Premier Protein vs Fairlife Core Power vs Boost: Which Protein Shake Wins?
Three ready-to-drink shakes that look interchangeable on the shelf but are built for three different jobs. Premier Protein is the lean, low-sugar, protein-per-calorie play. Fairlife Core Power is real milk with real sugar. Boost is a calorie-dense, clinical-style nutrition drink. Below we put their actual numbers and Labelgrade v3 scores side-by-side so you can match the shake to your goal — not the marketing.
The short answer
For lean, low-sugar, high-protein (cutting, macro-tracking, keto), Premier Protein Vanilla wins: 30 g protein in 159 calories with just 1 g sugar — the best protein-per-calorie ratio of the three, at the cost of a long ingredient list with sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
For real-milk ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, Fairlife Core Power Vanilla wins: 26 g protein from filtered lowfat milk sweetened with cane sugar and honey — but that is why it carries 26 g of sugar and 241 calories. It is closer to high-protein flavored milk than to an engineered shake.
For calorie-dense or clinical nutrition support (weight maintenance, recovery, low appetite), Boost High Protein Chocolate Sensation is the right tool: 239 calories and 33 g of carbohydrate built to deliver energy plus a full vitamin-mineral panel — though at only 15 g protein it is the weakest of the three as a "protein shake."
On the Labelgrade v3 scale: Premier 80 / 100 (B+), Core Power 75 / 100 (B), Boost 69 / 100 (C+). They score in a tight band because each is good at a different thing.
Side-by-side
| Premier Protein Vanilla | Fairlife Core Power Vanilla | Boost High Protein | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labelgrade | B+ 80 / 100 | B 75 / 100 | C+ 69 / 100 |
| Bottle size | 11.5 fl oz (345 mL) | 11.5 fl oz (340 mL) | 8 fl oz (237 ml) bottle |
| Protein per bottle | 30 g | 26 g | 15 g |
| Calories per bottle | 159 | 241 | 239 |
| Calories per g protein | 5.3 | 9.3 | 15.9 |
| Total sugar | 1 g | 26 g | 15 g |
| Added sugar | 0 g | ~9 g (not broken out) | 12 g |
| Total carbs | 4 g | 26 g | 33 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.5 g | 2 g | 1 g |
| Sodium | 231 mg | 119 mg | 199 mg |
| Fiber | 1 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Calcium | 649 mg | 700 mg | 351 mg |
| Sweetener | Sucralose + acesulfame K | Cane sugar + honey | Corn syrup + sugar + stevia |
| Protein source | Milk protein concentrate + caseinate | Filtered lowfat milk | Milk protein + soy protein isolate |
| Best for | Lean / low-sugar / keto | Real-milk, no artificial sweeteners | Calorie-dense / clinical support |
Every grade and number in this table is pulled live from each product's USDA-sourced record, so it can't drift from the underlying fact sheets. Premier (FDC 2622652), Core Power (FDC 1872220), Boost (FDC 2468764).
Premier Protein Vanilla — the lean macro pick
Premier is the protein-per-calorie king of the ready-to-drink aisle: 30 g of protein for 159 calories works out to about 5.3 calories per gram of protein — a ratio that rivals whey isolate powder mixed with water. Sugar is effectively zero (1 g total, 0 g added), which is what makes it a default pick for cutting, macro-tracking and keto.
The honest trade-off is the formulation. Premier earns its low-sugar number with sucralose and acesulfame potassium, plus the standard shelf-stable stabilizer stack (cellulose gum, carrageenan, phosphate salts) and an extensive vitamin-mineral premix — a roughly 30-ingredient list. That is why its ingredient-quality dimension lands at B- (71/100) even as its sugar, sodium and saturated-fat dimensions all grade A+. Buy it to hit protein targets at low calorie cost; don't buy it expecting a short, clean label.
Fairlife Core Power Vanilla — real milk, real sugar
Core Power takes the opposite approach: the base is filtered lowfat Grade A milk, sweetened with cane sugar and honey rather than artificial sweeteners. That gives it the cleanest sweetener story of the three and a strong ingredient-quality grade of B (79/100), plus 700 mg of naturally-occurring calcium per bottle.
But "real sugar" is a literal claim here: 26 g of total sugar per bottle (roughly 9 g of it added on top of the milk's natural lactose) drives 241 calories and a C on the sugar dimension — the lowest sugar score of the three. Functionally this is high-protein flavored milk, not a low-cal engineered shake. If you want recognizable ingredients and don't mind the sugar, it's one of the few options. If sugar minimization is the priority, it loses to Premier. (For why this pattern repeats across the category, see our report on hidden added sugar in protein foods.)
Boost High Protein — the calorie-dense / clinical pick
Boost is the odd one out, and that's the point. It belongs to the clinical-style "nutritional drink" category — designed for elderly, post-surgical and recovery contexts where calories are wanted, not constrained. It delivers 239 calories and 33 g of carbohydrate in a small 8 fl oz (237 ml) bottle bottle, with a full multivitamin panel.
For a "protein shake," though, the numbers are weak: 15 g of protein is roughly half of Premier or Core Power, and 15 g of sugar — 12 g of it added, with corn syrup as the second ingredient — earns a D on the sugar dimension. Its overall C+ (69/100) is a category-appropriate grade: Boost does its actual job (caloric and nutritional support) well, but it is the wrong tool if you came looking for lean post-workout protein.
Which should you buy
Buy Premier Protein Vanilla if your constraint is calories and your target is protein. It's the most efficient pick for cutting, macro-tracking, keto, or a no-prep high-protein snack — provided you're comfortable with artificial sweeteners and a long ingredient list.
Buy Fairlife Core Power Vanilla if ingredient simplicity matters more than sugar grams. Real milk, real sweeteners, no sucralose or acesulfame K — best when you want a shake that reads like food and you have room in your day for 241 calories.
Buy Boost High Protein if you actually need the calories: weight maintenance or gain, recovery from illness or surgery, geriatric nutrition, or a low appetite. It is purpose-built for that, and graded as such. Skip it if you wanted lean protein — Premier or a 42 g Fairlife Elite are the better recovery shakes.
How they were graded
All three products use the v3 6-dimension Labelgrade formula (see our methodology): protein density, ingredient quality, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and fiber, each scored 0–100 and weighted into the overall. Numbers come from each product's USDA Branded Foods record: Premier (FDC 2622652), Core Power (FDC 1872220), Boost (FDC 2468764). Per-bottle macros vary by flavor and reformulation — always check the actual bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best protein shake — Premier Protein, Fairlife Core Power, or Boost?
It depends on the job. For lean, high-protein, low-sugar (cutting, macro-tracking, keto) Premier Protein Vanilla wins: 30 g protein, 159 calories, just 1 g sugar per bottle. For a real-milk shake with recognizable ingredients and no artificial sweeteners, Fairlife Core Power Vanilla wins — with the trade-off of 26 g sugar from cane sugar and honey. For calorie-dense or clinical nutrition support (weight maintenance, recovery, low appetite), Boost High Protein is the purpose-built option at 239 calories. On the Labelgrade v3 scale they land Premier 80/100 (B+), Core Power 75/100 (B), Boost 69/100 (C+).
Which protein shake has the most protein and the fewest calories?
Premier Protein Vanilla is the protein-per-calorie leader: 30 g of protein in 159 calories (about 5.3 calories per gram of protein — close to plain cooked chicken breast). Fairlife Core Power Vanilla delivers 26 g protein but at 241 calories, because it carries 26 g of sugar. Boost High Protein is the lowest-protein of the three at 15 g while being the second-most caloric at 239 calories — it is engineered to deliver calories, not to minimize them.
Which protein shake has the least sugar?
Premier Protein Vanilla, by a wide margin: 1 g total sugar and 0 g added sugar per bottle, sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium instead of sugar. Fairlife Core Power Vanilla has 26 g of sugar (cane sugar and honey on top of natural lactose). Boost High Protein has 15 g of sugar, of which 12 g are added (corn syrup is its second ingredient). We dug into why "high-protein" shakes often carry surprising sugar loads in our report on the hidden added sugar in protein foods.
Is Boost a protein shake or a meal-replacement / medical drink?
Boost High Protein sits in the "clinical-style nutritional drink" category, not the athletic protein-shake tier. At 15 g protein and 33 g carbohydrate per 8 fl oz / 237 ml, it is designed to deliver calories and complete-protein-plus-multivitamin support for people who struggle to eat enough (elderly, post-surgical, recovery). That is a real and useful job — but if you wanted a workout-recovery shake, Premier (30 g) or a Fairlife Elite (42 g) are far better fits.
How do the Labelgrade scores compare across these three shakes?
All three are graded on the same v3 6-dimension formula (protein density, ingredient quality, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, fiber). Premier Protein scores 80/100 (B+) — elite macros held back by a long, heavily-engineered ingredient list. Fairlife Core Power scores 75/100 (B) — clean real-milk ingredients dragged down by a C on sugar. Boost scores 69/100 (C+) — a category-appropriate grade where the added-sugar load (D on sugar) is the main drag. The scores are close because each product is good at a different thing; read the per-dimension table above to match the shake to your goal.