Energy gels compared: carbs, caffeine and sodium in 25 gels (2026)

Energy gels are not interchangeable. In the 25 gels below, one packet holds anywhere from 21 g to 50 g of carbohydrate (90 g in a multi-serve pouch), from 0 to 100 mg of caffeine, and from 0 to about 200 mg of sodium. That changes how many you need and how often you take them. We took every number from the brand’s own product page or label.

Energy gel comparison table: 25 gels

Values are per gel, for the flavor named. Flavors of the same gel can differ, especially in caffeine and sodium, so check the label of the exact flavor you buy. Brands change recipes, so treat this as a shortlist, not a final word.

• * EU labels list salt, not sodium. We converted with sodium = salt divided by 2.5. A label that says 0 g salt is shown as 0.
• Precision Fuel gels: the label has no sodium line, and the brand says these gels contain no electrolytes, so sodium is shown as 0.
• Caffeine options: several gels come in other caffeinated flavors. SiS GO + Caffeine Double Espresso has 150 mg, TORQ caffeinated flavors have 89 mg, and the Enervit C2:1PRO Caffeine version has 100 mg.
• Salted versions: the Enervit C2:1PRO Sodium version has 200 mg of sodium, and the 226ERS Salty Strawberry and Peanut Honey flavors have 250 mg.
• Ratios such as 2:1 or 1:0.8 are glucose (or maltodextrin) to fructose, as the brand publishes them. No ratio means the brand does not publish one.
• Not listed: Clif Shot gels. They are no longer sold on the Clif Bar website.

The rest of this guide covers the decisions in order: whether you need gels at all, how to read a gel label, how to pick from the table, when to take your first gel, how many you need per distance, and how to train your stomach so the plan survives race pace.

Do you need energy gels?

For runs under about 75 minutes, most runners gain little from mid-run fuel; stored glycogen and a sensible pre-run meal cover the work. Beyond that point, carbohydrate intake during the run measurably protects pace and decision-making. The consensus guidance from World Athletics places common race intakes at 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour, with trained runners able to work up to 90 g per hour for events beyond two and a half hours.

Nothing about that guidance requires gels specifically. Chews, sports drink, and real food can deliver the same carbohydrate. Gels win on practicality: they are light, dense, easy to open at pace, and easy to count. If gels reliably upset your stomach even after practice, read our guide on moving between gels and real food rather than forcing them.

How to read a gel label

• Carbohydrate grams: the only number your fueling math runs on. A "gel" can be 20 g or 40 g; two products with the same size packet can differ by a factor of two.
• Carbohydrate sources: blends of glucose (or maltodextrin) and fructose absorb faster at high hourly intakes than glucose alone. This matters mostly above 60 g per hour.
• Caffeine: 0 to 100 mg in most gels, and up to 150 mg or more in a few strong flavors. Useful, but it must be counted across the whole race and rehearsed in training.
• Sodium: most gels carry little, under about 125 mg, and some carry none. A few salted gels carry about 200 mg. For most runners, gels are not a full sodium plan on their own.
• Water needs: standard gels are concentrated and are designed to be taken with water. Isotonic gels can be taken without, at the cost of a bulkier packet per gram of carbohydrate.

How to pick a gel from the table

• Start with carbs per gel. A 22 to 25 g gel suits runners who like small, frequent doses. A 30 g gel makes hourly math easy. A 40 to 50 g gel means fewer packets for high targets.
• Above about 60 g of carbs per hour, choose a gel that mixes glucose or maltodextrin with fructose (the ratio column). Maltodextrin-only gels work well at lower intakes.
• Pick caffeine on purpose. Mix plain and caffeinated gels so your race total matches what you practiced.
• Check sodium only if you are a salty sweater or racing in heat. Most gels carry little, so plan sodium from drinks or capsules if you need more.
• Isotonic gels such as SiS GO Isotonic can be taken without water, but carry fewer carbs per gram of packet.

Notice how much the carbohydrate column matters. A runner targeting 60 g per hour needs roughly three 22 g gels per hour, two 30 g gels, or three 25 g gels. Pick the packet size first, then the flavor. Most fueling mistakes we see are runners counting packets while assuming every packet is the same dose.

When to take energy gels

Fuel by time, not distance. A 9-minute-per-mile runner and a 12-minute-per-mile runner pass the same mile markers at very different clock times, and the gut absorbs carbohydrate by the minute, not the mile.

• First gel: within 30 to 45 minutes of starting, before you feel any fade. Waiting until you feel empty creates a debt you cannot repay mid-race.
• Repeat: every 25 to 35 minutes, sized so the hour adds up to your practiced target.
• With water: a few good mouthfuls per standard gel, ideally at an aid station so the gel and the water arrive together.
• Last gel: up to about 30 minutes before the finish. Later than that, it will not be absorbed in time to help.
• Caffeine: if you use caffeinated gels, many runners hold them for the second half, when the mental lift is worth the most. Keep the total dose to what you have rehearsed.

How many gels per distance?

A 3:30 marathoner targeting 60 g per hour needs about 210 g of carbohydrate, which is seven 30 g gels or eight to nine smaller ones, minus whatever the course drink reliably contributes. For the full arithmetic by finish time, see our dedicated guides on how many gels a marathon and a half marathon actually take, linked at the end of this article.

Train your gut before you trust it

The most common gel complaint is stomach trouble, and the evidence is clear that the gut adapts to carbohydrate intake during exercise when it is trained like everything else. Sports-nutrition research on training the gut shows that practicing race-level intakes in training improves tolerance and absorption within a few weeks.

• Start at the low end, around 30 g per hour, on one long run per week.
• Add roughly 10 g per hour every one to two weeks until you reach your race target.
• Practice at race effort at least twice: absorption that works at easy pace can fail at threshold.
• Lock in your exact race products for the final three to four weeks. No new gels on race day, including anything handed out at the expo.
• If symptoms persist at modest intakes, adjust one variable at a time: concentration, caffeine, timing relative to water, or the product itself.

Common gel mistakes

• Taking the first gel too late, then trying to catch up with two at once.
• Counting packets instead of grams, so the plan silently undershoots the target.
• Stacking a gel on top of a full serving of course sports drink and overwhelming the stomach.
• Racing with a caffeine total you never practiced.
• Carrying exactly the number of gels you need, with no backup for a dropped or burst packet.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. 1Nutrition for Athletics: 2019 IAAF Consensus StatementWorld AthleticsHourly carbohydrate ranges and race fueling guidance
2. 2Training the Gut for AthletesSports Medicine (Jeukendrup, 2017)Evidence that carbohydrate tolerance and absorption improve with practice
3. 3Carbohydrates for Training and CompetitionJournal of Sports Sciences (Burke et al., 2011)Glucose-fructose blends and intakes above 60 g per hour
4. 4Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and ACSM: Nutrition and Athletic PerformanceMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (Thomas et al., 2016)During-exercise carbohydrate and caffeine guidance
5. 5Maurten Gel 100, Gel 100 CAF 100 and Gel 160 product pages and labelsMaurtenBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
6. 6SiS GO Isotonic, GO + Caffeine, Beta Fuel and GO + Electrolyte gel pagesScience in SportBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
7. 7GU Energy Gel and Roctane Energy Gel nutrition labelsGU Energy LabsBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
8. 8PF 30, PF 30 Caffeine and PF 90 gel pagesPrecision Fuel & HydrationBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
9. 9C30 and C30+ Caffeine energy gel pagesNeversecondBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
10. 10PowerGel Original product pagePowerBarBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
11. 11Awesome Sauce product pageSpring EnergyBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
12. 12Original Chia Energy Gel flavors and labelHumaBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
13. 13Carbo Gel C2:1PRO product pageEnervitBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
14. 14High Energy Gel product page and label226ERSBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
15. 15TORQ Energy Gel flavors and nutritionTORQBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
16. 16Energy Gel nutrition tablesHigh5Brand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
17. 17GEL30 Dual-Carb Energy GelStyrkrBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
18. 18Primo natural energy gelVeloforteBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026
19. 19Gold Classic Energy Gel labelHoney StingerBrand label data used in the comparison table, checked October 2026