Which Energy Pack Gives Athletes the Most Fuel for Their Money?
Which Energy Gel Gives Athletes the Most Fuel for Their Money?
Energy gels can look inexpensive when you compare only the price printed beside each packet. But packet prices do not tell the entire story.
One product might cost $2 and provide 23 grams of carbohydrates. Another might cost $3.48 but provide 52 grams—more than twice as much actual fuel.
To make an honest comparison, we evaluated several popular endurance fuels using three measurements:
- Price per packet
- Price per net-weight ounce
- Price per 25 grams of carbohydrates
That final measurement matters most because approximately 25 grams is a typical carbohydrate serving among running and endurance gels.
The products compared
Our comparison included:
- Bonz Beach Farms Pure Maple Energy Shots
- UnTapped Pure Maple
- GU Original Energy Gel
- Honey Stinger Energy Gel
- Endurance Tap
- Maurten Gel 100
- Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100
Prices were observed on August 26, 2026, and may change. Shipping, subscriptions, taxes and temporary promotions are not included.
Energy-gel price comparison
| Product | Net weight | Carbs per packet | Price per packet | Price per ounce | Price per 25 g carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonz Beach Farms Maple Shots—100-pack | 2.7 oz | 52 g | $2.00 | $0.74 | $0.96 |
| Honey Stinger | 1.30 oz | 24 g | $1.95 | $1.50 | $2.03 |
| GU Original | Approx. 1.10 oz | Approx. 23 g | $2.00 | $1.82 | $2.17 |
| Bonz Beach Farms Maple Shots—single shot | 2.7 oz | 52 g | $3.48 | $1.29 | $1.67 |
| UnTapped Pure Maple | 1.41 oz | 26 g | $2.49 | $1.77 | $2.39 |
| Endurance Tap | 1.34 oz | Approx. 25 g | $3.00 | $2.24 | $3.00 |
| Maurten Gel 100 | Approx. 1.40 oz | 25 g | $4.00 | $2.86 | $4.00 |
| Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100 | Approx. 1.40 oz | 25 g | $4.80 | $3.43 | $4.80 |
Why the Bonz Beach shot appears more expensive—but isn’t
A single Bonz Beach Maple Energy Shot costs $3.48. At first glance, that looks more expensive than a $2 GU or $1.95 Honey Stinger gel.
The difference is serving size.
Most conventional gels contain approximately 22–26 grams of carbohydrates. One Bonz Beach shot contains approximately 52 grams.
That means one Bonz Beach shot contains roughly the carbohydrate fuel of two conventional energy gels.
When the products are normalized to 25 grams of carbohydrates, the value becomes much clearer:
| Product | Cost for approximately 25 g of carbs |
|---|---|
| Bonz Beach Farms Maple Shots—100-pack | $0.96 |
| Bonz Beach Farms Maple Shots—single shot | $1.67 |
| Honey Stinger | $2.03 |
| GU Original | $2.17 |
| UnTapped Pure Maple | $2.39 |
| Endurance Tap | $3.00 |
| Maurten Gel 100 | $4.00 |
| Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100 | $4.80 |
Even at the full $3.48 single-shot price, Bonz Beach provides a lower cost per 25 grams of carbohydrates than every competing product in this comparison.
The 100-pack changes the economics completely
A 100-pack of Bonz Beach Maple Energy Shots costs $199.98.
That equals:
- Approximately $2 per shot
- Approximately $0.74 per net-weight ounce
- Approximately $0.96 per 25 grams of carbohydrates
- Approximately $0.04 per gram of carbohydrates
For teams, coaches, endurance athletes, race organizers and frequent users, this is where the value becomes especially compelling.
At the 100-pack price, one 52-gram-carbohydrate Bonz Beach shot costs approximately the same as one 23-gram GU packet—but provides more than twice the carbohydrates.
Pure maple against pure maple
The closest direct comparison is UnTapped Pure Maple because both products use pure maple syrup as athletic fuel.
| Measurement | Bonz Beach single | UnTapped |
|---|---|---|
| Price per packet | $3.48 | $2.49 |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g | 26 g |
| Price per ounce | $1.29 | $1.77 |
| Price per 25 g carbs | $1.67 | $2.39 |
| Ingredients | Pure maple syrup | Pure maple syrup |
UnTapped has the lower initial packet price, but its packet contains approximately half as many carbohydrates.
Bonz Beach delivers the stronger value per ounce and per standardized amount of carbohydrate fuel.
A note about the Bonz Beach shot size
Each Bonz Beach shot contains 2 fluid ounces of maple syrup. Because maple syrup is denser than water, those two fluid ounces weigh approximately 2.7 ounces.
The 2.7-ounce net weight is therefore used when calculating price per ounce. This creates an accurate comparison with energy gels that list their package sizes by weight.
The value leaderboard
The final value score gives equal weight to:
- Price per packet
- Price per net-weight ounce
- Price per 25 grams of carbohydrates
- This leaderboard measures economic fuel value—not flavor, caffeine, electrolytes or proprietary delivery technology.
| Rank | Product | Value score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maple Shots—100-pack | 99.2 |
| 2 | Honey Stinger | 65.6 |
| 3 | GU Original | 60.8 |
| 4 | Maple Shots—single shot | 57.0 |
| 5 | UnTapped Pure Maple | 53.5 |
| 6 | Endurance Tap | 43.4 |
| 7 | Maurten Gel 100 | 32.9 |
| 8 | Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100 | 27.4 |
The bottom line
Bonz Beach Farms Maple Energy Shots are not the smallest packets in the comparison—and that is precisely the point.
Each shot delivers:
- 2 fluid ounces of pure maple syrup
- Approximately 2.7 ounces by weight
- Approximately 52 grams of carbohydrates
- Approximately 200 calories
- Roughly two conventional gel-sized servings
- One ingredient: pure maple syrup
At $3.48 individually, Bonz Beach already beats the competing products on cost per 25 grams of carbohydrates.
At $199.98 for 100 shots, Bonz Beach becomes the decisive value leader—delivering approximately 25 grams of pure maple carbohydrates for less than $1.
More fuel. One ingredient. Pure Michigan maple syrup.
[Shop Bonz Beach Farms Maple Energy Shots]
Pricing and product information reflect publicly available listings reviewed on August 26, 2026. Prices, formulas and package sizes may change. Athletes should practice their fueling strategy during training and consume concentrated carbohydrates according to their individual needs and tolerance.