The short answer
- A typical Burger King meal is lighter: 500 calories against 520.
- McDonald's gives more protein in a typical meal: 21g against 20g.
- McDonald's is lower in sodium: 1,100mg against 1,150mg.
- Per calorie, Burger King is the leaner menu: 4.8g of protein per 100 calories against 4.2g.
These are medians across the complete meals in our data, not a judgement on any single order. What you pick matters more than where you go, so the tables below show the best and worst of each.
The menus side by side
| Across all meals | McDonald's | Burger King |
|---|---|---|
| Meals compared | 51 | 91 |
| Typical calories | 520 | 500 |
| Typical protein | 21g | 20g |
| Protein per 100 cal | 4.2g | 4.8g |
| Typical sodium | 1,100mg | 1,150mg |
| Meals at 500 cal or less | 24 of 51 | 47 of 91 |
| Meals with 30g+ protein | 11 of 51 | 32 of 91 |
Green marks the better figure in each row: fewer calories, less sodium, more protein.
Item against item
The closest equivalents on each menu, one serving each.
Signature burger
Cheeseburger, quarter-pound class
| Per serving | Quarter Pounder with Cheese | Whopper with Cheese |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 520 | 790 |
| Protein | 30g | 37g |
| Net carbs | 40g | 54g |
| Fat | 26g | 49g |
| Sodium | 1,140mg | 1,660mg |
Crispy chicken sandwich
| Per serving | McChicken | Original Chicken Sandwich |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 390 | 680 |
| Protein | 14g | 23g |
| Net carbs | 37g | 60g |
| Fat | 21g | 39g |
| Sodium | 560mg | 1,380mg |
Fish sandwich
| Per serving | Filet-O-Fish | Big Fish |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 380 | 570 |
| Protein | 16g | 19g |
| Net carbs | 37g | 55g |
| Fat | 19g | 30g |
| Sodium | 580mg | 1,270mg |
Breakfast sandwich
| Per serving | Egg McMuffin | Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Croissan'wich |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 310 | 360 |
| Protein | 17g | 15g |
| Net carbs | 28g | 25g |
| Fat | 13g | 21g |
| Sodium | 770mg | 810mg |
Small fries
| Per serving | Small World Famous Fries | Small French Fries |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 230 | 300 |
| Protein | 3g | 4g |
| Net carbs | 28g | 37g |
| Fat | 11g | 13g |
| Sodium | 190mg | 270mg |
Highest-protein orders
McDonald's
| Order | Protein | Cal | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese + small fries | 51g | 970 | 1,550mg |
| McCrispy Strips + Ranch Snack Wrap | 48g | 800 | 2,290mg |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 48g | 740 | 1,360mg |
| McDouble + McChicken | 36g | 780 | 1,480mg |
| Big Breakfast with Hotcakes | 36g | 1340 | 2,070mg |
Burger King
| Order | Protein | Cal | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triple Whopper with Bacon & Cheese | 87g | 1390 | 2,050mg |
| Triple Whopper® with Bacon | 83g | 1310 | 1,640mg |
| Triple Whopper® with Cheese | 82g | 1330 | 1,800mg |
| Triple Whopper® | 78g | 1250 | 1,380mg |
| Bacon King | 69g | 1260 | 2,330mg |
Lightest meals
McDonald's
| Order | Cal | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburger | 250 | 12g | 510mg |
| Bagel (plain) | 270 | 9g | 550mg |
| Cheeseburger | 300 | 15g | 720mg |
| Egg McMuffin | 310 | 17g | 770mg |
| Sausage Burrito | 310 | 13g | 800mg |
Burger King
| Order | Cal | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Pc. Chicken Nuggets | 210 | 11g | 360mg |
| 4 Pc. Game Day Chicken Fries | 220 | 9g | 1,120mg |
| 8 Pc. Chicken Fries | 220 | 13g | 680mg |
| Honey Mustard Flame-Grilled Chicken Wrap | 230 | 17g | 640mg |
| Classic Flame-Grilled Chicken Wrap | 240 | 17g | 640mg |
Check your own order
Build the exact meal you would order in the McDonald's calculator and the Burger King calculator, or let the macro finder search both for orders that fit your calories and protein.
Frequently asked questions
Is McDonald's or Burger King lower in calories?
A typical Burger King meal is lighter: 500 calories against 520. "Typical" means the median of the complete meals in our data: 51 at McDonald's and 91 at Burger King.
Which has more protein, McDonald's or Burger King?
McDonald's gives more protein in a typical meal: 21g against 20g. The single highest-protein order is Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese + small fries at McDonald's (51g) and Triple Whopper with Bacon & Cheese at Burger King (87g).
What is the lightest meal at McDonald's and at Burger King?
At McDonald's it is Hamburger with 250 calories. At Burger King it is 4 Pc. Chicken Nuggets with 210 calories.
Big Mac vs Whopper: which has fewer calories?
Big Mac (McDonald's) has 580 calories and 25g of protein. Whopper (Burger King) has 710 calories and 34g of protein.
Quarter Pounder with Cheese vs Whopper with Cheese: which has fewer calories?
Quarter Pounder with Cheese (McDonald's) has 520 calories and 30g of protein. Whopper with Cheese (Burger King) has 790 calories and 37g of protein.
About this comparison
Figures come from McDonald's official Nutrition Calculator (US), read in the browser and Burger King official Nutrition Explorer (US), read in the browser. MacroTray is independent and not affiliated with either restaurant. Read our methodology.