Product Reviews ➜ Kitchen ➜ Countertop Filters
Low Plastic Countertop Water Filters
The best countertop water filters are independently tested by a third-party lab, publish exact percentage reductions for each contaminant, and show you the number of gallons that performance holds for. This combination is rare, with many countertop filter brands having impressive results for only the first few gallons. Rarer still are low-plastic models. I evaluate NSF-certified low-plastic and plastic-free countertop water filters that remove microplastics, PFAS, fluoride, heavy metals, and more based on certifications, actual gallon capacity, and what each system truly removes versus what it only claims to (not on repeated brand specs or affiliate potential.) Gravity fed stainless steel systems generally remove the most contaminants for the longest, and use minimal plastic, but they take up more counter space and cost more upfront. Glass pitchers and dispensers use less space and cost less, but the plastic filter cartridges typically last for fewer gallons before performance drops.
By Dr. Meg Christensen | Physician-founder of Interior Medicine, a non-toxic home resource built on her background in medicine, biochemistry, epidemiology, and clinical research.
Updated September 4, 2026
Boroux Stainless Gravity Fed Countertop Water Filter
This is the best countertop water filter for three reasons. First, it's very low plastic. Second, they have NSF 42, 53, and 401 certifications. And third, they clear PFAS, lead, disinfection byproducts, pharmaceuticals and more from 200 to 6,000 gallons of water, longer than any of the others on this page. Their testing was done by IAPMO and WQA, two of the major third party water testing labs. Their reports show only the maximum percentage they were able to filter ("up to 99.95%") instead of the lowest efficiency, but all the data is there, and these filters do a good job. They have optional fluoride filters, too, and you can now free up countertop space with their wooden floor stand.
Rorra Stainless Steel Countertop Water Filtration System
Rorra is another great NSF certified countertop water filter with testing proving it works to reduce PFAS, microplastics, chlorine, and many of the other contaminants covered by NSF 42, 53, and 401 for 200 gallons. The reduction level remains very high (90%+) for each test, and their results are very easy to read on their website. Made entirely of stainless steel, this has very little plastic involved. A little spendier than the Boroux, but very ergonomic and sturdy, with the spout elevated so you don't have to balance it on the edge of a counter or get a stand. An overall great choice.
British Berkefeld Stainless Steel Gravity Water Filter
Berkefeld does have NSF certification for NSF 42, 53, and 401 (the big 3 for water filters) that confirm their filters work as described for 600 gallons. The details are a little murky. They don't have a full list of which contaminants are reduced, and their website also states only the maximum removal rate (99.9%) and not the minimum. But, I appreciate their fully stainless steel container and low-plastic ceramic filters. They have a nice range of filter types to focus on whatever problem your water has, including ones that remove fluoride or limescale.
ProOne Stainless Steel Gravity Water Dispenser
ProOne clears a wide range of contaminants for anywhere between 50 and 200 gallons, depending on the specific category. Not quite as many gallons as the Boroux or Rorra, but still more than the rest on this page. I am so happy to see how transparent they are, sharing all of their detailed reports on their website. Theirs were the easiest to interpret. Their gravity filter removed 99.9% of microbes for 50 gallons, 90% of almost all PFAS for 200 gallons, and 86.3% of emerging contaminants for 100 gallons, for example. It's possible it filters for more, but without that testing, it's impossible to know.
Fferrone Glass Carafe with Brita Water Filter
There are very few NSF certified plastic free water filter pitchers available, but Fferrone has made this one, which apart from the Brita insert, is truly all glass. It's spendy! But, it's an elegant solution, and Brita inserts (sold separately) are incredibly affordable and surprisingly effective. They remove heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, PFAS and more at very high rates (90%+) for 120 gallons, as tested by NSF and IAPMO. If you want the Brita performance with a more affordable low plastic option, you can always do the active filtering in the standard plastic filter and then pour it into any glass carafe for longer term water storage, reducing total plastic contact time.
LifeStraw 7 Cup Glass Water Filter Pitcher
Lower plastic, Lifestraw's countertop water pitcher is mostly made of glass, except for the top part for unfiltered water that holds the filter, and the silicone base. Refreshingly, they have lots of testing data done both in-house and verified by NSF and other major third party certifiers. Their filters reduce contaminants at the levels listed for 40 gallons. Not bad for a water pitcher, and certainly more affordable than the Brita-Fferrone combo.
Aarke Glass and Steel Water Filter Pitcher
Priced between the Fferrone and the LifeStraw, the Aarke has the least amount of plastic involved, going as far as offering filtration granules that you can refill the stainless steel insert with, instead of a plastic cartridge. The only issue is, it has no certifications and probably doesn't remove a ton of contaminants other than chlorine. It can definitely make your water nicer tasting, and if avoiding plastic cartridges at all costs is important to you then this is a decent option that provides some filtration. I appreciate that they don't overstate what it can do, making no false claims or insinuating they're better at contaminant removal than they really are.
Culligan ZeroWater Countertop 40 Cup Glass Dispenser
Made of glass, this ZeroWater model is indeed certified by IAPMO for NSF 42, 53, and 401 to remove 99% of contaminants, however, only for 20 gallons! That means it can effectively remove chlorine and other contaminants, but you'll have to change the filter every 10th time you fill it to keep it this effective. I'm including this because it's a nice low-plastic option that works well for lower use spaces like upstairs or at the office. And, because it's important to know these details when so many water filter review outlets sing its praises and all you see on the website is impressively high %s! (Their MaxFilters in their stainless steel gravity options are certified for a little longer, at 50 gallons.) Finally, the free TDS meter they send is a little gimmicky. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, and while it's great that their filters remove these, it doesn't mean that it's removing VOCs and other tricky-to-capture chemicals.
Looking for something specific? If you don't see the product or brand you're curious about, you can request a review here, or run it through the Second Opinion Product Checker to evaluate it yourself. Want to go deeper? My free course covers how to evaluate any product's materials yourself.
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Product Reviews ➜ Kitchen ➜ Countertop Filters