I Tried And Ranked Every Pepsi Flavor

Okay, okay, I'll admit it — I think I'm officially a Pepsi girl now. And it's not just because the company crafted a stellar 2026 Super Bowl commercial, nor is it because I can count on the brand to restock my beverage fridge whenever it's a little low. Rather, I've been a little captivated by Pepsi since the brand's 2025 release of prebiotic sodas. 

Sure, it doesn't have the biggest portfolio in the world, but what it does have, it does incredibly well. Any soda fan will be able to find something palatable, whether you want something flavored or non-flavored. Still, even as a Pepsi fan, I'd never taken the time to try the brand's whole soda lineup — until now, that is. I was able to get my hands on all 13 sodas currently on the market for ranking purposes. The sodas had a definite hierarchy in my mind, and I ranked them primarily based on the quality of both their flavor and carbonation. Your preferences will largely depend on how accustomed you are to the flavor of artificial sweeteners, and personally, I tend to prefer diet sodas, which played a large role in the rankings.

Don't ask me why Pepsi's two caffeine-free entries are at the bottom of this list; I couldn't tell you. Perhaps my coffee-laced veins could tell that this didn't hold any amount of pick-me-up. Still, I'll hold by what I said in the intro — I found the regular caffeine-free soda to be a little less lively than the following, and while I wouldn't call it bad (and will certainly indulge the next time I'm craving Pepsi before bed), it just didn't satisfy as much as any of the others here. 

Overall, I found this soda to be a little more muted than the following flavors, even just comparing it to regular Pepsi. The carbonation was gentle, and nothing about it really boasted anything in particular. Granted, it was pitted against some flavorful options here, so I can't exactly call it a fair fight — still, I'll take a different can of Pepsi any day. 

Here's the first indication of my preference for diet drinks! I didn't find Pepsi's Diet Caffeine Free soda to be as punchy as any of the following, and it suffered from some of the same "muted" flavor characteristics as the previous, but it was slightly more flavorful. Maybe that flavor just came from the sweetener. I wouldn't doubt that those who are averse to artificial sweeteners didn't like this as much as the last — we'll chalk that up to the beauty of having different taste buds.

Still, as someone who grew up guzzling Diet Coke (which tastes different than Coke Zero, by the way), I don't have a problem with artificial sweeteners. It makes sense to me that this one tasted better than the previous, even if only marginally. I wouldn't be surprised if some tasters can't tell a difference between any of the unflavored Pepsi cans. But if you do have sensitive taste buds, you'll probably prefer one of my bottom two choices over the other. 

Are you surprised to see a flavored Pepsi entry so low on this list? Frankly, I was as well, but Pepsi Wild Cherry just didn't jive with me for some reason. I should note that cherry is one of the flavors I'm most picky about. I often find that it doesn't taste like real cherries and is instead a little medicinal; I did get some of those notes here, but not to the extent that I often find in other cherry-flavored food and beverages.

Rather, the primary reason this got a low score is that I didn't think the flavor stood out very much. This has me thinking that I might find the Pepsi cans with your typical sugar content to be a little ... boring? Maybe that's because I like the flavors present in diet sodas? Whatever the reason, Pepsi's Wild Cherry can just didn't quite scratch that itch for me, and its (very mild, but present) medicinal notes didn't help matters any. 

Now, when we're comparing Zero Sugar and Diet sodas, I tend to prefer the Diet. Don't ask me why, and the flavor difference is so subtle that I might not even notice if I were handed a Zero Sugar Pepsi instead of a Diet Pepsi; however, when tasting them side by side, I'll choose Diet almost every time.

Perhaps it's because Zero Sugar tastes more like regular sugar Pepsi — it's a little sweeter than the Diet variety, but also has a certain artificiality to it that I can't put my finger on. Again, I can't say I'd spit out Zero Sugar Pepsi if I asked for a different can, but when given the choice, this would be the last of the regular ol' Pepsi lineup that I'd pick as a midday refresher. 

We've arrived at the OG can of Pepsi that everyone knows and loves — and, surprisingly, it only scored ninth place in my roundup. At least it made it to the top 10! You can't go wrong when you choose a can of standard, no-frills Pepsi, in my opinion — that is, unless any of the following options are available to you.

I can't say I love the flavor of high-fructose corn syrup in drinks, and that's at least part of why I couldn't rank this higher. I also didn't think it had the most apparent fizz; it was carbonated enough to satisfy, but some of the following felt a bit more "zing-y," and so earned higher places here. If you want a standard soda without any bells and whistles, this is a fine choice. Want something with some pizzazz? Choose any one of the following. 

My preference for Diet Pepsi strikes again! Legend has it that there may be some pretty convincing dupes of this soda on the market, but personally, I'll snag a Diet Pepsi every time. It's my go-to lunch accompaniment or mid-morning pick-me-up. I'm sure you're wondering, then, why it only got eighth place here. 

To put it simply, I might start stocking my fridge a little differently; while Diet Pepsi has always been my safe choice, I was pretty impressed by the flavor profiles of the other varieties that follow. Still, this one has its merits. It's got plenty of fizz and an impeccable cola flavor, which is (in my opinion) only enhanced by the subtle addition of artificial sweeteners. I may stop singing its praises one day, but today will not be that day. 

Now we'll see a slight deviation from what I'd normally prefer. When it comes to Wild Cherry Pepsi, I actually preferred the Zero Sugar can to the diet can, and both ranked way higher than the regular can of Wild Cherry. As for Diet Wild Cherry, I found it to be far more flavorful than its lower-ranked counterpart. 

The difference is subtle, but there, and something about the ingredients of the Diet Wild Cherry can helped the actual cherry flavors stand out more when compared to the non-diet can. Maybe the sugar in the previous was masking some of those notes? Is artificial sweetener particularly complementary to cherry flavors? Whatever the case may be, I'll stand firm in saying that this one is the superior choice, though the following takes the cake over both. 

Next up is Zero Sugar Wild Cherry Pepsi, which I liked more than the previous one for a couple of reasons.  Would you be able to tell if you were handed a Zero Sugar Wild Cherry rather than a Diet Wild Cherry, or even a regular Wild Cherry? The difference would be slight, but it would be there, and I'd be curious to know if you'd agree with my verdict on the ranking of these three cans in particular. 

First, I thought this had the most carbonation of any of the three Wild Cherry cans, which endeared me to it immediately. I also found something about the cherry flavor here to be more balanced, which again has me wondering about the effect of combining certain sweeteners with cherry — did the combo used in this can help amplify the taste? Whatever the case may be, I preferred this to the other entries of this flavor. 

Pepsi's soda made with real sugar is often referred to as "Soda Shop" Pepsi, and that's the term you should Google if you want to get your hands on this can. Anyone who's had soda made with real sugar can immediately tell the difference in flavor from those made with high fructose corn syrup. And it's almost always better.

There's a certain purity of flavor here that's not present in other modern-manufactured sodas. I really liked what the sugar brought to the table here, and it's immediately apparent that real sugar was used here, though I wouldn't call the end product too saccharine. I'm not as big a fan of this as the following entries because I still prefer the flavor of artificial sweeteners, but I'd take this over a soda that primarily features high-fructose corn syrup any day. 

I view Pepsi's Prebiotic Colas as a really nice in-between for those who don't love artificial sweeteners but also don't want a soda loaded with sugar. This can and the following prebiotic soda have only five grams of sugar, which is part of the reason why they ranked so high on this list — in addition to tasting great, I also think they offer a great middle ground for every consumer. 

The Prebiotic Cola also felt like one of the most carbonated colas on this list, which absolutely helped its case (though I couldn't bump it above fourth place). I got to try this soda when it was first released — I really enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed it just as much now. In fact, it's the last unflavored entry you'll see in this ranking. It just couldn't hold a candle to any of the following. 

I remember being a little floored when I first tried Pepsi's Prebiotic Cola Cherry Vanilla, and had I never tried either of the following, this would have remained my go-to Pepsi flavor for the long haul. Everything I said about the sugar content of the previous cola remains true here, making this another great middle ground for those who are torn on how much sugar they want in their refresher.

This also easily ranked higher than any of the other cherry colas due to the addition of vanilla, which really warmed up the flavor profile and added a whole other dimension. It's more flavorful than any of the sodas I've mentioned thus far and is well-deserving of the third-place spot here. Still, the difference between this and the following two was stark; while I'm sure I'll keep some of this on hand, my top choices blew everything else out of the water. 

I'm not sure how I hadn't tried Pepsi's rendition of a dirty soda before doing this taste test, but man, oh man — I'll never go back. Pepsi, you've ruined me forever. I know the soda doesn't look the slightest bit creamy, but looks aren't everything, and if you were handed the above glass expecting a regular Pepsi, you'd be floored in the best way. 

Pepsi's Wild Cherry & Cream tasted like dessert, plain and simple. It balanced out the sometimes medicinal cherry notes to give a fruity appeal highlighted by notes of cream. It even fooled me into thinking it had a somewhat thick mouthfeel — that's how well the cream flavor came through. It's bold and delicious. If you're a fan of sugary sodas, consider this your go-to choice; if you're like me and tend to prefer sugar-free options, go with the following. 

There isn't (yet) a diet Wild Cherry & Cream soda from Pepsi, but there is a Zero Sugar rendition of the can, which is my preferred option of the two. Even if you don't love artificial sweeteners, do me a favor and try this just once. I swear, its cherry and cream flavors were more pronounced than in the previous, and I really do think this is the more satisfying can. 

Again, it's insanely creamy and dessert-like; I even wanted to make an ice cream float out of it right after I tried it. But that will be a project for another time. It'll be hard to keep Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry & Cream out of my beverage fridge from now on — it's instantly craveable, and once you've tried it once, you'll never want to go back to the OG. 

To rank these sodas, I analyzed the flavor profiles and carbonation intensity of each, showing a preference for sodas with more carbonation and a stronger flavor profile. The sodas with the "wildest" flavors were, fortunately, also the ones that tasted the best, and easily earned top marks. When considering Zero Sugar, Diet, or regular cans of the same "flavor," I'd have to say individual preference will vary; I tend to prefer Diet, but that won't be the case for every consumer.