123RF.com (pxhidalgo)
I switched to countertop water filters because carrying gallons of water into my house each week was a real hassle and I worried about the impact all that plastic was having on the environment. The best filters will reduce your waste and save you both money and trips to the store.
Another way to go green and save money on toilet paper is to switch to one of the best bidets on Amazon. And for those looking for an under-the-sink model, consider a UV water purifier.
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1. Aqua Tru Connect 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Countertop Smart Water System
Pros:- Can monitor from your smartphone
- Filters one gallon in around 15 minutes
- Reverse-osmosis filter stage
- Clean water tank be moved to fridge
- Can make alkaline watear
Cons:- Needs electricity to run
- Not silent
- Have to empty waste water tank
- More maintenance
For those looking for a faster option that filters out thousands of contaminants including PFAS, lead, and radium, this might be the filter for you. The Aqua Tru Countertop Water Filtration System is more sophisticated than a gravity-fed filter for a wider range of extraction. As a smart device, the filter can connect to the Aqua Tru app on your phone so you can more easily monitor the state of your filters, track your usage, and see your savings.
The water in your Aqua Tru system goes through four filtering stages, a pre-filter for large particles, a carbon filter, a high-pressure reverse-osmosis filter, and an activated coconut shell VOC carbon filter. Each stage focuses on a particular type of contaminant so you get broader protection.
Because it’s run with an electric pump, your water filters faster than gravity-fed devices and it can pump out a gallon of filtered water in around 15 minutes.
Many filters grab and hold onto contaminants until the filter is changed meaning all your water is passing by more and more stuff you don’t want to drink. In the Aqua Tru system, all this gunk is removed and pumped into the tap water tank at the end of the cycle as wastewater that you dump out before refilling the reservoir. It’s an extra step but well worth it.
Your filtered water dispenses in the front with a simple push-button tap or you can remove the dispensing tank and place it in your fridge for chilled water.
Want alkaline mineral water on tap? Aqua Tru included their Perfect Minerals additive in this set or go for their Four-Stage Alkaline Countertop Filter.
Find more Aqua Tru 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water System information and reviews here.
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2. Brondell H630 Cypress Countertop Water Filter System
Pros:- Water is available immediately
- No tanks to fill up
- Lever leaves faucet free
- No electricity needed
Cons:- Needs to be installed
- Filters replaced every six months
- Doesn't return minerals
The Brondell H630 Cypress system delivers filtered water as fast as a faucet without making your faucet unusable. It can be installed in two different ways, either by hooking it up directly to your sink’s cold water line with the included splitter or attaching the included diverter to the end of your faucet. It’s run by the water pressuring in your pipes so you can have filtered water as fast as turning on your sink.
If you attached the diverter to your faucet, the hose sends the water back through the filter and out as clean, ready to drink water. What I really like is that there’s a lever on the diverter that still allows for water to flow directly through the faucet if you want water that doesn’t require being filtered.
The system as three stages of filters: a composite plus filter for particulates like rust, a “nanotrap” filter for bacteria, viruses, small particulates, and a carbon block filter for odors, bad tastes, chlorine, and VOCs.
Find more Brondell H630 Cypress Countertop Water Filter System information and reviews here.
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3. Apex Countertop Alkaline Drinking Water Filter
Pros:- Returns minerals for better taste
- Akaline water
- Color choices
- Doen't need electricity
Cons:- Won't fit all sinks
- Not everyone wants alkaline water
- Can't be in direct sunlight
For those who would like all of their household water to be filtered, units that hook up directly to your sink and take over for your faucet may be a good fit. This one from Apex Water Filters is simple and compact.
It’s a multistage filter that connects to your faucet and your sink’s water pressure is what pushes the water through the layered filter. Each stage removes different contaminants including chlorine, bacteria, heavy metals, radon, and benzene.
The few stages of the filter add beneficial minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium back into your water to improve taste and nutrition.
I like that you can choose from many different colors to best match your kitchen since it’s going to be sitting out there on the counter. There’s even a clear option if you like seeing all the filters–just make sure you especially keep this filter out of direct sunlight as it has less protection than their opaque models.
Find more Apex Countertop Alkaline Drinking Water Filter information and reviews here.
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4. OnliPure Zero Installation Reverse Osmosis Purifier
Pros:- Four-stage filter system
- Ion-exhange and reverse osmosis
- Claims to have 0 TDS by the end
- Long-lasting filters
Cons:- Will need to empty waste water
- Tank would be a little small for a family
- Needs to be plugged in
For those looking for the purest water, the OnliPure Zero claims to have 0 TDS (total dissolved solids) at the end of the filtration cycle. Zero is as low as it gets so if you’re looking for pure, this is a good place to start.
The OnliPure has a four-stage filter system: a five-micron sediment filter, coconut carbon filter, reverse osmosis membrane, and an ion-exchange filter to complete the process. With these, it can remove all sorts of contaminants including odors, heavy metals, rust, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, fluoride, and chlorine.
One of the hallmarks of a reverse osmosis system is wastewater as all the gunk that doesn’t end up in your drinking water is flushed out with this wastewater so it doesn’t stay and clog up your filter. It ends up back in the tank and will need to be poured out before refilling.
Each cycle nets about half a gallon of filtered water so it may not be large enough for a big family with large water needs but for a couple or single person, this is a good fit.
Find more OnliPure Zero Installation Reverse Osmosis Purifier information and reviews here.
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5. Aquasana AQ 4000W Faucet System
Pros:- Filtered water from your tap
- Three-stage filter process
- Trusted brand name
- Doesn't need electricity
Cons:- Needs to be hooked up to your faucet
- Won't work with all sinks
- Filter life of about six months
We’d all love to have filtered water coming straight out of our taps but those bulky faucet filters just don’t cut it–this is where the Aquasana AQ steps in to intercept your water as it comes out of your faucet, divert it through its three-stage filter system, and then return it to your facet.
It basically comes with an extender for the next of your faucet that sends the water through a tour of the filter system before returning it to your faucet. It’s a pretty nifty concept that won’t work for all sinks or all homes, but it’s still pretty clever.
Inside the unit are two filters that compose the three stages: carbon, ion-exchange, and sub-micron mechanical filtration. These filters capture a wide range of impurities and leave you with better tasting, healthier water.
Find more Aquasana AQ 4000W Faucet System information and reviews here.
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6. Brio Hot & Cold Countertop Filter With UV Self-Cleaning
Pros:- Adjustable temperature water
- Self-cleaning UV light kills microbes
- No tanks to fill
- Child-lock on the hot water
Cons:- Needs to be plugged in
- Needs to be hooked up to your water line
- No reverse osmosis
One of the best choices on here, the Brio Countertop Self-Cleaning Bottleless Cooler has a two-stage filter, control over the dispensing temperature of your water, and a UV light self-cleaning mode to disinfect your reservoir.
It filters using a two-stage system of a sediment filter followed by a carbon block filter to remove a wide range of impurities including rust, chlorine, VOCs, odors, and other chemicals.
I unique feature I really like is the self-cleaning UV Care which automatically disinfects your water cooler killing 99 percent of microbes that cause illness. It’s like a light-powered hand sanitizer for your water tank.
Once your water has been filtered, you can choose between three dispense buttons: room temperature water, hot water, or cold water. This way you always have the temperature water you want without needing to make ice or dig out the kettle.
It hooks up to your sink cold water line so never have to worry about filling heavy tanks or having an empty filter. That might seem a little intimidating but it comes with everything you need and I just did pretty much the same thing for my bidet with zero plumbing experience and zero problems.
Find more Brio Hot & Cold Countertop Filter W/ UV Self-Cleaning information and reviews here.
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7. EDITOR’S CHOICE: Avalon A12 Countertop Hot & Cold Water Filter
Pros:- Self-cleaning tanks
- Dispenses hot and cold water
- Doesn't obstruct your sink
- Made to be self-installed
Cons:- Needs electricity
- More plumbing than some
- May not need hot water
- Have to have space for hoses
If you like those Poland Springs hot and cold water coolers but don’t want that bulky, unattractive cooler, the Avalon A12 is a countertop filter that cools and heats water sourced directly from your cold water line.
This one requires a bit more plumbing as you insert a splitter between your faucet line and the main cold water line under your sink. I did something very similar when I installed one of the best bidets (come at me, toilet paper shortage), and while I have zero plumbing experience I got it set up with no issues.
This new line feeds into the two filters at the back of the A12, one for sediment and one of carbon for improved taste. The water pressure from your pipes feeds the water through the filters and into the tanks. From there, once plugged in, the A12 can heat and cool water for water that’s instantly the temperature you want it.
There’s even a self-cleaning feature where you can press a button to inject ozone into the tanks to help keep them clean.
The main drawback of this is that you need to get the water hose from under your sink to your countertop someone. Depending on your set up that may be harder than for others.
Find more Avalon A12 Countertop Hot & Cold Water Filter information and reviews here.
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8. Berkey Water Filter
Pros:- Can adjust whether you want fluoride
- Doesn't need to be plugged in
- 1.5-gallon tank capacity
- Filters at a decent rate for gravity
Cons:- Needs to be refilled
- May not care about fluoride
- Filters have different lifespans
Big Berkey is a gravity-fed filter with a customizable filter system. There are four filtration slots and you can fill those with either carbon or fluoride filters in whatever combination you prefer. It comes with one standard carbon filter as well as an optional fluoride filter you can add on.
The gallons per hour rate is decent and with the 1.25-gallon capacity tank stacked on top of a clean water reservoir, it’s a great size for a small family.
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9. VitaFilta Countertop Filter & Cooler
Pros:- Adjustable water temperature
- Large capacity tank
- Affordable
- No installation to deal with
Cons:- Only cools a few portions at a time
- Needs to be plugged in
- Filter replaced every four to six months
- Small charcoal filter
The VitaFilta is an electric, gravity-fed filter with an adjustable temperature gauge that can chill your water down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit so you can have water the perfect temperature for you each time.
It uses a simple carbon filter to remove impurities and improve the taste of your tap water, three gallons at a time. For a gravity-fed device, it filters quickly and can have a glass of water out to you in under a minute.
It does need to be plugged in but for such a large capacity the VitaFilta has a fairly small footprint on your counter.
This is one of the more affordable models on the list and isn’t without its faults. The filter is fairly small for such a large device and is limited in what it removes. While it does effectively chill you water, it only chills a portion at a time so you couldn’t pull a gallon of perfectly chilled water from this all at once.
Find more VitaFilta Countertop Filter & Cooler information and reviews here.
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10. Avalon B8WHT Touchless Water Filter
Pros:- Child lock on hot water
- Affordable
- Dispenses hot and cold
- Never have to wait for gravity
Cons:- Not self-cleaning
- Bulkier than others
- Looks and feels cheaper
- Needs to be installed
For those on a budget who are often heating water for tea or coffee, the Avalon B8WHT can replace your kettle and water filter in one. It’s a plumbed dispenser that uses two filters to purify water and then offer it at hot and cold temperatures. To save costs, the body is made of plastic instead of metal and it doesn’t have a self-cleaning feature like more expensive models.
It cools water to 47-degrees Fahrenheit and heats it to around 185-degrees Fahrenheit.
The two filters help remove contaminants like pesticides, odors, rust, bacteria, viruses, chlorine, heavy metals, and organic matter. They’re designed to be switched out twice a year. It’s a plumbed unit meaning you will have to run a line to your water but it comes with an installation kit and easy-to-follow instructions. The B8WHT has a built-in leak detection filter so if at any time there is a leak alone your line or at one of your connections, you’ll know.
Find more Avalon B8WHT Touchless Water Filter information and reviews here.
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11. Bluevua Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
Pros:- Reverse osmosis filtration
- Four-stage filter system
- Don't need to pour out wastewater
- Last filter adjusts pH to alkaline
Cons:- Needs to be plugged in
- Tank isn't huge
- Might not want alkaline water
For those who would like a reverse osmosis filter but don’t want to deal with emptying the wastewater that comes with it, the Bluevua Countertop Filtration System is able to recycle wastewater instead of dumping it out, you simply add more water to the tank once a cycle is done. That saves you time, hassle, and water. (If you do decide to dump the wastewater, it’s fine for watering plants.)
In addition to the reverse osmosis membrane which removes a wide range of contaminants including heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, and antibiotics, the system has three other filter stages.
The first is a polypropylene sediment filter for dirt and other particles. The second is a coconut carbon block filter for things like odors and chlorine. The third is the reverse osmosis membrane. And the last stage is a second coconut carbon filter that finishes the water and remineralizes it for an improved alkaline taste.
The tank has an easy-grip handle for refilling and a minimal user-friendly interface. There aren’t a lot of buttons to press, just alerts for when your filters need to be replaced–which isn’t often. The reverse osmosis membrane is good for two years and the other three filters are good for one year.
Find more Bluevua Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System information and reviews here.
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12. Waterdrop Filter Decanter
Pros:- Filters faster with two filters
- Includes stand
- Spigot has a water line indicator
Cons:- Have to wait for gravity filter
- Not realisitc for all household water use
- Leaks if overfilled
The Waterdrop Gravity-Fed Filter is an affordable and stylish alternative to a typical pitch-style filter. This ist eh style of filter I keep in my kitchen.
It’s a gravity-fed carbon filter where tap water is poured into the top and passes through the filters and is stored in the gallon-sized bottom section of the filter. The tap makes it easy to access a large quantity of filtered water without needing to lift a heavy jug.
The filter is perfect for removing that chlorine smell and taste from city water as well as lead, cadmium, copper, and mercury. There are slots for two carbon filters inside the tank for faster, more efficient filtering.
Their unique water level spigot is something I haven’t seen before. It has a pole-like feature with a see-through window that connects to the spigot and allows you to the waterline. The main flaw of these gravity systems is that you can’t see how much water is ready in the tank but this new spigot allows you to visualize exactly how much water is there.
I like that it comes with an option stand if that makes more sense for your counter space than hanging the spigot over the edge of the counter.
Find more The Waterdrop Filter information and reviews here.
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13. Cuckoo CP Tankless Water Filter
Pros:- No waiting for water
- Designed to be self-installed
- Three-stage filter system
- Remineralizes for alkaline water
Cons:- Needs to be plugged in
- More plumbing than some
- May not want remineralization
The Cuckoo CP water filtration system is a slim stylish filter that connects directly to your water line so you never have to wait for a tank of water to get finished filtering.
This uses a three-stage filter system fed with the water pressure from your faucet. The first stage is a pre-carbon filter that removes bad tastes, odors, heavy metals, and chlorine. The second stage is a nano positive membrane that reduces bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals. The final stage is a remineralization stage which adds calcium, magnesium, and potassium for better tasting and slightly alkaline water.
It’s recommended that you change the filters every 12 months.
It comes with everything you need to self install this system either with a splitter underneath your sink or a diverter attached to the end of your faucet.
Find more Cuckoo CP Tankless Water Filter information and reviews here.
Why Are Water Filteration Systems Important?
Everyone having access to clean drinking water should be important at the star. For me, it's personal because I lived for years in an apartment with well water that we later found out was contaminated by PFAS chemicals.
Had we been in the habit of using a tabletop water dispenser at the time, our consumption of cancer-causing PFAS could have been reduced.
Are Water Filters Bad for the Environment?
Going to the grocery store and buying gallon after gallon is not only annoying and heavy, it's a huge amount of plastic waste. Filters are much more eco-friendly and cut back on your plastic consumption.
Can You Trust Your Tap Water?
Thankfully, for the most part, the answer is yes. The majority of city water is well tested and not contaminated in such a way to cause you harm. You can check on your own town's drinking water on the EPA's page for Consumer Confidence Reports.
However, some folks with city water and those with less regulated well water may be drinking more than they bargained for.
Can Safe Water Taste Bad?
The majority of tap water isn't unhealthy but plenty of it tastes bad. Whether it's got a pool-water smell or boiled-egg sulfur stench, if your tap water tastes awful, no one's going to want to drink it.
Healthy consumption of water is important for your body and a filter can make your water tastes as good as bottled water from the store.
Isn't It Just a Fancy Water Filter Pitcher for Your Counter?
Not really. I've owned my fair share of Britas and struggled to get their top-heavy pitchers into the fridge after refilling them.
Tabletop filters are stationary so there's no hauling them around and many have water significantly faster than a pitcher-style filter.
Plus, fridge filters tend to rely on activated charcoal for filtration and these systems have a variety of methods depending on what contaminants you're worried about including carbon, several stage, and reverse osmosis.
Shouldn't I Just Buy a Pur or Brita Filter?
While those are the most known brand names in the smaller filter game, when to comes to high-end filters, don't be surprised to see some brand names you've never heard of.
Remember, according to the CDC "no filter removes all contaminates," so if any product is claiming to, be wary.