This ‘best of the best’ analysis of Shakeology alternatives is based on data, not opinion. I hope you like the graphs.

My goal was to identify the best Shakeology substitute. And as an engineer, I geeked out hard.

The result is the most accurate comparison of Shakeology-like products out there to help you decide which healthy meal shake is best for your goals and budget.

shakeology alternatives

So, you want to explore finding an alternative to Shakeology. Even though Alex and I are longtime Shakeology drinkers, I do my research every year to ensure I am getting the best quality product for my money.

I started researching products comparable to Shakeology in 2018 when I wrote our Shakeology Review article. And, wow, I can’t tell you how many products have drastically changed their ingredient lists, prices, and quality just in a few short years… so it’s necessary to check!

Plus, we moved outside of the few countries that sell Shakeology (US, Canada, UK, and France only), so we had to find an alternative.

Premium Meal Shake Analysis Part 1

I first did this analysis in the fall of 2021. Now, you’re reading the latest one from November 2023.

What I found was confusing, to say the least, or just wrong. Websites would claim that a keto meal replacement (13 grams of fat per serving) was comparable to Shakeology (3 grams of fat per serving).

Others would recommend a basic whey protein shake with some adaptogen mushrooms. While it’s probably a good product, the ingredient list is seriously lacking compared to a healthy and fully comprehensive meal shake such as Shakeology.

Mostly, I saw lower-cost alternatives to Shakeology that contained poor quality and artificial ingredients. Well, those are just not acceptable in our house.

Given my frustration with these recommendations, writing this article was only a matter of time. And, I am a bit embarrassed about how much time I spent on this. It was not hours, but days. I really, REALLY geeked out.

Premium Meal Replacement Analysis Part 2

Since first publishing this article in 2021, we tried most of the meal replacement shakes and reordered several. While testing these shakes, we also ran a 3-month metabolic flexibility experiment.

The results of that experiment taught us that nutritional gaps in our diets were slowing down our metabolism. So, I had to re-crunch the numbers to find the best product for our goals.

Shockingly, the majority of the products we evaluated just 2 years ago had changed. For example, the serving size increased, macronutrients were adjusted, fiber was decreased, the price changed dramatically, or certifications were dropped. Most of my 2-year-old data was inaccurate.

Most of them seemed to be cost reduction motivated, rather than improving the formula. What disappointed me more was I needed to re-scan all the nutrition labels. Geez, we have to keep a close eye on these companies.

For some of the products, I’ll briefly share our opinion on taste, but this is personal preference, not data. If you have any opinions (taste, texture, flavors, etc.) feel free to share them in the comments to help other readers make decisions.

While I think this is the best review of products comparable to Shakeology (and definitely the most comprehensive) on the internet, it can always improve with your feedback, comments, and other product suggestions.

Finding the Best Shakeology Substitutes

Our selection process was strenuous.

First, all protein shakes were excluded since they are not comparable to Shakeology.

For most people, we don’t recommend protein powder. Why? It’s not necessary. Unless you’re a vegetarian, statistically there’s almost a 0% chance you’re protein deficient — even if you’re a gym fanatic.

However, high quality protein is still essential in a diet, and every shake we promote here has that… some better than others.

Also, Shakeology offers far more nutrition and meal replacement potential than just a protein shake.

Quality first

We obsessed over the quality of the ingredients first, and then the nutrition facts. So, don’t worry, everything we considered is high quality. Essentially, this is a list of the ‘best of the best’ to make sure you’re getting the most nutritional bang for your buck.

No fake ingredients

Anything with artificial flavors, sweeteners, or ingredients was also eliminated.

Plant-based, please

As mostly vegetarian tree huggers, we were concerned about the availability of plant-based flavors. If there wasn’t a vegan option, we didn’t analyze it (with one exception).

Some keto-friendly

There has been a huge influx of keto shakes into the market with the popularity of the diet.

Most of them are not plant-based, and the shakes that offer vegan flavors are quite different than Shakeology. Still, we included a few because they’re high-quality and popular.

Why Trust Us?

All we are doing is presenting the data so that you can make an informed decision. Here is why you can trust our recommendations.

We’re not a review site

While review sites can be great for some things, they’re not the best for supplements. Typically, they save a bunch of time (and make a bunch of money) by only recommending the best sellers on Amazon.

You probably won’t get a bad product, but you won’t get the best product for your goals and budget… and we guarantee you that two engineers didn’t thoroughly test the product like we did here.

We did the math

As engineers, we needed to know the real numbers. We assumed all the marketing mumbo jumbo was just noise and focused on the numbers.

We didn’t just compare nutrition labels. Everything was normalized so that we could calculate accurate numbers per serving and per gram.

Data plus our experience

Our unique analysis of the data and our 4+ years of experience testing Shakeology-like meal replacements provide strong direction, whatever goals you have. 

I don’t know why you want to find a good substitute for Shakeology. Maybe it’s too expensive, you’re allergic to an ingredient, the taste is not your favorite, or you started a new diet.

Whatever the reason, we have you covered in this article. So, let’s begin.

The Best Shakeology Alternatives

We settled on 10 shakes that were “comparable” to Shakeology. All have pretty good quality, with some better than others. Here are the best alternatives, in order of overall preference:

1. LYFEfuel Essentials
2. HLTH Code Chocolate
3. Garden of Life
4. Plant Fusion
5. Rootana
6. Vega One
7. Ka’Chava
8. Ample
9. Orgain
10. 310 Shake

All data collected was on the chocolate flavor. Also, some brands offer whey and vegan, but we took data from the vegan flavors.

As you’ll soon see, not all of these are a perfectly comparable Shakeology equivalent.

Chances are, your reasons to drink a health shake may be different than ours. So, to help you make the most informed decision, we further analyze the data in the next section, separating them into the following categories.

Here’s the winner list:

Best Shakeology Alternative for Metabolism: LYFEFuel Essentials

Best Less Expensive Shakeology Alternatives: LYFEFuel Essentials

Best Filling Weight Loss Shakes Like Shakeology: LYFEFuel Essentials

Best Low Sugar Shakeology Substitutes: LYFEFuel Essentials

Best Keto Alternatives for Shakeology: HLTH Code

Wow, only after writing this out from my calculations do I realize how well LYFEFuel has done in nearly every category. (Well deserved as the #1, it’s an excellent, high-quality shake.)

But let’s go into the data so that you can make your own judgement call.

Best Shakeology Alternatives by Price

Of course, it’s useless to just look at the price per bag or canister. The price per serving is most important. So, we did the math, and here is a chart showing the list price per serving.

Typically, supplement companies offer a 10-15% discount for customers who order on a subscription or auto-shipment. Plus, these days (this wasn’t the case in 2021), most brands are selling on Amazon.

Since I know people who read this article are extra savvy, I found all the discounts I could and made a graph of the average price. Here are those prices.

So, there’s the data. Later on, we’ll share the best low-cost shakeology alternatives based on our experience and opinion.

Alternatives to Shakeology by Macronutrients

Most of us are drinking a meal replacement shake with a goal in mind. Whether that’s weight loss, having a convenient and filling meal, or sticking to the requirements of a diet plan, the macronutrients are important.

First, this graph shows grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat per serving of each alternative for Shakeology.

It’s a nice comparison, but since the serving sizes are all different, the below normalized comparisons are more accurate. This is a more apples-to-apples comparison of each macronutrient per a normalized serving size.

After our 3-month metabolism study, quality protein has become more important for us than it was in the past. LYFEfuel stands out as a leader, especially since we already know it’s significantly cheaper.

As you can see, from a macronutrient point of view, many of these are not even comparable to Shakeology. The Ample and HLTH Code are high-fat keto shakes. The Rootana shake is a filling, high-calorie, balanced meal. However, compared to Shakeology it has far less protein and more fat.

Fiber Comparison of Premium Meal Shakes

Fiber is important for your health. Not only are 97% of people in the U.S. fiber deficient, but a 2018 study concluded that adult dieters who consumed 30 grams of fiber per day lost 5 pounds without making other lifestyle changes.

However, based on our experience, you shouldn’t overly rely on the fiber in these meal replacement shakes to improve digestion, aid in weight loss, or satiate you for hours. Instead, plan on getting your fiber from whole foods.

The fiber in these shakes is mainly to reduce bloating and help digest the supplement’s ingredients. Plus, it’s hard to know the quality of the fiber source just by looking at the label.

So, there’s the data. While we love fiber, this graph showed me that the fiber content in these shakes is fairly meaningless in terms of health benefits.

The 310 Shake has 7 grams of carbs per serving and LYFEfuel has 6 grams. Both are low carb but somehow 310 Shake wins the number one spot for fiber? Questionable. It’s surely not fiber naturally occurring in whole food ingredients.

Shakeology Alternates and Hours Full

Some people think that the fiber content is going to keep them full longer. That’s what I thought at one point, but it’s not the case. So, how long will these meal replacements keep you full? Not long.

But first, why did I call them ‘meal replacements’ when only two of them are what I would consider an actual meal? Our simple definition of a meal replacement shake is anything with more than 400 calories.

If it’s anything less than that it should be treated like a snack and you shouldn’t expect it to fill you up. If a 200-calorie shake fills you up, it means you are restricting calories too much, which is killing your metabolism and adding inches to your waistline.

However, we still consider all of these products meal replacement shakes because, while they don’t provide the calories, they provide sufficient nutrition. Plus, we typically blend them up with milk, banana, almond butter, and greens anyways.

So, back to your question about how long these shakes are going to fill you up. Here is my best estimate.

I didn’t include calories in this calculation because they skew the data too much. Plus, based on our experience, the nutrients are what satiates you, not the calories. We have tested HLTH Code, Shakeology, and LYFEfuel side by side and we believe these estimates are accurate. 

Total Nutrition Rank of Premium Meal Replacements

When asked, Alex said the most important thing to her when selecting a health shake was the total nutrient value.

I liked her thinking. After all, that’s why we have been drinking Shakeology for so many years. It’s easy for us to consume carbs, protein, and healthy fats every day, however, those micronutrients from 5-9 servings for fruits and vegetables are tricky.

Now, there is no possible way to calculate the “Total Nutrition Rank” perfectly. It’s far too complex. But, I had a spreadsheet that was 11 columns wide and 52 rows deep, and a can-do attitude.

Here are the results.

For those of you who are curious, here are the factors that increased our overall nutrient score:

• The supplement contains basic superfoods, a probiotic blend, a digestive blend, and adaptogens
• The meal replacement formula is high in vitamins and minerals
• Formulation is stable (as mentioned, many changed since 2021 and we didn’t love that because it usually meant fillers were added)
• Fiber seems quality, most likely coming from whole foods
• Contains our ideal macronutrient split

Again, we invented this calculation.

Please don’t slam me in the comments for trying my best to provide one more helpful metric. If you don’t like these numbers, ignore them. The calculation only highlights the healthiest meal replacement shakes that we would choose to feed our family with.

The good news is, that there are some extremely affordable and high-quality Shakeology alternatives.

Ranking the Top Shakeology ALternatives

But, all of us have different goals. So, where to begin? Let’s categorize the shakes so you can decide what is best:

Categories:

• Best Shakeology Alternative for Metabolism: LYFEFuel Essentials
• Best Less Expensive Shakeology Alternatives: LYFEFuel Essentials
• Best Filling Weight Loss Shakes Like Shakeology: LYFEFuel Essentials
• Best Low Sugar Shakeology Substitutes: LYFEFUEL Essentials
• Best Keto Alternatives for Shakeology: HLTH Code

Below, we’ll highlight the top shakes for each category.

Best Shakeology Alternatives for Metabolism

This is a new category for us, but we list it at the top because it’s completely transformed the way we view our diets. Also, this category only became possible once we purchased real-time metabolism trackers… and you can too (more on that below). Anyways, we wanted to pass along what we learned.

By now, you know we love data. That’s why we love and recommend the Lumen metabolism tracker, the world’s first “breathalyzer” that can tell you exactly what your body needs to optimize metabolism.

And there is no better metric to monitor your health. High metabolism and metabolic flexability requires a balanced lifestyle, full of great sleep, low stress, and regular movement. And of course a healthy diet.

If you’re restricting calories and carbs or low on fat and protein, then your metabolism will be out of whack.

Based on our testing, experience, and data, these are the three highest-quality shakes that we recommend to optimize metabolism. They are also the only three shakes that we continue to buy regularly.

#1 LYFEfuel Essentials

Hands down, this is the best Shakeology alternative. Like Shakeology, the founder is incredibly invested in the quality of the ingredients and the long-term health benefits the formula delivers.

Additionally, its high quality (and quantity) protein content is what our metabolism needs. We’re currently running extended testing with this shake and look forward to sharing the results.

#2 Shakeology

After four years of testing and two rounds of competitor analysis, Shakeology is still hard to beat. We always keep it in our pantry because the quality ingredients make us feel healthy. When we travel (usually 3-4 months of the year) this is our nutritional insurance plan. Plus, nothing we have tried tastes better than Shakeology.

#3 HLTH Code

While this is a whey-based, high-fat, high-calorie meal replacement that is nothing like Shakeology, it’s an excellent product. For vegetarians, this supplement is a great option to boost metabolism.

Best Cheaper Alternatives to Shakeology

I have to admit, we did not taste-test all of these shakes. Either way, we all have different taste preferences.

So, without considering taste, these are the top three best budget alternatives for Shakeology.

#1 LYFEfuel Essentials

Compared to Shakeology, the list price is 33% cheaper. If you want a less expensive meal replacement shake without compromising quality, this is the best product.

#2 Garden of Life

This is a product that consistently scored well in our analysis. But, the most attractive data point is the price. It’s 54% cheaper than Shakeology. If you want to spend less than $2 per serving, Garden of Life is the clear winner.

#3 Vega One

Since this is the same price as LYFEfuel, it’s a runner-up in this category. If you love the taste, this is an affordable and quality meal replacement.

Best Filling Weight Loss Shakes Like Shakeology

To identify the best shakes for weight loss, we cut out the high-calorie and high-fat shakes, and compared macros and hours full data.

According to the data, the following are the top three best shakes for weight loss as Shakeology alternatives. But, if weight loss is your goal, our data shows that Shakeology is still #1 in this category, followed by LYFEFuel.

#1 LYFEfuel Essentials

This meal replacement will keep you full like Shakeology. For some, it’s better for weight loss because it’s a lower-carb and higher-protein option.

#2 Vega One

This one will fill you up and help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Best Low Sugar Shakeology Substitutes

Some people don’t want any sugar. It’s supposed to be a health shake, right?

Just remember that not all sugar is created equal. It’s the artificial sweeteners and refined sugar that are most problematic.

Personally, it’s more important to have a shake that is delicious than a shake that is zero sugar. You’re spending good money on the supplement and it should feel like a reward.

The good news is that most of the products similar to Shakeology contain less sugar. These three top meal replacement shakes stand out again. Also, more good news, Shakeology now has a zero sugar version.

1. LYFEfuel Essentials
2. Garden Of Life
3. Vega One

Below is a graph comparing the sugar content of each alternative to Shakeology. Our opinion: don’t prioritize this strongly when making a buying decision.

Lots of supplement brands are great at hiding sugar. For example, on the Ka’Chava nutrition label under the “Antioxidant/Super-Fruit Blend”, you’ll see coconut flower nectar listed as the first ingredient. Right, and I feed our local hummingbirds liquid super-fruit!

You’ll see on the graph below some zero-sugar options, but with further research I didn’t think they were great Shakeology alternatives in other areas. So, that’s why you don’t see 310 Shake on any of my lists.

Best Keto Alternatives for Shakeology

Quick reminder: these aren’t like Shakeology since they contain over four times the fat content. However, like Shakeology, these are premium quality supplements and good choices overall.

HLTH Code

HLTH Code is the clear winner based on our analysis. However, all the products we evaluated are plant-based with this one exception. This is a high-calorie, low-carb, and high-fat keto shake that is delicious and premium quality.

Although the premium ingredient list is reflected in the high price, if we were doing keto, this would be our first choice.

We have tried both the vanilla and chocolate flavors. Chocolate is normal and vanilla, especially when blended with other ingredients, is excellent!

Ample

Based on our analysis, this is the best plant-based meal replacement that fits into the keto diet. If you’re not plant-based, they also offer a whey-based shake.

I was impressed by the ingredients and it’s a very affordable option. However, I get the sense that they are an amateur company that is still in start-up mode.

Shakeology’s Clone

Finally, I want to address one shake, Ka’Chava, that years ago ranked well in this article because it was nearly identical to Shakeology. But oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Since then, Ka’Chava has worsened it’s ingredient list, dropped certifications, “hides” fillers and sugars as superfoods, and is still more expensive than Shakeology. So… you might as well drink Shakeology.

Here’s some history: Shakeology was released in 2007 and has been hugely successful ever since. Despite what many reviews say, it’s the most premium quality product on the market. Frankly, the ingredient list is incredible.

I can’t believe it took five years for another company to copy it.

Ka’Chava

Ka’Chava was born in 2012, and it’s a copycat formula of Shakeology. For many years, the ingredient list and nutrition facts were a mirror image of Shakeology.

That’s why, according to the numbers, it’s the most similar Shakeology alternative except that it more expensive. Still, we’ve probably had over 30 bags of Ka’Chava (and wrote a full review of our experience) anyways and want to share some helpful opinions based on our experience.

Not only did they rip off Shakeology’s formula, but we feel that they also cut corners and sourced lower-quality ingredients. I conclude this because my regularity declines when I switch from Shakeology to Ka’Chava. The ingredients are less potent and nutritive.

Additionally, Ka’Chava doesn’t taste as good. And that’s based on our opinion and that of several friends and family members who drank them side by side.

Lastly, they have a 2.2 Trustpilot score which is fair based on our experience with them.

Closing Thoughts on Shakeology Alternatives

I hope you have found this analysis of the ‘best of the best’ shakes comparable to Shakeology useful. We will keep the article up to date with new products.

Please feel free to share constructive comments or questions below to help other readers and help us make this article more comprehensive. 

Also, feel free to reach out in the comments or via email with questions. Since we have been following BODi programs since 2008 and drinking Shakeology since 2014, we have a lot of experience.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure you join our Friday morning newsletter for more evidence-based tips to elevate your health and relationship.

For more data-backed resources, such as our cardio workout experiment or our review of the best BODi workout programs, head over to our BODi Page.

Written by Ryan Gleason
CEO and Co-Founder at Ryan and Alex Duo Life