I tried 9 protein powders: here are the best 2

How we ranked them

Pankaj Singh, our hands-on tester, used all nine powders. The ranking itself, though, does not rest on taste. It rests on what an independent lab found inside each tub: Labdoor bought the nine and had them tested by Anresco Laboratories in November and December 2024, and we ranked them on those results with three rules, in this order:

1. Nothing detected beats any trace. A powder with no arsenic, cadmium, mercury or lead found ranks above one with a trace, and a trace ranks above a measurable amount — even when every result is under the limit.
2. Delivering the label beats falling short. A powder with at least the protein it claims ranks above one that came in under.
3. More protein per gram of powder wins. The share of each scoop that is actually protein, so less of what you pay for is flavouring, thickener or filler. Results within one point are a tie, settled by protein per serving.

Price is not part of the ranking: it changes weekly and differs by retailer. The prices on the two winners are from the store each button links to, checked on 1 October 2026.

The lab results, all nine

The other seven

None of these failed. The ranking separates good from best, and on a different day, or a different batch, the order below the top two could shuffle.

1. 3

   Bloom Nutrition

   Whey Protein Isolate

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Not detected

   Found

   22.7 g of 22 g

   Of claim

   103.2%

   Protein share

   81% protein

   Lot

   0018D4A-A · exp. 04/2026

   103 per cent of its label and nothing detected — a clean result. It ranks below the top two only because its serving is smaller, at 22 g of protein a scoop.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot 0018D4A-A
2. 4

   Optimum Nutrition

   Gold Standard 100% Whey (Chocolate Malt)

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Not detected

   Found

   24.1 g of 24 g

   Of claim

   100.4%

   Protein share

   75% protein

   Lot

   0001250135 · exp. 08/2026

   Right on its 24 g label with nothing detected. As a flavoured whey blend it carries more non-protein ingredients than the isolates — 75 per cent protein by weight.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot 0001250135
3. TN5

   True Nutrition

   rBGH/Soy-Free Whey Protein Isolate

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Not detected

   Found

   29.2 g of 30 g

   Of claim

   97.3%

   Protein share

   86% protein

   Lot

   0424-049 · exp. 04/2026

   The most protein per scoop of the nine, 29.2 g, and nothing detected — but 0.8 g short of its 30 g claim. That is well within the legal tolerance; it is why it sits below the powders that met their labels.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot 0424-049
4. 6

   Raw Organic Whey

   Raw Grass Fed Whey

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Not detected

   Found

   20.3 g of 21 g

   Of claim

   96.7%

   Protein share

   81% protein

   Lot

   AC228242-1 · exp. 08/2026

   A one-ingredient whey with nothing detected, but the largest shortfall of the nine: 20.3 g against 21 g claimed, 97 per cent of the label.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot AC228242-1
5. 7

   Myprotein

   Impact Whey Isolate

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Trace, below quantifiable level

   Found

   25.3 g of 25 g

   Of claim

   101.2%

   Protein share

   80% protein

   Lot

   U41582255 · exp. 12/2025

   Met its 25 g claim, but lead was present below the level that can be quantified — far under the limit, and still a step behind the six with nothing detected. The tested lot expired in December 2025.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot U41582255
6. 8

   Orgain

   Organic Plant-Based Protein

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: Not detected
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Trace, below quantifiable level

   Found

   21.1 g of 21 g

   Of claim

   100.5%

   Protein share

   46% protein

   Lot

   T24E085 · exp. 09/2026

   Accurate to its 21 g label, with a trace of lead below the quantifiable level. It needs a 46 g serving to get there, so only 46 per cent of the powder is protein.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot T24E085
7. KA9

   Klean Athlete

   Klean Isolate

   • Asarsenic: Not detected
   • Cdcadmium: 1.74 µg per serving
   • Hgmercury: Not detected
   • Pblead: Trace, below quantifiable level

   Found

   21.2 g of 20 g

   Of claim

   106.0%

   Protein share

   73% protein

   Lot

   24225-2C2 · exp. 08/2026

   Over-delivered on protein — 21.2 g against 20 g — but it was the only one with a measurable heavy metal: 1.74 µg of cadmium a scoop, about a third of the 5 µg daily limit, plus a trace of lead. Still a pass; two scoops a day would use up about 70 per cent of the cadmium limit.

   View the full lab reportPDF · lot 24225-2C2

What the lab tests actually check

Is the protein really there?

The lab measures the protein in a serving and compares it with the label. US rules allow some natural variation, but a naturally occurring nutrient like protein must be present at at least 80 per cent of the amount declared. All nine cleared that by a wide margin: the lowest, Raw Grass Fed Whey, was at 97 per cent.

Is it spiked?

Cheap single amino acids such as glycine can be added to make a powder test higher for protein than it really is — “amino spiking”. The giveaway is a high level of free amino acids. Every powder here showed under 0.01 per cent, so there is no sign of it in any of the nine.

Heavy metals

Labdoor grades against the US Pharmacopeia’s daily limits: 5 micrograms each of lead and cadmium, 15 each of arsenic and mercury. “Below LOQ” means the metal was present but below the lowest level the lab can measure reliably — tiny, but not zero. Six powders had nothing detected. Myprotein and Orgain had a trace of lead; Klean Isolate had a trace of lead and 1.74 µg of cadmium per scoop, about a third of the daily limit.

Microbiology

All nine were tested for total bacteria, yeast and mould, E. coli, Staphylococcus, Salmonella and Shigella, and all nine passed comfortably. It is not a differentiator here, which is why it is not in the ranking.

What these results can’t tell you

• They cover one lot each. Labdoor tested a single batch of each powder in late 2024. A later batch may differ, and labels change — NOW’s current chocolate isolate already lists a different scoop size from the lot tested.
• They are not our tests. The lab work is Labdoor’s; we have transcribed the reports and ranked them. The first-hand notes are Pankaj’s, from using the powders himself.
• They say nothing about taste or mixing. That is what the hands-on notes are for, and it is one person’s experience.
• They are not a medical recommendation. Most people can get enough protein from food; a powder is a convenience. Anyone with kidney disease should ask their doctor before adding one.

How much protein do you need?

Less than the tubs suggest. Most active adults do well on 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, spread across meals — our protein calculator works out your number and how much of it a scoop covers.

The bottom line

You can buy any of these nine without worrying that the protein is missing — all of them passed. If you want the cleanest result, buy one of the six with nothing detected, and of those, NOW Sports Whey Protein Isolate gave the most protein for the least powder, exactly as labelled. If you avoid dairy, Naked Egg matched it for purity and beat its own label. Whichever you choose, check the Supplement Facts on your tub against the tested figures here, because a lab report is only as current as the batch it tested.