Most people need 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day (about 0.03 g/kg), taken every day — timing does not matter. Loading is optional. Enter your weight below for your dose, and see what it costs per day from the cheapest creatine we track (about $0.02/g).
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About 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate per day for most people (roughly 0.03 g per kg of body weight), taken every day — training day or not. Timing does not matter; consistency does. More than ~5 g/day gives no extra benefit once your muscles are saturated.
No — loading (about 0.3 g/kg/day split into four doses for 5–7 days) only saturates your muscles faster. Taking a steady 3–5 g/day reaches the exact same level in about 3–4 weeks. Loading is optional and can cause mild bloating.
Very little — creatine is one of the cheapest evidence-backed supplements. Across the products we track, the cheapest works out to about $0.03 per gram and the typical about $0.09, so a 5 g daily dose is roughly $0.13–0.45 a day. Buy plain monohydrate on cost per gram; the “advanced” forms rarely justify their price.
General information, not medical advice. Doses are commonly-studied amounts; talk to a clinician if you have kidney concerns or take medication.