Best Alkaline Water

Best Budget-Friendly Water: Essentia Water, Ionized Alkaline Bottled Water

What is alkaline water?

Regular water has a pH of 7. Alkaline water, which is regular water with added electrolytes or ions, has a pH of 8, 9 or even 10.

(In case you missed that day of science in high school, let’s review the pH scale! pH levels refer to how acidic or alkaline a substance is—the scale is from 0 to 14. Lemon juice is about a 2 or 3. Water is neutral at 7. Toothpaste is 9.)

Some folks prefer the taste of alkaline water to tap water. That’s because tap water from municipalities sometimes has been treated with chlorine or other chemicals, which gives it a certain taste. Alkaline water, however, starts as purified water and is mostly taste-free.

Other folks like alkaline water because some brands add electrolytes.

A quick note on alkaline water: you can’t test the water with test strips to confirm the alkalinity. That’s because most brands of alkaline water are purified . . . test strips can’t detect pH of purified liquids, based on our research. Hence, you may see complaints from some folks who are frustrated they can’t use a test trip to confirm the pH level of alkaline water.

So what is the best alkaline water?

To find out, we did a taste test. Here are some of the brands we tried:

For the best budget-friendly alkaline water, we crowned Essentia Water as the best bet. Why? It has a smooth, neutral taste . . . with no aftertaste. (Yes, some brands of alkaline water we tested had a slightly aftertaste).

Essentia is priced about 20% less than other brands we tried. 

Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Clean, crisp taste.

• No aftertaste.

• pH of 9.5.

• BPA-free plastic.

• Water is micro-filtered with reverse osmosis.

What Needs Work

• Metallic taste? We see some reports from folks who think this water has a metallic taste. We didn’t find that in our taste tests, however. And we tasted many brands of alkaline water!

Best Alkaline Water + Minerals: Alkaline 88 Water

Alkaline water brands take different approaches to add alkalinity—some use an ionization process or add electrolytes. Other brands add trace amounts of minerals and rock salt. If you prefer the latter, then our recommendation would be Alkaline 88 Water.

Unlike other mineral-based alkaline waters we tasted, Alkaline 88 had no flavor or aroma. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Trace amounts of zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron.

• Purified water + Himalayan rock salt.

• Smooth, neutral taste.

• BPA free plastic bottles.

• 8.8 pH.

What Needs Work

• Among the lower pH brands we tried. Most alkaline water has a pH of 9 or 10. This is one of the few brands that is a sub-9 pH alkaline water. We didn’t think that makes much of a difference, but we know some folks prefer a higher pH.

Best Water + Electrolytes: Perfect Hydration 9.5+ pH Electrolyte Enhanced Drinking Water

Fans of this popular alkaline water brand like the added electrolytes. And in our taste tests, it was at the top for taste—that is, no taste, aroma or aftertaste. Yes, the brand starts as municipal water from Los Angeles, but then goes through a 9-step filtration process. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Electrolytes include potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, magnesium sulfate.

• No added sodium, chlorine or fluoride.

• pH 9.5.

• Clean, taste-free.

• No scent or aftertaste.

What Needs Work

• A bit pricey.

Best Tangy Alkaline Water: Smartwater Alkaline 9+pH

After researching and taste testing alkaline water, we realize there are two camps of alkaline water enthusiasts. Those that prefer the water to have no taste . . . and others who prefer a slightly tangy flavor profile.

If you fall into that latter camp, we’d recommend Smartwater’s Alkaline 9+pH water. Smartwater, made by Coca Cola, uses calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and potassium bicarbonate as electrolytes. This gives the water a distinct, slightly tangy taste. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Vapor-distilled.

• BPA-free bottles.

• Very slight tangy flavor profile and aroma.

What Needs Work

• Pricey.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!