Clearly Filtered vs Seychelle Filter Pitchers: Which is Better in 2024

If you’re looking for a pitcher that can filter your drinking water, you’ve probably come across the Clearly Filtered and the Seychelle.

Why should you trust this review? It’s my job to test and review water filters, so you don’t have to. As well as writing for WaterFilterGuru, I’m a contributing author at key water industry publications, like WWD Magazine and WQP magazine.

If a product doesn’t live up to customer expectations, I’ll work out why. And if something is worth the hype, I’ll delve into why people love it so much. You can count on me to deliver the facts, with the occasional honest opinion that you won’t get from a biased brand.

In this guide, I’ll be comparing the Clearly Filtered and the Seychelle water pitchers. By the end, you should understand why the Clearly Filtered is the best of the two, and the product worth investing in. 

⚖️ Comparison Chart

Product	Clearly Filtered Water Filter Pitcher	Seychelle Pitcher
Contaminants Reduced	360+	20+
Holding Capacity	10 cups	8 cups
Filter Capacity (lifespan)	100 gallons/ 4 months	150 gallons/3-4 months
Warranty	Lifetime	–
Annual Cost	$140 – $270	$150 – $250
Buying Options	View at clearlyfiltered.com	View on Amazon.com
Discounts	Our readers get 10% off Click here to get your coupon.	–

💡 Filter Comparison

Clearly Filtered Filters

The Clearly Filtered pitcher uses “affinity filtration”, three stages of filtration that each reduce their own select range of contaminants.

First, water is sent through a mesh screen made from woven stainless steel. This sediment pre-filter traps larger particles and prevents clogging of the later filter stages.

Next, water flows through a loose filtration layer of granulated activated coconut carbon. This filter traps impurities that can affect water’s taste and smell, like chlorine. 

The final layer is a composite shell filter, and consists of more than 7 proprietary filtration materials. This slows down water flow and gives it a longer contact time with the media, allowing for the most thorough filtration.

Seychelle Filters

There’s no information on the Seychelle website on exactly what its pitcher filters are made from. This makes it difficult to compare the filter media to the material used in the Clearly Filtered, and is a bit off-putting from a customer’s perspective. 

However, we do know that the Seychelle is made in the USA, and has been tested both nationally and internationally for contaminant removal.

The filter is designed for use with chlorinated city water, which suggests it is made from activated carbon or a similar type of carbon media. You can’t use the filter to treat saltwater.

As well as aesthetic contaminants like chlorine, this filter can remove chemicals, radiological contaminants and inorganic contaminants. 

🧫 What Contaminants Do They Remove?

The Clearly Filtered pitcher is the best choice for contaminant reduction. This pitcher can reduce more than 360 harmful contaminants, including lead, chlorine, fluoride, BPA, and PFOS.

A big bonus is that, despite this thorough contaminant reduction, this filter still retains healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium. Not only do our bodies need these minerals to function, but they also give water a pleasant alkaline taste.

There’s no data on exactly how many contaminants the Seychelle pitcher can remove in advance – although the filter has been tested to remove 99.99% of several contamination “zones”, including aesthetic contaminants, inorganic contaminants, chemicals, and radiological impurities.

Here are the contaminants removed by both pitchers, as well as reduction rate:

Contaminant	Clearly Filtered Reduction %	Seychelle Pitcher Removal %
VOCs	99.0%	99.0%
PFAs	99.0%	98.0%
Fluoride	99.5%	98.6%
Nitrate	99.9%	97.7%
Nitrite	99.7%	85.5%
Arsenic	98.3%	96.8%
Barium	99.9%	98.8%
Cadmium	97.0%	99.8%
Chromium	97.8%	95.0%
Cobalt	97.1%	99.9%
Copper	99.9%	99.7%
Lead	99.3%	99.9%
Molybdenum	98.1%	75.8%
Vanadium	96.8%	84.0%
*346 Additional Contaminants	Varies	Not Tested

🚦 Performance Comparison

Clearly Filtered

Considering how many contaminants the Clearly Filtered pitcher can reduce, it offers an impressively fast filtration speed for a filter pitcher. Though you will notice that water flow slows down towards the end of the filter lifespan, you shouldn’t have to wait more than a few minutes for the pitcher to produce a batch of pure water.

There are several features that aid the filter’s performance and make the pitcher easier to use. The oversized grip handle simplifies pouring, and the water dam in the top reservoir stops water from leaking out of the lid or mixing with unfiltered water when you pour from the pitcher. 

It would be ideal if the Clearly Filtered was certified by the NSF for its performance, but the filter only has proof of independent testing to NSF Standards 42, 53, 401 and 473. An actual NSF certification would be more reassuring, but independent testing is still a notable benefit.

Seychelle

Because the Seychelle pitcher has dual filters, it also overcomes the common pitcher drawback of slow filtration. Having two filters per system speeds up the flow rate, allowing the pitcher to filter water at double the speed. It takes about 7.5 minutes for half a gallon of water to get filtered.

If sediment and silt build up in the filters, you can flush them to improve flow rate and prevent a slow-down of filtration.

Despite its fast flow rate, the Seychelle pitcher still doesn’t match up to the Clearly Filtered in terms of performance, as it doesn’t remove anywhere near as many contaminants. 

Like the Clearly Filtered, the Seychelle pitcher has been tested, but not certified, to NSF/ANSI Standard 42 & 53, for chlorine and lead removal. You can view the filter’s performance results here.

💲 Models & Upfront Cost

Clearly Filtered Models

You can buy just one type of Clearly Filtered pitcher: the 80 ounce, or 10-cup pitcher. A single person should only need to fill the pitcher once and use it throughout the day.

A 10-cup pitcher is a good size for most couples and families, as, even with heavier use, it will only require filling several times. Anything bigger than a 10-cup capacity and you may struggle to carry the filter when it’s full.

The Clearly Filtered costs $67.50 upfront. This is quite pricey, but the cost covers the initial filter, so it’s not such a bad value for money.

Seychelle Models

There are three Seychelle filter models available: 

• Seychelle Gen 2 Dual pH2O Pure Water Pitcher (64oz)
• Seychelle Gen 2 Dual Regular Water Pitcher (64oz)
• 64 oz Radiological Water Pitcher

The difference between the two Gen 2 pitchers is that the pH20 filter increases water’s pH up to 9. The Regular pitcher doesn’t offer this benefit. 

For the extra perks of the pH20 filter, it costs $10 more – $69.95, compared to the Regular pitcher’s cost of $59.95.

The Radiological pitcher is said to be the most technologically advanced of its kind. As the name suggests, it can remove more radiological contaminants than the Gen 2 pitchers, including gross beta, alpha radium 226, uranium, and cesium 137 & 134.

Because of its additional contaminant removal, the radiological pitcher is the priciest Seychelle offering, at $79.95. However, if you have a reason to be concerned about radiological contaminants in your area, this is still an affordable means of tackling the problem.

All three of the Seychelle pitchers have slightly smaller holding capacities than the Clearly Filtered. You can get 8 cups of filtered water from the Seychelle pitchers.

📆 Filter Lifespan & Replacement Costs

Clearly Filtered

You can get 100 gallons out of a single Clearly Filtered filtering cartridge, or about 4 months, before you’ll need to replace the cartridge with a new one.

Choosing to buy filters in packs of three or more will help you to save money, as the cost per filter is lower than it is when you buy a single filter.

The Clearly Filtered replacement cartridges are quite expensive, with a single filter costing $50. You can save $10 if you buy a pack of three for $140, and save $30 with a pack of 6 for $270.

The average person will go through three Clearly Filtered filters a year. With this in mind, if you choose the 6-pack of filter replacements, you’ll be spending about $135 per year.

While this cost is more expensive than the Seychelle filters (see below), the Clearly Filtered filters are still a good value for money, as their contaminant reduction makes them worth the higher price tag.

Seychelle

The cost of replacement filter cartridges for the Seychelle depends on which pitcher you have. 

The Regular pitcher has the most basic filter cartridge, which removes the fewest contaminants of the three. You can buy a dual pack of these filters for $39.95. Remember, the Seychelle pitchers use two filters per pitcher, so you should use both of these at once. There’s no option to buy more filters for a greater discount.

The pH20 filter costs $49.95 for a pack of two, and the Radiological Water Pitcher’s filters cost $44.95. Again, you don’t get a discount for buying these filters in bulk.

💬 Customer Reviews & Complaints

Clearly Filtered

Reviewers say that they’re happy with the Clearly Filtered‘s impressive contaminant reduction abilities, with many also mentioning that their filtered water had a great taste, and that the pitcher works quickly to filter water.

One complaint was that the pitcher handle isn’t as well-built as it could be, and that the price of the pitcher and replacement filters is expensive. Others mentioned that they would like Clearly Filtered to also be available as a dispenser that can be stored on the shelf of a fridge.

Some customers said that the filter life was a lot shorter than advertised. It’s worth noting that filter life can be significantly shorter if your water contains more contaminants than the water the Clearly Filtered had been tested with.

Seychelle

Customers are happy with the quality of filtration offered by the Seychelle filters. Reviewers mentioned that the pH20 filter does a good job at increasing alkalinity.

However, customers mentioned that the pH20 filter doesn’t increase water’s alkalinity for long, and that there are better alternatives if boosting alkalinity is your goal. Some customers were also unimpressed with the price of the replacement filters, and some remarked that filtration speed was slower than they expected. 

The alkalinity issue was the cause of most negative reviews, but one customer wrote that allowing the filter to sit in the water causes the pH to drop quickly, while filling the water below the filter helps to keep the filter working in the long term. It would be helpful if Seychelle mentioned this, or amended this issue with the filter.

☑️ Pros and Cons of Clearly Filtered vs Seychelle

❔ Should I Buy Clearly Filtered or Seychelle?

Ultimately, if you’re looking for the best water filter pitcher for your home, the Clearly Filtered is the better option. It can reduce hundreds more contaminants than any of the Seychelle filters, with a similar filter lifespan. It can also filter water surprisingly quickly for a filter of its kind.

Our Top Pick & Best Pitcher

Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher

The Clearly Filtered filter pitcher can reduce more than 365 contaminants from unfiltered water, making it the best water filter pitcher on the market.

Our Rating

★★★★★

Contaminants Reduced: 365+

Certifications or Testing: NSF 42, 53, 401 & 473 

Process: Mechanical + Carbon + Ion Exchange

Filter Life: 100 gal.

Annual Cost: ~$140

Warranty: Lifetime

Discount: Get 10% off – Click here for code

View at clearlyfiltered.com

At the moment, no other pitcher filter reduces as many contaminants as the Clearly Filtered pitcher. And yet – what makes the Clearly Filtered even more capable – the filter still retains water’s healthy minerals. If you want to improve the taste, health and safety of your water, the Clearly Filtered is best equipped for the job. 

That’s not to say that the Seychelle pitcher is incapable. You may prefer this filter, especially the radiological filter, if you need to remove specific contaminants from your water. The Seychelle is also more affordable (though whether that makes it a better value for money is another thing). But for general, all-round contaminant reduction from a brand you can trust, I recommend the Clearly Filtered.