Starry Lemon Lime Vs Sprite: What’s The Difference?

In the United States, PepsiCo recently ceased production of their lemon-lime soda, Sierra Mist and in January 2023, launched a brand-new addition to their family of soft drinks in the form of Starry Lemon-Lime.

Despite its popularity throughout the country and even worldwide, one section of the soft drinks industry that Pepsi has struggled to gain a meaningful and impactful share of has undoubtedly been the citrus-flavored drinks market.

Since their launch, Coca-Cola’s Sprite and Dr. Pepper’s 7Up have held onto their share of the market. Not that Pepsi hasn’t tried many times in the past.

There has been Teem, Slice, Sierra Mist, and Mist Twist (that eventually became Sierra Mist again). All of which have followed a similar flavor strategy as their rivals.

Starry Lemon-Lime is not much different because it is a lemon-lime drink.

Given how similar many citrus-flavored and lemon-lime drinks can be, though, you may wonder if there is any real difference between Starry and Sprite. If you are already a fan of Sprite, why would you want to switch to drinking Starry instead?

In the following article, we want to address this subject and discuss the differences and similarities between the two closely related (in terms of flavors) drinks.

What is Starry Lemon Lime?

To briefly introduce the drink, we will discuss its origin and what makes Starry, Starry.

It is the most recent addition to the PepsiCo family of drinks and is their brand-new lemon-lime soda. One of the big selling points that Pepsi are really pushing with Starry is that it is caffeine-free, which will undoubtedly make it appealing to anyone looking to reduce or eliminate their caffeine-intake.

Another important thing to note about Starry, particularly in comparison to the predecessor, Sierra Mist, is that it is sweetened by high fructose corn syrup, and not cane sugar. Why Pepsi have gone down this route, we are not entirely sure because it would seem more sensible to go in the opposite direction. That is, of course, if you asked us. Which PepsiCo, didn’t.

Starry Lemon Lime Vs. Sprite

In a similar way to the old Pepsi Vs Coca-Cola debate with regards to their cola products, the market is getting very busy with lots of different lemon-lime and citrus-flavored sodas. Given that Sprite remains the most popular, it is worth looking at the newcomer against the old favorite.

Which, then is better? Well, that really depends. As is the case with a lot of things in life, it depends on your personal preference and taste. The generation you are part of may mean that you like one more than the other, as Starry, according to PepsiCo, is aimed at Generation Z members, or as the company stated, “irreverent optimists”.

In terms of flavor, Sprite and Starry are very similar. If you do a blind test of the two drinks, you may have trouble picking out which one is which. There are some differences that you can notice, when paying closer attention, though.

Starry, according to many reviewers, tends to have a much heavier citrus-flavor from the get-go than Sprite. This huge burst of flavor is followed by a long fruity drag that is fairly balanced between the lemon and lime notes of the flavor. Some people, though, have felt that Starry leaned more on the lime side of things.

Sprite has a much cleaner and lighter start that then condenses down into a sweeter end that also happens to be a lot less fruity.

Pepsi has stated that Starry is “crisp” and “refreshing” and most reviews we have read suggest that these terms are accurate descriptions of the soda.

Interestingly, if you are looking for a smoother experience like Sprite, but want to try Starry, it may be worth giving the Zero-Sugar variety a go. However, don’t expect it not to taste ever so slightly like a diet drink. According to many reviewers, it has that distinctive diet aftertaste.

In terms of color and carbonation, the color is the same, but there are many people who have noted that Starry does not have quite the same level of fizz as Sprite. While this may be a welcome change for some people, we know personally that a lot of people like that Sprite is such a fizzy drink. Again, it will undoubtedly come down to preference and taste.

What About 7Up?

It seems appropriate to discuss Starry in comparison to its other main citrus-flavored soft drink rival, 7Up. While it is not quite as universally popular as Sprite, 7Up does have its fair share of fans.

Compared to Starry, though, we found it intriguing just how many people preferred PepsiCo’s new addition over 7Up.

Maybe, again, it’s a generational thing, but 7Up always seems to rank lower than the other two, in any post or review we read about it. That’s not to say that 7Up doesn’t have its fans, or it would not have held a strong market share with Sprite for so long.

The Verdict

So, is Starry better than Sprite? Does PepsiCo finally have a worthy opponent to Sprite and 7Up? The answers to these questions really depend on a number of things.

In answer to the first question, if you prefer a soft drink with a less sweet taste overall and a much more citrus, limey take on the lime-lemon flavor, then Starry may be the best drink for you.

If you prefer a lemon-lime soda that packs a lot of sweetness and is bubblier, though, then Sprite is the drink for you.

Will it be as successful as PepsiCo hope? That remains to be seen. The indications are that it is a welcome return to the success that Slice had before it was taken out of production and replaced with Sierra Mist. The branding for Starry has a simple and bright design to rival the incredibly memorable and famous Sprite branding.