Electrolyte Formulas Compared (2026): Full Data Table + DIY
Informational comparison of label data and cost — not medical advice. If you have high blood pressure, kidney disease, or heart failure, or take diuretics or BP medication, talk to your doctor before adding a high-sodium product. Every mineral figure is the manufacturer's own per-serving Nutrition/Supplement Facts value; prices are live per-serving figures that move.
The short version
There's no single "best" electrolyte powder — there are three types for three jobs. Sodium per serving ranges 18x across these products (55 mg to 1,000 mg) and they look identical on the shelf. Match the type to your situation with the picker below, check the numbers in the master table, and note that of 12 products only 3 carry real third-party testing.
| If you're… | Use this type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Keto / fasting / carnivore | High-sodium, zero-sugar → | Low insulin sheds sodium; you want lots of it with no carbs. LMNT (1,000 mg), Redmond (810 mg). |
| Endurance / heavy sweat / heat | High-sodium (± some sugar) → | Replace ~300–600 mg sodium/hour. Transparent Labs (tested, cheap/serving); add carbs for very long efforts. |
| Sick (vomiting / diarrhea) | ORS-style (glucose-paired) → | Here the sugar helps: glucose pulls sodium + water across the gut. DripDrop, Liquid I.V. Classic. |
| Everyday light use | Low-dose daily → | Modest minerals, cheap per serving. Nuun tablets, Ultima. Honestly: water is usually fine too. |
| Want it banned-substance tested | Certified only → | The short list: BUBS (NSF Certified for Sport), Transparent Labs & SaltStick (Informed Choice). |
| On a budget | DIY recipe | ~$0.05/serving of salt + potassium substitute. Matches a mid-sodium stick minus flavor. |
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The master table: every formula, per serving
Sorted by sodium. "Formula type" is assigned from the label; we don't publish a per-product osmolarity number because only the WHO ORS reference has a measured value. The full dataset is available as a public CC BY JSON file.
| Product | Na (mg) | K (mg) | Mg (mg) | Sugar (g) | Type | Cert | $/serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMNT Recharge (Citrus Salt) | 1000 | 200 | 60 | 0 | High-sodium, zero-sugar | — | $1.50 |
| Redmond Re-Lyte (Strawberry Lemonade) | 810 | 400 | 50 | 0 | High-sodium, zero-sugar | — | $1.53 |
| BUBS Naturals Hydrate or Die | 650 | 200 | 50 | 7 | ORS-style | NSF Certified for Sport | $1.85 |
| Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Hydration Multiplier | 530 | — | 0 | 0 | High-sodium, zero-sugar | — | $1.41 |
| Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (Classic) | 500 | 370 | 0 | 11 | ORS-style | — | $1.47 |
| Transparent Labs Hydrate (Tropical Punch) | 500 | 250 | 50 | 0 | High-sodium, zero-sugar | Informed Choice | $0.75 |
| Gatorade Gatorlyte (Cherry Lime) | 490 | 350 | 105 | 10 | ORS-style | — | — |
| DripDrop ORS (Watermelon) | 330 | 185 | 39 | 7 | ORS-style | — | $1.03 |
| Nuun Sport (Lemon Lime) | 300 | 150 | 25 | 1 | Low-dose daily | — | $0.60 |
| Pedialyte Powder Packs (consumer 8.5 g stick) | 260 | 180 | — | 6 | ORS-style | — | — |
| SaltStick FastChews (Lemon Lime) | 100 | 30 | 6 | 2 | Low-dose daily | Informed Choice | $0.66 |
| Ultima Replenisher | 55 | 250 | 100 | 0 | Low-dose daily | — | $0.53 |
| WHO/UNICEF Reduced-Osmolarity ORS 2003 (per liter) | 1725 | 782 | — | 13.5 | Reference | — | — |
| DIY Homemade (salt + salt-substitute + water) | 500 | 250 | — | 0 | Reference | — | $0.05 |
Prices are live Amazon buy-box figures (Creators API, July 2026) ÷ pack serving count. WHO ORS is per liter (a compounded reference, not a product); DIY is an estimate. Nuun listed uncertified pending re-confirmation of its Informed Choice status.
The DIY option: about $0.05 a serving
Commercial sticks are mostly flavor, convenience, and brand. The electrolytes themselves cost pennies. Here's a mix that matches a mid-sodium commercial stick:
| Ingredient | Amount | Provides |
|---|---|---|
| Table salt | ~1/4 tsp | ~500 mg sodium |
| Potassium salt substitute (Nu-Salt, Morton Lite Salt) | ~1/8 tsp | ~250 mg potassium |
| Citrus juice | A squeeze | Flavor + trace potassium |
| Optional sugar or honey | ~1 tbsp | Glucose for ORS-style absorption (illness / hard exercise only) |
At bulk salt prices this comes to roughly $0.05 per serving — versus $0.50 to $1.85 for the commercial products above. What you give up: taste, portability, and magnesium (add a separate magnesium supplement if you want it). Add the sugar only when you're actually rehydrating from illness or a hard, hot effort — for daily sipping it's unnecessary. Why the sugar helps is covered in the dosage guide.
Reality check If you're a healthy person on a normal diet, you may not need any of these — food plus water usually covers your electrolytes. See who actually needs to supplement before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best electrolyte powder?
It depends on the job. Keto/heavy sweat → high-sodium zero-sugar (LMNT, Redmond). Illness/endurance → ORS-style (Liquid I.V., DripDrop). Everyday → low-dose (Nuun, Ultima). Want testing → Transparent Labs or BUBS. Cheapest → DIY at ~$0.05/serving.
Can I make my own electrolyte drink?
Yes, ~$0.05/serving: ~1/4 tsp table salt (~500 mg sodium) + ~1/8 tsp potassium salt substitute (~250 mg potassium) in 16–24 oz water. Add a tablespoon of sugar for rehydration during illness or hard exercise.
Which electrolyte powders are third-party tested?
Few. Only Transparent Labs Hydrate (Informed Choice), SaltStick FastChews (Informed Choice), and BUBS Hydrate or Die (NSF Certified for Sport) carry real certification. LMNT, Liquid I.V., DripDrop, Redmond, Ultima, Gatorlyte, and Pedialyte have none; Nuun's appears to have lapsed in late 2024.
Related
- Best electrolyte drinks — the ranked buying guide with award picks
- Electrolyte dosage guide — how much sodium you actually need, by situation
- LMNT vs Liquid I.V. — the two big brands, head to head
Sources
- Manufacturer Nutrition/Supplement Facts panels for all listed products, cross-checked across two independent label passes, July 2026.
- World Health Organization. "Oral Rehydration Salts: Production of the new ORS." WHO, 2006 (reduced-osmolarity 245 mOsm/L formula).
- Full machine-readable dataset: /electrolytes/formulas-compared.json (CC BY 4.0).