Best Electrolyte Mixes of 2026, by the Milligram

Electrolytes are the other thing that changes when you eat less. Sodium and potassium ride into your day on food, so when the food shrinks -- as it does for many people taking GLP-1 medications -- the mineral intake can quietly shrink with it. An electrolyte mix is one way to backfill. How much you actually need is genuinely individual and, if you manage blood pressure or kidney health, a medical question -- so treat every number below as a label fact, not a recommendation, and confirm your own targets with your clinician.

With that firmly said, this category is easy to grade because the whole product is on the panel. We read 2026's mixes by the milligram: sodium, potassium, and magnesium per serving, grams of sugar, and cost per stick. No vibes, no "hydration science" on the front of the pouch -- just what dissolves in the glass and what it costs.

The verdict

1. LMNT -- the high-sodium, zero-sugar pick: 1,000 mg sodium, no sugar, fully disclosed label.
2. Redmond Re-Lyte -- a high-sodium alternative (810 mg) that usually costs less per serving.
3. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier -- the glucose-driven rehydration formula (500 mg sodium, 11 g sugar).
4. DripDrop -- an ORS-style ratio built from oral-rehydration research (330 mg sodium, 7 g sugar).
5. Nuun Sport -- the budget tablet, and the only pick here that is Informed Sport certified.
6. Cure Hydrating -- coconut-water-based, plant-forward, moderate sodium (240 mg).
7. Ultima Replenisher -- zero sugar and flavor-first, but deliberately low sodium (55 mg) -- read that number twice.

The label math, by the milligram

Every figure is from the published panel. Sorted high-to-low on sodium, because sodium is the mineral these products differ on most -- and the one most people are actually reaching for.

The picks

1. LMNT

The category's maximalist, and honest about it: 1,000 mg of sodium per stick, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium, and zero sugar. Nothing is hidden -- the label is fully disclosed, which is the main reason it tops our list despite carrying no third-party certification. That sodium load is a lot; it is built for heavy sweat, low-carb eating, or days when food (and the sodium in it) is minimal. Most people do not need 1,000 mg in a glass, and at $1.50 a stick it is among the priciest here. But if your target is high sodium with zero sugar and a label you can read top to bottom, it is the cleanest answer. Our full LMNT review walks the panel, and LMNT vs Liquid I.V. settles the most common matchup.

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2. Redmond Re-Lyte

The value answer to LMNT. Re-Lyte delivers a comparable high-sodium, zero-sugar profile -- 810 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium -- typically for closer to a dollar a serving. It is the pick if you want the high-sodium approach without the flagship price, and the label is similarly complete.

3. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier

A different tool entirely. Liquid I.V. pairs 500 mg of sodium with 11 grams of sugar and 380 mg of potassium, using glucose to drive an oral-rehydration mechanism -- genuinely useful for rehydrating from illness or a hard, sweaty effort. The 11 grams of sugar is the whole point, not a flaw, but it is the reason to skip it if you are avoiding sugar. About $1.10 a stick.

4. DripDrop

The most literally medical design here: DripDrop was built from oral-rehydration-therapy research, and its ratio shows it -- roughly 330 mg sodium and 7 grams of sugar per stick, tuned for absorption rather than raw sodium. If your reason for reaching for electrolytes is recovery from being genuinely depleted, its formula has the clearest rationale. Our DripDrop review covers the ORS logic in plain terms.

5. Nuun Sport

The budget pick, and quietly the most rigorously tested: Nuun Sport is Informed Sport certified, the only product in this roundup that is. The tradeoff is a lighter mineral load -- 300 mg sodium, 150 mg potassium, under a gram of sugar -- in an effervescent tablet that costs about $0.65. For everyday, low-stakes topping-up (and for anyone who is drug-tested), it is the sensible default.

6. Cure Hydrating

A plant-forward option built on coconut water, which is where its 300 mg of potassium comes from. Sodium is moderate at 240 mg and sugar is low at around 4 grams. It is the pick if you want a cleaner-feeling label and do not need a big sodium hit; at about $1.30 a stick it is priced at the premium end.

7. Ultima Replenisher

Read the sodium number twice: 55 mg. Ultima is zero-sugar, zero-calorie, magnesium-forward, and flavor-first -- a pleasant everyday drink -- but it is deliberately low in sodium. If your reason for buying electrolytes is to replace sodium, this is not that product. If you just want a flavorful zero-sugar mix with some potassium and magnesium, it is inexpensive and does that well.

How we ranked

• Milligrams, from the panel. Sodium, potassium, and magnesium per serving, taken straight off the label. Sodium is weighted most because it is the mineral these products differ on -- and the one people most often buy them for.
• Sugar, stated plainly. Zero-sugar and glucose-driven formulas serve different purposes; we flag which is which rather than treating sugar as automatically bad.
• Cost per serving. Straightforward -- the going per-stick price.
• Third-party testing. Noted where it exists. Only Nuun Sport carries an Informed Sport mark; the rest rely on full label disclosure, which we note as such.

We do not tell you how much sodium to consume. That number depends on your body, your activity, your medications, and your medical history -- confirm it with your clinician, especially if you manage blood pressure or kidney function.

Which one, by need

• Maximum sodium, zero sugar: LMNT, or Redmond Re-Lyte for the same idea at a lower price.
• Actual rehydration (illness, heavy sweat): Liquid I.V. or DripDrop, where the sugar is doing a job.
• Everyday, budget, or drug-tested: Nuun Sport.
• Low-sodium flavor with zero sugar: Ultima -- just know what it is not.

For the cost side in more depth, our electrolyte cost-per-serving showdown puts the whole category on one price axis, and hydration basics explains what these minerals actually do without the marketing.

Reading a sodium number for your own day

The milligram counts above are label facts, not a prescription. How much sodium a given person needs varies with sweat rate, heat, how hard they are moving, and -- importantly -- their medications and medical history. A 1,000 mg stick that makes sense for someone sweating through a summer workout is a very different proposition for someone managing blood pressure. A mix is a top-up to what food already provides, not a target to chase.

So use the table the way we do: to compare products, not to decide your intake. The intake question belongs to you and your clinician, especially if you take medication that affects blood pressure, fluid balance, or kidney function. That is not a disclaimer we are adding to be safe -- it is genuinely the part a label cannot answer.

What we left out, and why

We stuck to concentrated electrolyte mixes -- the sticks and tablets whose whole job is minerals. We left out mainstream sports drinks like the big bottled brands, because they are a different category: much lower sodium per ounce, a lot more sugar, and built for fluid volume during long efforts rather than concentrated mineral replacement. If that is what you want, it is a fine thing to want -- it is just not what this roundup is grading. We also skipped products that hide their mineral amounts inside a "proprietary hydration blend"; if a label will not tell us the milligrams, it cannot be graded by the milligram.