Whey, isolate or vegan? How to choose a protein powder

October 10, 2026

Protein powder is the most common thing people ask us about in-store. Walk down the aisle and you'll see whey blends, isolates, vegan proteins and gainers, all claiming to be the best. Here's how to work out which one actually suits you.

First: do you even need protein powder?

Protein powder is just food in a convenient form. If you already hit your protein from meals, you don't need it. But most people who train find it hard to eat enough protein every day, and a shake is the easiest way to close the gap.

A common target for people who train is around 1.6g of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day. Research generally puts the useful range at about 1.4–2.0g/kg. For an 80kg person, that's roughly 130g a day. If you're well short of that, a shake or two helps.

Whey blend: the everyday all-rounder

A whey blend mixes whey concentrate with some isolate. It's usually the best value per serve, tastes great and mixes easily. Most blends give you around 22–25g of protein per scoop.

Best for: most people, especially if you're after value and dairy doesn't bother you.

Popular picks: Rule1 Whey Blend, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard (mostly isolate) and Krupt Villain Daily Whey.

Whey isolate: leaner and easier on the stomach

Isolate is filtered further to remove most of the fat, carbs and lactose. You get more protein per scoop and fewer calories. It's usually the better choice if regular whey leaves you bloated.

Best for: people who are cutting, counting macros closely, or sensitive to lactose.

Vegan protein: dairy-free

Plant proteins use pea, rice or a blend to give you a complete amino acid profile without any dairy. Modern ones taste far better than they used to.

Best for: vegans, vegetarians, and anyone who doesn't do well with dairy at all.

Popular pick: Ghost Vegan Protein.

Mass gainer: for people who can't eat enough

Gainers add a big dose of carbs (and sometimes fats) to the protein, so one shake can be 600 to 1,200+ calories. They're built for hard gainers who struggle to eat enough to grow. If you put on weight easily, you probably don't need one.

Browse our gainers in the Muscle Gain collection.

Quick guide

Want the best value? Whey blend.
Cutting, or whey makes you bloated? Isolate.
No dairy? Vegan protein.
Can't eat enough to gain weight? Mass gainer.

Still not sure? Come and try a flavour

Flavour matters more than most people think, because the best protein is the one you'll actually drink every day. Drop into our Fairfield store and we'll help you pick, or browse every option in our protein powder collection. You can order online and collect in 2 hours.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have kidney problems or another medical condition, talk to your doctor before increasing your protein intake.

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