Which water filters remove cysts?
21 of the 96 current water filters we track are certified to reduce cysts (NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF/ANSI 58 listings). The lowest-priced is the LifeStraw Home 7-cup pitcher (pitcher, $65; about $127 a year in filters for 2 people). Counting a year of replacement filters, the cheapest to own is the Frizzlife MK99 ($110 the first year). 5 more claim it from brand-run lab tests only, which is not certification.
The EPA treatment technique for cysts in public drinking water is 0 MCLG. Treatment technique; Giardia 99.9% removal/inactivation; Cryptosporidium controlled under LT1/LT2 ESWTR. epa.gov Source note
Lowest-priced certified filter, by type
Pitcher
LifeStraw Home 7-cup pitcher$65 to buy · $127/yr for 2 · NSF/ANSI 53
Check price on Amazon →Countertop filter
Aquasana Clean Water Machine$400 to buy · $147/yr for 2 · NSF/ANSI 53
Check price on Amazon →Under-sink reverse osmosis
Brondell Circle RC100$450 to buy · $214/yr for 2 · NSF/ANSI 58
Check price at Brondell →Whole-house
SpringWell Lead & Cyst Removal System$3,220 to buy · $458/yr for 2 · NSF/ANSI 53
Check price at SpringWell →Certified to reduce cysts (21)
Each row is a certifier listing for this exact product with cysts in its reduction claims; the listing is linked. Yearly cost is replacement filters (plus drain water for RO) for 2 people, from each brand's filter prices and ratings.
Brand tests only, not certified (5)
These brands cite a lab report for cysts, but no certifier lists the claim for the product. A lab report can be real; it is not an independent, ongoing certification with factory audits.
- Alexapure Pro gravity filter (Gen 2) (Countertop filter) · BCS Laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025, NELAP) and IAPMO R&T testing, per brand report SRT 0826 (Aug 21, 2026)
- APEC ROES-UV75-SS (Under-sink reverse osmosis) · APEC (brand claim, no tester named)
- Epic Water Filters Pure XP dispenser (Dispenser) · Two unnamed independent accredited labs (brand PDS, lab testing dated 2026-07-27)
- Epic Water Filters Pure XP pitcher (Pitcher) · Two unnamed independent accredited labs (brand PDS, lab testing dated 2026-07-27)
- Waterdrop D6 (Under-sink reverse osmosis) · Waterdrop (brand claim, no tester named)
No cysts claim (70 filters)
- 3M Aqua-Pure (Solventum) AP903 whole-house
- A. O. Smith Direct Flow RO AOS-DFRO800
- APEC RO-PERM
- APEC ROES-50
- APEC ROES-PH75
- APEC ROTL-A1000
- Aquasana HealthShield whole-house
- Aquasana Rhino + Salt-Free Water Conditioner
- Aquasana Rhino Chloramines whole-house
- Aquasana Rhino Max Flow whole-house
- Aquasana Rhino whole-house (1M gal)
- Berkey Big Berkey
- Berkey Travel Berkey
- Bluevua RO100ROPOT
- Bluevua ROPOT-Lite
- Brita Denali 6-cup pitcher (Elite filter)
- Brita Denali 6-cup pitcher (Original filter)
- Brita Elite faucet filter
- Brita Hub countertop filter
- Brita Tahoe pitcher (Elite filter)
- Brita Tahoe pitcher (Standard filter)
- Brita UltraMax dispenser (Elite filter)
- Brita UltraMax dispenser (Original filter)
- Clearly Filtered 3-Stage Under the Sink
- Clearly Filtered pitcher
- Culligan Scout gravity system (2.25 gal)
- Culligan Venture gravity system (3 gal)
- Express Water RO5DX
- Express Water WH300SCKS 3-stage heavy-metal whole-house
- Frizzlife PD600-TAM3
- Frizzlife PD800-TAM4
- Hydros 64 oz glass pitcher
- iSpring RCC7AK
- iSpring RCC7P-AK
- iSpring RCD100
- iSpring RO500AK-BN
- iSpring WGB21B 2-stage whole-house
- iSpring WGB21B-PF PFAS whole-house
- iSpring WGB32B whole-house
- LARQ Pitcher 2
- LARQ Pitcher PureVis
- Ninja HydraSense
- PUR 44-cup dispenser (2 filters)
- PUR 7-cup pitcher (basic filter)
- PUR Faucet filter (basic, horizontal)
- PUR PLUS 11-cup pitcher
- PUR PLUS 30-cup dispenser
- PUR PLUS faucet filter
- SimPure T1-400
- SimPure Y7P-BW
- SpringWell CF1 whole-house
- SpringWell CSF1 filter + FutureSoft salt-free
- SpringWell PFAS Water Filter System
- US Water Systems Matrixx catalytic carbon backwashing
- Waterdrop 10UA
- Waterdrop 15UC
- Waterdrop Countertop faucet filter CTF-01
- Waterdrop Elfin pitcher PT-05
- Waterdrop G2P600
- Waterdrop G3P600
- Waterdrop G3P800
- Waterdrop K19-H
- Waterdrop King Tank gravity filter (2.25 gal)
- Waterdrop Lucid 10-cup pitcher
- Waterdrop WHF21-FG iron & manganese whole-house
- Waterdrop WHF3T-PG whole-house
- Waterdrop X16
- ZeroWater 10-cup pitcher
- ZeroWater 32-cup Ready-Read dispenser
- ZeroWater 52-cup Ready-Read dispenser (2 filters)
Common questions
Which water filters remove cysts?
21 of the 96 current water filters we track are certified to reduce cysts (NSF/ANSI 53 and NSF/ANSI 58 listings). The lowest-priced is the LifeStraw Home 7-cup pitcher (pitcher, $65; about $127 a year in filters for 2 people). Counting a year of replacement filters, the cheapest to own is the Frizzlife MK99 ($110 the first year). 5 more claim it from brand-run lab tests only, which is not certification.
Is there a legal limit for cysts in tap water?
The EPA treatment technique for cysts in public drinking water is 0 MCLG. CDC: an absolute 1-micron pore size filter catches 1-micron organisms; a nominal 1-micron rating may not.
How do I know a filter really removes cysts?
Look it up in the certifier's public database (NSF, WQA, IAPMO or CSA) under the exact model, and check that cysts is in its list of reduction claims (usually under NSF/ANSI 244 or 53 or 55 or 58 or P231). "Tested to NSF standards" in an ad is not the same as a listing.