Creatine vs. Pre-Workout: What’s the Difference—and Should You Take Both?

By: Rachel MacPherson, CPT, CSCS, PN-1 

If exercise has been a part of your life for any amount of time, you've likely heard of creatine and preworkout, along with various promises that they can take your results to the next level. While much of the hype around supplements is overblown, these two are solidly backed by science and could be worth adding to your daily protein bar or shake routine.  

But if you're wondering whether you should take creatine vs pre-workout, can you mix creatine with pre-workout (or even if creatine is pre-workout), then it's worth brushing up on the finer details of each.  

The scoop is, you don't have to choose between pre-workout or creatine. These supplements can actually work together pretty well, each with unique benefits for your performance and health. 

Below, I dug into the latest research and interviewed two sports nutritionists to break down what each supplement actually does, why people get confused about them, and whether combining them makes sense for your goals. 

What is Pre-Workout? 

Pre-workout is exactly what it sounds like — a supplement you take before hitting the gym. They're typically stimulant-based and give a short-term boost in energy, focus, and perceived effort for that day’s workout, explains Melissa Boufounos, CHN, sports nutritionist and owner of MB Performance Nutrition near Ottawa, ON.  

Umo Callins, MS, RD, CSSD, owner of Well Rooted Health and Nutrition and 180Physique Athletics in Oklahoma City adds that most pre-workouts are “a combination of stimulants, buffer agents like beta-alanine, and nitric oxide boosters like citrulline malate to increase blood flow and support endurance.” Together, these ingredients create an immediate boost in energy, alertness, and exercise output. 

Most come as powders you mix with water, though you can also find them in ready-to-drink or pill options.  

What is Creatine? 

Creatine is your body's natural energy currency for explosive movements. Your body makes creatine naturally in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas, then ships it to your muscles where it converts to phosphocreatine, a rapid-fire ATP generator (ATP is the main energy source for cells).  

When you're pushing heavy weight or sprinting all out, your muscles burn through ATP fast, but creatine helps regenerate it instantly to fuel those powerful bursts, explains Boufounos. While the research is clear that creatine is an effective and safe supplement, taking it once won't give you these results. Creatine helps you build strength and muscle over weeks and months, so consistency is key. 

Pre-Workout vs Creatine: Key Differences 

Pre-workout is your instant gratification supplement that fades pretty quickly, while creatine acts more like a long-term workout support system. As Boufounos explains: "Creatine builds performance capacity gradually, while pre-workouts work immediately but wear off within hours." In other words, creatine is an investment in your future PRs while preworkout is like renting energy for an hour or two.  

The Benefits of Creatine and Pre-Workout 

Pre-Workout Benefits 

Pre-workout's benefits mostly come from caffeine. It boosts alertness, mental focus, and can improve endurance performance while reducing how hard your workout feels. The combination of ingredients in preworkout can help increase exercise performance and recovery, and provide energy, sharper focus, improved blood flow, and the ability to push through more reps before your muscles tap out.  

Overall, the research suggests that pre-workout supplements can significantly improve muscular endurance, peak power, and mean power, mainly by helping you move faster rather than getting stronger. Basically, you get to your max effort faster and can sustain it better. 

Your brain gets sharper and more dialed in too, research shows, which means better mind-muscle connection and fewer "wait, what set am I on?" moments. It's also a great side kick on days when you're dragging your heels, according to Boufounos: "Pre-workout can be useful on days when energy or motivation is low, or for workouts that demand extra focus." 

Creatine Benefits 

Creatine's benefits are vast and continue to expand with new research. It'll help you build more lean muscle and crack out more powerful reps, says Callins. But there's more. You can expect a 5 to 15% increase in maximal power and strength, anaerobic capacity, and work performance during quick burst activities like sprints.  

Over time, creatine facilitates more noticeable improvements in strength and fat-free mass when you combine it with resistance training. Your recovery will likely improve as well, which means less hobbling around like a broken robot after leg day. Some research suggests creatine may reduce circulating levels of muscle damage markers and help restore the ability of damaged muscles to produce force more quickly.  

Lastly, creatine might enhance the muscle-brain connection through improved energy availability and potential effects on neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. There's even research emerging on the benefits of creatine for cognitive function and mood. 

Can You Take Creatine and Pre-Workout Together? 

You can certainly take creatine and pre-workout together, and many people do, according to Callins. "If both supplements are third-party tested, complement each other, and the client doesn’t have any health concerns or risks, I may recommend taking them together," she says.  

In fact, plenty of pre-workout blends already include creatine. Taking both can stack the long-term benefits of creatine with the short-term edge of a stimulant based preworkout. 

And while there were once concerns that caffeine might cancel out creatine's effects, recent studies don't support that. A comprehensive review found no consistent evidence that caffeine impairs creatine uptake or its performance benefits.  

Stacking both can provide short and long-term benefits, but knowing the dosage is key to avoid unnecessary overlap. Callins recommends double-checking labels. "Certain pre-workouts contain creatine, so it’s recommended to read supplement labels to ensure you know exactly what and how much is in the supplement," she says.  

Since creatine is best taken every day, you might want to find a pre-workout that doesn't include creatine or just take creatine alone on non-workout days. 

Myths and Misconceptions 

A few rumors are circulating about pre-workout and creatine. Luckily, science gives us the real deal on most of them. 

"For creatine, common misconceptions are that it’s a steroid, unsafe for women, harmful to the kidneys, or that it always causes bloating — none of which are true when it’s taken at recommended doses," says Boufounos.  

 The small water weight gain that happens at first is stored in the muscle, not under the skin, so it’s not the kind of bloating most people imagine. There’s also no solid evidence linking creatine to hair loss or kidney damage in healthy people.  

When it comes to pre-workout, Boufounos notes many people don’t realize some pre-workout formulas aren’t meant for daily, long-term use, and more is not better. "Extra scoops can cause side effects without improving performance, and it’s also not essential for progress, and quality varies widely between products," she says. 

How to Choose 

Start with your training goals. If you're building muscle or chasing strength gains, creatine is your go-to. "For longer term benefits such as building stamina for high intensity workouts, building lean mass, power, and explosiveness, and recovery support after performance, creatine would be a suitable choice," says Callins. 

On the flip side, if you’re looking for a quick mental and physical lift before a tough workout, a pre-workout can help. Just be strategic and look for formulas that match your needs, whether that’s caffeine for focus or nitric oxide boosters for better blood flow. 

Some people like a “stacked” approach of taking creatine daily (often mixing it with their protein powder) and using a stimulant-free pre-workout before lifting. That way, you get the performance boost without relying on caffeine every session. 

Whatever you pick, make sure it’s third-party tested (FYI—all Purist supplements are third-party tested for purity and quality). Boufounos recommends looking for creatine monohydrate in powder form (the most researched and reliable) and reading pre-workout labels closely to avoid mega-doses of stimulants or sketchy ingredients. 

The Takeaway 

Creatine and pre-workout aren’t the same thing, but they support performance in different ways. 

Creatine works behind the scenes to build strength and power over time while pre-workout gives you an in-the-moment lift when energy or focus is low. You don’t have to choose one or the other since they’re safe to take together and often work even better that way. 

Just keep it clean and go for simple, trusted formulas. And remember that more isn’t always better. Smart supplements = smart training. 

Get to know the Purist lineup and how our evidence-backed formulas can support your health goals