During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 3 Sep 2026

Nrgy Gel 45 (Electrolyte-Free) 77

Item: Nrgy Gel 45 (Electrolyte-Free)
Rating: 77
Author: Lourenço Faria e Maia

4Endurance / 75 g gel / 45 g carbohydrate / $1.48

The electrolyte-free version of the Nrgy Gel 45 -- identical 45 g carbs and stated 1:0.8 ratio, but 0 mg sodium versus the standard version's 460 mg, at 3.3 cents a gram.

Nrgy Gel 45 (Electrolyte-Free) gel package

Score breakdown

Each dimension below is scored 0 to 100 against a fixed scale, not against the rest of the catalog, so adding a product never moves this number. The overall score is the average of the dimensions this product declares data for. How the scales are set →

77/100

Strong

Absorption rate ?How much carbohydrate an hour the glucose-to-fructose blend can move. Scored from the stated or derived ratio (1:0.8 tops out this scale); an Estimated ratio counts the same as a Stated one here.95

Carb density ?How much fuel one sachet carries. 90 g is the ceiling here, matching the top of the range cited for multi-transportable-carb intake.50

Value (cost/gram) ?Price of one gram of carbohydrate. Not physiological -- a market-based scale from 15 cents/g (0) to 2 cents/g (100).90

Gut comfort ?A proxy, not a taste or tolerance test: shorter ingredient lists score higher, from 15 ingredients (0) to 1 (100). Nobody has actually run these through anyone's gut for this score.71

Cost per gram of carbohydrate

3.3 cents/g

Glucose : fructose

1:0.8

Comparison

6 of 38 gels held

Prices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.

Measure	4Endurance Nrgy Gel 45 (Electrolyte-Free)	Maurten Maurten Gel 100	Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel Gel	Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel	NEVERSECOND NEVERSECOND C30 Gel	GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel
Overall scoreAn average of the various variables measured.	77	47	58	49	42	33
CarbohydrateHow much fuel one gel carries.	45 g	25 g	40 g	30 g	30 g	22 g
Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling.	1 : 0.8	1 : 0.8	1 : 0.77	1 : 0.5	1 : 0.5	~ 1 : 0.47
SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat.	0 mg	20 mg	30 mg	not declared	200 mg	60 mg
ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred.	Stated	Stated	Derived	Stated	Stated	Estimated
Price per gelWhat one costs. Not comparable across gel sizes.	$1.48	$3.75	$2.50	$3.12	$3.50	$2.00
Cost per gramThe only price that compares across gel sizes.	3.3 cents	15 cents	6.3 cents	10.4 cents	11.7 cents	9.1 cents
Gels for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target.	2.0	3.6	2.3	3.0	3.0	4.1

Verdict

what it does · what it costs

What it does well

Same 1:0.8 stated glucose:fructose ratio and 45 g carbohydrate as the standard Nrgy Gel 45.
Zero sodium, useful if you're dosing electrolytes separately and don't want to double up.
Five-ingredient label, the shortest of the six 4Endurance gels reviewed in this batch.

What it costs you

0 mg sodium means this cannot be your sole electrolyte source in heat -- you need a separate tab or drink.
Costs $1.48 a gel versus $1.35 for the standard Nrgy Gel 45, despite dropping the electrolyte mix.
Not sold through US retailers; pricing here is converted from EUR and availability will vary.

Where to buy

Prices and links as last checked. The price next to the name above is per unit at the cheapest box size we track -- a single-unit price below may run higher.

Not yet checked at retail.

Who this is for

the numbers, applied

The field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.

Worth the money if

You already carry sodium elsewhere and want to control the dose separately.
You want the Nrgy 45 carb and ratio profile without added electrolytes.

Look elsewhere if

You want one product to cover both carbs and sodium.
You need guaranteed US retail availability.