AquaOx vs SpringWell: Which is Better in 2023?

SpringWell and AquaOx are two popular water treatment manufacturers with decades of industry experience. Both brands are competitively priced and offer similar products – so choosing between them can be challenging.

We’ve compared and reviewed some of AquaOx and SpringWell’s top products, and shared our findings in this comparison guide to help you choose the best brand for your needs.

🏠 Whole House Water Filtration Systems

SpringWell

You can buy three different-sized whole house water filter systems from SpringWell for city water:

Model	Flow Rate (GPM)	# of Bathrooms
CF1	9	1-3
CF4	12	4-6
CF+	30	for commercial use

If you have private well water, you should buy SpringWell’s whole house well water filter system, available in two sizes:

Model	Flow Rate (GPM)	# of Bathrooms
WS1	12	1-4
WS4	20	4+

AquaOx

AquaOx has a whole house water filter system for city water available in two sizes:

Model	Flow Rate (GPM)	# of Bathrooms
AquaOx	15	1-4
AquaOx XL	37	4+

For private well water, you can choose from two AquaOx water filters, depending on your contaminant issues:

• The12 GPM AquaOx FE, for iron problems
• The 12 GPM AquaOx RE, for rotten egg smell (sulfur problems)

⚖️ Comparison Chart

💡 Media Comparison

SpringWell CF1

There are two combined media in the SpringWell CF1: catalytic carbon and KDF. Catalytic carbon targets aesthetic contaminants that give water an unpleasant smell or taste, like chlorine. KDF works alongside carbon to trap additional contaminants like herbicides, pesticides, and PFOAs. The media is protected against large particles by a 5-micron sediment filter.

The CF1 uses a four-stage proprietary media, with an anti-channeling feature that prevents water from flowing straight through the media. This extends contact time and allows for more thorough filtration. The result? Clean-tasting, chemical-free drinking water.

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

The SpringWell Well Water Filter System focuses on removing iron, manganese, and sulfur with air injection. This process oxidizes contaminants by sending water through an air pocket, then traps the contaminants in a media bed.

The system backwashes regularly to flush the media. To protect the media from sediment, the system comes with a spin-down sediment filter that removes particles up to 100 microns. That’s more impressive than the CF1’s 5-micron sediment filter.

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

The AquaOx Whole House Water Filter uses a combination of five different media: KDF 85, garnet, catalytic carbon, activated carbon, and filter-AG. Combined, these media remove chlorine, lead, TTHMs, mercury, iron, pesticides, and VOCs. Apparently, this filter is NSF certified, but we can’t find it on the NSF listings website.

📌 What can you expect from this filter media? Improved water taste and odor, notably. Like the SpringWell CF1, this whole house water filtration system increases contact time and improves filtration efficiency with Vortech (swirling) technology.

AquaOx FE

The AquaOx FE also uses air injection/oxidation to oxidize and remove contaminants from water. This filter focuses solely on iron removal.

Water flows through an air pocket at the top of the tank, which oxidizes iron. The media bed then removes this oxidized iron from the water before it leaves the tank. The system performs a daily backwash to prevent iron buildup in the media.

AquaOx RE

The AquaOx RE appears to be exactly the same as the AquaOx FE, and also uses air injection/oxidation to remove iron and sulfur. What makes this system more capable of removing sulfur, and the RE more capable of removing iron? Who knows – there’s no mention of what sets the systems apart on the product pages or in the user manual (which is combined for both systems since they’re so similar).

Expect the same performance from the AquaOx RE as you get from the RE. The only difference is that the RE is designed to remove more sulfur and less iron.

🧫 What Contaminants Do They Remove?

SpringWell CF1

The SpringWell CF1 filtration combines three stages of filtration to target commonly-occurring city water contaminants:

• Stage 1: a sediment filter removing sand, silt, and clay
• Stage 2: catalytic carbon filter media removing chlorine, chloramine, VOCs, herbicides and pesticides
• Stage 3: KDF media enhancing the catalytic carbon media’s contaminant removal

The CF1 doesn’t remove tens of contaminants from water. The filter provides a more targeted contaminant removal, focusing on the biggest problem impurities in municipal water.

Read the full review 👉 SpringWell CF Filter System Review

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

There are four contaminants targeted by the SpringWell Well Water Filter System:

• Iron (up to 7 PPM removal)
• Hydrogen sulfide ( up to 8 PPM removal)
• Manganese (up to 1 PPM removal)
• Sediment (up to 100 microns)

This system is designed to treat water with a rotten egg smell or an orange tinge, or water that leaves red, black, or brown staining on appliances.

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

The contaminants removed by the AquaOx whole house filter are:

• Chlorine
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Lead
• Mercury
• VOCs
• TTHMs
• Sulfur
• Dirt
• Rust
• Industrial solvents

It would be good to see a test sheet telling us exactly what this filter removes, but AquaOx hasn’t shared one online.

AquaOx FE

The AquaOx FE can remove the following contaminants from well water:

• Iron (7 PPM)
• Sulfur (4 PPM)

AquaOx RE

The AquaOx RE removes the same two contaminants, but in different amounts:

• Sulfur (8 PPM)
• Iron (2 PPM)

🚦 Performance Comparison

SpringWell CF1

When it comes to quality and consistency, the SpringWell CF1 ticks out boxes.

It might not remove as many contaminants as its top competitors, but that doesn’t stop this filter from being one of our top picks. The minimum 9 GPM flow rate is fast enough for the average family of four.

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

The SpringWell Well Water Filter System offers something that most of its competitors don’t: almost equal iron and hydrogen sulfide removal. If you’re dealing with both of these contaminants in similar measures, this SpringWell system is a good choice for you.

This AIO filtration system did its job nicely, eliminating the iron issues form our water. With a 12 GPM flow rate (for the smallest model), the system didn’t affect our water pressure.

Read the full review 👉 SpringWell WS Filter System Review

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

The AquaOx whole house filtration system offers a performance closely matched to the SpringWell CF1, with similar contaminant removal abilities. This filter has a better flow rate than the CF1 – the smallest model provides a maximum water flow of 15 GPM.

AquaOx FE

The AquaOx FE removes the same amount of iron and slightly less sulfur than the SpringWell Well Water Filter. It’s slightly annoying that you have to buy the sulfur system for better sulfur removal – but that gives worse iron removal. It’s a shame that AquaOx doesn’t just offer a filter that can remove both equally, like SpringWell.

As for water quality, the AquaOx FE’s is able to eliminate the orange residue and metallic taste.. The 12 GPM flow rate is equal to the SpringWell system’s flow rate, and should suit most families of four.

AquaOx RE

We won’t repeat the AquaOx FE’s performance information – you can expect exactly the same from the AquaOx RE. The only difference is that the FE contains iron filter media and the RE contains sulfur filter media.

Learn more about the all best whole house water filtration systems in 2023 in this guide.

💲 Models & Upfront Cost

SpringWell CF Systems

The 9 GPM SpringWell CF system starts at about $900 – about $500 cheaper than its closest competitors.

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

The SpringWell Well Water Filter Systems start at about $2,200 – but they have the advantage of being virtually maintenance-free, so the upfront cost is worth it for most people on a well system.

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

The AquaOx whole house city water filter starts at $3,500. Honestly, we think this is too expensive considering it offers a similar performance and removes virtually the same contaminants as the CF1. Even for the faster flow rate and longer media lifespan, $3,500 is steep.

AquaOx FE

The AquaOx FE costs just under $2,000, including the sediment pre-filter. This is slightly cheaper than the SpringWell’s competing system, and about bang-on average for a system of its kind.

AquaOx RE

The AquaOx RE also costs just short of $2,000, again suggesting that the FE and the RE are the same systems but with different media.

Model	Cost
SpringWell CF1	$1643.00
SpringWell CF4	$2070.00
SpringWell CF+	$3225.00
SpringWell WS1	$4068.00
SpringWell WS4	$4998.00
AquaOx	$3,499.00
AquaOx XL	$4,999.00
AquaOx FE	$1,999.00
AquaOx RE	$1,999.00

📆 Filter Lifespan & Replacement Costs

SpringWell CF1

How long can you expect the SpringWell CF1’s media to last? According to SpringWell, the media lifespan is about 1 million gallons, or 10 years. Don’t forget to change the filter cartridge every 6-9 months.

Replacement media costs just shy of $350 on SpringWell’s website. Sediment filters cost less than $100 per filter.

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

What about the SpringWell Well Water Filter System’s greensand media? This has an even more impressive lifespan of 18-25 years, so it truly is the definition of maintenance-free.

The spin-down filter is self-cleaning, too, so it lasts up to 24 months before it needs changing (cost: about $100).

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

You get 20 years of use from the AquaOx whole home filter media before you need to think about replacements. That’s double the media lifespan of the SpringWell CF1. You can flush the sediment pre-filter once a month to extend its lifespan.

AquaOx FE

There’s no information on AquaOx’s website, the user manual, or anywhere else that says how long the media in the AquaOx FE lasts. There’s also nowhere to buy the replacement media.

AquaOx RE

Same here – the filter media has an unknown lifespan, and replacement media doesn’t appear to be on the AquaOx website.

Model	Annual Filter & Media Replacement Cost
SpringWell CF1 (For City Water)	>$100 (filter), $335 (media)
SpringWell Well Water Filter System	$100 (spin-down filter)
AquaOx/AquaOx XL	Price unavailable
AquaOx FE	Price unavailable
AquaOx RE	Price unavailable

💬 Customer Reviews & Complaints

SpringWell CF1

Customers are, on the whole, happy with the SpringWell CF1. We read reports from customers who DIY-installed the system with little hassle, and got a good response from SpringWell’s customer service when they needed help.

One customer was so pleased with their water quality after installing the CF1 that they ditched their bottled water habit and started drinking tap water once more.

There were a few customer complaints about the installation process. If you’re not a handy person, you may need to pay for a professional installation.

SpringWell Well Water Filter System

Customers had plenty of good things to say about the SpringWell Well Water Filter System, too. According to reviewers, the system lives up to expectations when it comes to contaminant removal, and significantly improves the taste, smell, quality, and clarity of water.

We read complaints from customers who said that the system performed too-frequent backwashing cycles and wasted more water than they’d expected.

AquaOx Whole House Water Filter

Customers were pleased with the quality of filtration they received from the AquaOx whole house water filtration system and had good things to say about the manufacturer’s customer support.

One customer said that DIY installation was very simple, thanks to the “great instructions”. They said they couldn’t tell the difference between their filtered tap water and bottled water.

The only negative review we found talked about the difficulty in returning the filter for a full refund after the customer realized the filter didn’t meet their needs.

AquaOx FE

We couldn’t find customer reviews for the AquaOx FE. The system isn’t available on Amazon, which is where we usually head for reviews. The AquaOx website gives the system a 5-star rating, based on 17 customer reviews that can’t be read anywhere on the product page.

AquaOx RE

There are no customer reviews for the AquaOx RE, either – just the same 5-star rating based on 17 unseen customer reviews on the AquaOx website.

☑️ Pros and Cons

🚿 Water Softeners & Conditioners

SpringWell

SpringWell sells one salt-based water softener, available in three sizes:

Model	Flow Rate (GPM)	# of Bathrooms
SS1	11	1-3
SS4	13	4+
SS+	20	for commercial use

SpringWell also offers a salt-free solution: the SpringWell FutureSoft, available in three sizes:

Model	Flow Rate (GPM)	# of Bathrooms
FS1	12	1-3
FS4	15	4-6
FS+	20	for commercial use

AquaOx

AquaOx has a single salt-based softening system in just one size:

• The 15 GPM AquaOx WS

AquaOx doesn’t offer a salt-free conditioner, so SpringWell has the advantage of appealing to a broader audience.

⚖️ Comparison Chart

🚦 Performance Comparison

SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System

The SpringWell SS has topped our best water softeners list for over a year thanks to its consistently reliable performance, its durability, and its exceptional value for money. This softener uses the most effective softening process, ion exchange, to physically remove calcium and magnesium minerals from water.

This system is one of the smartest softeners we’ve tried, and saves more water (and money) than its competitors by only regenerating when absolutely necessary.

Read the full review 👉 Springwell SS Water Softener Review

SpringWell FutureSoft® Salt-Free Water Softener

The SpringWell FutureSoft is SpringWell’s salt-free option, using the most popular conditioning method (which is considered the best alternative to ion exchange in studies): template-assisted crystallization, or TAC. This process is said to reduce scale buildup up to 99.6%, so it’s nearly as impressive as ion exchange.

This system passed our tests for hardness reduction. While it retained healthy minerals in our water and didn’t affect water quality, it effectively prevented these minerals from forming scale.

AquaOx WS

The AquaOx WS is a traditional ion exchange salt-based water softener that has two separate tanks: a brine tank and a resin tank. This softener exchanges calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions, providing noticeable scale-prevention benefits.

The unit’s 15 GPM max. flow rate is great (3 GPM faster than the smallest SpringWell SS model). But there are no features designed to improve efficiency and reduce water waste in this system, so it’s not quite as appealing as the SS.

💲 Models & Upfront Cost

SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System

The cheapest SpringWell SS model, the SS1, starts at about $1,500, and the largest system costs just over $2,000. This is about right on average for the cost of a salt-based water softener.

SpringWell FutureSoft® Salt-Free Water Softener

The SpringWell FutureSoft costs a bit more upfront (also normal for a salt-free system that requires less maintenance and has a lower cost of upkeep). The smallest system costs about $1,600 and the largest costs nearly $2,600.

AquaOx WS

The upfront cost of the AquaOx WS is just over $2,000. That’s almost the same price as SpringWell’s largest model, so we think you get the best value with SpringWell.

Read the full review 👉 AquaOx WS Water Softener Review

📆 Resin Lifespan & Replacement Costs

SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System

The resin in the SpringWell SS has an 8-year lifespan. Honestly, we’ve seen better lifespans for other water softener resins, so we think SpringWell could do better here. On a better note, the tanks and valves have a two-decade lifespan.

You’ll need to contact SpringWell directly to see if you can buy replacement resin from the manufacturer. Otherwise, there are plenty of options from other brands.

SpringWell FutureSoft® Salt-Free Water Softener

The SpringWell FutureSoft’s TAC media lasts about 6 years, or 1 million gallons. This is pretty decent, although we’ve reviewed conditioners with a 10-year media lifespan.

Again, you’ll need to contact SpringWell to buy replacement media or shop for media sold by other brands.

Read the full review 👉 SpringWell Futuresoft Water Conditioner Review

AquaOx WS

We can’t find anywhere on the AquaOx website or in the user manual that says how long the resin lasts. Contact the manufacturer to find out whether or not you can buy replacement resin directly, or whether you need to look elsewhere.

💬 Customer Reviews & Complaints

SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System

The reviews for SpringWell’s salt-based softener are largely positive. Benefits mentioned by customers included easy installation, noticeable water quality improvement, and the convenience of the system’s Bluetooth app.

As for complaints, some customers disagreed that the system was easy to install, and some customers had to do some major work to plumb the softener in.

SpringWell FutureSoft® Salt-Free Water Softener

Most customers were happy with the quality of their conditioned water after installing the SpringWell FutureSoft. Generally, customers were satisfied that the system appears to do what it’s advertised to do.

Some customers were hesitant to praise the FutureSoft because they didn’t notice a difference immediately after installing the unit, and felt it was too early to tell.

AquaOx WS

There are no reviews available on the AquaOx website for the AquaOx WS.

☑️ Pros and Cons

⚗️ Reverse Osmosis Systems

SpringWell

SpringWell has one under-sink reverse osmosis system:

• The 75 GPD (gallons per day) SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

AquaOx

AquaOx also has one under-sink RO system:

• The AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink (with a 75 GPD membrane)

⚖️ Comparison Chart

🧫 Contaminants Removed

SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

The SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System removes virtually all TDS (total dissolved solids) from water, including:

• Arsenic
• Aluminum
• Chlorine
• Chloramine
• Disinfection byproducts
• Fluoride
• Herbicides
• Iron
• Lead
• Mercury
• Pesticides

We wish SpringWell would share a datasheet or testing overview to tell us exactly what the system has been tested and proven to remove.

AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink

AquaOx claims its RO Kitchen Sink model significantly reduces contaminants bigger than 0.0001 microns, including:

• Cadmium
• Chlorine
• Chromium
• Cryptosporidium
• Dissolved solids
• Lead
• Nitrate
• Salts
• Turbidity
• VOCs

Again, there’s no datasheet supplied for this unit, so we can only take the manufacturer’s word for it that it removes these contaminants.

🚦 Efficiency Ratio & Performance

SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

When it comes to performance, the SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System is one of the top RO systems available today. The unit has a quick 75 gallon per day capacity, so you’ll never have to wait around for filtered water. The average GPD rating for an under-sink RO unit is 50, and 75 is the max – so the SpringWell model is at the top of its game.

As for the filtration process, it features all the stages that we’ve come to expect in a reverse osmosis system, including a pre-filter, a carbon filter, a semi-permeable membrane, and a post-filter. The result? Greatly reduced TDS.

This unit’s efficiency rating is 23.16%, according to the user manual – but there’s no mention of the gallons-wasted-vs-gallons-produced efficiency, so we can’t say for certain how efficient this reverse osmosis system is.

Like all traditional under-sink RO units, the SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System stores water in a pressurized tank once it’s been filtered, so you get filtered water almost instantly when you turn on the tap.

AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink

The AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink is pretty equally matched to the SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System in performance. This unit has a 75 GPD membrane (which we take to mean gives the entire system a 75 GPD rating, just like the SpringWell model). This also makes the AquaOx unit one of the fastest-flow under-sink RO systems.

The filter stages in the AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink are also exactly the same as those in the SpringWell model: a sediment pre-filter, a carbon pre-filter, a semi-permeable membrane, and a carbon post-filter.

The RO membrane in this unit has an efficiency rating of 18.73%, so slightly lower than the SpringWell model. Again, there’s no mention of how many gallons of water are wasted versus how many are produced.

Like SpringWell’s RO system, the AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink has a water storage tank, so you don’t have to wait for water to flow through all the filter stages when you turn on the faucet.

💲 Models & Upfront Cost

SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

The SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System costs just under $450. That’s about the price you can expect to pay for a reliable system from a reputable brand.

AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink

The AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink costs just short of $500. Would we pay the extra $50? Probably not – this AquaOx model doesn’t offer anything more than the SpringWell unit, so we’re not sure what we’re paying more for.

📆 Filter Capacity & Replacement Costs

SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

There are four main filter stages in the SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System:

• The sediment filter – lasts about 6 months, costs around $20
• Carbon and post-carbon filter – 6-month lifespan, cost about $30 each
• The RO membrane – lasts about 2 years, costs around $100

The annual cost of maintenance and filter changes for this system is $160-$260, depending on whether or not the semi-permeable membrane needs to be replaced that year.

AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink

There are also four stages of filtration in the AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink:

• The sediment pre-filter – lasts about 6 months
• The carbon pre– and post-filters – also last about 6 months
• The RO membrane – lasts about 2 years

In terms of lifespan, SpringWell and AquaOx are once again equally matched. But what about cost? Oddly, we didn’t come across a way to buy each replacement cartridge separately – you can only buy a pack of 4 for about $130. That’s a good deal, and about $50 cheaper than SpringWell when you add the costs up, but it doesn’t make much sense to us. You’d surely end up with a huge stock of RO membranes, since you’d need to buy the whole filter set every six months, but you’d only need to replace the RO membrane every 2 years.

💬 Customer Reviews & Complaints

SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System

There’s plenty of customer praise for the SpringWell Reverse Osmosis Drinking System. Reviewers said that this system improved the taste and quality of their water, and the majority of customers said they could easily DIY install the unit.

One customer said that the biggest benefit of the SpringWell system was that it produced bottled water quality, so they no longer had to store large bottles and pitchers in the fridge. Customers were also pleased with the support they received from the SpringWell team.

Some customers struggled with the “confusing” instructions in the user manual, and some situations presented more installation challenges – for instance, one customer struggled to find someone to drill through their granite countertop to install the faucet.

AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink

We couldn’t find any customer reviews for the AquaOx RO Kitchen Sink.

☑️ Pros and Cons

🥇 Springwell vs AquaOx: Who Wins?

Comparing SpringWell and AquaOx’s top products, it’s clearly a close call.

📌 We noted that in most cases, the two brands offered very similar features, but there were typically a few misgivings on AquaOx’s part that crowned SpringWell’s product as the winner.

Here’s what we mean:

• Comparing the whole-house water filters, the AquaOx whole house filtration system uses more filtration media than the SpringWell model and it’s potentially NSF certified. Plus, the media lasts longer than the SpringWell’s – but both systems remove virtually the same contaminants, SpringWell is much more affordable.
• For the water softeners, the AquaOx softener has a slightly faster flow rate than SpringWell’s smallest unit, but the SpringWell softener is about $500 cheaper and offers better softening results. Plus, SpringWell offers a water conditioning alternative for folks who want to avoid salt.
• In the RO systems comparison, both units offer the same flow rate and the same number of filter stages, with the same lifespans. But the SpringWell model is slightly more efficient than the AquaOx model, and costs about $50 less.

In all, AquaOx has more shortcomings than SpringWell – and that’s what it comes down to. Both manufacturers don’t share their test results online, so we don’t think any brand is perfect. But AquaOx’s lack of reviews and missing product information sets it a couple of steps behind SpringWell.

Our final verdict? You can’t go wrong with SpringWell OR AquaOx products. We’ve recommended both manufacturers in our buyers’ guides on numerous occasions. But due to the reliability of SpringWell’s products, the fact that SpringWell has a lot more customer reviews, and the differences mentioned above, we rank SpringWell as our current favorite.