By Sebastian Madlangbayan, founder of Cleonse: the world's cleanest 3-ingredient organic electrolyte.
Most people leave LMNT for one of three reasons: the stevia aftertaste, 1,000mg of sodium being more salt than they want, or wanting carbohydrate to fuel training. The best alternative depends on which one is yours. Below, six options ranked by actual ingredient labels — including ours, and where it loses.
Full disclosure before you read another word: I founded Cleonse, which is #1 on this list. So treat the ranking as a starting point and the ingredient panels as the truth. Every label below was verified against current public sources in July 2026, and I've listed who each product is wrong for as well as right for.
First: why are you leaving LMNT?
LMNT is a good product. Six ingredients, no dyes, no fillers, 1,000mg sodium. It's one of the cleanest labels in the category, and if it's working for you, you don't need this article.
People switch for specific reasons, and the right alternative is different for each:
| Your reason | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Stevia aftertaste | A product with no high-intensity sweetener at all |
| Too salty / 1,000mg is too much | 250–600mg sodium |
| Want fuel for training | Real carbohydrate, not zero-sugar |
| Want organic | Certified organic ingredients, not just "natural" |
| Want dosed potassium & magnesium | Isolated mineral salts on the panel |
| Cost | Cost per stick, honestly compared |
Find your row. Then read the pick that matches.
1. Cleonse — best overall for ingredient simplicity and training fuel
Ingredients (3): Organic Lemon or Strawberry Powder, Organic Cane Sugar, French Grey Sea Salt Per 30g stick: 500mg sodium, 85+ trace minerals, 100 calories, 26g carbohydrate, 24g sugar Sweetener: Organic cane sugar. No stevia, no monk fruit, no artificial sweeteners. Flavors: Organic Lemonade, Organic Strawberry, Duo Assortment (10-pack = 5 + 5) Price: $33 / $66 / $110 for 10 / 30 / 60. Subscribe & Save 10% → $29 / $59 / $99 + free glass bottle. Free shipping on all orders, 30-day guarantee.
Three ingredients is the shortest list in this category that still delivers real sodium. Nothing on the panel is an anti-caking agent, a dye, a gum, a filler, or a sweetener — organic fruit for flavor and color, organic cane sugar for fuel, French grey sea salt for 500mg of sodium plus the 85+ trace minerals that survive in unrefined, hand-harvested salt.
It solves the two most common LMNT complaints directly. No stevia means no lingering aftertaste at the bottom of the bottle. 500mg instead of 1,000mg means it tastes like a sports drink rather than a salt solution — you're not adapting to it over a week.
And it's the only pick here that treats sugar as a feature. During sustained exercise carbohydrate is your fuel, and sodium and glucose are absorbed together — the mechanism every "rapid hydration" claim in this category rests on. 24g of organic cane sugar per stick is fuel, printed on the front, not hidden behind a trademark.
Best for: anyone who wants the shortest possible label, hates stevia, wants organic, or is fueling actual training. Wrong for: keto and low-carb (26g carbohydrate is a non-starter), sedentary daily sipping where you don't need the calories, extreme salt sweaters who genuinely need 1,000mg, and anyone who wants dosed potassium and magnesium — ours are trace-level only. Also: two flavors, not twenty.
2. Redmond Re-Lyte — best like-for-like swap if you want to stay zero-sugar
Ingredients: Sea Salt (Redmond Real Salt), Non-GMO Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Malate, Calcium Carbonate, plus flavor-specific natural flavors and stevia leaf extract (Rebaudioside A) Per serving (standard flavors, ~7g): 810mg sodium, 400mg potassium, 50mg magnesium, 60mg calcium, 0 calories, 0g sugar Unflavored (5g): 1,000mg sodium, 500mg potassium, 60mg magnesium Sweetener: Stevia leaf extract
Re-Lyte is the closest structural match to LMNT on this list — zero sugar, high sodium, mineral-forward. It differs in three ways that matter.
It uses Redmond Real Salt, an unrefined salt mined in Utah, rather than isolated sodium chloride. It carries more potassium (400mg vs 200mg) and adds calcium, which LMNT doesn't have. And its magnesium comes as glycinate and malate rather than malate alone.
Sodium sits at 810mg in flavored versions — high, but a step down from 1,000mg if that's your issue. The unflavored version matches LMNT at 1,000mg.
Best for: you like the LMNT model, you want more potassium and some calcium, you want unrefined salt, and stevia doesn't bother you. Wrong for: anyone leaving LMNT because of stevia — Re-Lyte uses the same sweetener. Also wrong if you want carbohydrate for training, or organic ingredients.
3. Just Ingredients — best for whole-food sourcing without sugar
Ingredients (Lemonade, 10): Organic Lemon, Citric Acid (Cassava Root), Potassium Citrate, Organic Coconut Water, Magnesium Citrate, Lemon Extract, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Citrate, Organic Stevia Leaf, Organic Monk Fruit Extract (with tapioca starch) Sweetener: Organic stevia leaf + organic monk fruit Notes:* Their Performance line runs 600mg sodium with organic coconut water; 0g added sugar across the range
Just Ingredients built its whole brand on the same premise as ours: name what's in it. Real organic lemon, organic coconut water for potassium, cassava-derived citric acid, mineral citrates for the dosed electrolytes.
Ten ingredients is more than three, but the character of those ingredients is different from a mainstream sports drink — no dyes, no anti-caking agents, no maltodextrin, and the plant inputs are certified organic. The Performance line's 600mg sodium is a sensible middle for training.
Best for: you want whole-food sourcing, you like coconut water as a potassium source, and you want zero added sugar. Wrong for: stevia-avoiders — it uses stevia and monk fruit. Also more expensive per serving than most, and the flavor range depends heavily on how you feel about coconut water.
4. Cure Hydration — best low-sodium option for everyday sipping
Ingredients (Watermelon, 9): Coconut Water Powder, Citric Acid, Pink Himalayan Salt, Sodium Citrate, Organic Natural Flavor, Organic Stevia Extract, Lemon Juice Powder, Organic Beet Powder (for color), Monk Fruit Extract Per packet: 25 calories, 6g carbohydrate, 4g total sugars (0g added), 240mg sodium, 345mg potassium Sweetener: Organic stevia extract + monk fruit
Cure is the gentlest product on this list. At 240mg sodium it's less than a quarter of LMNT's dose — which is a genuine advantage if your issue is that LMNT is simply too much salt for daily use, and a genuine limitation if you're a heavy sweater.
The formula is coconut-water-based, with pink Himalayan salt and beet powder for color instead of a synthetic dye. Notably, its 4g of sugar are naturally occurring from the fruit and coconut inputs rather than added.
Best for: everyday hydration, hot-weather sipping, hangovers, travel, people who found LMNT overwhelming. Wrong for: hard training or heavy sweating — 240mg won't cover meaningful sodium loss. Also uses both stevia and monk fruit, so it doesn't solve the aftertaste complaint.
5. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier — the widely available option, with caveats
Ingredients (15): Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Salt, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide, Stevia Leaf Extract (Rebaudioside A), Vitamin C, Natural Flavors, Vitamin B3, B5, B6, B12 Per stick: ~50 calories, ~13g carbohydrate, ~11g sugar, ~520mg sodium, ~370mg potassium Sweetener: Cane sugar + dextrose + stevia
I'm including this because it's the alternative most people actually reach for, not because it's clean. Fifteen ingredients is the longest label here. It uses two sugars and stevia. It contains silicon dioxide as an anti-caking agent, and five of its fifteen ingredients are added vitamins.
Its marketing centers on "Cellular Transport Technology," which is a trademarked name for the sodium-glucose co-transport mechanism — the same well-established principle behind oral rehydration solutions and every sports drink, including Cleonse. Sugar and salt.
What it genuinely has: availability (Costco, Target, every pharmacy), dosed potassium at ~370mg, and a real sodium level around 520mg.
Best for: you need something today, from a store, and ingredient count isn't your deciding factor. Wrong for: anyone who left LMNT for label simplicity — this is a step backward on that axis. Also wrong for stevia-avoiders.
6. LMNT itself — still the right answer for some people
Ingredients (Citrus Salt, 6): Salt (Sodium Chloride), Citric Acid, Magnesium Malate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors, Stevia Leaf Extract Per stick: 1,000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium, zero sugar
Before you switch, make sure you should.
If you're keto or low-carb, LMNT is built for exactly that and nothing on this list beats it there except Re-Lyte. If you're doing sauna protocols or you're a documented heavy salt sweater, that 1,000mg is doing real work that 500mg won't. If you use electrolytes fasted, a zero-calorie option is the correct tool.
And LMNT Raw — the unflavored version — drops both the natural flavors and the stevia, which solves the aftertaste complaint within their own lineup. It tastes like salt water, which is either fine or not depending on you.
Best for: keto, sauna, fasted use, extreme sweaters, flavor variety. Wrong for: people who want organic, people who want fewer than six ingredients, people who want fuel during training, and people who can't get past stevia in the flavored versions.
The whole list, side by side
| Product | Ingredients | Sodium | Sugar | Sweetener | Organic | Dyes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleonse | 3 | 500mg | 24g cane sugar | None added | Yes | None |
| Redmond Re-Lyte | ~8 | 810mg | 0g | Stevia | No | None |
| Just Ingredients | 10 | ~600mg (Performance) | 0g added | Stevia + monk fruit | Partial | None |
| Cure Hydration | 9 | 240mg | 4g (none added) | Stevia + monk fruit | Partial | Beet powder |
| Liquid I.V. | 15 | ~520mg | ~11g | Cane sugar + dextrose + stevia | No | None |
| LMNT | 6 | 1,000mg | 0g | Stevia (none in Raw) | No | None |
How to choose in one line
- Shortest label, no sweetener, fuel for training → Cleonse
- Same zero-sugar model, more potassium, unrefined salt → Redmond Re-Lyte
- Whole-food sourcing, coconut water base → Just Ingredients
- Much less sodium for everyday use → Cure Hydration
- Available in any store tonight → Liquid I.V.
- Keto, sauna, or extreme sweat → stay on LMNT (or try LMNT Raw for no stevia)
If you're switching specifically because of the stevia finish, note that only two products on this list contain no high-intensity sweetener at all: Cleonse and LMNT Raw. Everything else uses stevia, monk fruit, or both.
If you want to test ours, the Duo Assortment 10-pack is five Organic Lemonade and five Organic Strawberry for $33 one-time, or $29 on Subscribe & Save with a free glass bottle. Free shipping on every order, 30-day guarantee — send it back if it isn't cleaner than what you're leaving.
Try The World's Cleanest Electrolyte™
Three ingredients. 500mg sodium. Nothing artificial. Free shipping and a 30-day guarantee.
Shop CleonseFrequently asked questions
What is the best LMNT alternative?
It depends why you're leaving. For the shortest ingredient list and no stevia, Cleonse (3 organic ingredients, 500mg sodium, real cane sugar as fuel). For the same zero-sugar high-sodium model with more potassium, Redmond Re-Lyte. For much lower sodium for daily sipping, Cure Hydration. For availability in any store, Liquid I.V.
Is there an electrolyte like LMNT but without stevia?
Two options. Cleonse uses no high-intensity sweetener at all — just organic cane sugar — and has three ingredients total. LMNT Raw, the unflavored version of LMNT itself, also contains no stevia, though it has no flavor either. Redmond Re-Lyte, Just Ingredients, Cure, and Liquid I.V. all contain stevia.
Is there an LMNT alternative with less sodium?
Yes. Cleonse has 500mg per stick, roughly half of LMNT's 1,000mg. Cure Hydration is lower still at 240mg. Liquid I.V. sits around 520mg. Redmond Re-Lyte is 810mg in flavored versions, so it's only a modest reduction.
Which LMNT alternative has sugar for workouts?
Cleonse is the one built around it — 24g of organic cane sugar and 26g of carbohydrate per stick, positioned as training fuel alongside 500mg of sodium. Liquid I.V. has around 11g of sugar. Redmond Re-Lyte, Just Ingredients, and LMNT are all zero-sugar.
Is Cleonse cheaper than LMNT?
Both sit in the premium range and pricing shifts with promotions, so compare current per-stick costs directly. Cleonse is $33 / $66 / $110 for 10 / 30 / 60 sticks one-time, or $29 / $59 / $99 on Subscribe & Save with a free glass bottle. Shipping is free on all Cleonse orders.
Do any LMNT alternatives use organic ingredients?
Cleonse is fully organic on its plant inputs — certified organic fruit powder and certified organic cane sugar, plus French grey sea salt. Just Ingredients and Cure use some certified organic components. LMNT, Redmond Re-Lyte, and Liquid I.V. are not organic products.
Keep reading
- Cleonse vs LMNT: an honest comparison from the guy who makes one of them
- What is the cleanest electrolyte? A no-BS ingredient guide
- Best Liquid I.V. alternatives (2026)
Written by Sebastian Madlangbayan, founder of Cleonse and a state champion tennis player. Cleonse is my company and it appears at #1 on this list — the ingredient panels are cited so you can check the ranking against the labels yourself. Not medical advice.
Editor's note on sourcing: all competitor labels verified July 2026. LMNT ingredients and electrolyte amounts from drinklmnt.com/pages/ingredients and help.drinklmnt.com. Redmond Re-Lyte ingredients and per-serving minerals from living.redmond.com's Re-Lyte Hydration product page. Just Ingredients Lemonade Electrolytes ingredient statement from justingredients.com; the 600mg-sodium Performance line detail from Just Ingredients' Amazon listing for Performance Electrolytes Lemon Lime. Cure Hydration Watermelon ingredients and nutrition from curehydration.com. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier ingredient statement from the CVS Pharmacy published listing, with nutrition figures from the H-E-B Strawberry listing. Cleonse figures are from our own label. Formulations, flavors and pricing change without notice — read the current panel before you buy.