Food & Drink
Energy & Sports Drinks Tier List Maker
Rank energy and sports drinks, from Gatorade and Powerade to Red Bull, Monster, Celsius and Prime.
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Meet every drink (20)
These 20 drinks load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the drink is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Gatorade
Developed in 1965 by University of Florida researchers led by Robert Cade, for the school's athletes, the Gators. It was designed to replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost in sweat, and is now sold in over 80 countries.
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Powerade
A sports drink created and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company since 1988. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, which PepsiCo has owned since 2001.
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Red Bull
Created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, and launched in 1987. More than 100 billion cans have been sold worldwide, and it held a 13 percent global share of energy drinks in 2023.
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Monster Energy
Created by Hansen Natural Company in April 2002 and released on April 18 that year. In 2022 it had a 30.1 percent share of the American energy drink market, second only to Red Bull.
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Celsius
An American company that makes fitness and energy drinks under the Celsius brand. The products are marketed as healthy, which the company's CEO credits for the brand's success.
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Prime Hydration
The sports drink was announced in January 2022 and sold in limited numbers from June 2022. Internet personalities Logan Paul and KSI promote it, and it later became widely available amid heavy social media hype.
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Prime Energy
The energy drink side of the Prime brand, which also covers sports drinks, drink mixes and protein shakes. Congo LLC, Logan Paul and Olajide "KSI" Olatunji own the brand and promote the products.
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Bang
Made by Vital Pharmaceuticals of Florida. It was the third-highest-selling energy drink in the United States in 2023, and Monster Beverage acquired the company for $362 million on July 31, 2023.
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Ghost Energy
GHOST Lifestyle, in Henderson, Nevada, was established in 2016 by Dan Lourenco and Ryan Hughes. It sells energy drinks, supplements and apparel, and Keurig Dr Pepper took a majority stake in 2024.
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Rockstar
Created in 2001 and based in Los Angeles, it held a 10 percent share of the global energy drink market in 2020. PepsiCo bought the brand that year, and Celsius Holdings acquired US and Canadian rights in 2025.
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Body Armor
A sports drink brand that competes in the same category as Gatorade and Powerade. It is meant for rehydration and exercise, rather than being a caffeinated energy drink.
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Pedialyte
An oral electrolyte solution made by Abbott Laboratories and marketed for use in children. It was first issued to hospitals in 1966, and consumer sales began in 1969.
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G Fuel
A caffeinated drink mix sold by Gamma Labs in Hauppauge, New York, marketed as a gaming supplement to improve focus and reaction time. It started as a water-soluble powder and later added canned drinks.
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Alani Nu
A brand of canned energy drinks that competes in the same category as Celsius, Ghost and Bang. It is included here because it is a common name on energy drink tier lists.
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Reign
Reign Total Body Fuel is an energy drink introduced in 2019 by the Monster Beverage Corporation. It is available in 16 flavors, and is sold in North America, South America and Europe.
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NOS
An energy drink sold in 16- and 24-ounce cans, once also in a bottle designed to look like a nitrous oxide tank. It contains 160 mg of caffeine and is produced by Monster Beverage.
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Vitaminwater
A line of enhanced water from Glacéau, which is a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company. It was added after Smartwater and Fruitwater in the Energy Brands lineup that J. Darius Bikoff started in 1996.
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Liquid I.V.
A powdered hydration drink mix that is dissolved in water. It aims at the same need as sports drinks, replacing fluids and electrolytes, but it comes as a dry mix instead of a ready-to-drink bottle.
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C4 Energy
Cellucor, whose parent company Nutrabolt is based in Austin, Texas, makes dietary supplements and energy drinks. C4 is its best-known energy product, aimed at people who exercise.
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Mountain Dew Kickstart
One of the many variants of Mountain Dew, a citrus-flavored soft drink owned by PepsiCo since the original formula was created in 1940. Wikipedia lists many branded flavors and varieties of the soda.
Energy & Sports Drinks tier list questions
What is the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks?
Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade are designed to replace fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes during exercise, while energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster are caffeinated drinks sold for alertness.
Which brands on this list are the biggest?
Red Bull held a 13 percent global energy drink share in 2023, and Monster held 30.1 percent of the American market in 2022, second to Red Bull. Sales rankings change often, so check current data.
How should I rank these drinks?
Taste, ingredients, price and how well the drink fits your purpose are common criteria. Because they serve different jobs, consider ranking energy drinks, sports drinks and hydration mixes separately.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .