The Best Great Value Soda Dupes, Ranked

The best Walmart brand soda, like all off-brand soda, should taste like the brand name version but more affordable. In a perfect world, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two if you weren’t looking at the can.

We tried all the Walmart soda dupes for brand name sodas to find out which are better than the real deal. If you’re a soda fiend on a budget, we ranked every Great Value soda from worst to best. And let me tell you what: Our number one off-brand soda on this list is actually one of the best sodas I’ve ever had in my life.


Great Value soda

Great Value!

Sam’s Diet Cola

I don’t like diet soda, so I had my coworkers who do like diet soda taste this and we all agreed: it isn’t good. It certainly doesn’t taste like Diet Coke. It tastes chemically and has a strong off-brand soda “cola” flavor. When it comes to Great Value soda, this is simply not it. Just spend the extra few cents and buy the real Diet Coke. You’ll be glad you did!

Related: These Are the Best Tasting Diet Sodas

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

great value soda

Great Value!

Sam’s Cola

This has the same issues as Sam’s Diet Cola. It tastes too “cola” forward. It’s not balanced like Coca-Cola brand cola or other cola brands out there. Once again, don’t cut costs here. If you’re drinking Coke, you want a Coke. And that’s okay! This store brand soda is not the store brand soda to buy. Sorry!

Related: The 5 Best Colas

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Dr Pepper dupes

Great Value!

Dr Thunder

This isn’t exactly a Dr Pepper dupe, but it is close! If you’re someone who would add extra cherry flavoring to your Dr Pepper while using a Coke Freestyle machine, you’ll like Dr Thunder. For me, there’s a little too much cherry. You lose that delicious, unique blend of 23 flavors that make the taste of Dr Pepper feel like a mystery in my mouth. I’ll stick to my classic Dr Pepper instead of buying Dr Pepper dupes.

Related: All the Dr Pepper Flavors, Ranked

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Great Value soda

Great Value!

Mountain Lightning

Close, but not a direct dupe. Mountain Lightning is almost as good as Mountain Dew. Almost. To me, Mountain Dew tastes a little more citrusy and a little less artificial (if you can even believe that). I would, however, buy Mountain Lightning. It’s close enough that I think you wouldn’t notice a huge difference if it was cold and served over ice. If you’re a Mountain Dew aficionado, though, you will still prefer the real thing to the off-brand soda.

Related: Every Mtn Dew Flavor, Ranked

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

store brand soda

Great Value!

Twist Up

There are a lot of excellent lemon lime sodas out there. This is a very good one! It doesn’t rank among the top lemon lime sodas we’ve ever tried, but it’s definitely one of the best Great Value soda dupes they sell. It’s bubbly, citrusy, and light. I definitely would not be upset if someone served me a glass of this at a pizza party or used it to make some kind of classic sherbet punch.

Related: The 7 Best Lemon Lime Sodas

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

off-brand soda

Great Value!

Ginger Ale

This is a great classic ginger ale! It’s simple. It’s not too gingery. It’s sweet. Absolutely zero complaints. I would happily buy this if I was shopping at Walmart. It’s a lot better than many brand name ginger ales we tried, in fact. Is it the best ginger ale in the world? No. But that’s okay! It doesn’t need to be. If you’re looking for a cocktail mixer or something to settle your stomach, this Great Value soda is a good buy.

Related: The 6 Best Ginger Ales

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

great value soda

Great Value!

Root Beer

I know you’re going to think I’m completely wacko when I say this, but this is among the best root beer I’ve ever had. It tastes exactly like what you imagine root beer should taste like. It isn’t too sweet or herbal. It’s perfectly carbonated. I would buy this over any brand name or boutique root beer out there. Not only is this the best Great Value soda, but it’s also one of the best sodas in general.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks


About the Author

Jordan Myrick

Jordan is an L.A.-based writer and comedian who believes all food should come with extra sauce. When they're not writing for Sporked, Jordan is at the movies or sharing an order of french fries with their elderly chihuahua.