6 Caffeine-Free Sodas To Buy, And 3 To Avoid

I don't frequent the soda aisle very often. But when I absentmindedly peruse the beverage section, I can't help but feel in awe of all the options there are to choose from. There's truly something for everyone, whether you prefer a full-sugar or a diet soda, crave something fruity, need a mixer for your favorite cocktail, or want something caffeine-free. The latter is why we are gathered here today. It's difficult to tell that many sodas are caffeine-free unless there is a glaringly obvious claim on the label — as there is on several Coke products. If you don't drink caffeine, you may need to read between the lines a little to find a soda that appeals to your taste buds, but also your dietary preferences. 

To discover which are the best (and worst) caffeine-free sodas on the market, and make the selection process easier for you, I took to tasting as many of them as I could find between my local Walmart, gas station, and supermarket. The caffeine-free sodas included on this list represent the best of the best — and the worst of the worst. I selected my favorites based on an enjoyable sipping experience, balanced flavor, and dialed-back sweetness, while the ones I wouldn't recommend weren't very tasty or appealing to my palate. 

I, like many others, have fond memories of sipping on Schweppes ginger ale as a kid when I was feeling under the weather. I'm not sure it actually did anything to make me feel better, but what kid doesn't want an excuse to sip on a cold can of soda before 10 a.m.? Drinking it now feels exactly like it did when I first tried it all those years ago. It's one of the best ginger ale brands out there because of its refreshingly dialed-back flavor. 

If you prefer an easy sipper that's mild-tasting, effervescent, and perfect for cooling down on a hot day or when your tummy is upset, Schweppes is the brand to buy. That said, if you're accustomed to sipping on very punchy and powerful ginger beers, this may not be for you. 

I prefer drinking Schweppes over its Dr Pepper-owned counterpart, Canada Dry (which is also caffeine-free). I tend not to gravitate toward overly sweet sodas, and this is what drew me to Schweppes over its competitor. The ginger flavor is much more prominent in the Schweppes can compared to the bottle, though it's still not so heavy that it would be perceived as "spicy." All in all, it's a great soda that would be just as excellent sipped solo as it would be used as a mixer. 

I'm a diet soda (and, really, diet beverage) hound, so I have had one too many run-ins with caffeine-free Diet Coke over the years. Diet Coke, specifically, is like kryptonite for me. I only drink it when it's around, but when it is, I can slam back a couple of cans without thinking twice. But there's something very different about the caffeine-free version of this popular Coca-Cola flavor that turns me off. 

While Diet Coke's flavor is very mild and not as diet-soda-esque as other beverages I've tried, the caffeine-free version dials up the bitterness to the max. Its flavor is very heavy on the palate and also mingles with that aspartame-y aftertaste that makes each sip wincingly unpleasant. Another element that I really dislike is its lack of effervescence. I expected to sip on a soda that was bubbly and light, but all I got from this one was a syrupy aftertaste and a lack of bubbles. All I could think about when I took a swig of it from the fridge was "meh." There's nothing notable about its mouthfeel or flavor, and I don't know why anyone would drink it when there are far better caffeine-free alternatives out there. Moreover, it's so decidedly un-Diet Coke-like that I can't say I would ever buy it again.  

Fact: Any soda sold in a glass bottle is better than one that comes in a can or a plastic bottle. But IBC has more going for it than just its choice of packaging. This brand won out on our list of the top root beer brands, and for good reason. This root beer is made with cane sugar and none of the high-fructose corn syrup that graces seemingly every other soda option on shelves these days. The real sugar gives this root beer a clean, crisp taste — like the anisey equivalent of Mexican Coke. Its flavor is also wildly complex, complete with notes of wintergreen, licorice, and vanilla. 

Another big draw to this brand is its mouthfeel. While some of the "avoid" sodas on this list didn't have a ton of effervescence, IBC's root beer was almost frothy and creamy in the mouth. It was like a wave of bubbles that danced on my tongue, accompanied by an almost cream soda-like rush. It was nothing short of heavenly.

The nice thing about IBC's root beer is that it's not very sweet. It is a soda (and sweet by proxy), but it offers more than just a cloying flavor. It's a great summer sipper and one that would pair well with chocolate cake, salty potato chips, or my personal favorite, a scoop of vanilla ice cream. While it can't be found in gas stations like some of the other brands on this list, if you have a hankering for root beer, IBC is worth seeking out at your local grocery store or country store. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with classic Coke, but I totally understand why someone would want to grab a caffeine-free version of it to sip on later in the day. But if you are all about classic Coke, I can't say you're going to love the caffeine-free version of it. 

I also can't really say whether caffeine-free Diet Coke or regular Coke is worse; I tend to oscillate depending on the day. What I can tell you, though, is that the caffeine-free regular Coke just doesn't taste like the classic Coke I've come to know and love. It's very flat and very one-note — there's nothing to save it from the syrupy flavor. While the drink isn't made with artificial sweeteners like the diet version, I was surprised to find that my palate was overrun by an even more pronounced bitterness. Instead of the juicy, tangy flavor of regular Coke, I was met with licorice and aniseed notes that were off-putting, rather than light on the palate. I wish that this soda wasn't branded as "Coke," because its flavor wasn't at all what I expected, nor is it in line with the classic flavor of the original soda.  

I always forget how good lemon-lime soda is until I get a bottle of it in my hand, take a sip, and relish its sweet, slightly citrusy flavor. It's a really good class of sodas, and Sprite leads the pack. It only seemed natural to include another Coca-Cola-branded product on this list, seeing as the brand floundered with its caffeine-free Coke products. Sprite is caffeine-free, easy to find in grocery stores and gas stations, and has a lot going for it as far as flavor. It consistently ranks among the top lemon-lime soda brands, beating out not only its major competitor, 7Up, but also craft soda brands. I guess the mantra here is "don't mess with a good thing." 

Sprite is syrupy and thick in the best way possible. The effervescence is very obvious, which it is not for Coke's other offerings, and it helps distract from the obvious high-fructose corn syrup mouthfeel. The lemon and lime are present, but they're not very bright, nor do they distract from the syrupy flavor. It's soda, not lemonade or limeade, so I can't blame Coca-Cola for ditching the juice for more of an extract approach when it comes to these flavors. 

Sprite is by no means a health drink, and if you don't like drinking sweet syrup with a hint of citrus, it may not be the soda for you. But I think we all can agree that this is one of the most refreshing soda options out there — caffeine-free or not. 

Poppi is, obviously, the elephant in the room. Every other soda on this list is something you'd sip on a road trip, with a greasy pizza, or mix with some elixir to create college flashback-inducing jungle juice. Poppi, on the other hand, is something you'd find in a health foods aisle at a grocery store. It walks the line between decidedly not a soda and something that was fair game for this ranking because of the way it markets itself — and its lemon-lime flavor does not contain caffeine. Some of Poppi's other flavors do contain caffeine, though, so just make sure you're reading the label before buying (though, spoiler alert: There are very few flavors that are worth tasting). 

The lemon-lime flavor is definitely not one I would touch again with a 10-foot pole. Granted, in this ranking, I went from sipping a bottle of sweet and effervescent Sprite to this soda. The lemon and lime notes are there, so I will give Poppi some credit, but it lacks that refreshing quality of a can of Sprite, 7Up, or one of its lemon-lime-adjacent competitors. It also has a strange aftertaste — which may have something to do with its inclusion of cassava root fiber. The mouthfeel was also heavier than other sodas I've tried over the years. Comparison is the thief of joy, but I don't really think this "soda" counts as a "soda," which is why I wouldn't recommend buying it. It's like a mislabeled, juicy lemon seltzer. 

I'll be honest, orange soda is not my ideal beverage. It's fluorescent, meet-me-at-the-deer-stand color, and synthetic flavor is so far away from anything authentically "orange." But if I, for some reason, have a craving for an orange soda, Crush is going to be the brand that I buy. I don't think that Crush's flavor is nearly as synthetic as Sunkist, which tastes like a bottle of orange extract served with a simple syrup chaser. Crush offers orange notes at the forefront, then just enough sugar to carry through the sip and convince you that it is indeed soda. 

There's no denying that there's no actual juice in this soda (if there is, I can't taste it), and Crush has also removed the pulp that used to grace its cans and bottles. But, in terms of artificial flavor, Crush orange is definitely on the less offensive side of the spectrum, making it a more appealing option than other orange soda brands. Like the grape Crush, it balances the effervescence and the syrup well, making for a satisfying sipper that even folks who don't love orange soda can appreciate. 

Mug root beer was my family's root beer of choice growing up. My dad stocked it in the fridge because it didn't have caffeine, was relatively affordable, and was readily available at local stores. And, even after trying it some 15 years later, I was immediately taken back to Friday night pizza dinners sitting on the floor of the living room with a cold Mug root beer in hand. There's something deeply nostalgic about the flavor of this root beer for me, and while I don't like it as much as IBC's, it's still a great option if you need to get your soda fix. 

The one thing I will say about Mug is that it's not particularly fizzy or frothy like IBC's root beer. Instead, the flavor hangs on your palate like a weighted blanket. It's not as peppy and effervescent as Sprite or a lemon-lime soda, but I don't think root beer necessarily has to be all fresh-tasting and bubbly because of how robust its profile is. The primary notes that I could decipher were sarsaparilla, cinnamon, and vanilla. It's sweeter than IBC's, but the licorice undertones that hit the back of my throat helped balance out its flavor. Overall, it's a really enjoyable and balanced soda that I could see myself sipping on several different occasions — pizza night among them. 

I will admit that I'm not the biggest grape soda fan. But, even I can assure you that Crush Grape is the crème de la crème of fruit-flavored beverages. Whether you like sipping it straight from the bottle or prefer to enjoy a purple cow instead of a root beer float, this is the caffeine-free grape soda you'll want to stock up on. 

From the minute I cracked open the bottle, I knew that it was going to be a good grape soda. I could smell it from a mile away. It was clearly a strong brew, and its flavor was very assertive. The effervescence and the syrup are well-matched here. They never compete with each other — rather, they work together to deliver a fruity yet refreshing soda that anyone with a sweet tooth can appreciate. It almost has the flavor of a Jolly Rancher candy or lollipop, along with a citrusy, bright background to go with it. Other grape sodas I've had over the years fail to achieve this perfect balance. They either don't have enough bubbles to balance out the syrup — making the drink taste medicinal — or they taste too weakly of grape to classify as a "grape soda." Crush Grape is nostalgic, fun, and a tasty way to switch up your usual soda routine. I wouldn't have any other brand of it. 

While I'm not the biggest soda hound (aside from Diet Cokes), I was able to assemble this list of the best and worst caffeine-free sodas by tasting each one cold — straight from the fridge — and assessing its overall flavor and enjoyability.

Soda, while sweet, should not be overly cloying, nor should it make you feel like you're bouncing off the walls after you take three sips. Many of the sodas on my "buy" list have an intentional flavor that can be paired with a variety of foods, sipped straight from the can or bottle, or used in a mixed beverage, while the lowest-ranked ones were not very enjoyable or easy to drink. I also compared each of the sodas to its respective competitors, including other fruit-flavored sodas, colas, and root beers I've had over the years. My favorite sodas in this roundup could appeal to a wide variety of drinkers, whether you sip on soda every day or once in a blue moon.