Pre-workout is a great way to get an extra edge in your workouts. Its ingredients can give you an extra boost of energy, help you get a better pump, and increase muscular endurance.
Pre-workout supplements can also be really expensive.
If you’re looking for the best cheap pre-workout supplements, you’ve come to the right place.
We have a few different options to help you save money while still getting a great pre-workout supplement that fits your needs.
You’ll be killing your workouts, crushing PRs, and counting all of the money you’ve saved in no time!
The dirt-cheap solution is to buy caffeine pills. We recommend Purcaf Caffeine Pills from Kaged, which cost a reasonable $0.15 per serving. You could also check out our list of the best caffeine pills.
Each capsule of Purcaf Caffeine contains 200 mg of pure organic caffeine.
There are no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or coloring - just the energy you need to get the job done.
If you want an affordable pre-workout that will help with a pump, I’d recommend double-scooping the Stim Booster from Transparent Labs. This hack will cost you just $0.50 per serving.
Stim Booster is greating for adding an extra kick to an existing pre-workout or taking alone as a cheap pre-workout.
Discount code:
LV10 = 10% off at Transparent Labs
The 5 Cheapest Pre-Workout Supplements
- Purcaf Caffeine Pills – Kaged
- Stim Booster – Transparent Labs
- Nitro Surge Pre-Workout – Jacked Factory
- Kaged Sport Pre-Workout – Kaged
- DIY Pre-Workout – Bulk Supplements
Purcaf Caffeine Pills – Kaged
Each capsule of Purcaf Caffeine contains 200 mg of pure organic caffeine.
There are no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or coloring - just the energy you need to get the job done.
With 100 servings for $15, it’s hard to beat Kaged’s 200 mg caffeine pills if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up before working out.
That’s 15 cents a serving!
If you’re really looking for a budget option, then Kaged’s Purcaf caffeine pills are for you.
With 200 mg of organic caffeine in each serving, these deliver enough energy and focus to get your workout going without breaking the bank.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot to a pre-workout besides caffeine.
You won’t get any pumps from caffeine pills, but you will get energy and save a ton of money.
If you do want pumps, check out our list of the best pump pre-workouts or keep reading to see more “complete” pre-workout products on this list).
Did we mention these are just 15 cents per serving?
Kaged’s Purcaf caffeine pills are 100% organic, vegetarian, gluten free, and chemical free. These are not vegan, as the capsules are gelatin and may contain animal by-products.
Stim Booster – Transparent Labs
Stim Booster is greating for adding an extra kick to an existing pre-workout or taking alone as a cheap pre-workout.
Discount code:
LV10 = 10% off at Transparent Labs
Stim Booster was designed by Transparent Labs to be added to existing pre-workout supplements to provide an extra kick.
But honestly… you could just take it by itself as an affordable pre-workout supplement for just 50 cents per serving.
Yes, this is the “one weird trick” they don’t want you to know about!
Here’s how it works.
Each serving of Stim Booster contains:
- Caffeine – 87 mg
- L-citrulline – 2,000 mg
- Theobromine – 50 mg
And each tub of Stim Booster contains 60 servings.
This means you could take a double serving and get 174 mg of caffeine, 4,000 mg of L-citrulline, and 100 mg of theobromine for 50 cents per serving.
Would this be the world’s best pre-workout?
No, definitely not.
But would it work as a super affordable pre-workout option?
Absolutely.
If you double scoop this, you’re getting a respectable amount of caffeine (from two sources!) and a clinical dosage of L-citrulline.
All for $15, which works out to 50 cents per serving.
And hey, if you’re super sensitive to caffeine and only want 87 mg, then you can get that price down to just 25 cents per serving.
Compare this to their flagship Bulk pre-workout, which is $1.50 per serving, and you’re saving some serious cash!
NitroSurge Pre-Workout – Jacked Factory
Nitrosurge is a great choice for beginners who are looking for their first pre workout. With 180 mg of caffeine, Nitrosurge packs a nice punch without being overwhelming.
It also doesn't contain any shady or illicit ingredients, making it a good choice for beginners.
NitroSurge Pre-Workout is a solid choice for a cheap pre-workout. For $1.00 per serving, you’re getting 180 mg of caffeine for energy, 3,000 mg of pure L-citrulline for pumps, 1,250 mg of betaine anhydrous for power, and 1,600 mg of beta alanine for endurance.
A lot of these ingredients are included at doses below what we normally recommend, so you are cutting some corners, but all of that translates into money saved.
Each tub of NitroSurge contains 30 servings, which should last you two to three months depending on how often you work out.
Kaged Sport Pre-Workout – Kaged
Pre-Kaged Sport is Kaged's lower-priced, athlete-focused pre-workout supplement. It's perfect for anyone looking for an energy boost that wants to avoid any banned or illegal substances.
This is safe for tested athletes to take in competition.
Kaged Sport is Kaged’s budget pre-workout, designed to compete with the likes of C4, Gold Standard Pre-Workout, etc.
You can usually pick it up for $25, but sometimes it’ll be on sale for $20 from Kaged. This puts the cost per serving between $1.25 and $1.00.
On top of 188 mg of organic caffeine you’re getting 3,500 mg of L-citrulline, 1,600 mg of beta alanine, and 1,250 mg of betaine anhydrous.
Some interesting ingredients that set Kaged Sport apart are 500 mg of coconut fruit water powder to help with hydration and 500 mg of L-tyrosine to boost focus. While we wish L-tyrosine was included at a dosage of 1,000 mg or greater, it’s still nice to see it included.
Kaged participates in the Informed Sport program, meaning it undergoes independent 3rd party testing to ensure its products do not contain any illegal or banned ingredients. If you’re a drug-tested athlete then using products from Kaged can help you be confident you’re not ingesting anything to compromise your eligibility to compete.
DIY Pre-Workout – Bulk Supplements
Making your own pre-workout is a bit more complicated than buying a pre-made pre-workout, but it can save you a ton of money in the long run.
The downsides to making your own pre-workout are that it may feel a bit complicated to those who are inexperienced with pre-workout and this method costs more money up front.
You can get most of your ingredients from Bulk Supplements, which makes things a bit easier.
Here’s what you’ll need to buy:
- L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1 (250 g) – Bulk Supplements – $18
- Beta Alanine (250 g) – Bulk Supplements – $16
- 200 mg Caffeine Pills (300 pills) – Bulk Supplements via Amazon – $16
- Mio Water Flavoring (optional, 96 servings) – Amazon – $15
You can obviously buy a bunch of other ingredients if you’d like, but these are the “big three” of pre-workout ingredients.
Up front costs would be approximately $50 without flavoring and $65 with flavoring.
Assuming you consume:
- 6 g of L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1,
- 4 g of beta alanine, and
- 200 mg of caffeine
in each serving of your DIY pre-workout, you will be spending $0.74 per serving.
If you decide to add the Mio flavoring, then you’d add an additional $0.15 per serving, bringing the price per serving up to $0.89.
You might be thinking “hmm… that doesn’t really seem like I’d be saving much money.”
And you’re right… sort of.
If you buy even larger quantities of each ingredient from Bulk Supplements you could get the cost per serving down considerably, you’d just need to pay more upfront.
For example, if you purchased 1 kg of beta alanine then the cost of each beta alanine serving would plummet to just $0.11.
Similarly, buying 1 kg of citrulline malate would get the cost per serving down to $0.23 (almost a 50% decrease in the cost of that ingredient).
If you decide to go this route, I’d recommend buying smaller quantities of each ingredient to make sure you like the finished product before investing in larger quantities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes an Effective Pre Workout?
These pre workouts were chosen for two reasons:
- Effective dosing of caffeine, beta alanine, and L-citrulline (or similar ingredients).
- Clearly labeling doses of the above ingredients, not relying upon mysterious “proprietary blends” that make it impossible to understand what’s going into the pre workout.
- Some of the below pre workouts still have some proprietary blends, but they don’t hide the most important ingredients in them.
The latest research supports the following pre-workout ingredient doses:
- Caffeine – 200mg
- Beta Alanine – 3 to 4 grams
- L-citrulline – 6 to 8 grams
So ideally your pre workout will meet those doses, but in reality a pre workout will often have enough (or more than enough) of one ingredient (usually caffeine) and may skimp on the beta alanine or L-citrulline.
The below pre workouts are some of the few pre-workout supplements on Amazon that meets or exceeds these recommended doses for all three ingredients.
From there, I looked at the price per serving to show you the most effective, highest value pre workouts on Amazon Prime.
These aren’t budget pre workouts that don’t deliver the goods. They’re fully dosed and not overpriced.
What is the best cheap pre workout?
The best bang for your buck, cheap pre-workout is Stim Booster from Transparent Labs. If double scooped, it provides a “lean, but mean” combination of pre-workout ingredients to help you get motivated for a great workout.
For a budget pick that is heavier on stimulants, check out ESP Extreme Pre-Workout.
