Sports nutrition plays a crucial role in optimising the benefits of physical activity. It’s a philosophy used by sports professionals or anyone who wants to improve their physical and mental health.
Two of the most popular brands in sports nutrition are The Protein Works and Myprotein—but which is the best choice? We’ve researched both brands to help you make an informed decision as to whether The Protein Works or Myprotein is best suited to your nutritional goals.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I may get a small commission if you purchase a product after clicking on a link. This does not cost you anything.
The Protein Works vs Myprotein – Quality
The quality of sports nutrition products is of great importance—top-performing athletes need to understand exactly what they are consuming and how it will fuel their body—and so do you. Here’s how The Protein Works and Myprotein fare when comparing the quality of their products.
The Protein Works Quality
The brand uses only 100% pure, premium-grade ingredients in their products. They do not claim to be the cheapest on the market, stating that the true value in their products lies in the satisfaction they give the customer.
Taste is also incredibly important to them. The Protein Works have invested in an innovation team to ensure that the ingredients and flavour combinations they use taste great and raise your nutritional profile. They have created many tempting-sounding whey protein flavours such as Lemon Shortcake and Cherry Bakewell. They do not compromise on the quality of their ingredients, nor do they fill their products with artificial flavours.
While any company can make these claims, The Protein Works have the accolades to back them up. The multi-award-winning company has won The National New Business of the Year and their Whey Protein 80 product was awarded Best Protein of the Year.
The Protein Works also provide a lifetime guarantee to their customers, which means if you’re not satisfied with any aspect of the product, from the quality to the flavour, they have a no-quibble policy that will allow you to pick another flavour or receive a credit on your account.
Myprotein Quality
Myprotein supplements are produced at their state-of-the-art facility, making their products more affordable as everything is handled in-house. They only partner with accredited suppliers and have strict approval processes in place meaning the products adhere to European and worldwide food production standards.
To maintain the quality of their products the production process includes filtration systems and infrared testing which guarantees 100% purity. The in-house testing is regulated by ALS, a UKAS accredited quality partner. Labdoor, an independent company who test and rank sports nutrition drinks has awarded the Impact Whey Isolate product the number one position for value and number two spot for quality.
The company are also members of the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA), a trade association for companies who operate in the sports nutrition industry. As part of their high-quality service, Myprotein also offers same-day dispatch, meaning you’ll get your order the very next day.
The Protein Works vs Myprotein – Similarities and differences
| Myprotein | The Protein Works | |
| Year founded | 2004 | 2012 |
| Products sold | Protein powders and shakes, sports supplements, health & wellbeing supplements, health foods, superfoods, clothing and accessories | Premium sports nutrition, protein shakes, protein snacks, vegan protein and supplements |
| Best Sellers | Impact Whey Protein Impact Whey Isolate Creatine Monohydrate Powder Protein Brownie | Diet Meal Replacement Extreme Whey Protein 80 Whey Protein 360 Whey Protein 360 Extreme Vegan Protein Extreme Vegan Protein |
| Organic range? | Yes – 17 products | No |
| Delivery | Free UK delivery over £40 Standard delivery £3.99 | Free UK delivery on orders over £50 Standard delivery £3.99 |
| Average Review Score (Trustpilot) | 4.4 (over 51k reviews) | 4.6 (over 17k reviews) |
Both brands provide protein powders, snacks and shakes, including vegan protein supplements. Myprotein offers a further customer experience with a sports clothing range and accessories such as gym bags, towels and water bottles.
Best Selling Products
Myprotein’s most popular product is Impact Whey Protein, packed with 21g of protein that derives from cow’s milk which is filtered, evaporated and spray-dried to provide natural nutrition. Impact Whey Protein also includes essential amino acids and 3.6g of glutamine which helps to repair and build muscle.
At 103 calories per serving, the product has 1.9g of fat and just 1g of carbs, so it’s suited to anyone who wants to improve their fitness levels.
One of The Protein Works’ best-sellers is a meal replacement shake— Diet Meal Replacement Extreme. This product is designed to help you lose weight, yet not feel hungry. It is worth noting this product is not suitable for Coeliacs.
The product also contains Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12, which contributes towards the healthy functioning of the immune system and also combats tiredness. Another ingredient is Glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fibre which is thought to support weight loss when used as part of the calorie-controlled diet.
Diet Meal Replacement Extreme uses soya protein, which is 100% vegetarian, but not vegan. Vegans are advised to opt for the Vegan Meal Replacement Shake instead.
Organic Ranges
If choosing an organic option is important to you, then Myprotein wins hand down with around 17 organic products, including an Organic Whey Protein and a protein-rich all-natural Peanut Butter, which is free from added salt, sugar and palm oil.
The Protein Works lose points here, as they currently do not offer an organic range of products.
Delivery Fees
Both companies offer a standard delivery service for £3.99, which makes ordering easy—especially during the lockdown period. For orders over £40 Myprotein will deliver free, while The Protein Works offer free shipping on orders over £50.
What does the public think?
Both companies have impressive scores with customer reviews on Trust Pilot, with Myprotein scoring 4.4 stars and The Protein Works faring a little better at 4.6 stars.
However, as Myprotein was founded in 2004 they have had more time to build up over 51k reviews, while Protein Works, who launched in 2012, have over 17k reviews.
Protein Works vs Myprotein – Protein Products
Both brands have a core range of whey protein products.
Whey protein is considered a ‘complete protein’ as it contains all 9 essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These are all vital to help the body repair tissue and absorb nutrients effectively.
The Three Types of Whey Protein
Most whey protein is a by-product of milk and the methods used to process the whey determine the protein, fat and lactose content.
Whey Protein Concentrate has been dried to a powder that consists of up to 80% protein. The other 20% contains carbohydrates and fats. By changing the process, a Whey Isolate powder is produced, which contains 90% protein, resulting in a higher protein count and less carbohydrate and fat.
The third type is known as hydrolyzed whey and has been pre-digested so that the body absorbs the nutrients faster.
In terms of taste, the concentrate is thought to be superior, but if you want to prioritise protein in your diet, then whey protein isolate would be a better choice.
A comparison of the brands’ best-selling whey protein concentrates in a table below:
| Myprotein Impact Whey Protein | The Protein Works Whey Protein 80 (Concentrate) | |
| Protein per 25g serving | 21g | 20.6g |
| Ingredients (Unflavoured) | Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk) Contains Emulsifiers; Sunflower Lecithin, Soya Lecithin, Flavouring, Sweetener (Sucralose) | Undenatured Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk) Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin) |
| Calories | 103 kcal | 101 kcal |
| Made with grass-fed cow’s milk? | NO | YES |
| Number of flavours | over 40 | 15 |
| Sweeteners used | Sucralose for most flavours. Stevia used for some flavours. | Sucralose |
The protein content per 25g serving (whey protein concentrate) varies little between Myprotein and The Protein Works, with 21g and 20.6g, respectively.
Calorie counts are also remarkably close with 103 kcal in a 25g serving of unflavoured Myprotein Impact Whey Protein and 101 kcal in the unflavoured Protein Works Whey Protein 80.
For those who like variety, Myprotein offers 25 more flavours than the Protein Works, including chocolate mint, summer fruits and strawberry cream. The Myprotein website also shows which flavour includes stevia as a sweetener and which use sucralose. All the Protein Works flavours use sucralose as a sweetening agent.
If you prefer your protein powders to be as natural as possible, then choosing protein powder sweetened with stevia will be a better choice for you. Stevia is naturally derived sweetener while sucralose is an artificial sweetener.
The Protein Works vs Myprotein – Vegan Protein Products
As whey is derived from dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, it is not suitable for a vegan diet. However, both brands cater for vegans with a blend of plant-based proteins from peas, fava beans, hemp, sunflowers and brown rice.
The result is a product that is slightly lower in protein per 25g serving than the Myprotein dairy equivalent, at 18g. However, Protein Works has 21.9g, which is slightly higher than its dairy version.
| Myprotein Vegan Protein Blend | The Protein Works Vegan Protein | |
| Protein per 100g | 73g | 87.8g |
| Ingredients (unflavoured) | Protein blend (100%) (Pea Protein Isolate, Fava Bean Isolate) | Soya Protein Isolate Pea Protein Isolate Hemp Protein Sunflower Protein Brown Rice Protein DigeZyme® (Amylase, Protease, Cellulase, Beta-D-Galactosidase, Lipase) |
| Calories per 100g | 366 kcal | 373 kcal |
| Number of flavours | 8 | 9 |
| Soya-free? | YES | NO |
| Added digestive enzymes? | NO | YES |
Both vegan alternatives are slightly lower in calories than the dairy options, with just under 100 kcals per 25g serving.
The main difference between the two vegan proteins is that the Protein Works version is not soya-free, so if you are soya intolerant, the Myprotein is the better option. But if you can tolerate soya well, then go for The Protein Works vegan protein since it contains more protein per 100g.
Another key difference is that The Protein Works Vegan Protein contains added digestive enzymes, which help the body to break down protein, fats and carbohydrates more quickly.
The Protein Works vs Myprotein – The Verdict
Both brands are well-established and offer high-quality sports nutrition products suitable for anyone who wants to boost their protein intake and enhance their fitness levels.
If you want to maintain an organic diet, then Myprotein is the obvious choice. The brand also wins in terms of flavours, so if variety is important to you then this is the brand to opt for.
The Protein Works whey protein is made using grass-fed cow’s milk, so if you do not follow a vegan diet, this is a good choice as it is nutritionally richer and provides fatty acids such as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid – omega-3) which may protect against some types of cancer and heart disease.
If you are looking for a good quality vegan protein powder, the Protein Works vegan protein, unfortunately, contains soy which some may not tolerate and in this case, Myprotein Vegan Protein Blend is better.
However, we’d recommend trying both brands to see which works for you. Both brands have special offers available making it easy and affordable to experiment with the products and flavours.
Check out current offers on The Protein Works website here >
Check out current offers on the Myprotein website here >
Author Bio
Kerry Garner has an interest in nutrition and is always on the look-out for new, healthy and exciting snacks for her son’s packed lunch to ensure he gets a balanced diet that’s not boring. She is a keen home-cook and loves nothing more than experimenting in the kitchen and inventing nutritious, yet tasty meals for her family to enjoy.
