C4 is one of the most well known pre-workout/energy drink brands in the industry, but unfortunately that has nothing to do with quality

-

From their signature C4 Original, it has:

2g Beta Alanine (3.6)
1.2g L-Citrulline (6g)
1.2g L-Arginine
1g Creatine Nitrate
Caffeine 200mg

Overall this is a VERY weak formula, the main component in any preworkout, L-Citrulline, is short by about 5g or 80% which makes it severely underdosed

The Beta Alanine is short by about 1.2g or ~40%

L-Arginine has no reason to be in the formula as it breaks down before your body can use it. L-Citrulline is the Precursor to L-Arginine, meaning after L-Citrulline gets absorbed it is turned into L-Arginine for your body to use, the issue with directly using L-Arginine is that it is broken down in the stomach before your body is able to absorb any of it

And Lastly, you should never see creatine in a formula, it's a very cheap powder that brands like C4 use as a filler to fill up the tub for cheaper.

Overall, this is one of their worse formulas but all of their formulas are underdosed because most people don't know how to read the label and it's cheaper for them to give you less

Ranking:
3.2

BUM another very popular brand created by 7x Mr.Olympia Christopher Bumstead is... dissapointing, their formulas are very mediocre for the same reason as C4, they make more money by selling you less

-

Cbum Pre-Workout formula Has:
4g L-Citrulline (6g)
3.2g Beta-Alanine (3.6g)
2g L-Tyrosine (2g)
Caffeine 200mg

Better than C4 but overall still underdosed, and its a very basic formula, There is no L-theanine so you will get very jittery from the formula. I would call this the bare minimum to be defined as a pre-workout, its lacking major bloodflow and hydration ingredients and is overall very cheap so they can make more money

Citrulline is underdosed (60%)
Beta Alanine is slightly underdosed (88%)
Tyrosine a non-essential amino acid that is mainly used to help reduce stress, which is important for expanding your capacity, and it is fully dosed in this formula.

Overall, basically the bare minimum for pre, very underdosed
Note: No artificial dyes or flavors

Ranking:
3.9

Alani is a very recently popular brand that came up for their feminine branding and artwork
_
Alani Nu Preworkout:

6g Citrulline Malate (8g)
1.6g Beta Alanine (3.6g)
500mg L-Tyrosine (2g)
200mg Caffeine
200mg L-Theanine

Alani is a good beginner pre-workout, not high in beta alanine, and they have L-Theanine with the caffeine which will get rid of the jitters that normally come with caffeine, their ratios aren't too bad either it's just on the weaker side

Overall, a good pre-workout for beginners, decent formula, the only issue I have is that they have artifical flavors, but overall a pretty trustworthy brand and I would recommend for people in there first 6 months - a year in the gym, I wouldve liked to see some electrolytes in it however.

Ranking:
5.0
(good for beginners, clean formula)