Before you decide between these two, check your faucet. If you have a pull-down or pull-out style, the decision is already made. Faucet filters won’t fit, and you’re getting a pitcher.

If you have a standard fixed spout, you have a real choice to make.

The Core Trade-Off

Faucet filters win on convenience. Turn the lever, get filtered water immediately. No pouring, no waiting, no fridge space required. They’re ideal for filling large pots and for households that go through a lot of water throughout the day.

Pitchers win on contaminant coverage at each price tier. And that gap is meaningful if your concern goes beyond chlorine and taste.

What Faucet Filters Remove

PUR PFM400H (about $40): NSF 42 and 53 certified. Removes chlorine, lead (>99%), mercury, cysts, asbestos, benzene. Filter life is approximately 100 gallons.

Brita faucet filter (about $35-45): NSF 42 and 53. Removes chlorine, lead, benzene. Similar coverage to PUR.

Neither removes PFAS. Neither removes fluoride. That’s not a criticism specific to these brands, it’s a category limitation. The activated carbon and ion exchange technology in faucet mount filters hasn’t been designed and certified for PFAS or fluoride removal.

What Pitchers Remove

Basic Brita Longlast+ ($30-50): NSF 42 and 53. Removes chlorine, lead (>99%), benzene, asbestos. Roughly comparable to a faucet mount filter at similar or slightly lower cost.

Clearly Filtered pitcher ($90): NSF 42, 53, 401, and P473. Removes PFAS (>99.5%), lead (>99.5%), fluoride (~98%), arsenic (~99%), pharmaceuticals, chlorine. This is the widest documented contaminant coverage of any pitcher on the market.

If PFAS is on your radar, and given how widespread PFAS contamination is in US water supplies, it probably should be, no faucet filter solves it. The Clearly Filtered pitcher does, with independent NSF certification.

The Faucet Compatibility Problem

This is the most common oversight when people shop for faucet filters.

Standard fixed-spout faucets, where the spout is rigid and connected directly to the faucet body, accept faucet filters. The filter threads onto the aerator connection at the tip of the spout.

Pull-down faucets (spout extends downward on a hose) and pull-out faucets (spout extends straight out on a hose) do not have the same fixed connection point. The filter has nowhere to attach.

Most kitchen faucets installed or replaced in the last 10-15 years are pull-down. If you’re renting a newer apartment or have renovated your kitchen, check before buying a faucet filter. The product description will tell you which faucet types are compatible.

If you’re not sure, look at your faucet. Can you pull the spout out from the base on a hose? Then you need a pitcher.

Cost Comparison

PUR faucet filter: $40 unit, $15 replacement filter per 100 gallons = $0.15 per gallon.

Clearly Filtered pitcher: $90 unit, $25 replacement filter per 100 gallons = $0.25 per gallon.

Brita Longlast+ pitcher: $35-50 unit, $8-10 per filter per 120 gallons = $0.07-0.08 per gallon.

At the basic level (chlorine and lead only), Brita pitcher is cheaper per gallon than a faucet filter. At the premium level (PFAS, fluoride), the Clearly Filtered pitcher costs more per gallon but covers what faucet filters simply can’t.

For Renters

Both work with no permanent installation. Faucet filters attach and remove in seconds. Pitchers need no installation at all.

The main consideration is faucet type. If you’re in an apartment with pull-down faucets, your only option in this comparison is a pitcher. If your lease or landlord situation makes you want to leave zero trace, a pitcher is the safest choice.

See the water filter for renters guide for more on the no-install options.

The Recommendation

Check your faucet type first. Pull-down or pull-out? Buy a pitcher.

Standard fixed spout with chlorine and lead as your main concern? PUR faucet mount is more convenient and costs about the same per gallon as a Brita pitcher.

Standard faucet but PFAS is a concern? Clearly Filtered pitcher is the answer regardless of faucet type. No faucet filter touches PFAS.

See the full reviews at best faucet water filters and best pitcher water filters.