Three categories dominate the protein powder market: whey (dairy-based), plant (pea, rice, hemp, soy blends), and beef (hydrolyzed beef isolate). All three deliver 20-26g of protein per serving and support muscle building when total daily protein is adequate. They differ in amino acid completeness, allergen profiles, digestibility, ingredient lists, diet compatibility, and price. This guide compares all three across every dimension that actually matters — so you can pick the one that fits your body, your goals, and your budget.
Why This Comparison Exists
Most protein powder comparisons are two-way: whey vs. plant, or whey vs. beef. That's convenient for the companies writing them. It's less useful for you.
Because here's the real question most people are asking: "I need a protein powder. There are a hundred options. Which category should I even be looking at?"
I sell beef protein. I'll be upfront about that. But I didn't start a beef protein company because I drew a name out of a hat — I started it because my body couldn't handle the other two categories and I needed something that worked. Not everyone has the same constraints. So I'm going to give each category an honest assessment, point out where the others win, and let you make the call.
Whey Protein: The Incumbent
Whey protein is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing. When milk becomes cheese, the leftover liquid is whey. Filter it, dry it, flavor it, and you've got the protein powder that has dominated the market for three decades.
It comes in three forms:
- Whey concentrate — 70-80% protein, still has lactose and fat
- Whey isolate — 90%+ protein, most lactose removed (not all)
- Whey hydrolysate — pre-digested for faster absorption, most expensive
Where whey shines:
Leucine. Whey delivers roughly 2.5g of leucine per serving — more than any other protein source per gram. Leucine is the amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis, the cellular process that builds muscle tissue. If you care about maximizing the anabolic signal from each individual scoop, whey has a real advantage here.
Whey is also cheap. A quality whey isolate costs $0.75-1.50 per serving. Decades of cheese production have created massive supply, which keeps prices low. It's well-researched, with hundreds of published studies supporting its efficacy for muscle building and recovery. And it's everywhere — every grocery store, every gym, every gas station with a supplement rack.
Where whey falls short:
Dairy. Whey is a dairy product. Even whey isolate — which marketers love to call "virtually lactose-free" — contains trace amounts of lactose and casein. About 68% of the global adult population has some degree of lactose malabsorption (source: NIH). If you're in that majority, whey may be the reason your post-workout routine includes 30 minutes of bloating.
Ingredient lists tend to be long. Cheap whey products load up on artificial sweeteners, gums, thickeners, and fillers. Quality ones exist, but you have to look harder.
And whey is excluded from paleo, Whole30, AIP, and carnivore diets. If you follow any of those frameworks, whey isn't an option.
Plant Protein: The Alternative
Plant-based protein powders are usually made from pea protein, rice protein, hemp protein, soy protein, or a blend. The most common commercial blend is pea + rice, because each covers the other's amino acid gaps.
Where plant protein shines:
Vegan-friendly. If you eat plant-based for ethical, environmental, or health reasons, plant protein is your only protein powder category. That's a hard requirement, and plant protein fills it.
Pea allergies are rare, making pea protein a solid option for people with multiple food sensitivities. Plant protein is also affordable — typically $0.80-1.50 per serving, competitive with whey.
Recent research has shown pea protein can support muscle building. A 2015 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found pea protein produced similar muscle thickness increases to whey in resistance-trained men over 12 weeks (Babault et al., PMC).
Where plant protein falls short:
Amino acid completeness. Most single-source plant proteins are missing or low in at least one essential amino acid. Pea protein is low in methionine. Rice protein is low in lysine. Soy is complete but comes with its own set of concerns — it's a top-eight allergen and contains phytoestrogens, which some people prefer to avoid. Blending sources solves the completeness issue, but adds complexity and usually more ingredients.
Taste and texture are the other challenge. Pea protein has an earthy flavor that some people can't get past. Rice protein can be gritty. Most plant blends need sweeteners, flavors, and thickeners to become palatable — which means longer ingredient lists and more processing.
Digestibility scores are lower. Plant proteins contain anti-nutritional factors like phytates, lectins, and trypsin inhibitors that can reduce absorption and cause digestive discomfort in some people. PDCAAS scores for individual plant proteins typically fall between 0.5-0.7, compared to 0.9-1.0 for animal proteins (FAO/WHO reference).
Beef Protein: The Newcomer
Beef protein isolate is made by hydrolyzing beef — using enzymes to break down whole beef into smaller peptides and amino acids, then filtering out fat, cholesterol, and carbs. The result is a concentrated protein powder derived directly from beef.
Where beef protein shines:
Complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, no blending or combining required. The amino acid profile mirrors whole beef — because it is whole beef, minus the fat and calories. If you want the full amino acid breakdown, we published it.
Zero dairy. Zero lactose. Zero soy. Zero gluten. Beef protein isolate sidesteps every major allergen category. For people with dairy sensitivities, autoimmune conditions, or multiple food allergies, this matters a lot.
Ingredient lists are short. PaleoPro Paleo Protein Powder has four ingredients. That's not a marketing brag — it's a design philosophy. Fewer ingredients means fewer things to react to.
Diet compatibility is unmatched. Beef protein is fully compliant with paleo, Whole30, AIP, keto, and carnivore diets. No other protein category checks all five boxes.
Digestibility is high. The hydrolysis process breaks protein into smaller peptides, making it easier for your gut to absorb. People who experience bloating from whey or plant protein often report no issues with beef protein. That's not a clinical trial. It's thousands of consistent customer reports, and it matches my own experience after my accident when nothing else worked. We cover this more in our beef protein vs. whey comparison.
Where beef protein falls short:
Price. Grass-fed beef costs more to source than dairy byproducts or peas. A quality beef protein isolate runs $1.50-2.50 per serving. That's roughly double the cost of whey or plant protein. If budget is your primary constraint, that's a real consideration.
Fewer flavors and less availability. The whey market has had 30 years to develop every flavor imaginable and get into every store. Beef protein is still catching up. You'll find more options online than on shelves.
Leucine content is slightly lower than whey — about 1.8g per serving compared to whey's 2.5g. For competitive athletes counting every gram, that gap is worth knowing. For everyone else hitting 1.6-2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight daily, both sources get the muscle-building job done (source: PMC).
The Comparison Table
Here's the side-by-side across every dimension that matters. No spin. Just data.
| Dimension | Whey Protein Isolate | Plant Protein (Pea/Rice Blend) | Beef Protein Isolate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 25g | 20-24g | 26g |
| Calories per serving | ~110 | ~120 | ~120 |
| Complete protein? | Yes | Yes (if blended); No (single source) | Yes |
| Leucine per serving | ~2.5g | ~1.5-1.6g | ~1.8g |
| PDCAAS/DIAAS score | 1.0 | 0.5-0.9 (varies by source/blend) | 0.9-1.0 |
| Dairy | Yes | No | No |
| Lactose | Trace (even in isolate) | No | No |
| Soy | No (unless added) | Sometimes (check label) | No |
| Gluten | No (usually) | No (usually) | No |
| Top-8 allergens | Milk | Soy (if soy-based) | None |
| Digestibility | High, but bloating common | Moderate — anti-nutrients can reduce absorption | High — hydrolyzed for absorption |
| Bloating potential | Moderate to high (dairy-sensitive individuals) | Low to moderate (fiber, phytates) | Low |
| Taste | Creamy, mild | Earthy, chalky (varies) | Neutral (flavored = tastes like the flavor) |
| Mixability | Excellent | Good to fair (can be gritty) | Very good |
| Baking/cooking | Good | Fair (texture can change) | Good |
| Typical ingredient list | 8-15 ingredients | 10-20 ingredients | 4-8 ingredients |
| Common additives | Artificial sweeteners, gums, lecithin | Gums, flavors, sweeteners, thickeners | Minimal — varies by brand |
| Price per serving | $0.75-1.50 | $0.80-1.50 | $1.50-2.50 |
| Availability | Everywhere | Widely available | Mostly online, some specialty stores |
| Paleo | No | No | Yes |
| Vegan | No | Yes | No |
| Keto | Yes | Yes (check carbs) | Yes |
| Whole30 | No | No | Yes |
| AIP | No | No | Yes |
| Carnivore | No | No | Yes |
A few things worth calling out.
Complete protein status is straightforward for whey and beef. Both deliver all nine essential amino acids in one scoop, no thinking required. Plant protein gets there with the right blend, but single-source plant proteins (pea alone, rice alone) leave gaps. If your plant protein doesn't say "complete amino acid profile" on the label, check the blend.
The leucine gap is real but context-dependent. Whey's 2.5g of leucine per serving is genuinely higher than beef (1.8g) and plant (1.5g). If you're a competitive bodybuilder optimizing every meal for muscle protein synthesis, whey has an edge here. If you're a regular person hitting your daily protein target, the difference washes out over the course of a day. A 2018 study in JISSN found beef protein isolate and whey produced equivalent lean mass and strength gains in resistance-trained subjects when total protein was matched (Sharp et al., PMC).
Ingredient lists tell a story. Count the ingredients on your current protein powder. If it's more than eight, ask yourself what the other ten are doing there. Short ingredient lists don't automatically mean higher quality, but they do mean fewer things that can cause a reaction and less processing.
Diet compatibility is the sleeper category. Most people don't think about this until they start a new diet and realize their protein powder doesn't fit. Beef protein is the only category that covers paleo, Whole30, AIP, keto, and carnivore simultaneously. If you switch between dietary frameworks or follow a restrictive protocol, that flexibility matters.
Which Protein Is Right for You?
Skip the overthinking. Run through these questions.
Are you vegan or vegetarian? Plant protein. It's your only option in the protein powder world, and a quality pea/rice blend does the job well. Make sure it's a blend so you're getting a complete amino acid profile.
Do you have zero issues with dairy? If you tolerate dairy fine — no bloating, no gas, no skin issues — and budget is a priority, whey is effective and affordable. No reason to switch unless you want to.
Do you follow paleo, Whole30, AIP, or carnivore? Beef protein. It's the only protein powder category that's compliant with all of these. Whey is dairy. Plant protein isn't paleo or AIP-compliant. For more on dairy-free options, check our dairy-free protein powder guide.
Do you get bloated from your current protein? Try beef protein. If you've been using whey and experiencing bloating, the dairy is likely the problem — even with isolate. If plant protein gives you digestive issues, the anti-nutrients or fiber content might be the culprit. Beef protein is hydrolyzed for easy absorption and doesn't contain dairy, soy, or common irritants. Many people who switch from whey to a non-whey protein report the bloating disappears.
Do you have an autoimmune condition? Beef protein is one of the few protein powders compliant with the autoimmune protocol (AIP). AIP excludes dairy, soy, eggs, grains, nuts, and seeds — which eliminates whey and most plant proteins. Beef protein isolate passes every AIP requirement.
Are you on a tight budget? Whey or plant protein, both in the $0.75-1.50 per serving range. Beef protein costs more because grass-fed beef costs more to source than dairy byproducts or peas. If budget is the main constraint and your gut handles whey fine, whey is the practical choice.
Do you want the shortest ingredient list? Beef protein. PaleoPro has four ingredients. Most plant blends need 10-20 ingredients to manage taste, texture, and amino acid completeness. Most whey products fall somewhere in between.
Are you a competitive strength athlete maximizing every variable? Whey's leucine advantage matters more at the competitive level. If you're tracking leucine per meal and optimizing meal timing for muscle protein synthesis, whey's 2.5g per serving gives you a measurable edge over beef (1.8g) and plant (1.5g). For recreational lifters, this difference is academic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is whey protein better than plant protein for building muscle?
Whey has higher leucine content and a higher digestibility score (PDCAAS 1.0), which gives it a theoretical edge for muscle protein synthesis per serving. But practical outcomes are closer than the numbers suggest. A 2015 study found pea protein produced comparable muscle thickness gains to whey over 12 weeks in trained men (Babault et al., PMC). If you're hitting your daily protein target — 1.6-2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight — the source matters less than consistency. Use whichever one you tolerate and will actually drink every day.
Can plant protein be a complete protein?
Individual plant proteins are usually incomplete. Pea protein is low in methionine. Rice protein is low in lysine. Soy is complete but carries allergen and phytoestrogen concerns. However, blending complementary plant proteins — like pea + rice — creates a complete amino acid profile. Most commercial plant protein blends do this. Check the label for "complete amino acid profile" or look at the amino acid breakdown to confirm all nine essentials are present.
Is beef protein easier to digest than whey?
For many people, yes. Beef protein isolate is hydrolyzed — broken into smaller peptides during manufacturing — which means less work for your digestive system. It also contains zero dairy, so the bloating and gas that many people experience with whey doesn't occur. There's no lactose to malabsorb, no casein to react to. If whey makes your stomach unhappy, beef protein is worth trying. For a deeper dive, see our beef protein vs. casein comparison.
Why is beef protein more expensive than whey or plant protein?
Sourcing costs. Grass-fed beef is more expensive to raise than dairy cattle (whey is a byproduct of cheese production — essentially manufacturing waste, which makes it cheap). Peas and rice are commodity crops with massive global production. Beef protein requires actual beef. The processing is also more specialized. You're paying for the raw material and the process, not a markup for a fancy label.
What's the best protein powder for someone with food allergies?
Beef protein isolate is free of all top-eight allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish). Pea protein is also hypoallergenic — pea allergies are rare. Whey contains dairy, which is a top-eight allergen. If you have multiple food allergies, beef protein or pea protein are your safest starting points. If you're on AIP, beef protein is the clear choice since AIP also excludes legumes (which includes peas).
Can I mix different types of protein powder?
Yes. There's no biochemical reason you can't use whey post-workout for the leucine spike and beef protein at other times. Some people rotate between protein types based on the meal — beef protein in morning smoothies, plant protein in baking, whey after training. The only caveat: if you're using a non-dairy protein specifically because dairy causes problems, don't mix it with whey. That defeats the purpose.
Is animal protein better than plant protein?
"Better" depends on what you're measuring. Animal proteins (whey and beef) score higher on digestibility (PDCAAS/DIAAS), have complete amino acid profiles without blending, and deliver more leucine per serving. Plant proteins are vegan, often more affordable, and avoid animal agriculture. For pure protein quality metrics, animal sources win. For ethical, environmental, or dietary preference reasons, plant sources have their own advantages. Neither category is wrong — they serve different priorities.
Do I need to worry about heavy metals in plant protein?
It's worth checking. Independent testing has found elevated levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in some plant-based protein powders — particularly those using rice protein or cacao. The Clean Label Project tested 130+ protein products in 2018 and found plant-based powders had higher average levels of heavy metals than animal-based options. This doesn't mean all plant proteins are contaminated, but it does mean third-party testing matters. Look for brands that publish their test results. This applies to all protein types, but plant-based products warrant extra scrutiny.
The Bottom Line
All three protein categories work. People build muscle with whey, with plant protein, and with beef protein every single day. The research supports all of them when total daily protein is adequate.
The difference is everything besides the protein:
- Choose whey if you tolerate dairy, want the cheapest per-serving option, and care about maximum leucine per scoop.
- Choose plant protein if you eat vegan or vegetarian, have dairy and beef restrictions, or want an affordable plant-based option. Get a blend for complete amino acids.
- Choose beef protein if you're dairy-free, follow paleo/AIP/Whole30/carnivore, have gut issues with other proteins, or want the cleanest possible ingredient list.
I built PaleoPro because I needed protein my body could actually use without fighting me. If that sounds like your situation — dairy causing problems, long ingredient lists making you suspicious, gut issues you can't explain — give beef protein a try. Four ingredients. Grass-fed. Complete protein. No agenda besides making something that works.
We also make Bone Broth Collagen for joint and gut support, and Egg White Protein if you want a different complete protein source. Browse the full protein collection to find what fits.
Not because I want your money more than the next company. Because I actually use this stuff every day and it works.
Go deeper: The Complete Guide to Beef Protein Powder | Beef Protein vs. Whey | Benefits of Beef Protein Powder | Non-Whey Protein Powder
Sources:
- National Institutes of Health. "Lactose Intolerance." StatPearls/NCBI Bookshelf. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532285
- Sharp, M.H., et al. (2018). "The Effects of Beef Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Isolate Supplementation on Lean Mass and Strength in Resistance-Trained Individuals." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), 1-9. PMC6263092
- Babault, N., et al. (2015). "Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1), 1-9. PMC4307635
- Jäger, R., et al. (2017). "International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20. PMC6628355
- FAO/WHO. (2013). "Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition." FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 92. fao.org
- Clean Label Project. (2018). "Protein Powder Study." cleanlabelproject.org