is on the nutrition label:

Servings per container. Goes in the Servings column.
Protein per serving. In grams, from the nutrition facts.
Serving size. The scoop weight in grams. The tool doesn't need it, but it's useful on its own.

Divide protein per serving by the scoop weight and you get how much of the scoop is protein. USDA's generic whey entry is 25g of protein in a 32g scoop, about 78%. The median of the plant-based vanilla powders in USDA's branded-foods data is 21g in a 36g scoop, about 58%. A powder well below that for its type has more of the scoop going to something other than protein, so the ingredient list is worth a look.

Where powder fits

Protein powder is a convenience, not a requirement. I don't put it in everything, and most of my meals don't use it at all. When I do, it's in recipes like the high-protein smoothie, overnight oats, and pancakes. To see how a scoop compares with whole foods on protein per calorie, check the protein source comparison.

Sources

Whey: USDA FoodData Central #173180 (Beverages, protein powder whey based), 32g scoop.
Plant: median of 29 USDA branded vanilla plant-based protein powders (FoodData Central Branded Foods, pulled 2026-09-28).

Questions about this tool

Is cost per gram of protein the right metric?: It's the most honest one for comparing powders as a protein source specifically. Price per serving alone hides differences in scoop size and protein content, and price per tub hides differences in how many servings it holds. Cost per 30g of protein puts every powder on the same footing.
Is isolate worth paying more than concentrate?: Isolate is filtered further than concentrate to take out more of the fat and lactose. Whether that's worth paying more for comes down to the numbers on the two tubs you're looking at, so put both in the tool and compare cost per 30g of protein.
Is cheaper whey protein worse?: Price alone doesn't tell you. This tool compares cost, not quality, so read the ingredient list too. If testing matters to you, some powders carry a third-party certification such as NSF Certified for Sport on the label.