How we compare supplements

Prices

1. We record retail prices from named South African sellers (brand shops, Takealot, Dis-Chem, Clicks, Faithful to Nature, Wellness Warehouse and others) with the month observed. Prices on this site were last checked in October 2026.
2. When sellers disagree by more than about 10%, we show a band rather than a single number.
3. We never publish a price we could not see on a live listing. Gaps are marked "not published".

Value maths

We convert every product to a like-for-like cost:

• Protein powders: Rand per 30 g of protein (price ÷ servings ÷ protein per serving × 30) when the label publishes protein per serving, plus Rand per 100 g of powder.
• Creatine: Rand per 5 g, the standard daily maintenance dose.
• Collagen: Rand per 10 g of collagen peptides.
• Beta-alanine, citrulline, glutamine: Rand per research-backed dose (3.2 g, 6 g and 5 g).
• Everything else: Rand per serving.

Quality and label criteria

• Ingredient transparency: full disclosure of amounts, no proprietary blends hiding doses.
• Sweeteners, flavour systems and fillers: disclosed as listed on the label.
• Evidence-based doses: does a serving contain the dose used in research?
• Third-party testing: recorded only when the brand publishes it (Informed Sport, Informed Choice, NSF Certified for Sport, HFL). We do not assume certification.
• Availability and support in South Africa.

Evidence

Science claims cite position stands, consensus statements and systematic reviews first, then individual trials. We grade evidence as strong, moderate, emerging or weak, and we do not make claims that a supplement treats, cures or prevents disease.

Updates and corrections

Comparison pages are reviewed when prices are rechecked. Answer pages show their last update date. A correction is dated on the page.

Independence

No brand pays for a place in a ranking. ATP Fitness is one brand in the October 2026 price set, scored with the same maths and the same trade-offs as every other name. See the independence note.