Powerade Sports Price and Guide 2021

Introduction of Powerade Sports

Powerade entered the sports drink market in 1988 as a direct competitor to the wildly popular Gatorade. It just so happens that the Powerade versus Gatorade rivalry has been heightened by the inherent competition between their parent companies.

Gatorade started on its own, was purchased by Quaker Oats in 1988, and then finally ended up in the PepsiCo family around 2000. Powerade was created by Coca Cola in 1988 and the “ade” battle has been raging on ever since.

In fact, Powerade made quite a splash right out of the gate. Coca Cola managed a significant marketing win by obtaining rights to make Powerade the “Official Sports Drink of the Olympics”. This rocketed Powerade into a favorably competitive position alongside the already popular Gatorade.

Coca Cola has taken Powerade through several expansions and iterations. In 2001, a fortified version of the drink was created. It contained the vitamins B3, B6, and B12, all of which are said to be essential in appropriate energy use. A new bottle style was created shortly thereafter to appeal to a sporty crowd.

In 2002, Powerade introduced the Powerade Option line as a response to Gatorade’s Proper water. In 2007, Powerade Zero made its debut (essentially eliminating Option from relevance) as a zero calorie, zero carbs, and zero sugar option.

In 2009, Coca Cola purchased Glaceau, the company that owned Vitamin Water and Smart Water. Powerade has since been placed under the Glaceau umbrella with all the brands being a part of the Coca Cola family.

Powerade Sports Prices

The sports drink niche is fairly tight nit. Really, brands like Powerade and Gatorade have dominated the market for so long that it makes it impossible for smaller brands to break into the game.

Thus, these two brands can essentially set their price without much impact from other competition outside of each other. Powerade is frequently compared to products like energy drinks or flavored water, which is basically unreasonable.

It is clearly beneficial to compare the two major brands against each other while throwing in a similar product for a broader look at the market.

Powerade vs Gatorade

While Powerade and Gatorade are fiercely competitive with each other, they are virtually twins. Powerade often releases more unique flavors while Gatorade tends to keep things fairly even keel.

The biggest difference is the Powerade Zero line, which offers an option featuring zero calories, zero sugar, and zero carbs. Gatorade offers a lower sugar option with its G2 series but it does contain sugar, calories, and carbs. Powerade Zero often costs more than G2.

Powerade and Gatorade bottles are often found close to each other on the shelves. What will you see when you compare the Powerade vs Gatorade price? The Powerade will likely be slightly less expensive, depending on where you live.

Powerade vs Vitamin Water

Vitamin Water and Powerade are both made by Glaceau, a Coca Cola subsidiary. Vitamin Water is a flavored water product and does not technically fall into the sports drink category. Perhaps due to its similar packaging or familiar taste, Vitamin Water often finds itself being compared to Powerade.

Powerade is recommended for athletes who need to quickly replenish lost water from sweating. Alternatively, Vitamin Water is a drink intended for anyone who wants a break from imbibing in plain water.

Vitamin Water is generally less expensive than Powerade.

Powerade vs Energy Drinks

While Powerade contains B vitamins frequently found in energy drinks, the similarities stop there. Energy drinks are designed purely for the purpose of making the consumer feel more energized, alert, or awake. Sports drinks have a primary goal of hydration and replacing electrolytes.

Energy drinks are often more complex with a myriad of ingredients that range from common to exotic. Thus, almost any energy drink you compare Powerade with will be more expensive.

Common Powerade Sports Prices List

Powerade Ingredients

It may surprise you to look at a sports drink and see such a higher number under the sodium. However, this is all part of the electrolyte replacement required by athletes who sweat profusely during workouts.

The high calorie and carbohydrate counts are produced by the sugar content in sports drinks used to make them palatable. Hence, Powerade Zero has no sugar and uses alternative sweeteners.

What else is in your highlighter-colored Powerade bottle? Here is the rundown of Powerade ingredients:

Powerade and Gatorade continue their battle for the ages. The drinks are comparable in almost every way and the choice typically comes down to personal preference or a preferred brand.