What is the top 5 best drinking water?

September 21, 2025 •

4 min read

While most Americans can access safe tap water, water quality varies widely across regions and sources. Understanding the differences between types of drinking water, from natural spring to purified, is crucial for making informed choices about your health.

Quick Summary

The best drinking water depends on factors like source, mineral content, and personal preference. Leading choices often include natural spring water, mineral water, filtered tap water, alkaline water, and purified water, each offering distinct characteristics and benefits.

Key Points

Filtered Tap Water: Most economical and eco-friendly option, improves taste and removes contaminants with a home filter.
Natural Spring Water: Naturally filtered and rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, offering a crisp, clean taste.
Mineral Water: Contains a regulated minimum of dissolved minerals from a protected underground source, known for its distinctive taste.
Alkaline Water: Has a higher pH level, often with added minerals and electrolytes, and is claimed to neutralize acidity, though benefits are mixed.
Purified Water: Highly processed to remove almost all impurities and minerals, resulting in a very pure but bland-tasting water.
Informed Choice: Your best water depends on your health priorities, budget, and taste; research and test your water to decide.

Understanding Your Water

Choosing the best water is a personal decision based on your health goals, budget, and taste preferences. The term "best" can be subjective, as different water types offer various benefits and drawbacks. Your ideal choice may not be the same as someone else's, so it's important to understand the landscape of options available today.

The Top 5 Types of Drinking Water

1. Natural Spring Water

Sourced from an underground aquifer, spring water flows naturally to the surface. As it travels through rock and soil, it picks up beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. This natural filtration process gives it a clean, crisp taste that many prefer. However, spring water can be more expensive when bottled, and the mineral content and quality can vary significantly depending on the spring's location. While generally pure, all spring water should be treated to ensure it's free of harmful bacteria.

Benefits of Spring Water:

Contains naturally occurring, essential minerals.
Crisp, clean taste profile.
Often sourced sustainably by reputable brands.

2. Filtered Tap Water

Using a home water filtration system is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get clean water. Filters, such as those using activated carbon or reverse osmosis, remove contaminants like chlorine, lead, and pesticides from your municipal water supply. This greatly improves the taste and safety of your tap water. Systems range from simple pitcher filters to advanced under-sink or whole-house setups, allowing you to tailor the filtration to your specific needs and budget.

Benefits of Filtered Tap Water:

Reduces exposure to many harmful contaminants.
Far more economical than bottled water.
Significantly reduces plastic waste.
Improves the taste and odor of tap water.

3. Mineral Water

Defined by the FDA, mineral water must contain at least 250 parts per million of dissolved solids, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, from a protected underground source. Unlike spring water, these minerals cannot be added artificially. The high mineral content gives it a distinct flavor and is often associated with potential health benefits, such as supporting bone density. However, it is one of the more expensive bottled water options.

4. Alkaline Water

With a pH level higher than neutral drinking water (typically 8 or above), alkaline water is believed by some to neutralize acidity in the body and provide various health benefits. It often contains added minerals and electrolytes to achieve its higher pH and improve taste. While some research suggests potential benefits, evidence is mixed, and excessive consumption may have side effects. It is available both naturally and through a process called electrolysis.

5. Purified Water

Purified water undergoes rigorous treatment, such as distillation, deionization, or reverse osmosis, to remove nearly all impurities and dissolved solids. This makes it one of the purest forms of water available, and a good choice in areas with poor tap water quality. However, the purification process also removes beneficial minerals, giving it a flat taste and potentially creating a mineral deficiency over time if it is a sole source of hydration. Remineralizing filters can be used to reintroduce minerals.

Water Type Comparison


Feature	Spring Water	Filtered Tap Water	Mineral Water	Alkaline Water	Purified Water
Source	Natural underground springs	Municipal tap water	Protected mineral springs	Natural springs or electrolysis	Tap water, groundwater, etc.
Mineral Content	Varies naturally	Varies by tap source; lost with RO	>250 ppm dissolved minerals	Higher mineral content for pH	Almost zero (removed)
Purity	High (naturally filtered)	Improved (filters remove contaminants)	High (protected source)	High (processed)	Very high (processed)
Taste	Crisp and clean	Improved; depends on filter	Distinctive, mineral-rich	Smooth and clean	Bland or flat
Cost	High (bottled)	Low (after filter investment)	High (bottled)	Medium to High	Medium (bottled); low with RO system
Best For	Natural taste, mineral seekers	Economical, eco-friendly option	Distinctive taste, bone health	Potential pH balance benefits	Ultra-pure, specific needs (e.g., medical)

How to Choose the Right Water for Your Family

Choosing the best drinking water for your home requires assessing your priorities. Start by considering the quality of your local tap water. A great resource is the EPA Drinking Water Contaminants list, which details regulations and contaminants. Then, weigh the following factors:

Budget: Bottled waters are convenient but expensive over time. Filtering your tap water is a budget-friendly long-term solution.
Environmental Impact: Opting for filtered tap water and reusable bottles dramatically reduces single-use plastic waste, a major environmental concern.
Taste and Health Benefits: Consider if you prefer the naturally occurring minerals in spring or mineral water or the ultra-pure taste of purified water. For taste alone, spring and mineral waters are often preferred.
Filter Type: If filtering tap water, research different systems. Activated carbon is great for taste and chlorine, while reverse osmosis systems offer more comprehensive removal of contaminants like lead and arsenic.
Specialty Needs: If you have specific health concerns, such as high blood pressure, consult a healthcare provider for recommendations. For example, some may suggest low-sodium options.

Final Thoughts on the Best Drinking Water

There is no single "best" water for everyone. The ideal choice is a balance of safety, taste, cost, and environmental impact. For most people, a high-quality home filtration system for tap water provides the perfect solution, offering an excellent combination of purity, affordability, and sustainability. For those who enjoy specific flavor profiles or seek certain minerals, premium bottled spring or mineral water remains a popular choice. Ultimately, the most important factor is ensuring you are consistently drinking enough clean, safe water to stay properly hydrated throughout the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not necessarily. While bottled water is often perceived as purer, many municipal tap water systems in the US are highly regulated and safe. A home water filter can make tap water both safer and better tasting than many bottled options, and is more environmentally friendly.

Spring water comes from an underground source that naturally flows to the surface and contains varying levels of minerals. Mineral water, as defined by the FDA, must contain at least 250 parts per million of dissolved minerals from a protected spring, with no minerals added later.

Yes, purified water, which includes distilled and reverse osmosis water, removes nearly all dissolved solids and minerals during processing. While it is extremely pure, it lacks the naturally occurring minerals found in spring or mineral water.

While anecdotal evidence and some preliminary studies suggest benefits, there is no recent evidence in humans to suggest that alkaline water provides significant health benefits. It’s important to remember that drinking water, regardless of pH, will not change your body's overall pH level.

To improve tap water quality, you can use various filtration methods. Simple pitcher filters with activated carbon improve taste and odor, while more advanced reverse osmosis systems can remove a wider range of contaminants like heavy metals. A whole-house filter can provide filtered water from every tap.

Electrolyte waters contain added minerals like sodium and potassium, intended to aid hydration, especially after intense physical activity. The electrolyte content can vary widely by brand, so check the label if you are seeking a performance-enhancing beverage.

Most regulated drinking water is safe. However, consuming only purified water over a long period could theoretically lead to mineral deficiencies, though diet is the main source of minerals. Untreated water from natural sources can contain harmful bacteria. Excessively high mineral content in hard water can affect taste and appliances, but is not generally unsafe to drink.