The water treatment industry is complex. There are many types of filters based on different filtration technologies, so it’s not obvious how to pick the right one for you. Even if you narrow down your search to US products only, with so many high-quality filters on the market, it’s understandable if you feel like you can’t reach a decision.
But, you’re in luck, we’ve narrowed it down and put together a list of top quality water filters made in the USA based on our years of experience and research in this space.
We split this list into 4 water filter categories:
- Whole house filters made in USA
- Undersink filters made in USA
- Faucet filters made in USA
- Refrigerator filters made in USA
Made in USA Water Filters
- Springwell whole house filter
- Aquasana whole house filter
- Kind Water Systems water filter
- Clearly filtered undersink filter
- Aquasana Optim H20
- Epic smart shield
- Apex faucet filter
- CuZn water systems water filter
- Crystal quest faucet filter
- Clearly filtered inline filter
- Instapure fridge filter
- Swift green filters
Whole House Water Filters Made in the USA
Whole-house filters are connected to your house’s main incoming water pipe. This allows them to provide clean water for your whole household, be it for laundry, bathing, or drinking.
The best American-made whole-house water filters are:
SpringWell CF1 Whole House System
SpringWell is one of the most trusted brands in the United States regarding water filtration and softening units. The SpringWell CF1 Whole House System is the brand’s flagship product, and it’s also one of the most efficient whole house filtration units in the entire country.
The fact that it’s made in the USA is reflected in the filter’s high-quality build. The SpringWell CF1 can last a lifetime as long as you maintain it following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Its lifetime warranty, which is quite rare in whole-house filtration systems, is the perfect testament to its life expectancy.
The SpringWell CF1 has a state-of-the-art 4-stage filtration. It features a flex bed (prolongs contact time between water and filters, ensuring thorough filtration), kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF) media (removes aesthetic impurities like odor, taste, color, and chlorine), catalytic carbon bed (targets harmful contaminants like lead, bacteria, pesticides, and PFAS), and a sediment filter (handles dirt, clay, and sand).
Additionally, the SpringWell CF1 has one of the best flow rate and water pressure options compared to its competition. As a result, you can enjoy contaminant-free water filtered by a 100% American-made treatment unit from all the faucets in your household without any decrease in water flow.
Aquasana Rhino Whole House Filter
Aquasana is one of the most popular brands in the United States. The brand is popular not only because it produces effective systems but also because its products, like the Aquasana Rhino, are among the most affordable on the market. All of Aquasana’s products are engineered, assembled, and produced in the USA.
Apart from being affordable, the AquaSana Rhino also features an innovative design with an upflowing technology that increases the contact time between the filter and water. Additionally, unlike some filtration tanks prone to bacterial buildup, the Aquasana whole house system protects itself from bacterial formation inside the system thanks to its bacteriostatic media.
Like the SpringWell CF1, the Aquasana Rhino has a sturdy build thanks to the high-density, food-grade material it’s made from. This material is also lightweight, which significantly eases installation and maintenance.
The activated carbon technology with prolonged contact time allows the Aquasana Rhino to reduce chlorine and aesthetic impurities like taste, odor, and color with a 97% success rate. Additionally, the product is not only American-made; it’s also American-tested, as it holds an NSF 42 certification that guarantees the manufacturer’s claims regarding its success rate are true.
Kind Water Systems E-1000 Whole House Water Filter
The Kind Water Systems E-1000 is the best cartridge-based whole water filter made in the USA. Being a cartridge-based system also makes this particular unit the most installation- and budget-friendly: no tanks means the device is cheaper to manufacture and easier to install.
In many traditional filtration units, like the SpringWell and the Aquasana, the filtration media are placed in the tanks. In the Kind Water Systems E-1000, the water passes through filter cartridges, which makes it much easier to maintain the filters, check whether they’re still functional, and replace them.
These aren’t the only advantages this American-made cartridge-based filtration unit has over traditional tank-based systems. As the water doesn’t pass through a tank, the filter doesn’t affect the flow rate of the water, so you’ll enjoy the same water pressure at all of your faucets.
Lastly, this two-cartridge filter (one cartridge for the sediment filter and another for the activated carbon media) reduces many contaminants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PFAS, pesticides, lead, and aesthetic impurities.
Under-Sink Water Filters Made in USA
Under-sink filters go below a sink and only treat the water from the faucet on top of one sink. Considering that they only treat the water of a single tap, they’re the best for treating drinking water. This means the number of hazardous contaminants they need to eliminate is the most important criterium.
Let’s take a look at our favorite under-sink filters made in the United States of America:
Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under the Sink Water Filter System
Clearly Filtered is one of the most innovative American brands that excel in making state-of-the-art under-sink filters and water pitchers. Its 3-stage under-sink filtration unit, made in the US, is easily the most impressive item in its category, with more than 232 contaminants it can remove or reduce.
The Clearly Filtered Under the Sink System utilizes a 3-stage filtration process:
- An advanced priming filter that removes aesthetic impurities
- A filter that removes dangerous heavy metals, like lead and arsenic, and hazardous chemicals, like volatile organic compounds
- A built-in fluoride filter
Clearly Filtered has all the relevant NSF certifications (NSF Standards 42, 53 & 401). This means that the filtration unit features a performance data sheet detailing which contaminants it removes and with what success rate, provided by the independent lab that tested the device.
Another advantage of the Clearly Filtered is that it’s very easy to install and maintain. Any DIYer can handle its installation with the help of a wrench, and you just need to twist the filters on and off to replace them.
Like other trusted American water treatment brands like SpringWell, Clearly Filtered offers a lifetime warranty on this product.
Aquasana OptimH2O Reverse Osmosis + Claryum
The under-sink system of Aquasana, namely the OptimH2O, is no less impressive than the Aquasana Rhino we mentioned above. Similar to its whole-house sibling, the OptimH2O is made entirely in the United States, and it’s even more efficient in removing many dangerous contaminants thanks to its deployment of reverse osmosis and Aquasana’s patented Claryum technology.
Reverse osmosis is one of the most astute filtration techniques when removing some of the most common contaminants in water, like fluoride, arsenic, nitrates, and radium. Claryum is Aquasana’s unique technology that effectively blends four different water treatment methods (activated carbon, catalytic carbon, ion exchange, and sub-micron filtration) and can remove many chemicals, such as VOCs and heavy metals, including lead.
Like the Clearly Filtered, the Aquasana OptimH2O features all the relevant NSF certifications (NSF/ANSI Standards 42, 53, 58, and 401, P473) and comes with a performance data sheet that lists all the 88 contaminants it can remove. You can drink the water from this American-made filter knowing that it’s as safe and healthy for you as the manufacturer claims.
Epic Smart Shield
If you’re looking for a good, portable filter made in the USA that you can use in your RV, mountain house, and home, we recommend the Epic Smart Shield, one of the most eco-friendly American filters currently on the market.
Similar to the Clearly Filtered and the Aquasana OptimH2O, this particular filter employs carbon filtration. Thanks to the carbon filtration, the device holds an NSF certification (NSF/ANSI Standards 42, 53, and 401), which proves it can remove more than 70 hazardous drinking water contaminants, including chlorine, lead, asbestos, and mercury, as thoroughly listed on its performance data sheet.
What’s most impressive about the Epic Smart Shield is that it achieves all that using one single, easy-to-install cartridge with a 12-month capacity. As a nice extra, once you have four used filters, you can send them to the manufacturer’s recycling program and get one free filter.
Epic Water Filters Company is also a member of one of the most prestigious eco-friendly organizations, 1% for the Planet, and produces only reusable, recyclable, and replaceable items. If eco-friendliness and portability are your biggest priority, this is the filter to go for.
Faucet Filters Made in the USA
Like under-sink filters, faucet filters treat water from one particular faucet. But unlike under-sink filters, faucet filters are directly connected to the faucet so they can filter the water as it starts running.
Therefore, they’re mostly used for filtering drinking water, which means we made our selection based on the type and number of contaminants they remove.
With this in mind, let’s see which American-made faucet filters do it the best.
APEX EXPRT MR-1050 Advanced Alkaline Mineral Filter
There aren’t many great American-made faucet filters currently on the market, as most products in this category originate from China, but the Apex MR-1050 is still one of the best USA-produced faucet filters you can find. So, what makes this particular filter so great?
Many faucet filters have a life span of three to six months, depending on the usage. With the Apex MR-1050, however, that number can reach four to eight months for small families (three to four people).
Additionally, its efficiency in removing chlorine, lead, and radon, as certified by NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 61, raises it above its competition in the domestic market.
Despite the fact it’s compact, the APEX MR-1050 boasts a 5-stage filtration process featuring a sediment filter, granular activated carbon, and KDF media.
It also has a special alkalinizer that raises the pH of water. As alkaline water has many health benefits, including the prevention of acid reflux and protection from oxidative damage, the APEX EXPRT MR-1050 shines as one of the healthiest American-made faucet filter options.
CuZn Water Systems CT-10S Itty Bitty Water Filter
The CuZn Itty Bitty Water Filter deserves its cute name because it’s a very small filter with a 2.5-inch width and 7-inch height. It’s also compatible with every kind of faucet, and it’s quite easy to install and uninstall, which makes it one of the best portable water filters.
Its filtration capacity makes it even more impressive than the APEX MR-1050, as it can provide 1,500 gallons of filtered water before needing replacement. That number, depending on usage, roughly equals eight to ten months.
Similar to the APEX unit and despite its compactness, the CuZn Itty Bitty houses different filtration techniques in its tiny body: a KDF media made of copper and zinc alloy, catalytic carbon, and a sediment filter. As such, it’s also NSF-certified by Standards 42 and 61 for removing aesthetic impurities (odor, color, and taste) and heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium.
So, in short, this tiny filter made in the USA is more than able to give you access to safe and clean water, be it in your home or when traveling.
Crystal Quest Faucet-Mount Water Filter System
Proudly made in the United States, as stated by the brand, the Crystal Quest Faucet Filter is one of the rarest faucet filters that employ a 6-stage filtration process. It also presents a more affordable option than the APEX MR-1050 ($80.00) and the CuZn Itty Bitty ($70.00) for only $40.00.
Two stages of the 6-stage filtration process, the first and the last, are 1-micron sediment filters that prevent dirt, clay, and some bacteria like giardia and cryptosporidium from ending up in your drinking water. Between these two sediment filters are granular activated carbon media that target aesthetic impurities, ion exchange resin that reduces some heavy metals and water hardness, and most importantly, an Eagle Redox Alloy.
Crystal Quest’s patented Eagle Redox Alloy removes many dissolved and undissolved heavy metals such as lead, copper, mercury, and chromium. It also prevents bacterial growth inside the filter.
All in all, the Crystal Quest is another one of those easy-to-install faucet filters, and it’s convenient and reliable.
Refrigerator Filters Made in the USA
Refrigerator filters are used in refrigerators with built-in ice makers or water dispensers. Like countertop and faucet filters, the water these filters treat is mainly for drinking. That’s why we made our selection based on how many hazardous contaminants they can remove.
Let’s see the results.
The Clearly Filtered Universal Inline Fridge Filter
Clearly Filtered excels in making domestically-manufactured fridge filters that remove the most contaminants with impressive success rates. Like its under-sink sibling, the Clearly Filtered Universal Inline Fridge is NSF-certified to remove more than 232 contaminants thanks to its innovative filters:
- Specialized activated carbon media: Similar to all activated carbon, it targets aesthetic impurities so that the succeeding filters can do a more effective job.
- Specialized heavy metal media: It significantly reduces many dangerous heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and chromium. Additionally, it can eliminate radiation, microplastics, and newly-emerging compounds like PFAS and pharmaceutical components.
- Specialized fluoride media: It reduces fluoride with a minimum success rate of 90.7%.
During all these treatment processes, unlike many other filters that remove minerals and heavy metals, the Clearly Filtered Universal Inline Fridge Filter doesn’t remove or reduce any beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium. So, it’s one of the healthiest filter choices on the market.
Lastly, the device has a slim design and is a universal fit for all fridges with water line connections.
InstaPure Fridge Water Filters
Unlike Clearly Filtered, InstaPure doesn’t produce a single fridge filter that has a universal fit. Instead, they domestically produce many different fridge filters, each of which is compatible with one or two other models of a specific brand.
Don’t worry; there’s a compatible fridge filter for almost every model of many leading fridge brands in the industry, including Amana, Kenmore & Sears, Samsung, LG, Frigidaire, 3M, and General Electronics. As long as you carefully check whether your chosen filter is compatible with your refrigerator, you’ll have no problem.
An important thing to keep in mind, though, is that all InstaPure fridge filters have different sets of contaminants that they can remove and, accordingly, different sets of NSF certifications. So, depending on your water treatment needs, you should heed whether the filter compatible with your fridge is also effective against the contaminants you want to eliminate from your drinking water supply.
Lastly, although the InstaPure filters aren’t as practical or versatile as the Clearly Filtered Universal, they have one advantage over it. While the Clearly Filtered option is one of the most expensive fridge filters at $165.00, the InstaPure filters range between $10.00 to $35.00.
Swift Green Filters
Similar to the InstaPure fridge filters, Swift Green produces different filters compatible with varying fridge models, and they’re all made in the United States. However, Swift Green has a more expansive catalog of refrigerator brands they make filters for that also includes industry leaders such as Bosch, Panasonic, Hotpoint, and Whirlpool.
Like the Clearly Filtered and InstaPure, Swift Green had all their filters certified by the National Sanitation Foundation. So, you can be sure that claims concerning the removal or reduction of contaminants like heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and aesthetic impurities are supported by independently conducted tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although purchasing an American-made filter doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the best on the market, it does mean you’ll be making an eco-friendly and cost-effective decision.
Purchasing imported goods means part of the product’s cost, no matter how small, goes towards the importation. As importing goods from overseas requires lots of petroleum, opting for domestically manufactured products reduces your carbon footprint.
You’ll also be contributing to the domestic economy and supporting American businesses.
The answer to this question depends on what kind of water filter we’re talking about.
If we’re talking about whole house systems, be it for treating water or softening it, SpringWell emerges as the best and most trusted American brand.
On the other hand, when it comes to small devices, like under-sink filters, water pitchers, and refrigerator filters, the efficiency of Clearly Filtered products remains uncontested.
Clearly Filtered has consistently been producing filters with the highest number of contaminants removed, and the scientific claims the brand makes are always supported by independent and certified lab results, inspiring trust.
NSF certifications are crucial when purchasing a water filtration unit because they act as scientific proof of contaminant removal and verify claims made by manufacturers.
The National Sanitation Foundation is a non-profit organization that independently certifies many products that might have health effects. As water is one of the most vital aspects of life, it’s recommended that you opt for water-treatment products that are tested and certified.
The cost of a water filter depends on many aspects, including its type, filtration process, and capacity.
While a faucet filter with a 4-month filtration capacity and just an activated carbon technology might cost only $20.00, a whole house filter that has a 2-year filter life and utilizes a 6-stage filtration process might reach $2,000.
Conclusion
To sum up, for those looking for a good American-made whole-house filter, the SpringWell CF1 is the obvious answer because of its efficiency, sturdy build, and lifetime warranty.
You’re in the market for an under-sink filter that can remove almost all the contaminants you can think of? Then, you’ll be doing yourself and your family a lot of good by purchasing the Clearly Filtered Under-the-Sink System because it removes more than 232 contaminants and it’s certified by the NSF.
If a good, portable faucet filter is what you need, the APEX EXPRT MR-1050 is the safest and healthiest choice with its 5-stage filtration and alkalinizer.
Lastly, if you’re interested in a fridge filter, the Clearly Filtered Universal Inline Fridge Filter should be your go-to item as it’s compatible with all fridge models and can remove 232+ contaminants.
