Your mom thinks it’s steroids, your gym bros think it’s a magic powder that gets you jacked overnight: Unfortunately, the ...

Creatine monohydrate remains the gold standard due to its affordability, availability, extensive research, and effectiveness. While creatine HCL is promising, its benefits over monohydrate are ...

creatine monohydrate is the most researched form of creatine and is considered the gold standard. Most of the products on our list use creatine monohydrate, and they’re all sound options.

Some brands may offer other types like creatine HCL, which is said to be more easily absorbed by the body, but monohydrate remains the gold standard for most and the most common option around.

The different types of creatine are just “tweaks” of creatine monohydrate created by companies to try to gain an edge, says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.