Round 1: Protein and Nutrition
Winner: Garden of Life RAW Organic
Garden of Life 18/25, Orgain 15/25. Garden of Life puts 22 g of protein in one scoop (about 33 g) for 130 calories. Orgain needs two scoops (46 g) for 21 g and 150 calories, so protein makes up 68% of Garden of Life’s calories and 56% of Orgain’s.
Both are multi-source organic blends and earn full marks for amino-acid support: pea, brown rice, mung bean and chia for Orgain; pea, sprouted brown rice and a dozen sprouts for Garden of Life. One scoop versus two: your scooping arm will notice.
Round 2: Value
Winner: Orgain Organic Protein
Orgain 19/25, Garden of Life 18/25. Orgain is the third-cheapest 20 g of protein in our top 10, while Garden of Life lands in the pricier half. Both come in 20-serving tubs, so Orgain’s edge shows up at checkout, not in the pantry.
Close, but the coupon clipper takes it. If price per gram is everything, see how Orgain fares in Naked Pea vs Orgain.
Round 3: Purity and Testing
Winner: Garden of Life RAW Organic
Garden of Life 19/25, Orgain 11/25. Garden of Life earns 4 points for NSF Contents Certified and loses none, partly because Consumer Reports didn’t test RAW Organic; CR did measure a different product, Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein, at 564% of its lead level of concern (October 2025). A 2015 Prop 65 settlement over alleged lead and cadmium in RAW Organic is more than three years old, so it isn’t scored.
Orgain has no purity certification and loses 2 for CR’s 143% lead result (Vanilla Bean, October 2025). It loses 2 more for a July 2026 class action filed against Costco that alleges lead in Orgain Vanilla Bean and Creamy Chocolate Fudge; Orgain isn’t named as a defendant, the claims are unproven, and Orgain says it stands behind its products.
Round 4: Taste and Texture
Winner: Garden of Life RAW Organic
Garden of Life 15/25, Orgain 11/25. This win comes with an asterisk. No independent reviewer has scored Garden of Life’s Vanilla, so our formula gives it a neutral 60%, and customer reviews, seen only in search summaries, are mixed.
Orgain’s Vanilla Bean did get scored: 2 out of 5 for taste from both Garage Gym Reviews and BarBend, whose reviewer called it “more of a generic sweet.” GGR’s tester said it “tasted like grass with a hint of vanilla,” though both reviews may predate Orgain’s creamier reformulation. A blank scorecard beats two low ones.
Round 5: Ingredients and Extras
Winner: Garden of Life RAW Organic
Both are USDA Organic. Garden of Life adds Non-GMO Project Verified status, about 13 digestive enzymes, the probiotic Bacillus subtilis DE111, vitamins A, D, E and K, and 0 g of sugar with 5 g of fiber. Orgain counters with agave inulin, 4 g of fiber and less than 1 g of sugar, plus a creamer base and two gums.
Fine print: Garden of Life contains sesame and sweetens with erythritol plus stevia, while Orgain uses stevia alone. Orgain also carries 390 mg of sodium to Garden of Life’s 300 mg. The sprouts take the round; for Garden of Life against a heavier hitter, see Vega vs Garden of Life.