ReadySet Protein+ vs Slate Milk, clear whey vs ultra-filtered chocolate milk

Slate is the canned chocolate milk that ate a lot of the fridge space Muscle Milk used to own. Ultra-filtered milk, lactose-free, 20 grams of protein per can, in a format that reads like an actual grown-up chocolate milk instead of a supplement. It's clever, and it works.

Protein+ is a different kind of protein drink. Clear whey isolate. Water-based. No milk. So this comparison is really a format comparison first: chocolate milk in a can vs a clear, water-thin protein drink. Here's how they compare on both.

What's in a Slate can

Slate offers multiple lines (Original, Reduced Sugar, No Sugar Added). The Original line lists:

• 20g protein per 11.5oz can, from ultra-filtered lactose-free milk.
• Cocoa (in chocolate flavors).
• ~9g added sugar in Original. The Reduced Sugar line uses monk fruit and allulose to drop added sugar to ~7g, and the No Sugar Added line drops it to 0g.
• Lactase enzyme (to break down the natural lactose).
• Gellan gum (thickener).
• Salt.
• Vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3.
• 120 to 180 calories depending on line.

Positives that are real. Slate uses ultra-filtered milk (a legitimately high-quality protein source), is lactose-free thanks to the added enzyme, keeps the ingredient list short and readable, and gives the No Sugar Added line a genuinely clean sweetener profile (monk fruit and allulose, no sucralose). That's a well-built canned chocolate milk.

The main label call: choose your Slate line carefully. Original has 9g of added sugar per can, which stacks up quickly if you drink two a day. The No Sugar Added line skips that.

What Protein+ does differently

Protein+ isn't a chocolate milk. It's a clear, water-thin protein drink built for a different post-workout ritual.

• 20g clear whey protein isolate (Actus by Lacprodan). Same protein grams as Slate, delivered in clear whey format instead of milk.
• 0g added sugar, near-zero lactose (no enzyme needed, it's not milk-based).
• Allulose and monk fruit as sweeteners.
• 2g creatine (Creabev by Alzchem). Slate doesn't include creatine.
• 4.5g BCAAs (2:1:1 ratio) added on top.
• 400mg electrolytes (200 sodium, 150 magnesium, 50 potassium citrate).
• 100mg vitamin C.
• 40mg Tart Cherry Extract.
• 105 calories.

The texture difference is the point. Protein+ drinks like a light sports drink. Slate drinks like chocolate milk. Both are valid options, and the right one for you depends on what you actually reach for after training.

Side-by-side spec sheet

Spec	Slate Original 11.5oz	Slate No Sugar Added	ReadySet Protein+ 12oz
Protein	20g	20g	20g
Protein source	Ultra-filtered milk	Ultra-filtered milk	Clear whey isolate
Texture	Chocolate milk	Chocolate milk	Clear, water-thin
Added sugar	9g	0g	0g
Sweetener	Sugar	Monk fruit + allulose	Allulose + monk fruit
Calories	~180	~120	105
Creatine	None	None	2g Creabev
BCAAs	Naturally present	Naturally present	4.5g (2:1:1) added
Electrolytes	Salt only	Salt only	400mg (Na/Mg/K citrate)
Tart Cherry Extract	None	None	40mg
Lactose	Removed via enzyme	Removed via enzyme	Not present (clear whey)

How to think about the choice

Slate is a really well-executed canned chocolate milk. The No Sugar Added line is the one to grab if you want the format without the sugar hit. If chocolate milk is what you want after training, Slate does it as cleanly as any product in the aisle.

Protein+ answers a different question. If you don't want the mouthfeel of milk after a workout, if you want the recovery actives (creatine, added BCAAs, Tart Cherry Extract) built into the same can, and if you'd rather drink something that reads like a light sports drink, that's where clear whey earns its shelf.

Two ReadySet cans a day covers a full maintenance dose of creatine. Studies use 3 to 5g/day; two cans deliver 4g. That's the piece Slate doesn't do, because it's a chocolate milk and doesn't try to.

The honest read: these are two different drinks for two different post-workout preferences. Slate for people who want a legit chocolate milk. Protein+ for people who want a clear drink with the recovery stack layered in.

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If you've been alternating between the two categories and want to see the labels side by side, this is the pair. Same 20g of protein, radically different formulas.