The 9 Best Water Filter Pitchers and Dispensers of 2023

After new tests, we recommend the LifeStraw Home Dispenser. Our other picks remain unchanged.

If you’re seeking an easy way to get filtered drinking water at home, we recommend the Pur Plus Pitcher Replacement Filter or the Pur Pitcher Filter, to be paired with the companion Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher or the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser (for homes going through lots of water). In eight years of researching and testing pitcher-type water filters, we’ve found that Pur’s are the simplest to use. And they have some of the best certifications for filtering contaminants.

With 13 certifications—though notably not lead—the Pur Pitcher Filter trades some functionality for faster filtration.

The Pur Plus Pitcher Replacement Filter and basic Pur Pitcher Filter have some of the most extensive American National Standards Institute/NSF International (ANSI/NSF) certifications of any pitcher filters we researched. And they have been rigorously proven to remove a greater number and range of potential water contaminants than many competitors. They’re also competitively priced and easy to find; these are strong points because, like all pitcher filters, they have to be replaced regularly. The Pur Pitcher Filter can tackle a full tank of water in about seven minutes; the Lead Reduction filter is slower, averaging 13 minutes in our tests.

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The elements that make the Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher stand out are its comfortable-to-hold handle, flip-top lid (for one-handed filling), and high-volume fill tank.

We also preferred the design of the Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher, which has several details that make it easier to use than its competitors: a flip-top lid you can fill one-handed, a high-volume fill tank (which reduces trips to the faucet), and a comfortable-to-hold, ergonomic handle.

A dispenser provides higher capacity and can pour while it’s filtering. So for households with more than two people, this is a better option than a pitcher.

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The Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser is a higher-capacity option. We recommend this for homes with more than two people and for those who have difficulty lifting and pouring a pitcher full of water. Its 30-cup capacity (18 in the bottom, 12 in the top awaiting filtration) means you will always have plenty of water on hand. And, unlike a pitcher, this model can dispense water while the filter is still working.

The Brita Longlast+ has 30 ANSI/NSF certifications and is rated to last six months—three times longer than most filters. But it’s dogged by clogging issues.

The inexpensive, basic Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter makes good-tasting water. But with only five ANSI/NSF certifications, it is less effective against many potential contaminants.

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Brita’s best-certified filter, the Longlast+ (also branded the Elite) has more certifications than Pur’s filters. And it’s rated to perform for 120 gallons, or six months, which is three times the rated lifespan of most other filters (including that of the Pur filters and Brita’s basic Pitcher and Dispenser Filter). This can make the Longlast+ cheaper to use in the long run. However, sediment-rich water can clog its particulate filtration design. So for many people, the filter doesn’t actually last six months. Also, the Longlast+ technically has its full set of 30 certifications only when it’s used in pitchers and dispensers that directly measure how much water has been filtered (and we don’t like the design of the Britas with this ability). The Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter costs less and clogs less often, but it has far fewer certifications than the Longlast+ or the Pur filters.

Brita’s iconic Everyday 10-cup pitcher in many ways defines the filter-pitcher category. But it has a few design weaknesses that make it less pleasant to use than the Pur Classic.

Among Brita’s many pitchers, the iconic 10-cup Standard Everyday Pitcher is our favorite because of its easy-to-clean design. But its handle is less comfortable to hold than the Pur Classic’s. And to fill the pitcher, you have to remove the lid entirely, which requires two hands.

Brita’s Ultramax delivers plenty of water and works as well as Pur’s dispenser. But it’s not as easy to carry to and from the faucet.

Brita’s Ultramax Dispenser comes with a Longlast+ filter. It works much like the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser, and the two models are very similar in size. The Ultramax is a fine option, and for heavy-use households, it’s a great one. But the Ultramax’s handles are less comfortable to hold than those of the Pur dispenser. And its opaque upper tank can make water levels less visible than in the Pur.

The LifeStraw Home Dispenser filtered gallons of rust-laden water and kept on working—and it’s been reliably tested against dozens of contaminants.

We ran 2.5 gallons of heavily rust-contaminated water through the LifeStraw Home Dispenser, and although it slowed slightly, it never stopped filtering. For anyone who has experienced clogging with another water filter—including our recommended Purs and Britas—or who is looking for a solution to known rusty or otherwise sediment-rich tap water, it’s our clear pick. The LifeStraw also has four ANSI/NSF certifications (for chlorine, taste and odor, lead, and mercury), and it’s been independently tested by certified labs against dozens of other ANSI/NSF standards. The fact that LifeStraw makes these test results public and has years of experience in supplying filtration for disaster relief, developing-world water-quality initiatives, and outdoors enthusiasts, means we trust its claims. A few design and filtration-speed quibbles, which are outlined in the main discussion below, reflect why it’s not our top pick or runner-up. But if clogging is an issue or a concern with your water filtering, those minor shortcomings pale in comparison.

With 13 certifications—though notably not lead—the Pur Pitcher Filter trades some functionality for faster filtration.

The elements that make the Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher stand out are its comfortable-to-hold handle, flip-top lid (for one-handed filling), and high-volume fill tank.

A dispenser provides higher capacity and can pour while it’s filtering. So for households with more than two people, this is a better option than a pitcher.

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The Brita Longlast+ has 30 ANSI/NSF certifications and is rated to last six months—three times longer than most filters. But it’s dogged by clogging issues.

The inexpensive, basic Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter makes good-tasting water. But with only five ANSI/NSF certifications, it is less effective against many potential contaminants.

May be out of stock

Brita’s iconic Everyday 10-cup pitcher in many ways defines the filter-pitcher category. But it has a few design weaknesses that make it less pleasant to use than the Pur Classic.

Brita’s Ultramax delivers plenty of water and works as well as Pur’s dispenser. But it’s not as easy to carry to and from the faucet.

The LifeStraw Home Dispenser filtered gallons of rust-laden water and kept on working—and it’s been reliably tested against dozens of contaminants.

I have been testing water filters for Wirecutter since 2016. In my reporting, I’ve spoken at length with filter-certification organizations to understand how their testing is conducted. And I’ve spoken with representatives of multiple water-filter manufacturers, including Pur brand manager Meredith Talbot and Brita associate research fellow Jon McDonald, to interrogate their claims. I’ve also gained a lot of hands-on experience with several filters and pitchers, since overall livability and user-friendliness are important in something you’ll use multiple times a day.John Holecek, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist, researched and wrote earlier versions of this guide, conducted his own tests, and commissioned further independent tests.

This guide is for people who want a pitcher-type water filter—the kind you fill from the tap and keep in your fridge. The other common methods of filtering tap water are plumbed in, including faucet-mounted, fridge, and under-sink filters.

The chief advantages to using pitcher-type filters are their low cost and their ease of use. All you have to do is fill a jug. Most models cost less than $40 up-front, and they can usually be maintained for $6 to $14 per replacement filter every two months.

The disadvantage to pitcher-type filters is this: Because they use gravity (rather than water pressure) to force water through, they have to be less dense than plumbed-in filters. That means they generally are effective on a smaller range of potential contaminants and also take longer to filter water.

If you have a known contamination issue in your home’s water, all of these are only a temporary and limited solution. A permanent fix may require installing a whole-house filtration system to treat not just drinking water but also bathing and cooking water.

The Aquasana AQ-5200 is the under-sink water filtration system we recommend.

Unfortunately, there’s no universal answer to whether you need a water filter. In the United States, public water supplies are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and water leaving a public water-treatment plant must meet strict quality standards. But not all potential contaminants are regulated. In addition, contaminants can enter the water after the water leaves the treatment plant, by infiltrating leaky pipes or by leaching out of some pipes’ interior walls. And water treatments done (or overlooked) at the plant can exacerbate leaching in pipes downstream—as happened in Flint, Michigan.

Broadly speaking, the US water supply is considered safe. To find out exactly what’s in your supplier’s water when it leaves the plant, you can usually find the local supplier’s EPA-mandated Consumer Confidence Report online. If not, all public water suppliers are required to give you their CCR upon request. But because of potential downstream contamination, the only way to know what’s in your home’s water for certain is to get it tested. Local water-quality labs can do this, or you can use home test kits. We looked at 11 of them for our guide and were very impressed with the SimpleWater Tap Score, which is easy to use and delivers a comprehensive, clearly written report on whatever your tap water contains.

As a rule of thumb: The older your home or community is, the greater the risk of downstream contamination. The EPA says that homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes or lead-laden fixtures and solder—once-common older materials that don’t meet current codes. Age also brings an increased likelihood of legacy groundwater pollution from pre-regulation industry, which can be a risk, especially when combined with age-related degradation of underground plumbing.

SimpleLab’s Tap Score Advanced City Water Test offers comprehensive analysis of your drinking water with easy-to-read results.

To ensure that we recommend only trustworthy filters, we long insisted that our picks meet the gold standard: ANSI/NSF certification. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and NSF International are private, nonprofit organizations that—working in concert with the EPA and other experts—establish strict quality standards and testing protocols for thousands of products, including water filters. The two main certifying labs for water filters are NSF International itself and the Water Quality Association (WQA). Both are fully accredited in North America by ANSI and the Standards Council of Canada to do ANSI/NSF certification testing, and both must adhere to the exact same testing standards and protocols. Filters can meet the certification standards only after being pushed well beyond their expected lifespan, using prepared “challenge” samples that are far more polluted than most tap water.

But after years of internal debate, we’ve slightly relaxed our criteria. We’ll now accept the looser language of “tested to ANSI/NSF standards”—versus certified for them—provided some strict conditions are met: one, that the testing is done by an independent laboratory, not the filter manufacturer; two, that the laboratory itself is accredited by ANSI, NSF International, WQA, or another national or nongovernmental equivalent; three, that the test results and methods are made public by the manufacturer; and four, that the manufacturer has a long track record of making filters that have proved safe, reliable, and honestly described.

Our change in thinking is the result of speaking at length with NSF International and two filter makers with stellar reputations for their work in providing filters for disaster relief, outdoors recreation, and developing-world water purification: Sawyer and LifeStraw. Both meet standards from institutions including the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization that are as strict, or even more strict, than ANSI/NSF (and the LifeStraw filter does have four ANSI/NSF certifications, in addition to meeting all our new criteria).

There’s also the matter of the cost of ANSI/NSF certification. When researching a separate guide to the Big Berkey filter system, we spoke with NSF International about what it would cost to test that company’s claims. The answer: well over a million dollars. Moreover, a filter maker can’t even get the certification testing done until its product has been on store shelves for a year, and also has to have the testing done on each of its pitchers and dispensers, even if they use the same filter. In our evolved view, there’s a line between extreme and excessive cautiousness. ANSI/NSF certification is an exceptionally trustworthy indicator for consumers that a filter is reliable, but it can also be a massive barrier to entry for manufacturers—one that can discourage innovation and keep excellent filters in the shadows.

As a practical consequence, a dispenser from LifeStraw is now among our picks; and separately, Sawyer’s Mini Water Filter is our pick for emergency bug-out bags. We also tested a Sawyer faucet filter, but we found its practicality for daily home use lacking.

Here, we limited our scope to filters with, at a minimum, certification or the equivalent under the two main ANSI/NSF standards, Standard 42 and Standard 53 (which, respectively, cover chlorine and other bad-tasting “aesthetic” contaminants, and organic compounds and heavy metals). A relatively new standard, 401, covers “emerging contaminants” such as pharmaceuticals, which are increasingly found in US water, and we gave extra weight to filters with this distinction.

Beyond all that, we looked for:

After reviewing dozens of filters, these criteria led us to recommend filters by Pur, Brita, and LifeStraw, and to dismiss several other competitors.

We began our search with pitchers in the popular 10- to 11-cup range. Most companies also offer smaller pitchers for folks who don’t need a full-size model. And most also offer larger dispensers; we found these were worth considering for households going through a lot of water, since dispensers with higher volume and an easy-to-use spigot are more family-friendly.

Then we compared design details (including handle style and comfort level), ease of installing and replacing filters, how much space the pitchers and dispensers took up in the fridge, and the volume ratio of the upper fill tank to the lower “filtered” tank (the higher the ratio, the better, because you get more filtered water from each trip to the faucet).

We did not prioritize pitchers or dispensers with battery-powered usage meters or filter-replacement reminders. It’s easier to set a digital calendar reminder or to use the included stick-on scheduling calendars, which you mark with a permanent marker.

In 2016, we conducted several of our own tests on multiple filters (including the predecessor of the Pur Pitcher Filter and the Brita Standard), to compare our results against ANSI/NSF certifications and manufacturer claims. In his lab, John Holecek measured each filter’s removal of chlorine (which has a big impact on water’s taste and smell) and ability to remove total dissolved solids (basically, mineral salts and organic matter). For our top two picks, we contracted an independent test for lead removal, using a much-more-lead-contaminated solution than NSF calls for in its certification protocol.

Our main takeaway from testing was that ANSI/NSF certification or its equivalent is a reliable measure of a filter’s performance. That’s not surprising considering the extreme rigor of the certification testing. Since then, to select our competitors, we have relied on ANSI/NSF certifications or the equivalent, rather than on our own, limited testing.

Our tests since then, including in 2021, have focused on real-world usability and the kinds of practical features and drawbacks that become apparent when you’re living with these products.

With 13 certifications—though notably not lead—the Pur Pitcher Filter trades some functionality for faster filtration.

We recommend Pur’s Pur Plus Pitcher Replacement Filter or the Pur Pitcher Filter because both have excellent ANSI/NSF certifications, and we found them to be less prone to clogging than the Brita Longlast+. (The filters were formally sold under the names Pur Pitcher Replacement Filter with Lead Reduction and Pur Faster Flow Pitcher Filter respectively, and some supply may still be around with the old names. They remain the same quality despite the name change.) We also recommend the companion Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher because its design details make it easier to use than competitors. For larger households going through lots of water, we recommend the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser. Its large capacity should always leave you with plenty of water on hand. And unlike a pitcher, it can dispense water while the filter is still working.

The heart of any water-filter system is the filter itself, so let’s start there.Pur’s Replacement Filter with Lead Reduction (model number PPF951K) is ANSI/NSF–certified for 23 contaminants, including (obviously) lead. It’s also certified for four “aesthetic” ANSI/NSF Standard 42 contaminants that affect water taste (especially chlorine); 10 ANSI/NSF Standard 53 contaminants (encompassing organic compounds including pesticides, and heavy metals including mercury and cadmium), and eight ANSI/NSF Standard 401 “emerging contaminants,” which are increasingly found in US water supplies (including bisphenol A and estrone, a form of the human hormone estrogen). Brita’s competitor, the Longlast+, is certified for more contaminants (30) and is also rated to last three times longer (120 gallons versus 40). But in our testing, the Longlast+ frequently clogged well before then, and numerous owners report the same problem. We experienced some slowing of filtration over the Pur Lead Reduction filter’s 40-gallon lifespan, but not outright clogging.

If you know you don’t have a lead issue, you may prefer the less expensive Pur Pitcher Filter (model number PPF900Z), which has 13 ANSI/NSF certifications, but not lead. The 13 are: chlorine; taste and odor; particulate Class M (particles 50 to 80 microns in diameter); zinc, cadmium, copper, and mercury (metals); benzene, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, and xylene (volatile organic compounds); and methoxychlor, an insecticide. By comparison, the basic Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter has five ANSI/NSF certifications, also not including lead.

Between replacement, the Pur Lead Reduction and Pur Pitcher filters are both rated to last for 40 gallons, or two months, normally totaling about $65 per year. Both use the same basic technology, which is common to most filters, to remove contaminants from water. Granules of activated charcoal adsorb (bind) organic compounds, and an ion-exchange resin selectively captures toxic heavy metals, kicking benign light metals (like sodium and potassium) into the water during the process. A Pur representative told us that to achieve its lead certification, the Lead Reduction filter has an additional “electro-adhesive” paper filter that sits below the main activated-charcoal and ion-exchange resin filter. Much like static cling makes your socks stick together, the filter uses an opposing electrical charge to capture dissolved metals that its ion-exchange resin missed.

In addition to excellent certifications, the Pur filters have a design advantage over Brita’s filters: You really can’t install them incorrectly. The Pur filters are molded with a pair of stubby pins, which help you line up the filter properly during installation. Brita’s filters have a tongue-and-groove design to help you line them up properly. But Pur filters have two other physical indications of proper installation: First you push down the filter, and then you do a quarter-turn to lock it in place. If you don’t perform these two steps, the filter pops back up slightly, making it clear you didn’t install it correctly.

The elements that make the Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher stand out are its comfortable-to-hold handle, flip-top lid (for one-handed filling), and high-volume fill tank.

The Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher has a number of design details that make it more pleasant to use than the Brita Standard Everyday Pitcher. The handle’s molded, convex grip makes holding it more comfortable and secure. The Pur has a flip-up cover that opens with a press of the thumb on your grip hand; this leaves your other hand free to operate the faucet when refilling. Some competitors’ lids, including the one on the Brita Standard Everyday pitcher, must be completely removed for refilling, so you need to use both hands. And the Pur requires fewer trips to the sink because its larger upper tank delivers more filtered water per refill—64 ounces of its 92-ounce capacity. The Brita Everyday delivers 51 ounces of its 92-ounce capacity per refill. (We directly measured the capacity of both pitchers, proving they’re equal, in spite of Pur’s and Brita’s 11-cup and 10-cup ratings, respectively.)

The Pur Classic 11 Cup comes with a Pur Pitcher Filter. It can also use the Lead Reduction filters, but you’ll need to buy those separately. Pur offers a few other pitchers of different design (including the Plus, an 11-cup pitcher that comes with the Lead Reduction filter). But we prefer the Classic’s design and functionality.

A dispenser provides higher capacity and can pour while it’s filtering. So for households with more than two people, this is a better option than a pitcher.

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With a more-generous tank, a kid-friendly spigot, and a space-saving design, the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser overcomes a lot of the weaknesses of pitchers—and this model has an edge on the other main dispenser option, from Brita. The Plus can hold 18 cups of water in its lower (filtered) reservoir (sufficient for most families’ daily water needs), whereas pitchers top out at about 11 cups and often need a midday refill. You can also park a dispenser in the fridge with both the 18-cup reservoir and the 12-cup upper tank nearly full (this is where that 30-cup number came from). So as more filtered water is drawn off, more flows in to replace it. The Plus 30 Cup Dispenser comes with the Lead Reduction Filter. Pur also makes a plain 30 Cup model, which comes with the Pur Pitcher Filter. You can install either filter on each dispenser.

For pouring, Pur (and Brita) dispensers use a simple spigot, which automatically returns to the closed position when you let go. The spigot is at the bottom of the reservoir, so you can pour a drink even if the fill tank is loaded with water (and even if the bottom chamber is nearly empty). With a pitcher, if you try to pour a drink while there’s water in the fill tank, you’ll have water all over the floor. Being able to dispense water immediately after a refill—while water is still filtering down—helps mitigate one of the chief complaints about filters: clogging, or generally slow filtration. Dispensers don’t speed up the job, but they do make the process much less annoying.

Finally, despite the higher volume, the Pur dispensers use fridge space more efficiently than pitchers do. The dispensers are narrow and deep, extending from the front to the back of the fridge. So they utilize the otherwise-wasted rear half of the fridge’s top shelf and leave the maximum width free for storing other items, like milk jugs and juice cartons.

These filters can work slowly. Pur told us that the Lead Reduction Filter would take 10 to 11 minutes. In our tests, it averaged a little over 13 minutes. The Brita Basic and Longlast+ filters proved to be much faster: Each took five minutes or so for a similarly sized pitcher (10 cups, versus 11). If a couple of pitcher refills are the most you need in a day, the Pur’s slower rate is manageable (though still annoying). But in a thirstier household, a larger dispenser can be a better choice.

Clogging has been an issue with Pur’s filters, due to fine bubbles, and potentially sediment, which may get stuck in the filter media and prevent water from passing through. The company added internal vents to both the Lead Reduction and the Pur Pitcher filters to help the bubbles escape. (Bubble clogs are common to pitcher filters; Brita has also responded to the issue by adding vents.) If your filter seems to have clogged, Pur recommends removing it, turning it upside down, and shaking it for a few seconds to compact the filter media and eliminate the bubbles.

The Classic pitcher can be hard to squeeze into a crowded fridge because it is roughly square in cross-section—almost as wide as it is deep, like a gallon jug of milk. It’s harder to store than the more-rectangular, thinner-yet-deeper Brita Everyday. On the other hand, the Pur Classic’s shape puts less strain on your wrist when you lift it.

A few dispenser drawbacks to note: They are heavy when they’re full—about 15 pounds. And they typically live on the fridge’s top shelf, so if you have trouble lifting weight to shoulder height, they’ll be difficult to use. Also, in the case of some extremely small, apartment-size counter-depth fridges, the Pur dispensers—at 15.5 inches front to back—may be slightly too deep to fit.

The Brita Longlast+ has 30 ANSI/NSF certifications and is rated to last six months—three times longer than most filters. But it’s dogged by clogging issues.

The inexpensive, basic Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter makes good-tasting water. But with only five ANSI/NSF certifications, it is less effective against many potential contaminants.

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Brita has reengineered its Longlast filter, calling the new version the Longlast+. It is ANSI/NSF–certified for 30 contaminants—a significant increase over the original Longlast’s 15 and seven more than with the Pur Lead Reduction. The Longlast+ filter is identical in form to the original, but it’s light blue (visually distinguishing it from the dark blue Longlast, which is still available but rapidly being replaced). The original Longlast received frequent complaints of clogging due to the sediment present in some tap water, and Brita said the Longlast+ was vulnerable to the problem as well. In our testing, the Longlast+ slowed down long before reaching its 120-gallon capacity, and many, many owners complain of this problem, too. That’s the main reason the Longlast+ isn’t our top pick among pitcher filters, even though it has the best ANSI/NSF certifications.

The new certifications include carbon tetrachloride, a volatile organic compound that damages the liver, and 15 “emerging compounds” that increasingly are found in drinking water, including bisphenol A (BPA), DEET, and estrone, a synthetic form of the hormone estrogen. The complete list can be found here (PDF).

Technically, the new certifications apply only when the Longlast+ is used in a pitcher or dispenser with a PID (performance indication device) that directly measures the volume of water that’s passed through the filter. (The presence of a PID means the filters have to successfully clean “only” 120% of their rated capacity of highly contaminated test solutions during ANSI/NSF certification, versus 200% for filters tested on non-PID pitchers and dispensers.)

Our recommended Brita pitcher and dispenser lack a PID and instead simply use a timer to roughly estimate when the filters have reached their 120-gallon lifespan. That said, the Longlast+ will fit in them, and the ANSI/NSF certification testing is so rigorous that we don’t think you run much risk of overtaxing yours before the replacement light comes on. If you want a Brita pitcher or dispenser that does have a PID, the models are listed on the top of page 3 in the PDF linked above. (The Ultramax Jet Black is a dispenser, and the rest are pitchers.) But in past testing, we found many of the pitchers harder to clean than the Brita Standard Pitcher we recommend, thanks to the overly complex design in the upper reservoir. Brita also said the Longlast+ filters a tankful faster than its predecessor. But over the course of repeated tests, we found they both worked the same, taking five to seven minutes to do the job and varying seemingly at random.

The Longlast+ is also notable for its exceptionally high filtration capacity: It’s rated for 120 gallons, or six months, which is three times the 40-gallon (or two-month) capacity of most pour-through filters, including both Pur filters. In theory, that means you’ll use just two Longlast+ filters a year instead of six—and, as a result, generate less trash and spend about 50% less on refills. But if only a couple clog before their six months are up, the costs will even out.

Finally, there’s the basic Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter. With only five ANSI/NSF certifications (including two “aesthetic” categories; three heavy metals, but not lead; and no organic compounds or emerging contaminants), this filter is not nearly as well certified as the Longlast+ or either Pur filter. But if you know you have good-quality tap water, this is an inexpensive, fast, and reliable filter that can improve your water’s taste.

In contrast with installation of Pur’s filters (which clearly indicate when they’ve been installed incorrectly), when you’re installing Brita’s filters it’s pretty easy to mess up. The filter initially drops into place solidly, so it feels right. But it actually takes an additional shove to fully seat it. If you don’t give it that shove, unfiltered water may leak down the filter’s sides when you fill the upper tray—meaning your “filtered” water actually isn’t.

Brita’s iconic Everyday 10-cup pitcher in many ways defines the filter-pitcher category. But it has a few design weaknesses that make it less pleasant to use than the Pur Classic.

The Brita Standard Everyday Pitcher is billed as having a 10-cup capacity, yet it actually holds 11.5 cups (92 ounces), the same as the Pur Classic 11 Cup Pitcher. The Everyday is our favorite of Brita’s many pitchers because it’s easier to take apart for cleaning and has no nooks and crannies (where gunk can accumulate). But on a number of details, the Brita Everyday comes up short compared with the Pur Classic. The Everyday delivers less water per refill—6.5 cups (51 ounces) versus the Pur Classic’s 8 cups (64 ounces)—so you’ll wind up taking more trips to the sink. And whereas the Pur has a thumb-flip lid (which leaves your other hand free to run the faucet), the Brita’s entire lid must be removed before you can refill the pitcher (so it’s a two-handed job). Finally, the Brita pitcher’s handle is less comfortable and stable to hold because the concave shape curves away from your fingers, leaving your pinkie and index fingers to do all the work.

The Everyday comes with a Brita Pitcher and Dispenser Filter, yet it also fits Longlast+ filters (though you’ll have to order those separately). And, again, the Everyday does not have a performance indicator device to directly measure how much water has been filtered. So technically this filter does not deliver the Longlast+’s complete list of 30 ANSI/NSF certifications. But if you just replace the filter on schedule, it’ll be fine. Brita also offers more than a dozen other pitchers and dispensers, in various sizes and designs, that fit both filters. Note, however, that Brita’s Stream pitchers and dispenser use a different filter; the Brita Pitcher and Dispenser Filter and Longlast+ filter won’t fit in them.

Brita’s Ultramax delivers plenty of water and works as well as Pur’s dispenser. But it’s not as easy to carry to and from the faucet.

Brita’s 18-cup Ultramax Dispenser is very similar to the Pur Plus 30 Cup Dispenser—even in the total amount of water it holds when both the upper and lower tanks are full. (Unlike Pur, Brita doesn’t include the upper reservoir in its measure.) Like Pur’s dispenser, Brita’s Ultramax has advantages over pitchers: It has enough capacity for most families’ daily needs; young children can use it; it makes efficient use of fridge space; and it lets you pour water while the filter is still working. Like the Pur models, the Ultramax is available in two versions—one comes with the Longlast+ filter, and the other comes with the standard Brita filter, but the filters can be interchanged between the two.

At 14.5 inches, the Brita dispenser is slightly less deep than the Pur, which measures 15.5 inches. In my apartment-size counter-depth fridge, the Brita settled in easily, but the Pur was a tight fit. (Any regular-size standard-depth or counter-depth fridge should accommodate either.) The Pur’s deep, cupped handles are more comfortable to hold than the Brita’s thin, flat ones. And, like the Pur, the Brita is heavy when full. Also, the Pur has a transparent fill tank, so you can see at a glance when it’s time for a refill; the Brita has an opaque tank, so you have to open it to look inside. All else being equal, we prefer the Pur’s design.

The LifeStraw Home Dispenser filtered gallons of rust-laden water and kept on working—and it’s been reliably tested against dozens of contaminants.

LifeStraw, best-known for its outdoors-oriented water filters, also makes pitchers and a dispenser for home use. For design reasons explained below, we’re not too keen on the pitchers, but the dispenser shares the same ease of use, high capacity, and kid-friendly operation that we love in Pur and Brita’s versions. Moreover, the design of the LifeStraw filter makes it far more resistant to clogging with sediment than Pur’s and Brita’s—we poured gallons of highly rust-laden water through it without issue. If you’ve had a problem with your Pur or Brita filter getting clogged and stopping working, the LifeStraw dispenser may be worth switching to.

The LifeStraw filter is ANSI/NSF certified for chlorine, taste and odor, lead, and mercury. The company has also had its filters tested to multiple other ANSI/NSF standards by IAPMO US and IAPMO India, which are accredited by ANSI and the Water Quality Association, respectively. These include Standard 401 for emerging contaminants; cadmium, chromium (III), and copper; glyphosate; asbestos; and bacteria and parasites (something our other picks lack). While these are not official ANSI/NSF certifications, we consider them equally trustworthy, and LifeStraw has also had its filters tested to other standards created by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency. As well, LifeStraw is open about its testing program and makes its test results public (PDF), which boosts our trust in its claims.

The LifeStraw filter consists of two filter elements. Water first passes through a hollow fiber membrane filter—a tangle of thin polymer tubes with 0.2-micron pores in their walls. These pores trap bacteria, parasites, and all but the very finest sediment that may be in the water. The water then passes through a small activated carbon-plus-ion exchange filter, the same technology used in the Pur and Brita filters. This captures organic compounds, metals, and other dissolved contaminants. The carbon filter is rated for 40 gallons or two months, and the hollow fiber membrane for 264 gallons or one year. You can buy replacement filters individually or subscribe to receive them on a schedule, and LifeStraw offers free shipping on orders over $50, and also has an Amazon store. The carbon filters cost around $13 each (or about $10 apiece on subscription), and a “replacement pack,” which includes a hollow fiber membrane filter and a carbon filter, costs about $20. In addition to the white version pictured, the dispenser also comes in a pale blue color.

To see how well the LifeStraw dealt with sediment, Tim used hydrogen peroxide to rapidly convert a piece of #0000 steel wool to fine particles of rust. He let it settle uncovered and in the sun for a few days (which also allowed any remaining peroxide to decompose into water and oxygen), then poured off the water, mixed half-teaspoons of the rust into 2 cups of tap water at a time, and filtered it through the LifeStraw. After 40 cups (2.5 gallons) of this enticing brew went through it, the rust was all used up, but the filter was still working, albeit slightly more slowly than at the start of the test. And, yes, Tim drank a glass of the filtered stuff. It tasted like spring water.

This was a convincing test of the LifeStraw filter’s ability to withstand clogging under challenging conditions, and LifeStraw itself used a test protocol with higher-than-average turbidity (cloudiness from sediment and other particles) to arrive at its 264-gallon rating for the hollow fiber membrane element of its filter. When Tim spoke with Tara Lundy, the company’s chief brand officer, she said they routinely see its hollow fiber membrane filters last far past that limit, because US municipal water tends to be of low turbidity. (Because they operate on a “size exclusion” principle, filters of this type fail only once they’ve become physically clogged; as long as they continue to let water through, they’re working as designed. That’s in contrast to activated carbon-plus-ion exchange filters, which adsorb—chemically bind—contaminants. Once all the adsorption sites are taken, contaminants will pass through, hence their time-and-volume-limited replacement schedules.)

Of course, some plumbing systems develop rust or other cloudiness issues, and if you have that problem in your home, we’re confident you’ll get far more mileage out of the LifeStraw filter than Pur’s or Brita’s.

In use, the LifeStraw dispenser offers the same convenience as our other dispenser picks. It holds up to about 25 cups of water—its stated 18-cup capacity is lower than its actual one—which should be enough for a thirsty family for a day or two; teens and tweens can operate it themselves without making a mess; and its deep, narrow shape saves space in the fridge. It fit neatly into Tim’s small counter-depth fridge, so any full-depth or standard-size counter-depth fridge should accommodate it without issue. (If you’d like to measure to be sure, it’s 9.5 inches high, 6.5 inches wide, and 14.5 inches deep.)

A couple of design quibbles make the LifeStraw dispenser a bit less user-friendly than our other dispenser picks. The hollow fiber membrane filter is, by its nature, slower than the carbon filters our other picks use; a complete fill of the upper reservoir takes about 15 minutes to pass through. And the upper reservoir holds only about 9 cups, so filtering its stated capacity of 18 cups of water takes a couple of fills, and to reach its maximum capacity of about 25 cups takes almost three.

Because the handles are open loops rather than seamless extensions of the housing, as on the Pur and Brita dispensers, water will leak out if you overfill it. This also means that you can’t keep the top tank full, with water “in reserve,” something we like about the others.

Lastly, the hollow fiber membrane filter is tucked deep inside the filter housing, making it somewhat hard to reach. You have to push it out through the bottom of the housing to replace it, and the tight confines and the tight fit of the filter could make this tough for some people.

If you haven’t experienced clogging issues with your Pur or Brita filters, we think you’ll be happier with the design of their dispensers. But if you have experienced it, or if you have a known issue with rust or other sediment in your pipes and are looking for a solution, we think the LifeStraw’s ability to shrug off sediment that would thoroughly clog our other picks makes it a far better choice.

As for the LifeStraw pitchers, they are attractive in their own right and use the same filter, so they would perform the same as the dispenser. If a pitcher fits your needs or aesthetics better than a dispenser, go for it. However, we recommend them with reservation. They’re quite tall—a little over 11 inches for the 7-cup models, and 12.5 inches for the 10-cup—which may make them hard to fit into some fridges. And that tall, narrow form, combined with their high-mounted handles, requires a fair bit of wrist strength to tilt and balance them when pouring. Even if your wrists are plenty strong, the motion can feel a bit precarious—the last thing you want when filling a glass of water.

The Clear2O filters (the CWF50X and GRF20X, where “X” designates the number of filters in the pack) are not ANSI/NSF-certified. Rather, Clear2O describes them as having been “independently tested on over 200 contaminants to achieve water industry 42 and 53 standards for reduction of Chlorine, Heavy Metals, Cysts, VOC, & Other contaminants.” That’s not the same thing.

The Soma Filter is certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 42 for taste and ANSI/NSF 53 for copper, cadmium, and mercury. That’s identical to the Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter, but the Soma costs more than twice as much. Brita’s Longlast+ filter and both Pur filters have more certifications under 42 and 53, and they add 401 certifications that the Soma completely lacks. The Longlast+ is not much pricier and is rated to 120 gallons, versus 40; the Pur filters are cheaper and rated to the same 40 gallons as the Soma.

The ZeroWater pitcher filter is ANSI/NSF-certified for seven total contaminants under standards 42 and 53, including lead. But its capacity is only 20 gallons, versus 40 or more gallons for all of the filters we recommend. That fact only looks worse when you consider the cost of a ZeroWater filter: about $15. Both Pur and Brita do more for a fraction of the cost. ZeroWater’s most prominent claim is that its filters remove 100% of “total dissolved solids” in water—basically, minerals. Tests we conducted in 2016 confirmed that claim—but that’s not necessarily a good thing. According to the World Health Organization, higher TDS in drinking water is associated with lower incidence of cancer and heart disease. And, per the WHO, “Water with extremely low concentrations of TDS may also be unacceptable because of its flat, insipid taste.”

The Brita Stream filter removes only chlorine taste and odor; it is not certified to remove any organic compounds or heavy metals under ANSI/NSF Standard 53, and so it does not meet our requirements. It fits on Brita’s three Stream pitchers only—not on the Everyday or any of Brita’s other pitchers.

Mavea, maker of a former recommended pitcher and filter, no longer operates in North America.

The Pur Plus pitcher lacks the Classic’s comfortable-to-hold handle. And it has a much smaller fill tank, at 46 ounces (versus 64 for the Classic) of the pitcher’s 92-ounce capacity, so you’ll have to fill it more often.

Pur offers a 7-cup pitcher, which also lacks the Classic’s ergonomic handle and shaves about 2 inches off the footprint’s length and width, compared with the Classic. Saving space sounds nice, but this smaller design means you’ll have to visit the faucet more often. And slow filtration can be even more frustrating with a smaller water volume.

The Brita Grand pitcher fits both the Longlast+ and the Pitcher and Dispenser filters (like the Everyday does). But the Grand comes in multiple colors, versus the Everyday’s plain white. The Grand has a thumb-flip lid for one-handed filling, which is a feature we like on the Pur Classic (and one the Everyday lacks). But the Grand also has a molded-in “pipe” inside the fill hole; this shape creates tight crannies that are harder to clean than the Everyday’s simple design. And the Grand has the same concave handle as the Everyday handle, which is harder to grasp than the Pur Classic’s.

Brita has some options that are more stylish than our picks—like the Monterey—with multiple color options and a more-classic pitcher shape. But this model has issues similar to those of the Grand.

The Brita Stream pitchers don’t fit Brita’s Longlast+ and Pitcher and Dispenser filters; instead they use a filter that only reduces chlorine taste and odor. We require additional Standard 53 certification (encompassing organic compounds and heavy metals) for the filters (and, by extension, the pitchers) we recommend.

The Soma Pitcher is stylish, with its white oak wood handle, but we found it tricky to pull apart for cleaning. And its wide spout created problems when we needed to pour with precision (such as when filling a drinking bottle).

We found the ZeroWater ZP-010 pitcher extremely difficult to use because the lid had a tight fit and no lip to push on, so it was hard to remove for filling. You have to squeeze the tip of the lid tightly and rely on a friction grip to get it open. When trying to pour out the last cupful of water, we repeatedly had problems with the filter and fill housing falling out and onto our hands, the glass, or the counter.

ZeroWater’s 20-cup and 23-cup models use the same filter we rejected above for its combination of high cost and low capacity (15 gallons).

We’re not keen on countertop dispensers, like the Big Berkey. They deliver water at room temperature, and they take up valuable counter space. And many countertop systems aren’t ANSI/NSF–certified, despite being advertised that way (as we found in our review, The Big Berkey Water System: Uncertified and Inconvenient). Along with the Big Berkey, the physically similar Propur Big, Alexapure Pro, and Zen Water (4, 6, or 8 gallons) share similar claims, price, and lack of ANSI/NSF certifications.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers.

Tim Heffernan

Tim Heffernan is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter and a former writer-editor for The Atlantic, Esquire, and others. He has anchored our unequaled coverage of air purifiers and water filters since 2015. In 2018, he established Wirecutter’s ongoing collaboration with The New York Times’s Smarter Living. When he’s not here, he’s on his bike.

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