Store bought juice tends to be over sugared. Juice made like this tends to be fine. Still more sugar than water, but you're comparing to literally WATER.
Of course, even the store juices are ridiculously healthy compared to soda, which the majority of the country drinks on a regular basis.
Juice, even juice you've made yourself, is inherently less healthy than the fruits and vegetables it came from. Sure, you might get a smattering of vitamins, but none of the fiber. Not only is that fiber good for digestion, it prevents you from overeating. Since you'll never get full on juice, you're going to eat the same amount of solid food on top of the calories you already drank. Sugar is still sugar, whether it came from cane, corn, starch or apples. Your body breaks it all down to glucose anyways.
Is juice better than soda? Technically, sure. But it's not something you should be in the habit of drinking. It's practically empty calories
Every time I think about drinking juices in addition to my normal water/tea, I remember this. Would much rather have the source fruits anyway. Give me a bowl of mixed berries and that's a delicious snack/dessert. ---
There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out