Syntha-6 vs Gold Standard: Which Whey Protein is Best?

In this review, I’ll be comparing BSN Syntha-6 and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey across eight key criteria, including taste, mixability, nutritional value, and cost.

As a former NFL/CFL athlete, I’ve tried countless protein powders, so I launched a dedicated YouTube channel to review them. I focus on protein powders because there are so many choices and a lot of misinformation out there.

Let’s get into it!

Prefer to watch than read? Watch my full reviews on YouTube:

In This Review:
Summary | Quick Look | Comparison | Taste | Mixability | Protein Density | Nutritional Value | Third Party Testing | Cost Comparison | Final Thoughts

30 Second Summary:

• Taste: Syntha-6 won the taste test, scoring higher in both chocolate and vanilla flavors.
• Protein Content: Gold Standard offers slightly more protein per serving (24g vs 22g).
• Calories: Syntha-6 has significantly more calories per serving (190) compared to Gold Standard (120).
• Carbs: Syntha-6 has much higher carb content (15g) than Gold Standard (3g).
• Protein Density: Gold Standard is much denser, with 80% of calories from protein compared to Syntha-6’s 46%.
• Cost: Gold Standard is more cost-effective at $0.07 per gram of protein vs Syntha-6’s $0.09.
• Third-Party Testing: Gold Standard is third-party tested, while Syntha-6 is not.
• Flavor Variety: Gold Standard offers 20 different flavors, while Syntha-6 has 10.

The main difference between Syntha-6 and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard are the total carbs and calories. Syntha-6 has 15 grams of carbs per serving including 2 grams of added sugar which makes it taste better, but also makes it more caloric and lowers the overall protein purity.

A Quick Look: Syntha-6 vs Gold Standard

Note: Label specs will vary depending on the flavor you choose.

Head-to-Head Comparison:

Here’s how I rated Syntha-6 vs Gold Standard across 8 categories. To learn more about our testing process, see here.

Note: The Naturally Sweetened Gold Standard flavor was discontinued in 2024 due to low sales.

Which One Tastes Better?

I put both proteins through a taste test, and Syntha-6 won by a hair. I tried the chocolate and vanilla flavors of each brand. Here’s how they stacked up:

• Syntha-6 Chocolate Milkshake: 7.5/10
• Syntha-6 Vanilla Ice Cream: 7/10
• Gold Standard Chocolate: 7/10
• Gold Standard Vanilla: 6.5/10

The reason Syntha-6 tastes better is because it has more sugar. If you care more about minimizing your calories than taste, I recommend going with Gold Standard.

However, Gold Standard has 20 flavors to choose from, versus Syntha-6’s 10, so you may have better luck with other flavors.

Tasting vanilla ice cream

Which One Mixes Better?

Both proteins mixed pretty well, with Syntha-6 scoring slightly higher at 8 out of 10, compared to Gold Standard’s 7.5.

Both proteins were clump free and had a smooth consistency (not too thick) after 30 seconds of mixing with a shaker bottle and shaker ball.

Note: you can always use a hand mixer or blender for an even smoother / easier mix.

Just before mixing Gold Standard vanilla flavor

Nutritional Value Comparison

Here’s how Gold Standard and Syntha-6 differ in their ingredients:

Overall, I gave Gold Standard an 8 in Nutritional Value and Syntha-6 a 6.

Syntha-6 has a more complex formula, while Gold Standard keeps things simpler with a focus on protein.

Pro Tip: A general rule of thumb when evaluating protein powders: the simpler the ingredients, the better : )

Close up of Syntha-6 ingredients label

Which One is Higher Purity?

Gold Standard is the clear winner here as well. It is a much higher purity product than BSN Syntha 6.

Here’s a complete breakdown of protein density across all the options:

Note: To calculate protein density, we multiply protein per serving by 4 (because 1 g of protein = 4 calories) and then divide by total number of calories.

Syntha-6 has a lot more carbs and added sugars than Gold Standard, which is why of the 190 calories you get in each serving of Syntha-6, only 46% of those calories are coming from actual protein.

Cost Comparison

Gold Standard is the clear winner here:

• Gold Standard: $0.07 per gram of protein; $1.62 per serving
• Syntha-6: $0.09 per gram of protein; $1.88 per serving

Third-Party Testing

Gold Standard scores another win in this category, with a perfect 10 out of 10 for third-party testing. The product is certified by Informed Choice, which tests for banned substances, and is also approved by ConsumerLab.com, which verifies label claims.

Syntha-6, unfortunately, doesn’t do any third-party testing that we could find, earning it a 0 in this category. While this doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the product, it does make it harder to independently verify its quality and contents.

Brand Reputation

Both BSN (makers of Syntha-6) and Optimum Nutrition (makers of Gold Standard) are well-established brands in the sports nutrition industry. However, Gold Standard edges out Syntha-6 in this category.

Optimum Nutrition has been around for over 35 years and has won numerous awards for its products. They’re known for their rigorous quality control processes, performing over 100,000 quality and food safety checks annually.

BSN, while also a respected brand, has faced some controversy over the years, particularly around misleading ingredient labels. This slightly tarnishes their reputation compared to Optimum Nutrition.

As a result, Gold Standard scores a 10 out of 10 for brand reputation, while Syntha-6 scores a 7.

Final Thoughts: Which is the Better Choice?

Winner: Gold Standard

Gold Standard, in my humble opinion, is a superior product for the following reasons:

• It is much higher purity (80% vs 46%)
• Their label claims are verified via third-party testing
• It has a much simpler ingredients list

The only thing BSN Syntha 6 has on Gold Standard is that it tastes better. But you can always improve the taste of a protein powder by adding fruit, nuts, peanut butter, honey, agave, or whatever else you want.

You can buy Gold Standard directly on their website or on Amazon.

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