Choosing protein nutrition usually comes down to three practical questions: do you want plant-based or whey protein, which flavor will you actually use, and how much powder are you getting for the listed price? The four choices here split cleanly into two groups: Creamy Vanilla plant protein and Thin Mints whey protein. The price range is narrow, from USD 36.97 to USD 37.99, so the better choice is less about chasing the lowest number and more about matching the formula to your diet and routine.
Quick take
- Best fit for a vegan Creamy Vanilla powder: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz, because it explicitly pairs a vegan feature with 0g sugar and plant ingredients such as pea protein, fava bean protein isolate, and brown rice protein concentrate.
- Best fit for a Thin Mints whey blend: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz, because it names whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and hydrolyzed whey protein among its active ingredients.
- Best fit if the 32 g dosage line matters to you: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz, because it includes a 32 g dosage and adds no artificial growth hormones (rBST Free) among its features.
- Best fit for a simpler plant-protein title: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz, because the title clearly leads with 100% Plant Protein while keeping the Creamy Vanilla flavor and 0g sugar positioning.
Listed price comparison
The prices are tightly grouped: the lowest listed option is only 3% below the highest. That makes formula, flavor, and item weight especially important when choosing.
| Product | Listed price | Price bar |
|---|---|---|
| Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz | USD 37.99 | |
| Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz | USD 36.97 | |
| Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz | USD 36.97 | |
| Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz | USD 37.99 |
Decision matrix
| Shopper priority | Stronger match | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan routine | Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz | It lists vegan as a feature and uses plant ingredients including pea protein, fava bean protein isolate, and brown rice protein concentrate. |
| Whey protein blend | Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz | It specifies whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and hydrolyzed whey protein. |
| Gluten-free Thin Mints option | Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz | It combines Thin Mints flavor with gluten-free and no artificial growth hormones (rBST Free) features. |
| Creamy Vanilla with 0g sugar | Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz | It keeps the plant-protein format, Creamy Vanilla flavor, and 0g sugar feature together in one option. |
| Lowest listed price | The two Thin Mints whey powders | Both whey choices are listed at USD 36.97, below the two plant-protein choices. |
Concise product notes
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz
This is the most direct pick for a shopper who wants a plant-based Creamy Vanilla powder with the vegan feature clearly named. The ingredient list centers on pea protein, fava bean protein isolate, and brown rice protein concentrate, with coconut oil creamer and sunflower oil also included. It is positioned for muscle support and comes in powder form for a unisex audience. The main tradeoff is that it is one of the higher-priced choices in this set at USD 37.99, and its container is smaller by item weight than the Thin Mints whey alternatives. Choose it when vegan and 0g sugar matter more than getting the largest container.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz
This Thin Mints whey powder is the clearest match for shoppers who want the whey sources spelled out: whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and hydrolyzed whey protein. It also lists cocoa processed with alkali and sucralose among the ingredients, so the flavor direction is more dessert-like than the Creamy Vanilla plant options. At USD 36.97, it is tied for the lowest listed price here while also carrying the larger 24.8 oz item weight. The limitation is dietary fit: it is a whey product rather than a vegan plant protein, so shoppers avoiding dairy-based protein should look to the plant-protein choices instead.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz
This second Thin Mints whey listing overlaps closely with the other whey option, but it has its own useful angle: it includes a 32 g dosage and lists gluten-free plus no artificial growth hormones (rBST Free) as features. Its ingredients include whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed whey protein, cocoa, and soy lecithin. The listed price is USD 36.97, keeping it in the lowest-price position alongside the other Thin Mints whey powder. The drawback is that the active ingredient line is less specific than the other whey listing, so shoppers comparing exact whey-source wording may prefer the version that names isolate, concentrate, and hydrolyzed whey in that section.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz
This plant option is easy to understand from the title: 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, and Creamy Vanilla. It uses the same core plant ingredient direction as the other plant powder, including pea protein, fava bean protein isolate, and brown rice protein concentrate. It is a good fit for shoppers who want plant protein without choosing the Thin Mints whey flavor profile. Its limitation is that the feature highlights list 0g sugar but do not separately call out vegan there, even though vegan appears in the title. It also shares the higher listed price of USD 37.99 with the other plant-protein powder.
How to choose among these four
Start with protein type. If you want plant-based protein nutrition, narrow the field to the two Creamy Vanilla options. If you want whey, focus on the two Thin Mints powders. Because the listed prices only run from USD 36.97 to USD 37.99, that first split is more meaningful than the small price difference.
Next, compare how much specificity you want in the formula. The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz is useful if you want the whey blend named plainly across isolate, concentrate, and hydrolyzed whey. The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz is useful if the 32 g dosage line and the no artificial growth hormones (rBST Free) feature are more important to your comparison.
For plant protein, the choice is subtler. The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz has vegan listed as a feature and is the cleaner pick if that feature needs to be front and center. The Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz has the simpler title for shoppers who want the phrase 100% Plant Protein included in the name.
Flavor is the final filter. Creamy Vanilla keeps the plant options in a more classic shake direction, while Thin Mints points the whey options toward a chocolate-mint profile with cocoa appearing in the ingredient wording.
Final recommendation
For most shoppers, the first decision should be plant versus whey, not price, because the full spread is only about a dollar. Pick Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant Protein Powder Vegan 0g Sugar 15.7 oz if vegan and 0g sugar are the strongest requirements. Pick Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Thin Mints, 24.8 oz if you want the lowest listed price in this group and a clearly described whey blend. If the 32 g dosage and no artificial growth hormones (rBST Free) feature are the tie-breakers, choose Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder Thin Mints 24.8 oz. If you prefer the most straightforward plant-protein title, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Plant Protein, Vegan, 0g Sugar, 15.7 oz is the better match.