Brita vs Clearly Filtered: which is actually certified — and what does a certified gallon cost?
Last reviewed July 2026.
Same job, same shelf — but the certifications underneath are not the same. Here is Brita against Clearly Filtered on the only two axes we score: what the certification actually covers, and what a certified gallon costs.
- Brita: cheapest certified-for-lead filter is the OB06 at $0.167/certified gallon (lead claim: WQA, NSF/ANSI 53).
- Clearly Filtered: certified to NSF/ANSI 42 only — genuinely certified, but no certified lead claim.
Every model, side by side
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| Filter | Standards | Lead | PFOA/PFOS | Certifier | $ / certified gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brita Elite Replacement Filter (formerly Longlast+) OB06 buy ↗ | 42 53 401 | ✓ | ✗ | WQA | $0.167 |
| Brita Standard Replacement Filter (Original) OB03 buy ↗ | 42 53 | ✗ | ✗ | WQA | $0.200 |
| Clearly Filtered Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher CF-Pitcher buy ↗ | 42 | ✗ | ✗ | NSF | — |
Price per filter ÷ certified capacity in gallons. Certification data from the certifiers' public listings; the listing always wins.
How often you actually replace them
Cost per gallon is the fair comparison, but it hides the part you live with. The Brita OB06 is certified for 120 gallons; the Clearly Filtered CF-Pitcher for 100 — so you buy and fit the second one about 1.2× as often for the same volume of water. At roughly half a gallon of drinking water per person per day, that is the difference between a filter you think about twice a year and one you think about every few weeks.
It matters beyond convenience: the certified claim only holds within the rated capacity. A filter run long past its gallons still passes water and still looks fine, but nothing about the lead or PFOA/PFOS claim applies any more. The brand with the shorter interval is the one more likely to be used out of spec.
So which one
For a certified lead claim this one is not close: Brita. The OB06 carries a certified lead claim (WQA, NSF/ANSI 53) and works out at $0.167 per certified gallon. It is the only side of this comparison where a lead claim is both listed and priceable.
Clearly Filtered is genuinely certified, but to NSF/ANSI 42 — taste, odour and chlorine. That is a real listing for a real claim, and it is not a lead claim. No amount of 42 adds up to 53; they are tested against different contaminants. If lead is why you are filtering, 42-only is a miss however reputable the brand.
None of which makes Clearly Filtered a bad filter at what it is certified to do — it makes it the wrong filter to buy for lead. If lead is not your concern, the comparison above is the wrong one to be reading; start from the full ranking and pick on the claim you actually want.
The full stories: Is Brita NSF certified? · Is Clearly Filtered NSF certified? · what 42, 53 and 401 mean
We do not test filters — we index what accredited certifiers publish, with attribution, and make no health or treatment claims. A certification covers a specific model against a specific standard; it is not a general seal of quality. We are not affiliated with NSF International.
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