If you're tired of vaping the same five flavors over and over again, you are in luck. We tried out some 3rd party alternatives for JUUL pods and the results were pretty interesting. From watermelon to blueberry and café latte, these compatible JUUL alternatives for JUUL vape pods might give new life to your favorite pod vape system but are they any good?
JUUL vapor's limited choice of flavors
The JUUL is without a doubt one of the most popular pod style vapes on the market today. It's easy to use, easy to recharge and delivers high concentration nicotine with a great throat hit. Unfortunately the choice of pod flavors is pretty limited. The company offers a total of five standard flavors – Virginia Tobacco, Mango, Cool Mint, Creme Brulee, and Fruit Medley – as well as three limited edition JUUL pods.
A look at a standard Juul cartidge
JUUL pods are small pre-filled cartridges. These include the mouthpiece at one and the coil at the other and make a strong connection with the battery. The pods have a capacity of around 0.8ml and the e-liquid used is nicotine salt based. This allows for 59mg concentration – or 5% - without an incredibly harsh throat hit.
Compatible, 3rd party cartridges
Also referred to as alternative or compatible pods, 3rd party JUUL pods are essentially pre-filled cartridges manufactured by other companies. These have slightly higher e-liquid capacities and come in different flavors and nicotine concentrations. They make a good connection with the battery and overall experience is very similar to that of the original pods.
EONSMOKE pods
EONSMOKE pods come in seven different flavors that fit perfectly on your JUUL vape. Capacity is 1.0ml and there are two nicotine concentrations available: 4% and 6%. With the 6% pods you get 10mg more nic than with traditional JUUL cartridges and they sell for around $12 a 4-pack.
Cool Mint and Mango taste pretty similar to the original JUUL flavors. Watermelon on the other hand is something completely original. It has a candy like sweetness to it and it's a lot better than Fruit Medley. Tastes almost like the aftertaste from a good old Jolly Rancher. Blueberry and Strawberry were our favorites. These are both packed with fruity goodness and are super smooth. The blueberry has that sweet-tart aftertaste without being over powering. Silky strawberry almost has like a whipped cream aftertaste and it's in the same candy-like category as watermelon.
Café Latte is the only flavor we didn't enjoy. Tastes a bit bitter and has an artificial vanilla aroma. Frankly we tested way better coffee flavors across the years. This just isn't one of them. The thing you need to always watch out when using EONSMOKE pods is chain vaping. These cartridges don't have the same temperature sensing technology as the real JUUL pods and you can burn them very easily. Always allow at least 10 seconds between puffs for a good overall experience. Also nicotine buzz is not as great as on actual JUUL pods and a bit inconsistent. We didn't notice any leaking during our tests.
Get EONSmoke PodsZiiP pods
The compatible ZiiP pods are available in six different flavors as well as three nicotine concentrations. Capacity is 1.0ml and vapor production is a slightly better than with JUUL or EONSMOKE pods. Maximum nicotine strength is 40mg and minimum nic is 18mg. They also sell for around $12 per 4-pack.
Tobacco, Mango and Mint are very similar to the original JUUL flavors, but they are a bit milder in terms of flavor and throat hit. Watermelon tastes nice at first but then starts to feel a bit chemical. Cappuccino is much better than EONSMOKE's Café Latte but nothing that will sweep you off your feet. Our personal favorite was Strawberry Milk – however it started leaking after 1h of use. We also came across frequent dry hits.
Nicotine buzz is not as good as on actual JUUL pods and the airflow is different.
Get Ziip PodsVQ Pods
VQ Pods are available in up to 12 different flavors, including some pretty funky ones like Salted Caramel Popcorn. They are fully compatible with the JUUL vape and they have a total capacity of 1.0ml of e-liquid.
The flavors we recommend are Super Berry, Raspberry Tea, Lemon Lime Soda on Ice and Wild Cherry. Our favorite is Super Berry, which is a sweet and sour mix of fresh berries. There is a predominant blueberry and strawberry aroma, with hints of strawberry and blackberry in the background. It’s a very refreshing all day vape that’s not too overpowering.
The nicotine salt concentration is 5% by volume, which is the same as in standard JUUL pods.
You can get VQ Pods in 4-packs and they sell for just $12.99. Unfortunately these are also not perfect so expect to find leaky pods and encounter problems specially when chain vaping.
Get Ziip PodsPlus Pods
Plus Pods are available in 8 different flavors, all of them fruity and utterly delicious. These all come with 6% nicotine salts concentration by volume, which is 20% higher than regular JUUL pods. You can purchase these compatible JUUL cartridges in 4-packs and the price is $13.99.
They are not the cheapest 3rd party pods, but the flavor is top notch. Also their construction is better than other competitors. These don’t leak as often and work well even during chain vaping
Mango is our favorite flavor, which is slightly sweet with lovely sour undertones. Other flavors include Blue Raspberry, Lemonade, Strawberry, Banana, and Watermelon.
Each Plus Pod has a total capacity of 1.0ml.
Get Ziip PodsViV Pods
ViV pods come from Vapor4Life and are fully compatible with the JUUL. These pre-filled cartridges are available in six different flavors and the nicotine concentration is 5%. Unlike some of the other 3rd party alternatives, ViV pods do not leak and the taste is really good.
They offer 1.0ml capacity instead of the standard 0.7ml and they cost $1 less per 4-pack. In addition, you get free domestic shipping when purchasing at least two packs of ViV pods. Just use coupon code 2ViV when placing the order.
Out of all the flavors we got to sample, Blueberry Lemonade is by far our absolute favorite. The sweet and sour lemonade aftertaste pairs perfectly with the tart blueberries for a great all day vape. It's smooth, refreshing and utterly delicious. We definitely recommend giving this one a try, especially if you love fruity vapes.
Mango Pineapple is next in line, with a very intense aftertaste. The addition of pineapple really helps intensify the throat hit and it's a noticeable improvement over the traditional JUUL mango pods. However, what makes these pods stand out is the subtle citrusy aroma in the background, which gives it an exotic vibe.
ViV pods are also available in Peach, Coffee, Peppermint candy, and Grape. The grape and peach are very subtle flavors, while peppermint and coffee offer a stronger punch. Coffee pods are great in the mornings since they taste like a freshly brewed cup of Arabica.
Unfortunately, just like all the other JUUL alternative pods, these don't come with temperature sensing technology. If you take long inhales you will most likely burn the coil prematurely. We recommend 3-second puffs for best results and to wait anywhere between 30s to 1 minute between inhales. This allows the wicking material to soak up e-liquid and prevent dry hits.
My overall thoughts on 3rd party compatible JUUL pods
Seems these JUUL compatible pods are a bit hit and miss. Nicotine buzz is inconsistent and there's no temperature control feature to prevent dry hits. You need to wait at least 10 – 15s between draws and we noticed that taking dummy puffs helps with the wicking process. They are also prone to leaks and sometimes it's hard to take them out of your JUUL. The flavors on the other hand are pretty good most of the time and they can totally rejuvenate the tiny pod system. We would recommend them only for their flavors, but it's up to you to decide.
Another thing worth mentioning is if you plan to make JUUL refillable pods out of these 3rd party alternatives, it's not something we would advise. The plastic cap cracks easily and the seals become pretty loose after they have been opened. We tried using our own nic salts in some of these pods but constantly struggled with leaks, flooding and inconsistent performance.
My advice is to wait until the 3rd party companies come up with an improved product. If you ever had a similar or different experience with these pods. Please let us know.
Update 25 June 2019: Some of the pods actually work better now. We haven't tested the new versions of the VQ and Zipp yet, but we heard from a reliable source that they improved these juul compatible pods. All of this, based on our reviews! It's great to hear that they take our reviews and feedback seriously! We will update this page as soon as we get the newer versions of these compatible pre-filled vape cartridges.
I've tried both replacements but nothing tastes as good to me as the Juul cool mint. The others taste more like a spearmint. I cant quite put my finger on what i love about the Juul cool mint or what makes it different, but I wish they weren't so expensive, nothing compares to them!
Solid info. Curious if you have any general JUUL alternative review articles?