The amount of fuel you go through during a training cycle can really add up. Between long runs, workouts, and race day itself, those gels start disappearing pretty quickly. So we started asking ourselves, which sports nutrition has the best price per carb?
When it comes to fueling your runs, the price on the package doesn’t tell the whole story. What really matters is how much fuel you’re getting for that price (and taste, let’s not pretend it doesn’t matter!!).
That’s where price per carb comes in.
Instead of just comparing products by cost, we’re breaking down how much you’re paying for the actual energy your body uses during a run. And once you look at it this way, the results are way more useful to really see if you want the $2 gel or the $4 gel.
Some of the “expensive” options aren’t as overpriced as they seem. And some budget-friendly picks? Not quite the deal you’d expect.
So if you want to fuel your training smarter (and maybe save a little money along the way), here’s how the most popular gels, chews, and drink mixes stack up.
Cheapest Energy Gel?
Let’s find out what energy gel, chew or hydration option has the best price per carb! And as always a reminder that we recommend mixing up your fuel sources for the best absorption and to prevent GI issues.
If you’re about to start a training cycle and stocking up on nutrition, you’re in the right place.
Below, we’ve grouped some of the most popular gels into low, moderate, and high-carb options, along with the cost per serving, so you can see how they compare.
To help compare apples to apples we used 30 grams of carbs per serving as the standard. Obviously gels containing less than 30 grams would require using more than 1 to get to that serving. However, using this measurement allows you to compare pricing better across ALL gels.
👉The cheapest energy gel after doing the math: Carbs Fuel 50
Now if you want to see how things like fruit snacks or pretzels stack up on cost, we also broke that down in cheap marathon fuel.
Low Carb
Low-carb gels contain around 20-26 grams of carbs per serving.
They’re usually a good starting point if you’re still figuring out your fueling strategy, if you’re using a combination of different gels or getting your carbs through your hydration.
While you may be fueling more frequently because of the lower carb count per serving, it will still give you the energy boost you need.
Here’s a comparison of a few low-carb energy gels, including their cost per serving and per 30 grams of carbs. 
- Grams of carbs per serving: 20g
- Cost per serving: $1.60
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.40
- Grams of carbs per serving: 22g
- Cost per serving: $2.00
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.73
- Grams of carbs per serving: 26g
- Cost per serving: $2.49
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.87
Nduranz Gel 22.5
- Grams of carbs per serving: 22.5g
- Cost per serving: $2.33
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.11
- Grams of carbs per serving: 24g
- Cost per serving: $2.50
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.13
- Grams of carbs per serving: 24g
- Cost per serving: $2.50
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.13
- Grams of carbs per serving: 22g
- Cost per serving: $2.33
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.18
- Grams of carbs per serving: 23g
- Cost per serving: $2.66
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.47
- Grams of carbs per serving: 20g
- Cost per serving: $2.49
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.74
32Gi Sports Gel
- Grams of carbs per serving: 21g
- Cost per serving: $3.09
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.41
- Grams of carbs per serving: 19g
- Cost per serving: $2.75
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.34
- Grams of carbs per serving: 25g
- Cost per serving: $3.75
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.50
- Grams of carbs per serving: 25g
- Cost per serving: $4.00
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.80
- Grams of carbs per serving: 19g
- Cost per serving: $3.16
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.99
Moderate Carb
Moderate carb energy gels tend to land right around 30 grams of carbs, which many runners consider the fueling sweet spot.
Runners will aim to take one of these gels every 30 minutes to hit that goal of at least 60 grams of carbs an hour.
Here’s a comparison of a few moderate-carb energy gels, including their cost per serving and per 30 grams of carbs. 
Crank e-Gel Endurance
- Grams of carbs per serving: 37g
- Cost per serving: $2.83
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.29
Marchon Endurance Fuel
- Grams of carbs per serving: 30g
- Cost per serving: $2.21
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.21
- Grams of carbs per serving: 29g
- Cost per serving: $2.21
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.90
STYRKR Gel 30
- Grams of carbs per serving: 30g
- Cost per serving: $2.92
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.92
- Grams of carbs per serving: 30g
- Cost per serving: $2.91
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.91
- Grams of carbs per serving: 30g
- Cost per serving: $3.12
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.12
- Grams of carbs per serving: 30g
- Cost per serving: $3.50
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.50
Hive Energy
- Grams of carbs per serving: 28g
- Cost per serving: $3.99
- Cost per 30 grams: $4.28
High Carb
High-carb energy gels have become more popular as runners aim for high-carb intake during longer races, where the goal is anywhere from 60-90 grams of carbs per hour or more. If a gel contains more carbs per serving, that means fewer packets to carry, and your pockets aren’t exploding.
But remember that consuming that many carbs while running can take some trial and error.
Your gut needs time to adapt, so it’s important to practice fueling training rather than trying something new on race day.
Slowly increasing your carb intake over time can help your GI system handle higher amounts without needing to find a restroom asap.
Here’s a comparison of a few high-carb energy gels, including their cost per serving and per 30 grams of carbs.
- Grams of carbs per serving: 50g
- Cost per serving: $2.00
- Cost per 30 grams: $1.20
Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuel
- Grams of carbs per serving: 50g
- Cost per serving: $2.75
- Cost per 30 grams: $1.65
- Grams of carbs per serving: 50g
- Cost per serving: $2.99
- Cost per 30 grams: $1.79
Nduranz Nrg 45
- Grams of carbs per serving: 45g
- Cost per serving: $2.94
- Cost per 30 grams: $1.96
- Grams of carbs per serving: 90g
- Cost per serving: $6.70
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.23
- Grams of carbs per serving: 45g
- Cost per serving: $3.49
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.33
Enervit Carb Gel 2:1
- Grams of carbs per serving: 40g
- Cost per serving: $3.48
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.61
- Grams of carbs per serving: 40g
- Cost per serving: $3.66
- Cost per 30 grams: $2.75
- Grams of carbs per serving: 40g
- Cost per serving: $7.05
- Cost per 30 grams: $3.44
There are still so many other fueling options out there; this is just a handful of the more common ones. All prices per serving here were taken from the brand’s website.
Some of these gels are available on websites like Amazon, Fuel Goods or from the brand itself. Keep an eye out for promotions around popular race weekends and dates like Global Running Day where there’s often deals.
Fueling Reminders
We couldn’t give you a bunch of gel prices without the reminder that the goal for most endurance athletes is to reach 60grams of carbs per hour during events over 90 minutes.
It doesn’t matter what your pace is; this applies to all runners running longer distances like the marathon. The longer you’re out there running, the more fuel your body needs to keep pumping with energy.
Just like you practice your goal pace throughout a training cycle, it’s important to practice your fueling too. This helps your body get used to taking in my carbohydrates, especially if you’re pushing the pace.
If you skip fueling during training and then try to take in 60+ grams of carbs per hour on race day, your stomach might not be very happy about it.
Take your time easing into it. Use your training runs to figure out what works best for your body, and hopefully, with the list below, what works best for your wallet, too.
We hope this list gave you an idea of which sports nutrition products have the best price per carb. We were definitely surprised by some of these on the list!
Looking for what to read next?
- 13 Best Running Gels: From Taste to Ingredients
- Is Sugar Bad for Runners? What You Need to Know from a Registered Dietitian
- Decoding Your Running Gel: What Those Labels Really Mean
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Carbs Fuel also makes a 25g version of their gel, which retails for $1.50
great reminder! there are tons of options for a lot of brands, so we tried to just pick some for easy comparison.