EWG’s 2024 guide to countertop water filters

 If you’re concerned about harmful chemicals in your tap water, you may be thinking of getting a water filter pitcher for your kitchen countertop – or if you already have a filter, making sure it’s the right one. 

But how can you choose among the hundreds of brands and models of countertop water filters on the market and their competing claims? 

One brand says it filters out “up to 99.9 percent of tap water contaminants.” Another says it “removes 2,000 percent more contaminants than the leading water filter pitcher.” One simply promises “filtration that actually does stuff.”

Which filter is most effective at removing specific contaminants? How long will it work before you must replace the filter element? How much will it cost? How easy is it to use? 

EWG is here to help.

Get the guide
Interested in EWG’s recommendation for filtering out PFAS, also known as forever chemicals?

EWG scientists purchased 10 of the leading brands and models of countertop water filter pitchers. We tested filters on the tap water in four different cities to measure the levels of some of the most common and worrisome contaminants, like PFAS and hexavalent chromium, among others.

We ran 10 gallons of tap water through the filters in each city and then measured the contaminant levels. We then sampled water directly from the tap, analyzed it for contaminants. A comparison of the pollutant levels in the unfiltered and filtered samples showed each filter’s effectiveness at removing specific contaminants.

We focused on six contaminants widespread in U.S. tap water. (Learn more)


Quick recommendations


EWG is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, EWG earns commission from qualifying purchases. The affiliate commission collected is used to support EWG’s nonprofit mission.*


Best OveraLL

Epic Pure Pitcher

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Epic Pure Pitcher

Pros: This filter was nearly 100 percent effective at removing many commonly occurring contaminants. The longer filter life makes it less expensive in the first year than others with similar performance that need replacing sooner, and it has a built-in timer to remind you to replace the filter. The simple design, large reservoir and ease of replacing filters made it our favorite to use. It also ranked highly in our guide to PFAS water filters.

Cons: This filter has a higher initial cost. It only removed about half the chromium-6 in the sample and very little of the nitrate contamination. 

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Epic

 

Removal

       

Price

1-year cost

Chromium-6

PFAS

Arsenic

Nitrate

Disinfection byproducts

Radon

$70

$247.87

47%

98%

100%

9%

100%

100%


Runner Up

Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher with Affinity Filtration Technology

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Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher with Affinity Filtration Technology

Pros: This filter was also 100 percent effective at removing many contaminants. The clear design makes it easy to track how much water remains, and the large pitcher size means refilling is less frequent. It ranked highly in our PFAS filter guide.

Cons: Its yearly cost is much higher than the Epic Water filter, and our testers found it more complicated to install and maintain. The water passes very slowly through the filter. It’s not effective at removing nitrate.

PURCHASE HERE

Clearly

 

Removal

       

Price

1-year cost

Chromium-6

PFAS

Arsenic

Nitrate

Disinfection byproducts

Radon

$90

$436.50

79%

100%

100%

8%

100%

100%


Best for Nitrate

Zero Water 7 Cup 5-Stage Ready-Pour Water Filter Pitcher

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Zero Water 7 Cup 5-Stage Ready-Pour Water Filter Pitcher

The filters used in most models we tested aren’t designed to work on nitrate. It must be removed with specialty filters such as Zero Water’s ion exchange filter or a reverse osmosis filter. If EWG’s Tap Water Database shows high levels of nitrate in your community, Zero Water may be your best overall choice for a pitcher filter. 

Pros: This filter removed 100 percent of nitrate. It was also highly effective on most other contaminants, ranking highly in our PFAS filter guide. It has a low initial cost, and the filters are easy to replace.

Cons: It fell short on removing chromium-6 and some disinfection byproducts. The filters must be replaced often, driving up the yearly cost.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

Zero

 

Removal

       

Price

1-year cost

Chromium-6

PFAS

Arsenic

Nitrate

Disinfection byproducts

Radon

$24.99

$646.06

85%

100%

100%

100%

82% (avg of 3)

100%


Budget buys for disinfection products

PUR Plus or Amazon Basics

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Disinfection byproducts, including the group of toxic chemicals known as total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs, are some of the most widely found drinking water contaminants in the U.S.

You can check EWG’s Tap Water Database to see if these are the only contaminants of concern in your water.

If so, this budget filter is a good choice. While it isn’t effective for many other contaminants, it filters out disinfection byproducts well and is easier on the wallet.

Pros and cons:

PUR Plus is more expensive than Amazon Basics but can also partially reduce chromium-6 and PFAS. Replacing the PUR Plus filter is easy, but water passes through the filter very slowly.

The Amazon Basics pitcher has a large reservoir, so you don’t have to fill it as often. But to fill it you must remove the lid, then replace it when the pitcher is full, which takes time.

Neither of these filters was tested against arsenic or radon, because they were not expected to be effective on those contaminants, based on prior research and product ratings. 

PURCHASE PUR PLUS ON AMAZON

PUR Plus

 

Removal

       

Price

1-year cost

Chromium-6

PFAS

Arsenic

Nitrate

Disinfection byproducts

Radon

$26.99

$182.18

86%

79%

Not tested

41%

100%

Not tested

PURCHASE AMAZON BASICS ON AMAZON

Amazon Basics

 

Removal

       

Price

1-year cost

Chromium-6

PFAS

Arsenic

Nitrate

Disinfection byproducts

Radon

$25.21

$100.71

68%

54%

Not tested

58%

98.5 (avg of 2)

Not tested

Other filters we tested: Travel Berkey, Brita, Brita Elite, Seychelle pH20 and Aquagear. These were all somewhat effective against some contaminants, but they weren’t the best choices when compared to other filters in the same price range.

Why your water might be unsafe

The great majority of tap water in U.S. homes meets the legal limits for contaminants allowed by the federal government. But “legal” doesn’t always mean “safe.”

Too often, there’s a big gap between the contaminant levels scientific studies find fully health protective and the legal limits set by government agencies. These limits are often compromises influenced by the cost to water suppliers of removing contaminants and the political leanings of agency appointees. And standards may fail to reflect the latest science that shows a need for stricter limits in order to adequately protect public health.

There are no federal limits on more than 150 contaminants found in U.S. drinking water, and many limits that do exist are badly outdated. (EWG’s no-compromise water quality guidelines are based solely on the best current science.)

Contaminants

For our tests of countertop filters, we focused on six contaminants widespread in U.S. tap water.

  • Chromium-6, the cancer-causing chemical made notorious by the film “Erin Brockovich.”  
  • “Forever chemicals,” or PFAS, linked to liver and immune system damage, thyroid changes, and increased risk of cancer. (We previously evaluated water filters based solely on how well they remove PFAS.
  • Arsenic, a cancer-causing chemical that gets into drinking water from natural, industrial and agricultural sources. 
  • TTHMs, cancer-causing contaminants that can also harm the developing fetus, are byproducts of disinfectants combined with other contaminants during treatment of drinking water with chlorine or other chemicals.  
  • Nitrate a chemical in fertilizer that is also naturally occurring, can be deadly to babies and is linked to higher rates of cancer. 
  • Radon, a radioactive element that causes lung cancer. Radon gas can enter a home through the basement or a crawl space, but it can also get into the tap water and from there escape into indoor air. 

We also considered the pitcher and first filter’s initial cost and the yearly cost of replacing the filter element, based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and filter lifespan. And we considered how easy the pitcher is to set up, use and maintain.

But it’s not so simple to name the “best” filters.

Some were highly effective at removing certain contaminants but not so good at removing others. (To see the specific contaminants of greatest concern where you live, visit EWG’s Tap Water Database, which provides detailed information on contaminants in the water of 50,000 communities in 50 states and the District of Columbia.)

How we conducted our tests 

Our goal was to determine how effective countertop water filters work in real-world conditions with real home taps that may have a number of contaminants.  

We bought 10 models of widely available countertop water filters. Using SimpleLab’s Advanced City Water Test, Advanced Radiological Water Test, Hexavalent Chromium Water Test and Radon Water Test, we tested for over 90 contaminants found in U.S. tap water. (See the complete list of contaminants for which we tested.) Tests were conducted in Alexandria, Va., in February and April 2023; Vancouver, Wash., in February 2023; Modesto, Calif., in June 2023; and Bloomington, Ill., in August 2023.

Our testers prepared each water filter according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Taps were flushed completely before 10 gallons of unfiltered tap water were passed through each filter. The reservoir in the pitcher was filled and drained completely. We took samples of water from the pitcher after the filtration was complete and took a sample of water directly from the faucet on the same day to compare detections of contaminants.

To calculate the percentage of reduction achieved by each filter, we contrasted the level of a specific contaminant found in the tap water sample with the level detected in the filtered water.

The prices given are either the manufacturers’ suggested retail price as found on their websites or on Amazon.*

Startup cost is the cost of buying the pitcher, which typically includes a single filter. Replacement filters were priced as single replacements, where available, or as the price per filter for those whose replacements are sold in packs of three.

To calculate the number of replacement filters, we used the projected cost of the first year of use, assuming a household of four people filtering two gallons of water a day for drinking and cooking.

This guide has some limitations. Our test results provide only a snapshot of how these filters work, since we tested only one of each filter and one water sample from each filter in each location. In some locations, if a contaminant was not found at high enough levels in the tap water sample to provide an accurate measurement, we did not test for that contaminant in that location. (Details here.) We did not test filter performance over the entire life of the filter.

* In furtherance of its mission, EWG tests products on the market to understand and expose chemicals in food, water, toys and cosmetics. Companies do not pay EWG to test their products. To help consumers access healthier and safer products, EWG may provide a link to purchase a tested product on Amazon. EWG is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, EWG earns commission from qualifying purchases. The affiliate commission collected is used to support EWG’s nonprofit mission.  

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