By Sebastian Madlangbayan, founder of Cleonse: the world's cleanest 3-ingredient organic electrolyte.
Short answer: neither one wins outright, because they're built for different jobs. Nectar Hydration is a zero-sugar, zero-calorie, low-sodium daily sip with added potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Cleonse is a real-sugar, high-sodium training fuel. If you're avoiding sugar, pick Nectar. If you're sweating hard and want carbohydrate and sodium, pick Cleonse.
I'm Sebastian Madlangbayan. I played competitive tennis, won a state title, and spent years cramping in the back half of long matches because I never got my hydration right. I built Cleonse because I couldn't find a mix that gave me the two things that actually kept me from falling apart in the third set: enough sodium, and real fuel. So this isn't a hit piece on Nectar. It's an honest look at two good products that solve two different problems.
The one-sentence version of each product
Nectar Hydration is an ORS-style, sugar-free electrolyte packet. Small serving, four electrolytes, sweetened with stevia, zero calories. It's designed for people who want to stay topped up without adding any sugar or calories to their day.
Cleonse is three ingredients: organic lemon or organic strawberry powder, organic cane sugar, and French grey sea salt. That's it. One stick delivers 500mg of sodium plus 24g of sugar as glucose fuel. It's designed for the days you're actually sweating and working.
Those are different jobs. Keep that in mind through the whole comparison, because most of the "which is better" arguments online ignore it.
The numbers, side by side
Here's what's actually on the labels. Nectar's figures are per 3.4g packet; Cleonse's are per 30g stick mixed into 16 oz (473 ml) of water.
| Per serving | Cleonse | Nectar Hydration |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 500mg | 100mg |
| Potassium | None added | 250mg |
| Magnesium | None added | 50mg |
| Calcium | None added | 75mg |
| Chloride | From sea salt | 150mg |
| Sugar | 24g | 0g |
| Calories | 100 | 0 |
| Sweetener | Organic cane sugar | Organic stevia leaf extract |
| Ingredient count | 3 | 7 |
| Price (30-pack) | $66 | Varies |
Read that table honestly and you'll see the tradeoff immediately. Cleonse brings five times the sodium and real carbohydrate. Nectar brings a broader electrolyte spread and no sugar or calories at all.
Where Nectar is genuinely the better pick
I'm not going to pretend Cleonse beats Nectar on everything. It doesn't, and saying otherwise would be an insult to your intelligence.
If you're avoiding sugar and calories
Nectar is zero-sugar and zero-calorie. If you're keto, fasting, cutting, or just don't want to spend 100 calories on a drink, that's a real advantage and Cleonse can't match it. We use 24g of real cane sugar on purpose, which means every stick is 100 calories. For some people, that's a dealbreaker, and it should be.
If you want potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the mix
Nectar adds potassium (250mg), magnesium (50mg), and calcium (75mg). Cleonse does not add any of those. We get 85+ trace minerals from French grey sea salt, but they're present in trace amounts, and I won't dress that up as if it's the same thing as a dosed 250mg of potassium. If broader electrolyte coverage from a single packet is what you're after, Nectar delivers it and Cleonse doesn't.
If you want a light, everyday sip
For a desk day, a light walk, or just drinking something with a little flavor, Nectar's small serving and low sodium make more sense. You don't need 500mg of sodium to get through a Tuesday at a computer. That's not what it's for.
Where Cleonse earns its place
Now the other side. Here's what Cleonse does that Nectar deliberately doesn't.
Five times the sodium for real sweat
Sodium is the electrolyte you lose most of when you sweat, and it's the one most tied to cramping and that hollowed-out, wrung-dry feeling late in a session. Cleonse has 500mg per stick. Nectar has 100mg. That's a five-to-one difference, and it matters enormously once you're genuinely sweating for an hour or more.
Nectar calls itself low-sodium, and that's accurate and fine for its purpose. But if you're a two-a-day athlete, a hot-climate worker, or someone who ends practice with salt crusted on your shirt, 100mg isn't going to cut it. That's the exact gap I kept falling into on the court.
Real cane sugar as training fuel
This is the part people get wrong about Cleonse. The sugar isn't an accident or a shortcut. It's the point.
When you're training hard, your body wants carbohydrate for fuel. On top of that, glucose actually helps drive sodium and water absorption, which is the whole idea behind oral rehydration. So the 24g of cane sugar is doing two jobs: fueling the work, and helping your body take up the sodium and water. Nectar has zero sugar by design, which is great for a daily sip and useless as fuel for a hard session. Different jobs again.
No stevia, and just three ingredients
Cleonse has no stevia, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavors, no dyes, no preservatives, no gums, no fillers, and no anti-caking agents. Three ingredients, all organic or naturally sourced: fruit powder, cane sugar, sea salt.
Nectar is a well-formulated product, but it uses stevia and runs seven ingredients including citrates and acids. Neither approach is wrong. Some people love stevia; some people can taste it a mile away and can't stand it. If you're in the second camp, or you just want the shortest possible ingredient list, that's a real reason to reach for Cleonse. If you want to understand what a short label actually buys you, I wrote about what the cleanest electrolyte actually means.
So which one should you actually buy?
Here's how I'd sort it if you were standing in front of me.
Buy Nectar if
- You're keto, fasting, or actively avoiding sugar and calories.
- You want potassium, magnesium, and calcium in one packet.
- You mostly want a light, flavored daily sip and aren't sweating buckets.
Buy Cleonse if
- You're training hard or working in the heat and sweating for real.
- You want serious sodium (500mg) to fight cramps and late-session fade.
- You want carbohydrate fuel, not just electrolytes.
- You want the shortest, cleanest ingredient list and no stevia.
Plenty of people could reasonably keep both: Nectar for rest days and light days, Cleonse for the hard sessions. I'm not going to pretend you have to marry one and divorce the other. Use the tool that fits the day.
A note on honesty
I could have written this whole thing to make Cleonse look like it wins every category. It doesn't, and you'd see through that instantly. Nectar is zero-sugar, adds three electrolytes we don't, and has more potassium. Those are true and I'm not going to bury them.
What I will stand behind is that Cleonse does one thing extremely well: it delivers real sodium and real fuel for the days you're actually working, with nothing in the bag you can't pronounce. If that's the problem you have, it's the best answer I know how to make. If it's not, buy the other thing with a clear conscience. You can read the full Cleonse facts if you want every number spelled out.
If you've been cramping through the back half of your sessions the way I used to, or you just want an electrolyte with three ingredients and enough sodium to matter, give the Cleonse electrolyte drink mix a try. It comes in Organic Lemonade, Organic Strawberry, and a Duo Assortment. One-time packs run $33, $66, and $110 for 10, 30, and 60 sticks, with free shipping and a 30-day guarantee, so there's no real risk in finding out whether it fixes the problem for you the way it did for me. Head to cleonse.com whenever you're ready.
Try The World's Cleanest Electrolyte™
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Shop CleonseFrequently Asked Questions
Is Cleonse or Nectar better for keto and fasting?
Nectar, clearly. It has zero sugar and zero calories, so it won't break a fast or add carbs to a keto day. Cleonse has 24g of sugar and 100 calories per stick because it's built as training fuel, which is the opposite of what you want during a fast.
Why does Cleonse use sugar when Nectar doesn't?
Because Cleonse is meant to fuel hard training, not to be a zero-calorie daily sip. Your body wants carbohydrate when you're working, and glucose also helps drive sodium and water absorption. Nectar leaves sugar out on purpose to stay zero-calorie. Two different goals.
Does Cleonse have potassium and magnesium like Nectar?
No, and I won't pretend otherwise. Cleonse doesn't add potassium or magnesium. Nectar adds 250mg potassium, 50mg magnesium, and 75mg calcium. Cleonse gets 85+ trace minerals from French grey sea salt, but those are in trace amounts, not dosed levels. If you specifically want added potassium and magnesium, Nectar is the pick.
How much sodium is in each one?
Cleonse has 500mg of sodium per stick. Nectar has 100mg per packet. That five-to-one difference is the main reason Cleonse suits heavy-sweat training and Nectar suits lighter, everyday hydration.
Can I use both Cleonse and Nectar?
Sure. A lot of people would do well using Nectar on rest and low-exertion days and Cleonse on hard training days. They solve different problems, so there's no reason to treat it as either-or.
What are the ingredients in Cleonse?
Three: organic lemon or organic strawberry powder, organic cane sugar, and French grey sea salt. No stevia, no artificial sweeteners or flavors, no dyes, preservatives, gums, fillers, or anti-caking agents. It's vegan and gluten-free.
Editor's note: Nectar Hydration's label figures (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, calories, sugar, ingredients, and stevia sweetener) were verified against Nectar Hydration's official product information at drinknectar.co and a third-party dietitian review at letsliveitup.com. Cleonse figures are from our own label. Nothing here is medical advice; Cleonse supports hydration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition.