Creatine usually comes in the form of either pills such as capsules or compressed tablets, or it comes in the form of raw powder.
There has been an ongoing debate on which form of creatine is better, some people stick with powder, while other stick with pills.
Creatine powder is typically cheaper so it may be better value for money.
In this article, I'll explain the differences and benefits of creatine in pill vs powder form.
Table of Contents:
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring chemical present in your body's cells.
It is found in greater quantities in muscle cells; about 95% of creatine is found in muscles, with the remaining 5% located in the brain, liver, and kidneys.
Your body can also generate creatine from the amino acids glycine and arginine.
Creatine can be consumed in the diet too, in supplement form or in foods, such as meat. Gym goers, bodybuilders, and other athletes are big fans of this supplement.
Your phosphocreatine reserves will rise if you consume creatine. Phosphocreatine is a kind of stored energy that aids in the production of ATP, your body's primary energy source.
Muscular performance increases when your body has more ATP. While consuming creatine, many additional processes occur, some of which may further contribute to muscle growth and strength.
Creatine Pills
You can find creatine in various forms, one of which is pills, such as in the form of capsules, compressed powder tablets, etc.
Pill form is usually much easier to take and more convenient than powder form, there are other advantages such as described below.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Pill Form
Creatine pills offer the main benefit of being portable. You may take them with you everywhere you go, making supplementing with creatine easy to add into your schedule.
If you go to the gym after work in the evening, carrying a few creatine capsules is probably simpler than packing a container of powder and bringing a drink to drink it with.
Capsules may also make it simpler to get precise measurements every time. For example, if you want to take 3 grams of creatine and the capsules are each 500mg, you can take 6 capsules.
Another benefit of pill form creatine is that you can spread the dosage out over the day much more evenly and easily.
However, there are also drawbacks of the pill form. Most of the time, creatine in pill form is more expensive than raw powder.
It's also not optimal when taking high dosages, such as above 5 grams per day. It may also absorb slower than powder form of creatine.
Benefits | Drawbacks |
Convenient and portable | Slightly more expensive |
Less wasted creatine | Not optimal for high dosages |
Easier and more accurate dosing | Slower digestion and absorption |
Easy to spread out dosage | |
Creatine Powder
Creatine often comes in powder form, such as monohydrate powder. It is often a white, neutral but grainy tasting powder.
The most common type of powder is creatine monohydrate, though you can get other types, such as creatine ethyl ester and hydrochloride.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Creatine Powder
The powder form has several advantages over pill form, such as its slightly cheaper price.
It's also better if you're going to be taking higher dosages of creatine, such as when you're "loading", if you were to do this with the pill form, you would be taking upwards of 8 or more capsules per day.
Powder form also absorbs quicker than pill form and is able to be added into drinks, such as your pre-workout or morning smoothie.
However, it's not without its drawbacks. Although creatine powder tastes neutral, it is grainy because it doesn't mix and dissolve well with liquids.
It's also no where near as convenient or portable as creatine pills.
Benefits | Drawbacks |
Slightly cheaper | Grainy taste |
Easy to add to other drinks | Not convenient or portable |
Absorbs quickly | Difficulty mixing with liquid |
Good for high dosages above 5 grams | |
Which Is Better?
When it comes to gaining muscle, there aren't any significant distinctions between powder and pill form.
They are both creatine and they will both have the same effects, the only difference in this regard is absorption time, but this is insignificant for performance.
Ask yourself; do you have a busy schedule? If the answer is yes, it may be best to use the powder form.
More importantly, will you take high dosages (over 5 grams)? If yes, you may be better off with creatine powder instead.
If you're unsure, begin with creatine pills, then decide what is best for you and your schedule.
The information provided in this article is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a physician or other competent professional before following advice or taking any supplement. See our terms and conditions.
Real Muscle leads the way in terms of transparency and privacy, which is why we want to let you know that some of the outbound links in this article may be affiliate links in which we may earn a small commission through. Despite this, our product recommendations are completely unbiased.