Are You looking for the Best Brita Alternative?
We searched and tested best Brita filter alternatives of BWT, AmazonBasics and Waterdrop to find most suitable jug filters. Brita Maxtra cartridges are dominant on the market but they are not alone!
By Metin KARAL – Review Editor
We research, test, and if applicable, rate the products that We used. We know the importance of Trusted Reviews. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links.
Yes! Brita filters have great filtration features. On the other hand, there are great Brita Alternatives with better taste, filtration features and price. We examined major Brita filter alternatives, available in the market!
BWT Replacement Filters (Best Brita Alternative)
Best Water Technology (BWT) is a leading company, making water filter products in Europe. BWT produce quality and value added water filter cartridges. BWT Magnesium cartridge is a perfect Brita Maxtra alternative filter. It can also be used as replacement cartridge for most of the water filter pitchers on the market.
BWT Longlife Magnesium Cartridges Features
| Filtration Capacity | 120 L |
| BPA Free | Yes |
| Recyclable Material | Yes |
| Made in | Austria |
| Reduce Chloride | Yes |
| Reduce Limescale | Yes |
| Reduce Lead | Yes |
| Reduce Arsenic | No |
| Reduce Fluoride | No |
| Reduce Copper | Yes |
| Magnesium Mineralized | Yes |
| Certification | NSF/ANSI 42 |
I found BWT Mg2+ cartridges after 6 months of Brita Maxtra plus use. Brita maxtra filters are really good filters but they did not change flavor of my tap water. If your tap water taste is bad, BWT Mg2+ cartridges might be remarkable maxtra+ alternative for you.
BWT filter has three level filtration mechanism. Pre-Filter mesh prevents big particles to diffuse. Activated Carbon granules attract chlorine and other organic materials. Ion Exchange attract limescale, lead and copper. Unlike AmazonBasics and Brita maxtra filters, BWT Longlife filters are mineralized with Magnesium, which improves aroma and flavor of filtered water. In addition, it has 120 liters filtration capacity, not 100 liters in Brita and AmazonBasics. I think, this is a big plus also (%20 more filtration than other competitors)
>> Read Real Amazon user reviews for BWT Magnesium Cartridges
BWT filter cartridges are one of the best alternative to Brita filter with better flavor and additional filtration capabilities. Only drawback of BWT Magnesium filters is their prices. They are little more expensive but absolutely worth it. On the other hand, BWT filter has 120L filtration capacity (which is 100L at similar filters) and little more price can be easily tolerated.
In short: If your tap water taste is bad, BWT Mg2+ cartridges might be remarkable Brita Maxtra+ alternative with better flavor, capacity and filtration features.
Pros
- Clearly has better taste
- 120L Filtration capacity
- Better filtration features
- Compatible with Brita Maxtra+
Cons
- A bit Pricey
Brita Maxtra Cartridges (Best Overall)
Brita is one of the oldest company in the water filtration area. Established in 1966 and has great knowledge about water filtration technology. Brita name is synonymous with water filtration! Reason is simple: They are pioneer in the market and do the water filtration job very well! That’s why other companies’ filter jugs use Brita compatible filters! Similarly I heard Brita name first.
Brita Maxtra Cartridges Features
| Filtration Capacity | 100 L |
| Certification | NSF/ANSI 42,43 |
| BPA Free | Yes |
| Recyclable Material | Yes |
| Made in | Germany |
| Reduce Chloride | Yes |
| Reduce Limescale | Yes |
| Reduce Lead | Yes |
| Reduce Arsenic | No |
| Reduce Fluoride | No |
| Reduce Copper | Yes |
Brita Maxtra Plus filter is successor of Brita Maxtra cartridges. They are made up of Micro Carbon Pearls, that are produced from carbon of coconut shells. Micro carbon pearls actively adsorbs Chloride from water and locks it to its pores. Result is good taste and odor. Besides chloride, Brita cartridges effectively reduce limescale, lead and copper.
Tip: Maxtra+ is compatible with Brita Aluna, Elemaris and Marella pitchers.
Brita cartridges are dominant on the market. Actually, they do the job very well! They have many superb features to get quality water. At the end you get “near” bottled water quality, which is fairly good.
Here, I must notice an important difference of Brita filters. They preserve some minerality while getting rid of many impurities in the tap water. In contrast to Brita maxtra+ filters, ZeroWater jugs (and filters) eliminates most of the minerals and you get near pure water quality drinking water. Maxtra+ sustain a balance between minerality and cleanness. I think, this a big plus. Who wants to drink non-mineralized pure water?
>> Read Real Amazon User Reviews for Brita Maxtra Filters
Bad thing with Brita Maxtra water filter cartridges is, its price. But, search for Brita maxtra cartridges discounts. Amazon sometimes sells cheapest Brita maxtra filter. If you find a good discount, buy and store it! They lasts for years, if stored away from sun and heat.
Another drawback of Brita cartridges is water taste. If your tap water taste is not too bad, you may go with Brita. It is really good cartridge. But, if your tap water taste is really bad (like mine) Brita makes clear improvement but that might not satisfy you. In this case, try other compatible filters like BWT Magnesium filters.
Pros
- Genuine Brita Quality
- Filtration capabilities
- Compatibility
Cons
- No Mineralization
Best Selling Water Filters
AmazonBasics Replacement Brita Alternative Filters (Also Good)
AmazonBasics Cartridges are good and cheap Brita filter refill alternative. They are compatible with Brita water filter jug and produces purified water. Good for drink, cooking, tea and coffee. MazaonBasics filers are Certified by TÜV SÜD Made in Germany.
AmazonBasics Replacement Cartridges Features
| Filtration Capacity | 100 L |
| BPA Free | Yes |
| Certified by TÜV SÜD | Yes |
| Recyclable Material | Yes |
| Made in | Germany |
| Reduce Chloride | Yes |
| Reduce Limescale | Yes |
| Reduce Lead | No |
| Reduce Arsenic | No |
| Reduce Fluoride | No |
| Reduce Copper | No |
AmazonBasics products are usually good alternatives for original products with affordable prices. AmazonBasics Water Filter Cartridge is one of them. They are compatible with AmazonBasics Jugs. In addition, It is a remarkable Brita maxtra alternative. It is compatible with most of the Brita water filter pitchers (not compatible with Brita Style). For this reason it can be used as replacement cartridge for most of the water filter pitchers on the market.
Similar to Maxtra Cartridges, AmazonBasics Cartridges reduce chloride, limescale and some other water impurities. BUT, there is no clear statement about lead and copper reduction, which is available at Brita Maxtra cartridges. In addition, AmazonBasics cartridges are made of coconut shells and environment friendly.
Notice that, there are two version of Brita compatible AmazonBasics filters. One is compatible with Maxtra filters, other is compatible with Maxtra+ filters. For this reason, you must check your Jugs compatibility. If you have ever used Maxtra+ filters, go with Maxtra+ compatible AmazonBasics filters.
Good quality with affordable price.
Waterdrop Replacement Brita Alternative (Best For the Money)
Waterdrop Filter Cartridges are quality and cheap brita filters. They have TÜV SÜD certification for chlorine, lead, fluoride and some other heavy metals. In contrast to many other filters, Waterdrop filters reduce fluoride and it is certified. This a big plus.
Waterdrop Filter Cartridges Features – Cheap Brita Filters
| Filtration Capacity | 100 L |
| Reduce Chloride | Yes |
| Reduce Limescale | Yes |
| Reduce Lead | Yes |
| Reduce Arsenic | Yes |
| Reduce Fluoride | Yes |
| Reduce Copper | No |
| Certification | TÜV SÜD,NSF/ANSI 42,372 |
| Made in | China |
Similar to the others, Waterdrop uses ion-exchange resin and granular activated carbon technology to reduce impurities in water. After purification, you get quality and fresh water. Since, it filters many heavy metals, it is much better than regular water. You should replace your cartridge for every 4 weeks for best quality.
Waterdrop replacement cartridge is compatible with most of the Brita jugs. Some of the compatible jugs are Brita Marella, Style, Elemaris, AmazonBasics, Bosch Tassimo. It is a good and cheap Brita water filters. If you have tight budget, and want a budget Brita alternative, Waterdrop filters are good option.
Feature Ritch Brita Alternative
Compare Best Brita Filter Alternatives
| Brita Maxtra | AmazonBasics | BWT Mg2+ | Waterdrop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloride | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Limescale | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lead | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Arsenic | No | No | No | Yes |
| Fluoride | No | No | No | Yes |
| Copper | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Mineralized | No | No | Yes | No |
| Capacity | 100L | 100L | 120L | 100L |
| Certification | NSF/ ANSI 42,43 | NSF/ ANSI 42 | NSF/ ANSI 42,372 | |
| Made In | Germany | Germany | Austria | China |
 | | | |
Compare Waterdrop vs Brita
In contrast to Brita, Waterdrop filters can reduce Arsenic and Fluoride. Fluoride reduction is definitely a big plus for such a low cost filter of Waterdrop. Taste of the water is near to original Brita filters but not the same.
Both Brita and Waterdrop replacement cartridges has 100L filtration capacity.
In addition, Waterdrop filter has NSF/ANSI 372 certification for lead-free material.
Biggest difference between Waterdrop vs Brita filters are their prices. Despite Waterdrop’s superior features, price of Waterdrop replacement filter is around half of Brita maxtra cartridges, usually. For this reason Waterdrop filters are good and cheap Brita compatible filters.
Actually winner of Waterdrop vs Brita is clearly Waterdrop, in terms of price.
Their water tastes are similar also.
Worth trying!
Compare BWT vs Brita Maxtra Plus Filter
BWT has a superior feature over Brita maxtra plus filter: BWT filter enriches the water with Magnesium ions and that improves taste of water.
If you don’t like taste of your tap water, BWT Mg2+ filters can make clear difference for you.
But if you don’t have taste problem with your tap water, Brita Maxtra plus filters are also perfect.
Unlike Brita, BWT filters have 120L of filtration capacity.
Both BWT and Brita replacement filters have similar filtration features, like, Chloride, Limescale, Lead and Copper.
Usually BWT is made in Austria, whereas Brita made in Germany.
Winner of Brita vs BWT is BWT, in terms of taste.
BWT is usually expensive, but absolutely worth it, I think. For this reason, it is a good idea to try BWT, like I did.
Compare Brita Maxtra vs Maxtra+
Maxtra+ is successor of Maxtra cartridges. Maxtra+ has better filtration capabilities over Maxtra. Maxtra+ filtrate more water than Maxtra. For this reason, you need to change it less frequent than Maxtra filters. In addition to these differences between maxtra vs maxtra+, top of the filter (where you hold it while replacing) is different at Maxtra+.
Although there are some differences between Brita Maxtra vs Maxtra+, they are compatible with each other. You can use Maxtra+ cartridges instead of Maxtra cartridges (and vice versa). But it is almost impossible to find a Maxtra filter (not plus) on the marked. Brita encourages Maxtra+ filters.
Brita Filter Alternatives Review SUMMARY
Brita Maxtra plus filter is really good, in terms of quality and compatibility. They fit all Brita water filter pitchers. They are capable of reducing chloride, limescale, lead and copper from regular tap water. But no arsenic and fluoride reduction like some of the other replacement cartridges. On the other hand, taste of filtered water might be a problem. If taste of your tap water is not bad already, you may go with Brita maxtra plus filter. They are really perfect filters.
Best Selling Water Filters
If you did not like taste of Brita Maxtra, there are superior Brita maxtra alternatives on the market. I have tried BWT Magnesium mineralized Cartridges after Brita. Similar to Brita Maxtra cartridges, BWT Magnesium mineralized cartridges reduce chloride, limescale, lead and copper from regular tap water. BWT cartridges are mineralized with magnesium that improves aroma and flavor of water. Actually, taste of BWT mineralized water is much better than Brita Maxtra plus. In addition, benefits of Magnesium for our body is really important.
In short, BWT cartridge is a superior alternative to Brita filter. For this reason our favorite water filter is BWT Mineralized Magnesium Cartridges. Only bad thing with BWT is its price. Usually, it is a bit pricey, but not much. Definitely worth for a few more bucks!
Questions & Answers
How Often Brita MAXTRA+ Water filters Must be Replaced?
Most of the Brita maxtra plus and compatible filters are produced from carbon of coconut shells. Micro carbon pearls actively adsorbs impurities in the water and locks it to its pores. After a while, that pores are filled with that impurities. For this reason, water filters must be replaced regularly which is 4-weeks, usually.
Regular Brita Maxtra Plus filter has 100L Filtration Capacity. This capacity may change from one brand to another.
Here is the filtration capacities of most widely used maxtra+ and compatible filters:
| Brita Maxtra+ | 100 L |
| AmazonBasics | 100 L |
| BWT Longlife Mg2 | 120 L |
| Waterdrop | 100 L |
| Maxfor+ | 200 L |
Notice that, you must change your water filters which limitation (4-weeks or 100L-200L) comes first!
Water Filter Pitchers – are They Worth It?
Some of them reduce Arsenic, Lead, Fluoride…
Some others mineralize filtered water for much better taste…
But that’s not all!
Water Filter Pitchers are getting more common in recent years. In contrast to complicated water filter systems, water filter pitchers are cheap and require almost no maintenance.
The best part?
They are extremely easy to use!
Just fill and wait 2 minutes!
Really good alternative to bottled water.
There are many water filter jugs on the market. But, Brita water filter jugs are dominant on the market.
(You can read my very detailed review of Brita Marella XL water filter jugs @ IZREVIEW)
All water filter jugs are (more or less) similar in terms of view but they differ in terms of filter cartridge capabilities.
Filter cartridges can be described as “heart” of the filter pitcher. All the filtration and purification is done by cartridges.
So, correct question is not what is the best water filter jug but what is the best water filter cartridge ?
We used Brita filter cartridges for about half year and started to search other filters. My aim was to find better tasted water.
Although Brita water filter cartridges are dominant, there are other good compatible Brita filter replacements on the market.
For example:
BWT, AmazonBasics and Waterdrop have good compatible Brita water filter cartridges.
Does Brita Filters remove Bacteria and Virus?
Brita filters (and similar alternative filters) are not designed to adsorb and remove bacteria or virus from tap water. Bacterial filtration is completely different area which can be done via reverse osmosis systems. Simplest way of bacterial elimination is to use chlorine or UV radiation. So, the answer of this question is NO! Brita filters (and similar filters) does not remove bacteria and viruses from municipal tap water. On the contrary, you must regularly change your water filter. Otherwise some bacteria may accumulate in the pores of filter!
Does Brita Filters Sea Water?
Quick answer is: NO. Brita filters (and similar alternatives) are made of activated carbon filters. In sea/ocean, salt is dissolved in water as inorganic form. Activated carbon filters are not good at adsorbing inorganic sodium (salt) ions. For this reason Brita filters can not remove salt from sea water.
Can I use Brita Filters for Lake or River Waters?
Brita filters are designed to purify water which are pre-filtered somehow (like municipal tap water). In this pre filtration process some sort of chemical and biological purification is done. Brita filters extend that filtration to higher degree. On the other hand, lake or river water is something “unknown”. In other words, there might be many chemical and biological contaminants in that water. For this reason, completely relying on Brita filters might be dangerous and is not advised.
Is My Tap Water Good?
Before starting to find best Water Filter Pitcher and cartridges, it is a good idea to analyze your tap water. Tap water quality vary from one location to another. In some places tap water may contain heavy metals, bacteria, limescale and many more substances. If you know your tap water composition, you can find most suitable jugs and filters for you. By that way you avoid paying more money for unnecessary features.
Easiest and common way of testing tap water quality is to use water quality test kits. They are very easy and fast tests. Usually they have strips and when you expose that strips to tap water, color of the strip changes. By that way, you understand composition of you tap water according to color. For example, this Drinking Water Test Kit can analyze Total Hardness, Free Chlorine, Bromine, Total Chlorine, Cyanuric Acid, Total Alkalinity and pH levels in your water. BUT accuracy and reliability of that easy tests is usually not too much but gives you a general idea about composition. (Better than nothing!). If you have ability to test your water in a certified test laboratory, they will give you much more accurate and reliable results.
Best 4 Brita Filter Alternative – 2023
Summary
There are superior Brita Filter Alternatives with better taste, filtration feature and price. Yes, Brita Maxtra+ filters are perfect, but not alternativeness! For example, BWT Magnesium cartridge is one of them. It has a better water taste due to mineralized with Magnesium. 120L Filtration capacity is a big plus. Other filtration capabilities (limescale, chloride, lead and copper) is also impressive.
Written by Metin Karal
Metin Karal is a Computer Engineer and He is interested in reviewing products that He used or liked. He also likes programming in C#. Currently, He is developing a really challenging memory game, PairMem which is available at Official Microsoft Store for free download.
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