More clarity in every serving.

Concentrate has 70 to 80% protein by weight, more lactose and fat, and is the cheapest. Isolate is over 85% protein with very little lactose and carbohydrate, ideal for the lactose intolerant and restrictive diets, and costs more. Hydrolysate is pre-broken isolate for faster absorption, the most expensive. The 3W blend mixes the three in the same tub. For day-to-day mass gain, concentrate does the job.

Per serving, the label carries energy value (calories), carbohydrates and sugars, proteins, total and saturated fats and sodium, plus the amino profile on some. That is why the comparator shows the whole composition, not only protein: a concentrate can have from 2 to 16 grams of carbohydrate per serving depending on the brand and scoop size, which changes the math for anyone tracking carbs or sugar.

For body composition results, a review of 8 studies with 246 participants found no significant difference between concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate in fat-free mass. The difference between them is about lactose, digestion, carbohydrate per serving, taste and price. In this base, the concentrate median is about 40% cheaper per gram of protein than the isolate one. If lactose does not bother you and you do not track carbohydrate closely, concentrate is usually the most rational buy.

It is the tub price divided by the total protein it yields (number of servings times protein per serving). It is the only fair measure of cost-benefit, because it neutralizes tub size and serving size. Two tubs with similar prices can have very different cost per gram. In the comparator, the lower this number, the more protein you get per real.

No. Cost per gram assumes the protein on the label is real, and it is not always. In December 2024 Senacon suspended the sale of 48 brands on suspicion of amino spiking, the fraud of inflating protein content with cheap amino acids. A price that is too low is a reason to be suspicious. It is also worth checking carbohydrate, sugar and sodium per serving, which vary a lot between brands.

Price, serving, protein per serving and the whole composition were collected from each manufacturer's official site in July 2026, reading the published nutrition table or the official label image. Each product carries the source linked in the comparison. E-commerce prices change often and some were on sale, so treat the values as a snapshot, not a fixed table.

It organizes real data so you can decide with context: type, serving, protein, concentration, composition, cost per gram and source side by side. The right choice depends on your goal, budget, lactose tolerance and taste preference. Darwin does not sell supplements and has no deal with any brand.

The three main references converge on a similar range: the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram of body weight per day, and the joint position of the American College of Sports Medicine with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada recommends 1.2 to 2.0 g per kilogram per day. The 2018 British Journal of Sports Medicine review found the point where the additional benefit disappears around 1.62 g per kilogram per day, with a margin between 1.03 and 2.20. That is total protein of the day, food plus supplement, and the number that serves you is a dietitian's business.

No. When studies control for total protein consumed in the day, the timing of the serving stops making a significant difference in strength and hypertrophy. The review that tested this pooled more than 500 participants and concluded that the biggest predictor of outcome is how much you eat in the day, not at which minute. Taking it after training remains practical and is no problem at all, it just is not urgent.

Not the way people believed. The practical recommendation of about 0.4 g per kilogram per meal serves to distribute the day well, but a 2023 study published in Cell Reports Medicine gave 100 g of protein in a single meal and measured a larger and longer anabolic response, for more than 12 hours, than with 25 g, with no apparent ceiling. In other words, the excess is not simply thrown away.

In healthy people, the available evidence says no. A review with 28 studies and 1,358 participants found no kidney damage with a high-protein diet: the filtration rate was slightly higher in the high-protein group, but the variation between groups did not differ significantly, which is interpreted as adaptation, not injury. Anyone with diagnosed kidney disease is in a different situation, and that conversation is with a doctor.

There is no evidence of superiority of its own. The direct comparison between whey and casein in athletes found no performance difference, and the analyses that put whey ahead of other sources do so with certainty rated as low by the authors themselves. Whey is a practical, cheap, good-quality way to complete the day's protein. Chicken, eggs, yogurt, rice and beans and fish do the same job.

Whey is food, and like any food it enters the day's energy budget. A tub does not make you gain or lose weight on its own: what decides is the total you eat compared to what you spend. What changes from one product to another is how much of the serving is protein and how much is carbohydrate, fat and sugar, and that is exactly the composition column of the table above.