Fridge filter finder · certifications checked October 2026
Best Refrigerator Water Filter: The Certified Pick for Each Fridge Filter Number
The best refrigerator water filter is the one that fits your fridge and is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead, for its exact model code. For 8 of the 11 filters people buy most, a cheaper copy meets that bar, and for most of those it costs less than half the brand's price. For the other 3 (GE XWFE, Frigidaire EPTWFU01, Frigidaire ULTRAWF), the pick is the brand's own filter, like card 1: no cheaper copy is certified for lead.
Your filter number is on the label of your old filter (for example XWFE, EDR1RXD1 or HAF-QIN).
Have a Samsung or LG fridge that takes the EveryDrop 6? See EveryDrop Filter 6 (EDR6D1). If yours takes the EveryDrop A, see EveryDrop Filter A (EDRARXD1).
Our pick for each filter number
Amazon prices as of November 12, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET. Prices can change; the price on Amazon is the one that counts.
Per year = 2 filters at today's Amazon price, because each maker says to change it every 6 months. A copy only counts as certified when NSF, IAPMO R&T or WQA lists its exact model code. Certifications were checked on October 22, 2026 for GE XWFE, Whirlpool Filter 1 and Samsung, and on October 13, 2026 for the others.
Want PFAS filtered too?
These listings name PFOA and PFOS, two PFAS "forever chemicals". A filter certified for lead is not certified for PFAS unless the listing says so.
- WaterSentinel WSS-2 for Samsung DA29-00020B · 3 filters · $33.15 a year Amazon →
- WaterSentinel WSG-1 for GE MWF · 3 filters · $38.36 a year Amazon →
- WaterSentinel WSW-5 for Whirlpool EDR3RXD1 · 1 filter · $49.98 a year Amazon →
- Frigidaire EPTWFU01 for Frigidaire EPTWFU01 · 1 filter · $67.98 a year Amazon →
- Electrolux EWF02 for Frigidaire EPTWFU01 · 1 filter · $73.74 a year Amazon →
- GE MWF for GE MWF · 1 filter · $99.94 a year Amazon →
- GE XWFE for GE XWFE · 1 filter · $99.96 a year Amazon →
- GE RPWFE for GE RPWFE · 1 filter · $99.96 a year Amazon →
- everydrop Filter 3 EDR3RXD1 for Whirlpool EDR3RXD1 · 1 filter · $99.98 a year Amazon →
- Instapure REF-IPF-8 for Frigidaire EPTWFU01 · 1 filter · $109.90 a year Amazon →
- KitchenAid Filter 3 KAD3RXD1 for Whirlpool EDR3RXD1 · 1 filter · $122.00 a year Amazon →
Cheapest certified water per gallon
Across every filter number above, these cost the least per gallon among filters certified for lead, at today's prices:
- Waterdrop WDS-F27: 3.2¢ a gallon, for Samsung DA29-00020B
- Waterdrop Plus WDP-F07, 4-pack: 3.3¢ a gallon, for Whirlpool EDR4RXD1
- Waterdrop WDS-F45: 4.0¢ a gallon, for Samsung DA97-17376B
The price per gallon only matters among filters that fit your fridge.
Look at the model code, not the brand
Most copies come from a few factories. The same factory often sells one filter in versions that look the same. One is certified for taste and odor only. Another is also certified for lead. For example, IAPMO R&T lists Waterdrop's WD-F38 (an everydrop Filter 1 copy) for taste and odor only, and the Waterdrop Plus WDP-F38 for lead too.
The code is in the Amazon listing's details (model or part number) and on the filter's label. A seller's "NSF certified" or "tested to NSF standards" line is not a listing.
What the certifications on a fridge filter mean
- NSF/ANSI 42: chlorine, taste and odor only. Fine if your water is safe and you want it to taste better.
- NSF/ANSI 53: health. The listing names what was tested, such as lead, cysts or mercury. This is the one to look for.
- NSF/ANSI 401: small traces of some medicines and chemicals, such as ibuprofen and BPA.
- PFOA and PFOS: listed under NSF P473 or as an NSF/ANSI 53 claim.
Not sure what is in your water? Look up your water system.
Guides for the most-bought filters
- GE XWFE replacement: no cheaper copy you can buy today is certified for lead.
- everydrop Filter 1 (EDR1RXD1) replacement
- everydrop Filter 1 vs Filter 2: which one fits your fridge
- Samsung refrigerator water filter: HAF-QIN and HAF-CIN
- Samsung HAF-CIN vs HAF-QIN: which one fits your fridge
- How to tell if a Samsung fridge filter is fake
- LG LT1000P water filter
- LG LT800P vs LT1000P: which one fits your fridge
- Fridge filter finder: search by part number
- Ice maker making small ice? The 10-second test that tells you if it is the filter
- The true cost of water filters: a fridge filter vs a pitcher, under-sink and RO, per gallon
Questions people ask
What is the best refrigerator water filter?
The one that fits your fridge and whose exact model code is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead. Brand does not decide it: the same factory sells look-alike copies where one code is certified for lead and another only for taste and odor. Find your filter number, then buy the certified pick for that number.
Are off-brand refrigerator water filters as good as the brand?
Some are. For 8 of the 11 filter numbers on this page, we found a cheaper copy that NSF or IAPMO R&T lists for lead under NSF/ANSI 53, like the brand filter. Many other popular copies are listed for taste and odor only, or not at all.
Which refrigerator water filters remove PFAS?
Only the ones whose listing names PFOA and PFOS. Of the filters we checked, that is GE's own XWFE, RPWFE and MWF, Whirlpool's Filter 3, Frigidaire's EPTWFU01, and the WaterSentinel copies (WSG-1, WSS-2, WSW-5). Samsung's, LG's and Whirlpool Filter 1's own filters are not listed for PFAS.
What does NSF 53 mean on a fridge filter?
It is the health standard. The listing names what the filter was tested to reduce, such as lead, cysts or mercury, for its rated gallons. NSF/ANSI 42 covers only chlorine, taste and odor. NSF/ANSI 401 covers traces of some medicines. NSF P473 covers PFOA and PFOS.
How much does it cost to run a fridge filter?
Each filter on this page is rated for 125 to 316 gallons and the makers say to change it every 6 months, so you buy 2 a year. Each card above shows what the pick costs a year at today's Amazon price, and the cheapest certified water per gallon is listed above. A fridge filter gives you filtered water and ice from the door with nothing to install, and the certified picks are the ones tested for lead.
Sources, and what we did and did not check
- NSF certified product listings: listings.nsf.org.
- IAPMO R&T certificates: pld.iapmo.org.
- WQA Gold Seal listings: find.wqa.org, searched October 13, 2026.
- Amazon listings and prices: read through Amazon's product API. Prices as of November 12, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET. We show a price only if we read it in the last 24 hours.
- We did not: test any filter, or check every copy sold. Certification covers the model code the certifier lists, for its rated gallons.
Related: fridge filter vs pitcher · what the certifications mean · our method