Liquid IV vs DripDrop (2026): Which Is Better? Salt, Sugar, Cost
Buy Liquid I.V. One stick makes a 16 oz drink with 500 mg of sodium for $1.56 at list price. The same 16 oz of DripDrop takes two sticks and costs $2.25. DripDrop is only worth it if you want more salt in each glass (660 mg).
More salt per glass
DripDrop
- Cost
- $2.25 for 16 oz (2 sticks)
- Testing
- Not on the 5 lists we checked
The numbers, side by side
| Liquid I.V. | DripDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| Water a stick | 16 oz | 8 oz |
| Sodium a stick | 500 mg | 330 mg |
| Potassium a stick | 370 mg | 180 mg |
| Magnesium a stick | 0 mg on the label | 40 mg |
| Sugar a stick | 11 g | 7 g |
| Sweetened with | cane sugar, dextrose and stevia | sugar, fructose, dextrose and sucralose |
| In a 16 oz drink | 1 stick: 500 mg sodium, 11 g sugar | 2 sticks: 660 mg sodium, 14 g sugar |
| Cost of a 16 oz drink | $1.56 | $2.25 |
| Cost per 1,000 mg of sodium | $3.12 | $3.41 |
| Box | 16-stick box, $24.99 | 32-stick box, $35.99 |
| On a public testing list | No | No |
Which has more sodium and potassium?
Per stick, Liquid I.V. has more: 500 mg of sodium and 370 mg of potassium. Per 16 oz glass, DripDrop has more sodium (660 mg) and about the same potassium (360 mg). In a study of 506 athletes in training or competition, the average sweat rate and sweat salt work out to about 1,000 mg of sodium an hour, with a wide range (Baker 2016, written by Gatorade staff; your hourly loss).
Which has less sugar?
For the same 16 oz glass, Liquid I.V. has less: 11 g against 14 g. One DripDrop stick has 7 g, but it makes only 8 oz. The sugar helps sodium and water absorb (how that works). On a normal day, it is sugar you don’t need.
Which costs less?
Liquid I.V., for the same drink. A DripDrop stick costs less ($1.12 against $1.56), but it makes half as much. One 16 oz drink a day comes to about $570 a year for Liquid I.V. and $821 for DripDrop.
DripDrop’s own comparison says its drink has more electrolytes per 16 oz. That is true only because 16 oz takes two DripDrop sticks. In its sugar-free section, the same post says Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free is “a little cheaper per serving” than DripDrop Zero Sugar Plus. It never prices the 16 oz glass.
Which is closer to a rehydration drink for a stomach bug?
DripDrop is closer. Mixed as directed, it has about 81% of the sodium in the World Health Organization’s rehydration drink; Liquid I.V. has about 61%. Both brands call their drink an oral rehydration solution, a salt and sugar drink made to replace fluid lost to illness.
These sticks are not a treatment for vomiting or diarrhea. Abbott, which makes Pedialyte, says it is made for dehydration (pedialyte.com); still, if you are sick, ask a doctor or pharmacist what to drink. If a child is sick or seems dehydrated, call the child’s pediatrician.
Is either one third-party tested?
No. Neither box is on the 5 public testing lists we searched. NSF Certified for Sport lists one Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free flavor and a larger 21 g DripDrop stick, not the boxes priced here. Our top electrolyte drink overall, Redmond Re-Lyte, is on Informed Choice, with more sodium than Liquid I.V. (810 mg against 500 mg a serving), no sugar, and under a third of the cost per 1,000 mg.
Who should buy which
- You work out, sweat, or just want the better buy Liquid I.V.
One stick makes 16 oz for $1.56, with less sugar per glass. Check the price.
- You want the most salt in each glass, or a small 8 oz drink DripDrop
660 mg of sodium per 16 oz, plus 40 mg of magnesium a stick. Check the price.
- You want no sugar Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free
The same 500 mg of sodium, 0 g of sugar, $1.56 a stick at list price. Check the price.
- You want no sugar and a testing list Redmond Re-Lyte
$0.95 per 1,000 mg of sodium at list price. Check the price.
- You have high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease Ask your doctor first
Ask first, too, if you take a water pill (diuretic) or a blood pressure pill such as an ACE inhibitor or an ARB. Both drinks hold potassium as well as sodium.
Questions
Is DripDrop or Liquid I.V. better for a hangover?
Neither is a hangover cure. Water and food come first. If you want one anyway, Liquid I.V. gives 500 mg of sodium in 16 oz, and DripDrop 330 mg in a smaller 8 oz drink.
Is DripDrop or Liquid I.V. better for kids?
Ask the child’s doctor first. Liquid I.V. says its drink is for ages 1 and up. DripDrop asks parents to talk to the child’s doctor before use, and its label says to ask for children ages 1 to 3.
Is there a sugar-free Liquid I.V. or DripDrop?
Yes, both. Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free has the same 500 mg of sodium and 370 mg of potassium, 0 g of sugar, sweetened with allulose and stevia, for $1.56 a stick at list price. DripDrop Zero Sugar has the same 330 mg of sodium and 180 mg of potassium as the original, 0 g of sugar, sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium.
Can I mix one DripDrop stick with 16 oz of water?
You can, but it will be half as strong. DripDrop says one stick in 8 oz of water. For 16 oz at full strength, use two sticks.
Which tastes better, DripDrop or Liquid I.V.?
That comes down to you. CleverHiker, which has used both, says Liquid I.V. “dissolves well” and DripDrop’s flavors are “pretty spot on.”
Can I drink DripDrop or Liquid I.V. every day?
Most days you don’t need either. Water and food cover a normal day, and most Americans already eat about 3,400 mg of sodium a day, over the 2,300 mg limit (FDA).
More: Liquid IV vs Gatorade vs Pedialyte · LMNT vs Liquid IV · Liquid IV alternatives · the best electrolyte drinks.
Sources
- Labels, directions and brand claims, read October 27, 2026: Liquid I.V. Lemon Lime and its FAQ (Nutrition Facts: 500 mg of sodium a stick; some sites print 560 mg, which is not what the current Lemon Lime label says); DripDrop Watermelon, DripDrop Zero Sugar and the DripDrop FAQ. Pedialyte AdvancedCare Plus powder (Abbott).
- DripDrop, “DripDrop vs. Liquid I.V.: Which Electrolyte Drink Mix Has the Better Formula?” (dripdrop.com blog, September 30, 2026). CleverHiker, “10 Best Hydration Mixes & Electrolyte Powders of 2026” (updated August 25, 2026).
- Testing: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, Informed Choice, NSF/ANSI 173, USP Verified, each program’s own list. NSF Certified for Sport 1760191 (Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Raspberry Lemonade) and 1204217 (DripDrop, 21 g).
- World Health Organization and UNICEF, reduced-osmolarity oral rehydration salts (75 mmol of sodium per liter, about 1,725 mg), against each drink mixed as directed. FDA, sodium in your diet (2,300 mg daily limit; about 3,400 mg average).
- Baker LB, et al. J Sports Sci. 2016. PubMed 26070030 (sweat sodium).