The Best Faucet Water Filters in 2022

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Getting filtered water in your kitchen these days doesn’t mean attaching a clunky piece to your sink or lugging out a huge pitcher from your fridge. Faucet water filters are essentially their own mini sink faucet that provide you with decontaminated water while blending in seamlessly to your current kitchen aesthetic. 

“Pretty much in all our remodels and new builds, they all want separate water filters,” says interior designer Nina Jizhar. “Recently, I’ve seen them in that black matte finish, so they’re looking very modern and very sleek.”

Not only do the best faucet water filters unobtrusively fit in next to your current faucet, but they also ensure your family has clean drinking and cooking water by using an extensive filtration process. We tapped the experts to see what to expect from them, and designers on what to seek on the outside.

Our Favorites

Best Overall: Delta Contemporary Beverage Faucet

Size: 9.5 inches tall | Material: Zinc | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: Available in six gorgeous finishes, this sleek mini faucet hooks up to your current under the sink filter.

If you’re looking for a sleek hookup to your current reverse osmosis system, this contemporary faucet from Delta is a winner. It comes in a wide array of finishes, including the black matte that Jizhar says is trending, you can best match your current kitchen design. It only measures 9.5 inches tall and has a 360 degree swivel, meaning someone can maneuver this mini faucet to fill up their cup while someone else is washing the dishes. Best of all, it comes with a lifetime warranty and also makes for a good option if you want to spruce up your mini bar sink.

Best value: Waterdrop Water Faucet

Size: 15.71 inches tall | Material: Stainless steel | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: In gleaming stainless steel, this affordable option makes for a simple filter addition.

You may need to purchase a separate OR filtration system, but the hookup for the Waterdrop couldn’t be easier. It connects to 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch PE tubing, and the spot rotates 360 degrees for easy water fill up. It’s also available in a sleek matte black, and the material is rust resistant and has a triple O-ring seal, so water won’t seep through the bottom. As one of the more affordable options on the list, it also has an impressive max flow rate of 1.63 gpm.

Best upgrade: Moen Sip Modern Beverage Faucet

Size: 11 inches tall | Material: Brushed gold | Flow rate: TK | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: Sleek gold will wow anyone filling up a cool glass of filtered water.

True to Moen’s kitchen products, this shimmering faucet makes getting a cup of cold water look stylish. Available in four other finishes, we’re partial to the luxurious brushed gold that compliments high-arc rotating spout. Plus, if you have other Moen modern kitchen and bar faucets, this option will match perfectly. Note that for filtered water, you’ll need an existing reverse osmosis system, but thankfully hooking it up doesn’t require professional help.

Best Modern: Jason Wu for Brizo Bar Faucet

Size: 11.25 inches tall | Material: Brass | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: This bar faucet is a stand out for modern kitchens.

This matte white finish is a little more toned down compared to shiny stainless steel. The rounded square edges make for an eye-catching look that match seamlessly with other Jason Wu for Brizo kitchen collection products for a fully modern kitchen vibe. Like other faucet filters, this one must be hooked up to a separate reverse osmosis filter—but that isn’t too much of a challenge.

Best Traditional: Kohler Wellspring Beverage Faucet

Size: 8 inches tall | Material: Zinc | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: A shorter faucet that won’t overpower your kitchen sink. 

Available in six different relaxed finishes, the Wellspring beverage faucet adds a traditional look that matches other Kohler products. At just 8 inches tall, it’s one of the shorter options on this list, meaning it won’t jut out too much. The gooseneck swing spout makes filling large pitchers a breeze, and the ceramic valve gives you a good flow rate for filling up a pot for pasta. Though, it needs an undercounter water filter or chiller for quick access to clean drinking water. 

Best Industrial: Waterworks Universal Industrial Water Dispenser

Size: 6 9/16 inches tall | Material: Brass | Filtration tech: Reverse osmosis 

Why we chose it: This low profile filter faucet offers both cold and hot water on tap. 

This water faucet may be mistaken as a soap dispenser, but the unobtrusive industrial design is a winner in our books. Unlike most other water filter faucets, this one has a cold and hot water option bringing you filtered cold water, between 39.2 degrees and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and 190 degree Fahrenheit hot water to brew tea on tap. Its small size does make its flow rate a little lower, but it shouldn’t be that big of a deal if you’re just filling up a cup.

We Also Like

• Best slender: Kraus Kitchen Faucet – The thinner design of this faucet means that you can squeeze it alongside your actual faucet on a smaller sink. Or it can function as a tap on a small bar sink. 
• Best all-in-one: Grohe Blue Chilled and Sparkling 2.0 Faucet – For those who want it all, this option features a built-in reverse osmosis filter that offers room temperature water, cold water, and sparkling water at your fingertips.
• Best on-faucet: Culligan Faucet Mount Filtration System – If you do need an on-faucet option, this one blends into your current stainless steel sink and offers carbon block filtration with a flow rate of 0.5 gpm.

How We Chose These Products

Because most water filter faucets need to be hooked up to a reverse osmosis system (more on that later), design is the forefront with your products. Ideally, you’ll be able to find one that matches your current faucet or one that compliments it well. We stuck to options that fit a wide variety of design styles and budgets. We also tapped some industry leaders to determine how these filtration systems work and what they’re seeing being added to kitchen these days.  

Our Shopping Checklist

Design 

Most water faucet filters are available as part of a kitchen collection, which means you can match it perfectly to your current sink situation. However, if you have an older faucet or one that is standalone, you can likely find something close to your finish. Common finishes Jizhar is seeing include black, nickel, or matte black.

But Jizhar doesn’t recommend mixing things up too much from your current option. If anything, you can place your current sink faucet as well to make the water filter faucet. “When they’re side by side, you want to get one that is similar looking,” she says. “If your kitchen has more of a design, I wouldn’t recommend straying too far from that.”

Flow Rate

No one wants it to take more than a minute for their water faucet to fill up their water. That’s why flow rate is important. While faucet water filters may be a little slower than under the sink water filters, generally anything over a gallon per minute—or 1 gsp—is speedy enough so you won’t notice anything sluggish, according to Derek Mellencamp, general manager at Aquasana.

This rate is dependent on two things: the size of your faucet and the capability of your filter. Smaller or thinner faucets will take longer for water to flow through and the filtration system itself will take additional time to filter the actual water before clean water exits through the sink.

Filtration Technology

Most faucet water filters come with just the stylish hardware, and not the actual filtration system. However, they are compatible with a reverse osmosis system. These systems are essentially,“a membrane that you force water through under pressure so that it rejects chemicals that are larger than a water molecule,” according to Mellencamp. 

RO filters take dissolved solids and toxins out of the water as well as chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, bacteria and pesticides. Note that it does produce some waste water in this cleaning process However, it does create some wastewater through this process, which typically goes back down your drain; this makes the install a bit more complex.

Installation and Care

To install your water faucet filter, you need to attach both your faucet and your filtration system separately. ​​For those more complicated systems, such as an RO filter, it’s recommended to hire a professional to ensure you’re set up properly. If you need to drill any holes into your countertop to attach your new mini faucet, it might be a good idea to hire a contractor to get the measurements right.

Typically care ensures that your faucet is still properly sealed and that the filter in the reverse osmosis system is replaced every six months or so, says Mellencamp. That’s when the material typically deteriorates as part of the filtration process.

Ask Domino

Q: What contaminants do water filters not remove?

Unfortunately, a water filter doesn’t remove everything, and depending on your filter type, can remove one thing over another. Some that remove chemicals may not effectively remove germs, and vice versa. Reverse osmosis systems might also remove minerals such as fluoride in the process.

Q: How do I match my water faucet filter to my sink?

The best way to match your filter is to shop from a kitchen collection from your brand of choice, which will have everything from handles to faucets that match in both style or colors. Otherwise, according to Jizhar, you can match your current faucet finish as closely as possible—or stick with a simple stainless steel that isn’t too obtrusive.

Q: How long do faucet water filters last?

According to Mellencamp, filters themselves should be changed every six months when they typically first wear out. But the faucet itself should last between 15 and 20 years.

The Last Word

Faucet water filters can be a stylish way to easily incorporate filter water into your kitchen—without using pitchers or clunky over the faucet options. The Delta Contemporary Beverage Faucet offers the most common finishes and a more simple silhouette that should match both kitchens. For a more budget friendly option, the Waterdrop Water Faucet in stainless steel is both affordable and unobtrusive. Note that both require a separate water filtration system to get clean water.

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