Should you buy a Whirlpool refrigerator water filter? Or a third-party filter?

When it comes to replacing the water filter in your Whirlpool refrigerator, you are faced with two basic choices:

Buy the manufacturer’s own filter, which works great . . . but is very pricey.

Or save a few bucks and try a third-party filter.

We asked readers who own Whirlpool refrigerators for their own experiences—which filters worked best? Did they notice a change in water taste?

As for third-party filters, did they fit well and not leak? We researched overall quality and performance to find the best third-party option.

When it comes to water filters, there are a series of quality standards that apply—these are set by the NSF International, which is part of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

Here is what you’d see on the filter:

NS42: These filters remove chlorine, taste and odors. This standard also requires the filter itself not to leach contaminants into your water.

NS53: This filters out a series of other contaminants like asbestos.

NSF372: This standard focuses on lead.

You’ll see these standards listed on the filters recommended in this article.

As always, check carefully whether the filter works with your model refrigerator before ordering.

So let’s answer the question we posed at the start of this article: should buy the name brand filter? Or save and go for the third-party filters? We say either is fine, based on our reader feedback and independent research into filter standards. And since manufacturer filters can be so pricey, it is perfectly acceptable in our opinion to try out a third-party option.

Here are the filters that we think are best for Whirlpool refrigerators:

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products 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!