Is protein bars profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $27.0M/yr across 36 tracked products. 5 of 5 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is +1.6%. Flapen's verdict: Launch it (64/100).

How competitive is the protein bars niche?

15 brands and 650 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 47% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 83% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in protein bars?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Taste-Overall, Nutritional Content, Flavor. The return rate is 0.0%.

When does demand for protein bars peak?

Demand peaks in Apr; the busiest month runs 1.9× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the protein bars niche?

Listings span $2.33–$38.16; the average listing price is $18.93 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 6,564 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

protein bars

Launch it

A $27.0M/yr market growing +1.6% this quarter with returns at 0.0% — clears our launch bar.

Market size

Incredible$27.0M

$27.0M/yr · 19.3M searches

Returns

Incredible0.0%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Avg price

Great$18.93

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Conversion

Great7.4%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Price range

Good$2.33–$38.16

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Competition

Good47%

top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse

Quality gap

Good4.4★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Brand share

Okay83%

top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand

Growth

Okay+1.6%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

Review moat

Bad6,564.22

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, protein bars is a $27.0M/yr Amazon United States market (19.3M searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 83% of demand. Demand peaks in Apr. Verdict: Launch it — 64/100.

Data updated Jul 8, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

protein bars market data

Units sold / yr: 1.0M–1.0M; avg 25,000–30,000/product
Revenue / yr: $18.9M–$18.9M; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 7.4%
Avg BSR: #38
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 97%
Sponsored: 100%
Out of stock: 0.0%
Avg brand age: 68 months
Avg seller age: 126 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 47% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

15 falling

Sellers

650

Top-5 brand share

83%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

47%

Top 20: 81%

Open market

14%

Quest39%
Pure Protein33%
CLIF BUILDER'S5%
Nature Valley3%
CLIF Bar3%
Built Bar2%
Open — no brand owns it (9 brands, 14%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — +1.6% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Apr · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.9×

Open Trend

Top protein bars search terms

protein bars10.1M/yr +3.5%3.3% conv.
quest protein bar2.1M/yr +0.7%7.5% conv.
protein bar1.7M/yr +2.7%2.3% conv.
pure protein bars1.2M/yr -2.9%10.1% conv.
quest1.0M/yr +0.2%1.4% conv.
protein bars low sugar high protein553K/yr -1.7%4.0% conv.
quest bars404K/yr +2.8%6.9% conv.
pure protein304K/yr -5.1%4.1% conv.
vegan protein bars306K/yr -1.9%1.2% conv.
high protein bars247K/yr +10.3%1.6% conv.

All search terms

Top protein bars products on Amazon

Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)

All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Quest Nutrition Ultimate Variety Pack Protein Bars High Protein Low Carb Gluten Free Keto Friendly 12 Count

Quest$24.304.3★11,227 rev

Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe Protein Bars 21g Protein 3g Sugar 190 Calories (12 count) Low Sugar* High Protein Snack - Gluten Free - Perfect for a Healthy Snack

Pure Protein$13.594.4★15,563 rev

Pure Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars 20g Protein 3g Sugar 190 Calories (12 count) Low Sugar* High Protein Snack - Gluten Free - Perfect for a Healthy Snack

Pure Protein$14.674.5★22,411 rev

Quest Nutrition Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars High Protein Low Carb Gluten Free Keto Friendly 12 Count

Quest$24.544.4★20,654 rev

Pure Protein Chocolate Peanut Caramel Protein Bars 20g Protein 3g Sugar 190 Calories (12 count) Low Sugar* High Protein Snack - Gluten Free - Perfect for a Healthy Snack

Pure Protein$15.264.5★13,591 rev

Newest

by launch date

CLIF BUILDERS Protein Bars - White Fudge OREO-Flavored - 20g Plant Based Protein - Gluten Free - Non-GMO - Low Glycemic - No Artificial Sweeteners - 2.4 oz. (6 Pack)

CLIF BUILDER'S$11.97109 rev

5mo ago

Quest Nutrition Cookies & Cream Protein Bars 21g Protein 1g Sugar 4g Net Carb High Fiber Gluten Free Keto Friendly 12 Count

Quest$23.4412,578 rev

6mo ago

Pure Protein Cocoa PEBBLES Protein Bars 20g Protein 4g Sugar 180 Calories (4 count) Low Sugar* High Protein Snack - Gluten Free - Perfect for a Healthy Snack.

Pure Protein$5.08590 rev

10mo ago

Quest Nutrition Overload Protein Bars Cookie Commotion 20g Protein 1g Sugar 3g Net Carbs Gluten Free 12 Count

Quest$23.45683 rev

1y ago

Quest Nutrition Overload Protein Bars Chocolate Explosion 20g Protein 1g Sugar 3g Net Carbs Gluten Free 12 Count

Quest$23.08640 rev

1y ago

What buyers say about protein bars

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Taste-Overall33%

“Delicious Bars”

Nutritional Content21%

“High protein”

Flavor11%

“Amazing Flavor”

Quality-Overall4%

“Each bar is very consistent in quality”

Value For Money3%

“Great Deal”

Texture/Consistency-Overall3%

“Great texture”

Sweetness3%

“with a nice balance of sweetness without being overly strong”

Ease Of Chewing/Swallowing2%

“Easy to chew”

Health Benefits-Overall1%

“Delicious and healthy”

Advertised Vs Actual Product1%

“Better than expected”

What buyers complain about

Taste-Overall20%

“gross taste”

Nutritional Content7%

“Not as healthy as you'd think”

Flavor6%

“the weird flavor”

Texture/Consistency-Overall5%

“Texture terrible”

Value For Money5%

“Price is a bit high”

Ease Of Chewing/Swallowing4%

“Very chalky hard to swallow”

Sweetness3%

“TOO MUCH SUGAR”

Hard Feel3%

“the bars are hard”

Quality-Overall2%

“Bad Quality”

Moist/Dry2%

“It has become more dry”

Top return reasons

Taste-Overall29%

Flavor15%

Ingredients-Overall6%

Hard Feel6%

Value For Money6%

Stale/Rotten/Spoiled5%

Advertised Vs Actual Product5%

Nutritional Content5%

Sweetness2%