BodyBuilding.com Review - Is This The Best Online Supplement Store?
75If you've ever wanted to reach a fitness goal then I'm sure that at some point the thought of using supplements has crossed your mind, but where do you get them?
BodyBuilding.com has a VERY popular online supplement store, but are they the best?
I decided to do a little research to find out if BodyBuilding.com is the #1 online supplement store.
What will I be looking at?
I'm going to compare BodyBuilding to 3 other popular online supplement stores: GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe and Vitacost.
I've selected 5 very popular supplements and I'm going to see which store has the best...
- Prices based on the price for each product size, the lowest possible price per supplement and who has the cheapest price per serving or size.
- Variety based on product sizes, flavors and if anything is back-ordered or out of stock.
- Deals based on any promotions, discounts or freebies you can get from buying one of these supplements from that particular store.
- Shipping based on payment methods and shipping methods, times and rates for both US and International shipments.
I'm going to rank each store and assign them a point value based on these stats. Now that you know what I'll be looking at, let's get right into the comparison...
Product Comparisons
The first supplement we're going to compare is Gaspari Nutrition's SuperPump250. This is a very popular supplement that will in fact "pump you up" and boost your results you see from working out.
First let's take a look at what matters the most; the price...
- BodyBuilding's prices range from $1.99 to $31.99 ($16.99 average) based on the size you get and the cheapest you can get a serving is 80 cents, if you buy in bulk. (16 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe's prices range from $19.99 to $32.99 ($26.49 average) and the cheapest you can get a serving is 82 cents, if you buy in bulk. (7 points)
- Vitacost's price is $32.29, because you can only get it in one size, and the cheapest you can get a serving is 81 cents. (6 points)
- GNC's prices range from $54.99 to $64.99, but once again you can only get it in once size, and the cheapest you can get a serving is $1.37. (0 points)
So BodyBuilding's store has the best prices for SuperPump250, but let's take a look as see who has the best variety.
- BodyBuilding has this product in 4 different sizes and 7 different flavors but one variety is on back-order. (3 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe has this product in 2 different sizes and 6 different flavors and it's all in stock. (2 points)
- Vitacost has this product in only 1 size but it comes in 6 different flavors and it's all in stock. (1 point)
- GNC has this product in only 1 size but it comes in 6 different flavors and it's all in stock. (1 point)
So Bodybuilding's store definitely has the best variety of SuperPump250, even if one's out of stock, but let's take a look and see who has the best deals.
- At BodyBuilding you can get a free sample of this supplement and the orange flavor in the 280 gram size is about 29% off right now. (3 points)
- At The Vitamin Shoppe you can earn Healthy Award Points when you buy this supplement, which can be redeemed for merchandise. (2 points)
- At GNC you can get a free Hydravol sample from QNT when you get this supplement. (1 point)
- There are no deals at Vitacost. (0 points)
Once again, BodyBuilding's store comes out on top with the best deals for SuperPump250! Let's take a look at the ranking so far...
Overall Rank for SuperPump250
- BodyBuilding - 22 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 11 points
- Vitacost - 7 points
- GNC - 2 points
So far, BodyBuilding's store really does look like the best option for prices, variety and deals!
But that's just for one supplement, let's see how it ranks with some other popular supplements on the market today.
Now we're going to compare BSN's NO-Xplode, which is another supplement that will give you a good "pump" and boost your performance.
First let's compare prices...
- The Vitamin Shoppe: $34.48 (2 points)
- Vitacost: $34.48 (2 points)
- BodyBuilding: $34.98 (1 points)
- GNC: $52.99 (0 points)
It's only a 50 cent difference but for this supplement BodyBuilding's store didn't come out on top (stay away from GNC if you're buying this supplement). Let's move onto variety...
There are no real differences in variety with NO-Xplode from store to store; they all have the same size, flavors and every thing's in stock. Let's move onto deals...
- The Vitamin Shoppe: Earn Healthy Award Points (2 points)
- GNC: Free Hydravol Sample from QNT (1 point)
- BodyBuilding: No Deals (0 points)
- Vitacost: No Deals (0 points)
There are no real deals for this particular supplement from BodyBuilding's store but let's take a look at the overall rankings for NO-Xplode.
Overall Rank for NO-Xplode
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 4 points
- Vitacost - 2 points
- BodyBuilding - 1 point
- GNC - 1 point
Bodybuilding's store didn't come out on top for NO-Xplode but there really wasn't much for ranking with this supplement and it's just one supplement. They do actually have a pretty competitive price for this product and a good variety but no deals at this moment.
Let's check a few more supplements before we make our final decision...
Now let's take a look at USPlabs' Jack3d; these pre-workout supplements are really popular these days!
First a look at pricing...
- BodyBuilding: $27.89 (2 points)
- GNC: $29.99 (1 point)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: $29.99 (1 point)
- Vitacost: $34.97 (0 point)
So BodyBuilding's store definitely has the best price for Jack3d, but let's take a look at the variety.
You can only get Jack3d in one size from any store, they're all in stock but let's take a look at the flavors...
- BodyBuilding: 2 Flavors (1 point)
- GNC: 2 Flavors (1 point)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: 2 Flavors (1 point)
- Vitacost: 1 Flavor (0 Points)
So it looks like the only store that's slacking on Jack3d flavors is Vitacost. Let's take a look at who has the best deals...
- BodyBuilding: Buy 3 containers of Jack3d get a 6% Discount. (3 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: Earn Healthy Award Points (2 points)
- GNC: Free Hydravol Sample from QNT (1 point)
- Vitacost: No Deals (0 points)
It looks like BodyBuilding's store has the best deal on Jack3d with their 6% discount! Let's take a look at the overall ranking for Jack3d.
Overall Rank for Jack3d
- BodyBuilding - 6 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 4 points
- GNC - 3 points
- Vitacost - 0 points
It looks like BodyBuilding's store came out on top again with the best price, variety and deals on Jack3d.
Let's compare a couple more supplements...
Now let's compare SciVation's Xtend which is great for boosting your endurance and speeding up recovery.
First a look at pricing...
- Vitacost: $18.27 to $57.06 ($37.67 average), Cheapest Serving is 55 cents. (11 points)
- BodyBuilding: $19.79 to $49.99 ($34.89 average), Cheapest Serving is 56 cents. (8 points)
- GNC: $24.99 to $34.99 ($29.99 average), Cheapest Serving is 83 cents and that's the only size you can get it in. (5 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: $27.49 (One Size Only), Cheapest Serving is 92 cents. (3 points)
So it appears that BodyBuilding's store doesn't have the best price, at least in the smaller size, for Xtend but let's take a look at the variety.
- BodyBuilding: 2 Sizes, 6 Flavors; All In Stock (4 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: 1 Size, 6 Flavors; All In Stock (3 points)
- Vitacost: 2 Sizes, 5 Flavors; 2 Out of Stock (2 points)
- GNC: 1 Size, 4 Flavors; All In Stock (1 point)
BodyBuilding's store comes out on top with the best variety of Xtend! Let's take a look at who has the best deals...
The only store with any sort of deal for this supplement was The Vitamin Shoppe with their Healthy Award Points, so we'll hook them up with 1 point. Let's take a look at the overall ranking for Xtend.
Overall Rank for Xtend
- Vitacost - 13 points
- Bodybuilding - 12 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 7 points
- GNC - 6 points
Vitacost just barely edged BodyBuilding's store out of the top ranking for Xtend because of it's better pricing on the one size, but BodyBuilding's price for the bulk size for all flavors is much better.
Let's take a look at one more supplement before we compare the shipping services of each online store.
The last supplement we're going to compare is Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein. This is one of the most talked about and complete protein powders on the market today.
Let's take a look at the prices first...
- BodyBuilding: $11.99 to $79.99 ($45.99 average), Cheapest Pound you can get is $8 in bulk. (15 points)
- Vitacost: $11.99 to $89.99 ($50.99 average), Cheapest Pound you can get is $8.20 in certain flavors in the 5lb size. (14 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: $21.49 to $98.07 ($59.78 average), Cheapest Pound you can get is $7.90 in one flavor in bulk. (10 points)
- GNC: $17.99 to $94.99 ($56.49 average), Cheapest Pound you can get is $9.50 in bulk. (4 points)
So it appears that if you want to buy Optimum's 100% Whey then you should head to BodyBuilding's store for the best prices on most of the varieties. Let's take a look at the variety ranking...
- BodyBuilding: 5 Sizes, 21 Flavors (Plus Flavor Packet Mix); All In Stock (7 points)
- GNC: 5 Sizes, 16 Flavors (Plus Flavor Packet Mix); 4 Out of Stock (4 points)
- Vitacost: 4 Sizes, 20 Flavors; 18 Out of Stock (3 points)
- The Vitamin Shoppe: 3 Sizes, 10 Flavors; All In Stock (2 points)
BodyBuilding's store really has the best selection of Optimum's Gold Standard Whey Protein, but let's take a look as see who has the best deals going on...
- The Vitamin Shoppe: Healthy Award Points (2 points)
- GNC: Free Lean One Sample (1 point)
- BodyBuilding: No Deals (0 points)
- Vitacost: No Deals (0 points)
Bodybuilding's store doesn't really have any deals for this protein powder but with the money you'll save and the variety you have to choose from who needs a deal, right? Let's take a look at the overall ranking for this supplement...
Overall Rank for ON 100% Whey
- BodyBuilding - 22 points
- Vitacost - 17 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 14 points
- GNC - 9 points
Once again BodyBuilding's store has the best prices and variety! Even if they don't have a deal going on they're the best option.
Now that we've compared 5 of the top supplements on the market today, we need to take a look at shipping. It doesn't really pay to have the best prices, variety and deals if they charge an arm and a leg to get it to you!
Shipping & Payment Comparison
Let's take a quick look at the variety of ways you can pay for your orders, how you can get them shipped to you, how much it'll cost and how long it should take. This will help us finalize the comparison to see if BodyBuilding's store really is the best supplement store online.
Vitacost's Store
- 8 Payment Methods
- 8 US Shipping Methods
- 3 International Shipping Methods
- 1 - 10 Days for US Shipments
- 1 - 14 Days for International Shipments
- $4.99 US Starting Price
- Doesn't List International Shipping Rates
BodyBuilding's Store
- 9 Payment Methods
- 2 US Shipping Methods
- 4 International Shipping Methods
- 2 - 5 Days for US Shipments
- 2 - 14 Days for International Shipments
- $3.99 - $5.99 US Starting Prices
- $5 - $21 International Starting Prices
GNC's Store
- 2 Payment Methods
- 4 US Shipping Methods
- NO International Shipping
- 1 - 5 Days for US Shipments
- Doesn't List US Shipping Rates
The Vitamin Shoppe's Store
- 3 payment Methods
- 4 US Shipping Methods
- 1 International Shipping Method
- 1 - 10 Days for US Shipments
- 7 - 10 Days for International Shipments
- $2.99 - $15.99 US Starting Prices
- Doesn't List International Shipping Rates
Overall Rank for Shipping & Payment
- BodyBuilding - 13 points
- Vitacost - 12 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 6 poitns
- GNC - 3 points
If you want to easily complete your order and have the best shipping options then you should head to BodyBuilding's store for your supplements!
Now let's tally up all the points and see who comes out on top as the best online supplement store...
Satisfied Customer’s Testimonial
Overall Rank for Stores
- Bodybuilding - 76 points
- Vitacost - 51 points
- The Vitamin Shoppe - 46 points
- GNC - 24 points
Conclusion
Now I only compared 5 out of the literally thousands of different supplements you can get from any of these stores but I wanted to give you a good idea as to what to expect without having to write a thick book of comparisons.
I picked these supplements because they might be some of the exact supplements you choose to order and it shows you how the stores rank for different supplements.
As you can see from the ranking on the right, BodyBuilding's store is truly the best option overall for your supplement needs.
They have the best prices, selection, deals and payment and shipping methods available. It's really a "no-brainer" but sometimes you need to see the facts before you decide!
Have YOU Ever Shopped At BodyBuilding.com?Loading...
You have done a great research and sharing all these information. Thank you.
Good review. I love this store. Its the only online store I trust and it definitely is cheaper than anywhere else plus they always throw in freebies!









Latro 2 years ago
Interesting write up. I wonder if bodybuilding.com has anything to help with problems like body hair.. When I get built up, I don't want to have to deal with too much man grooming...