My Tap Water Was Undrinkable, So I Tested Two Best-in-Class Countertop Water Purifiers (And Only Kept One)
Editor’s Note: Act now and get $100 off Sans’ iconic Water Purifier (plus free shipping, always).
I Spent Days Researching Countertop Water Purifiers So You Don’t Have To…
And I’d love to tell you it was because I’m a thorough, responsible adult. The truth is that the first glass I poured at our new house smelled like a swimming pool and tasted like a metal coin, and then I made the mistake of reading up on what can end up in municipal tap water (forever chemicals, microplastics, heavy metals… the works). That’ll turn anybody into a researcher – fast.
Here’s the kicker: our old apartment had a reverse osmosis system under the sink the whole time. I never even noticed it. I just drank pure water for years and assumed that was normal. Getting one installed at the new place? The quotes came back in the thousands (one was $5,000). And the big blue 5 gallon jugs? I lasted two weeks of hauling those up the stairs before I started searching for a solution.
So, after days of deep-diving Reddit threads and poring over customer reviews, I landed on the top two countertop reverse osmosis purifiers: the Sans Water Purifier and the AquaTru Carafe. Real reverse osmosis, no plumber, no jugs. And since I genuinely couldn’t decide, I bought both.
In the spirit of competition (and because I only have the counter space to keep one), I compared them side by side to determine which one I would keep and which would be returned.
Meet the Competitors: AquaTru & Sans
- AquaTru built the first countertop reverse osmosis purifier anybody could buy, which is a genuinely impressive thing to have done. I tested the Carafe, its 64 oz borosilicate glass model. AquaTru has a few models, but the Carafe is the entry-level device.
- Sans was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, when founders Adam Bedford and John Fanelly set out to engineer cleaner air at home from a modern, aesthetic device. Soon after came the Sans Water Purifier, built on gold-standard reverse osmosis, and the company has made nothing but purifiers since.
To compare, I’ll break it down by price, effectiveness, functionality, and customer love.
Price: AquaTru
The AquaTru Carafe costs $375. The Sans Water Purifier lists at $499.99, though it’s on sale right now for $399.99.
Since both units need replacement filters, I figured I should factor that in too. Sans delivers filters every twelve months (the Pre/Carbon and VOC come each year and the RO filter comes every other year) for $107/year on the plan, or $120 if you’d rather buy them yourself. AquaTru’s 2-year pack is $189.95, which comes out to $95/year. Additionally, its worth mentioning that
The numbers don’t lie, AquaTru is slightly cheaper and I have to give this category to them. Though for perspective: somebody quoted me $5,000 to put reverse osmosis under this sink, so at this point we’re haggling over the cheap seats.
Effectiveness: Sans
Both of these are legitimate four-stage reverse osmosis machines, and there’s a reason RO is called the gold standard of water purification. AquaTru says its filters are independently tested to remove 84 contaminants. Nobody is calling it the weak option.
But Sans brings receipts. It publishes its full lab report, run by SGS, an accredited independent lab, right on the site, line by line:
- Fluoride removed at better than 99.9%
- PFOA better than 98.8%
- Lead better than 99.3%
- Microplastics at 99.9%
- Arsenic better than 97.2%.
The Sans filters down to 0.0001 microns, and uses a germ and bacteria-killing UV-C lamp as a final layer of defense, a stage the AquaTru Carafe skips.
The table shows what particles it filtered out and exactly how well it removed each one. And if you couldn’t tell from my desire to purify my water, I’m all about clarity. Plus, the extra bacteria-killing UV-C lamp gives Sans the clear edge here.
Functionality: Sans
Even though I came here for one thing (water that doesn’t taste like loose change), it’s nice to get some extras, especially at these prices. With the AquaTru, you fill the reservoir and it purifies into the glass carafe when you tell it to. Perfectly fine. But that’s all you get.
Sans, on the other hand, comes loaded. The Instant Hot dispenses hot, purified water on the spot for coffee or tea, no kettle or microwave needed.
The SmartPure™ displays your water quality in real time, right on the front of the machine (which makes it easy to see when its actually time to change the filters).
The Sans has an auto-fill glass pitcher that refills itself while it sits docked, then lifts out and goes straight to the table or the fridge. It comes in White or Midnight, and it disappears into the kitchen either way.
AquaTru invented this category. Sans made it more functional. For everyday usability, the winner is Sans, and it isn’t close.
Customer Love: Sans
Of course, it’s always worth hearing from the people who actually own the thing. This one was closer than I expected: both machines are displayed at 4.9 out of 5 on their own product pages. Sans has more than 1,300 reviews behind its number, with people calling out how the water tastes, how fast it filters, and how helpful the customer service team is.
What tipped the scale here is how each company treats you after the sale. Sans ships free, both ways, backs the purifier with a 30 day money-back guarantee, and includes a 3 year warranty. AquaTru offers standard shipping, includes one year of warranty, and sells a 3 year option for $49.95. Close call on the reviews. Not close on the aftercare.
My Decision Is as Clear as the Water I’m Drinking…
I can’t lie, I went in to this leaning towards AquaTru. It invented the countertop category, it makes a solid machine, and it won the price round fair and square. If the lowest sticker is what matters most to you, get the Carafe and you’ll be fine.
But Sans consistently showed up and showed out, from the basics (a published lab report) to the bonus features (instantly hot purified water? Yes, please). I love the autofill feature (because my kids would never remember to refill the Carafe).
It won three of my four categories and, frankly, the slight price difference is easily outweighed by everything else.
Editor’s Note: Act now and get $100 off Sans’ iconic Water Purifier (plus free shipping, always).
It’s worth mentioning that Sans comes with a risk-free 30 day trial and free shipping both ways, so there’s no pressure if you want to see for yourself. (Spoiler alert: the Sans never left my counter, and nobody in this house has lugged a water jug up the stairs ever since)