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Informed Sport
Informed Choice
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Electrolyte sachets are one of the easiest supplements to buy badly. The tubs and sticks all look the same on the shelf, the flavour names do the selling, and the two numbers that actually change your experience, sodium per serve and price per serve, are usually the last things anyone looks at.
This is the buying guide, not the leaderboard. If you want our picks ranked, read best electrolyte sachets NZ. If you want to understand what you are comparing so you can pick for yourself, keep reading.
The short answer
- Compare sodium per serve, not per 100 g. Scoop and stick sizes differ a lot, so per 100 g figures are close to useless when you are choosing.
- Decide on sugar first. Sugar free is fine for gym sessions and hot days. Carbohydrate earns its place on long endurance work.
- Work out price per serve. Divide the price by the serve count in the product title, which runs from 15 to 45 serves across what we stock.
- Sticks cost more per serve than tubs, and that is often worth it if the alternative is not drinking anything at all.
What actually matters
Sodium per serve
Sodium is the mineral you lose most of in sweat, and it is the one that separates a real electrolyte from flavoured water. Products differ enormously here, from token amounts to figures built for long hot sessions.
The trap is the comparison itself. One brand lists a 3.5 g stick, another lists a 9 g scoop, so the per 100 g numbers on the back of the pack are not comparing the same drink. Always drag the figure back to one serve as you actually make it. Two examples from the labels we stock: Pillar Performance Electrolyte Hydration lists 400 mg of sodium in a 7 g serve, and Basic Supplements Hydration lists 600 mg of sodium per serve. Check the panel on each product page rather than the front of the tub.
If you want the background on why sodium sits at the front of this list, our team wrote it up in sodium for hydration.
Sugar, or none
This is a preference, not a moral question. A sugar free sachet gives you fluid, flavour and minerals with nothing else in the glass, which suits gym training, walking, office days and anyone watching total intake. Carbohydrate in the mix gives you fuel alongside the minerals, which is useful when the session is long rather than hard.
The other half of it is taste. Sugar free formulas lean on sweeteners, and people are genuinely split on how those land. Buy one flavour before you buy three. We compared both sides in sugar vs sugar free electrolytes. Carbohydrate and sugar figures vary by product, so read the panel on the page you are buying from before you commit to a tub.
Price per serve
Sticker price tells you almost nothing. Across our electrolytes range, prices sit between $39.25 and $63.95 as at 7 September 2026, and serve counts run from 15 to 45. The cheapest tub on the page is not automatically the cheapest drink.
Do the division. Price divided by serves in the title gives you the number that matters, and it is often the more expensive looking tub that wins. If a tub lasts you six weeks instead of two, that is the comparison, not the checkout total.
Format: tub, stick or chew
A tub with a scoop is the cheapest way to drink electrolytes at home. Sticks are pre measured and travel in a pocket, which matters more than most people admit, because the sachet you have with you is the one you actually use. Gummies skip the drink entirely, which suits people who will not carry another bottle.
What we stock
Our electrolytes collection holds 13 products from six brands: Pillar Performance, Ryse, Ghost, GAT Sport, Basic Supplements and Swoleys. Here is how they group by the things above.
Big tubs, most serves per dollar. Ghost Hydration Lemon Crush and Ghost Hydration Kiwi Strawberry are 360 g tubs at 40 serves. GAT Sport Nitraflex Hydration Lemon Lime and Blue Raspberry are 270 g at 45 serves, the highest serve count of any powder we carry. If you drink electrolytes most days, start in this group.
Sticks for the gym bag and the car. Pillar Performance Electrolyte Hydration Sticks in Citrus and Passionfruit are 210 g boxes at 30 serves. Same formula, no scoop, no guessing. Pillar also does the tub version in Citrus and Passionfruit at 105 g and 15 serves, which is the sensible way to try a flavour before committing.
Smaller tubs to test a flavour. Ryse Core Hydration Pink Splash and Kool Aid Grape are 104 g at 16 serves. Basic Supplements Hydration in Watermelon and Pineapple Burst are 100 g at 20 serves.
No drink required. Swoleys Electrolyte Gummies Lemon Surge is 45 serves of chews, which is the one to look at if bottles and shakers keep getting left at home.
| If you want | Go for |
|---|---|
| The lowest cost per serve | A 40 or 45 serve tub, Ghost or GAT Sport |
| Something you will actually carry | Pillar Performance sticks, 30 serves |
| To test a flavour first | A 15 to 20 serve tub, Pillar, Ryse or Basic Supplements |
| Minerals without a drink | Swoleys Electrolyte Gummies |
| A specific sodium target | Check the label figure on each product page |
Where NZ Supps fits
We are a Kiwi owned store in Palmerston North, and the whole range sits in one place at electrolytes, so you can open two product pages side by side and compare the panels properly. If you have already settled on a brand, the shortcuts are Pillar Performance electrolytes, Ghost electrolytes and Ryse electrolytes.
Shipping is free NZ wide over $70, which one tub plus one other item usually clears.
Still choosing? Our ranked picks are in best electrolyte sachets NZ, the sugar question is settled in sugar vs sugar free electrolytes, and the mineral itself is covered in sodium for hydration.
FAQ
How do I work out the price per serve of an electrolyte sachet? Take the price on the product page and divide it by the serve count in the product title. A 40 serve tub at the same price as a 16 serve tub is far cheaper per drink, even though the sticker price looks bigger.
Are sticks or tubs better value in New Zealand? Tubs are usually cheaper per serve because you are not paying for individual wrappers. Sticks win when you train away from home, because a pre measured stick in your gym bag is far more likely to get used than a scoop you forgot.
Do I need a sugar free electrolyte? It depends on the session. Sugar free suits gym work, walking and hot days at your desk where you only want fluid and minerals. Some sugar can help on long endurance sessions where you also want carbohydrate.
How much sodium should an electrolyte serve have? There is no single right number, and it varies with how long and how hot the session is and how salty your sweat is. Check the sodium figure on the label of each product page and compare like for like on one serve, not one scoop of a different size.
What electrolyte brands does NZ Supps stock? Our electrolytes collection has 13 products across Pillar Performance, Ryse, Ghost, GAT Sport, Basic Supplements and Swoleys. Prices run from $39.25 to $63.95 as at 7 September 2026, and NZ shipping is free over $70.
Compare the sachet options in this guide with our current electrolytes NZ range. Read the mineral entries, serving size and mixing directions for your chosen product before picking a pack for your routine.
