Coke vs Pepsi:
Nutrition Facts Compared

The Numbers Are Closer Than You Think

For decades, the Coke vs. Pepsi debate has been waged on taste alone — the famous blind taste tests, the cola wars, the brand loyalty. But from a nutritional standpoint, the two drinks are remarkably similar, and that's not good news for either of them. Both are essentially carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar, caramel color, phosphoric or citric acid, natural flavors, and caffeine. Neither delivers any fiber, protein, vitamins, or minerals worth noting. From a strict nutrition standpoint, both products score near the bottom of any food health ranking.

That said, there are small but real differences worth knowing — especially if you're trying to reduce your sugar or sodium intake at the margins. Pepsi edges out Coca-Cola with 150 calories vs. 140 per 12 oz can, 41g of sugar vs. 39g, and 55mg of sodium vs. 45mg. Coke has slightly more caffeine on some formulations. These differences are modest, but if you're drinking multiple cans a day, they add up.

Want to verify any of these numbers yourself — or compare a specific regional or international formula? ScanShop's free barcode scanner lets you scan the can in your hand and get the exact nutrition data for that specific product, including any reformulated recipes that may differ from published averages.

The Ingredient Difference That Actually Matters

On raw macros alone, Coke and Pepsi look nearly identical. The more meaningful difference lies in their acid profiles. Coca-Cola uses phosphoric acid as its sole acidulant, which gives it that sharp, clean bite. Pepsi uses both citric acid and phosphoric acid, which contributes to its slightly sweeter, rounder flavor profile — and a marginally higher acid burden on tooth enamel.

Both drinks contain caramel color (Class IV) and "natural flavors" — two ingredients that are more chemically complex than they sound on a label. Class IV caramel color is produced by heating sugar with ammonium compounds, and while regulatory agencies have approved it for use, it's the kind of processing detail that the ScanShop ingredient analysis surfaces and flags automatically when you scan either product.

What About Diet and Zero Sugar Variants?

Both Coke and Pepsi have aggressively expanded into zero-sugar and diet variants, and these do solve the calorie and sugar problem — at the cost of introducing artificial sweeteners like aspartame (Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi), acesulfame potassium, or sucralose. The calorie story improves dramatically, but the ingredient story gets more complex. ScanShop's ingredient analysis will flag sweetener types and processing additives regardless of whether a product markets itself as "diet" or "zero."

Using ScanShop to Compare Any Beverage

The Coke vs. Pepsi comparison is a great illustration of why barcode scanning beats generic label reading. Most nutrition databases publish average values, but canned Coke, 2-liter Coke, fountain Coke from McDonald's, and Coke imported from Mexico using cane sugar can all have meaningfully different nutrition profiles. The barcode is the only reliable identifier for a specific product formulation.

With ScanShop, you scan the barcode of the exact drink in your hand and get its precise nutrition data — not a category average. You can then tap "+ Add to Compare" and scan a second drink to see a full side-by-side breakdown of every nutrient, the ScanShop Health Score for both, and their EU Nutri-Score grades. The same workflow works for energy drinks, juices, sports drinks, teas, and any other packaged beverage with a barcode.

For a deeper look at how ScanShop's comparison feature works, see our guide on comparing nutrition facts. If you want to understand how ScanShop assigns health scores, check out which food is healthier. And for a full breakdown of why per-100ml calorie comparisons matter more than per-serving, read our calorie comparison guide.