Liquid IV vs Drip Drop Review

About Liquid IV

Head to the Liquid IV homepage and you’ll be impressed with how many lives this brand has changed using its science-backed method of cellular transport technology.

Founded in 2012 in El Segundo, California by Brandin Cohen, the USA-made hydration powder delivers fast results by way of a potent mix of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals.

Liquid IV’s mission “is to help people everywhere live better lives,” and they’ve done that by making the world a better place, including donating more than 9 million sticks to those in need. Ideal for athletes and everyday folk, the brand offers multiple formulas for hydration, energy, immunity, and sleep.

About Drip Drop

Drip Drop came to be in 2008, the creation of Dr. Eduardo Dolhun for whom helping those in need is a big priority.

Designing his oral rehydration solution (ORS) to save the lives of severely dehydrated patients in Guatemala, Dolhun noticed that what they were currently drinking to stave off dehydration was tough to drink.

He found that the key to solving this problem was to create something that tasted good, and so you’ll find the USA-made ORS in all of your favorite flavors.

They’re served up in easy-to-tear packages with a balanced blend of electrolytes and vitamins that are loved by medical professionals, athletes, and children.

With similar missions, from afar, it appears as if these two companies offer the same type of products. So which one should you go for? Read through this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review to get the whole picture.

Ahead, I’ll take a close look at each brand’s products, pricing, customer feedback, and more, with the intent to provide a little more clarity. Before we get there though, I’ll run you through a well-rounded list of what to look for as you browse.

What To Consider

Product range

Maybe you came looking for a specific product, but maybe you want options. Considering the product range of each brand below is a smart way to find out if one suits your preferences better than the other.

Target audience

Are you an athlete? Or, perhaps you work on your feet all day. There’s a good chance you’re just simply looking for something good for yourself.

If so, you’ll notice that each of these brands’ products was created with someone specific in mind. One may have more ingredients while the other may contain lower sugar. Keep in mind who each product is designed for and figure out which category you fall into.

Mission

In the introductory section of this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I shone some light on each brand’s mission. Does one appeal to you more than the other?

Perhaps you’d rather support a brand that was founded for one reason over another. Take that into consideration when making your final decision.

Scientific benefits

In the sections below, I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of the ingredients included with each brand’s formula. If you’d rather one with greater benefits (immunity as well as hydration vs simple hydration), choose it with confidence.

Accessibility

In the Shipping & Returns section of this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I’ll tell you where you can get your hands on either of the brands’ products. Want to find it at your local Walmart or order it outside of the USA? Choose one that serves your unique needs for convenience.

In the next section of this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I’ll take you through a selection of each brand’s comparable products and see how they stack up against one another. Let’s get into it.

Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier vs Drip Drop ORS Cold Review:

Most of us are walking around dehydrated and we don’t even know it. Signs can range from fatigue to muscle cramps but can become more serious with time.

In this section of my Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I’ll be taking a look at the brand’s signature hydration solutions.

Let’s kick things off with the Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier. Offered in eight delicious flavors with others introduced seasonally, you’ll enjoy the tastes of favorites like watermelon and passion fruit.

Around the holidays, you’ll find festive options like caramel apple. Yum.

The Hydration Multiplier is a powder packaged into single-serving sticks that rip open easily. Sold in 16-serving packages, they can be delivered as part of a subscription. Get yours for $25/pack.

Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier: 

• Includes a range of B vitamins in addition to electrolytes
• Uses cellular transport technology for fast absorption
• Optimal levels of electrolytes for fast hydration
• Seasonal flavors

The Drip Drop ORS Cold is used for similar purposes, but its main draw is that it can be used as an alternative to IV therapy for mild to moderate dehydration. Developed by a doctor, you can feel safe knowing the ratio of ingredients will be spot-on for rehydration. It’s patented too.

This brand’s whole M.O was creating a product that would actually taste good. You can expect someone to drink something that tastes terrible, so flavors are key. You’ll get to pick from bold, juicy, and tropical flavors like strawberry lemonade and pineapple coconut.

Sold in packs of 16 for $19, you can choose from single-flavor or mixed-flavor varieties. Like the previous option, subscriptions are also available.

Drip Drop ORS Cold: 

• Doctor-formulated for balanced levels of electrolytes
• IV therapy alternative
• Trusted by elite athletes and medical professionals
• 11 flavors

Overall, these two products have similar missions and were created scientifically for effectiveness. I appreciate that Drip Drop is made by a doctor, but I love the extra vitamins included in Liquid IV.

Is one better than the other? It’s all about preferences. ORS Cold is simple and smart; the Hydration Multiplier is complex and flavored.

Liquid IV Sleep Multiplier vs Drip Drop ORS Hot – Decaf Green Tea Review:

Some say that being properly hydrated improves sleep, so these two brands have both developed soothing mixes to help get you ready for slumber and keep your body hydrated through the night.

The Liquid IV Sleep Multiplier comes in a blueberry lavender flavor. It’s designed to be consumed cold and uses the same technology the brand’s Hydration Multiplier uses, with a few added ingredients to help you get your zzz’s.

Using soothing melatonin and valerian root, as well as stress-busting L-Theanine, the Sleep Multiplier is an easy, natural way to fall asleep faster and wake up feeling brand new. Sold in packs of 10, you can get it for $24.

Liquid IV Sleep Multiplier: 

• Helps you sleep, no drugs required
• Includes natural ingredients to calm your mind
• Delicious flavor

With Drip Drop, I’ll be taking a look at the ORS Hot Decaf Green Tea. What I love about this mix is that it’s designed to be consumed hot. What’s better than a soothing cuppa before bed?

Using the same hydrating blend of electrolytes, this mixture uses honey powder for a hint of natural, healthy sweetness. Pick up a pack of 32 for $36.

Drip Drop ORS Hot Decaf Green Tea:

• Designed to be consumed hot
• Naturally sweetened
• More affordable than Liquid IV

When choosing between these two brands, you have a few questions to ask yourself: Hot or not? Added sleep aids or simplicity? I could see how each one of these products would appeal to a different type of person. And at the end of the day, they’re pretty different in what they can do—aside from the whole hydration thing.

Liquid IV 360 Support Bundle vs Drip Drop Bold Variety Pack (4 Flavor) Review:

Hydration is the essence of life which is exactly why these two brands were created. With that in mind, staying hydrated can be tricky, and often, water just isn’t enough. If you’re consuming a hydration solution daily, then you’re going to need quite the supply.

To help with this, both my featured brands offer bundles. In this section of my Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I’ll be checking both options out.

With the 360 Support Bundle, Liquid IV offers variety. You’ll get the Hydration Multiplier (16 ct), Energy Multiplier (14 ct), and Sleep Multiplier (10 ct). Designed to get you through your toughest of days, this beneficial bundle is $85.

Liquid IV 360 Support Bundle:

• Contains three different types of Multipliers
• Made with natural ingredients to boost energy & calm you down

Unlike Liquid IV, Drip Drop doesn’t branch out into areas outside of hydration. Its Variety Pack simply bundles together four of your favorite flavors of the ORS Cold mixes, including berry, watermelon, lemon, and orange. Grab the 32 pack for $36.

Drip Drop Variety Pack: 

• Variety of flavors
• Reliable formulas

These two products are hard to compare because what Liquid IV offers is so different. In terms of variety, I have to give it to them too, but if you’re not looking for alternate formulas to help you sleep and boost energy, the simpler Drip Drop Variety Pack will do.

Liquid IV vs Drip Drop: Ingredients

When it comes to hydration solutions, you can probably expect the ingredients of the two brands to be similar, though the amounts may differ slightly.

This section of my Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review will take a close look at the ingredients in each of the brand’s primary products, the Hydration Multiplier and the ORS Cold mix.

The Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier is a natural product with a complex blend of electrolytes, sugar, and vitamins. Using the tried and true combination of sodium, glucose, and potassium, the mix delivers fast hydration to wanting cells.

What exactly will you find in the mix? Ingredients like dextrose, vitamin C, potassium, pure cane sugar, stevia, and mined salt.

Why the salt? It turns out that sodium actually helps your body absorb water better. Go figure. Here’s a rundown of the quantities for some of the multiplier’s hard-hitters:

• Sodium: 500 mg
• Potassium: 370 mg
• Sugar: 11 g
• Calories: 45

The Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier also supplies vitamin B 3, 5, 6, and 12, along with vitamins D and C, zinc, and Beta Glucan. It’s an advanced supplement that I could see particularly useful for athletes or anyone who loses a lot of sweat throughout the day.

On the other hand, Drip Drop ORS Cold is a doctor-developed product, containing three times the electrolytes and half of the sugar of sports drinks like Powerade—and don’t worry, you won’t get any of the artificial colorings either.

Designed to treat moderate dehydration, you’ll be getting a complete mix of sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium, along with a range of sugars in the form of sucrose, fructose, sucralose, and dextrose. Let’s take a look at the quantities for some of the biggies:

ORS Cold

• Sodium 330 mg
• Potassium: 185 mg
• Magnesium: 39 mg
• Sugar: 7 g
• Calories: 35

So yes, there is sugar in ORS Cold, and there needs to be to properly rehydrate your muscles. But even though you do get just over a teaspoon of the sweet stuff here, sucrose and fructose have a low glycemic index, meaning they’re less likely to cause an insulin spike.

Non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free, it uses natural flavors and colors—and on top of that, ORS Cold is certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union.

Each brand brings something different to the table, and while both products are made in the USA, there are a lot of extra components to the Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier that may make it more beneficial for some. For others, simplicity may be the name of the game.

Liquid IV vs Drip Drop: Price & Value

An American brand that makes its products in the USA is going to have a higher value than one that outsources to countries that use cheaper labor or have unfair labor practices.

I was pleased to find that Liquid IV and Drip Drop both manufacture their products in the USA, meaning they’re starting off with high value.

To find out more, in this section of my Liquid IV score Drip Drop review, I’m going to need to do a little digging to check in on things like certifications and quality. But first, let’s take a look at a quick price comparison for their best-selling products.

The Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier is sold in packs of 16 for $24—that’s roughly $1.50/ stick. Each stick has 16 g of powder inside, and also a ton of vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes.

On the other side, Drip Drop ORS Cold offers its hydration sticks in packs of 16 for $19—that’s about $1.20/stick. Each stick has 10 g of powder and a simple mix of electrolytes and vitamin C.

I’ll get nit-picky here because, well, I’m talking about value, and since these two products offer sticks with different amounts of powder inside, it’s kind of unfair to look at them from afar. Let’s zoom in.

• Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier: $0.09/gram
• Drip Drop ORS Cold: $0.11/gram

Even though two pennies is pretty negligible, when you look at it like this, a product that appears less expensive from afar actually isn’t. With that said, I still love the smart blend of doctor-formulated ingredients inside, which brings us to the question: Does one have a higher value?

Well, since both are made in FDA-compliant facilities (apparently, the FDA doesn’t give approval for foods, drinks, and supplements), and made in the USA, the question is about ingredients.

And as you saw in the last section, Liquid IV does contain a wider spectrum of ingredients that are beneficial beyond hydration.

Liquid IV vs Drip Drop: What Do Customers Think?

I’ll be honest here, Liquid IV is the more popular brand. But that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily enjoyed more by customers. In this section, I’ll check out a range of feedback on both sides to see what’s what.

Hitting up the Liquid IV website first, I found an overall score of 4.9/5 stars and 41,394 reviews, a number that’s understandable considering it has sold more than 300 million sticks around the world. I checked out a few other sites as well to see if the score held. Here’s what I found:

• On Amazon, the Hydration Multiplier earns 4.6/5 stars from 48,487 reviews
• At Costco, the Hydration Multiplier earns 4.7/5 stars from 9,433 reviews
• On Influenster, the Hydration Multiplier earns 4.6/5 stars from 232 reviews

Ok, so yep, it certainly does. What do people like most about the brand? Keep reading this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review to find out.

• Easy to open, use, and mix
• Nice assortment of flavors
• Tastes great
• Great hydration option for seniors

The main negatives I found with the brand were in regards to the sugar content. 11 grams of sugar is a lot for some folks, but it’s a necessary ingredient for hydration—which is the #1 purpose of the product.

Swapping over to Drip Drop, the brand shows just one general rating for all of its products on its website: 4.99/5 stars from 2,998 buyers. Yes, the number of reviews is lower than its competitor, but the score speaks for itself. Let’s see what else I could dig up around the web:

• On Amazon, the ORS Hydration Powder earns 4.1/5 stars from 225 reviews
• On Influenster, the Hydration Powder, Berry earns 4.5/5 stars from 20 reviews
• On the Drip Drop Facebook page, the brand has 4.5/5 stars from 121 reviews

Alright, so some pretty consistent scores across the board here. The amount of reviews from each site is decent too, so they’re good indications of reliable feedback. After combing through websites, I compiled a list of the most common feedback which you’ll find just below:

• Provides quick, convenient hydration
• Has the right ratio of ingredients
• Hangover miracle

There aren’t many negatives for the ORS Hydration Powder, mostly matters of preference such as the type of sugars the brand uses or issues with flavor.

In the grand scheme of things, these notes aren’t too significant, especially when there are so many positive reviews about how life-changing this product has been.

As I said before, there is a clear difference in the popularity of these brands, but when looking at feedback, the type of comments are all pretty much the same.

Liquid IV vs Drip Drop: Promotions & Discounts

Hydration solutions are designed to be consumed daily, which, as you can imagine, can certainly add up—especially if you’re glugging them down multiple times per day.

I even found out that Drip Drop says its single-serving ORS can be consumed up to 16x per day for those struggling with dehydration.

Of course, that’s an extreme example but you get the idea. So with that in the back of my head, I went out in search of any juicy deals that these companies had to offer, then compiled them into a handy little list that you can use for easy reference. Here’s what I found:

Liquid IV

• Subscribe to save 10-15%
• Free shipping on all orders

Drip Drop

• Join the newsletter to get 15% off your next purchase
• Subscribe and save 25%
• Free shipping on all orders

Ok so, it’s kind of clear which company has better deals, but I did learn that Liquid IV holds a Black Friday sale. Though, when you read this, the brand may not have that offer available, it lets us know that it does hold annual sales throughout the year.

I didn’t find the same information for Drip Drop, but I did like the bigger subscription deal and the year-round offer of 15% off. In the end, both brands have different kinds of promotions that may appeal more to you depending on what time of year you shop.

Liquid IV vs Drip Drop: Shipping & Returns

If you’re going to order something online, it’s important to pay attention to a brand’s shipping and returns policies. Often, there are tiny details hiding within them that many overlook and then end up surprised when shipping takes longer than expected or they only have a short window to make a return.

To help you see what shopping with each of these two brands is like to the very core, in this section of my Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review, I’ve rounded up every last detail about their policies to see if one comes out on top.

Liquid IV

Shipping

• Two shipping options:
  • Standard (3-6 business days): free
  • Expedited (2-3 business days): $15
• Only ships within the USA
• Did not come across shipping issues reported by customers
• Available at Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Walgreens, GNC & more

Returns

• 60-day satisfaction guarantee
  • Try out their products and if you’re not happy, they’ll provide a full refund
  • Policy only applies for products purchased from its website

Drip Drop

Shipping

• Only ships within the USA
• Two shipping options:
  • Standard (5-10 business days): free
  • Overnight (1 business day): TBD
• Came across very few shipping issues reported by customers
• Available on Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, & more

Returns

• 30-day return policy
  • Items must be in new condition, unopened, in their original packaging
• 100% money-back guarantee (no time frame given)

Both brands are pretty much on par when it comes to shipping and returns, although I did notice that Liquid IV’s satisfaction guarantee is double what Drip Drop’s is.

This could certainly come in handy for those who give the product a lengthy try, though 30 days really should be all you need to decide whether or not you like it.

The brands both offer free shipping and only ship within the USA, so the big question may come down to whether you feel more comfortable with a longer return policy.

Who Will You Shop With?

You’ve read all the details, scoped the feedback, and considered the prices. Now, what do you do? Well, the intent of this Liquid IV vs Drip Drop review was to give you all the facts so that you can decide for yourself which brand aligns more with your needs and values.

At the end of the day, preferences vary, so even though one company may be more popular, you may decide that you like the idea of a formula designed by a doctor.

Or perhaps you prefer seasonal flavors over traditional ones.

Liquid IV has a larger variety of products for different purposes, but you may only be looking for simple hydration. If so, Drip Drop is a solid solution with science-backed electrolyte ratios.

If you’re looking for something that packs in the vitamins and minerals, then its competitor may do the trick.

With similar prices and feedback, both are terrific hydration options that appeal for different reasons.

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