The 5 Best Faucet Water Filters in 2023 Tested and Reviewed

Although the US has one of the world's best and safest communal water systems, many people still don't like to drink plain, unfiltered tap water. Water treatment plants use chemicals like chlorine to disinfect the water, and while they’re kept at safe drinking levels, the taste and odor can be off-putting.

Some folks install whole-house water filtration systems, but as you’d expect, those are pricey. A much cheaper remedy is a faucet-mounted water filter. These filters fit onto your faucet's nozzle. When you open the faucet, the unprocessed water will run through the filter and be purified before it comes out. They function similarly to filtered water pitchers but are more convenient to use and work much faster.

Most faucet filters are modest in size and extremely easy to install, making them great for apartment renters. They're also popular among travelers who want consistent water quality wherever they stay.

How We Test Faucet Water Filters

Each filter you see above has been rigorously tested by our reviewers in HealthyKitchen101’s lab.

In the current iteration of the performance test, we evaluated each filter in two ways: chlorine filtering efficiency and filtering flow rate (i.e. how much filtered water it can output per minute.)

For the chlorine test, we pumped chlorinated water through the filter. We then collected the filtered water in a vial and tested it using a special test kit. To gain a perfect score, the filter must be able to remove all traces of chlorine from the water sample.

In the filtering flow rate test, we measure how much filtered water the unit can produce in 20 seconds. We take measurements using a measuring cup, a timer, and a weighing scale.

While we look at the performance of the filter, we also evaluate its design and ease of use. An ideal filter must have a strong, durable construction with no noticeable design or manufacturing flaws. It should also be easy to use and install.

If you want to know more, check out our detailed testing methodology for faucet-mount water filters!

Review of the Best Faucet Water Filters 2023

We recently received and tested a large batch of faucet-mount water filters in our lab. Here are the ones that showed the most promise.

1. Best Overall: Waterdrop WD-FC-06

View On WaterdropView On Amazon

Waterdrop is a fairly new brand and already stacks up well next to established names like PUR or Brita. The company has done an excellent job designing the Waterdrop WD-FC-06, which isn’t just one of the best-looking filters in our database, but also the finest performer in all our tests.

Performance

In the chlorine filtering test, the Waterdrop WD-FC-06 performed exceptionally well. 

We pumped highly chlorinated water into the filter, collected the treated water, and sent a sample to the lab for water quality testing. The results were very promising: despite the initial chlorine concentration of over 10+ mg/l, the WD-FC-06 removed nearly all traces of the chemical, resulting in a near-zero reading (~0 mg/l).

The Waterdrop WD-FC-06 also aced our flow rate test. Mounting it to a high-pressure tap with a maximum flow rate of 2.2 GPM, we recorded a flow rate in filtering mode of around 1.3 GPM. This is very fast for a faucet-mount water filter.

If you’re looking for a filter with a fast purification speed, this one will do the trick nicely.

The Exterior

The Waterdrop WD-FC-06 is made from stainless steel, giving it a sleek, luxurious look. It’ll fit perfectly into the aesthetic of any kitchen. Although we did our best to spot even the smallest flaws in its design, we couldn’t find any. It’s a very well-built device.

The Filter

The Waterdrop filter block uses activated carbon to filter the water. That’s why the company recommends flushing the filter for at least 5 minutes after installation to ensure that all the loose carbon dust flows out before use. During our flushing process, the water ran black from excess carbon. This is normal for all carbon-based filters.

The filter has one of the highest capacities among faucet-mount filters: one single cartridge can take care of 320 gallons of water before retirement. According to Waterdrop, the filter should last about 3 months with regular use.

Read our full Waterdrop WD-FC-06 In-depth Review.

Price at time of publish: $39.99

Key Specs

2. Runner-up: Waterdrop WD-FC-01

View On Waterdrop$19.59 at AmazonView On Walmart

In our database of tap-mounted water filters, the only one that measures up to the WD-FC-06’s level of performance is its sibling, the WD-FC-01. This model, made from plastic, is slightly cheaper than the stainless steel design of the WD-FC-06. However, it’s still nearly as capable.

Performance

The Waterdrop WD-FC-01 didn’t perform as well as we had hoped in the chlorine test. After pumping highly-chlorinated water through the filter, we found the filtered results to have around 0.5 mg/l of chlorine remaining.

While this amount won’t be detectable by most people, it’s still a downgrade from the perfect filtering performance of the Waterdrop WD-FC-06. As such, it’s a pretty disappointing result for us.

But while the filter didn’t do well in the chlorine test, it’s the second-best filter in the flow rate test, with a recorded flow rate of 1.29 GPM in filtering mode. That’s nearly identical to the 1.3 GMP rate we got from the WD-FC-06. 

The Exterior

The Waterdrop WD-FC-01 has a two-piece housing made from white plastic. To use the filter, you must first assemble it by connecting the filter compartment and the mounting piece together through a connecting port.

You can mount the filter to the faucet via a mounting port with a silver retention ring and faucet adapter.

When properly installed, the filter will be positioned vertically along the faucet, so it won’t take up much of your washing space. 

The Filter

The WD-FC-01 uses an activated carbon filter, which is why the filter must be flushed for a couple of minutes when it’s first installed. The filter cartridge has a polyester outer layer to pick up sediment and large debris. Lastly, it has a “mineral core,” which can improve the water's flavor.

The filter has been certified by the NSF against the ANSI 42 Standard. It has a maximum capacity of 320 gallons, which equates to around 3 months of normal use.

Read our full Waterdrop WD-FC-01 In-depth Review.

Price at time of publish: $19.88

Key Specs

3. Best for Ease of Installation: PUR FM2500V Faucet Water Filter

View On Amazon

With a vertical design and a slightly lower price than the 9400B, but the same filtration ability, the PUR FM2500V easily wins our nomination for the best tap-mount filter for ease of installation

Performance

While the PUR FM2500V performed excellently in our chlorine test (it achieved a perfect score for being able to cleanse highly-chlorinated water with a value of 10+ mg/l down to nearly 0 mg/l), it didn’t do well in our flow rate test. It’s among three models that failed the test, with a flow rate of just 0.44 GPM.

The Exterior

The most notable design feature of the PUR FM2500V is its “one-click” installation system. Instead of tightening a rotating collar or fumbling with multiple adapters like with other models, PUR offers a more interesting and convenient system. You only need to install a suitable adapter on the faucet, then line the mounting port with the adapter and push it upward. A locking mechanism within the mounting port will grip the adapter and hold the filter in place.

When you need to remove the filter, there are two latches on either side. Press them simultaneously, and the filter will disengage from the adapter.

The filter housing is made from gray plastic. While it helps reduce the filter's overall weight, the plastic material makes the unit feel flimsy and cheap. Additionally, long-term durability may be a concern.

The Filter

The FM2500V uses PUR’s special “Mineral Core” filter cartridge. It uses a combination of three types of the filtering media: activated carbon, an ion exchange material, and natural minerals.

The activated carbon and ion exchange materials remove the water’s harmful contaminants and chemicals, such as chlorine. Meanwhile, the inner core will “refresh” the water with beneficial minerals.

According to PUR, each filter cartridge has a maximum capacity of 100 gallons and should be replaced every three months. The light indicator will tell you exactly when the filter needs to be replaced.

The filter change indicator is powered by a built-in battery that dies after two or three years. If your filters are that old, you’ll either have to remember the replacement time by yourself or buy an entirely new unit. The planned obsolescence of the filter is one of the very few things we disliked about the PUR FM2500V.

Read our full PUR FM2500V Faucet Water Filter In-depth Review.

Price at time of publish: $21.81

Key Specs

4. Best for Removing Chlorine: Brita Basic Water Filter

View On Amazon

Thanks to their water filtering pitchers, Brita products have become a household name. The Brita Basic faucet-mount water filter has a nice design, a great price, and great filtering performance to cap it all off. It’ll be a pretty good choice if you’re looking for an affordable faucet water filter.

Performance

In terms of chlorine filtration, the Brita Basic did great. As with other filter models, we tested it by pumping highly-chlorinated water through the filter, then sampling and testing the filtered water. From 10+ mg/l going in, the filtered water gave us a reading of around 0 mg/l. As a result, we gave it a perfect score. 

In the flow rate test, the Brita Basic gave us a respectable 0.7 GPM. While it’s nothing exceptional, the flow rate is perfectly acceptable.

The Exterior

The Brita Basic has a plastic housing that comes in your choice of a white or chrome finish. The model we picked for testing in the lab is the chrome-plated version. It looks like a metal filter, but it’s nowhere near as durable. But while long-term durability may not be great, it’s at least lightweight and affordable.

A design feature we really liked is the antimicrobial inner sheathing within the filter compartment. Supposedly, it helps prevent the build-up of germs and mold inside the filter.

The Filter

Brita uses an NSF-certified, GAC (Granulated Activated Carbon) filter. Since there’s carbon inside, you must flush the filter for at least 5 minutes before using it. During our test, the water ran black with excess carbon for a while before it cleared out.

The filter can handle about 100 gallons of water. When replacement time comes (every 1 - 2 months), you need to switch it out for a new one. Fortunately, the Brita Basic filter has an indicator light that can tell you exactly when to buy a replacement.

Read our full Brita Basic Water Filter In-depth Review.

Price at time of publish: $26.60

Key Specs

5. Best New Faucet Water Filter: Culligan FM-25 Faucet Water Filter

$30.34 at AmazonView On Walmart

Known for its excellent residential-grade water treatment systems, Culligan has been a trusted brand on the market for years. The Culligan FM-25 faucet-mount filter is more evidence of their expertise. Affordable, effective, and easy to use, it checks all of the boxes on the list of what consumers want out of their filter.

Performance

The performance of the Culligan FM-25 is great. In our chlorine filtering test, the filter received a perfect score by filtering out all chemical traces from the highly-chlorinated water we pumped through it. Specifically, the chlorinated water sample started out with 10+ mg of chlorine in every liter of water. After passing through the filter, our test kit showed 0 mg/l.

It didn’t perform as well in our flow rate test. Attached to our test rig with a high-pressure 2.2 GPM faucet, the Culligan FM-25 only managed to produce 0.5 GPM after it was switched to filtering mode. The reduction is very noticeable and maybe a point of annoyance if you’re accustomed to high-pressure faucets.

The Exterior

The Culligan FM-25 is made of lightweight plastic with a sleek chrome coating. The mounting point for the filter is a rotating collar. You only need to slip it onto the head of your faucet and rotate the collar until the filter is locked tight against the faucet.

Unfortunately, this mounting method only works on faucets with external threading. If your faucet has internal threading, the Culligan has two faucet adapters to help with installation.

Usability

You can quickly switch between plain tap water and filtered water on the FM-25 by using the knob to the side of the filter.

Pull the knob outward when you need filtered water and push it back into the filter when you no longer need filtered water. Quite notably, the FM-25’s valve will automatically reset to plain water mode when you turn the tap off, which can help prolong the filter's lifespan by ensuring the filter only purifies water when needed.

The Filter

The Culligan FM-25 faucet-mount water filter is certified to meet NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53. These standards indicate that the filter can both improve the water's aesthetics (removing bad smell, taste, etc.) and remove chemicals and contaminants like chlorine.

The filtration cartridge can process 200 gallons of water before it has to be replaced. Under normal usage, this should mean 2 to 3 months of use. But since there’s no replacement indicator on the Culligan, make sure you write down the installation date to keep track of when you need to buy a replacement filter.

Read our full Culligan FM-25 Faucet Water Filter In-depth Review.

Price at time of publish: $40.27

Key Specs

The Competition

• Wingsol WS-FM001: The Wingsol WS-FM001 is an outlier in our database since it doesn’t come from a well-known brand like the Culligan or Waterdrop filters. Nevertheless, the Wingsol performed decently in our performance test, having successfully removed most traces of chlorine in the water we pumped through it. Though the build quality is lacking, its stainless steel housing should be acceptably durable.
• PUR PFM350V: The PUR PFM350V is part of PUR’s portfolio of faucet-mount water filters. Its performance is slightly lower than that of the PUR FM2500V (which we mentioned earlier in the review.) The design — while pretty radical with the one-click design — is a bit flimsy.

Why Use a Faucet Water Filter?

Safe and Odorless Water

Most water faucet filters come with high-efficiency filter cartridges. Inside the filter cartridges are layers of water-filtering materials known collectively as filter media. Filter media are the components that remove harmful chemicals and impurities from the water.

Depending on the type of filter, a filter cartridge may contain: 

• Activated carbon
• Catalytic carbon
• Kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF)
• Mixed media (made from many different filtering materials like gravel, sand, and resin)
• Reverse osmosis membrane

High-quality faucet filters can absorb and neutralize chlorine and toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. If you prefer your drinking water to be alkaline (you can find lots of misinformation about alkaline water, but it does have some genuine benefits), many filters are also designed to increase your water's pH level.

But no matter what filter you choose, the result should be the same: safe, fresh, crisp-tasting water for the whole family right from the tap!

No Need for Bottled Water

Bottled water isn’t necessarily any safer to drink than plain tap water. And although it’s convenient, bottled water is expensive and can be incredibly damaging to the environment.

A faucet water filter can create purified water right from your tap. If you fancy the portability of bottled water, you can buy a reusable bottle and fill it up as you need. It’s cheaper, and since you reuse your water bottle, it’s more environmentally friendly, too.

Pure Water, Immediately

If you need more than a few gallons of pure water daily, a faucet water filter will serve you better than a pitcher filter. You get clean water immediately and only have to wait a few minutes to get enough water for cleaning, washing, and cooking.

However, it’s important to note that tap water filters aren’t the ultimate solution to all possible water filtering needs.

First, faucet water filters are small, so they can only clean a limited list of chemicals and impurities. If you have serious water issues (heavy chlorination, dangerous contaminants, etc.), invest in a countertop or undersink water filter with high-performing filter cartridges.

Secondly, these filters are not compatible with all types of faucets. Pull-down faucets, for example, can’t be paired with faucet water filters. It may not be practical to base your choice of faucet around a tap-mounted filter. However, a simple faucet filter will do the trick for most people. 

What Chemicals and Impurities Can Faucet Water Filters Deal With?

Though the filter cartridges are small, they can filter out many dangerous chemicals and even bacteria from your tap water.

Chlorine

If tap water comes from a public water treatment plant, it has most likely been sanitized using chlorine. The amount of chlorine in the water is safe for consumption, so it’s not a health risk. However, it does give the water a particular taste and odor.

Every faucet water filter on the market can remove chlorine and return a more natural, crisp taste to your tap water.

Lead

Millions of people across the US receive lead-contaminated water from old water service lines made from—you guessed it—lead. The government has been trying to replace these old lines with copper pipes for years, but many customers—especially those in rural areas—are still being served by lead pipes.

Drinking lead-contaminated water puts young children at risk of developing neurological conditions. In adults, lead exposure can result in cardiovascular issues like hypertension and reproductive problems in both men and women.

Other than petitioning your local water treatment plant to replace the old pipes, a simple and immediate remedy is to use a faucet water filter. Many faucet filters on the market take lead out of the water, making it safer to drink.

Heavy Metals

Besides lead (which is also considered a type of heavy metal), some water sources are also contaminated by manganese, cadmium, arsenic, copper, and iron.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says these elements can negatively affect human health. Many faucet filters can remove up to 99.9% of these metals from tap water.

Bacteria and Viruses

Bacteria and viruses like E.coli, Salmonella, Norovirus, and Adenovirus can contaminate tap water. They can cause severe illnesses and, in certain cases, can even be lethal.

Certain faucet water filters are rated to deal with these biological threats. Check the filter's product description and lab testing results before you buy to make sure it can combat bacteria and viruses.

Things to Consider When Buying a New Faucet-Mount Filter

Faucet-mount filters are fairly straightforward, but if you want the best for your kitchen, here are a few things to keep in mind when you browse.

Filtering Performance

Although a manufacturer isn’t legally obliged to make claims about the contaminants their products remove, they typically disclose it voluntarily either in the product description or in a lab test report in the user manual. We highly recommend checking the report to see if the filter is effective against the contaminants that concern you most (chlorine, lead, bacteria, etc.)

Additionally, reputable manufacturers get their filters tested by independent third-party organizations like NSF International. A stamp of approval from these organizations is a good sign that the filter works as advertised.

But it’s important to remember that, in practical use, the filter's performance may not always match the test report. That’s exactly why HealthyKitchen101 started this project!

Filter Cartridge Capacity

Filter cartridges don’t last forever. Depending on the type, they’re good for between 100 and 300 gallons. Beyond that, they have to be replaced.

Your best bet is to pick one that fits the average water use in your household. High-capacity filter cartridges are usually pricier, but they’re worth the investment. You can snap them in and forget about them for several months.

Filter Design

The longevity of a water filter largely depends on its design and construction.

Most filters on the market are made from either plastic or metal (usually stainless steel). While plastic filters are less expensive, they may not last as long as their metal counterparts. And though metal filters are generally more durable they command a higher price tag.

This isn’t to say that plastic filters are inherently bad. Plenty of shoddy devices out there are built from stainless steel just to give the appearance of value. In the end, though, you do have a higher chance of snapping a good unit that’ll last a long time if you pick a metal model.

Aside from the material, the filter’s durability mainly depends on how much care its manufacturer puts into design and construction. Unfortunately, you can’t check the product’s build quality until it arrives at your door, so our reviews—which include a build quality assessment—will be helpful.

Why Trust Us

HealthyKitchen101 is committed to providing our readers with accurate, reliable information. To that end, all of the reviews on our website are hands-on. We’ve independently purchased each product and tested it ourselves in our lab.

We publish our test methodology so that you can see and understand exactly how we score products and how we arrive at each conclusion. You can even replicate the tests yourself!

We establish most testing procedures in-house and consult with outside experts when necessary.

Our Expertise

Matthew Lee has been a reviewer for HealthyKitchen101 for over two years. Before becoming an editorial board member, he was a prolific tech-centric blogger, with a publication history for the International Business Times.

He has handled many reviewing projects in that time, from small kitchen appliances like waffle makers and faucets to bigger-ticket items such as showerheads and water softeners.

One of his projects was testing and reviewing faucet-mount water filters with HealthyKitchen101’s Research, Testing, and Review (RTR) Lab. The team has spent more than 100 hours testing and sampling the quality of water produced by eight of the top faucet-mount filters on the market. Each filter was rigorously tested against chlorine and underwent several test sessions each, aiming to find the top product.

About your guide

Luna ReginaEditor in Chief

Luna Regina is an accomplished writer and author who dedicates her career to empowering home cooks and making cooking effortless for everyone. She is the founder of HealthyKitchen101.com and HealthyRecipes101.com, where she works with her team to develop easy, nutritious recipes and help aspiring cooks choose the right kitchen appliances.

Matthew LeeReviewer

Matthew Lee is a writer and editor for HealthyKitchen101. With over 8 years working for various outlets and agencies, specializing in tech review and other subjects of note, such as current affairs.

Lap VoTest Lead

Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.