Which energy drink has the most caffeine?

Bang has the most caffeine of the mainstream energy drinks, at 300 mg in a 16 oz can. Behind it, a big group clusters at 200 mg (Celsius, Prime Energy, Alani Nu, C4, and a regular 5-Hour Energy shot), with Monster at 160 mg and Red Bull lowest at 80 mg. But can size hides the real story, so here's how 8 brands compare both per can and per ounce.

Ranked by caffeine per can

Ranked by strength per ounce (the honest comparison)

A 5-Hour Energy shot is tiny, so its 200 mg is extremely concentrated. A 12 oz Celsius delivers the same 200 mg in six times the liquid. Per ounce tells you how hard it hits per sip.

The short answer

• Most caffeine in one can: Bang, 300 mg (16 oz).
• Most concentrated: a 5-Hour Energy shot, ~104 mg per ounce, because it's so small.
• The 200 mg cluster: Celsius, Prime Energy, Alani Nu, C4, and a regular 5-Hour Energy all land at 200 mg. That's two coffees in one drink.
• Lower end: Monster (160 mg) and Red Bull (80 mg).
• Zero caffeine, often confused: Prime Hydration (the sports-drink bottle) has none. Only Prime Energy is caffeinated.

Most healthy adults are advised to stay under ~400 mg of caffeine a day. A single Bang is three-quarters of that, and any of the 200 mg drinks is half, before you count coffee. Add up your real daily total in the free Caffeine Calculator.

It is not just caffeine: sugar and ingredients

The caffeine is only half the story. The biggest difference between these drinks day to day is sugar, and it splits the field cleanly in two.

A 16 oz Monster has around 54 g of sugar, which is more than a day's worth of added sugar in a single can. Red Bull's regular 8.4 oz can has about 27 g. The newer brands (Celsius, Prime, Alani Nu, C4, Bang) are sugar-free and use sucralose instead, which is why they have become the default for daily drinkers. Most of these also carry taurine and added B vitamins, which the labels lean on in their marketing, though the evidence that those add much for a healthy adult is thin. If you are drinking one every day, the sugar and the sweetener type matter as much as the caffeine.

How one can compares to coffee

The easiest way to picture these numbers is in cups of coffee.

• A regular 8 oz coffee is roughly 95 mg.
• So a 300 mg Bang is about three coffees in one can.
• Any of the 200 mg drinks (Celsius, Prime, Alani Nu, C4) is about two coffees.
• A 160 mg Monster is a bit under two.
• An 80 mg Red Bull is roughly one coffee.

The difference is you tend to sip a coffee over an hour, while a cold energy drink goes down in minutes, so the same caffeine hits harder and faster.

Is that too much?

The FDA's general guide for healthy adults is about 400 mg a day. Any drink in the 200 mg cluster uses half of that on its own, and a 300 mg Bang uses three-quarters, so one can plus a couple of coffees can put you over. Pregnant people and teens have lower limits. See how much caffeine is too much for the full breakdown by group. People who are sensitive, pregnant, under 18, or managing a heart condition should be especially careful with the 200 mg and up drinks, and should talk to a doctor. See how much caffeine is too much for limits by group.

How we source these numbers

These figures come from each brand's can labels and published product information where available. Brands change recipes, sizes and flavors often, so treat every number as approximate and check the label on the can in your hand.

Full caffeine details by brand

• Bang caffeine
• Celsius caffeine
• Prime Energy caffeine
• Alani Nu caffeine
• C4 Energy caffeine
• 5-Hour Energy caffeine
• Monster caffeine
• Red Bull caffeine