Berkey VS Reverse Osmosis (honest take)
If we haven’t met, hi, I’m Kasidy!
I grew up with a reverse osmosis and a whole house water treatment system. It’s all I knew until college when I was met with the rude awakening of dorm showers and metal water fountains. This was in the early 2000s so we didn’t even have the fancy metal water fountains where you can fill up your water bottle and it tells you if the filter needs to be changed and how many plastic bottles have been saved. We just head to duck our head and hope the last dormer didn’t lick the faucet.
My roommates and I got a Britta when we moved to an apartment… I can write a blog about other temporary filters too for all my apartment staying readers if you’d like!
Anyways, it was wild times.
I’ve never had a Berkey, so everything I know about them is from customers looking to upgrade, friends who needed a temporary solution, and the occasional Berkey evangelist.
I’m going to give you my honest take from what I do know (not just what you can read about on google)…
Practically, how they work:
Berkey is a gravity-fed countertop filter. You pour water in the top, and it drips through carbon filters to remove some contaminants. It doesn’t connect to your plumbing, and the filtration is passive.
R.O. (reverse osmosis) is a high-performance under-sink system that uses water pressure to push water through multiple stages of filtration. One of those filters is a semi-permeable membrane that removes up to 99% of contaminants.
For me… this makes the rest of the comparisons a bit like comparing apples and bananas… they’re just different.
One removes 99% of contaminants while the other removes some. Let me show you more specifically what I mean…
What they remove (and what they don’t)
this is the part that’s always most important to Environmental Protech customers when they call in to upgrade from their Berkey
Berkey removes:
Sediment
Chlorine
Some heavy metals
Some bacteria (depending on filter type)
Unfortunately, Berkey does not reliably remove fluoride, nitrates, arsenic, or PFAS and doesn’t carry official third-party testing to prove long-term effectiveness.
R.O. removes:
Lead
Fluoride
Chlorine and chloramines
Arsenic
Nitrates and nitrites
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
Bacteria, viruses, and microplastics
And most dissolved solids
It’s what hospitals, commercial kitchens, and bottled water companies (the good ones) use.
Convenience & lifestyle
Berkey:
Manual filling required
Counter top
Slower filtration
No connection to your sink or faucet
Filters need frequent scrubbing and replacement
Can travel with you
R.O.:
Hidden under the sink
Purified water comes from a dedicated faucet
Automatic filtration with no manual refilling
Low maintenance (filter changes by our expert technicians are efficient and affordable!)
Cost comparison
Berkey: Lower upfront cost (~$300–400), but frequent filter changes and no plumbing integration.
R.O.: Higher upfront investment (~$800–1900 installed), but long-term savings and whole-kitchen integration.
Which one is right for your home?
If you want a temporary solution, Berkey might be fine.
If you want comprehensive protection, medical-grade purity, and long-term convenience for your entire kitchen… reverse osmosis is the clear winner.
Which one is right for your home?
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Why customers choose Environmental ProTech
PS. We have over 30 years experience in bringing clean water to the Houston Homeowners. Our reviews speak for themselves! If you want clean drinking water from your faucet, contact us at 281-495-4420 to schedule your free water test today.