Home Depot Water Softener Installation Cost: Is It Worth It?

Home Depot sells a range of popular water softeners for point-of-entry installation. One of the reasons you might be considering buying a water softener system from Home Depot is because the company offers installation services, saving you the effort of installing the softener yourself or contacting a local plumber.

In this guide, we’ve outlined the costs of a Home Depot water softener installation. We’ve also shared the pros and cons of getting a water softener installed by Home Depot, and whether or not we think this service is worth your money.

🧾 What’s Included In The Home Depot Water Softener Installation Cost?

When you buy Home Depot’s water softener installation service, what exactly are you paying for?

Generally, the installation charges cover the following factors:

• Labor costs
• The cost of the water softener*
• The cost of an additional water treatment system (such as reverse osmosis)
• The cost of the sediment pre-filter
• The cost of additional materials and plumbing
• Permit costs (if needed)

The water softener installation costs may also be influenced by the size of the softener.

We’ve shared more information about some of these factors below.

📌 Home Depot offers installation packages, which means you have to buy a water softener system from the company to be eligible for the installation service. You can’t buy a softener elsewhere and come to Home Depot just for the installation.

📊 Home Depot Water Softener System Cost

The cost of installation includes the water softener cost.

Home Depot sells a range of water softeners from popular brands, including GE, Aquasure,, iSpring, and Pentair.

Costs vary depending on the size, complexity, and quality of the water softener. You can buy a water softener for as little as $400, with prices skyrocketing to $4,000 +. Home Depot also sells different size configurations for the same system, with prices increasing with system size.

A lot of the water softeners sold by Home Depot aren’t available directly from the manufacturer, which is a smart move by Home Depot – it means you can’t cut out the middleman and get cheaper costs from a direct purchase.

However, most softeners are sold by other retailers and marketplaces alongside Home Depot, so it’s worth checking prices on multiple websites to make sure you’re getting a good deal with Home Depot.

💲 Home Depot Installation Packages & Costs

Below, we’ve shared Home Depot’s three installation packages, and their costs, for you to compare.

Installation Package	Cost
Basic Package	$2,500
Mid-Range Package	$4,500
Top Tier Package	$6,500

Basic Installation Package

Cost: $2,500

The most basic and cheapest Home Depot installation offering costs around $2,500. This package is for the installation of a single water softener system without additional parts or filters (such as reverse osmosis systems).

This package includes:

• The upfront water softener cost
• The labor costs
• Material costs

There are a few other factors that may determine the actual cost of the package.

For instance, if you have a soft water loop and don’t require additional plumbing for the installation, the installation fee should be reduced. On the other end, if you need to make major changes to your plumbing setup, this may come at an additional cost.

Mid-Range Installation Package

Cost: $4,500

The next package up offered by Home Depot is for the installation of a water softener and reverse osmosis system, and costs about $4,500.

This package includes:

• The upfront water softener price
• The labor costs
• Material costs
• AND the cost of the reverse osmosis system

It might be worth it for you to install a water softener and a reverse osmosis system together if you want to drastically improve your drinking water quality. The reverse osmosis process removes salt, so if you don’t like the idea of softened salty water, consider this package.

Again, the exact cost of this installation package depends on how much labor and materials are required for the install.

Top Tier Installation Package

Cost: $6,500

Finally, the most expensive Home Depot installation package costs about $6,500 and includes the cost of the water softener, plus a reverse osmosis system and an additional whole house water filtration system.

With this package, you pay for:

• The upfront water softener cost
• The labor costs
• Material costs
• The cost of the reverse osmosis system
• AND the cost of a whole home water filtration system

If your water quality is particularly poor, you may benefit from getting a water filter installed along with a water softener and reverse osmosis system.

Some regions may require that homeowners obtain a permit for such extensive plumbing work, which may be an additional cost you need to factor into your budget.

📌 You might pay less if your house is plumbed for quick installation of a water treatment system, or more if you need to make major changes to your existing plumbing.

⚖️ Pros & Cons of Home Depot Water Softener Installation

Now you know how much it costs for Home Depot to install a water softener on your behalf, let’s look at the pros and cons of choosing Home Depot as your installer.

Pros

• Professional install – No need to worry about what could go wrong if you install your water softener yourself. With Home Depot’s installation package, a professional, insured plumber will install the system for you. That includes setting up the system so it performs optimally based on your water hardness.
• Support when needed – Once your water softener has been installed, you’ll be able to call Home Depot within the initial start-up period if you have any concerns or if something isn’t right. Depending on the problem, Home Depot may send out a plumber to resolve the issue for free.
• Financing options available – Most people would struggle to pay the upfront cost of a water softener, which often exceeds $1,000. Home Depot lets eligible customers split the purchase into much more manageable payments over a period of up to 24 months.
• Free water test – A nice added perk is that a professional will test your water for free during their initial inspection of your home. The water test will provide the information needed to buy the right water softener size and configuration for your hard water issues.

Cons

• Expensive – You’ll obviously spend more money on Home Depot’s professional installation service than if you simply installed the water softener yourself. You might also get a cheaper deal from hiring a local plumber.
• Lengthy process – There are a few extra steps involved in getting a water softener installed by Home Depot, including an initial home inspection (which can take weeks, depending on the contractor’s availability) and waiting for the report to be delivered to you. You could buy and DIY install a water softener in a matter of days, but if you go with Home Depot, the process could take up to 3 months.
• Quality not guaranteed – Some customers have had issues with poor-quality service from the contractors hired by Home Depot. The quality of the service you receive depends on which contractors are used by the company in your area.

📋 Extra Costs To Consider

Aside from the installation package, what other Home Depot offers should you consider?

Home Depot Protection Plan

If you’ve got the budget to spare and you want to ensure your water softener is protected for as long as possible, consider Home Depot’s 3-Year or 5-Year Appliance Protection Plan.

The plan includes a few perks, including guaranteed free repairs to your water softener system if it becomes faulty, or replacements/full refunds for water softeners that can’t be repaired.

The cost of the Appliance Protection Plan depends on the cost of the unit itself. Expect to pay around 15% of the unit price. This is an annual cost, so it’s quite a big commitment. The good news is that you can get a refund within the first 90 days after signing up if you decide the plan isn’t for you.

The Home Depot Appliance Protection Plan offers benefits including:

• Complete coverage for defects and breakdowns
• 24/7 online claims handling
• A guaranteed appointment within two days of calling
• No additional costs or deductibles

📌 Would we recommend this plan? Not for most people. You might end up paying hundreds of dollars per year for nothing. But if you like the reassurance of support whenever you need it, it’s an option to consider.

🆚 Home Depot Softener Installation Cost vs Plumber Installation Cost

What’s best: paying for Home Depot’s water softener installation service or hiring a plumber to install a water softener for you?

There’s no denying that getting a water softener installed by Home Depot is the most convenient, hassle-free solution.

Home Depot will handle everything, including arranging for an installation company to install the system. Plus, your installer should (hopefully) be familiar with installing the softeners sold by Home Depot, which reduces the potential for mistakes.

However, since the job of choosing an installer is out of your hands, you might end up with a local contractor that offers a poor-quality service, leading to errors and omissions. Plus, you’ll probably end up paying more on Home Depot installation charges than you would if you shopped around and choose a local plumber yourself.

We already know Home Depot’s installation fees, but what do local plumbers charge?

📌 Most plumbers charge $100-$450, not including the cost of the softener itself, to install a water softener, depending on the complexity of the job. Some plumbers charge an hourly fee, while others charge a package fee upfront for the installation process.

You can get a cheap price from a local plumber, but make sure to check that the contractor is licensed and has a history of good reviews before you spend your money.

🆚 Home Depot vs Lowe’s Installation Costs

Other companies like Lowe’s also offer installation services for water softener customers. How do the Lowe’s installation fees compare to Home Depot’s?

Lowe’s isn’t upfront with its pricing for water softener installation, but we did a bit of digging and found that the average price to install a water softener is $1,000-$1,500. That’s significantly cheaper than Home Depot’s installation fees, although prices can sometimes be higher than this.

If you want to compare exact figures, we recommend contacting Lowe’s with your chosen water softener (make sure it’s available at Lowe’s) and asking for a quote for the installation cost.

📑 Final Word: Should You Pay For Home Depot Water Softener Installation Services?

There’s nothing forcing you to pay Home Depot’s water softener installation costs if you’d rather install a water softener yourself.

Home Depot simply offers its installation services as an optional extra. If you don’t want to DIY install your softener and you prefer a hands-off buying experience where every aspect of setup is done for you, Home Depot’s water softener installation might be ideal for you.

However, we strongly recommend pursuing alternatives before settling on this option. Why? Because Home Depot sometimes sells softeners for $50-$200 more than the manufacturer and other sellers, and prices its installation fees higher than many local plumbers. You could save a lot of money simply by buying direct from the manufacturer and hiring a professional plumber to install the system for you.

👨‍⚖️ There’s no right or wrong answer – but if you want to reduce costs as much as possible, we recommend exploring as many avenues as possible before you commit to a purchase. Sometimes, Home Depot may be the cheapest, and in that case, you know what to do.