Not much beats a refreshing, ice-cold soda, especially for those who live in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at least half of all Americans enjoy a soda at least once a day. Coca-Cola is undoubtedly the largest soda brand with the most name recognition, and it even enjoys a bit of aura with its formula locked up in a vault at the company’s museum in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it’s far from being the only soda Americans love. (These are the soda brands to avoid.)
This might come as hard news for Pepsi fans, but Pepsi may not even be the second most favorite soda for Americans as a new champion has emerged in 2024. Still, the Pepsi and Coke rivalry has been something to watch in the soft drink world for some time, with no signs of competition slowing down. Perhaps what’s most interesting is just how many popular Coca-Cola alternatives exist today. (These are the states drinking the most soda).
Why This Matters
10. Welch’s
- Year founded: 1869
- Flavor: Grape (and other flavors)
- Color: Dark grape
- Manufacturer: National Grape Cooperative Association
No Big Parent Company
The only Coca-Cola alternative on this list not owned by a soda giant is Welch’s, which is owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association. As a result, the grape drink is unsurprisingly the most popular flavor and is made from Concord and Niagara grapes. Welch’s drinks are one of the biggest surprises in the soft drink world and make for a great flavored soda alternative to the world of Coca-Cola.
9. Sunkist
- Year founded: 1979
- Flavor: Orange
- Color: Orange
- Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper
The Fanta Competitor
Often compared to Fanta and a popular alternative to Coca-Cola, Sunkist has long been popular with soda fans who want something different. Now available in various flavors, the original orange drink helped make orange the third-best-selling flavor in the United States. In addition to the orange flavor, Sunkist has expanded its menu to include grape, strawberry, cherry limeade, pineapple, lemonade, fruit drink, orange mango, and many more flavors.
8. A&W
- Year founded: 1919
- Flavor: Caramel, minty vanilla
- Color: Brown
- Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper
The Famous Cream Soda
Famously used at diners to make cream soda drinks, A&W root beer is a fan favorite. Now owned and manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, it’s incredible to think that the original A&W Root Beer soda drink sold for just five cents (nearly $1.00 in 2024 money). Today, A&W is also famous for being one of the first restaurant chains in the U.S., where the drink became an instant hit as suburbs began to pop up post-World War II.
7. Canada Dry Ginger Ale
- Year founded: 1904
- Flavor: Golden
- Color: Ginger
- Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper
Ginger Tasting Goodness
One of the most popular sodas not originating in the United States is Canada Dry Ginger Ale, but Americans have nonetheless adopted the soda as their own. The “dry” in the name highlights the soda’s lack of sweetness, as its golden color is often confused with wine. The drink soared in popularity during Prohibition, when it was used as a mixer with alcohol to help mask the taste, and its soda success has continued ever since.
6. Fanta
- Year founded: 1941
- Flavor: Orange
- Color: Orange
- Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Orange Deliciousness
Fanta’s origins stem from World War II when it was difficult to import Coca-Cola into Germany. As a result, the German head of Coke created a new orange-flavored soda for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany at the time of the war. Discontinued in 1949, production was restarted in 1955 using oranges. Along with Sunkist, Fanta has helped make orange one of the country’s most popular soda flavors and has expanded into other flavors.
5. 7-Up
- Year founded: 1929
- Flavor: Lemon-Lime
- Color: Colorless
- Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper (PepsiCo)
The 1929 Drink
Ironically, the first release of 7-Up in America came just two weeks after the 1929 Wall Street crash. As it contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, the drink was immediately popular and even promoted as a patent medicine product. Fast-forward to today, 7-Up remains an iconic part of the PepsiCo lineup after being sold by its founders to the soda giant in 1986.
4. Mountain Dew
- Year founded: 1948
- Flavor: Citrus
- Color: Yellow-Green
- Manufacturer: PepsiCo
Tennessee Grown
The little-known history of Mountain Dew involves a formula invented in 1940 by Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. First produced in 1948, PepsiCo later acquired the soda in August 1964. Mountain Dew is not just a Coke rival but also the most popular citrus soda in the world. It famously provides limited-time and region-specific productions, and in some cases, retailer-specific flavors of the drink.
3. Sprite
- Year founded: 1961
- Flavor: Lemon-Lime
- Color: Colorless
- Manufacturer: The Coca-Cola Company
The Lemon-Lime Drink
Best known as the lemon-lime soda, Sprite is highly beloved for its citrusy and refreshing taste. Manufactured and distributed by the Coca-Cola company, its creation is believed to be partially based on Coke having a drink that can rival 7-Up. After its release, Sprite was found to have immediate success as a drink for teenagers. However, the drink’s 1993 slogan change to “Control Your Thirst” was a marketing boon and significantly grew Sprite’s market share into different age groups.
2. Pepsi
- Year founded: 1893
- Flavor: Blend of vanilla, caramel, and cola nut
- Color: Caramel E-150d
- Manufacturer: PepsiCo
Coca-Cola’s Biggest Rival
It goes without saying that Pepsi is Coca-Cola’s biggest rival, and there are no signs of this soda battle slowing down. Initially founded in 1893, Pepsi has become a giant all on its own, including the release of 11 different drink versions. Of course, it was the “Pepsi Challenge” as part of the “cola wars” that many Pepsi fans truly remember as the highlight of the two-brand rivalry.
1. Dr Pepper
- Year founded: 1885
- Flavor: Proprietary combination of 24 flavors
- Color: Caramel
- Manufacturer: Keurig Dr. Pepper (The Coca-Cola Company)
Second Highest-Selling Soda
Something remarkable happened in the soda world in 2024 as Dr Pepper overtook Pepsi as the second-highest-selling soda in the nation. What’s most unique about Dr Pepper is its flavor, and it has earned the nickname “pepper soda” because it’s in a category of its own as far as taste. Interestingly, Coca-Cola acquired distribution rights for Dr Pepper in 2010, giving it a leg up against Pepsi in the ongoing battle between the two soda giants.
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