MuscleTech Cell-Tech Creatine Review
#11 of 11 · The carb option✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Oct 14, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Consider it. Carbs help creatine uptake. You do not need to buy them in this tub. 5 g of creatine per scoop with 38 g of carbohydrate.
$29.99 · about 27 servings (Amazon US, Oct 14, 2026)$1.11 per 5 g of creatine
Why It Scores 6.7 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Form purity
25% of scoreCreatine monohydrate is the form, but it sits in a 49 g scoop of maltodextrin, dextrose and other carbs, with sucralose, stevia, citric acid, flavors and colors. As a creatine product the formula is mostly carbohydrate.
- Form
- Creatine monohydrate in a flavored carbohydrate drink (tropical citrus punch)
- Sweeteners and colors
- Sucralose, rebaudioside A, beet juice powder, beta-carotene
Third-party testing
25% of scoreNo testing statement on the label, and no NSF listing found on Oct 14, 2026. MuscleTech is a large manufacturer with in-house quality control.
- Testing
- No testing statement; no NSF listing (checked Oct 14, 2026)
Per-serving creatine
20% of score5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop, 10 g per two scoops, printed on the panel. One scoop is the daily dose from the research (Kreider 2017).
Cost per active gram
20% of score$29.99 for about 27 servings on Oct 14, 2026: $1.11 per 5 g of creatine. You pay mostly for the carbohydrate.
- Per serving
- 5 g creatine monohydrate, 38 g carbohydrate, 160 calories (1 scoop, 49 g)
- Servings
- About 27 per tub, net wt. 2.90 lbs (1.32 kg)
- Price
- $29.99 for about 27 servings (Amazon US, Oct 14, 2026)
- Cost per 5 g creatine
- $1.11
Brand QC track record
10% of scoreMuscleTech has made sports supplements for decades and is widely sold. The front-of-tub claims are aggressive.
- More Specs
- Sugar
- 15 g total sugars, 14 g added sugars per scoop
- Other actives
- L-leucine 500 mg, L-isoleucine 250 mg, L-valine 250 mg, alpha lipoic acid 100 mg, Senactiv 25 mg, vitamin B6 1.3 mg, vitamin B12 2.4 mcg
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Oct 14, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
Build 3.3 lbs lean muscle in 7 days.
The front of the tub refers to a study it does not name. Early weight gain on creatine is mostly water held in muscle (Kreider 2017), not 3.3 lbs of lean tissue in a week.
126% more mass gained in 8 weeks; 44% better than creatine monohydrate.
These figures come from the brand's own images and refer to studies we could not find in PubMed. We cannot check them.
Carbohydrates to enhance creatine uptake.
True in principle: in Green 1996, creatine with sugar raised muscle creatine 60% more than creatine alone. That study used 93 g of sugar per 5 g of creatine, four times a day. One scoop gives 38 g of carbohydrate.
What Our Test Actually Found
The idea is right, the dose is smaller
Insulin from a big carbohydrate load helps muscle take up creatine. In Green 1996, 24 men took 5 g of creatine with 93 g of simple sugar four times a day for five days and stored 60% more creatine than with creatine alone. Cell-Tech gives 38 g of carbohydrate per 5 g of creatine. Any meal with carbs gives you the same benefit without the tub.
Mostly you are buying carbohydrate
At $1.11 per 5 g of creatine you pay about five times as much as for plain creatine. What you get for the difference is 38 g of maltodextrin and dextrose, sweeteners and colors.
The front of the tub promises too much
Three point three pounds of lean muscle in seven days and 126% more mass in eight weeks are not results anyone should expect from creatine. Creatine works, steadily, over weeks of training.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- Full 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop
- Carbohydrate with creatine is backed by Green 1996
- Convenient if you want a carb drink after training anyway
- 14 g added sugar per scoop
- $1.11 per 5 g of creatine
- Sucralose, flavors and colors
- Front-of-tub claims we could not verify
- You want a sweet, carb-heavy drink after training anyway
- You struggle to eat enough and the 160 calories per scoop help you
- You like having creatine and carbs in one scoop
- You can take creatine with a meal: same effect, a fraction of the cost
- You watch added sugar: 14 g per scoop, 27 g per two
- You believe the front of the tub: 3.3 lbs of lean muscle in 7 days is not a realistic result
5 g of creatine per scoop with 38 g of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate does increase how much creatine your muscles store (Green 1996), but the study used far more sugar than one scoop contains, and the same effect comes from taking plain creatine with a meal. You pay $1.11 per 5 g of creatine, plus sweeteners and colors.
Cell-Tech is the classic creatine-and-carbs drink. One 49 g scoop has 5 g of creatine monohydrate, 38 g of carbohydrate (14 g of it added sugar), 1 g of BCAAs and 100 mg of alpha lipoic acid. The idea has a real basis: in Green 1996, creatine taken with a large dose of sugar raised muscle creatine 60% more than creatine alone. But that study used 93 g of sugar with each 5 g of creatine, more than twice what one scoop gives, and a meal does the same job for less. Cell-Tech makes sense only if you want a sweet carb drink after training anyway.
Take creatine with a meal and keep the money
Cell-Tech is on the muscle-growth list because people ask whether creatine works better with carbs, and the answer is yes. But you do not need a 49 g scoop of maltodextrin and sucralose to get that effect. Take 5 g of plain creatine monohydrate with a meal that contains carbohydrate. Buy Cell-Tech only if you want the sweet carb drink for its own sake.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
03Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine
The value default for building muscle.
04BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate
Same molecule as the premium tubs at a lower price, 200 servings per bag.
08Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
Convenience over price optimization.
Quick Answers
Is Cell-Tech better than plain creatine?
Not really. Carbohydrate does increase creatine uptake (Green 1996), but you get the same effect by taking plain creatine with a meal, for much less money.
How much sugar is in Cell-Tech?
15 g of total sugars and 14 g of added sugars per scoop, 29 g and 27 g per two scoops, as printed on the panel.
How much creatine is in Cell-Tech?
5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop and 10 g per two scoops.
Will Cell-Tech build 3.3 lbs of muscle in 7 days?
No. Early weight gain on creatine is mostly water held in muscle. Real muscle gain from creatine happens over weeks of training.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Green 1996 PMID 8944667 — Carbohydrate ingestion augments skeletal muscle creatine accumulation during creatine supplementation in humans. 24 men took 5 g of creatine alone or followed by 93 g of simple carbohydrate, four times a day for five days. Total muscle creatine rose 60% more with carbohydrate, apparently through insulin.
- [2] Kreider 2017 PMID 28615996 — International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Position stand of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: 3 to 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate is the standard dose; taking creatine with carbohydrate or protein can increase uptake; early weight gain is mostly water.
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