Water filters are an essential part of any home. They help keep your family safe and healthy by removing impurities from tap water. However, choosing the right filter can be confusing because there are so many products on the market to choose from! That is why we put together this directory of WQA-NSF Certified Water Filters for you to look at before making a decision!
If you are interested in drinking safe water and it tastes great, you should turn to one of the many WQA-NSF certified water filters we will share in this article. These products are third-party tested and meet strict guidelines for safety and quality.
🤔 Why Do We Need Certified Water Filters?
Plain tap water contains many harmful contaminants that cannot be tasted or smelled. This contaminant, without our knowledge, enters our bodies and could make us sick. And the best solution to this is water filters; they make sure to remove all these contaminants, such as heavy metals, chlorine, etc., through numerous water treatment processes.
But how do you know if the water filter you decided to buy is safe? You can’t always see, smell or taste contaminants in water. This is where third-party certificates come in. These organizations test the filters to ensure that the water from them is free from contaminants.
What is NSF Certification?
We always need to know if what we eat or drink is safe for us; this is where NFS shows up. NFS certification, which stands for National Sanitation Foundation, is a standard certificate that lets you know about the quality of your purchase.

NFS takes every product under strict observation to make sure that the product meets the required standard. From extensive product testing and material analyses to unannounced plant inspections, every aspect of a product’s development is thoroughly evaluated before earning its certification.
The process is also not a one-time inspection. NFS makes sure to go through regular on-site inspections and re-test products to give us the best they can.
What are the different NSF Standards?
NSF follows the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard development process. Members of public health, industry and user representatives get together and form these standards to make sure that they give us the best. Here are a few prevalent standards:
NSF 53: Involves material security, structural integrity, and contaminates reduction capacity claims.
NSF 58: For lead and other general contaminants elimination.
NSF 42: Signifies a water filter’s ability to remove chlorine from water
NSF 401: It rates the ability of a water filter system to reduce up to 15 specific contaminants.
NSF 372: Certification for having lead-free fittings and components.
NSF P473: Guarantees that it reduces PFOA and PFOS chemicals in water, and harmful artificial chemicals.
✔️ Best NSF Certified Water Filters
Here are some of the best NSF-certified water filters available in the market today:
Hydroviv Under Sink Filter
The Hydroviv filter was featured on Shark Tank and got an offer from Mark Cuban. Since then, Hydroviv has been in full force in the water filter industry. This under-sink filter has two NSF Certifications, standards 42 and 53. They customize their filters before shipping by including what’s needed for the area that you are in. They also claim that this is easy to install in under 15 minutes for most. I have yet to try one, but from how it looks, I will agree with the ease of installing it, and with the backing from a Shark I can feel safe that their filtering materials are top-notch.
Home Master TMHP HydroPerfection Reverse Osmosis System

Regarding water filtration, Home Master has been a leader in the space for over 20 years. Their TMHP System is my highest-rated NSF Certified recommendation. Mainly because it is EPA registered and includes a patented remineralization system that adds calcium and magnesium twice during the purification process for reduced storage tank degradation that leaves a highly pure mineral water on tap.
The components in the TMHP meet or exceed NSF standards and are an NSF-listed company. I also love the unit for those on well water, thanks to the KDF85 Iron Filter that dissolves iron up to 1ppm.
If you want one option without getting your brain in a twist, I would just go with the Home Master TMHP.
Aquasana OptimH2O

Aquasana OptimH2O is a reverse osmosis water system usually installed outside or in the garage. This water filter, in general, has exceeded many NSF requirements that other water filters could not.
Aquasana is designed to filter out 85 contaminants x5 contaminants that an ordinary water reverse osmosis typically covers. It also comes with a stylish faucet, a retaining tank, and a remineralizing device that adds required minerals to the water, even if this system is quite costly. At the same time, in comparison to the rest, it nonetheless is worth the price.
Culligan FM-15A
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The Culligan FM_15A is a budget-friendly option as it has great qualities at an affordable price. It is made to be connected directly to your faucet and has an on-off switch allowing you to access unfiltered water when required.
This well-built metal and plastic construction meet two of the NSF standards. It can filter 200 gallons of water before changing the system being much more budget-friendly.
PUR 3-Stage Faucet Mount
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This Faucet filter is directly connected to the faucet of your tap and comes with an on-off switch for easier change when regular tap water is required.
The PUR 3-Stage Faucet mount filter can filter out 100 gallons of water and is easier to remove and replace. It also has an automatic safety monitor gauge which notifies you when it needs to be replaced.
Also, see our list of NSF Certified Gravity Filters
What is WQA Certification?
WQA, also known as Water Quality Association, is an Illinois-based trade association representing the residential, commercial, industrial, and small community water treatment industry in the United States.
WQA represents the water treatment industry devoted to treating water for residential and commercial/industrial use.

✔️ Best WQA Certified Water Filters
Here are some of the WQA-certified water filters available for you.
Woder 10K
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This WQA-certified water filter also has NSF 42 and NSF 372 certifications for making lead and chlorine-free drinking water.
Made in the USA, this water filter doesn’t require a plump as it comes with a direct connect horse that fits standard 3/8″ water valves and can be installed under a sink. Woder 10K can filter 10 000 gallons of water and remineralize the filtered water as well.
iSpring RCC7AK
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Next in line is the iSpring RCC7AK, which filters out 1000 contaminants from tap water, turning it into safe drinking water. These contaminants include lead, chlorine, chloramine, endocrine, endocrine disruptors, fluoride, arsenic, asbestos, calcium, sodium, pesticides, heavy metals, herbicides, viruses, bacteria like e-coli, and many more.
This water filtration system can be fixed easily under a sink and comes with a sixth stage Alkaline Remineralization making the water even more neutral and tastier to drink.
AQUA CLARA Universal Cartridge Filter
AQUA CLARA Universal Cartilage filter is yet another brand with the WQA certification. This water filter has a multi-phase filtration process that yields clean and safe water.
This filtration process removes heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium while at the same time eliminating odor and increasing the taste.
This filter can last four months and doesn’t remove any essential ions such as calcium or magnesium like reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems do.
NSF vs. WQA Certification
NSF and WQA are highly recognized certifications with very high standards, but their uniqueness and differences exist.
The main difference between NSF and WQA is the support of ANSI. As I mentioned before, ANSI, which has many strict conditions, supports NSF and is the first process granted by the ANSI Audited Designator of Standards. The ANSI process includes requirements to ensure that no one group dominates the process. NSF standards committees are composed of an equal number of producers, users, and regulators. WQA is, on the other hand, consensus-based and is developed by the company.
Another difference is that NSF requires every little detail of any substance used in the process. They do this to ensure that nothing is left out that might be harmful. WQA, on the other hand, focuses on the ethics in testing, sales, and services of the industry. This doesn’t mean that WQA cannot be trusted.
NSF also has many qualification levels and thoroughly tests many possible contaminants, even though WQA doesn’t.
Both certifications are trustworthy in their ways. The two companies are known to be trying to cooperate in the certification process for a long time.
Certified vs. Tested To
People seem to always mix up the wording ‘certified’ and ‘tested to’.
When they say that a product is ‘certified’, the product has passed various tests and has passed them accordingly. This means the product is proven safe and healthy for use.
While ‘tested to’ is something entirely different. ‘Tested to’ means that the product is tested but hasn’t been evaluated yet. This means the product may not be certified and safe to use.
Bottom Line
It is essential to have clean water in the home, but not all filters are created equal. That’s why it is necessary to look for a WQA-NSF-certified filter that has been tested and proven safe.
NSF and WQA have recognized qualifications with different boundary levels and requirements. While NSF focuses on the product quality and tests them, WQA focuses on how the product is made and the industry’s rates.
Water filters that have both these qualifications make them an extra great choice. Ensure you always do a thorough job while purchasing a water filter, as it plays a significant role in keeping your family and loved ones healthy.