What Is The Best-Selling Energy Drink In The US?

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If you've walked into a grocery store or gas station looking for a cold beverage, you might have noticed that the energy drink section is quite robust. There are cans of every color, promising everything from hours of focus to fat-burning properties. Despite the multitude of choices, some energy drinks are better than others, and have the sales to prove it. One of the first energy drinks to launch in the United States is currently the country's top-selling one: Red Bull.

According to data from Caffeine Informer, Red Bull brought in $7.279 billion in sales in 2023 in the United States – and that's just one country. Globally, Bloomberg reported that Red Bull sold nearly 14 billion cans, resulting in annual sales of $14.3 billion in 2025. Although Red Bull is a best-seller in the U.S., it's actually an Austrian company that took inspiration from an existing Thai energy drink. It entered the U.S. market in 1997, and since then, loyal customers have been getting a boost from the energy drink's powerful combo of caffeine, sugar, and taurine, an amino acid that supports the nervous system and hydration.

Aside from having a solid product, part of its marketing strategy is built around Red Bull Racing. Through the brand's association with extreme sports and major athlete sponsorships, it has created an identity as something beyond just a beverage. If a four-time world champion Formula 1 driver like Max Verstappen is drinking Red Bull, that may influence your decision the next time you're standing in the energy drink aisle.

Red Bull has plenty of competition, but does any brand come anywhere close to matching its sales? The second best-selling drink in the United States is Monster, which raked in annual sales of $5.464 billion in 2023, according to Caffeine Informer. This aligns with a Statista report that shows Red Bull and Monster are the most popular energy drinks in the country, based on survey results from January 2025. Around 40% of respondents selected either Red Bull or Monster, while roughly 20% chose Rockstar Energy or Celsius.

Red Bull remains at the top for now, but there are some facts about Monster Energy that could make it a more attractive option for consumers. Monster cans are larger and cheaper — a 15-pack of 16-ounce Monster Energy Drinks costs $29.99 on Amazon, while a 12-pack of 8.4-ounce Red Bull cans costs $22.74. Based on these numbers, Monster works out to be about $0.12 cents per fluid ounce, and Red Bull is almost double that at $0.23 cents per ounce. While Red Bull commits to limited flavor releases for each season, Monster has built out a more extensive, permanent flavor lineup. Its varieties span from juice-based blends to coffee hybrids. In a ranking of 40 popular Monster Energy flavors, the fruit-forward cans took many of the top spots.