Background:

Creatinine monohydrate has been extensively studied in sports performance. Other molecules that promise superior results have recently been explored, such as creatine hydrochloride, which promises to have better solubility and similar benefits in sports performance and body composition.

Objective:

To present the differences between creatinine monohydrate and creatine hydrochloride in terms of solubility, sports performance, and body composition.

Materials and Methods:

Review of scientific articles on humans and animals, published between 2009 and 2020.

Results:

In relation to solubility and chemical properties, creatine hydrochloride has higher molecular weight, solubility, absorption, and bioavailability; and lower pH, adverse effects, and dose to achieve ergogenic effects than creatine monohydrate. Regarding sports performance and body composition, both molecules presented improvements in performance and maximum strength. Not all studies showed a decrease in fat mass for creatine hydrochloride, which presented less intramuscular water retention.

Conclusion:

There is a trend in favor of creatine hydrochloride regarding solubility and body composition. Sufficient evidence was not found to conclude that its effects on sports performance, specifically in terms of strength, are superior to those of creatinine monohydrate.

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