Brita water filter alternatives that can save you ££

If someone mentions Brita to you what is the first thing you think of?

For most people, it’s Brita water filter jugs. You can’t deny that Brita is a well-known high street brand with a varied range of consumer products for water filtration including water filter jugs, water filter bottles for travel, water filter carafes, and replacement filters, cartridges, and spare parts.

For those looking for a Brita filter alternative or to simply know more about the options out there, our focus in this article is going to be on Brita water filter jugs with the bonus of exploring a range of easy to install and more affordable drinking water filters that do the same job (and more!) than the Brita filters.

This is especially important if you already have a Brita filter jug and are considering a Brita filter alternative, or you’re tempted to buy a Brita filter and are just doing your research before parting with your money.

We’ll also look at the cartridge replacements for both the Brita and an alternative to the Brita filter.

It’s time to consider what the best Brita alternatives are, and if you are considering any form of home water filtration then you’re doing a good thing by not adding to the mountain of single use plastic bottles that are thrown away in the UK every day.

Did you know that an average of 35.8 million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK, and approximately 16 million plastic bottles don’t make their way into recycling. We’re going slightly off topic, but that’s scary!            

What do Brita filter jugs remove?

Never mind how the jug looks, it’s all about the filter cartridges that sit inside. Brita has two branded filter cartridges that can be used in all their water filter jugs. These are the Maxtra Pro All-in-1 and the Maxtra Pro Limescale filter cartridges.

They both employ very common and basic water filtration techniques, namely carbon block for taste and odour improvement, chlorine, and chemical reduction; and ion-exchange resin for water softening.

Let’s look at each Brita Maxtra cartridge in turn.

The Brita Maxtra Pro All-in-1

There are four layers to the Brita Maxtra Pro All-in-1 filter cartridge.

• Layers one and four are constructed of a super fine filter mesh that holds onto any particles preventing them from passing through to the next stage. These layers are vital if you know your water picks up particles from older household pipework.
• Layer two contains carbon block which is made from coconut shells This filter medium removes/reduces trace impurities such as certain herbicides, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals if they are present in the water. Carbon block is also very effective at reducing chlorine, thereby improving the taste and smell of the tap water.
• Layer three is where the water conditioning takes place via the ion-exchange pearls used to soften hard water. These pearls are the same as you’d find in a traditional water softener. In the Brita filter cartridges, the carbonate hardness reduction has been tested up to 120 litres. Brita also claims that the filter cartridges reduce lead and copper.

The Brita Maxtra Pro Limescale

The only difference between the Brita Maxtra Pro Limescale cartridge and the Maxtra All-in-1 is that there is a greater number of ion-exchange pearls which will reduce the hardness of the water.

Brita says that this cartridge gives 50% better limescale reduction than the All-in-1. So, once your tap water goes through this filter your kettle and coffee machines should see less limescale build up.

What’s good about Brita filter jugs?

• They are convenient as all you need is the jug and filter cartridge and nothing else.
• You avoid supermarket drudgery by constantly buying and carrying home lots of water in single use plastic bottles.
• The filter cartridges can be recycled.
• They have a subscription service, which if you sign up to you won’t run out of the filter cartridges.
• They have excellent feedback on review platforms.
• Easy to clean with some parts being able to go in the dishwasher.

What’s not so good about Brita?

• The filter cartridge must be changed every four weeks.
• Only a limited number of contaminants can be removed. For example, they don’t filter out fluoride, which for those who don’t want fluoride in their water is a big issue.
• The ongoing maintenance costs might not seem high, but they are compared to Brita water filter alternatives.
• The water filter jug takes up valuable space in your fridge.
• Your water isn’t on demand. You must wait for water to drip through the filter.
• The jug must be cleaned regularly because you can get a build-up of mould and algae.

Are Brita better than the other brands?

It’s difficult to determine this through internet research, but we are confident that people will believe Brita to be better than other brands simply because it’s a recognised brand and people often think that branded is best. But, in all honesty the effectiveness of any water filter jug is 100% down to the quality of the filter cartridge that goes inside the unit.

You will see a lot of other products out there that claim to be a Brita Maxtra filter alternative, but we encourage you to always do your research and if you’re tempted to give a Brita inline water filter cartridge alternative a try, all we can say is go for it.

What are the costs of a Brita filter jug?

This is the part that interests us the most and we hope it gives you an idea of the upfront costs and the monthly ongoing costs of the whole range of Brita water filter jugs. 

Brita product	Upfront cost (incl. 1 cartridge) *	Monthly cartridge Maxtra Pro All-in-1**	Monthly cartridge Maxtra Pro Limescale**	Total cost in 1st 12 months***	Annual cost after 12 months
Glass Jug	£59.99	£5.83	£6.42	£136.98	£76.99
Style eco	£42.49	£5.83	£6.42	£119.48	£76.99
Style	£36.99	£5.83	£6.42	£113.98	£76.99
Marella	£29.99	£5.83	£6.42	£106.98	£76.99
Flow	£59.99	£5.83	£6.42	£136.98	£76.99
Aluna	£25.79	£5.83	£6.42	£102.78	£76.99

*Prices taken from Brita official website. **If a 12 pack of cartridges are bought at the same time as the jug and cartridge is replaced every month. ***Using Maxtra Pro Limescale cartridge.

As we mentioned before in the ‘not so good about Brita’ list, the initial cost of having a Brita filter jug may not seem high, but the ongoing costs of buying the replacement water filter cartridges are.

You’re probably now screaming at your screen – ‘show me an alternative to Brita water filters’.

Well, that’s exactly what we are going to do so stay tuned.

Ready for a Brita water filter alternative? How Fountain Filters can help!

We have a wide range of drinking water filters, but let’s stick to those that contain filter cartridges that do a similar job to the Brita filter jug, and you only need to replace the water filter cartridge once every 12 months.

Introducing our Pearl T, Oyster Taste and OneFlow, and Pearl Mini inline drinking water filters.

Pearl T drinking water filter

We have a warm fondness towards our high-performance chlorine and taste filter, the Pearl T drinking water filter, as it was the very first drinking water filter that we put onto our website back in 2011, and it’s still going strong.

This filter contains a 5-micron carbon block cartridge that removes up to 99% of chlorine, and because it’s not a huge system (H: 34cm, W: 14cm, D: 13cm) most people install the Pearl T under their kitchen sink.

It’s one of the best Brita filter alternatives for those households that don’t have a hard water problem, as you only need to change the cartridge every 12 months instead of every 4 weeks like you do with the Brita water filter pitcher. 

Oyster Taste and OneFlow

When you think about scale reduction you should always be thinking about OneFlow, our best-selling filter media for treating limescale in your water.

This neat little drinking water filter (H:34cm, W:26cm, D:13cm) removes chlorine, improves taste and smell, and reduces chemicals and limescale.

Pearl Mini inline water filter

The Pearl Mini inline water filter is a perfect choice when you’re really struggling for space. The length of the filter is only 10” and width 2”.

You have total flexibility as you can choose from four different cartridges that deal with a range of issues including chlorine, sediment, and scale reduction.

What’s good is that with all three of these drinking water filters you get to choose from one of several drinking water filter taps. You install these taps separately on your kitchen sink for access to fresh filtered water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Alternatively, if you don’t want a separate tap on your kitchen sink, you can opt for one of our 3-way kitchen water filter taps. We have a large range of luxury 3 way taps to choose from in either chrome or brushed steel finishes.

Brita v other water filters – crunching the numbers

Fountain Filters product	Upfront cost (incl. cartridge, single lever tap, all fittings) *	Annual cost after 1st 12 months**
Pearl T	£96.99	£18.99 (£58 less than Brita)
Oyster Taste and OneFlow	£161.99	£55.99 (£32 less than Brita)
Mini inline water filter	£69.99	£25.99 (£51 less than Brita)

*Choosing a different tap may increase the price. **Selecting a different cartridge may increase the price.

• The ongoing maintenance costs of choosing one of our filters as an alternative to Brita is so much lower.
• You receive a cartridge that will last you 12 months when you purchase any of our filters above. With Brita, each cartridge lasts just four weeks, which means much more waste goes into recycling than an alternative to Brita. Find out more about how to recycle water filters correctly here.
• There is much greater flexibility with one of our drinking water filters as filter cartridges are interchangeable depending on what you want to remove from your water.
• As water treatment specialists we’re on hand to answer any questions you may have about filtering your water.

In conclusion, we’ve given you a lot to think about and opened your mind up to other, more sustainable options that have a definite cost saving when it comes to filtering your tap water. We strongly believe that there is more to life than Brita and we hope you’ve had an insight into a Brita filter alternative. We’re always on hand to help with any water filter query, just send us a message on our trusty helpdesk.

FAQ

What do Brita water filters do?

Brita water filters utilise common water filtration techniques to improve the taste and smell of your tap water as well as remove contaminants and reduce limescale.

Are Brita water filters any good?

Brita water filters arre good in the sense that they are convenient, easy to clean, reduce single use plastic, and the filter cartridges can be recycled.

What is the best Brita filter alternative?

The best Brita filter alternative is a drinking water filter that contains a filter cartridge that does a similar job to a Brita filter, but you only have to change the cartridge every 12 months instead of every month like you have to with a Brita filter. Fountain Filters have three drinking water filters they would recommend as a direct Brita filter alternative. The Pearl T, the Oyster Taste and OneFlow, and the Pearl Mini.