7 Best CBD and THC Creams for Sore Muscles and Joints (2026)

Degelis Pilla, CFA
Degelis Pilla, CFA CEO and Co-Founder

Updated September 2026

Quick Answer

Person applying TribeRevive Delta 8 THC Pain Relief Cream to a sore knee outdoors

TribeRevive Delta 8 THC Pain Relief Cream is our top pick: $50, 2oz, 1,000mg, with a lab-tested COA on every batch. It pairs real Delta 8 THC with a cooling menthol, arnica and wintergreen blend for sore muscles and joints. Prefer to stay CBD-only? The CBD version uses the same formula and price with zero THC. Below we compare both against six other well-known creams so you can see exactly what you’re paying for per milligram.

Key Takeaways

  • TribeTokes’ pain creams run $25 per ounce (500mg per oz) in both the Delta 8 THC and CBD versions, among the strongest mg-per-dollar ratios in this set.
  • Most competitor creams top out under 300mg CBD per ounce. Only Aspen Green’s cooling cream and CBDfx’s higher tier get close on potency.
  • Real THC content, not just hemp’s trace 0.3%, is rare in this category. TribeTokes and Aspen Green are the only two brands here with meaningful THC per jar, and Sweet Releaf’s cannabis-derived cream is sold only through California retailers.
  • Every brand on this list claims third-party lab testing, but not all of them make batch-specific COAs easy to find. We checked.

Jump to: The Picks | Comparison Table | How We Chose | How to Choose for Yourself | FAQ

The 7 Best CBD and THC Creams for Sore Muscles and Joints

1. TribeRevive Delta 8 THC Pain Relief Cream: Best Overall

TribeRevive Delta 8 THC Pain Relief Cream jar

$50 | 2oz jar | 1,000mg Delta 8 THC (500mg/oz) | Arnica, menthol, wintergreen, eucalyptus. This is the cream we’d reach for after a heavy leg day or a long shift on your feet. The menthol-wintergreen combo gives it a cooling bite on application, arnica is doing the classic bruise-and-swelling-adjacent legwork topical arnica has done for decades, and 500mg per ounce means you’re not rubbing in mostly filler. Every batch ships with a COA you can pull up before you buy. That price (500mg per ounce) is among the strongest mg-per-dollar ratios in this set. If you want the same formula with zero THC, the CBD Pain Relief Cream is identical on price, size and potency.

2. Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Cream: Best for THC-Free Shoppers

$49.95 | 4oz | 1,000mg CBD (250mg/oz) | 0% THC, unscented. Joy Organics keeps this one unscented and THC-free, which matters if you’re drug tested or just don’t want a menthol smell following you around the office. It’s half the potency per ounce of TribeTokes’ cream, but the bigger 4oz jar means you’re not rationing it. Joy Organics publishes third-party lab results for every batch.

3. CBDistillery 500mg CBD Soothing Relief Balm: Best for Trying a Well-Known Name

$50 | Full Spectrum (under 0.3% THC) | 500mg CBD | Jar size not listed on the product page. CBDistillery is one of the more recognizable names in hemp, and this balm carries their standard third-party lab testing with a public results link on the product page. The catch: at the time we checked, the jar size wasn’t listed anywhere on the page, so you’re taking their potency claim on faith without a clean mg-per-ounce comparison.

4. Aspen Green Relief Full Spectrum CBD Cooling Cream: Most THC of the Hemp-Derived Options

$89.99 | 1,000mg CBD + 33mg THC per jar | Tea tree & menthol | Jar size not listed on the collection page. Aspen Green is the closest thing to TribeTokes on this list in terms of actual THC content: 33mg per jar is well above the trace amounts in most “full spectrum” hemp topicals. It’s also the most expensive cream here, and we couldn’t confirm the jar size or a batch-specific COA from the collection page alone.

5. Medterra Pain Relief Cream: Best for Reviews and Reputation

$59.99 | Menthol & arnica | Exact potency and jar size require selecting a variant on-site. Medterra has one of the largest review counts in this category (over 1,500 at last check, averaging 4.4 stars) and a similar arnica-menthol formula to TribeTokes. It comes in more than one strength, so you’ll want to double-check the mg on the exact variant you add to cart. The base listing doesn’t make it obvious.

6. Sweet Releaf Comfort+ Extra Strength Body Butter: Best If You’re in California and Want Real Cannabis THC

100mL jar | 825mg THC + 60mg CBD (14:1 ratio) | Whole-plant, sun-grown cannabis oil | Sold only through California retailers, price not listed online. This is a different category of product than everything else on this list: Sweet Releaf uses actual cannabis oil sourced through California’s legal cannabis market, not hemp-derived Delta 8 or Delta 9, and it’s a family-owned brand built specifically around topical pain relief. The tradeoff is availability. It’s sold through a California retailer locator rather than shipped nationwide, and there’s no listed online price to compare against.

7. CBDfx CBD Cream For Muscle & Joint (Cooling Formula): Best Tiered Potency Option

From $49.99 (regularly $79.99) | 1,000–3,000mg tiers | Cooling formula | Jar size not listed on the collection page. CBDfx sells this one across a potency range, so if 1,000mg doesn’t cut it you can step up to 3,000mg without switching products. It’s THC-free and carries CBDfx’s site-wide “Verified Potency” and CGMP-certified badges, though we couldn’t find a direct COA link from the collection page.

Comparison Table

Brand / ProductPriceSizemg per Jarmg per OunceTHCCooling or WarmingCOA
TribeRevive Delta 8 THC Pain Relief Cream$502oz1,000mg THC500mgYes, Delta 8 THCCooling (menthol, wintergreen)Yes, batch COA published
TribeRevive CBD Pain Relief Cream$502oz1,000mg CBD500mgNoCooling (menthol, wintergreen)Yes, batch COA published
Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Cream$49.954oz1,000mg CBD250mgNoUnscented, neitherYes, public lab results
CBDistillery 500mg CBD Soothing Relief Balm$50Unable to verify500mg CBDUnable to verifyTrace (under 0.3%, full spectrum)Unable to verifyYes, public lab results linked
Aspen Green Relief Cooling Cream$89.99Unable to verify1,000mg CBD + 33mg THCUnable to verifyYes, 33mg per jarCooling (tea tree, menthol)Unable to verify from listing
Medterra Pain Relief Cream$59.99Unable to verify (variant-dependent)Unable to verify (variant-dependent)Unable to verifyNo (site-wide isolate/broad spectrum line)Cooling (menthol)Site-wide claim, not confirmed on this PDP
Sweet Releaf Comfort+ Extra StrengthUnable to verify (not sold online)100mL825mg THC + 60mg CBDApprox. 234mg THC/ozYes, whole-plant cannabis oilNeither statedUnable to verify
CBDfx Cooling Formula CreamFrom $49.99Unable to verify1,000–3,000mg CBD (tiered)Unable to verifyNoCoolingSite-wide badge, no PDP link confirmed

Prices and formulas checked September 2026 and subject to change. Check each brand’s site for current pricing before you buy.

How We Chose

We compared publicly listed price, jar size, total potency, ingredient profile and lab-testing transparency across each brand’s own product pages, checked September 2026. Where a brand didn’t list a data point, whether that’s jar size, an exact COA link, or a default variant, we marked it “unable to verify” rather than guess. We did not test these products ourselves; this is a comparison of what each brand publishes, not a clinical or lab review.

How to Choose for Yourself

Match the formula to what you actually need, then check the math on price per milligram. A few starting points below.

Want real THC, not just trace amounts? TribeTokes and Aspen Green are the two hemp-derived options here with meaningful THC content. Sweet Releaf has the most THC by far, but it’s cannabis-derived and only available through California retailers.

Need to stay THC-free? Joy Organics, Medterra and CBDfx are built around 0% THC formulas, and TribeTokes’ CBD version matches the THC cream’s price and potency with none of the THC.

Comparing on cost per milligram? Do the jar-size math before you buy. A $50 balm with an unlisted jar size could be a better or worse deal than a $50, 2oz jar with 500mg per ounce. When a brand doesn’t publish size, email them and ask before assuming.

Care about seeing the lab results, not just a badge? Look for a direct COA link on the product page itself, not just a general “we test everything” claim on the homepage. TribeTokes, Joy Organics and CBDistillery all link batch-specific results from the product page.

FAQ

What’s the difference between a CBD pain cream and a Delta 8 THC pain cream?

They’re usually the same base formula with the cannabinoid swapped. TribeTokes’ two versions are identical on price, size, ingredients and mg. CBD versions are THC-free, which matters for drug testing or if you’d simply rather not use THC at all. Both are applied topically and neither gets you high; topical cannabinoids act locally on the skin rather than entering the bloodstream the way an edible or vape would.

How much should I expect to pay per ounce?

Per-ounce potency swings widely even at similar price points. Across the brands we checked, $50 gets you 500mg/oz from TribeTokes, 250mg/oz from Joy Organics, or an unlisted amount from CBDistillery. Always check the jar size before comparing sticker price alone.

Is a cooling or warming cream better for sore muscles?

It’s largely personal preference. Cooling formulas (menthol, wintergreen, tea tree) tend to be favored right after activity, while warming formulas are often used before activity or for stiffness. Most brands on this list, including TribeTokes, lean cooling.

Can I use a THC pain cream if I’m subject to drug testing?

The risk is low but not zero, and it depends on your specific testing policy. Topical cannabinoids are not meaningfully absorbed into the bloodstream, but testing policies vary. If drug testing is a concern, the THC-free options on this list (Joy Organics, Medterra, CBDfx, or TribeTokes’ CBD version) remove the question entirely.

Bottom Line

For most people rubbing this into sore muscles and joints after a workout or a long day, TribeTokes’ Pain Relief Cream (THC or CBD version) gives you the most milligrams per dollar of anything we checked, backed by a batch COA you can actually look up. If you want the deeper mechanics of how THC creams work on the skin, see our Delta 8 THC Cream for Pain guide, or browse our full cannabis pain creams guide for a wider product roundup.

  • Degelis Pilla, CEO

    Degelis Pilla, CFA

    CEO and Co-Founder

    Degelis (“Dege,” pronounced “Dayj”) launched TribeTokes in 2017 after identifying a specific problem in the cannabis vaping market: most products were made with cutting agents and additives that had no place in a wellness brand. She built TribeTokes from zero into a multi-million dollar DTC brand with over 100,000 customers, a full cannabinoid product catalog, and a loyal wholesale retail network.

    Degelis is an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and a regular voice in both the cannabis and women-in-business spaces. She is a CFA charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst), and holds her undergraduate business degree from the University of Virginia.