In this article I’ve gathered the 17 best cheap pre-workouts that all cost under $1.10 per serving!
Pre-workouts are great for giving you an energy boost before your workouts. They also contain ingredients that improve your muscle pumps, strength, endurance and focus.
But pre-workouts are also some of the most expensive supplements on the market. And the price doesn’t always reflect the quality of the product.
I’ve been working out for almost a decade and I’ve tried a bunch of different pre-workout supplements. And finding a good pre-workout that doesn’t cost a fortune is getting pretty difficult nowadays.
But here are the best budget pre-workouts that don’t break the bank!
- Best Overall – Nutricost Pre-Workout
- Best For Muscle Growth – MusclePharm Assault Sport Pre-Workout
- Best For Beginners – Jacked Factory Nitro Surge Pre-Workout
- Best For Women – Nutricost Pre-Workout For Women
- Best For Weight Loss – Jacked Factory Burn-XT
- Best For Pump And Vascularity – Nutricost Pre-Workout
- Best Without Caffeine – Nutricost Stim-Free Pre-Workout
- Best For Running – Pre-Kaged Sport Pre-Workout
- Best With Creatine – ON Gold Standard Pre-Workout
- Best Without Beta-Alanine – Cutler Nutrition Prevail Pre-Workout
- Best Without Creatine – G.O.A.T. Ultra-Premium Pre-Workout
- Best Without Artificial Sweeteners – Naked Energy Pre-Workout
- Best On Amazon – Nutricost Pre-Workout
- Best At Walmart – Repp Sports Broken Arrow Elite Pre-Workout
- The Cheapest Option – Six-Star Explosion Pre-Workout
- Best Cheap Pre-Workout Meal
- The Free Option – Get Rejected By Your Crush
Keep reading to see the breakdown of each cheap pre-workout option!
#1 Best Overall – Nutricost Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.63
Price: $38
Servings: 60
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 300 mg
- L-Citrulline Malate – 6 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 3 gram
- Taurine – 2 grams
The Nutricost pre-workout blows a lot of expensive pre-workouts out of the water. The ingredients and dosages in the formula are really good. And for only 63 cents per serving it’s hard to find a better bang for your buck pre-workout.
You get 300 mg of caffeine per serving which will give you a huge energy boost. The Nutricost PWO also contains Theobromine which improves your focus and energy levels.
The 6 grams of Citrulline Malate will give you a really good pump. L-Citrulline increases your Nitric oxide production which dilates your blood vessels and increases blood flow to your muscles.
The formula also has Beta Alanine and Taurine that improves muscle endurance and hydration. This will help you perform more reps and train harder during your workouts.
#2 Best For Muscle Growth – MusclePharm Assault Sport
Price Per Serving: $0.83
Price: $25
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 250 mg
- Creatine Monohydrate – 3 grams
- Betaine – 1.25 gram
- Taurine – 1 gram
MusclePharm Assault is a great budget bodybuilding pre-workout with an effective formula for increasing strength and improving performance in the gym.
Each serving of MusclePharm assault contains 3 grams of Creatine. Creatine increases strength and muscle size which allows you to lift heavier weights and build more muscle.
The formula also contains Taurine, Beta Alanine and Betaine. These compounds improve your muscle endurance and help you to perform more reps and increase hypertrophy.
Another benefit of Betaine is better muscle pumps. Betaine hyper-hydrates your muscle cells with water which increases their volume. This makes them appear larger and also gives you more strength.
#3 Best For Beginners – Jacked Factory Nitro Surge
Price Per Serving: $0.83
Price: $50
Servings: 60
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 180 mg
- L-Citrulline – 3 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 1.6 gram
- Betaine – 1.25 grams
Jacked Factory nitro surge is a great budget-friendly pre-workout for beginners. It will give you a really good pump and a lot of energy to get you through your workout.
Each serving has 180 mg of caffeine. It’s plenty enough to give you a good energy boost without making you feel jittery like higher doses of caffeine can do.
You also get 3 grams of Citrulline and 1.25 grams of Betaine. Citrulline improves your pump by dilating your blood vessels and increasing blood flow to your muscles. Betaine helps with increasing your muscle size and endurance by filling your muscle cells with water.
#4 Best For Women – Nutricost Pre-Workout For Women
Price Per Serving: $0.50
Price: $30
Servings: 60
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 200 mg
- L-Citrulline Malate – 4 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 2 gram
- Betaine – 1.2 grams
Nutricost has developed an inexpensive pre-workout specifically designed for women. It contains lots of great ingredients for better endurance, pumps and energy levels.
And for only 50 cents per serving it’s the most inexpensive pre-workouts on this list.
The pre-workout formula contains Citrulline Malate, Arginine and Agmatine sulfate. These 3 Nitric oxide boosters will give you a huge muscle pump and improve your endurance.
Each serving also has 200 mg of both caffeine and Theanine. 200 mg of caffeine is plenty enough to give you a good energy boost and Theanine helps to prevent caffeine jitters.
#5 Best For Weight Loss – Jacked Factory Burn-XT
Price Per Serving: $1.00
Price: $30
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 270 mg
- Acetyl-l-Carnitine – 750 mg
- Capsimax (cayenne pepper extract) – 270 mg
Jacked Factory burn-XT is a thermogenic pre-workout specifically designed for weight loss and fat loss.
The formula contains Acetyl-l-Carnitine which helps your body to break down fat for energy. This will boost your fat loss during exercise when your body needs a lot of energy.
Burn-XT also contains cayenne pepper extract which increases your body temperature. Increasing your body temperature requires energy (calories) and helps you lose weight.
Each serving has 270 mg of caffeine. Caffeine boosts your performance and allows you to train harder and for longer, which will help you burn more calories during your workouts.
Caffeine is also an appetite suppressant so it can help you stay away from those pesky snacks and goodies that keep you from losing weight.
#6 Best For Pump And Vascularity – Nutricost Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.63
Price: $38
Servings: 60
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 300 mg
- L-Citrulline Malate – 6 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 3 gram
- Taurine – 2 grams
Nutricost pre-workout makes its second entry on this list. It checks all boxes for a great budget pump and vascularity pre-workout and also gives you a really good energy boost with its 300 mg of caffeine.
The pre-workout contains 6 grams of Citrulline Malate and 0.5 grams of Agmatine sulfate. These two Nitric oxide boosters improve your pumps and muscle endurance by dilating your blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the muscles.
The pre-workout also has 3 grams of Beta-Alanine and 1 gram of Taurine. These compounds improve your endurance and help to hydrate your muscles.
This will allow you to train harder and perform more reps before getting tired which results in better muscle growth.
#7 Best Without Caffeine – Nutricost Stim-Free Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $1.00
Price: $30
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- L-Citrulline – 6 grams
- Betaine – 2 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 1.2 gram
- Taurine – 1.2 grams
Nutricost has also made a really good cheap stim-free pre-workout. It’s the best option if you are training late at night or otherwise want to avoid caffeine and jitters.
Arguably I would say that this version of the Nutricost pre-workout is even better than the original. You get 6 grams of pure Citrulline and 2 grams of Betaine has also been added to the formula.
You will get a huge pump from the 6 grams of Citrulline along with the 1.2 grams of Arginine AKG and 750 mg of Agmatine sulfate. These Nitric oxide boosters dilate your blood vessels and improve blood flow to your muscles.
The Betaine together with Taurine and Beta Alanine will improve your muscle endurance. This allows you to do more reps before tiring, the Betaine also improves your strength which will help you build more muscle.
#8 Best For Running – Pre-Kaged Sport Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $1.00
Price: $30
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 188 mg
- L-Citrulline – 3.5 grams
- Betaine – 1.25 gram
- Taurine – 2 grams
Pre-Kaged sport is the best pre-workout for athletes on the market. And the price point is the icing on the cake.
You get 188 mg of caffeine which will give you a good energy boost without making you jittery. Another benefit of the lower caffeine does in Pre-Kaged sport is that high doses of caffeine cause vasoconstriction which decrease your endurance.
The formula also contains 3.5 grams of Citrulline. Citrulline dilates your blood vessels and increases blood flow to your muscles. This will help supply your muscles with fresh oxygen and improve your endurance when running.
A serving of Pre-Kaged sport also has 1.6 grams of Beta-Alanine, 1.25 grams of Betaine and 2 grams of Taurine. These amino acids help with muscle hydration and increase endurance which will help you perform optimally when running.
#9 Best With Creatine – ON Gold Standard Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $1.08
Price: $32.50
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 175 mg
- Creatine Monohydrate – 3 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 1.5 gram
Optimum Nutrition is one of the most well-established supplement brands on the market. Their Gold standard pre-workout is a good budget pre-workout option if you want an all-around pre-workout with Creatine.
The formula contains 3 grams of Creatine which will increase your strength and muscle size. Creatine increases your ATP levels and draws water into your muscle cells.
ATP is used as energy in your cells for processes like muscle contraction and the generation of nerve impulses. This will allow you to lift heavier weights and build more muscle.
Each serving also contains 175 mg of Caffeine. At this dose you’ll get a good energy boost without the jitters that higher caffeine doses can cause.
#10 Best Without Beta-Alanine – Cutler Nutrition Prevail
Price Per Serving: $1.00
Price: $40
Servings: 40
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 200 mg
- L-Citrulline – 2 grams
- Taurine – 1 gram
- Alpha GPC – 375 mg
Jay Cutler’s pre-workout Prevail is a great budget-friendly PWO without Beta-Alanine. Beta-Alanine is the ingredient in pre-workouts that causes the itchy and tingling sensation on your skin.
The Beta-Alanine itch can be pretty annoying and it’s great to have a cheap pre-workout alternative without it.
The Prevail pre-workout aims to give you the best focus and energy possible for your workouts. Each serving contains 200 mg of caffeine together with N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine and Alpha GPC.
These compounds increase your focus and performance in the gym. Alpha GPC also improves your strength and allows you to lift heavier weights.
#11 Best Without Creatine – G.O.A.T. Ultra-Premium Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.67
Price: $20
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 200 mg
- L-Citrulline – 4 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 2 grams
- Alpha GPC – 200 mg
G.O.A.T is the best low-cost creatine-free pre-workout option. The formula has a lot of great ingredients which will give you great pumps and dialed-in focus throughout your workouts.
Each serving has 200 mg of caffeine as well as 200 mg of Alpha GPC. Both Caffeine and Alpha GPC are cognitive enhancers and help to keep you focused and motivated during your workouts.
Alpha GPC also improves strength and helps you lift heavier weights and build more muscle.
The pre-workout also has 4 grams of Citrulline per serving. Citrulline gives you better muscle pumps by increasing Nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide dilates your blood vessels and increases blood flow to your muscles.
#12 Best Without Artificial Sweeteners – Naked Energy Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $1.10
Price: $55
Servings: 50
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 200 mg
- Creatine Monohydrate – 1 gram
- Beta-Alanine – 2 grams
Naked Energy is completely free from artificial sweeteners, flavors and coloring. It’s also gluten and soy-free, non-GMO and vegan.
This pre-workout is the perfect option if you want a cheap all-natural pre-workout.
The formula contains 200 mg of caffeine and will give you a good energy boost before your workout.
Along with the Caffeine you also get 2 grams of Beta Alanine for improved endurance and 1 gram of Creatine for strength and muscle hydration.
#13 Best On Amazon – Nutricost Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.63
Price: $38
Servings: 60
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 300 mg
- L-Citrulline Malate – 6 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 3 gram
- Taurine – 2 grams
Nutricost makes its third entry on this list, it’s that good! You won’t find a better pre-workout for your money right now.
Each serving has 6 grams of Citrulline Malate and 0.5 grams of Agmatine sulfate which will give you a great pump. These compounds are Nitric oxide boosters that improve blood flow to your muscles by dilating your blood vessels.
You also get 300 mg of caffeine which will give you a huge energy boost before your workout. Caffeine is also a cognitive enhancer that improves your focus and cognition.
The pre-workout also contains Beta Alanine and Taurine which helps with muscle endurance and hydration. Improved endurance and hydration allow you to do more reps which helps you build more muscle.
#14 Best At Walmart – Repp Sports Broken Arrow Elite Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.97
Price: $29
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 350 mg
- L-Citrulline Malate – 6 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 3.2 gram
- Betaine – 1.5 grams
- Tyrosine – 1 gram
- Taurine – 1 gram
The Repp sports pre-workout will give you a really good pump, lots of energy and dialed-in focus for a great price.
The formula contains 350 mg of Caffeine which will give you a huge energy boost. Each serving also contains 1 gram of Tyrosine which is a cognitive-enhancing amino acid.
Tyrosine improves your focus, mood and motivation by regulating the neurotransmitters dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline in your brain.
The pre-workout also has 6 grams of Citrulline and 1.5 grams of Betaine. These compounds give you a huge pump by increasing blood flow to your muscles and hyper-hydrating them with water.
Each serving also contains 3.5 grams of Beta-Alanine and 1 gram of Taurine. These amino acids improve your endurance and help you work out harder and longer before tiring.
#15 The Cheapest Option – Six-Star Explosion Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving: $0.50
Price: $15
Servings: 30
Key Ingredients:
- Caffeine 135 mg
- Betaine – 1.25 grams
- Beta-Alanine – 1.5 gram
The cheapest option on this list is Six-Star Explosion. It’s a low-dosed pre-workout but it gets the job done if you want a quick and easy energy boost before your workout.
Each serving contains 135 mg of caffeine which is plenty enough to get you going!
The formula also contains 1.25 grams of Betaine and 1.5 grams of Beta-Alanine. Betaine helps to hydrate your muscle cells with water and can also help to improve your strength.
Beta-Alanine helps to improve your endurance and allows you to perform more reps before tiring.
#16 Best Cheap Pre-Workout Meal
If you don’t want to spend your money on supplements you can instead go for a cheap pre-workout meal or a pre-workout alternative that you can make at home.
A good pre-workout meal should be light while supplying you with quick fuel for your workout.
Here is a cheap and easy pre-workout snack;
1 large banana – Carbohydrates that can quickly enter your bloodstream and give you energy.
1 big cup of coffee – Gives you about 80-100 mg of caffeine which is enough to give you a good energy boost before your workout.
¼ of a teaspoon of salt – Gives you about 500 mg of sodium. This improves your muscle pump and hydrates your muscles with important electrolytes.
2 tablespoons of peanut butter – Gives you some fat and protein to keep your energy levels up during your workout
20 ounces of water – Staying hydrated is super important for having optimal energy levels. But also for getting better muscle pumps and vascularity.
#17 The Even Cheaper Option – Get Rejected By Your Crush
This simple yet effective pre-workout trick will fuel your gym sessions with energy and motivation for up to 3 months!
Does Cheap Pre-Workout Work?
Cheap pre-workouts definitely work! They are usually lower-dosed than more expensive pre-workout options but for most people they work perfectly fine.
Going to the gym shouldn’t break the bank and spending a lot of money on expensive pre-workouts is not always worth it. A cheap pre-workout can give you 90 % of the results of an expensive pre-workout.
A big part of taking a pre-workout is the ritual of mixing the powder in your shaker and then downing it in one big chug. Preparing the pre-workout pumps you up for the gym and gets you in the zone.
Cheap pre-workouts give you the exact same placebo effect as expensive pre-workouts. And the placebo effect is just as important as the actual effects of the pre-workout.
What To Do Now?
If you are looking for other pre-workout options I highly recommend that you read these articles below!
