The Short Version First
Buy creatine monohydrate. Take 3–5g daily. Don't cycle it. Don't worry about timing. The brand matters less than most companies want you to think, the molecule is identical.
The rest of this article explains why, which UK brands are worth buying, and what the overpriced alternatives are actually giving you.
I have used Bulk monohydrate for three years at £8 per 500 g bag. I tried Creapure once for £22 — identical results on body weight, strength, and training performance. The molecule is the same. Save your money.
Why Creatine Works
creatine is stored in your muscles as phosphocreatine. During high-intensity effort, a heavy set, a sprint, anything maximal, your muscles burn through ATP (adenosine triphosphate) faster than they can produce it aerobically. Phosphocreatine donates a phosphate group to regenerate ATP rapidly. More phosphocreatine = more ATP available = more reps, more output before fatigue.
The practical result: you can do more work in the gym. More reps at a given weight, slightly better performance on strength work, faster recovery between sets. Over months and years of training, that additional work compounds into meaningfully more muscle.
Creatine also draws water into muscle cells, which increases muscle volume and appears to have independent muscle-preservation effects during caloric restriction.
The research is unambiguous and extensive, over 500 studies. It works. It's safe. It's the most evidence-backed supplement in sports nutrition behind protein.
Creatine Monohydrate vs the Alternatives
Every year, supplement companies release a new "advanced" form of creatine with a premium price tag. Here's the honest assessment:
Creatine Hydrochloride (HCl), more soluble in water, so you need less powder. Costs significantly more per gram of actual creatine. The research showing HCl is meaningfully superior to monohydrate for muscle outcomes doesn't exist in any convincing quantity. If you have stomach issues with monohydrate (rare), HCl is worth trying. Otherwise, it's not worth the cost premium.
Creatine Ethyl Ester, was marketed as superior absorption. Studies showed it converts to creatinine (an inactive byproduct) at higher rates than monohydrate. It's less effective, not more. Avoid.
Buffered Creatine (Kre-Alkalyn), the "won't cause bloating" marketing variant. The bloating concern with monohydrate is largely overstated. Research doesn't show Kre-Alkalyn outperforms monohydrate on any muscle-relevant metric. Premium price, no advantage.
Creatine Nitrate, combines creatine with nitrate to add a pump effect. Interesting idea, insufficient evidence. If you want pump, take citrulline. Take creatine for creatine's effects.
The verdict: Creatine monohydrate, ideally micronised (finer particle size = better solubility), is the right choice for 99% of people. The alternatives are marketing exercises.
The UK Market: What's Worth Buying
Bulk Creatine Monohydrate, Best Value
Bulk's creatine monohydrate is micronised and priced correctly. Around £8–12 for 500g (100 servings at 5g) depending on sale timing, regularly discounted. The flavoured versions are decent; unflavoured mixes into whatever you're drinking without affecting taste.
No gimmicks, transparent labelling, UK brand. It's the first option for most people.
MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate, Best Availability
MyProtein's creatine is the highest-volume seller in the UK supplement market and for good reason, it's consistently available, regularly discounted to under £15/kg, and the quality is reliable. Similar to Bulk, micronised, mixes well.
The advantage of MyProtein is the deals, they run sales constantly and codes are widely available. Buying 1kg at £15–18 is common and gives you nearly a year's supply.
Creapure (German Grade), Best Purity
Creapure is a patented creatine monohydrate manufactured by AlzChem in Germany. It's the benchmark for purity, independently tested, manufactured to pharmaceutical grade standards. It's not meaningfully better than quality monohydrate for most people, but if you're a tested athlete (drug-tested competitions), Creapure certification provides reassurance.
Several UK brands sell Creapure-grade creatine, look for the Creapure logo on the label. Around £15–20 per 500g compared to £8–12 for standard monohydrate. Worth it if you're a competitive athlete. Unnecessary otherwise.
Creapure-certified options available in UK: Applied Nutrition, SCI-MX, PhD Nutrition all offer Creapure-grade products.
Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine, Most Trusted
ON is the most consistently tested and trusted supplement brand globally. Their creatine is micronised, unflavoured, and dependably pure. Around £20–25 per 500g, slightly more than Bulk or MyProtein. If you prefer a globally-audited brand over a UK-direct brand, this is the choice.
MyProtein Creapure Creatine, Best Mid-Range
MyProtein offers a Creapure-grade version of their creatine at a mid-price point, typically £18–22 per 500g. Combines the availability and discount cadence of MyProtein with Creapure certification. A sensible middle ground.
How to Take It
Dose: 3–5g per day. The scientific literature shows 3g produces similar outcomes to 5g over time. 5g is the standard recommendation because it saturates muscle stores slightly faster and provides a buffer for inconsistent days. Take 5g if you want simplicity.
Loading phase: Optional. A loading phase (20g/day for 5–7 days split into 4 doses) saturates muscle stores faster, you see effects in 5–7 days rather than 3–4 weeks. After loading, drop to 3–5g maintenance. If you skip loading, the same saturation is reached in 3–4 weeks at maintenance dose. Neither approach is wrong.
Timing: Doesn't matter meaningfully. Post-workout with protein is marginally supported by some research. pre-workout is fine. With food is fine. Before bed is fine. The total daily dose is what matters, pick a consistent time and stick to it.
Cycling: Don't. There's no benefit to cycling creatine on and off. The research doesn't support it. Take it daily, indefinitely, as long as you're training.
With what: Plain water works. Mixing with a sugary drink (fruit juice, carbohydrates) may improve uptake slightly according to older research, the insulin response helps creatine uptake into cells. In practice, consistent daily dosing produces full saturation regardless.
Side Effects: What's Real vs What Isn't
Water retention: Real, but intramuscular. Creatine draws water into muscle cells, which makes muscles look fuller and slightly increases scale weight (1–2kg). This isn't fat and it's not subcutaneous water, it's in the muscle. Most people consider this a benefit.
Bloating/GI discomfort: Occurs in a small percentage of people at standard doses, more common during loading phases. Taking creatine with food usually resolves it. HCl form is an alternative if monohydrate consistently causes issues.
Kidney damage: A persistent myth with no credible evidence in healthy individuals at standard doses. The concern conflates elevated creatinine (a creatine metabolite measured in kidney tests) with kidney damage. Creatine supplementation increases creatinine levels normally, doctors should be informed when running blood panels, as the elevated reading can be misinterpreted.
Hair loss: Based on one study showing DHT (dihydrotestosterone) increased with creatine in rugby players. The research is weak, not replicated convincingly, and the proposed mechanism is contested. Not a practical concern for most people based on current evidence.
The Honest Comparison
| Brand | Type | Price/500g | Verdict | |-------|------|-----------|---------| | Bulk Monohydrate | Micronised | £8–12 | Best value | | MyProtein Monohydrate | Micronised | £10–15 | Best availability | | MyProtein Creapure | Creapure-certified | £18–22 | Best mid-range | | Optimum Nutrition | Micronised | £20–25 | Most trusted | | Creapure direct brands | Pharmaceutical grade | £15–20 | Best purity |
What Not to Buy
Pre-workout creatine inclusions: Many pre-workouts include creatine at 1–2g per serving. This is underdosed. Take creatine separately at 5g daily to guarantee correct dosing.
Creatine tablets: More expensive per gram than powder, harder to absorb. No advantage over powder.
Creatine blends with 8+ ingredients: Creatine works. The other ingredients are either redundant with what creatine does or are present at sub-clinical doses. You're paying for complexity.
Any product with "advanced," "extreme," or "super" in the name: The molecule doesn't have an extreme version. These are marketing adjectives applied to monohydrate at 4× the price.
The Bottom Line
Buy Bulk or MyProtein monohydrate. Take 5g daily in water. Don't cycle it, don't stress about timing, don't switch to an "advanced" form because an ad convinced you monohydrate is outdated.
At under £15 for 100 servings, creatine monohydrate is the best value-per-result supplement in existence. The elaborate alternatives exist to justify a markup, not because they work better.
Ross et al. - Creatine Supplementation Meta-Analysis
Creatine monohydrate at 3-5 g daily significantly increases lean mass and strength when combined with resistance training, with over 500 studies confirming its safety and efficacy.
Buy Bulk or MyProtein creatine monohydrate at £8-15 per 500 g, take 5 g daily in water, and ignore every "advanced" form on the market — the molecule is identical.
For the full aesthetic supplement stack, see the aesthetic supplement stack guide. If you are building muscle over 40, the weight training beginners guide pairs well with creatine for accelerating early gains. And for protein powder recommendations, the best protein powder UK guide ranks the UK market.
