LMNT vs Nuun (2026): High-Sodium Stick vs Low-Sodium Tablet
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. Prices are live per-serving figures; formulas are each brand's published Nutrition/Supplement Facts.
These aren't competing on flavor — they're built for different sodium doses. LMNT (1,000 mg sodium, 0 g sugar) is a near-full hourly sweat-loss replacement in one stick. Nuun Sport (300 mg sodium, 1 g sugar) is a light, everyday tablet meant to be sipped casually, not to replace a serious sweat loss on its own.
The numbers, side by side
| Per serving | LMNT Recharge | Nuun Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1,000 mg | 300 mg |
| Sugar | 0 g | 1 g |
| Format | Stick pack (powder) | Effervescent tablet |
| Servings/container | 30 | 40 |
| Third-party cert | None | None |
| Price | $45.00 | $23.60 |
| Cost / serving | $1.50 | $0.59 |
| Cost / 100mg sodium | $0.15 | $0.20 |
Prices are live Amazon buy-box figures (Creators API, July 2026) divided by pack serving count; they move. Everything else is each brand's published label. Cost-per-100mg-sodium is calculated from cost per serving and labeled sodium content.
The real difference: a replacement dose vs a sipping dose
Sweat sodium loss during prolonged or intense exercise commonly runs 300-600 mg per hour, and it varies a lot person to person (Baker 2017, PMID 28332116). LMNT's 1,000 mg per stick is built to sit near or above that hourly range in one dose — drink one and you've roughly covered an hour of heavy sweating. Nuun's 300 mg tablet is designed for a different job: a light, pleasant-tasting daily sip, not a serious sweat replacement. Reach for actual sweat-loss coverage from Nuun and you need roughly 3.3x the tablets (4 whole tablets) to match a single LMNT stick's sodium — at which point Nuun no longer looks like the budget option, since its cost per 100 mg of sodium ($0.20) is actually higher than LMNT's ($0.15).
The 1 g of sugar in Nuun is also a different story than the 11 g in an ORS-style product like Liquid I.V. At 1 g, it's there for taste, not to drive meaningful glucose-sodium cotransport — the mechanism that makes a bigger sugar dose functionally speed rehydration (see our LMNT vs Liquid I.V. breakdown for when that sugar actually matters). Nuun's sugar is closer to a flavor ingredient than a rehydration strategy.
Who each one is for
Choose LMNT if you're a heavy or salty sweater, doing prolonged or intense exercise in heat, or following keto, low-carb, or fasting and want to replace shed sodium in one dose without sugar or carbs.
Choose Nuun if you want a light, effervescent, good-tasting daily hydration habit — short workouts, general sipping, or just making plain water more appealing — and don't need to replace a large sodium loss.
Choose neither if you're a healthy person at a desk on a normal diet — food and water already cover your electrolytes. See how much you actually need. And if third-party testing matters to you, note that neither is certified; check the certified options instead.
Our picks
1,000 mg sodium, 0 g sugar. Close to a full hour's sweat-sodium loss in one stick.
300 mg sodium, 1 g sugar for taste, effervescent tablet — the lightest option here.
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Frequently asked questions
Is LMNT or Nuun better?
Different jobs. LMNT (1,000 mg sodium, 0 g sugar) is close to a full hour of heavy-sweat sodium loss in one dose. Nuun (300 mg sodium, 1 g sugar) is a light everyday tablet. Heavy sweat/keto → LMNT; casual daily sipping → Nuun.
How many Nuun tablets equal one LMNT stick?
A little over 3, on sodium alone (300 mg x 3 ≈ 1,000 mg). At that point 3+ Nuun tablets cost more than one LMNT stick, since Nuun's cost per 100mg of sodium is higher than LMNT's.
Does Nuun have enough sodium for exercise?
Fine for light activity under an hour. For prolonged or intense exercise in heat, where sweat sodium losses run 300-600 mg/hour, one tablet under-replaces — you'd need multiple tablets or a higher-sodium option like LMNT.
Are LMNT or Nuun third-party tested?
Neither carries a product-level sport certification (NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice). That's typical here. Certified alternatives include Transparent Labs Hydrate, SaltStick FastChews (both Informed Choice), and BUBS Hydrate or Die (NSF Certified for Sport).
Related
- LMNT vs Liquid I.V. — the sugar/ORS-mechanism comparison, not the sodium-dose comparison
- Best electrolyte drinks — all products ranked by verified sodium, cost, and certification
- Electrolyte dosage guide — how much sodium you actually need, by situation
- Formulas compared + DIY — pick by use case, or make your own for pennies
Sources
- Baker LB. "Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes." Sports Med. 2017. PMID: 28332116
- Thomas DT, et al. "ACSM Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance." Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016. PMID: 26891166
- Product labels: LMNT Recharge, Nuun Sport, manufacturer Nutrition/Supplement Facts, July 2026.