If you're choosing between Bare Brew and Celsius, you're already asking the right question. Both are marketed as clean energy. Both have zero sugar. But one has 2 ingredients and the other has 15+. Here's the honest breakdown so you can decide which one belongs in your fridge.
This comparison is for anyone who's tired of decoding ingredient labels and wants a straight answer: which drink gives you cleaner energy, and where does each one actually win? It compares two products only — Bare Brew and Celsius — so any "stronger" or "more caffeine" call below is scoped to that pair, not to the whole category.
The Quick Version
Bare Brew is cold brew coffee with 2 ingredients (Honduran Arabica coffee and filtered water), 320mg of natural caffeine, zero sugar, zero sweeteners, and 20 calories. Celsius is a sparkling fitness drink with 200mg of caffeine from green tea and guarana, zero sugar, 10 calories, and a proprietary blend that includes sucralose, taurine, and a long list of other ingredients.
They solve the same problem — energy without the sugar crash — but they take very different paths to get there.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Label figures transcribed from published labels, September 2026.
| Category | Bare Brew | Celsius | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | 320mg per 12 fl oz can (26.7mg per fl oz) | 200mg per 12 fl oz can (16.7mg per fl oz) | Bare Brew (60% more, same can size) |
| Caffeine Source | Honduran Arabica coffee (natural) | Green tea extract + guarana + added caffeine | Bare Brew (single source) |
| Ingredients | 2 (coffee, water) | 15+ (including sucralose, glucuronolactone, taurine) | Bare Brew |
| Sugar | 0g | 0g | Tie |
| Artificial Sweeteners | None | Sucralose | Bare Brew |
| Calories | 20 | 10 | Celsius |
| Flavor Options | 1 (black cold brew) | 14+ flavors | Celsius |
| Availability | Online (DTC) + select retail | Gas stations, grocery stores, gyms nationwide | Celsius |
| Price Per Can | ~$4.50 retail | ~$2.50-$2.89 retail | Celsius |
| Acidity | Cold-brewed, which extracts fewer acids than hot brewing | Contains citric acid | Bare Brew |
Where Celsius Wins
Flavor variety. If you want sparkling watermelon, peach vibe, or arctic vortex, Celsius has you covered with 14+ flavors. Bare Brew is black cold brew. That's it. If you need variety, Celsius wins this category outright.
Availability. Celsius is in every gas station, Target, Walmart, and gym cooler in America. You can grab one anywhere. Bare Brew ships direct-to-consumer and is in select retail locations. If convenience matters most, Celsius has the edge.
Price. At roughly $2.50-$2.89 per can retail, Celsius costs less than Bare Brew's ~$4.50. On a pure cost basis, Celsius is the more affordable option.
Calories. Celsius is 10 calories per can; Bare Brew is 20. Both are negligible, but Celsius edges this one.
Where Bare Brew Wins
Ingredient transparency. Two ingredients. Coffee and water. You can read the entire label in two seconds. Celsius uses a proprietary MetaPlus blend with taurine, guarana, glucuronolactone, ginger root extract, green tea extract, and sucralose. None of those are necessarily dangerous — but "clean" gets harder to define when you need a chemistry background to read the label.
No artificial sweeteners. Celsius uses sucralose to achieve its zero-sugar, flavored formula. Bare Brew doesn't use any sweeteners at all — artificial or natural. For people specifically avoiding sucralose, this is the deciding factor.
Caffeine per serving. 320mg vs 200mg in the same 12 fl oz format. Bare Brew delivers 60% more caffeine from a single, natural source. Of these two drinks, Bare Brew is the stronger one per can. Worth noting: the FDA cites 400mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in healthy adults, so one can of either still keeps you within that range.
The Ingredient Breakdown
Bare Brew's full ingredient list: Honduran Arabica coffee, filtered water.
Celsius's full ingredient list (Original flavor): Carbonated filtered water, citric acid, taurine, guarana seed extract, fruit juice (for color), green tea extract, caffeine, vegetable juice (for color), calcium carbonate, sucralose, ascorbic acid, glucuronolactone, ginger root extract, natural flavor, calcium pantothenate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, chromium chelate, biotin, cyanocobalamin.
Count those. That's a 15+ ingredient list vs 2. Both drinks have zero sugar and deliver real caffeine. The difference is everything else in the can.
Who Should Pick Which
Pick Celsius if: you want flavored energy drinks, prefer sparkling beverages, need something you can grab anywhere, want moderate caffeine (200mg), or are on a tight budget.
Pick Bare Brew if: you want the shortest ingredient list possible, are avoiding artificial sweeteners entirely, prefer coffee-based caffeine over blended sources, want more caffeine per can than Celsius offers, or prioritize knowing exactly what's in your drink.
Both are simpler labels than a Monster or Red Bull. The question is whether "clean" means zero sugar — or zero complexity.
Try Bare Brew Cold Brew — 2 ingredients, 320mg caffeine, zero sugar, zero sweeteners. Newsweek Readers' Choice "Best Cold Brew" Brand 2026 finalist — a finalist listing, not a win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bare Brew healthier than Celsius?
It depends on how you define "healthy." Bare Brew has fewer ingredients (2 vs 15+), no artificial sweeteners, and 20 calories. Celsius includes added vitamins and its MetaPlus blend, which the brand markets as thermogenic. If your priority is ingredient simplicity and avoiding sweeteners like sucralose, Bare Brew is the simpler label. If you want added vitamins and a functional blend, Celsius offers more added ingredients.
Does Celsius have more caffeine than cold brew?
No. Celsius contains 200mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz can — 16.7mg per fluid ounce. Bare Brew cold brew contains 320mg per 12 fl oz can, or 26.7mg per fluid ounce: 60% more in an identical can size. Worth knowing if you're shopping the wider category, though: several canned coffees are more concentrated than Bare Brew. Death Wish canned cold brew carries 300mg in an 8 fl oz can (37.5mg per fl oz), and Wandering Bear quotes 150-160mg per 6 fl oz serving (25.0-26.7mg per fl oz), level with Bare Brew at the top of its range. See our ranked comparison of canned coffee by caffeine. Figures transcribed from published labels, September 2026.
Is sucralose in Celsius safe?
Sucralose is FDA-approved and generally recognized as safe. However, some consumers prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners based on ongoing research into gut microbiome effects and personal tolerance. Bare Brew avoids the question entirely by using no sweeteners of any kind.
Can I replace my pre-workout with Bare Brew or Celsius?
Both deliver enough caffeine to serve as a pre-workout alternative. Bare Brew's 320mg is comparable to most dedicated pre-workout supplements. Celsius's 200mg is solid but on the lower end for heavy lifters. Neither contains beta-alanine, creatine, or other common pre-workout compounds — they're caffeine sources, not full pre-workout replacements.
