15 of 22 canned energy drinks have zero sugar, and caffeine runs from 80 mg to 300 mg a can

Findings

1. Twenty-one of 23 canned energy drinks print a caffeine amount, from 80 mg to 300 mg a can, one replaces caffeine with paraxanthine, and one prints no amount.
2. Caffeine runs from 7.5 to 18.75 mg per fluid ounce, a median of 12.5 mg.
3. Fifteen of the 22 drinks that show sugar have none, and 6 of the 7 that contain sugar use organic cane sugar or syrup.
4. A can costs $1.80 to $3.33, a median of $2.50 across 23 drinks.
5. One hundred milligrams of caffeine costs $0.83 to $3.24, a median of $1.30 across 21 drinks.
6. Three drinks carry NSF Certified for Sport, and 5 show no Nutrition Facts panel on the brand's own product page.
7. Nine calm and relaxation drinks cost $2.50 to $5.00 a can, and 4 of them state a caffeine amount or say they are caffeine free.

How to read these numbers. Each brand is represented by one flagship can, and the flavor we read is recorded in our notes. Caffeine and sugar are the amounts printed per can. Prices are list prices before coupons, from the brand's own store where it sells cans and from a retailer where it does not. This bulletin describes labels and prices, not what the drinks do, and names no brand.

Caffeine per can

None (uses paraxanthine)1 drinks

Under 100 mg2 drinks

100 to 149 mg5 drinks

150 to 199 mg5 drinks

200 mg6 drinks

300 mg3 drinks

Source: each brand's product page, label image or FAQ, read on 25 September 2026. One flagship can per brand. Counts are in caffeine-per-can.csv.

Can size explains part of the spread. Twelve of the 23 drinks come in 12 oz cans, 8 in 16 oz cans, 2 in 15.5 oz cans and 1 in an 8.4 oz can. The three drinks at 300 mg all come in 16 oz cans, and the two under 100 mg include the only 8.4 oz can. Per fluid ounce, caffeine runs from 7.5 mg to 18.75 mg, a median of 12.5 mg.

One drink prints no caffeine amount anywhere on its page or label, and another gives its amount only in an FAQ and a page description. One replaces caffeine with 300 mg of paraxanthine.

Sugar

Sugar splits the category in two. Fifteen of the 22 drinks that show sugar have none and sweeten with zero-calorie sweeteners. The 7 that contain sugar have between 5 g and 30 g a can, and 6 of them use organic cane sugar or organic syrup. One brand shows no sugar figure on its product page.

Price

Under $2.002 drinks

$2.00 to $2.497 drinks

$2.50 to $2.9911 drinks

$3.00 or more3 drinks

Source: each brand's own store, or a named retailer for brands that sell no cans themselves, read on 25 September 2026. Smallest multipack list price divided by cans, before coupons. Counts are in price-per-can.csv.

A can costs $1.80 to $3.33, a median of $2.50. Measured by caffeine, the spread is wider: 100 mg of caffeine costs from $0.83 to $3.24, a median of $1.30, because the cheapest caffeine comes in large 16 oz cans and the most expensive in smaller cans with less caffeine. Nine of the 23 brands sell no cans on their own site, so their prices come from a retailer.

Labels and certification

Three of the 23 drinks carry NSF Certified for Sport. Five brands show no Nutrition Facts panel on their own product page, so a buyer reading the brand's site cannot see the full label before buying.

Calm and relaxation drinks

Nine calm and relaxation drinks, sold on ingredients such as L-theanine, magnesium, ashwagandha and adaptogenic mushrooms, cost $2.50 to $5.00 a can across the 7 sold by the can, a median of $3.17. Only 4 of the 9 state a caffeine amount or say they are caffeine free.

Method

Sources. Each brand's product page, label or Nutrition Facts image and FAQ, read on 25 September 2026. Prices come from the brand's own store, or from a retailer for brands that sell no cans themselves.

Sample. Sixteen energy drink brands from a starting list and 8 more found through web searches on 25 September 2026 ("clean energy drink brands 2026", "natural caffeine energy drink can", "loaded tea in a can", "nootropic energy drink"). One brand sells only powder packets, so it is left out of the per-can figures, which leaves 23 canned drinks. Five calm drink brands from a starting list and 4 more from three more searches make up the calm table.

Definitions.

• The flagship can is the brand's best-selling or first-listed can on its own site.
• Price per can is the list price of the smallest multipack divided by its cans, before coupons and subscriptions.
• Price per 100 mg of caffeine is the price per can divided by the caffeine per can, times 100, for drinks that use caffeine.
• Sugar is the total sugars printed on the label.

Names. This bulletin reports totals and names no brand.

Known limits. One flavor per brand. Prices change often, and retailer prices can come from third-party sellers.

Data

Each CSV holds the counts behind one table or exhibit. Brand-level records are not published.

• Caffeine per can CSV, 6 rows, 0.1 KBCanned energy drinks by caffeine per can, including one that uses paraxanthine in place of caffeine.
• Sugar CSV, 4 rows, 0.1 KBCanned energy drinks with zero sugar, with sugar, sweetened with organic cane sugar or syrup, and without sugar shown on the brand page.
• Price per can by band CSV, 4 rows, 0.1 KBCanned energy drinks by price per can in US dollars.
• Price summary CSV, 2 rows, 0.1 KBLowest, median and highest price per can and per 100 mg of caffeine, in US dollars, with the number of drinks behind each.
• Labels, certification and price sources CSV, 5 rows, 0.3 KBDrinks certified by NSF Certified for Sport, without a Nutrition Facts panel on the brand page, without a caffeine amount, with caffeine only off the label, and priced from a retailer.
• Calm and relaxation drinks CSV, 6 rows, 0.2 KBCalm and relaxation drinks checked, how many state a caffeine amount, and the lowest, median and highest price per can.