Posted by Team Tune
on July 04, 2026
Let's be upfront: we make one of the products in this table. You should read everything below knowing that, and you should check every number against the current labels yourself. What we promise is that the numbers are real, pulled from published labels, and that we will tell you when a competitor is the better pick for a specific person. Several times in this article, one is.
One more framing note before the table. Most products here answer a narrow question: how do I replace sweat? We think the better question is what a daily stick should do for your whole baseline: electrolytes, trace minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, together, with the cofactors that make each other work. Read the table with both questions in mind.
The full table
| Per serving | Sodium | Potassium | Magnesium | Sugar | Vitamins | Trace minerals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tune Current | 500 mg | 330 mg | 220 mg (3 forms) | 0 g | C, D3, 6 B vitamins | 75+ |
| LMNT | 1,000 mg | 200 mg | 60 mg | 0 g | none | none |
| Liquid I.V. | 500 mg | 370 mg | 0 mg | 11 g | C + 4 B (synthetic) | none |
| Gatorade (20 oz) | 270 mg | 80 mg | 0 mg | 34 g | none | none |
| Nuun Sport | 300 mg | 150 mg | 25 mg (oxide) | 1 g | none | none |
| Ultima | 55 mg | 250 mg | 100 mg | 0 g | C 100 mg | small blend |
| DripDrop | ~330 mg | ~185 mg | ~39 mg | 7 g | small C | none |
| Trace ZeroLyte | 1,000 mg | 500 mg | 80 mg | 0 g | none | 100 mg blend |
All values from published labels at time of writing and vary by flavor and format. Formulas change. Check current labels.
What the table actually shows
Three patterns jump out.
Pattern one: sugar is how half the category moves water. Gatorade, Liquid I.V., and DripDrop all rely on glucose co-transport. Legitimate science, real sugar cost: 7 to 34 g per serving, every serving.
Pattern two: magnesium is systematically underdosed. The mineral Americans most commonly miss appears at 0 to 100 mg across the category, a spread we charted in The Magnesium Gap. Only two products treat it as a headline: Magna (210 mg) and Current (220 mg). Everyone else treats it as a garnish.
Pattern three: almost nobody builds a foundation. Vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants, and the cofactor relationships between them (B6 moving magnesium into cells, magnesium activating vitamin D, vitamin C supporting chromium) barely appear on these labels. The category defines itself as "replace sweat" and stops. Which is fine, if replacing sweat is your only gap. For most people it is not.
Picks by person
Heavy sweater, long sessions, keto: LMNT. The 1,000 mg sodium dose is built for you. Take your magnesium separately.
Acutely dehydrated, sick, or hungover: DripDrop. It is closest to a medical oral rehydration solution, and that is the right tool for that day.
Want a fizzy tablet for the gym bag: Nuun. Lightest doses in the table, best portability.
Replacing diet soda, not sweat: Ultima. Clean flavor, minimal sodium, zero sugar.
Maximum raw electrolyte dose, zero sugar: Trace ZeroLyte, at 1,000 mg sodium and 500 mg potassium per stick.
Want one stick that is a complete daily foundation, not just hydration: this is the exact job Tune Current was built for: 500 mg sodium, 330 mg potassium, 220 mg magnesium from three forms, 500 mg vitamin C, vitamin D3, six bioactive B vitamins, 75+ trace minerals, and VitAlign antioxidants, formulated together so the cofactors are in the same glass as the minerals they activate. Zero sugar.
How to read any electrolyte label in 30 seconds
- Sodium: under 100 mg means it is flavored water; over 800 mg is for serious sweat sessions.
- Magnesium: under 100 mg will not move your daily intake. Check the form; oxide is cheap and poorly absorbed.
- Sugar: anything above 0 g is a choice you should be making on purpose.
- Everything else: vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants, and their cofactors. Most labels stop before this line. That is where a foundation lives.
FAQ
What is the best electrolyte powder for daily use?
For a daily foundation, prioritize zero sugar, meaningful magnesium (150 mg+), moderate sodium, and full vitamin, trace mineral, and antioxidant coverage. Very few products check all the boxes.
Do electrolyte powders need sugar to work?
No. Glucose speeds absorption during acute dehydration, but for everyday hydration, electrolytes and water do the job without it.
Which electrolyte powder has the most magnesium?
Among major brands, Tune Current at 220 mg and Magna at 210 mg lead the category. Most others carry 0 to 100 mg.
Current is a dietary supplement. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
