During-effort fuel · gel · reviewed 3 Sep 2026
PowerBar PowerGel Hydro 39
PowerBar's liquid, water-free isotonic format -- 11.6 cents a gram of carbohydrate, roughly 55% more than PowerGel Original's 7.5 cents -- with up to 100 mg of caffeine (Cola flavor; 51 mg in Cherry/Mojito, none in Orange) and 204 mg of sodium built in.
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 →
39/100
Mixed
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.72
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.28
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).26
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.29
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
11.6 cents/g
Glucose : fructose
1:0.5
Comparison
6 of 38 gels heldPrices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.
| Measure | PowerBar PowerBar PowerGel Hydro | 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. | 39 | 47 | 58 | 49 | 42 | 33 |
| CarbohydrateHow much fuel one pouch carries. | 25 g | 25 g | 40 g | 30 g | 30 g | 22 g |
| Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling. | 1 : 0.5 | 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. | 204 mg | 20 mg | 30 mg | not declared | 200 mg | 60 mg |
| CaffeineA preference, not a quality, so it is not scored. | 100 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Stated | Stated | Derived | Stated | Stated | Estimated |
| Price per pouchWhat one costs. Not comparable across pouch sizes. | $2.91 | $3.75 | $2.50 | $3.12 | $3.50 | $2.00 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across pouch sizes. | 11.6 cents | 15 cents | 6.3 cents | 10.4 cents | 11.7 cents | 9.1 cents |
| Pouches for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target. | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- Up to 100 mg of caffeine built in depending on flavor, versus zero in PowerBar's own PowerGel Original already in this catalog.
- Isotonic liquid gel -- 25 g of carbohydrate in a thinner, water-mixed consistency designed to go down without a chaser.
- 204 mg of sodium, essentially matching PowerGel Original's 200 mg, so sodium isn't traded away for the caffeine and format change.
- C2Max dual-carb source at a brand-stated 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio, the same blend PowerBar uses across its gel range.
What it costs you
- Caffeine isn't uniform across the range: 100 mg in Cola, 51 mg in Cherry and Mojito, none in Orange -- check the flavor before counting on a specific dose.
- 11.6 cents a gram of carbohydrate, about 55% more than PowerGel Original's 7.5 cents for the same brand's non-caffeinated gel.
- 11 g of the 25 g of carbohydrate is sugar.
- Pricing here is converted from EUR (Running Warehouse Europe, EUR2.69 per pouch); a confirmed, currently-priced US retail listing could not be found -- an Amazon.com listing exists but its live price could not be verified, and at least one US retailer (AllStarHealth) lists the line as discontinued.
- No independently verified bulk box price; the figure above is a single-pouch price, not a box discount, so no `buy` link is included.
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, appliedThe field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.
Worth the money if
- You want PowerBar's C2Max carb blend with caffeine already mixed in, in a liquid format.
- You're already ordering from a EU retailer and the conversion premium doesn't matter.
Look elsewhere if
- You need guaranteed, currently-priced US retail availability.
- You're optimizing strictly for cost per gram of carbohydrate; PowerGel Original is meaningfully cheaper.