SpringWell vs. Aquasana: Reviews & Comparisons
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|---|---|---|
Best overall | Best under $2K | Best softener |
Thanks to the longstanding reputation of their RHINO range, Aquasana has become a byword for reliable whole-house water filtration. Meanwhile, SpringWell is known as the authority in filter systems designed for heavily contaminated water.
So which filtration brand is the best?
SpringWell and Aquasana are two of the leading whole-house filter manufacturers in the US. Each company designs its own filtration technology to handle contaminants commonly found in municipal city water as well as private well water.
With so much in common, it can be difficult to work out whether an Aquasana filter or SpringWell system offers the best value for your home. Thanks to years spent reviewing the best water filtration systems, however, we’re able to pick out some key differences between the two brands.
In general, we find that Aquasana filters work well for city water, while SpringWell systems are perfect for private wells.
Here’s why – plus a detailed comparison of SpringWell vs Aquasana buying factors.
What’s on this page?
This page compares SpringWell and Aquasana filtration systems by the most important consumer factors. Jump to:
SpringWell vs Aquasana: head to head
Product comparison
| Buying factor | SpringWell | Aquasana | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water softening | Salt-based or salt-free. Highly-rated salt-based system. Great for very hard water | Salt-free conditioner with average reviews. Adequate for moderately hard water | SpringWell |
| Whole-house filtration | Sediment and carbon stages | Sediment and carbon stages with UpFlow tanks and easy replacement design | Aquasana |
| Iron removal | Dedicated iron stage included in all well water systems | No iron-specific filter option | SpringWell |
| Lead removal | Dedicated lead and cyst filter option | Dedicated lead and cyst filter option | Tied |
| Well water contaminants | Offers full, single system protection including UV purifier and iron filter stage | RHINO system can be adapted for most wells | SpringWell |
| Cool tech | Bluetooth tank heads | UpFlow tanks, easy-twist tank heads. Countertop and undersink products | Aquasana |
Shopping comparison
| Buying factor | SpringWell | Aquasana | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warranty | Limited lifetime warranty (up to 10 years) | Limited lifetime warranty (up to 10 years) | Tied |
| Sales | Multiple sale events per year, including Black Friday | Multiple sale events per year | Tied |
| Customer service | Online chat, email, phone support, 6-month satisfaction guarantee | Phone support, 90-day satisfaction guarantee. | SpringWell |
| Shipping and Delivery | Free shipping over $29 + Products dispatched within 24 hours | Free shipping on large purchases, Auto-replacement filter delivery option. | Aquasana |
| Customer reviews | Majority happy with filter performance and customer support one month after purchase | Majority happy with filter performance and customer support one month after purchase | Tied |
SpringWell vs Aquasana: product comparison
Overall winner – SpringWell
SpringWell and Aquasana both sell each of their filtration stages individually, so you can run a single filter solution, or combine several into a more comprehensive whole house system.
It is up to homeowners to choose which filtering stages are appropriate for their water supply. See what you’re up against by reading our articles on common city water pollutants and well water contaminants.
(If you have a private well, check out our article on how to test well water to figure out what sort of filtration gear you’ll need.)
Comparison overview
These two brands are very similar in terms of filtering performance, so most people will be satisfied with either choice. Let’s go through each filtering stage that might be included in your filtration system and evaluate which brand most people will prefer.
| Product comparison: Key points | |
|---|---|
| Water softening | SpringWell |
| Whole-house (carbon) | Aquasana |
| Well water contaminants | SpringWell |
| Iron & lead removal | SpringWell |
Water softeners
Water softeners increase the lifespan of your pipes and water appliances by clearing them of scale and mineral buildup.
Salt-based softeners use an ion exchange process to attract and swap out hard minerals with salt, while salt-free conditioners crystalize minerals so that they can’t bind to surfaces.
SpringWell offers both salt-based and salt-free water softening tanks, while Aquasana only makes a water conditioning product.
Salt-free conditioners can work well if your water contains low-to-mid levels of hard minerals. However, nothing beats a traditional, salt-based softener on performance and reliability.
Winner: SpringWell
While Aquasana has a great reputation when it comes to filtering, their softening options are limited, and only receive average reviews. SpringWell wins this category, as they offer both salt-based and salt-free softening options that work either as stand-alone softeners, or as part of a whole-house system.
Carbon tanks (standard whole house filters)
All whole-house filtration systems have a carbon filtration tank and a sediment filter at their core.
These two filter stages take care of the most common contaminants in city and well water—the sediment filter removing undissolved dirt (rust, sand, iron) and the carbon filter adsorbing organic chemicals and metals (chlorine, VOCs, solvents).
Both SpringWell and Aquasana make powerful carbon tanks capable of removing all common drinking water contaminants.
Aquasana’s RHINO whole house filter is one of the best-known models in the industry. Available in two sizes to accommodate various budgets and household needs, it uses an UpFlow design, which lets water stay in contact with the filter media for longer, and stops the risk of channeling, where water focuses on one part of the media and erodes it.
While changing the tanks in a SpringWell filter system can be done by a single person, they are more awkward to handle the Aquasana Rhino, which has been cleverly designed for fast, simple tank replacements.
Winner: Aquasana
Aquasana’s RHINO whole house filters are their flagship product and represent the leading carbon filter technology. The upflow design improves performance and lifespan, by better managing the water that water comes into contact with the filtration media. SpringWell’s whole-house filter is also a great option that consumers should be satisfied with, but we think that Aquasana takes this category.
Well water systems
Unless we’re talking about an artesian spring, filtering well water often requires multiple stages to remove sediment, minerals, metals, and possibly microorganisms.
Iron, sulfur, and manganese are the most common well water contaminants, causing nasty smells, discoloration, and staining.
While Aquasana filters can be used to reduce these contaminants, SpringWell makes a well water filter that specifically targets them.
Because of the brand’s exceptional iron-specific filter stage, most filtration experts suggest using the SpringWell ULTRA system for homes with private wells. SpringWell’s iron stage uses an air injection method to remove up to 8 ppm of hydrogen sulfide, 7 ppm of iron, and 1 ppm of manganese.
Winner: SpringWell
SpringWell wins this category, thanks to its industry-leading ULTRA system that targets iron, sulfur, and microorganisms. By combining Aquasana’s conditioner and UV purifier with their RHINO filter, you can also build a well water system that’s fit for almost all wells. (Check out our full review of well water filters here.)
Lead removal
If you use city water and live in an area where piping hasn’t been upgraded in several decades, your water may be at risk of lead contamination. There’s no safe level of lead in drinking water, so it’s vital to use an effective filtration method to protect against it.
Springwell and Aquasana offer similar lead-specific carbon filters, capable of removing 99% of lead, as well as cysts, chloramines, PFAS, and other dangerous contaminants.
Aquasana opts for a highly dense carbon block to filter out lead, while SpringWell uses an ionic bonding material. Both filters have a 100,000-gallon capacity and include dynamic LED lights that show filter status and warn users when it’s time to replace the media.
Winner: Tied
There’s no real difference between SpringWell and Aquasana in this category. Their lead filters use similar technology, have roughly equivalent reviews, and retail for comparable prices. Consumers should be happy and protected with either model.
SpringWell vs Aquasana: shopping experience
Winner – Tied
We recommend purchasing SpringWell and Aquasana water filters from the brands themselves to ensure the lowest prices, the most up-to-date warranties, and direct shipping.
Let’s look at the shopping experience of Aquasana and SpringWell.
SpringWell shopping experience
Many filter experts point to SpringWell for industry-leading performance guarantees, which include a warranty on filtration tanks and valves for the life of the product.
Springwell also provides a 6-month money-back promise, which means you can try out SpringWell solutions and confirm that they work for your home before committing.
Free delivery is available on all orders over $29.00, and items are normally shipped within a day of purchase.
There’s less chance of shipping delays or missing parts because their products are created entirely within the United States, from design to packing.
SpringWell offers a free, dedicated customer support line staffed by US-based employees. According to client feedback, SpringWell’s experts provide useful, practical purchase and installation guidance.
Aquasana shopping experience
Aquasana’s warranty is similar to SpringWell’s. They provide coverage for any defects on correctly installed filter tanks for the estimated lifespan of that product (up to 10 years for 100,000-gallon systems).
Unlike SpringWell’s 6-month satisfaction guarantee, however, Aquasana only gives customers a 90-day trial period. This is still a great benefit for those who find that their chosen product doesn’t meet their filtering needs.
Aquasana doesn’t make any site-wide free shipping or fast delivery commitments, but they do regularly wave shipping fees for large purchases, including their whole-house systems.
Aquasana also offers a “Water for Life” service, which is a premium add-on that means Aquasana will auto-deliver replacement filter cartridges for your system at the end of their estimated lifespan.
While they have a customer support line that’s open Monday through Friday, there’s no online chat function on Aquasana’s website.
SpringWell vs Aquasana: long term reviews
Winner – SpringWell
Current owners of SpringWell and Aquasana filtration systems can contribute crucial information about how their devices operate months and years after purchase.
Let’s compare customer feedback for SpringWell and Aquasana.
SpringWell long term reviews
Over 2000 good comments can be found on SpringWell’s own website (buyer beware). These emphasize SpringWell’s ability to improve water quality and flavor, as well as noting their excellent customer service and installation support.
We observed that “the majority of reviewers highlighted the system’s reliable functioning over 6 months following installation” when we looked into long-term ratings of SpringWell’s whole-house system.
Aquasana long term reviews
Aquasana’s best-selling whole-house system gets a respectable 4.0 out of 5.0 from over 550 ratings on Amazon. Among those who reviewed their system after at least one month, opinions are mostly positive, though several commenters with highly polluted water found that they had to periodically change the pre-filter media to maintain flow rate.
When we took a deeper look at reviews of Aquasana’s whole-house system, we found that users were overwhelmingly happy with their chosen setup, citing “an impressive ability to remove organic impurities, scale and restore water acidity.”
Summary
You’ve come to the correct spot if you’re looking for a whole-house water filter system. SpringWell or Aquasana, together with Pelican, represents the pinnacle of current home filtering technology.
However, if we had to choose between these two brands, we believe SpringWell is definitely a superior option if you have a residential well, while Aquasana may provide better value for those on city water.
SpringWell’s solutions are designed to combat some of the most frequent and well water impurities, such as iron and sulfur, while Aquasana’s RHINO system is an unrivaled whole-house public water system.
Up next: SpringWell vs Pelican >
