The 10 Best Water Softeners: Reviews & Ultimate Guide

This is our review of the best Water Softeners of 2023.

We reviewed several water softeners and found out that the SpringWell Salt-Based Water Softener is the best one overall.

There are several factors to consider when buying a water softener system, and to facilitate your life we spent long hours reading & researching to find out the best overall water softener so that you don’t have to waste your time. And because there isn’t just one option that suits all households and families, we also identified the best option for different situations.

You will find out the best water softeners available today, their pros and cons, an explanation of why they are better for specific situations, and a complete buying guide with all the relevant information that you need to know to choose the best water softener system for you.

Let’s get started!

Our Top Picks for Best Water Softeners

• SpringWell Salt-Based Water Softener (Best Overall Water Softener)
• SpringWell FutureSoft Salt-Free Water Softener (Best Salt-Free Water Softener)
• Fleck 5600SXT Water Softener (Top Choice Salt-Based Water Softener)
• NuvoH2O Home Water Softener (Top Choice Salt-Free Water Softener)
• Aquasana EQ-1000 Whole House Water Filter + Conditioner (Best Combo Water Softener + Water Filter)
• iSpring ED2000 Whole House Electronic Descaler (Best Electronic Water Softener)
• YARNA Capacitive Electronic Water Descaler System (Best Magnetic Water Softener)
• Fleck Iron Pro 2 Water Softener (Best for Iron Water Softener)
• SoftPro Elite Water Softener for Well Water (Best for Well Water Water Softener)
• SoftPro Elite Water Softener (Best Efficiency Water Softener)

10 Best Water Softeners Reviewed

After investing our time researching and reviewing several water softeners, we identified the 10 best options for different purposes.

Buying Guide for Water Softeners

When searching for a Water Softener, there are several factors that you need to understand to make sure you make the right choice for yourself and your family.

With this in mind, we created a comprehensive guide with the key topics you need to know about water softeners, and a list of the best water softeners available in the market, for different scenarios.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Water Softener

When researching for the best Water Softener for you and your family, these are the main factors that you should consider:

Type

There are two main types of water softeners, the salt-based water softener (with a tank), and the salt-free water softener (also known as a conditioner).

There are two variations of the last type, the salt-free conditioner, and the electromagnetic conditioner.

The big differences between these two types are that:

• Salt-based: Uses ion exchange to remove the minerals that make the water hard. It is a better option for very hard water, as you will get better results removing the minerals that cause water hardness.
• Salt-free: These change the minerals’ structure so that they don’t cause as much limescale buildup. Not ideal for very hard water, but if that is not your situation, it is a good option because it won’t require as much maintenance. After all, you won’t need to add salt recurrently.

Grain Capacity

The grain capacity is one of the main factors to consider when buying a water softener because it directly relates to the capacity of water it can soften, which is what you need.

Water hardness is typically measured in GPG, or grain per gallon, in which one grain represents 0.002 ounces of calcium carbonate in 1 gallon of water.

There are different variables to consider when choosing the grain capacity that you need, like the water hardness of your home, the water usage, and the number of days between regeneration cycles.

For an average size family, a water softener with a capacity between 16k to 32k gpg is recommended.

For larger families and/or households, a water softener with a capacity between 40k to 64k gpg is a better option. But if you have an extremely large family, you might need a water softener with a capacity in the 80k to 100k range.

If your water is extremely hard, you might need to consider extra capacity.

Certifications

The top water filters and water softeners are generally certified for one of the main certification entities: NSF or WQA. These are independent third-party accredited institutions that certify water filters softeners to ensure they remove hard water minerals as mentioned. 

The certification to look for in a water softener is the NSF 44 for cation exchange water softeners, which certifies this type of system to reduce hardness caused by calcium and magnesium ions, replacing them with sodium or potassium ions.

Not having a certification is not proof that the product doesn’t soften the water, as some brands prefer to do their one test or don’t have the size and budget to invest in certification.

Our recommendation is to always go for a product with certification if you’re undecided between two products.

Cost

Like in any purchase, the cost is an important factor, so it isn’t different when buying a water softener.

There are different water softeners available in the market, and the price can vary from a few hundred dollars to two thousand dollars, depending on the brand, certifications, type, capacity, etc.

You should take into consideration installation and maintenance costs also. In some cases, you may need to hire a professional to install your water softener, so take that into account in your budget when selecting the right water softener for you.

And if you go for a salt-based water softener, you need to consider the recurring cost of buying salt to add to your water softener, which won’t be necessary for a salt-free water softener.

System Physical Size & Available Area

Typically water softeners take a considerable amount of space, and if they have dual tanks and/or are salt-based, the more available area you will need to have them.

Also, the more capacity a water softener has, means it will be a larger unit.

So make sure you understand the dimensions of the water softener you want to buy, and check against the available area where you want to install it, to make sure it fits well.

Bypass Valve

You might be wondering what is a bypass valve in a water softener. Well, a bypass valve controls the flow of water through your home’s main pipes and will divert the water flow from the water softener, making sure it enters your house without passing through it.

But why do you need to use a bypass valve for your water softener? In reality, there are a few good uses for it, like:

• When you want to use water that doesn’t need to soften, like when you are watering your lawn
• When you need to maintain your water softener
• When your water softener is in its regeneration cycle

Is common for a water softener to include a bypass valve, but if yours don’t have one, you can always buy one on the side, you just need to make sure it fits.

What is a Water Softener and How Does a Water Softener Work?

A water softener is a system that removes the hardness of water making it softer.

A water softener works by ion exchange, in which sodium ions are exchanged with calcium and magnesium ions (that cause water hardness), resulting in water with more salt (because of the sodium) but softer.

There is a type of water softener, the salt-free water softener, that instead of using an ion exchange process to reduce water hardness, uses another process called template-assisted crystallization (TAC) to change the structure of the minerals that cause the water hardness.

After passing through the water softener, the water flows into the household giving access to soft water in all the divisions of your household.

Some salt-based water softeners have two tanks, named dual tank water softeners, in which one tank has a special resin that performs the ion exchange, and the other tank in which the salt is added and that flushes the resin tank.

The salt-based water softeners require some maintenance as you will need to refill the salt or potassium chloride pellets from time to time.

What Does a Water Softener Remove?

Water softeners deal with hard water, so they are good at removing calcium and magnesium from the water, which are the minerals that make the water hard.

If you need to deal with other contaminants, a water softener is not the solution for you, you should get a whole house water filter.

Another option is to go for a combo system that contains a water filter and a water softener, dealing with hard water and multiple contaminants.

What is Hard Water?

Hard water is water with an excessive amount of minerals like calcium and magnesium. While these are essential minerals, we don’t need to get them from water, and in high concentrations, it can have some negative effects.

One way to measure water hardness is by the number of grains (of calcium carbonate) per gallon of water, or GPG.

Water with 0 to 3.5 gpg is considered soft water, water with 3.5 to 7 gpg is considered moderately hard water, while water with more than 7 gpg is considered hard water.

Your home and your health can be negatively impacted by hard water, as we will see below.

The Problems with Hard Water

There are several disadvantages of having hard water at your home, such as:

Clog your water pipes

Hard water will cause limescale buildup in your pipes because the calcium carbonate in the water accumulates in the pipes after the water evaporates.

This will make your water pipes less efficient reducing the water flow, and increase the maintenance and repair needs.

Damages your appliances

Hard water impacts appliances in a similar way it impacts the water pipes, causing limescale buildup in them, and reducing their performance.

Makes your water heater less efficient

In water heaters, a limescale buildup may prevent the water from heating as quickly as before, making you waste more energy to heat the water.

Makes your cleaning more difficult

After drying, hard water leaves mineral residues of calcium and magnesium on dishes, glassware, cutlery, etc., causing them to have stains and a cloudy appearance.

Regarding laundry, hard water not only impacts the washing machine performance like any other appliances, but it also prevents soap from lathering well, making washing clothes more difficult.

Irritates your skin

Hard water has minerals that prevent the soap from dissolving completely and don’t create enough lather in your bath, and these minerals will also remove your skin’s natural oils, making it dry and itchy.

Makes your hair dry

Bathing with hard water prevents soap from dissolving properly which causes your hair to feel dry, sticky, and weak.

The Different Types of Water Softeners

There are different types of water softeners available, so let’s understand better each one of these types:

Salt-Based Water Softeners

The salt-based water softener is the most common and conventional type of water softener available. A salt-based water softener removes the hardness of the water through an ion-exchange process, in which the calcium and magnesium (that cause hardness) ions are replaced by sodium ions.

This type of water softener needs salt to be able to perform this process, and the softened water it generates has sodium, or salt, added to it.

The salt-based water softener is very effective when dealing with hard water, which makes it a good choice if you are dealing with this problem.

Dual Tank Water Softeners

Dual tank water softeners are a variation of the salt-based water softeners. While in a normal salt-based water softener the softening process can’t happen while the system is regenerating, you won’t have to worry about this with a dual tank water softener.

When the regeneration process is happening in one tank, the other is working, so you will always have the water softener process operational.

This water softener type is better for large homes that require large amounts of water every day.

Salt-Free Water Softeners

Salt-free water softeners are a more recent type of water softener that instead of using an ion exchange process to soften the water, uses a different process, called template-assisted crystallization (TAC), to do it.

This process instead of removing the minerals from the water, changes their structure instead, basically deactivating them which will prevent them from adhering to surfaces and causing limescale buildup.

This process doesn’t actually remove the minerals, so it conditions the water to prevent limescale buildup, so this type of water softeners are also known as water conditioners or water descalers.

This type of water softener is a good option if you are on a low-sodium diet or if you live in an area that you can’t use salt-based water softeners, but is not as effective as the salt-based type water softener to deal with really hard water.

Magnetic Water Softeners (or Magnetic Descalers)

Another type of salt-free water softeners is the magnetic water softener. The major difference is that instead of using the TAC process mentioned above, they use electromagnetism to prevent scale buildup.

In this process, a strong magnet turns the minerals that cause water hardness into larger crystals gathering them, and then they won’t adhere to surfaces and cause limescale buildup.

You won’t need to connect this type of water softener directly into your water main line, you just need to attach the system to it.

Salt-Based vs Salt-Free Water Softener Systems

Which one is better, a salt-based water softener or a salt-free water softener system? Each one has its pros and cons, so the right choice will depend on your specific situation.

Let’s go through the pros and cons of each type to help you decide: 

Salt-Based Water Softener Pros:

• More effective with hard water
• Remove minerals that cause water hardness
• Generally are NSF certified
• Prevent scale buildup in appliances

Salt-Based Water Softener Cons:

• Require maintenance
• Waste some water during the regeneration cycle
• Add salt to the water
• Eliminates stains and spots

Salt-Free Water Softener Pros:

• Don’t require maintenance
• Don’t add salt to the water
• More environmentally friendly, as they don’t produce waste water
• Easier to install

Salt-Free Water Softener Cons:

• No good against super hard water
• Do not prevent buildup in appliances
• Don’t solve hard water issues on skin & hair, laundry, and glassware

Water Softener Benefits

Hard water can be so damaging to your house and health that using a water softener system brings many important benefits, so we wrote a specific article to cover them in detail.

But we will list them here in a summarized version:

Prevent limescale building inside of pipes

Hard water has minerals that will form a limescale buildup when passing through the pipes.

The limescale buildup has major impacts on your pipes, causing the water to not flow so well through them, and can also cause leaks, and will lead you to have to repair your plumbing, which is expensive.

Saves you money on the electric and water bill

Hard water builds limescale on your pipes, narrowing the space on them for the water to flow, causing problems with water pressure and flow rates. This can lead to an increase in your water bill.

The narrowing of the pipe also causes the heat transfer to be less efficient, so your water heater has to work more than expected, which increases your electric bill.

Extend the lifespan of your appliances

Soft water, unlike hard water, won’t scale buildup in your appliances, such as water heaters, coffee machines, dishwashers, laundry equipment, etc. preventing damage on them and extending their lifespan.

Softer clothes, with brighter colors

Soft water is better at dissolving detergents, and also has fewer minerals than hard water, so it won’t deposit in your clothes and make them feel rough and scratchy. Using soft water leaves your clothes soft to the touch and with a fresh look.

Cleaner dishes, glassware, and silverware

After drying, hard water leaves mineral residues of calcium and magnesium on dishes, glassware, cutlery, etc., causing them to have stains and a cloudy appearance.

Softer skin

Hard water has minerals that prevent the soap from dissolving completely and don’t create enough lather in your bath.

The minerals in hard water also remove your skin’s natural oils, making it dry and itchy, and can block your pores which causes inflammation.

Cleaner hair

Bathing with hard water is not only bad for your skin but is also bad for your hair. Because hard water prevents soap from dissolving properly, it can cause your hair to feel dry, sticky, and weak.

Water Softener Disadvantages

While using a water softener has several advantages, it also has some disadvantages that we will cover now.

Cost

A regular water softener is not cheap, and a really good water softener can cost almost $2.000.

And if you go for a salt-based water softener, you need to add the recurring cost of buying salt to add to your water softener.

Adds salt to the water

Salt-based water softeners add salt to the water, which can bring some health concerns for people with low sodium diets.

While the quantities of sodium added by a water softener are quite small, it will increase your daily consumption of sodium.

Requires maintenance

A water softener will require frequent maintenance – you will need to add salt to it (not the case if you choose a salt-free water softener), and some regular cleaning from time to time.

These are quick and easy activities to perform but will consume more time from your busy schedule.

Is a Water Softener Right For Me?

There isn’t a direct response to this question, because each situation is different. But let’s go through some steps that will help you find out if a water softener is right for you and your family.

Step #1: Check if you have hard water in your home

This is the first step because if you don’t have hard water in your home, you definitely shouldn’t spend money on a water softener.

There are different ways to check if you have hard water in your home, like:

Check the water hardness map

You can check a water hardness map [1] to verify if you live in an area with hard water, and understand the level of hardness.

With this knowledge, you can estimate the hardness of the water in your home.

Check for hard water signs in your home

Another method to understand if you have hard water in your home is to check signs of it, like the existence of limescale buildup in pipes and appliances, mineral residues of calcium and magnesium on dishes, glassware & cutlery, or dry and itchy skin.

If you have some of these signs at home, it is an indication that you have hard water.

Test your water

But the best method to check if you have hard water at home is to test the water. You can easily do it by yourself, just buy a water hardness test kit and test your water.

Step #2: Choose the water softener capacity

If you know that your water is hard, the next step is to determine the capacity of the water softener.

You can use an approximation range from the table below, or you can calculate it taking into consideration different variables.

Family/Household Size	Typical Water Softener Capacity Range
Family/Household Size	Typical Water Softener Capacity Range
Small to average size family	16.000 to 32.000 gpg
Large family	40.000 to 64.000 gpg
Extremely large family	80.000 to 100.000 gpg

The variables or factors to calculate the capacity of a water softener are:

• Water hardness
  • Should be measured in grains per gallon (gpg). If you need to convert from mg/l to gpg, just divide the value by 17.1
• Water usage
  • You can calculate it with our water usage calculator or use an average of between 80 to 100 gallons per day per person (typical indoor water use in the US)
• The time between regeneration cycles
  • Usually, a water softener is set to regenerate once a week. The recommended interval is between 3 days and 2 weeks.
• Iron concentration
  • If your water is rich in iron, an adjustment needs to be made to the capacity calculation, and add 5 grains for every part per million of dissolved iron

To calculate the required capacity of a water softener, you should use this calculation:

Capacity = Daily Water Usage x Water Hardness x Number of Days Between Regeneration Cycles

So, for a household of 3 people with average water consumption of 80 gallons per day, a water hardness of 10 gpg, and a common water softener with a 7-day regeneration cycle, the minimum required capacity would be:

Capacity = 3 x 80 x 10 x 7 = 16.800 gpg

If you need to adjust for water with a high concentration of iron, let’s say 1.5 ppm, then the calculation would be:

Capacity = 3 x 80 + (10 + 5 x 1.5) x 7 = 29.400 gpg

Step #3: Consider other important factors

Now that you have an idea of the hardness of your water and the capacity that you need, you should consider other important factors that we mentioned in the “What to Consider When Choosing the Best Water Softener” section.

So, if your water is not extremely hard, you might want to consider a water descaler type, because not only is it cheaper on average, but it also doesn’t require the recurring cost of adding salt.

Then, consider the options that fit your budget. If you have a defined budget, this will help you filter out some options, leaving you with a short list of options to select from.

If in this list you have water softeners with certifications, you should consider this factor because it’s proof that the system can perform according to industry standards.

Water Softener Installation

If you have some basic DIY skills, you should be able to install a water softener by yourself, as they are not very difficult to install. Make sure you read the manufacturer’s instructions first, to check if you can follow all the steps.

But if you are not comfortable with this process, it’s probably a good idea to hire a plumber to do this for you.

The complexity of the installation may depend on the brand, type, and size, but typically these are the steps required to install a salt-based Water Softener:

Step #1 – Turn off the water and water heater:

The initial step of a water softener installation is to turn off the main water source and drain the water from the system, turning on taps and faucets.

You also need to turn off the water heater power, and, ideally, disconnect it from the plug. 

Step #2 – Choose the water softener location:

Then, you need to choose where you want to install the water softener. Make sure you select a place with enough space to install it, and that it is before the water enters the household.

Also, it should be installed before the water heater, as you don’t want hot water to enter the water softener, as it can damage it.

Step #3 – Cut the water pipe:

After selecting the place to connect the water softener, cut the pipe using a pipe cutter. You can use a bucket to get any water that might leak from the pipes.

Step #4 – Install an elbow fitting:

Install an elbow fitting to connect the main water pipe into the water softener. If you are using a bypass valve, you will be able to divert the water from the water softener during maintenance.

Step #5 – Install the water softener:

Now install the water softener, connecting its “In” and “Out” ports to the correct pipes.

Step #6 – Connect the drain tube:

You need to attach the drain tube of the system to a drain.

Step #7 – Connect the brine tank:

Connect the overflow tube to the brine tank. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s guide, particularly in this step, because each brand may have its specificities.

Step #8 – Turn it on:

Add some salt to the tank, and slowly turn the water on. You can also turn the water heater on at this stage.

Step #9 – Run a backwash cycle:

Connect the power of your device, and open the bypass valve to the backwash position, letting the air push through pipes for a few minutes, then run a backwash cycle.

Step #10 – Setup the water softener:

Finally, you are good to go! Just configure the water softener system with your desired configurations, following the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Water Softener Maintenance

Water softener maintenance is quite simple, but there are a few activities that you will need to do from time to time to ensure it will work properly.

Clean the brine tank:

You should clean out the brine tank every 3 months to avoid the buildup of a hard crust in it.

To clean it, make sure you start by removing the salt and the water from the tank. Then, break the crust and remove it.

Next, wash it with warm and soapy water, and scrub the tank’s interior with a long brush. Finally, rinse it out with water.

If you want to go for a deep clean, you may perform a few additional steps, like adding bleach and a couple of gallons of water and wait a few minutes. Then, rinse the tank again with water.

Clean the resin bed:

You might need to do this activity if your water has a high concentration of iron.

But it is a simple activity, as you only need to add an iron rust product to the water softener and manually start a regeneration cycle process.

Clean the resin tank:

When the resin tank gets clogged with sediments you will need to clean it.

To do this, cut the water supply or use the bypass valve, and manually regenerate the tank. After that, open the tank and clean its interior with warm and soapy water.

FAQ About Water Softeners

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about water softeners:

Is it safe to drink water from a water softener?

Yes, in the sense that a water softener won’t contaminate the water. Is the opposite, it will remove or inactive the minerals that are making your water hard.

But if you have contaminated water, a water softener won’t solve the problem, you probably need a whole house water filter or an undersink water filter to remove its contaminants.

What is the cost of a water softener?

The price of a water softener may vary a lot, from a few hundred dollars to as much as two thousand dollars.

And if you go for a salt-based water softener, you need to consider also the recurring cost of the salt that you need to add, which can go from $5 to $30 a bag.

Some of the factors that have an impact on the cost of a water softener are the inclusion of a bypass valve, the inclusion of a pre-filter, the brand, single unit, or dual tank, etc.

Does Reverse Osmosis remove hard water?

The short answer is yes. The detailed answer is that a Reverse Osmosis system is not an ideal choice to remove hard water from your home.

But let’s go by parts, a Reverse Osmosis system can remove many minerals from your water, including the ones that cause hard water, like calcium and magnesium, so it removes hard water.

That being said, this is not ideal because generally Reverse Osmosis systems for a whole house are very expensive, and they aren’t as efficient as a water softener because they will generate waste water.

That is why we don’t recommend a RO system to remove hard water for the entire house (point of entry), but a water softener instead. If you need to use a RO system to remove certain contaminants from your water, you can always use it at point-of-use, i.e, connected to the sink that you use to drink and clean.

Where are water softeners installed?

Typically water softeners are installed at point-of-entry (POE), ie, connected to the mainline where the water enters your household. Some common locations where people install water softeners are garages and basements.

The objective is to soften all the water that enters your home so that all the pipes and appliances only get soft water. You should install the water softener before it reaches the water heater because running hot water through a water softener can damage some parts of it.

How long do water softeners last?

Typically a water softener has longevity between 10 and 20 years, but of course, that will depend on different factors, like the quality of the materials, usage, and water hardness.

For really hard water a water softener will be used more often, which will reduce its lifespan.

How much salt does a salt-based softener add to the water?

A simple calculation is to consider 2mg of salt for each gpg of hardness in an 8-ounce glass. So, if your water hardness is 10 gpg, then the water softener will add 20mg to an 8-ounce glass of water.

But to put this into perspective, a glass of milk has around 120mg of salt, so a water softener adds just a small amount of salt to the water, and it is under acceptable health ranges.

What is the difference between a water softener and a water conditioner?

Water softeners and water conditioners are both used to soften water, but they work in distinct ways.

Water softeners use ion exchange to replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium, while a water conditioner doesn’t remove ions but changes the minerals’ structure to avoid limescale buildup.

Do I really need a water softener?

If you currently have hard water in your home, then a water softener is the best option to deal with it. But if you don’t have hard water, you shouldn’t spend money on a water softener.

You can check our article about the top benefits of using a water softener, and if you would benefit from any of these points, you should consider buying a water softener.

Does my water bill increase with the use of a water softener?

Yes, but it will be a small increase.

When you use a water softener your water usage will increase (and directly your water bill also), but not as much as when you use a Reverse Osmosis System, which can generate as much as 3 times the waste water as the amount of water that is purified.

The increase in water usage generated by a water softener is due to the necessity of flushing out the accumulated ions from the resin tank with some frequency, so don’t expect a huge spike in water consumption.

Our Verdict

If you have hard water you know that you need a water softener. But with so many different options available, selecting the right water softener to buy is not an easy task.

But after reading our guide and product reviews, you should be informed to do the correct choice now, and you also know that for us the best overall water softener is the SpringWell Salt-Based Water Softener.

But if you prefer a salt-free water softener, there is a great option from the same manufacturer, the SpringWell FutureSoft Salt-Free Water Softener, which is also a great option.