Creatine is an incredibly popular nutrition supplement for people looking to build muscle and improve their performance during anaerobic, all-out exercise. Even if you knew nothing about creatine, you could probably tell how popular it is based solely on the number of products available.
If you’re looking for the best creatine supplement, you’ve probably come across Klean Creatine. It seems highly rated, but is it worth it?
Here’s where we come in. We’ll give you the run-down on its advantages, formulation, price point, and whether we ultimately would recommend incorporating it into your supplement stack. Keep reading for our in-depth Klean Creatine review!
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. GGR also recommends choosing a product that has been third-party tested for quality.
Reviewed by Nutrition and Fitness Experts
At GGR, we’re no creatine newbies. Our team of strength and conditioning coaches, Olympic athletes, CrossFit Level 1 trainers, registered dietitians, healthcare professionals, and certified personal trainers care about quality, taste, and ease of use and have reviewed dozens of creatine supplements.
Lauren Strong, GGR staff writer and NSCA-certified personal trainer with a focus on resistance training, personally tested Klean Creatine by taking it before and after her workouts on different days. She tracked how the supplement affected her energy levels and athletic performance in the gym and watched for unpleasant side effects. She also ordered the product herself so she could test out the customer experience.
Additional categories she looked at include:
- Price per serving
- Formulation
- Taste and Solubility
- Third-Party Testing
Klean Creatine
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine
Product Highlights
- Powdered creatine supplement
- 5 g of creatine per serving
- Claimed to aid with strength, performance, and recovery
- Improves muscle strength, size, and power
- Support quick conversion of ADP to ATP
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Vegan and vegetarian
- Gluten-free and non-GMO
- NSF Certified for Sport
Cons
- No subscribe-and-save option
- Mixed reviews on mixability
- Amazon customers received product with broken seals
Bottom Line
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine provides 5 grams of creatine per scoop. This supplement is NSF Certified for Sport. Klean Athlete shares that this product helps improve muscle performance, recovery, and size. The reviews for this product are generally positive. Some customers found that the powder did not mix well and was chalky. Some customers that ordered from Amazon received products with broken seals, so you may want to order directly from the Klean Athlete website.
A Quick Look at Klean Creatine
Klean Creatine is produced by Klean Athlete. Their product line is wide-ranging and includes creatine, whey protein, essential amino acids, Klean BCAA + Peak ATP, Klean Recovery, and more.
Klean Athlete takes pride in ensuring their products are “clean” and free from artificial flavors or sweeteners. All of their products are non-GMO and gluten-free.
Each serving of Klean Creatine contains 5 grams of highly effective creatine monohydrate, making it easy to get the frequently recommended 20 to 25 grams each day during creatine loading or a single daily 5-gram dose for maintenance.
Before You Buy
- This product contains 100% unflavored creatine monohydrate.
- Klean Athlete offers a 10% discount for first-time customers ordering directly from their website.
- Costs a bit more than some other supplements which also contain creatine monohydrate as the only ingredient.
Is Klean Creatine Worth It?
At around $0.50 per serving, Klean Creatine is a great product if you’re looking for a mid-price, no-frills supplement that does what it claims to do. You should be able to use it during higher-dose creatine loading and maintenance phases without breaking the bank.
A huge plus is that it’s NSF-Certified for Sport, meaning it’s been tested for purity and doesn’t contain unsafe contaminants or banned substances.
Great for:
- Individuals wanting to optimize lean muscle gains, athletic performance, and recovery
- People looking for pure creatine monohydrate without fillers or artificial ingredients
- Those wanting a third-party tested supplement
Not recommended for:
- People who prefer flavored creatine
- Those on an especially tight budget (there are cheaper creatine-only options out there)
- People who prefer a blend of creatine and other ergogenic ingredients
RELATED: Should I Take Creatine on Rest Days?
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine Specs
| Price per serving | $0.49-$0.55 |
| Serving size | 1 scoop (5 g) |
| Flavors | Unflavored |
| Key ingredients | Creatine monohydrate |
| Other ingredients | None |
| Third-party tested? | Yes |
Experience Using Klean Creatine
GGR staff writer Lauren Strong tested Klean Creatine and says, “I tried this supplement before and after workouts to see how I felt. I think there is a more noticeable ‘effect’ even if it’s only in my head when I drink it pre-workout. I feel like I got a good pump, even if I wasn’t chasing a pump.”
Klean Creatine was very simple to take. As a powder, you simply mix one scoop with 8 ounces of water, carbohydrate-rich juice, or other liquid for each 5-gram serving of creatine you need.
We gave this supplement an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5.
RELATED: When Is The Best Time to Take Creatine?
Price Per Serving
At about $0.53 per 5-gram serving, Klean Creatine is quite affordable compared to other products with additional (but not necessarily more effective) ingredients.
That said, some other brands are offering 100% creatine monohydrate with no added ingredients at a lower cost, so it isn’t the cheapest option out there.
You may be able to get it at a lower price from Amazon, although Klean Athlete does offer a 10% discount for first-time customers. Price-wise, we gave Klean Creatine a rating of 4 out of 5. It’s not the cheapest option, but it’s still pretty affordable.
Formulation
With creatine monohydrate as the only ingredient, it doesn’t get much simpler. Creatine monohydrate is the most well-researched and effective type of creatine, so Klean Creatine earns big points for this ingredient.
We were also very happy to see that each serving provides a 5-gram dose of creatine monohydrate. If you opt for a creatine loading phase, 4 to 5 scoops per day will get you the recommended 20 to 25 grams needed to saturate the muscles with creatine. A single scoop per day should be enough for most people to maintain elevated muscle creatine stores.
We gave Klean Creatine a 5 out of 5 for its simple, effective formulation.
Taste and Solubility
We gave this product a 4 out of 5 for taste. Despite being unflavored, we did notice a slight taste difference in whatever liquid we added it to.
Lauren noted that, “although unflavored, it definitely changes the taste of water—I just can’t put my finger on what it actually tastes like.”
This alteration in taste wasn’t unpleasant, just noticeable.
Klean Creatine was very easy to mix with liquids and dissolved completely, a huge selling point in our book. We gave it a 5 out of 5 for solubility.
Side Effects
Many people anecdotally report creatine side effects like stomach cramping or dehydration when they start taking creatine, and we did see some customer reviews that indicated some stomach upset when first taking Klean Creatine.
Thankfully, this wasn’t our experience with the product. Lauren didn’t have any unpleasant digestive issues, muscle cramping, or other noticeable side effects.
This didn’t surprise us much. The International Society of Sports Nutrition1 has reviewed numerous research studies on creatine and determined that creatine supplementation in moderate doses alone does not cause dehydration, musculoskeletal injury, muscle cramping, gastrointestinal upset, or kidney problems in healthy people.
Third-Party Testing
Unfortunately, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate dietary supplements. To prove their products are safe, Klean Athlete Klean Creatine is third-party tested using the NSF Certified for Sport program.
This certification is widely considered one of the most rigorous, trustworthy programs available for supplements, making Klean Creatine a safe and effective choice for your supplementation needs.
Comparison to Xwerks Lift
Xwerks Lift
XWERKS Lift
Product Highlights
- Pure micronized creatine monohydrate
- Unflavored
- Each bag contains 80, 5-gram servings
- Mixes into your favorite drink
Pros & Cons
Pros
- One simple ingredient
- Easy to digest
- Mixes well
- Combined with strength training it increases the growth of lean muscle
- Subscribe and save 5%
- Free shipping on orders over $75
Cons
- Does not come in flavors
- Some customers don't like the bagged packaging, as it gets messy easily
Bottom Line
Xwerks Lift is an affordable, clean, and effective creatine supplement that provides 5 grams of micronized creatine monohydrate per scoop. Anyone looking for a simple and budget-friendly creatine powder may be pleased with Lift.
When making purchasing decisions, it can help to compare similar products. We’ve found that Xwerks Lift is a very similar creatine powder, so we’ve made a helpful comparison with Klean Creatine.
Certified sports nutrition coach Amanda Capritto rated XWERKS a 5 out of 5 on taste: “This is ideal for creatine in my opinion, because it means you can mix it into your protein shake or smoothie or even coffee and it won’t alter the taste,” she says. “Alone in water, it tastes a little bitter, but it’s not too bad—definitely manageable and not bitter enough to knock off points. I found it completely undetectable in protein and coffee with cream.”
She also gave it an almost-perfect 4.75 out of 5 in solubility: “It does leave some grainy residue in the bottom of the glass when mixed with plain water,” she said. “However, it doesn’t have a grainy mouthfeel going down the hatch.”
It’s a similar price as Klean creatine, but Xwerks Lift comes with 80 servings while Klean comes with 60.
| Klean Creatine | Xwerks Lift | |
| Price per serving | $0.49-$0.55 | $0.58-$0.61 |
| Serving size | 1 scoop (5 g) | 1 scoop (5 g) |
| Flavors | Unflavored | Unflavored |
| Type of creatine | Creatine monohydrate | Micronized creatine monohydrate |
| Third-party tested? | Yes (NSF Certified for Sport) | Yes |
Customer Experience
Fortunately, we didn’t have any issues with our order that required us to contact customer service. While we weren’t able to get firsthand experience with this side of the company, there are many reviews online praising their customer service.
We did note that they offer live chat options on the “Contact Us” page on their website—you’ll just need to create an account on the website first. Alternatively, you can call customer service Monday through Friday at 1-833-794-1707.
Klean Athlete has a 14-day return policy, which is a bit shorter than most people may be used to. However, they do offer refunds to your original form of payment so you won’t be stuck with unwanted store credits. Refunds or replacements are available if you received a wrong or damaged item.
Free return shipping is also available for damaged or erroneous orders. If you want to return it for other reasons, you’ll have to pay for the return shipping yourself.
You’ll also be required to get proof of postage from the post office. Otherwise, Klean Athlete says they may have trouble processing your return if the package gets lost in the mail.
Overall, we gave Klean Creatine customer service a 4 out of 5 for their accessibility and fair refund policy.
Ordering Klean Creatine
Ordering is quick and easy, whether from their website or other retailers like Amazon or Walmart.
To order on their website, add Klean Creatine to your virtual bag and proceed to checkout. You can either check out as a guest or create an account before submitting your order.
When I went to place an order, shipping was free when spending $40 or more, so it might be cost-effective to order more than one product at a time.
Shipping to Texas, where I live, was pretty reasonable at $3.99 for tracked delivery. Two-day delivery would have been $6.99. As usual, sales taxes also apply based on your location.
If ordering from Amazon, the ordering and shipping options will depend on the seller. Currently, Amazon offers free shipping if you spend $35. If you have Amazon Prime, you can get free two-day shipping. You can also score an additional 10 to 15% savings by using their “Subscribe & Save” option.
Customer Reviews
Klean Creatine is very highly rated according to reviews on the Klean Athlete website and Amazon.
Customer reviews on the Klean Athlete website extol their good customer service and say the supplement is high-quality. There are only 5 reviews on their website, but it’s a good sign that the product is given 4 to 5 stars by satisfied customers.
Almost 1,400 customer reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly positive, rating the product a 4.6 out of 5. People say this creatine mixes well, is effective, and doesn’t cause bloating.
Notably, one customer received a container with a broken inside seal, which caused the powder to leak out around the edge of the container. This is a rarely reported issue, so it may have been resolved by the company.
Final Verdict of Our Klean Creatine Review
Overall, we were very impressed with Klean Creatine. Its biggest selling points include:
- Creatine monohydrate is the only ingredient
- Budget-friendly price point
- An effective 5-gram dose of creatine monohydrate per scoop
- No unpleasant taste despite being unflavored
- Simple ordering process and affordable shipping rates
- Third-party tested for purity and safety
Full Rating
Klean Creatine
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine provides 5 grams of creatine per scoop. This supplement is NSF Certified for Sport. Klean Athlete shares that this product helps improve muscle performance, recovery, and size. The reviews for this product are generally positive. Some customers found that the powder did not mix well and was chalky. Some customers that ordered from Amazon received products with broken seals, so you may want to order directly from the Klean Athlete website.
Product Brand: Klean Athlete
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 32.80
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.5
Klean Creatine Review: FAQs
What is the most trusted creatine brand?
No one creatine brand is more trusted than the others. Look for a supplement that has been third-party tested for safety and purity, such as the NSF Certified for Sport program. Choosing a product manufactured in a facility that follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is also a good idea.
What are the side effects of Klean creatine?
Our tester, Lauren Strong, didn’t have any negative side effects from Klean Creatine, which is in line with research1 showing that creatine does not cause muscle cramping, digestive upset, or dehydration.
What are the benefits of Klean creatine?
It contains creatine monohydrate, a compound that increases the amount of energy available in the body for use during high-intensity, short-burst exercises like weightlifting or sprinting.
The benefits of creatine include improved muscle mass, strength, muscle power, and post-exercise recovery. It may also help improve muscular endurance to some extent.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. Published 2017 Jun 13. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
