Aldi's Red Thunder Vs Red Bull: Which Is Better?

Welcome to Dupe Detective, a column where I'll be reviewing a name brand food product's competitor product to find out how well it compares to, or even beats, the original.

At the end of August 2026, Kroger removed Red Bull from its inventory, purportedly over a pricing dispute. Kroger is actually the oldest grocery store chain in America, with stores like Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Smith's, and more under its corporate umbrella. Red Bull remained at numerous non-Kroger outlets, of course, but the move was a pretty sizable hit to its nationwide availability all the same. During that time, then, alternatives to the classic energy drink became uniquely valuable to those without an easily accessible alternative to a Kroger-owned store.

One chain offering an overt dupe of Red Bull is Aldi, which sells an energy drink in similar packaging called Red Thunder. Aldi's record has been mixed in past Dupe Detective installments — that said, I found that Aldi's Popz sodas were better than name-brand Poppi, so Aldi is undefeated, at least, in the drinks division. This time around, I picked up a four-pack of Red Thunder from my local Aldi in the suburbs of Las Vegas, before grabbing a can of Red Bull from a nearby Albertsons. Ahead are my thoughts after trying both drinks, before my pick for whether or not Aldi's Red Bull dupe holds up against the product that inspired it.

I typically associate energy drinks with extremity. While name-brand Red Bull is a milder than most, even tailing most popular energy drinks ranked by caffeine content, the fact my can of Red Thunder was particularly light in character surprised me. I ultimately thought that was to its benefit, because even if it was a tad on the watery side, it included virtually none of the chemical tang that often colors the flavor of energy drinks.

Aldi's Red Thunder cans claim that they're berry-flavored, but I got a big ol' dose of apple more than anything else. The effect was compounded by a color and even a level of effervescence reminiscent of, say, a Martinelli's sparkling apple cider. If Red Thunder does actually include berry flavoring, I would place it closer to a brighter strawberry than a tart raspberry, for example. 

Nevertheless, if I had tasted this blind, I probably would have guessed it were a straight-up sparkling cider and not an energy drink. To be clear, that was to its credit, because energy drinks aren't typically known for their flavor, and I thought Aldi's Red Thunder tasted pretty darn good.

Standard Red Bull and Red Thunder effectively contain the same amount of sugar per serving, but I found my Red Bull a little more overtly sweet than its Aldi dupe. I also noticed a bit of the artificial chemical flavor that was missing from Red Thunder, but is admittedly pretty common in energy drinks on the whole.

Cans of Red Bull don't explicitly announce their intended flavor like Red Thunder's do, but I found the latter's advertised berry flavor more prominent in Red Bull. For what it's worth, I thought that my Red Bull tasted a little like sparkling apple cider too, but I think that was partially because I couldn't get the strong cider vibe of my Red Thunder fully out of my head. 

That said, alongside that bright apple was tart, sugary blueberry. The body of my Red Bull was also a little thicker — in conjunction with its bolstered sugariness and that hint of artificiality, I thought that Red Bull was bolder overall, in a way I typically expect from an energy drink.

It's fair to say that Red Bull has a place among some of the most iconic soft drinks — from plain, to a Vodka Red Bull, to one of the 13 most unique fast food drinks and more, there are countless ways to enjoy it. Diehards may well find that nothing can properly replicate its signature flavor, but for those without a strong attachment to Red Bull, I would say that Aldi's Red Thunder is better by a significant margin.

In short, my Red Bull tasted like slightly tart, cloying sweet fruit, with a hint of chemical artificiality. It wasn't bad, but its flavor was a mixed bag. Meanwhile, I found that Red Thunder was like straight-up sparkling apple cider, and that flavor was good with no qualifications. Not only was it tastier, but it could take the place of an actual cider in concoctions like, say, a seasonal Fall apple cider ice cream float. I'd hazard a guess that it even tastes better with vodka, or alongside whatever other ingredients are normally paired with Red Bull. All but the biggest Red Bull devotees, then, should head to their nearest Aldi for a dupe that's legitimately superior to the real thing.

At my local Aldi in the suburbs of Las Vegas, a four-pack of 12-ounce Red Thunders — Aldi doesn't sell single cans — costs $3.29. The closest Albertsons sells single cans of 12-ounce Red Bulls likewise for $3.29. For what it's worth, Aldi also produces a four-pack of sugar-free Red Thunder at that same price point. Sugar-free Red Bull is priced identically too. The best deal, then, is handily found at Aldi.

Nutritionally, one 12-ounce can of Red Thunder totals 160 calories, 130 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbs, and 37 grams of sugar. A 12-ounce can of Red Bull's nutritional facts are almost identical, at 160 calories, 150 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbs, and 38 grams of sugar. Technically, Aldi's Red Thunder is the nutritionally superior drink, but by such a slim margin that it's shouldn't be reason alone to opt for Red Thunder over its name-brand inspiration.

I picked up my four-pack of Red Thunder and a 12-ounce can of Red Bull from Aldi and Albertsons stores near my home in the suburbs of Las Vegas. I bought them a couple days before I tried them, so while they both started at room temperature on the shelf, they each had sufficient time to cool to drinking temperature in the refrigerator.

While I poured both drinks into small glasses for a few photos I took, I focused more on sipping straight from the can. While it's important to pour beer, to the extent there's a right way and a wrong way, I'd guess the majority of energy drinks go un-poured. I started by trying Red Thunder. Only after I had recorded sufficient thoughts on it did I move onto Red Bull. Then, after I had my thoughts about Red Bull noted down, I alternated sips of both drinks — with some water in between on occasion to cleanse my palate — to more directly compare them to one another. My assessments are based entirely on this experience and not any past thoughts I may have had on the featured brands or products.