# Are Water Filters Worth It

# Are Water Filters Worth It? Cost, Health, and Taste by the Numbers

**strong** The upfront cost, the cartridge you rebuy, the rated capacity in gallons, the per gallon figure and the standard numbers 42 and 53 are the 5 things that decide it. The boxes are uneven about all 5. *em*

[Water Filters Worth It on the Box](#specs)
[Water Filters Worth It on the 7 Lines](#score)
[Water Filters Worth It, and for Whom](#who)
[Water Filters Worth It Against the Cost](#proscons)
[Water Filters Worth It, Year by Year](#cost)
[Water Filters Worth It, Bottled Against Tap](#compare)
[Water Filters Worth It: Your Questions](#faq)
[Whether Water Filters Are Worth It](#verdict)

**strong** This article contains affiliate links. **strong** at *em*. **strong** retail prices move daily, so we quote ranges and send you to the live figure on the listing. **strong** *em* Every number on this page traces to manufacturer documentation or a certification record, held against the claims on the box. No free products, no paid placements, no manufacturer relationships. Scoring rules are public on our [methodology page](/methodology).

[](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3BM3Z94?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Are Water Filters Worth It: What the Box Actually Prints

**strong** Counted across the copy of all 136 records in this index, 65 print a gallon figure, 58 mention a bottle, and 23 put an actual bottle number on the package. *em* That's the 1 figure that makes a comparison possible.

**strong** A 300 bottle claim lands on a 40 gallon part and a 900 bottle claim lands on a 120 gallon part. That's because 16.9 ounces goes into a gallon about 7.6 times. *em*

**strong** A gallon rating says what the part makes, and the cartridge band says what it costs. Divide 1 by the other and you have the running cost. *em*

- The gallon figure: 65 of the 136 print 1 in the copy and 45 carry 1 as a field, which is the bottom half of any running cost.

- The bottle figure: 23 print a count, from 300 bottles on a small jug part to 6,250 on a countertop body.

- The price figure: only 3 records put a per gallon number in the copy, and all 3 use the same line about under 10 cents a gallon.

- The blank: 63 records name no standard at all, so the money half and the filing half are both patchy.

**strong** 1 gallon figure and 1 cartridge band are the whole calculation, and the box gives you 1 of the 2. *em*

The way I see it

**strong** Nothing's wrong with the measurement and nothing's wrong with the water. *em*

Bottles Sold, Gallons Printed
Bar chart of the 136 records, showing how many print each money figure: 65 print a gallon capacity, 58 mention a bottle, 23 print a bottle count, and 3 print a price per gallon.
Bottles Sold, Gallons Printed
Records, of 136

- 0 20 40 60 80 a gallon figure a bottle, named a bottle count a price per gallon 65 records 58 records 23 records 3 records Counted across the copy of all 136 records in the index, by the figure each one names. The bottle figure is not a capacity: it is the same capacity counted in 16.9 ounce units. The money figures a box names, counted once. Every box prints the gallons. Almost none prints what they cost. See the 3 Standard Jug ## Water Filters Worth It: Scorecard, 5 of 7 Every record in this index is rated 1 to 7 across seven verifiable criteria, with 1 point per criterion and no partial credit. The pick on this page is Brita's Everyday Elite jug. It's the cheapest body here that files the taste list and the health list together. Its card is copied row for row from the review of that jug rather than rescored here. Five lines take a point and 2 sit at zero, and both zeros are paperwork rather than water. The jug names 3 standards and 3 certifying bodies. What the spec sheet will not tell you: it publishes no flow rate and no listing number, which are the 2 things a box could add tomorrow at no cost. CriterionPointsEvidence Certified removal scope1 point42, 53 and 401 on one sheet, with lead, cadmium, mercury, asbestos, benzene and class I particulates named as reductions Certification and test transparency0 pointsThree standards and three certifying bodies named, and still no certificate or listing number printed Filter life and rated capacity1 point120 gallons and 6 months, both published, the longest rated life in this brand's pitcher range Cost per gallon1 pointAbout 13 to 17 cents, near the bottom of the pitcher class Flow rate and pressure drop0 pointsNo flow rate published for the body or the cartridge Install and footprint1 point10 cups on one fridge door shelf, no plumbing, no tools and no presoak Maintenance burden1 pointTwo cartridges a year behind a reminder light on the lid, and hard water shortens the interval The 5 points are why this is the body the rest of this page prices. At 120 gallons and roughly 15 cents a gallon, it beats the counter price on both counts. Two of those 3 standards are the ones a value argument actually needs. See the 8,000 Gallon Cabinet ## Water Filters Worth It, and for Whom A filter pays off against the water you were already buying. The first question is what is in your glass now. A bottled habit is the easiest case, because it's 1 price against another. A city tap with a smell is the second, and it's the cheap end of the answer. A name in your report changes the arithmetic. A lead notice in an old building makes a 53 filing the floor, and the lead shelf sorts on it first. A private supply is a different question, so the well water roundup opens with a test. Add a name and a filter stops being a want. The hard cases are the ones with nothing to take out. Water that comes back clean gives a part nothing to do, and a 1 glass a day habit gives it a long payback. Spoiler: the cheapest filter is the one your water doesn't need. #### This Is Not Worth It If Your water already tests clean: a certified body is still going to work as advertised, and it'll still have nothing measured to remove.

- You drink less than a glass a day: the maker's clock retires the cartridge long before the gallons run out, and a replacement schedule you can't keep is the real expense.

- You want the box to decide: 3 records print a price in the copy, so the comparison is yours to run either way.

Think of it this way

**strong** The umbrella isn't the fault. *em*

[Compare the 800 Gallon Cartridge](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LB0L6MS?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Water Filters Worth It Against the Cost

**strong** The gain is a predictable gallon for a fraction of the counter price. *em*

**strong** 64 records name a standard and 65 publish a gallon figure. Put together, the 2 turn a claim into something you can check. *em*

**strong** The shelf price is the smaller number in most houses, and a cheap box with a dear part costs more in a year than a dear box with a cheap 1. *em*

#### What You Get

- A gallon you can price, because 65 of these records print the capacity the division needs.

- A predictable standard: 42 for taste, 53 for health and 401 for emerging compounds.

- A format for every room, from a jug on a fridge shelf to a body on the incoming line.

#### What It Costs You

- An upfront band that the shelf shows and a running cost that it hides.

- A cartridge you rebuy 2 to 16 times a year, depending on the part and the house.

- A clock you have to keep, because the calendar retires a part before the gallons do.

The [certification hub](/best-nsf-certified-filters) covers what each standard number means, and the [full filter index](/best-water-filters) ranks every record on the same 7 lines.

[See the 100 Gallon Spout Part](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082THPM2H?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Are Water Filters Worth It: Counting the Year

**strong** A jug costs under $50 and makes a gallon for about 15 cents. A spout fixture lands under $50 and runs 15 to 18 cents. *em*

**strong** A jug part and a cabinet part can both make a gallon for under 20 cents. The same shelves also hold parts near 100 cents. *em*

*em*

- Under $50: the jug and the spout, no install, no tools, and about 13 to 18 cents a gallon.

- About $70 to $250: the cabinet band, where the health list and the widest filings live.

- About $240 and up: the membrane band, tanked first and tankless after it.

- The running cost: the 1 figure that decides a year, and the 1 the tag leaves off.

**strong** Both make clean water. Both name a standard. *em*

Put another way

**strong** Nobody estimates a year of letters from the price of the paper. *em*

[Check the Whole House Set](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779G2676?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Are Water Filters Worth It, Bottled Against Tap

**strong** Each row names what a filter actually changes, the figure that settles it, and where you land. *em*

**strong** Only 3 records in the index put a per gallon figure in their own copy. The row that needs the most arithmetic is the 1 where the water is already fine. *em*

The caseWhat a filter changesThe figure that settles itWhere you land

**strong**The same gallon, made at the tapAbout 900 bottles to 1 jug partWorth it, easily
**strong**Taste and odor, standard 42A gallon at about 15 centsWorth it, cheaply
**strong**The health list, standard 53The first pour of the morningWorth it, and swap the fixture
**strong**Sediment, bacteria, hardnessA lab panel under $50A test first
**strong**Nothing measuredA gallon you weren't buyingNot worth it
**strong**Taste, at mostA 2 month clock on a 40 gallon partNot the money
**strong**Nothing, on scheduleAn interval you have to keepThe weakest case here

**strong** The 2 rows that end in a test are the ones a box can't close. Both start with a free document. *em*

The Bottle Count, in Gallons
Bars showing 4 bottle claims from the record copy converted to gallons at 16.9 ounces a bottle: 300 bottles is about 40 gallons, 900 is about 120, 4,000 is about 530, and 6,000 is about 790.
The Bottle Count, in Gallons
Gallons, at 16.9 oz a bottle

- 0 200 400 600 800 300 bottles 900 bottles 4,000 bottles 6,000 bottles about 40 gallons about 120 gallons about 530 gallons about 790 gallons The bottle counts printed in the record copy, converted at 16.9 ounces a bottle. The 4 figures come from 4 different records, and each 1 lands on that record's own gallon rating. Every bottle count on the shelf, converted back to gallons. The swap claim and the capacity figure are the same number in 2 units. The pitcher shelf is where the swap claim is cheapest, the high flow roundup covers the 1 rate this page leaves alone, and the renter roundup keeps the commitment at zero. See the Membrane 6 Stage ## Water Filters Worth It: The 5 Questions We Get Most Are water filters worth the money For a bottled water habit, yes, and the gap is wide: one 120 gallon jug part stands in for about 900 single use bottles. For water that already tests clean the answer flips, because a certified body with nothing measured to remove is a cost with no change at the glass. Do water filters save money compared with bottled water They do, on the parts that publish a gallon figure, and 65 of the 136 records here print 1. The comparison you want is the cartridge band divided by the rated gallons. Bottled water carries no such figure, which is why the gap looks smaller on a shelf tag than it does across a year. Is a water filter worth it if my tap water tastes fine Only if you were already buying water in bottles, or if your water report names something a filter can hold. A taste problem and a health problem are 2 different filings, and standard 42 covers the first while 53 covers the second. How much does it cost to run a water filter Count on roughly 13 to 18 cents per gallon from a jug or a spout fixture, and less from a cabinet body on a long cartridge. The shelf price is the smaller number in most houses, because the part you replace sets the year. When is a water filter not worth buying When the water tests clean and the bottles are not a habit. A 1 glass a day household runs the cartridge out on the maker's clock rather than on its gallons, so the part retires long before the capacity is spent. That's a purchase with no measurable change at the tap. ## Are Water Filters Worth It: The Bottom Line For a bottled habit, the answer is yes and the arithmetic isn't close. One 120 gallon jug part stands in for about 900 bottles. A year of that habit is a stack of plastic. The swap pays on the very first cartridge. For water with nothing in it, the answer is no, and no box on this page changes that. A certified body with nothing to remove is a paid hobby. Buy the report before the filter. Everything else on the box is a suggestion. For everything in between, the report decides and then the running cost decides again. A name in the report narrows the standard, and the standard narrows the format. Cents per gallon picks between the survivors. The choosing guide runs those 4 questions, and the full filter index ranks every record on the same 7 criteria. The pick is Brita's Everyday Elite jug, and it's the cheapest honest answer here. It carries the taste list, the health list and the emerging list. It also makes a gallon for well under 20 cents with no install. No flow rate and no listing number, which is exactly what the 2 zeros cost it. See the 40 Gallon Jug Part ### Run the 2 Numbers First The gallons and the cartridge band are the whole calculation, and the box usually gives you 1. Where the water has nothing in it, no filter is worth the money. Everywhere else, the per gallon figure decides. Check the Spout Fixture ## Water Filters Worth It: Every Term Named Here Bottle count: the bottle figure a box prints instead of a gallon rating, in units of 16.9 ounces, which is a capacity figure in smaller numbers.

- Rated capacity: the gallons a cartridge is built to make, and the bottom half of the per gallon fraction.

- Cents per gallon: the cartridge band divided by the rated gallons, which is the only figure that makes 2 boxes comparable across a year.

- Upfront band: what you pay at the till before any cartridge, and the number the shelf tag shows.

- Running cost: what the cartridges cost across a year, which the tag leaves off and the clock decides.

- Break even: the point at which the filter's own cost is repaid by the bottles it replaces.

- Cartridge band: the price range of the part you replace, by format, which is what the per gallon number is built from.

- Single use bottle: the 16.9 ounce container the swap claims are counted in, and the unit a bottle figure is quoted against.

- The Nerd Stamp™: the 1 to 7 rating every record here carries, 1 point per criterion and no partial credit.

- Swap claim: the promise that a cartridge replaces a stated number of bottles, which is a capacity figure in a different unit.

## Keep Reading: Water Filters Worth It, Case by Case

- The Whole Filter Index: all 136 records, ranked by the same 7 criteria this page uses.

- How to Choose a Water Filter: the 4 questions that pick the body before the part.

- Best Budget Water Filters: the shelf where a cheap box and a cheap gallon are not the same thing.

- The Replacement Schedule Guide: the 2 numbers that set the date, class by class.