12 Prebiotic And Probiotic Drink Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

Probiotics and prebiotics can work together in tandem to support an optimal gut ecosystem. Probiotics supply healthy, live microorganisms to your gut system, while prebiotics help keep those little gut friends on a healthy diet. Unsurprisingly, then, there are numerous prebiotic and probiotic drink brands on the market, with some offering both of these in one beverage. 

Now, I have to admit I'm somewhat of a newbie to the pre- and probiotic drink world. While I'm certain I've tried some of these beverages before, I've never actively sought them out with the exception of kombucha (specifically flavors from Synergy). Since I figured it was high time I dove deeper into gut health products available on the marketplace, I naturally jumped at the chance to try as many of these good-for-you drink brands as I could get my hands on.

Given there's no shortage of options available, the determining factor when it came to ranking these prebiotic and probiotic drinks is a matter of personal preference. All tastes vary, after all, and generally speaking, I preferred beverages with bold, fruit-forward flavors, as well as those without added sugar. Without further ado, here is my ranking of 12 prebiotic and probiotic drink brands.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I'm sure the GoodBelly brand appeals to some type of consumer — unfortunately, that wasn't me. Each of these prebiotic sparkling water flavors was underwhelming in every sense of the word, with a couple drinks having particularly egregious faults. While each flavor sounded appealing initially, I was sadly wrong.

Now, I tend to be partial to mixed berry and tropical flavors, so I was hoping I'd at least enjoy the company's Mixed Berry and Mango Pineapple cans. But I wasn't pleased when I tried the mixed berry. Not only were the berry flavors exceedingly gentle, but they also tasted artificial; as a result, the little flavor I did get didn't entice me to drink more. The mango pineapple can was moderately better, and I could continue drinking this one. It had pleasant tropical hints, even though it tastes more like pineapple than mango. And while I'd already tasted quite a few flavor-forward cans by this point in the tasting, I was still unimpressed by this one.

The worst of GoodBelly's drink options was the Lemon Lime. My first sip reminded me of accidentally drinking pool water, which isn't an experience I relish having. Its lemon and lime flavors tasted artificial, too, leaving an unpleasant bitterness at the end. Maybe it's just me, but I won't be buying these again, and this brand was the worst of the prebiotic and probiotic drink brands included in this article.

Health-Ade's SunSip soda brand is similarly unimpressive, even if its drinks were slightly better than what GoodBelly offers. The cans look enticing, and given I like Health-Ade's kombucha selection, I had moderately high hopes for this brand. Yet I was once again unimpressed. My overarching belief for this brand is that the cans didn't need the scant amount of added sugar the company gave them. While its flavors were bolder (and, in part, better) than my previous pick, I was once again unimpressed by this prebiotic drink brand.

Perhaps it didn't help that I tried my least favorite flavor first in Cherry Cola. I'd originally selected this because I'm a fan of Cherry Coke, but the Health-Ade SunSip flavor was far too sweet for my liking. It only slightly resembled Coca-Cola's version, and I couldn't even go back for a second sip. While I tend to have qualms with many cherry-flavored things (they often taste medicinal to me), I was still let down by this.

The brand's Strawberry Vanilla was slightly better, though still cloying in a way that didn't serve its strawberry notes. The Raspberry Lemonade also failed to impress; the flavors were there, but I again found it too sweet. If you're after this type of drink, you might be into these. But I'll pass by Health-Ade SunSip sodas in the future, so this ranks near the bottom.

To be honest, I was surprised this seemingly popular drink brand placed so low. Then again, the fact remains that I probably won't be grabbing any of Olipop's flavors anytime soon. I'm sure some readers disagree with my ranking of this prebiotic drink brand, but if that's the case? I urge you to see what else is out there beyond Olipop and try another brand.

The problems with Olipop's prebiotic drinks are similar to the issues I had with SunSip — namely, the flavors don't really benefit from the added sugar in each can. I liked Orange Squeeze the best because it was the gentlest of the three flavors, tasting similar to orange soda (even if I still found it too artificially sweet). The Strawberry Vanilla can tasted fine, as well, but was also kind of saccharine and candy-like, while its Cream Soda was too cloying for my liking. While some other prebiotic or probiotic drink brands on this list tasted candy-esque without being overly sugary, this wasn't one of them, so it comes in tenth.

I had a fairly wide range of reactions to Evolution's selection of pre- and probiotic drink flavors. While I don't expect to love (or hate) every flavor from a brand, I do expect there to be enough consistency that I can reliably grab a new flavor and know what to expect. On that note, part of the reason why Evolution placed ninth is because it didn't hit that mark. Instead, I loved one, hated one, and felt torn on the last, making it an unreliable brand when considering future buys.

My least favorite was the Lemon Lime; it didn't taste tangy like I expected, and was yet another drink with an off-putting artificially sweet flavor. I liked the Tropical Mango better, since it definitely had tropical flavors (and even slight hints of citrus). While it was also on the sweeter side, it wasn't excessive, so I could see myself having it again.

Finally, the very warm and fruity Strawberry Vanilla was my favorite. It was still too sweet, but in an indulgent way that didn't seem artificial or cloying. In fact, I might seek out Strawberry Vanilla again, and would even have the Tropical Mango if presented with it. But since its Lemon Lime will always be a pass, Evolution couldn't rank higher among prebiotic and probiotic drink brands.

I know this will be a divisive take; after all, I have friends who rave over Poppi. And while these flavors were fine, when pitted against the other options on this list? Poppi just didn't hold up. The cans weren't bad by any means, and I'd have each of these flavors again. But I'd also choose other brands when it comes to prebiotic and probiotic drinks. Even though I sampled some of Poppi's best drink flavors, I still wasn't very impressed, so it ranks in the bottom half.

Now, I actually liked the Wild Berry quite a bit. It had a nostalgic and welcoming blue raspberry flavor that wasn't too strong or too gentle, leaving a pleasant cotton candy flavor at the end. On the other hand, the Strawberry Lemon was too much for my palate. The strawberry and lemon flavors definitely came through, but it excessively sweet, and I could tell there was added sugar in the beverage. While I could tell there was added sugar in the Raspberry Rose, too, since the raspberry flavors took center stage, it didn't bother me as much.

Given it's such a prolific presence on the market, I'd almost certainly have Poppi's sodas again if offered. However, I still think there are better pre- and probiotic drink brands out there, so it comes in at number eight.

Popwell ranks just above Poppi, and for good reason: I could drink each of these flavors again. I might not consider this prebiotic drink brand a hard buy if I saw it on the shelf, hence it's seventh place ranking. But each can was bold, and none tasted too saccharine — proof (to me, at least) that you don't need added sugars to make a great-tasting prebiotic soda.

Of the three, my favorite Popwell flavor was Orange Cream. It had that warm, bright, and inviting flavor that's typical for an orange cream soda. It was strong without being too sweet, and I'd happily have this again. The Blackberry Lime should appeal to anyone who enjoys a blackberry lime profile. It's deep and fruity with some brightness from the citrus, and it's strong enough that you won't lose any flavors.

Though my least favorite was the Cherry Citrus, I still didn't mind it very much. Unlike other cherry beverages, this refrained from tasting medicinal, and the citrus brought its flavor forward a bit. Simply put, while I couldn't rank this prebiotic drink brand higher than seventh, I still found it pleasant overall.

To be clear, at this point? I'd buy each of the remaining six brands on this list without hesitation. The flavors and quality of each brand were consistent, plus I really liked each of them. Most of the remaining prebiotic and probiotic drink brands refrain from being too sweet, and even the ones that are don't taste artificial. Kicking off this portion of the list is Daytrip, which earns the number six spot on the list because its flavors were good without wowing me. While this might be a good thing for some consumers, it pushed Daytrip below some stronger beverage bands.

First off, I enjoyed the berry citrus, which had a great balance of deep berry flavor alongside some tang from the citrus. The clementine can was more one-note, though I didn't think that was a detriment; its citrus notes lingered with me after each sip, which I quite enjoyed. My favorite might have been the grapefruit lime, which took me by surprise, as I'm not normally a fan of grapefruit-flavored things. This can, however, didn't suffer from being bitter (like many other grapefruit drinks I've tried), and the lime added some welcome interest to the soda.

Chobani is a beloved brand known for its yogurts, its various coffee creamers, and its Oatmilk beverage. In fact, this list entry stands apart from the rest in that these bottles are yogurt drinks rather than soda or sparkling water. Of course, its probiotic content earned this drink brand an easy spot on this list.

Now, if you don't enjoy the slightly thick texture of a yogurt drink, these probably aren't for you. I, however, love it, and enjoyed these immensely. For starters, Chobani's Piña Colada yogurt drink is ideal for anyone who loves piña coladas. Its tropical flavors are intense — which was a bonus for me — though I could see some consumers being turned off by its strength; it's a very distinct drink, after all.

Additionally, I was surprised to find I liked the Cherry Vanilla bottle. Though I might not buy this flavor again if presented with it (given it had a slightly medicinal flavor), the vanilla rounded it out enough to take some of the edge off. The brand's Strawberries & Cream was my favorite. It tasted like drinkable strawberry yogurt, meaning it's a no-brainer buy if that's your jam. It's not too sweet, very creamy, and effortlessly drinkable, and helped this brand come in fifth place.

Green tea is already a powerful superfood, so it makes a natural base for a healthy beverage. Since Halfday is the only tea-based brand on this list, it has a leg up (especially for tea lovers). Now, I like tea, but I'm not the world's biggest green tea fan, so I didn't expect to enjoy these cans as much as I did. However, I've had multiple cans of Halfday's tea since doing this tasting, which goes to show how much I enjoyed them.

I loved its raspberry tea, which, again, was sweet without being cloying. Even those who try to stay away from saccharine drinks wouldn't be turned off by the natural sweetness in this one, which meshes very well with the fruitiness from its raspberries. Even better was its peach tea, though I do love peach-flavored things. It tasted bright and stayed with me after sipping; the peach flavor came forward while the tea notes fell to the background, though they were still discernible.

Finally, I was shocked by how much I liked the green tea flavor, which I'd normally never grab off a shelf. Honey and ginseng add some dimension to an already solid tea, taking away any of the bitterness I sometimes find in green teas. Halfday is obviously a solid brand, and if I loved tea, I might've been compelled to rank it even higher.

I loved each offering from All Phenoms. In fact, had its flavors been stronger, it could have taken the number one spot on this list. As it stands, the two higher-ranked drink brands boasted equally good flavors that came through just a bit more — though if you prefer your drinks on the gentler side, this could very well be the brand for you.

On that note, All Phenoms citrus ginger flavor is ideal for anyone who doesn't necessarily love ginger. Citrus mellows out any sharpness from the ginger, so while there's a discernible flavor, it won't take over the drink, making it a low key can suited for casual sipping. Berry hibiscus wasn't my favorite flavor, though this was because the green tea was very noticeable (and you might like this more than me if you love green tea). Still, the hibiscus and berry notes that came through at the end were good enough to convince me to have this can again.

Lastly, this probiotic drink brand's berry lemon mint was simply delightful. The blue raspberry flavor was reminiscent of childhood, and made refreshing by adding lemon and mint notes — neither of which were too strong to be more than an accent.

While we've had mixed opinions about some of Bloom's sparkling energy drink flavors before, I personally enjoyed each of the flavors I was able to try here. Consequently, this prebiotic drink brand just missed the number one spot.

Bloom's flavors blew me away for a couple reasons. Each was bold and unafraid to stand out, and managed to be sweet without having any sugar. This ensured I didn't get any artificial-tasting flavors that were present in some lower-ranked drink brands. The first flavor I tried in raspberry lemon was delightful. It was very bright and even slightly sour, with such a potent flavor that you could've convinced me it was packed with sugar and calories (it's not, surprisingly). Strawberry watermelon was also a pleasure to drink, tasting sweet in a juicy and fruity way. Watermelon only lifted the strawberry a little, and each flavor worked together in well-balanced harmony.

The brand's peach mango was delicious, as well, though the peach flavors came through slightly stronger than mango. The flavors still blended together pretty seamlessly, making this a drink I wouldn't hesitate to buy again — and helping this drink brand rank second among pre- and probiotic options.

I promise it's purely coincidence that the cans with my favorite aesthetic earned the top spot on this list (though the eye-popping design certainly didn't hurt). In fact, Wildwonder was a bit of a surprise pick. Whereas other brands toward the top don't include any added sugar (unlike many lower-ranked brands), Wildwonder actually has 5 grams of added sugar per can. Somehow, though, this didn't detract from the flavor, or hurt this pre- and probiotic drink brand in any way.

Fans of ginger will love the peach ginger can. Unlike the similar flavor from All Phenoms, the ginger here is only strong at the front of the sip before peach takes over, and you're left with a nice balance of both at the end. Though the ginger is strong, it's not biting, which I appreciated. I also loved the guava rose option, though this is definitely for rosewater lovers. If you don't like rosewater, you may think it's too perfume-y. Personally, I felt the guava notes help mellow it out and give it a down-to-earth quality.

My favorite flavor from this top-ranked drink brand was Pineapple Paradise. It was so reminiscent of the fruit that you could've convinced me I was drinking straight pineapples. It's very tropical without being super sweet, and would be great if you want a healthy mocktail to take to the beach with you. In short, Wildwonder was the best prebiotic and probiotic drink brand I tried for this list.

Since this is a ranking of prebiotic and probiotic drink brands, I made sure to try three flavors from each to reduce the risk of accidentally ranking a brand lower based on a single unenjoyable flavor. While the drink options differed within each brand, I was actually surprised to find that each flavor seemed to have similar characteristics within each brand.

I ranked these drink brands almost solely on how good each flavor tasted. While I was much less likely to enjoy any drinks I thought tasted subtle or artificial, it's worth reading each description to decide for yourself which drinks you may like. After all, flavor palates vary widely, and I wouldn't be surprised if some readers enjoy a pre- and/or probiotic drink brand that I didn't.