It's not unusual for people to ask us about Culligan ZeroWater before upgrading to a Clearly Filtered pitcher… 

Transparency is everything to us. That's why every claim is backed by third-party testing and all of our performance data is public. 

We took the same approach to this comparison. 

Rather than cherry-pick to make our pitcher appear to be the better option, we compared both on the three factors that make all the difference: what each filter targets, what it doesn't, and what it really costs over time.

Here's what we found…

• Clearly Filtered's Filtered Water Pitcher targets up to 386+ contaminants. Culligan’s ZeroWater pitcher targets up to 25+.
• Culligan ZeroWater aims to remove virtually all Total Dissolved Solids from water. Clearly Filtered targets 14x more contaminants without removing healthy minerals. 
• With Culligan ZeroWater, you pay less upfront and more over time since its filter must be replaced far more often.
• Clearly Filtered’s pitcher is certified by NSF International. Culligan’s ZeroWater pitcher is certified by IAPMO.

A nod to its name, Culligan ZeroWater aims to filter virtually all Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) from your water. That’s ZeroWater’s claim to fame: Filtered water that produces a TDS reading of zero. In fact, ZeroWater pitchers come with a TDS meter to prove it. 

The problem?

A TDS reading of zero doesn’t guarantee clean, safe drinking water. 

You can learn more about TDS here, but here’s the short version: TDS meters don't actually measure what's in your water. They measure how fast electricity moves through it, then estimate dissolved solids based on that reading… 

That means anything in your water that doesn't conduct electricity well—or doesn't conduct it at all—goes undetected.

For example, healthy minerals found naturally in water like calcium, magnesium, and potassium happen to conduct electricity well, so they show up on the meter. On the other hand, many dangerous contaminants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and microplastics do the opposite, so they don’t raise the meter’s TDS score. 

Put differently, the good stuff often registers as solids on a TDS meter, and much of the bad stuff doesn't.

That’s why zero TDS does not mean zero contaminants. On top of that, a zero TDS reading probably means the water is depleted of healthy minerals too.

ZeroWater uses ion exchange filtration, a technology that targets dissolved minerals and metals by swapping them for hydrogen and hydroxide ions. That's what produces the near-zero TDS reading.

It also means ZeroWater pitchers only protect you from 25+ contaminants, while hundreds of others can slip right by. 

Here are just a few of the dangers the Culligan ZeroWater pitcher doesn't address:

• Pharmaceutical drugs. Traces of hundreds of medications from birth control hormones and antibiotics to antidepressants and painkillers have been legally found in U.S. tap water served to at least 46 million Americans. 
• Microplastics. These teeny shreds of plastic have been detected in 94% of tested U.S. tap water. While the science is still emerging, studies suggest microplastics can lodge in everything from brain tissue to reproductive organs.
• Radiological contaminants like uranium, radium, and radon. According to an EWG analysis of water utility tests from 2010-2015, more than 170 million Americans were served drinking water that contained radioactive elements at levels that may increase cancer risk. That’s roughly half of the U.S. population. 
• Volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds like dry-cleaning chemicals (PCE), metal degreasers (TCE), and gasoline additives (MTBE). The EPA classifies TCE as a known human carcinogen and PCE as a likely human carcinogen. 

ZeroWater's filtration works like a spam filter that blocks emails from your boss but lets phishing scams into your inbox. It removes a lot of dissolved solids—including healthy minerals—yet doesn’t claim to remove pharmaceuticals, microplastics, or hundreds of other dangers.

Clearly Filtered's proprietary Affinity® Filtration Technology, on the other hand, protects you from up to 386+ contaminants—including all of the categories above.

Clearly Filtered's Filtered Water Pitcher is the only pitcher on the planet proven to protect you from up to 386+ common dangers without targeting healthy minerals.

That’s a big deal for your body… 

Meanwhile, ZeroWater strips calcium, magnesium, potassium, and other beneficial minerals you need from your water. 

That’s a big deal for your taste buds… 

Those same minerals can contribute to flavor. Their absence is why some filtered water can taste “flat,” “dead,” or bitter.

With Clearly Filtered, the goal is great-tasting water that's as healthy as it is clean. With Culligan ZeroWater, it’s zero TDS. 

Both pitchers are BPA-free. Both are designed for daily use. Both fit on a fridge shelf… 

The real question isn't which one costs less upfront. It's whether the extra protection Clearly Filtered provides is worth it. 

If you're crunching numbers, here's the part most people miss: you get more protection for less per contaminant from day one. And because Clearly Filtered's filters last about 4x longer, the savings grow year after year.

Here's how the math works: 

A Clearly Filtered replacement filter retails for $55.00. That works out to roughly 15 cents per contaminant targeted. A Culligan ZeroWater replacement filter retails for about $17.99, which works out to 72 cents per contaminant. 

In other words, Clearly Filtered is almost 5x cheaper for the protection you actually get from every filter. 

And the savings compound over time… 

Clearly Filtered's pitcher filter has an extended 100-gallon filter life. ZeroWater's pitcher filter has roughly a 25-gallon filter life (based on the typical TDS range for most U.S. tap water).

For most U.S. tap water, ZeroWater costs more than Clearly Filtered by the end of year one. And the gap only widens from there.

After all, once you start filtering your water, you don't stop. A longer-lasting filter doesn't just save you money once. It saves you money every year, for as long as you drink water.

The Clearly Filtered Filtered Water Pitcher is Certified by NSF International to NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 372.

We chose NSF because it's the most recognized name in third-party testing, and because we wanted the same authority that wrote the standards to put their mark on our best-selling product. Plus, our pitcher is independently tested against 365+ contaminants by EPA-accredited laboratories, which is well beyond what NSF certification requires.

Culligan ZeroWater is certified to NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53 through IAPMO, another accredited body that tests to the same standards.

We invite you to view the performance data for both: Tap here for Clearly Filtered’s data, and tap here for ZeroWater’s. 

You’ll notice the difference right away.

If the only thing that matters is the price on the box, Culligan ZeroWater wins…

So, is the extra protection Clearly Filtered provides worth it?

We'd say yes—and so does the data. Clearly Filtered's pitcher targets up to 14x more contaminants, including the pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and other dangers ZeroWater doesn’t. It leaves the healthy minerals your body needs untouched. It's certified by NSF International. And because each filter lasts about four times longer than ZeroWater’s, most people save money in the long run. 

You shouldn't have to choose between cleaner water and healthier water. With Clearly Filtered, you don't have to… 

Tap here to upgrade to the Clearly Filtered Filtered Water Pitcher, powered by our proprietary Affinity® Filtration Technology and trusted by hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Want to know exactly what's in your tap water? 

Simply enter your zipcode here to get a free report that reveals the specific contaminants in your local tap water supply, risks associated with each, and personalized recommendations to protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers flowing from your tap.