written in partnership with Marc Megna
As a former student-athlete and a seasoned professional in the fitness industry for over two decades, my journey through the energy drink landscape began in the late 1990s when Red Bull made its debut. As a college football player at Richmond University, I was definitely a part of their target audience when they launched. This pivotal moment marked the genesis of the energy drink category, evolving over the years with early players like Monster and Rockstar, and today’s prominent advertisers, including Bang Energy and Celsius.
This growth isn’t confined to newcomers; established beverage giants, such as Gatorade and Coca Cola, have recognized the opportunity and dove head first into the caffeinated energy drink category. From Gatorade’s Fast Twitch to Coca Cola’s foray into cola-flavored energy drinks, the market has become a battleground where everyone is trying to get a slice of the action.
Amidst this surge in popularity, it’s important to know that not all energy drinks are built the same. Many are packed with excessive sugar, synthetic caffeine, and artificial ingredients, posing potential health risks. In response, my goal is to navigate through this clutter by presenting a curated list of what I believe are the best energy drinks available today.
So if you’re a regular energy drink consumer then stick around because I’m going to break down what makes a good energy drink and which ones you should be drinking.
What Makes a Great Energy Drink?
When looking at what energy drinks to consume, here are the main things you should be looking for:
- Low Sugar (Less than 5g)
- Naturally Sweetened
- Naturally Sourced Caffeine
- Modest Caffeine Amount (under 150 mg)
Here are the things you should avoid when purchasing energy drinks:
- High Sugar (Over 5g)
- Artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and erythritol
- Synthetic Caffeine
- High Caffeine Amount (over 150 mg)
- Artificial Ingredients
- GMOs
What are the Best Energy Drinks in 2024?
1. SUPER FUEL by EBOOST
Maker: EBOOST
Top Key Features: Natural Caffeine, Zero Artificial Sweeteners, 10 Essential Vitamins and Minerals including Electrolytes and Antioxidants, 3 Nootropics, Non GMO
Price: Free 4 Pack (Just Pay Shipping)
What’s Good about SUPER FUEL: It is so refreshing to see a brand in the energy drink space that is doing things the right way. For the longest time we only had brands that were packed with sugar and synthetic caffeine. Then new sugar-free brands emerged that were still using synthetic caffeine but also artificial sweeteners like sucralose. SUPER FUEL by EBOOST has flipped the game upside down though. EBOOST has been very selective about what they put in their SUPER FUEL product. You won’t find any artificial sweeteners here, only 1-2 grams of natural sugar from honey and stevia. They also don’t overdo the caffeine, utilizing a modest amount (110 mg) that comes from natural sources like green coffee seeds and green tea leaf extract. Finally, they bring it all home by providing you with 10 vitamins and minerals including electrolytes like potassium and a variety of antioxidants.
What’s Not So Good: Honestly, there aren’t many bad things to say about SUPER FUEL. One thing that the typical energy drinker may complain about is that they only offer 4 flavors while competitors may have 10+ flavors. But all 4 of the SUPER FUEL flavors taste excellent. And if a brand is mainly focused on getting your attention by constantly coming out with new flavors I wouldn’t trust that they care so much about the ingredients and quality of the product.
The Verdict: SUPER FUEL by EBOOST is the cleanest energy drink that I have come across. They only use quality ingredients and the product tastes great! But don’t just take it from me, try it for yourself.
Get a FREE 4 Pack (Just Pay Shipping)
2. Bai Boost
Maker: Bai
Top Key Features: Low Calorie, Natural Energy
Price: $18.99 per 12 pack
What’s Good about Bai Boost: Bai is a well known water company that primarily focuses on producing great tasting antioxidant infused waters to help hydrate you. In recent years, they have turned their attention to the energy drink market with a unique value proposition. A low calorie flavored energy water. They did this by incorporating natural tea extract into their already popular antioxidant infused waters. These are fantastic for those who don’t want to bring water and an energy drink to the gym or simply don’t like the carbonation in other energy drinks.
What’s Not So Good: While Bai is a pretty good product compared to others the one thing I don’t like is their main sweetener is erythritol which is an artificial sugar alcohol. I’m also not a huge fan of the taste of Bai products.
The Verdict: Bai Boost is a unique take on the classic energy drink and offers a relatively clean product that both hydrates and energizes at the same time. They can typically be found in stores, although better deals can be found in bulk online. Definitely worth a try if you are tired of carbonated energy drinks.
3. Guayaki Yerba Mate
Maker: Guayaki
Top Key Features: Non-Carbonated, Fruit Flavor, Natural Tea
Price: $34.08 at Amazon
What’s Good about Guayaki Yerba Mate: Yerba Mate has taken the health and wellness community by storm over the last few years gaining the attention of figures like Andrew Huberman. Guayaki is great because they use all real ingredients in their energy teas like natural fruit juices, organic caffeine, and organic cane sugar. The natural ingredients and real sugar make the product taste very good. They also don’t go overboard with the caffeine at 150 mg per can.
What’s Not So Good: While Yerba Mate is certainly popular and has a lot of quality ingredients, the biggest downfall is that it’s packed with sugar. The sugar is organic but there is an abundance of it with 27g per can. This equates to 120 calories and is enough to give you a sugar crash.
The Verdict: Overall, Guayaki’s Yerba Mate is a pretty good product. It has lots of organic, natural ingredients and uses natural caffeine. It is, however, high in sugar so if you are counting calories or trying to avoid sugar, then there are better options.
Shop Guayaki Yerba Mate on Amazon
4. FocusAid
Maker: LifeAid
Top Key Features: 100 mg of Natural Caffeine, Naturally Sweetened with organic agave nectar and stevia leaf extract
Price: $59.76 + $5.99 shipping for 24 cans
What’s Good about FocusAid: FocusAid is one of the better energy drinks on the market as they check a lot of the boxes when it comes to good, clean energy. They utilize natural caffeine from green tea extract and yerba mate and don’t use artificial sweeteners but rather organic agave nectar and stevia leaf extract which are natural sweeteners. Additionally, there are a variety of quality vitamins and minerals helping with hydration and mental focus.
What’s Not So Good: One downfall of FocusAid is they do use a relatively high amount of added sugars with 7g per can which is higher than some other options. Additionally, the product is pretty expensive as the minimum you can buy on their website is two 12-packs which comes in over $60 with shipping.
The Verdict: FocusAid is a quality product that is certainly cleaner than a lot of the other competitors in the market. There are better options though that have lower sugar content and a lower price point.
5. ZOA Energy
Maker: ZOA
Top Key Features: Zero Calorie, Zero Sugar, No Carbs, No Preservatives
Price: $24.99 At ZOA
What’s Good about ZOA Energy: ZOA has absolutely blown up in recent years and for good reason. Co-founded and endorsed by Dwayne “The Rock ” Johnson, ZOA’s goal is to be the healthiest energy drink on the market with a goal to improve focus with steady sustained energy. They use unique ingredients like camu camu extract to provide not just energy but also immune support. Their unique formula also includes amino acids which help the body recover after lifting sessions, making this a great drink for athletes. They regularly release new limited flavors for holidays and events as well which keeps it interesting so you are not stuck with the same few flavors.
What’s Not So Good: While ZOA does a lot of things right, the biggest downside to me is that they utilize sucralose as their main sweetener, which is an artificial sweetener. The studies are still coming out about the long-term effects of sucralose, so I would try to avoid it as much as possible.
The Verdict: ZOA is a pretty clean product for the most part and if you are a fan of The Rock then definitely give it a try. But if you are looking for a true clean energy drink with no artificial sweeteners then there are better alternatives.
Energy Drink FAQs
What is a healthy alternative to energy drinks?
If you are not an energy drink person there are still plenty of other ways to get natural sources of energy. Coffee and tea are two of the biggest, just make sure you don’t add tons of sugar or cream to either otherwise it defeats the point of these more natural alternatives.
Are any energy drinks OK for you?
This is entirely dependent on how often you are drinking them and which energy drinks you consume. The energy drinks on this list are healthy in the sense that the majority of them utilize modest levels of natural caffeine and real ingredients. Many of the picks also include quality vitamins and minerals. Energy drinks can pose health risks if over consumed though, so be sure that you moderate your intake. The Mayo Clinic has some great information about health considerations with energy drinks.
Is it OK to drink one energy drink a day?
One energy drink a day should be fine if the energy drink uses natural ingredients, low sugar, and modest caffeine levels.
What are the best energy drinks for men?
A lot of the same principles for picking energy drinks apply to both men and women but I did do an article specifically about the best energy drinks for men on TheGuysList.com.
About The Author:
Marc Megna is a former professional football player and fitness expert who has over 20 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. Marc is co-owner of world renowned Anatomy Fitness which has some of the best gyms in south Florida. Marc has trained some of the world’s most elite athletes and professionals ranging from Alex Rodriguez to Barry Sternlicht of Starwood Capital Group.
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