Berkey vs. AquaTru: Countertop RO Without the Regret

The Matchup

AquaTru deserves real credit: it took reverse osmosis - traditionally an under-sink plumbing project - and put it in a countertop box you fill from the tap. For RO fans without a wrench-friendly kitchen, it's a genuinely clever product.

But it's still reverse osmosis, with everything that implies: electricity, wastewater, and mineral-stripped water. Here's how it trades against a gravity-fed Berkey.

The short answer: AquaTru is arguably the most convenient RO machine on the market. Even so, it needs power, sends water down the drain, and removes the minerals from your glass. Berkey skips all three while with NSF certifications and documented contaminant results - at a lower ongoing cost per gallon.

The Key Differences

  • How it works: AquaTru runs a 4-stage RO process in a countertop unit - you pour tap water in, press a button, and collect purified water from a dispenser. No installation, but it does plug into the wall.
  • Output: About three-quarters of a gallon per cycle, in 10-15 minutes. Fine for a small household, tedious for a big one. A Big Berkey holds 2.25 gallons ready to pour and refills in seconds.
  • Waste water: RO works by flushing rejected contaminants down the drain. AquaTru is more efficient than plumbed RO, but it still wastes water with every cycle. Berkey's process wastes none.
  • Minerals: RO strips calcium and magnesium along with contaminants. Berkey keeps the minerals and targets the bad actors.
  • Filters: AquaTru's replacement set runs roughly $130-160 spread across the year. A Berkey element set is rated for years of daily use.
  • PFAS: Both handle it - AquaTru by total stripping, Berkey with certified media formulated for PFAS adsorption.

The Numbers, Side by Side

Compare Berkey (Berkey Phoenix Elements) AquaTru
Upfront cost $267 (Big Berkey system) $349-449
Power required No Yes
Waste water None Yes (reject water per cycle)
Healthy minerals Retained Removed
Contaminant documentation NSF 42 & 372 certified; lab tested RO rejection rates by contaminant class
Refills Fill and pour Press button, wait, swap tanks

Which One Is Right for You?

Berkey is the better pick if... Berkey is the better pick if you want no electricity, no wastewater, minerals kept in the glass, and a system that keeps working during a power outage or boil advisory.

AquaTru makes sense if... AquaTru makes sense if you specifically want RO-grade total stripping - for very high dissolved solids or specific contaminant worries - and you can't or won't install a plumbed system.

Questions People Ask

Doesn't RO waste less if it's countertop?
AquaTru does better than a typical under-sink RO, but no RO is waste-free. Gravity filtration simply has no reject stream.

Can AquaTru add minerals back?
Not built-in. Some RO owners buy remineralizing cartridges separately - an extra cost and step Berkey owners skip.

Which one handles PFAS?
Both. Berkey publishes PFAS-specific lab results; RO rejects PFAS along with everything else, at the cost of power, waste, and stripped minerals.

← Back to all 20 comparisons  |  Shop Berkey systems  |  Shop Berkey Phoenix Elements