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About This Guide
We’ve tested and compared 68 water filters of all types. For each filter, we:
- Hands-on experience: Set up, used, and maintained it.
- Filtration effectiveness: Sent unfiltered and filtered tap water samples to a professional lab for analysis in order to determine real-life contaminant reduction capabilities. Plus, we checked for NSF/ANSI certifications and other test data.
- More testing: Performed taste & odor, filtration/dispensing speed, wastewater, and other tests.
- All other product aspects: Considered initial + long-term costs, warranties, additional features, frequent customer complaints, etc.
68 Water Filters Compared
Full Screen On 
| Water Filter | AquaTru Classic | AquaTru Carafe | Aquasana Clean Water Machine | ZeroWater 32-Cup Ready-Read Dispenser | Waterdrop ED04 | Big Berkey | Purewell | Bluevua RO100ROPOT | NU Aqua 4-Stage Countertop RO System | APEC ROCT-PLUS | British Berkefeld (With Doulton Ultra Sterasyl Filters) |
Waterdrop C1H (Updated Version) |
Waterdrop A1 (Updated Version) |
Frizzlife WB99-C | Crystal Quest Countertop Thunder | SimPure Y7P-BW | ProOne Traveler+ (With Old G2.0 5″ Filter) |
Waterdrop King | Alexapure Pro | Santevia Gravity Water System | Waterdrop CTF-01 | Waterdrop WFD-22L | PUR PLUS 30-Cup Dispenser | Brita Ultramax Water Dispenser (w/ Elite Filter) |
Brita Hub Countertop Water Filter System | iSpring CKC1C | Cloud RO | Waterdrop G3P600 | Waterdrop X12 | Epic Smart Shield | Aquasana SmartFlow | US Water Systems All American 5-Stage RO | Home Master TMHP-L HydroPerfection Loaded | APEC ROES-50 Essence | SimPure T1-400 ALK | AO Smith AO-US-200 | Brondell H2O+ Circle | GE GXRQ18NBN | Frizzlife PD600-TAM3 | Culligan US-EZ-4 | Clearly Filtered 3-Stage | Waterdrop TSU | Frizzlife SK99-NEW & SP99-NEW | CuZn UC-200 | Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage Max Flow (AQ-5300+) | Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher | Waterdrop Chubby | LifeStraw Home 10-Cup | ZeroWater 10-Cup Ready-Pour | Kirkland Signature (Costco) Water Filter Pitcher | Up & Up (Target) Water Filtration Pitcher Navy 7 Cup | Brita Large 10-Cup (Everyday) Pitcher w/ Elite Filter | Aquagear | PUR PLUS 11-Cup | Epic Pure | ProOne (With Old G2.0 M Filter) |
PUR PLUS Vertical Faucet System | PUR PLUS Horizontal Faucet System | Brita Complete (Elite Advanced) | Brita Basic (Elite) | ZeroWater ExtremeLife | Culligan FM-15A | Waterdrop FC-01 | Filterbaby Skincare Water Filter 2.0 | Crystal Quest Faucet Mount Filter | USWS Bodyguard Plus (Incl. Interceptor Pre-Filter) |
USWS Bodyguard Fluoride Removal Filter | SpringWell CF |
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| Type | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Regular Countertop | Regular Countertop | Regular Countertop | Gravity Filter | Gravity Filter | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Gravity Filter | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Countertop RO | Gravity Filter | Gravity Filter | Gravity Filter | Gravity Filter | Faucet-Connect | Regular Countertop | Regular Countertop | Regular Countertop | Regular Countertop | Faucet-Connect | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tankless Under Sink RO | Tankless Under Sink RO | Regular Under Sink (Optional Faucet Kit) | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tankless Under Sink RO | Regular Under Sink (Extra Faucet) | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tank-Based Under Sink RO | Tankless Under Sink RO | Regular Under Sink (Extra Faucet) | Regular Under Sink (Inline) | Regular Under Sink (Extra Faucet) | Regular Under Sink (Optional Faucet) | Regular Under Sink (Inline) | Regular Under Sink (Extra Faucet) | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Pitcher | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Faucet-Mount | Whole House | Whole House | Whole House |
| FINAL RATING | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Final Rating | 4.83/5.00 | 4.66/5.00 | 4.32/5.00 | 3.89/5.00 | 4.07/5.00 | 4.08/5.00 | 3.83/5.00 | 4.42/5.00 | 4.38/5.00 | 4.21/5.00 | 3.16/5.00 | 4.39/5.00 | 4.42/5.00 | 4.16/5.00 | 2.97/5.00 | 3.68/5.00 | 2.26/5.00 | 2.79/5.00 | 3.55/5.00 | 2.65/5.00 | 2.97/5.00 | 3.07/5.00 | 3.04/5.00 | 3.56/5.00 | 3.52/5.00 | 3.16/5.00 | 4.66/5.00 | 4.65/5.00 | 4.49/5.00 | 4.62/5.00 | 4.11/5.00 | 4.52/5.00 | 4.45/5.00 | 4.53/5.00 | 4.40/5.00 | 4.28/5.00 | 4.18/5.00 | 4.26/5.00 | 4.24/5.00 | 4.16/5.00 | 3.70/5.00 | 3.15/5.00 | 3.33/5.00 | 3.79/5.00 | 1.51/5.00 | 3.95/5.00 | 3.37/5.00 | 3.71/5.00 | 3.64/5.00 | 4.08/5.00 | 3.78/5.00 | 3.65/5.00 | 3.50/5.00 | 3.85/5.00 | 3.91/5.00 | 1.40/5.00 | 4.19/5.00 | 4.29/5.00 | 3.76/5.00 | 3.66/5.00 | 2.88/5.00 | 3.03/5.00 | 2.87/5.00 | 1.79/5.00 | 2.36/5.00 | 4.80/5.00 | 4.80/5.00 | 4.60/5.00 |
| Verdict (Best For) | #1 Overall | #1 Countertop RO for Lower Budgets Ideal If You Want a Glass Container |
#1 Regular Countertop Water Filter (Together With ZeroWater 32-Cup Dispenser) | #1 Regular Countertop Water Filter (Together With Aquasana Clean Water Machine) | #1 Budget Pick for a Regular Countertop Water Filter With Decent Filtration Results | #1 Gravity-Type Filter Based on Our Lab Testing | #1 Budget Pick for a Gravity-Type Filter With Decent Filtration Results #1 Gravity-Type Filter for Nitrate |
#1 Under Sink RO | #1 Tankless Under Sink RO | #1 Regular Under Sink Filter With Most Effective Filtration + Great Budget Pick | Made in USA (Except Tank) | Made in USA (Except Tank + UV Module) | Solid Under Sink RO Budget Pick | #1 All-Rounder Pitcher + Possibly the Most Effective for Fluoride | #1 Pitcher If Usability + Looks + Low Price Are Your Priority | Possibly the Most Effective Pitcher for Bacteria & Cyst | #1 Pitcher for Nitrate + Possibly the Most Effective for Fluoride | Pitcher With Highest Score in Our Lab Testing | Faucet Filter With Most Effective Filtration | #1 Overall + Faucet Filter With Most Effective Filtration | Sara’s Favorite Faucet Filter Based on Simple Look, Spray Patterns & Filter Light | Best for More Demanding City Water Supplies Improving Overall Water Quality, Taste, and Odor |
Fluoride Reduction | Best for Standard City Water and Easy Installation Improving Overall Water Quality, Taste, and Odor |
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| Comment | More Affordable Than AquaTru Classic but With Slightly Weaker Filtration Results | Restocking Issues With Black Berkey Filter Elements | Not Affordable for Most People | Not Recommended for Higher Levels of Disinfection Byproducts | Some Taste Remaining in Filtered Water | Not Designed to Be a Drinking Water Filter! | Primarily Removes Chlorine/Chloramine, DBPs, Forever Chemicals, Pesticides and Other Organics, Certain Metals Incl. Lead, and Sediments | USWS Bodyguard/USWS Bodyguard Plus or Another Carbon-Based Whole House Filter Is Recommended for Pre-Treatment | Primarily Removes Chlorine/Chloramine, DBPs, Forever Chemicals, Pesticides and Other Organics, Certain Metals Incl. Lead, and Sediments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discount Code | Discounts Already Applied When Using Our Links! | $100 Discount Already Applied When Using Our Link! | AQBOS50 – Up to 50% Off! |
ED04BOS – 3% Off on Top of Most Waterdrop Sales! |
BOS5 – 5% Off When You Buy From bigberkeywaterfilters.com! |
BOSWATER – 5% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
A1BOS – 3% Off on Top of Most Waterdrop Sales! |
BOSWB2410 – $130 Off! |
BOS5OFF – 5% Off! |
SPY7P – 20% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
BOS100 – Total of $100 Off! |
G3P600BOS – 5% Off on Top of Most Waterdrop Sales! |
X12BOS – 5% Off on Top of Most Waterdrop Sales! |
BOSEpic – 20% Off! |
AQBOS50 – Up to 50% Off! |
BESTRO-5 – 5% Off! |
bossimpure – 35% Off! |
BOSPD2410 – $120 Off! |
BOS10 – 10% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
BOSSK15 – 15% Off! |
AQBOS50 – Up to 50% Off! |
BOS10 – 10% Off! |
RCPT – 21% Off! |
BOSEpic – 20% Off! |
WD10BOS – 10% Off! |
BOS – $10 Off! |
BOS5OFF – 5% Off! |
BESTRO-5 – 5% Off! |
BESTRO-5 – 5% Off! |
BOS5OFF – 5% Off! |
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| Score Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FiltrationFiltration score combines our lab results and taste testing with NSF/ANSI certifications and 3rd-party contaminant reduction data. | 5.00/5.00 | 4.74/5.00 | 4.22/5.00 | 4.31/5.00 | 3.45/5.00 | 3.98/5.00 | 3.41/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.25/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 2.83/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.18/5.00 | 2.83/5.00 | 3.40/5.00 | 1.29/5.00 | 1.48/5.00 | 3.58/5.00 | 2.54/5.00 | 1.81/5.00 | 2.23/5.00 | 2.29/5.00 | 2.92/5.00 | 3.13/5.00 | 2.10/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.42/5.00 | 4.40/5.00 | 4.44/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.89/5.00 | 4.14/5.00 | 4.46/5.00 | 4.14/5.00 | 2.16/5.00 | 2.30/5.00 | 3.07/5.00 | 0.00/5.00 | 4.16/5.00 | 2.52/5.00 | 3.61/5.00 | 4.22/5.00 | 3.80/5.00 | 2.97/5.00 | 3.03/5.00 | 3.17/5.00 | 3.73/5.00 | 3.51/5.00 | 0.67/5.00 | 3.99/5.00 | 3.99/5.00 | 3.39/5.00 | 3.39/5.00 | 2.32/5.00 | 2.44/5.00 | 1.91/5.00 | 0.93/5.00 | 1.15/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 |
| Usability | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 3.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 3.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 3.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 3.00/5.00 | 2.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 3.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 3.00/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 3.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 2.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 3.50/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 |
| CostsCost scores reflect overall value for money rather than price alone. | 4.16/5.00 | 4.08/5.00 | 4.43/5.00 | 2.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.44/5.00 | 4.94/5.00 | 3.62/5.00 | 4.65/5.00 | 4.29/5.00 | 4.32/5.00 | 4.45/5.00 | 4.58/5.00 | 4.25/5.00 | 3.37/5.00 | 4.23/5.00 | 3.92/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.03/5.00 | 3.13/5.00 | 4.93/5.00 | 4.16/5.00 | 3.81/5.00 | 4.52/5.00 | 3.70/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.82/5.00 | 4.73/5.00 | 3.95/5.00 | 4.87/5.00 | 3.32/5.00 | 4.58/5.00 | 4.75/5.00 | 4.90/5.00 | 4.28/5.00 | 4.61/5.00 | 3.91/5.00 | 3.38/5.00 | 4.79/5.00 | 4.43/5.00 | 1.34/5.00 | 4.28/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.99/5.00 | 4.04/5.00 | 3.27/5.00 | 4.28/5.00 | 3.72/5.00 | 1.56/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.68/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.06/5.00 | 4.50/5.00 | 2.99/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 5.00/5.00 | 4.64/5.00 | 4.64/5.00 | 3.43/5.00 | 3.84/5.00 | 3.64/5.00 | 2.17/5.00 | 3.33/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 4.00/5.00 | 3.75/5.00 |
Full Screen Off 
Water Filters
- AquaTru Classic
- AquaTru Carafe
- Aquasana Clean Water Machine
- ZeroWater 32-Cup Ready-Read Dispenser
- Waterdrop ED04
- Big Berkey
- Purewell
- Bluevua RO100ROPOT
- Crystal Quest Countertop Thunder
- SimPure Y7P-BW
- ProOne Traveler+ (With Old G2.0 5″ Filter)
- Santevia Gravity Water System
- Brita Ultramax Water Dispenser (With Elite Filter)
- Waterdrop G3P600
- Epic Smart Shield
- Home Master TMHP-L HydroPerfection Loaded
- APEC ROES-50 Essence
- AO Smith AO-US-200
- Brondell H2O+ Circle
- GE GXRQ18NBN
- Frizzlife PD600-TAM3
- Culligan US-EZ-4
- Clearly Filtered 3-Stage
- Frizzlife SK99-NEW
- CuZn UC-200
- Aquasana Claryum 3-Stage Max Flow (AQ-5300+)
- Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher
- Waterdrop Chubby
- LifeStraw Home 10-Cup
- ZeroWater 10-Cup Ready-Pour
- Kirkland Signature (Costco) Water Filter Pitcher
- Brita Everyday Elite Water Filter Pitcher
- Aquagear
- PUR PLUS 11-Cup
- Epic Pure
- ProOne (With Old G2.0 M Filter)
- Culligan FM-15A
- SpringWell CF
- Waterdrop A1 (Updated Version)
- Culligan 10 Cup
- Seychelle RAD
- Up & Up Navy 7 Cup
- LARQ Pitcher PureVis With Advanced Filter
Please note: This page is still a work in progress. Additional content and details will be added shortly – stay tuned!
About the Author(s)
Sara has been a lifelong home-improvement fan (she’s been hooked on This Old House since she was five) and taught herself any project she didn’t already know by watching YouTube tutorials. She is also an award-winning filmmaker. Armed with this skillset, Sara installs, primes, samples, uses, and maintains nearly every point-of-use water treatment systems we test – then brings her results to life on camera for our YouTube channel.
Adam has always loved testing and reviewing the latest products. He began his BOS Water journey doing simple pitchers and has since expanded his expertise to installing and evaluating advanced point-of-entry systems. Cultivating a small business in the filmmaking industry, Adam is also in front of the camera sharing his findings on the BOS Water YouTube channel.
Mike is a former team member who made his mark by contributing to our first big water filter pitcher comparison video and reviewing a couple POE water treatment systems. Beyond the world of water solutions, Mike is a full-time blogger and YouTuber alongside his wife, Ashley. Together, they’ve transformed their passions into a creative space called Joyfully Growing, where they share DIY tutorials and simple home improvement tips to help others love the homes they’re in.
Raoul has a background in mechanical engineering and has been writing about home water treatment since 2015. He designs our product review processes, analyzes the results, and ties everything together. As editor-in-chief, he tries hard to keep the whole operation running smoothly behind the scenes.