Is Chief or ATP NoWay collagen bar better?

It depends what you want. ATP NoWay has more protein per bar, about 20 grams against Chief's 16. It is also cheaper and both nut-free and gluten-free. Chief is a whole-food nut bar with no sugar alcohols, organic cacao and maple, plus stated grass-fed collagen. NoWay is a chocolate-coated collagen jelly; Chief is a nut-butter bar. Choose on protein and price against clean whole-food ingredients.

Which one has more protein?

ATP NoWay, at about 20 grams a bar against Chief's roughly 16. NoWay's protein is almost all collagen and gelatine, while Chief's is collagen paired with cashews. So NoWay has more grams, but Chief spreads its protein across two sources for a slightly broader amino profile. Neither is a complete protein like whey.

Which one has no sugar alcohols?

Chief. It is sweetened with monk fruit and a little organic maple, with no sugar alcohols. ATP NoWay uses erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, plus stevia. Erythritol is well tolerated by most people, but if sugar alcohols upset your gut, Chief avoids them.

Is a collagen bar a complete protein?

No, for either bar. Collagen is rich in glycine and proline but low in some essential amino acids. NoWay's protein is collagen and gelatine, which share that limitation. Chief pairs collagen with cashews, which broadens the profile. Treat either as a clean snack rather than a full muscle-building protein hit.

No. Chief contains bovine collagen, and ATP NoWay contains bovine collagen and gelatine, so neither suits vegans or vegetarians. If you want a plant-based bar, look for one built on pea or faba bean protein and check its label the same way.

Chief vs ATP NoWay Collagen Bars: An Honest Comparison

Q: Which one is cheaper?

ATP NoWay, on every measure. It is about $4.17 a bar against Chief's $4.58, and about $6.94 per 100 grams against $10.20, and cheaper per gram of protein too. If price is the deciding factor, NoWay is the cheaper bar.

Q: Which one is better for allergies?

ATP NoWay, if you are avoiding nuts or gluten. It is both nut-free and gluten-free. Chief's bars are nut based, in cashew, hazelnut or peanut, so a nut allergy rules them out. Both contain bovine collagen, and NoWay also contains gelatine, so neither suits vegans or vegetarians.

Q: What is the difference in texture?

Chief is a nut-butter bar, built on cashews and collagen, so it eats like a firm food bar. ATP NoWay is a chocolate-coated collagen jelly, closer to a firm protein gummy. They are both called bars, but the eating experience is quite different, so it is worth knowing which you prefer.

The real difference is what is in the bar. Chief is a whole-food nut bar of cashews and grass-fed collagen, sweetened with monk fruit and no sugar alcohols. NoWay is a chocolate-coated collagen jelly, its protein padded with cheaper gelatine and set with erythritol, which is why it shows more protein per bar at a lower price. NoWay stays nut-free and gluten-free. Pick clean whole-food ingredients against protein grams, price and allergen needs.

At a glance

Start with what is in the bar, because that is where these two really differ. Chief's is a whole-food nut bar: cashews and grass-fed collagen, bound with tapioca and a little organic maple, sweetened with monk fruit and no sugar alcohols. NoWay is a chocolate-coated collagen jelly, and its protein is bovine collagen padded with bovine gelatine, set with erythritol, a sugar alcohol. That is the honest reason NoWay shows about 20 grams of protein a bar against Chief's roughly 16, at a lower price: gelatine and a jelly base cost less than cashews and a real-food bar. Neither collagen nor gelatine is a complete protein, so Chief pairs its collagen with cashews to broaden the amino profile, while NoWay pairs collagen with more collagen. If you are counting grams and dollars, NoWay takes them. If you care what the protein actually is and what else you are eating, Chief is the real-food bar. NoWay keeps two genuine edges, and they are real: it is nut-free and gluten-free, so for a nut allergy it is the safer pick, and it is higher in fibre.

Chief

•a whole-food nut bar rather than a chocolate-coated collagen jelly
•no sugar alcohols; sweetened with monk fruit and a little organic maple
•organic cacao and maple, stated grass-fed collagen, and a broader amino profile from cashews

Per 45 g bar	Chief	NoWay
Type	Collagen protein bar, nut-butter based	Collagen jelly bar, chocolate coated
Protein per bar	about 16g (45g bar)	about 20g (60g bar)
Protein source	Grass-fed collagen and cashews	Hydrolysed bovine collagen and bovine gelatine
Sweetener and sugar	Monk fruit and a little organic maple; low sugar, no sugar alcohols	Erythritol (a sugar alcohol) and stevia; very low sugar
Fibre per bar	Not the headline; nut and tapioca based	High, about 9 to 10g
Base ingredients	Cashews, grass-fed collagen, tapioca, organic maple, MCT, monk fruit	Bovine collagen, erythritol, bovine gelatine, chocolate coating, natural flavour and colour
Allergens	Nut based; cashew, hazelnut or peanut by flavour; gluten-free	Nut-free and gluten-free; contains bovine gelatine
Grass-fed collagen	Stated grass-fed	Not stated grass-fed on the bar
Pack and price	12 x 45g, $54.95 AUD	12 x 60g, $49.99 AUD
Price per bar	about $4.58	about $4.17
Price per 100g	about $10.20	about $6.94
Suitable for vegans	No, contains collagen	No, contains collagen and gelatine

The cost, and what you get for it

All prices are AUD, read from each brand's own site on 6 July 2026. On price, NoWay is clearly cheaper. It is $49.99 for twelve 60g bars, about $4.17 a bar and about $6.94 a 100 grams. Chief is $54.95 for twelve 45g bars, about $4.58 a bar and about $10.20 a 100 grams. NoWay is cheaper per bar, per 100 grams and per gram of protein.

That price gap reflects what the bars are. NoWay is a collagen and gelatine jelly, cheaper to build. Chief is a nut-butter bar, and cashews, grass-fed collagen and organic maple cost more. So the fair way to read it is not just the price, but what you are paying for: the cheaper jelly or the pricier whole-food nut bar. Both are clean; they are built to different budgets and different ideas of what a bar should be.

Where Chief is the better choice

You want a whole-food nut bar, not a jelly

This is the real difference. Chief's bar is a nut-butter bar, built on cashews and grass-fed collagen, the kind of thing you would recognise as food. ATP's NoWay is a chocolate-coated collagen jelly, closer to a firm protein gummy, built on collagen, gelatine and erythritol. Both are clean in their own way, but the eating experience is not the same. Chief is the real-food bar with nuts and healthy fats that keeps you full; NoWay is the light, sweet jelly treat.

You want no sugar alcohols

Chief keeps its bar low in sugar with monk fruit and a little organic maple, and no sugar alcohols. ATP's NoWay is sweetened with erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, plus stevia. Erythritol is one of the better-tolerated sugar alcohols, but some people still get bloating or gut upset from sugar alcohols, which is worth knowing if you are sensitive. If you would rather avoid them altogether, Chief's monk-fruit approach does that.

You want organic sourcing and grass-fed collagen

Chief states its collagen is grass-fed, and its chocolate bars use organic raw cacao and organic maple. That sourcing is a real point of difference, since cacao is a known source of heavy metals and organic nuts and cacao cut pesticide exposure. ATP does not state grass-fed sourcing on the NoWay bar. If organic ingredients and stated grass-fed collagen matter to you, Chief puts them front and centre.

You want a broader amino profile

NoWay has more total protein, but almost all of it is collagen and gelatine. Both share the same limitation: they are low in some of the essential amino acids muscle needs. Chief pairs its collagen with cashews, which fill in more of that profile. So while Chief's bar has fewer grams of protein, the protein is spread across two sources rather than two forms of collagen. Neither bar is a whey-style complete protein, but Chief's mix is a little broader.

Where NoWay is the better choice

You want the most protein per bar

NoWay wins this outright. Its bar carries about 20 grams of protein against Chief's roughly 16, from a BodyBalance hydrolysed bovine collagen. If your first question is how much protein is in the bar, NoWay puts more in, in a smaller calorie footprint. It is worth knowing that protein is almost all collagen and gelatine, but on grams alone NoWay is ahead.

You need a bar that is nut-free and gluten-free

This is NoWay's clearest advantage. It is both nut-free and gluten-free, so it suits people who have to avoid tree nuts, peanuts and gluten together. Chief's bars are nut based, in cashew, hazelnut or peanut, so a nut allergy rules them out. If you need a bar that clears both nuts and gluten, NoWay is the safer pick, though check that gelatine suits you.

You want the cheaper bar and more fibre

NoWay is cheaper on every measure: about $4.17 a bar against Chief's $4.58, and about $6.94 per 100 grams against $10.20, and cheaper per gram of protein too. It is also high in fibre, about 9 to 10 grams a bar, which Chief does not lead on. If price and fibre are what you are buying for, NoWay is ahead on both.

Which one is right for you

You want the most protein per barATP NoWay, about 20g against about 16g

You want the cheapest barATP NoWay, about $4.17 a bar and $6.94 per 100g

You need a nut-free and gluten-free barATP NoWay

You want the most fibreATP NoWay, about 9 to 10g a bar

You want a whole-food nut bar rather than a jellyChief

You want no sugar alcoholsChief, sweetened with monk fruit rather than erythritol

You want organic sourcing and stated grass-fed collagenChief

You want protein spread across collagen and nuts, not collagen and gelatineChief

Two clean bars, built on different ideas

It is worth saying both of these are clean bars, without the long additive lists most protein bars carry. They just take opposite routes. NoWay is a light, high-protein collagen jelly, coated in chocolate, sweetened with erythritol and stevia, nut-free and gluten-free. Chief is a whole-food nut bar, built on cashews and grass-fed collagen, sweetened with monk fruit and a little organic maple, with no sugar alcohols. NoWay wins on protein grams, price and allergen breadth. Chief wins on whole-food ingredients, no sugar alcohols and organic sourcing. Neither is junk. Match the one that fits how you want to eat.

Before you buy

A collagen bar does not suit everyone. Chief's bars are nut based, so the cashew, hazelnut and peanut flavours are not for anyone with those allergies. ATP NoWay is nut-free and gluten-free but contains bovine gelatine, so check that suits you. Both contain bovine collagen, so neither suits vegans or vegetarians. NoWay uses erythritol, a sugar alcohol, which some people react to. Collagen is not a complete protein, so treat either bar as a clean snack rather than a meal. If you have an allergy or a medical condition, check the label and your healthcare provider first.

Common questions

A note on why we wrote this

Chief makes one of these products, so read this with that in mind. Chief's figures come from Chief's own product data. ATP Science's come from atpscience.com.au, read on 6 July 2026. On several headline numbers the NoWay bar comes out ahead, and this page says so. Prices change, so check both sites before you buy.