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Water · Best-of

Best Water Filter Pitcher

Bottom line

The best water filter pitcher is one certified for the contaminant you care about with a reasonable cost per gallon - the Brita Elite leads on certified lead and PFAS plus a long cartridge life.

A pitcher is the cheapest way to start, but don't assume they're all alike - what they're certified for swings wildly. Some are certified only for chlorine and taste; others cover lead and PFAS. The thing to watch is cost per gallon, because pitcher cartridges are small and run out fast. We rank on both what they're certified for and what they cost to run.

How we score: We rank pitchers by overall score, which weighs certified reduction against the cost per gallon - often high, since small cartridges treat few gallons before they're spent.

  1. 18.4
    Brita 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 reducechlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics
    • Cartridge life120 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.167
  2. 26.6
    PUR 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 $0.202 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducechlorine taste and odor, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics
    • Cartridge life40 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.202
  3. 34.9
    ZeroWater 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 $1.233 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducechlorine taste and odor, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS
    • Cartridge life15 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$1.233
  4. 44.8
    Brita Standard Pitcher

    The Brita Standard Pitcher is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (WQA) to reduce chlorine taste and odor, zinc, copper, cadmium, mercury. Running cost works out to about $0.200 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducechlorine taste and odor, zinc, copper, cadmium, mercury
    • Cartridge life40 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.200
  5. 52.7
    LifeStraw Home Pitcher

    The LifeStraw Home Pitcher is a pitcher water filter. It carries no accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification - its contaminant claims are "tested to" lab results, not certifications. It is also marketed for lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, copper, chlorine taste and odor, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics, bacteria, parasites, pesticides, 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 $0.288 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducenothing certified (claims are 'tested to' only)
    • Cartridge life264 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.288
  6. 62.5
    Clearly Filtered Pitcher

    The Clearly Filtered Pitcher is a pitcher water filter. It is third-party certified (NSF) to reduce chlorine taste and odor. It is also marketed for lead, fluoride, PFOA, PFOS, PFAS, arsenic, microplastics, chromium-6, mercury, 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 $0.650 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducechlorine taste and odor
    • Cartridge life100 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.650
  7. 72.5
    Epic Pure Pitcher

    The Epic Pure Pitcher is a pitcher water filter. It carries no accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification - its contaminant claims are "tested to" lab results, not certifications. It is also marketed for fluoride, lead, PFOA, PFOS, chromium-6, chlorine taste and odor, benzene, microplastics, pesticides, glyphosate, 1,4-dioxane, 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 $0.353 per gallon.

    • Certified to reducenothing certified (claims are 'tested to' only)
    • Cartridge life150 gallons
    • Cost per gallon$0.353
  8. 81.5
    Great Value Water Filter Pitcher (HS528N)

    The Great Value Water Filter Pitcher (HS528N) is a pitcher water filter. It carries no accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification - its contaminant claims are "tested to" lab results, not certifications. It is also marketed for chlorine taste and odor, copper, cadmium, mercury, 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). Replacement-cartridge pricing is not publicly available, so cost per gallon cannot be computed.

    • Certified to reducenothing certified (claims are 'tested to' only)
    • Cartridge life42 gallons

FAQ

Why do pitcher filters cost so much per gallon?
It comes down to cartridge size. A small pitcher cartridge treats only a few gallons before it's done, so a pitcher rated for 40 gallons every two months ends up costing far more per gallon than an under-sink filter rated for 500-plus. That's the running cost to weigh against the low upfront price.

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