Whey isolate vs concentrate: which one should you buy?

What is the difference between isolate and concentrate?

Both come from milk and both are fast digesting whey. Concentrate is dried after a first filtering step and reaches up to about 80 percent protein by weight, the rest being carbohydrate and fat. Isolate goes through further processing and reaches 90 percent or more protein, with less carbohydrate, fat and lactose per serving.

Healthline's comparison table puts lactose at up to about 1 g per serving for isolate and up to about 3.5 g for concentrate. Both are described as low enough that most people with lactose intolerance can use either.

Is isolate worth the extra money?

Isolate is generally the more expensive of the two, and the same source notes that a larger scoop of concentrate can give you the same protein dose for less. The same review of the evidence says many studies support whey for active people, with similar benefits from both forms.

A fair rule: choose isolate if dairy tends to upset you or you want the fewest carbohydrates and fats per scoop. Otherwise let the price per 25 g of protein decide. Our shelf table below lets you see both on one scale.

How do you compare isolate and concentrate fairly?

Tub prices mislead because tubs hold different numbers of servings and servings hold different amounts of protein. Divide the pack price by the servings in the pack, then scale to 25 g of protein using the grams of protein printed per serving. That is the cost per 25 g of protein in the table.

Our catalog does not say whether a plain whey is concentrate or a blend, so the table labels a product Isolate only when its name says so and Whey otherwise. Only rows where the pack weight and serving count agree are shown. Prices and shelf status are read from the shop every few minutes.

How much protein do you need either way?

The ISSN gives 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day for most people who train, in servings of roughly 20 to 40 g. Powder is one way to fill a gap, not a requirement. The bodyweight table is in our protein per day guide.

Can you get either with same day delivery?

We deliver free within Bangkok only. Pay before 6 PM, Bangkok time, and the order goes out the same day, later and it goes out first thing the next morning. Only products that show Add to cart can be ordered, products marked Notify me are not on the shelf yet.