Water · Best-of
Best Water Filter for Lead
Bottom line
The best water filter for lead has a verifiable NSF/ANSI 53 lead certification and a low running cost - our top pick is shown first below.
If lead is your reason for filtering, that should drive the whole decision - and it's the one claim you can't take on the box's word. So this page is narrow on purpose: every filter here is certified to the standard for lead (NSF/ANSI 53) and listed on an official database you can check yourself. You can ignore anything that only says it was 'tested to NSF standards' - that phrase isn't a certification, and those units don't appear here.
How we score: We only let a filter onto this page if its lead certification (NSF/ANSI 53) is verifiable on the NSF, WQA, or IAPMO database - then we rank what's left by overall score, so the unit at the top is the one we'd reach for first.
- 18.4Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup)
The Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA/NSF/IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.167 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 120 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.167
- 27.5AquaTru Classic Countertop RO
The AquaTru Classic Countertop RO is a ro water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce lead, PFOA, PFOS, fluoride, arsenic, chromium-6, nitrate, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, VOCs, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.287 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, PFOA, PFOS, fluoride, arsenic, chromium-6, nitrate, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, VOCs, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 600 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.287
- 37.5Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink
The Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, lead, mercury, cysts, VOCs, MTBE, turbidity, PFOA, PFOS. It is also marketed for pharmaceuticals, for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $0.091 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, lead, mercury, cysts, VOCs, MTBE, turbidity, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 500 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.091
- 47.2Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink
The Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA) to reduce lead, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, PFOA, PFOS, VOCs, mercury, asbestos, cysts, MTBE, microplastics, pharmaceuticals. Running cost works out to about $0.148 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, chlorine taste and odor, chloramine, PFOA, PFOS, VOCs, mercury, asbestos, cysts, MTBE, microplastics, pharmaceuticals
- Cartridge life: 500 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.148
- 57.0Brita Faucet Mount (FF-100)
The Brita Faucet Mount (FF-100) is a faucet water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA) to reduce lead, chlorine taste and odor, asbestos, benzene, VOCs, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.180 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, chlorine taste and odor, asbestos, benzene, VOCs, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 100 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.180
- 66.8Frizzlife SK99 Under-Sink Filter
The Frizzlife SK99 Under-Sink Filter is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, sediment, cysts. It is also marketed for chloramine, mercury, cadmium, fluoride, PFOA, PFOS, for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $0.031 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, sediment, cysts
- Cartridge life: 1,600 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.031
- 76.6Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO
The Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO is a ro water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, total dissolved solids (TDS), lead, fluoride, cadmium, chromium-6, selenium, arsenic, nitrate, mercury, copper, barium, PFOA, PFOS. Running cost works out to about $0.123 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, total dissolved solids (TDS), lead, fluoride, cadmium, chromium-6, selenium, arsenic, nitrate, mercury, copper, barium, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 2,200 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.123
- 86.4PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H)
The PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H) is a faucet water filter. It is third-party certified (NSF) to reduce lead, chlorine taste and odor, mercury, asbestos, benzene, microplastics, pesticides. Running cost works out to about $0.250 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: lead, chlorine taste and odor, mercury, asbestos, benzene, microplastics, pesticides
- Cartridge life: 100 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.250
- 95.9PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup)
The PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (NSF/WQA) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics. Running cost works out to about $0.374 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics
- Cartridge life: 40 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.374
- 104.9ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup)
The ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup) is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS. It is also marketed for total dissolved solids (TDS), for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $1.167 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS
- Cartridge life: 15 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $1.167
- 114.1Epic Smart Shield Under-Sink
The Epic Smart Shield Under-Sink is a under sink water filter. It is third-party certified (IAPMO) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, chloramine, mercury, cysts, pharmaceuticals. It is also marketed for PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics, for which we found no accredited third-party certification (so we award no certification credit; this is not a finding that it fails to reduce them). Running cost works out to about $0.177 per gallon.
- Certified to reduce: chlorine taste and odor, lead, VOCs, chloramine, mercury, cysts, pharmaceuticals
- Cartridge life: 651 gallons
- Cost per gallon: $0.177
FAQ
- Does a Brita pitcher remove lead?
- It depends on which Brita you have. The Brita Elite filter is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead; the Brita Standard filter is not - so the two are not interchangeable for this. Look up your exact model on the NSF or WQA database before you trust it for lead.
- Is 'tested to NSF standards' the same as certified?
- No, and the gap matters to you. Certified means an accredited body checked the claim and listed it publicly, so you can verify it. 'Tested to' is a result the maker reported itself - we give it no certification credit, because there's nothing independent to confirm.