Chief vs Optimum Nutrition Creatine: An Honest Comparison
On the creatine itself there is nothing between them, both 100% pure micronised monohydrate at a 3g serve, so it comes down to Optimum Nutrition's Informed Choice banned-substance testing against Chief's Australian testing and transparent per-gram price.
At a glance
On the creatine itself there is nothing between them. Both are 100% pure micronised creatine monohydrate at a 3g serve, with nothing else in the unflavoured tubs. The real split is certification and assurance. Optimum Nutrition holds Informed Choice banned-substance certification, which Chief does not, so a drug-tested athlete should choose Optimum Nutrition. Chief answers purity with Australian third-party testing, is made in Australia and lists a clear price. Optimum Nutrition's own AU store, by contrast, showed no price and was out of stock on the day we checked. Choose Optimum Nutrition for banned-substance certification and range, Chief for local testing and a transparent per-gram price.
Chief
- •a price you can actually see, about $0.17 a gram on the 300g
- •Australian third-party testing for heavy metals, impurities and microbiological safety
- •buyers who want an Australian-made, single-ingredient tub
| Per 45 g bar | Chief | Optimum Nutrition |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Pure micronised creatine monohydrate, unflavoured | 100% pure micronised creatine monohydrate, unflavoured |
| Serve size | 3g | 3g (AU serve) |
| Added ingredients, fillers or sweeteners | None, creatine only | None in the unflavoured tub; a Blueberry Lemonade flavour is also sold |
| Testing and certification | Third-party tested in Australia for purity, impurities, heavy metals and microbiological safety | Banned-substance tested to the Informed Choice certification |
| Banned-substance certification | None stated, no HASTA | Informed Choice |
| Made in | Australia | US-owned global brand, country of manufacture not stated on the AU page |
| Pack sizes and serves | 300g, 100 serves | 300g, 600g and 1.2kg, so 100, 200 and 400 serves at 3g |
| Price | $49.95 AUD (300g) | Not listed on Optimum Nutrition's AU store at time of writing, shown out of stock; stocked at AU retailers, price varies |
| Price per serve | about $0.50 (3g serve) | Not verifiable from Optimum Nutrition's own AU store |
| Price per gram | about $0.17 | Not verifiable from Optimum Nutrition's own AU store |
| Suitable for vegans | Yes, creatine monohydrate is made synthetically | Yes, creatine monohydrate is made synthetically |
The cost, and why we cannot give Optimum Nutrition's price in full
Chief's price is straightforward. The 300g tub is $49.95 AUD, which is about $0.17 a gram, or about $0.50 for a 3g serve. Optimum Nutrition's is not, at least not from its own store. On 6 July 2026 the Optimum Nutrition AU site listed this creatine out of stock, with every size showing no price, so there was no Optimum Nutrition figure to compare. We will not quote a retailer's price as though it were Optimum Nutrition's own.
In practice Optimum Nutrition is sold across many Australian retailers, and its scale often makes it competitively priced, especially in the larger sizes. If cost is your deciding factor, check the current price at a retailer you trust before you buy, and compare it per gram against Chief's $0.17.
Where Chief is the better choice
You want a price you can see and a low per-gram cost
Chief lists its 300g tub at $49.95 AUD, which is about $0.17 a gram, or about $0.50 for a 3g serve. On 6 July 2026 Optimum Nutrition's own AU store listed this creatine out of stock with no price, so we cannot put an Optimum Nutrition figure next to Chief's. Chief gives you a clear, checkable price where Optimum Nutrition, on the day, gave none.
You want Australian third-party testing
Chief has its creatine third-party tested in Australia for purity, impurities, heavy metals and microbiological safety, and describes the result as pharmaceutical grade. That covers the contamination question directly. Optimum Nutrition's assurance is a different one, banned-substance testing, which is covered in its own section below.
You want an Australian-made, single-ingredient tub
Chief is made in Australia and its unflavoured tub is creatine and nothing else. Optimum Nutrition is a US-owned global brand, so if buying local with published testing is part of the decision, that side is Chief's.
Where Optimum Nutrition is the better choice
You compete under drug testing
This is the clearest reason to choose Optimum Nutrition. Its creatine is banned-substance tested to the Informed Choice certification, which checks batches against a list of substances banned in sport. Chief does not hold Informed Choice or HASTA. If you are drug tested, a certified product is important, and here Optimum Nutrition has the certification and Chief does not.
You want the widest availability and larger sizes
Optimum Nutrition is one of the most widely stocked supplement brands in Australia, carried across chemists, supermarkets and sports retailers, so it is easy to find and easy to reorder. It also sells larger 600g and 1.2kg tubs, up to 400 serves, where Chief's creatine is a single 300g size. For a heavy, long-term user the bulk sizes are convenient.
You want a flavoured creatine
Optimum Nutrition offers a Blueberry Lemonade creatine as well as the unflavoured tub, so if you would rather not mix plain creatine into water it has an option. Chief's creatine is unflavoured only. This is a small thing, but it is a genuine choice Optimum Nutrition gives and Chief does not.
Which one is right for you
Testing and certification: the real difference
Both tubs hold the same thing, pure micronised creatine monohydrate at a 3g serve, so the difference is the assurance around it. Optimum Nutrition holds Informed Choice certification, a banned-substance testing programme that checks batches against substances prohibited in sport. That is built for competing athletes. Chief does not hold Informed Choice or HASTA. Chief's assurance is Australian third-party testing for heavy metals, impurities and microbiological safety, which answers the contamination question rather than the drug-testing one. They are two different guarantees, so match the one you need.
Before you buy
Creatine is not a fix for poor training, patchy sleep or a poor diet, whichever brand you choose. Some people hold a little extra water in the first week or two, which settles. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or you have a kidney condition, check with your doctor first. Prices, stock and certifications change, so confirm each on the brand's own site before you buy. If you compete under drug testing, check the current banned-substance certification of the exact product and batch.
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. Optimum Nutrition's come from optimumnutrition.com/en-au, read on 6 July 2026, where the product was listed out of stock with no price, so no Optimum Nutrition price is stated here. Prices change, so check both before you buy.