Fluoride water filters have become a necessity especially for people who rely on municipal city water supply as their primary water source. Water authorities add fluoride to the water supply to protect the teeth from decay, and although it is harmless when consumed in small doses, large fluoride consumption can cause health issues such as joint pains, tooth discoloration, and even thyroid problems.
Since large consumption of fluoride has associated health risks, it is important to regularly filter your water before drinking, hence the need for a fluoride water filter system.
The best fluoride water filter is the Clearly Water Filter Pitcher which has been certified and tested to remove 99.5% of fluoride in water (it reduced 0.6 ppm of fluoride water to 0.00 ppm).
It filters 100 gallons of fluoride water per filter replacement, which is the highest in its category. Most water pitchers only filter 20 – 50 gallons of water per filter replacement.
Fluoride Filters Comparison Table
- Process: Affinity Technology
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.5%
- Warranty: 1-year Warranty
- Price: $90
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.75%
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: $485
- Process: Gravity Filter
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 96%
- Warranty: Lifetime Warranty
- Price: $367
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 90.7%
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Price: $550
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.9%
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: $999
Best Water Filters that Remove Fluoride:
- Best fluoride and chlorine water pitcher: Clearly Filtered Pitcher | (Jump to Review)
- Best countertop fluoride filter: AquaTRU | (Jump to Review)
- Best gravity fluoride filter: Big Berkey Water Filter | (Jump to Review)
- Best under sink fluoride filter: Clearly Filtered Undersink | (Jump to Review)
- Best reverse osmosis filter for fluoride: Waterdrop G3 800 | (Jump to Review)
1. Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher for Fluoride
The clearly filtered water pitcher is the best water filter that removes 99% fluoride and chlorine in water, the highest of any water filter pitcher.
Although it looks simple, there’s actually complexity in the inner workings of the clearly filtered pitcher. The filtration process occurs in 3-stages. Stage one is a woven stainless steel mesh screen that the water goes through, which catches the larger sediment and dirt particles that might be present. The second stage is the granulated coconut filtration layer that’s meant to get rid of chlorine, as well as any bad tastes and odors. And finally, stage three is the proprietary filter that Clearly Filtered uses, which is made up of 7 different layers of materials that are meant to remove fluoride, as well as other common contaminants like microplastics, lead, and PFAS/PFOA.
The third stage takes the longest since that’s where the major part of the purification process happens, but you should have clean drinking water in a little over 10 minutes.
The filter has a 100-gallon capacity with a 0.5-gallon reservoir, which can be used more than 200 times before requiring a filter change. This equates to 3 months of use per filter.
You can buy the individual filters for around $60, or get a pack of three for around $190, which should last a full year. Either way, the filters themselves are very expensive.
The warranty only lasts for a single year, but that’s probably more than you’d expect for a device in this price range anyway, so it is a very good deal. Additionally, you can also return the pitcher after 30 days if you’re unsatisfied with its performance (if it’s not damaged, of course).
- Process: Pitcher Filter
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.5%
- Warranty: 1-year Warranty
- Price: $90
- Very affordable upfront price
- Very easy to store
- Gets rid of 365+ tap water contaminants
- Very easy to clean and maintain
- You need to pay nearly $200 in filters per year
- Very small reservoir capacity
2. AquaTru Countertop Filter for Fluoride and Chlorine
AquaTru is the best choice countertop fluoride water filter. It uses reverse osmosis technology to filter fluoride and chlorine from water. If you aren’t already familiar with reverse osmosis, RO uses a semi-permeable membrane that essentially works as a microscopic sieve. The water molecules can pass through the space in between the membrane, but most contaminants are too large to make it through, so they get removed by the filter.
With Aquatru, the water goes through a 4-stage filtration process to remove fluoride. The first stage uses a simple sediment filter to get rid of larger molecules in the water. Stage two is the activated carbon filter that removes unpleasant tastes and odors. Stage three is the reverse osmosis membrane that removes some of the small ions still present in the water. And finally, stage four is a carbon filter block.
This system purifies a gallon of water every 10 to 15 minutes, which is a pretty decent rate, and twice as fast as the Clearly Filtered Pitcher, thanks to its larger capacity.
The filter lifetime of this device isn’t set in stone but you should only consider filter replacement after 600 and 1,200 gallons of filtration. At most, this equates to around 4,500 uses per filter, which means that large families may need to replace the filters every 6 months, whereas a single using this filter will be able to go up to 2 years before needing replacement.
However, if you’re feeling unsure about the vague nature of the filter’s estimated lifespan, then the accompanying AquaTru Water Purifier phone app might be of assistance. Installing this app will allow you to monitor how much life the filter still has in it before you’ll need to get a new one.
The app is also incredibly convenient since you’ll be able to see how much water you still have in the system, and you’ll even receive a notification telling you when the purification process has finished.
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.75%
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: $485
- Doesn’t require any installation or plumbing
- A convenient accompanying app
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- The filters are very simple to replace
- Reviews and customers have reported an issue with the device leaking
- Generates a lot more water waste than non-osmosis models
3. Big Berkey Gravity Water Filter for Fluoride
The Big Berkey water filter uses gravity to remove fluoride from water. While it sounds incredibly epic, the truth is that this filtration method is actually one of the simplest ones that you’ll come across.
The big berkey filter has the appearance of a large metal cylinder, and is divided into two parts – an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The upper chamber contains two filters and gets filled to the brim with water. The water drains into the lower chamber through these filters, filling it with clean drinking water. The contaminants present in the water and the small amount of water that couldn’t be purified remain in the upper chamber.
Using this device is as easy as pouring water in the top part and pouring drinking water from the faucet at the bottom. As for maintenance, here’s how to clean the big berkey filter:
- Pour out the wastewater from the upper chamber
- Remove the filters
- Rinse the filters under a tap or in clean water
- Place the filters back into the upper chamber
- Attach the chambers together again and fill up the device with water
- The device is ready for another purification session
Additionally, this goes without saying, but you should make sure that the lower chamber has space before trying to purify more water. If the lower chamber is full, then the water will remain in the upper chamber where it’ll continually pass by the filters. This can cause the filters to get clogged with contaminants and being unable to properly filter water. Luckily, all you really need to do at this point is pour out the water in the upper chamber, rinse the filters, and you’re good to go.
The Big Berkley also has a four-filter model that’s slightly bigger but can cut the filtration speed in half due to the extra elements. From our testing, the 2.1-gallon capacity of this filtration system served a family of 4, and it doubles the capacity of any other countertop water filter we tested. Plus, the Big Berkley remains compact enough to fit on any kitchen surface without taking up too much space.
Additionally, if you buy the Big Barkley through the official site, you’ll have the option to upgrade from the standard 1-year warranty to a lifetime warranty for free, which is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss. The filters should be replaced after 6,000 gallons of filtration.
- Process: Gravity Filter
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 96%
- Warranty: Lifetime Warranty
- Price: $367
- Much larger capacity than most other countertop water filters.
- Comes with a lifetime warranty for most of the components.
- You’ll get 1,500 uses out of the filters before you need to replace them.
- Incredibly durable and damage-resistant.
- Takes up a lot of space on the countertop.
- You’ll need to manually open both chambers to check how much water is left.
- The filters need to be rinsed out after every purification cycle.
4. Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter for Fluoride
The Clearly Filtered under sink filter is the best kitchen sink filter for fluoride and chlorine. It works based on reverse osmosis technology, similar to Aquatru, although the filtration process is different.
This unit comes with three chambers. The first chamber contains a coconut carbon pre-filter that removes large contaminants. The second chamber has a heavy metal, herbicide and pesticide filter, while the third chamber is the fluoride filter.
Unlike many other under-sink water filters, the clearly filtered under sink system doesn’t have a tank where the purified water funnels into. This basically means that the water is filtered on-the-go without the need for a separate storage reservoir. However, this quicker purification does come at the cost of a less efficient purification process. While a lot of contaminants do get removed, this unit isn’t ideal for areas with a heavy concentration of fluoride where you need your filter to be as effective as possible.
This model also negatively affects the water pressure, but the same can be said for any under-sink unit. The lack of a separate water tank also means that this unit is a lot easier to install and takes up a lot less space under your counter. All that’s required for installation is connect the input and output hose lines and screw in or attach the filter under the sink.
The filters in the clearly filtered under sink system lasts for up to 2,000 gallons, and should be replaced every 6 months. However, this unit also shares the same problem with the previous Clearly Filtered models – the filters are expensive to replace, costing as much as $400.
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 90.7%
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
- Price: $550
- Takes up very little space under your sink
- Purifies the water a lot quicker than a lot of other under-sink models
- Relatively cheap for a reverse osmosis model
- Lower removal percentage than the other filters we reviewed
- The replacement filters are expensive
5. Waterdrop G3 800 GPD
The Waterdrop G3 800 GPD is our top pick reverse osmosis system especially thanks to its 800 GPD large water capacity. It filters fluoride and other water contaminants using a seven-layered membrane process:
- PP cotton layer
- Scale Inhibitor layer
- Activated carbon layer
- Second PP cotton layer
- Reverse osmosis membrane layer
- Post-activated carbon layer
- UV sterilizer.
The Waterdrop is undeniably expensive, but worth the money. Not only does it filter out most contaminants, but it also comes with quite a few quality-of-life improving features.
The LED display on the front of the device tells you the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in your tap water, which is basically how much dissolved solids are in the water – the lower the TDS, the better. Additionally, the unit also has a color indicator for each of the three filters that notifies you when it’s time for replacement.
Speaking of the filters, they last 6 – 12 months, and only cost about $30 to replace. The reverse osmosis filter is the largest one, and it costs $130 to replace; however, it does have an average life of 2 years, which is considered long-lasting.
This water filter also comes with a faucet that you can attach to the sink. The faucet comes with the same display as the unit itself, and it allows you to easily monitor the system.
This unit is very easy to install since all you need to do is place it under the sink, hook up the water line to the back, and then hook up the outlet water line from the filter to the faucet.
- Process: Reverse Osmosis
- Fluoride Removal Percentage: 99.9%
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Price: $999
- Very easy to install
- The most effective filtration system on our list
- Wastes less water than other reverse osmosis systems
- No drop off on water pressure
- One of the more expensive under-sink filters that you can find
- Takes up a moderate amount of space under the sink.
How We Reviewed Fluoride Water Filters
We reviewed fluoride filters based on the following criteria:
- Fluoride removal percentage
- Filter life
- NSF certifications
- Process/technology
- Capacity
- Maintenance requirements
- Warranty
- Price
Fluoride Removal Percentage
Look at any brand of soap, any detergent, or any cleaning product and you’ll see that all of them advertise the removal of up to 99.9% of bacteria. Fluoride filters have a similar threshold – they will never be able to completely remove all traces of fluoride in water.
However, the truth is that you don’t need them to be 100% effective, and removal rate from 90% effectiveness and above gets rid of enough of the fluoride that the minuscule amount that’s left can’t really harm you.
You should go for a fluoride filter with the highest removal percentage, but we’d say that any of these filters can get the job done.
| Water Filters | Removal percentage |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | 99.5% |
| AquaTru | 99.75% |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | 96% |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | 90.7% |
| Waterdrop G3 | 99.9% |
Filter Life
If you look at the chart below, you’ll notice that some fluoride water filters have a significantly shorter filter life than others. The frequency at which you have to replace your filters definitely plays a large role in how difficult the system is to maintain, but that’s not the only thing that you should be looking at.
Filter prices are also very important, and even though filters like the Clearly Filtered Pitcher have an incredibly short filter life, the filters themselves are a lot cheaper than others like the AquaTru, which will last you a bit longer.
It’s really all about balance. Generally, we’d say that a fluoride filter with a decent filter life that can be replaced easily and doesn’t cost too much is going to be better than a model with a long filter life that’s hard to maintain and expensive to replace.
| Water Filters | Filter Life |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | 100 Gallons |
| AquaTru | 600 – 1,200 Gallons |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | 6,000 Gallons |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | 2,000 Gallons |
| Waterdrop G3 | Computer Estimated |
NSF Certification
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is the most trusted agency when it comes to water filter testing. The quality and durability of a product will always vary depending on the manufacturer and how much it costs, but this stamp of approval goes a long way in ensuring that the filter in question can do the task that it was intended for.
Now, we should say that there are different reasons why certain products aren’t considered NSF-certified – some of which have nothing to do with quality. For instance, some fluoride filters may not have been tested yet, or the NSF certification wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the site (but they still might hold one).
However, while it might not be a deal-breaker if a product doesn’t have this stamp of approval, it’s definitely better if it does.
| Water Filters | NSF/ANSI 44 Certifications |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | Yes |
| AquaTru | Yes |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | No |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | Yes |
| Waterdrop G3 | Yes |
Process
All of the fluoride water filters that we reviewed are different in one way or another, but the most significant difference is definitely the filtration process they use.
There are several models that use reverse osmosis, while the others all have a unique water purification method that we’ll explain in a lot more detail when we review each model separately.
| Water Filters | Process |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | Pitcher Filter |
| AquaTru | Reverse Osmosis |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | Gravity Filter |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | Reverse Osmosis |
| Waterdrop G3 | Reverse Osmosis |
Water Tank Capacity
Most of the fluoride water filters that we evaluated have internal tanks that can hold a gallon of water. The only two exceptions are the Big Berkey, which can hold over two gallons, and the Waterdrop G3, which doesn’t actually have a tank, so its estimated capacity is around 800 gallons per day (GPD).
A larger capacity means that you’ll have access to more water once the purification is done, but you’ll also need to wait a bit longer for it to finish. It’s ultimately a question of whether you prefer to wait a bit longer but have a lot more water or if you’d prefer to refill the container multiple times as long as the process doesn’t take as long.
| Water Filters | Capacity |
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | 0.5 Gallons |
| AquaTru | 1 Gallon |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | 2.1 Gallons |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | 1 Gallon |
| Waterdrop G3 | 800 GPD |
Ease of Use
We’ll go into a bit more detail on the systems themselves and how they work in their own dedicated segments later, but for now, we’d just like to give you a general idea on which appliances are the simplest to operate.
The under-sink models are always the most complicated due to the installation procedure that they require, but a few of the other models have a bit of a tricky filter replacement process, too.
If you’re a newbie and this is your first water filter, you should go for a system with easy maintenance requirements. However, if you have experience with water filters, you won’t have issues with any of them.
| Water Filters | Maintenance Requirements |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | Easy |
| AquaTru | Medium |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | Easy |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | Hard |
| Waterdrop G3 | Medium |
Warranty
All the fluoride filters we covered in this guide have either a 1-year warranty or a lifetime warranty, with the exception of the Big Berkley, which only has a 6-month warranty on its parts and a 1-year warranty on the stainless steel casing of the filter.
A warranty is obviously a great addition to any purchase since it minimizes certain risks and allows you to recuperate some costs if the appliance is faulty. However, these are relatively inexpensive devices, so we wouldn’t worry whether the device you picked up has a lifetime warranty so long as there’s at least some coverage.
| Water Filters | Warranty |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| AquaTru | 1 Year |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | 6 Months and 1 Year |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| Waterdrop G3 | 1 Year |
Price
Fluoride filters come in many different sizes and price tags. The models that we’ve selected can range from below $100 to just short of $1,000, and that extra zero can really make a difference sometimes.
While the prices themselves aren’t the only factor in determining if one filter is better than another, they’re still worth taking into account. The cheaper models will obviously be more appealing purely because they’re a better deal, but the costlier models have a few features that definitely make them worth the extra cash you pay for them.
| Water Filters | Price |
|---|---|
| Clearly Filtered Pitcher | $90 |
| AquaTru | $485 |
| Big Berkey Water Filter | $367 |
| Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter | $550 |
| Waterdrop G3 | $999 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Clearly Filtered Pitcher is the easiest fluoride filter to use since it requires no installation and no maintenance outside of the filter replacement procedure. The initial price makes Clearly Filtered the most affordable option, even if the filters up that price a bit. However, it has an incredibly limited reservoir capacity.
The AquaTru Connect Smart Countertop Filter is a good all-rounder that doesn’t cost too much and can do pretty much everything that a fluoride filter should. Nevertheless, certain reports claim that it’s unreliable and prone to leaking.
The Big Berkey Water Filter is easy to use, easy to clean, and it doesn’t really take up a lot of space on your countertop despite having a larger-than-average tank capacity. The downside is that you’ll need to manually lift the chambers whenever you want to check the water levels.
The Clearly Filtered Under Sink Filter is a quick and effective filtration system that doesn’t take up much space and is incredibly cheap to buy and maintain. The only downside is that the level of purification that it provides won’t be of much help in areas with significant fluoride concentrations.
The Waterdrop G3 800 GPD has everything. The maintenance is easy, the filter is insanely effective, and there are plenty of features in the filter and even the faucet that make it super convenient to use. If you are okay with the high price tag, then it’s worth buying.
