Data · Verified certifications
Is your water filter NSF certified?
Of the 25 water filters we score, 16 hold an accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification for contaminant reduction, 1 hold only a structural material-safety cert (no contaminant reduction), and 8 hold no accredited certification at all. A claim is not a certification - and do not get hung up on the NSF name, because many legitimate filters are certified instead by WQA or IAPMO to the very same NSF/ANSI standards.
"NSF certified" is what you probably typed into Google, but the answer you actually need has three parts. Who certified it: NSF, WQA, and IAPMO are all accredited bodies that count, while a brand's own lab does not. To which standard: 42 covers taste and odor, 53 covers health-effects contaminants like lead, 58 covers reverse osmosis, 401 covers emerging compounds, and 372 covers lead-free materials. And for what - the specific things it is cleared to remove. The table answers all three for every filter we score, and separates what is truly certified from what the brand only advertises. You can check any of it yourself in the public NSF, WQA, and IAPMO databases.
| Filter | Score | Certified by | NSF/ANSI | Certified to reduce | Marketed, not certified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup)pitcher | 8.4 | WQA / NSF / IAPMO | 401, 42, 53 | chlorine, lead, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, particulates, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics | - |
| AquaTru Classic Countertop ROro | 7.5 | IAPMO | 372, 401, 42, 53, 58, P473 | lead, PFOA, PFOS, fluoride, arsenic, chromium-6, nitrates, chlorine, chloramine, VOCs, microplastics | - |
| Culligan US-EZ-4 Under-Sinkunder sink | 7.5 | IAPMO | 401, 42, 53 | chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, cysts, VOCs, mtbe, turbidity, PFOA, PFOS | pharmaceuticals |
| Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sinkunder sink | 7.2 | WQA | 401, 42, 53 | lead, chlorine, chloramine, PFOA, PFOS, VOCs, mercury, asbestos, cysts, MTBE, microplastics, pharmaceuticals | - |
| Brita Faucet Mount (FF-100)faucet | 7.0 | WQA | 401, 42, 53 | lead, chlorine, asbestos, benzene, VOCs, microplastics | - |
| Frizzlife SK99 Under-Sink Filterunder sink | 6.8 | IAPMO | 372, 42, 53 | chlorine, lead, VOCs, sediment, cysts | chloramine, mercury, cadmium, fluoride, PFOA, PFOS |
| Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless ROro | 6.6 | IAPMO | 372, 42, 53, 58 | chlorine, TDS, lead, fluoride, cadmium, chromium-6, selenium, arsenic, nitrate, mercury, copper, barium, PFOA, PFOS | - |
| PUR Plus Faucet Mount (PFM400H)faucet | 6.4 | NSF | 401, 42, 53 | lead, chlorine, mercury, asbestos, benzene, microplastics, pesticides | - |
| iSpring RCC7 5-Stage ROro | 6.1 | NSF | 58 | TDS | lead, fluoride, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, selenium, chlorine, PFAS |
| PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup)pitcher | 5.9 | NSF / WQA | 401, 42, 53 | chlorine, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, cadmium, microplastics | - |
| Waterdrop 10UA Under-Sinkunder sink | 5.7 | IAPMO | 372, 42 | chlorine | PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, lead, sediment |
| Brita Standard Pitcherpitcher | 5.6 | WQA | 42, 53 | chlorine, zinc, copper, cadmium, mercury | - |
| ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup)pitcher | 4.9 | IAPMO | 42, 53 | chlorine, lead, chromium-6, mercury, PFOA, PFOS | TDS |
| Epic Smart Shield Under-Sinkunder sink | 4.1 | IAPMO | 401, 42, 53 | chlorine, lead, VOCs, chloramine, mercury, cysts, pharmaceuticals | PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics |
| APEC ROES-50 Essence ROro | 4.0 | WQA | 372, 58 | TDS | chlorine, lead, arsenic, fluoride, VOCs |
| Clearly Filtered Pitcherpitcher | 2.5 | NSF | 372, 42 | chlorine | lead, fluoride, PFOA, PFOS, PFAS, arsenic, microplastics, chromium-6, mercury |
| Aquasana Rhino EQ-1000 Whole Housewhole house | 3.4 | WQA | 61 | nothing certified | chlorine, chloramine, sediment, rust, VOCs, herbicides, pesticides |
| Express Water RO5DX 5-Stage ROro | 4.9 | None | - | nothing certified | lead, arsenic, fluoride, chromium, mercury, uranium, radium, chlorine, chloramine, TDS |
| Home Master TMAFC-ERP Artesian ROro | 4.3 | None | - | nothing certified | chlorine, chloramine, lead, fluoride, TDS, arsenic, pharmaceuticals, microplastics |
| SpringWell CF1 Whole Housewhole house | 3.7 | None | - | nothing certified | chlorine, chloramine, VOCs, PFAS, pesticides, herbicides, lead, arsenic, fluoride |
| Big Berkey Gravity Systemcountertop | 3.2 | None | - | nothing certified | lead, PFOA, PFOS, chlorine, fluoride |
| Epic Pure Pitcherpitcher | 3.2 | None | - | nothing certified | fluoride, lead, PFOA, PFOS, chromium-6, chlorine, benzene, microplastics, pesticides, glyphosate, 1,4-dioxane |
| LifeStraw Home Pitcherpitcher | 2.7 | None | - | nothing certified | lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium, copper, chlorine, PFOA, PFOS, microplastics, bacteria, parasites, pesticides |
| Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under-Sinkunder sink | 1.7 | None | - | nothing certified | chlorine, fluoride, lead, PFAS, PFOA, PFOS, arsenic, mercury, chromium, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, VOCs, chloramine |
| Great Value Water Filter Pitcher (HS528N)pitcher | 1.5 | None | - | nothing certified | chlorine, copper, cadmium, mercury |
How to read this
A filter counts as genuinely certified only when you can find it in an accredited certifier's public database - NSF International, WQA, or IAPMO R&T. All three test and audit to the same NSF/ANSI standards, so "WQA certified to NSF/ANSI 53" is every bit as real as "NSF certified to 53." What does not count is "tested to NSF standards" with no listing behind it: that is a one-time lab result a brand paid for, not an audited certification you can verify. One thing to keep in perspective - if we found no certification, that is not proof the filter fails to reduce a contaminant. It only means no independent body has verified it, so we award no certification credit. See our guide on tested to vs certified to, the step-by-step on how to verify a certification yourself, or, if your filter holds no accredited certification (the Big Berkey, for example), our ranked certified Berkey alternatives.
Is [brand] NSF certified? Quick answers
- Is the Big Berkey Gravity System NSF certified?
- No. No accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification - its contaminant claims are "tested to," not certified. It is marketed for lead but not certified for it. It is marketed for PFAS but not certified for it.
- Is the Brita Elite Pitcher (10-Cup) NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by WQA/NSF/IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 401, 42, 53 for 10 contaminants. It is certified for lead. It is certified for PFAS (PFOA/PFOS).
- Is the Brita Standard Pitcher NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 for 5 contaminants.
- Is the ZeroWater 5-Stage Pitcher (7-Cup) NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 for 6 contaminants. It is certified for lead. It is certified for PFAS (PFOA/PFOS).
- Is the Clearly Filtered Pitcher NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI 372, 42 for 1 contaminant. It is marketed for lead but not certified for it. It is marketed for PFAS but not certified for it.
- Is the LifeStraw Home Pitcher NSF certified?
- No. No accredited NSF, WQA, or IAPMO certification - its contaminant claims are "tested to," not certified. It is marketed for lead but not certified for it. It is marketed for PFAS but not certified for it.
- Is the Aquasana AQ-5200 Under-Sink NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 401, 42, 53 for 12 contaminants. It is certified for lead. It is certified for PFAS (PFOA/PFOS).
- Is the Waterdrop G3P800 Tankless RO NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 372, 42, 53, 58 for 14 contaminants. It is certified for lead. It is certified for PFAS (PFOA/PFOS).
- Is the AquaTru Classic Countertop RO NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by IAPMO to NSF/ANSI 372, 401, 42, 53, 58, P473 for 11 contaminants. It is certified for lead. It is certified for PFAS (PFOA/PFOS).
- Is the PUR Plus Pitcher (7-Cup) NSF certified?
- Yes. Certified by NSF/WQA to NSF/ANSI 401, 42, 53 for 7 contaminants. It is certified for lead.
Cite this analysis
Figures and certifier mappings are computed across every scored water filter and update as the catalog grows. Cite with attribution to FilterScored and a link to this page.
FilterScored. "Is Your Water Filter NSF Certified? The Verified List." https://www.filterscored.com/reports/is-your-water-filter-nsf-certified/