ReadySet Protein+ vs Fairlife Core Power, milk-based vs clear whey

Fairlife Core Power owns the RTD protein aisle. Blue-and-white bottles stacked in every gym fridge, 26 or 42 grams of protein per bottle, and a milkshake texture that's easy to drink after a workout. It's the default.

Protein+ is built on a different premise. Not a chocolate milk. A clear, water-thin protein drink using clear whey isolate. Both work. They're just two different drinks. Here's how to think about the choice.

What Fairlife Core Power actually is

Core Power is ultra-filtered milk. Fairlife uses a cold-filtration process that separates the components of regular milk, concentrating the protein and reducing the lactose. The result is a milk-based drink with:

• 26g protein per 14 fl oz bottle (or 42g in the Elite version).
• Milk (Grade A ultra-filtered, plus milk protein concentrate) as the base.
• ~7 to 9g sugar per bottle, primarily from lactose.
• Sucralose and acesulfame potassium as added sweeteners (chocolate and vanilla flavors). Some formulations use monk fruit.
• Cocoa (in chocolate), natural flavors.
• Cellulose gel, cellulose gum, carrageenan (thickeners and stabilizers).
• Salt.
• Vitamin A, D3.
• 140 calories per 26g protein bottle.

Real positives. Ultra-filtered milk is a genuinely high-quality protein source, well-absorbed, complete amino acid profile. Fairlife also delivers a big serving (26 or 42g) in a single bottle, and calcium comes along with the milk base.

Where the label opens questions. The sucralose and acesulfame potassium combo shows up in most flavors. Cellulose gum and carrageenan are common food-grade thickeners, and they work, but if you're reading labels for the shortest possible ingredient list, they're worth noting. And Core Power still carries ~7 to 9g of naturally occurring milk sugar per bottle, which isn't much but isn't nothing.

What Protein+ swaps out

Protein+ isn't trying to be a milkshake. It's a clear, water-based protein drink using whey protein isolate that's been processed to stay dissolved in water. Different format, different feel.

• 20g clear whey protein isolate (Actus by Lacprodan, a clear whey specifically engineered for RTD beverages).
• 0g added sugar, near-zero lactose.
• Allulose and monk fruit as sweeteners. Plant-based, no sucralose or acesulfame potassium.
• 2g creatine (Creabev by Alzchem).
• 4.5g BCAAs (2:1:1 ratio).
• 400mg electrolytes (200 sodium, 150 magnesium, 50 potassium citrate).
• 100mg vitamin C.
• 40mg Tart Cherry Extract for recovery.
• 105 calories.

The core difference is texture. Protein+ drinks like a light sports drink or a fruit juice, not a milkshake. That's a preference call, not a better-or-worse call. Some people want the milk mouthfeel post-workout. Others don't want to drink a milkshake in July.

Side-by-side spec sheet

Spec	Fairlife Core Power 14oz	ReadySet Protein+ 12oz
Protein	26g (or 42g Elite)	20g
Protein source	Ultra-filtered milk + milk protein concentrate	Clear whey isolate (Actus/Lacprodan)
Texture	Milkshake	Clear, water-thin
Added sugar	0g added, 7 to 9g from lactose	0g
Sweeteners	Sucralose + acesulfame potassium (most flavors)	Allulose + monk fruit
Calories	140 (26g) / 170 (42g)	105
Creatine	None	2g Creabev
BCAAs	Naturally present in milk protein	4.5g (2:1:1) added
Electrolytes	Salt only	400mg (Na/Mg/K citrate)
Tart Cherry Extract	None	40mg
Thickeners/stabilizers	Cellulose gel, cellulose gum, carrageenan	None
Lactose	Reduced but present	Near-zero

How to think about the choice

Core Power and Protein+ aren't really the same product. Core Power is a milkshake with the protein cranked up. Protein+ is a clear, hydrating drink with protein and recovery actives layered in.

If you want the maximum grams of protein per bottle in a shake format, Core Power (especially the 42g Elite) is the workhorse. It's earned its shelf position.

If you want a lighter drink that doesn't sit heavy after a workout, that's lactose-friendly, that skips artificial sweeteners, and that carries creatine and Tart Cherry Extract for recovery in the same can, Protein+ is the different bet.

Two ReadySet cans a day covers a full maintenance dose of creatine. Studies use 3 to 5g/day; two cans deliver 4g. The creatine and recovery stack are built in, which is where the format change actually pays.

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Two different drinks, two different jobs. If you've been drinking Core Power for the protein but want a lighter format after summer training, Protein+ is the swap to try.