Form Comparison

Buffered Creatine vs Creatine Hydrochloride

How buffered creatine and creatine hydrochloride differ in potency, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Neither has beaten plain monohydrate: buffered creatine matched it in Jagim 2012, and HCl's extra solubility does not raise muscle uptake, which the transporter limits. Of the two, HCl has the practical niche, as a fallback for people whose stomach rejects monohydrate even in split doses. Watch HCl's 1.5-3 g marketed doses, which deliver less creatine than the 3-5 g the trials used.

Side by Side

Buffered Creatine Creatine Hydrochloride
Active content Varies by product 78.2% creatine
Absorption High High
How it is absorbed Creatine monohydrate with an alkaline buffer. Monohydrate does not meaningfully degrade in the stomach, so buffering solves a problem that does not exist. Jagim 2012 found no difference in muscle creatine or training outcomes. Much more water-soluble than monohydrate. Higher solubility has not been shown to increase muscle creatine uptake, which is limited by the transporter rather than by dissolution.
Typical dose 3-5 g daily 1.5-3 g daily (marketed doses; not established by comparative trials)
Common uses None established people who get GI upset from monohydrate
Side effects Similar to monohydrate. Similar to monohydrate.
Cost High High
Also called Kre-Alkalyn, pH-buffered creatine creatine HCl

When to Choose Buffered Creatine

There is no good reason to choose buffered creatine: it performs like monohydrate at a higher price. Pays a premium for monohydrate plus a buffer.

Buffered Creatine

There is no good reason to choose buffered creatine: it performs like monohydrate at a higher price.

What to look for: Buffered Creatine named on the Supplement Facts panel, with the amount per serving stated.

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When to Choose Creatine Hydrochloride

Choose creatine hydrochloride when monohydrate causes GI upset even when split into smaller doses. Smaller marketed doses deliver less creatine; there is no evidence that less is needed.

Creatine Hydrochloride

Sold at smaller doses as if that were an advantage. It is not, and per gram of creatine it costs several times more.

What to look for: Only worth trying if monohydrate causes GI upset even when the dose is split. Match the creatine content, not the capsule count.

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Products on Titrate

The Creatine category in Titrate's index holds 1,020 labels from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, 600 of them currently on market, out of 214,745 labels indexed in total.

Open supplement search

Supplement Search loads one category at a time. Choose the Creatine tab, then type a form such as "monohydrate" under Must contain, or a form to avoid under Must not contain.

Related

References

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.

Hultman E, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232-237.

Spillane M, et al. The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009;6:6.

van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med. 2009;19(5):399-404.

Jagim AR, et al. A buffered form of creatine does not promote greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations than creatine monohydrate. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012;9(1):43.

Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.

Avgerinos KI, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. 2018;108:166-173.