The 3 Best Water Filter Pitchers Of 2024, Tested And Reviewed

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Not everyone lives in a place where tap water is safe or pleasant to drink — maybe there’s an odor or you have old pipes and are concerned about contaminants. There are many methods to filter your water, but an easy option is a water pitcher with a carbon filter. 

It’s important to look for products with National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) or Water Quality Association (WQA) certification. This can be tricky, though, since there’s no universal regulatory body and brands will claim to be “tested to NSF/ANSI standards,” but use their own private or for-profit labs. This is not the same thing as certification, which requires having the filters tested by an independent lab and allowing audits of records and facilities, explained Dr. Eric Roy, founder and chief scientist at Hydroviv.

Based on this research, we only considered pitchers from brands that were certified by the NSF or WQA. Our top pick is the Brita Tahoe 10-Cup Pitcher with Elite Filters. Despite its large capacity, the Tahoe filters as quickly as smaller pitchers, giving you a ready supply of filtered water.

Our top three best water filter pitchers: 

Best overall: Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter — See at Target

Best budget: PUR Plus Water Pitcher Filtration System — See at Amazon

Best for small spaces: Brita Space Saver Pitcher — See at Amazon

Best overall

Brita is a brand synonymous with water filters. The number of models it makes is overwhelming, but after testing three of the brand’s pitchers and using many more over the course of my life, I think the Tahoe is the best for most people. 

The Tahoe is the bulkiest pitcher I tested, at 5.7 inches wide and 10.4 inches tall, and it accomodates up to 10 cups of water. The pitcher fit comfortably in the larger door shelf of my refrigerator but definitely was more limited in where it could be stored. Despite its size, the Tahoe filtered as fast as the smaller Space Saver models. 

I found this pitcher to have the most aesthetically pleasing shape. Because the design isn’t meant to be compact, it has smooth and rounded lines. It wasn’t difficult to maneuver, either. One of the best features is that the lever to open the lid is on the handle — so if you do need to hold it with two hands, you can still open the top for refilling. 

The smart sensor on the lid glows green whenever you pour to indicate that the filter is still good. It’ll turn red when it is time to replace it. The sensor is large with an almost too bright light compared to those on other pitchers. 

Best budget

There’s a lot to like about PUR water filtering pitchers. Overall, the 7-cup pitcher is nicer to handle than the Brita — it feels sturdier, and the handle has a silicone cover that makes it more comfortable to carry around the kitchen. The PUR pitchers are also dishwasher safe, and I saw no surface changes after running the pitcher’s pieces through a regular cycle

Unfortunately, the PUR pitcher I tested had the slowest filtering rate by far. It took 9 minutes for the full top reservoir to filter into the bottom, which knocked it down in my rankings. 

Though it is counterintuitive that our best budget pick is more expensive up front than others we tested, it is the price of replacement filters that led to our decision. PUR and Brita offer standard and advanced filters — the PUR Plus and Brita Elite or Longlast filters remove more contaminants, almost identically between the two brands. However, per pack, the PUR Plus filter is cheaper than the Brita advanced versions.  

The PUR has a smart sensor so you can track how long your filter lasts. It is removable, so it isn’t damaged by dishwashing, and I liked that it had a subtle green glow that indicated full filter health.

Best for small spaces

The Brita Space Saver is designed for efficiency. For example, the lever to open the top reservoir lines up with a divot in the handle — it’s a natural motion to hold the pitcher and open the top to refill it all with one hand. It fits anywhere in my fridge and filters three cups of water in four minutes. 

It was a tight race between the Brita Space Saver and the PUR pitcher we tested. The 6-cup Space Saver is slightly smaller in all dimensions than the 7-cup PUR, but the PUR has the additional cup capacity. Ultimately, it was the filtration speed that was the deciding factor between the two. The Space Saver filters the same amount of water almost five minutes faster than the PUR. 

Both the PUR and Brita Space Saver have pieces of plastic that cover the spout and open when the pitcher is tipped into a pouring motion. I found that sometimes the PUR would not open all the way, resulting in a slower pour, while the Brita functioned perfectly.

How we test water filter pitchers

Before we tested any filters, we spoke to Professor Jessica Wilson, Ph.D. an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Manhattan College, and Dr. Eric Roy, founder and chief scientist at Hydroviv, about the certification process, how the filters actually work, and what to look out for as a consumer. Then, we evaluated five pitchers according to the below tests.

Certification: We limited our testing to pitchers that were NSF/ANSI 42 and 53 certified. We chose to exclude water filters that were tested by other laboratories, even if they purported to meet the NSF’s standards. These products often use phrases like “independently tested to ANSI/NSF standards.” However, this is not the same as certification, and unlike the NSF, these labs can be for-profit and it’s impossible to verify their testing methodologies. For more information on what certification means, you can visit the NSF website.

Speed: To test the speed of the filter, we filled the top reservoir with water and timed how long it took to filter into the bottom. We directly compared pitchers with similar capacities, such as the Brita Space Saver and PUR 7-cup pitchers. Both the Brita Stream and Brita Tahoe have 10-cup capacities, but the Tahoe filters only 5-cups at a time. Therefore, for the Brita Stream Pitcher, which filters as your pour, we filled half the pitcher and timed how long it took to pour and empty it. 

Ease of use: We considered how it felt to hold the pitcher, if it poured without dripping, and if we could handle it with one hand. In a standard refrigerator, we placed the pitchers on different shelves and in the slots of the refrigerator door to see how easy the pitchers were to store. 

Replacement filters: Even after you buy the pitcher, you will need to buy replacement filters every two to four months depending on the brand and filter. We considered the cost of each type from each brand, as well as the functionality of the smart sensor that tracks the health of your filter.

Water filter pitcher FAQs

How do carbon filters work?

Carbon filters are a common method of filtering water and are used in all the pitchers we tested for this guide. The filters work via a process called adsorption. 

“In adsorption, organic and some inorganic compounds stick to the surface of the carbon, and because the surface area is so large, activated carbon can remove a significant amount of contaminants from water,” says Professor Jessica Wilson, Ph.D, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Manhattan College.  

What do water filters remove?

Water filters certified to NSF/ANSI standard 42 remove aesthetic impurities and anything that causes a taste or odor in the tap water. Filters that also have standard 52 certification remove contaminants that have health effects when present at or above levels set by the EPA. Currently, the EPA regulates chlorine, mercury, cadmium, copper, lead, and benzene, according to Professor Wilson.

PUR and Brita both have publically available lists of what their filters remove.

What is NSF certification and why is it important?

The National Sanitary Foundation is an independent government organization that supports research in non-medical scientific fields. With the American National Standards Institute (a private non-profit), the NSF developed standards for water filtration. “This established criteria for material safety and contaminant removal, as well as give specifics for how tests should be run,” said Dr. Roy. 

To become certified, water filter companies need to open their facilities and allow their products to be fully tested by third party validators like the NSF or WQA. Many filter companies claim to be “tested to NSF Standards,” but Dr. Roy says that this often means the companies have only tested the first few gallons of water that pass through the filter. Official certification is less biased and more thorough.

What’s the difference between a water filter and a water softener?

Water softeners don’t target contaminants or particulates that lead to odors or taste. “Softeners are specific kinds of water treatment devices that are designed to lower the water’s calcium and magnesium content,” said Dr. Roy. This decreases the amount of limescale build-up in pipes, fixtures, and appliances.