© John Barker
We tested the best water purification tablets available today according to price, wait time, and protection. Read on to see how they performed, which is best for you, and get some valuable buying and use advice.
The best water purification tablets are:
MODEL PRICE WEIGHT WAIT TIME PROTECTS FROM SCORE 1. AQUATABS $14.95 0.32 oz 30 minutes Bacteria, Viruses, Giardia 9/10 2. POTABLE AQUA Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets $12.99 0.96 oz 4 Hours Bacteria, Viruses, Giardia, Cyptosporidium 9/10 3. COGHLAN'S Drinking Water Tablets $10.49 0.64 oz 30 minutes Giardia 9/10 4. KATADYN Micropur MP1 $15.95 0.90 oz 4 Hours Bacteria, Viruses, Protozoa 8/10 5. POTABLE AQUA Water Purification Tablets $15.99 2.24 oz 35 minutes Bacteria, Giardia 8/10The product comparison table below is sortable. Click the arrow in the heading cell to sort the models by preferred spec.
KEY SPECS
Trusted by Aid Agencies around the globe, a single Aquatab can treat up to two quarts of water if it’s relatively clean, 0.8 quarts if less so. We like that each tablet is individually packaged, making these easy to pack and keep dry. We like that they work in just 30 minutes, the fastest we tested. They protect against bacteria, viruses, and giardia but won’t kill cryptosporidium. Price-wise these are mid-range.
Our favorite thing about these tablets is what they don’t have - any chemical taste. Each pack has a shelf life of five years, and unlike other options, Aquatabs claims its pills are safe for long-term use. Aquatabs are our pick as the best overall water purification tablet.
KEY SPECS
Potable is a trusted brand that’s used by the military and worldwide emergency organizations like the WHO (World Health Organization). And we found they provide some of the best protection against disease, including cryptosporidium. These chlorine dioxide tablets purify one liter of water per tablet. We like that they come in a foil pouch, making them easy to use without contaminating the whole batch.
The five-year shelf life is also one of the longest we tested, making this a great option for your emergency kit. We thought the taste was fairly neutral with a little aftertaste, a big for any water purification tablet. The biggest downside for us is the long wait time of 4 hours. But if you need the best protection out there, Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide tablets are our top choice.
KEY SPECS
Coghlan’s created this water purification tablet for emergency use. We like that it’s the cheapest option on our list and it works fast, in just 30 minutes. A great budget buy. This is tied to the quickest treatment time of all the water purification tablets we tested. These are iodine tablets for water, so while the taste was not as bad as we expected, it was still noticeable.
These tabs protect against bacteria, viruses, and giardia but not against cryptosporidium. The tablets have a four-year shelf life, but be sure to keep the glass bottle sealed when not in use, as exposure to moisture or humidity can alter the tablets’ effectiveness.
KEY SPECS
Katadyn Micropur MP1 is a powerful tablet that is a proven reliable option for water treatment. We like that a single tablet will purify up to one liter of water, no matter the water’s condition. And it protects against cryptosporidium too. Compared to other options we found that there is less of a lingering aftertaste. The tablets are also EPA registered in meeting the standard of safe microbiological water purifiers. Each pill comes in individual foil packaging and has a 5-year shelf-life.
The downside for us is the long wait time of 4 hours to achieve complete treatment. These are also some of the most expensive water purification tablets we tested. But if you need a heavy-duty water treatment tab, the Katadyn Micropur MP1 is an excellent option.
KEY SPECS
Potable makes iodine tablets for water that work in just 35 minutes, one of the fastest we tested. They protect against bacteria, viruses, and giardia. They won’t protect against cryptosporidium though.
Iodine tablets for water are known for their strong taste. Potable counters this by providing a PA+Plus neutralizing tablet to improve the iodine’s taste and color that you can add after you treat the water with the iodine tablet. We found this does improve the taste but it still is noticeable. We don’t like that these come in glass bottles, which are less friendly to pack.
Water treatment tabs are an affordable backcountry item costing between $10-$15 for a pack. Look for how much water each tablet can when assessing what gives you the most bang for your buck.
Water purification tabs that provide the greatest value:
Affordable water purification tabs:
Premium water purification tabs (most expensive):
Water purification tablets require waiting for chemicals to treat the water. Water treatment tabs allow you to drink water faster, but don’t protect against diseases like cryptosporidium. Long wait times offer more protection but require planning ahead. This can be tricky, especially in hot environments.
The water purification tabs with the shortest wait time:
Unlike water filters, water purification tablets use a chemical treatment to kill the harmful bugs in your water. For most backcountry uses any water treatment tab will do. The water purification tabs with the most protection will protect against diseases like cryptosporidium. If you know you’ll be in an area with cryptosporidium make sure you get tablets that offer this protection.
The water purification tabs that offer the best protection:
Not all water purification tablets taste the same. Some tablets can give off a strong chemical smell and flavor, especially the chlorine and iodine ones. This can lessen by letting the water “air out” during treatment or by using an iodine-neutralizing pill. If you're packing tablets for emergency use only taste is less important. If you plan on using them instead of a filter for a whole trip, we recommend you test them out before you buy a week's worth.
Read the instructions carefully to know how much water will be treated per tablet. If you add too much water the tablet may be too diluted to work. If you add too little the chemical taste of your water could be too strong to drink. We recommend choosing a water purification tablet that can treat a similar amount of water as the size of your water bottle. That makes the math easy. Just pop in a tab and wait.
A common strategy for water purification while backpacking is to use a water filter and pack purification tabs as a backup method. If you’re doing this, you’ll want a long shelf life since you hopefully will only use them occasionally. Most water purification tablets will last 4 to 5 years unopened and 1 year after opened. Look for individually wrapped tablets to give you the longest shelf life.
Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets.
Ingredients-wise there are three main chemicals used to make tablets: iodine, chlorine, and chlorine dioxide. These chemicals are the most effective in killing off harmful pathogens while remaining safe for human consumption.
Below are a few notable details about the three common chemicals used in water treatment tabs:
IODINE:
CHLORINE (BLEACH):
CHLORINE DIOXIDE:
Note: Since different water treatment tabs offer different levels of protection, you’ll want to read the fine print on the packaging and do some research into the area you’ll be traveling to get a better idea of its water contamination level. Knowing these facts ahead of time and even checking in with local rangers or other sources in the area, can help zero in on the best tablet for your trip.
Water purification tablets weigh almost nothing. The packaging will often weigh more than tablets. If you have tablets that come in a glass jar we recommend repackaging them for your trip to save weight. The least fussy are water purification tablets that come individually wrapped. They also will last longer and be more protected from getting wet.
Water purification tablets come in two forms. Glass bottles and foil-sealed packages. Glass bottles often hold more tabs but are prone to breaking and getting contaminated. If moisture or humidity gets into the bottle it can lessen, or ruin, the effectiveness of the tablets. Foil packaging is our favorite because it is lightweight and keeps each water purification tablet sealed. We’ve even had them go through the wash and come out unscathed!
Water purification tablets by Coghlan's.
WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
There are many situations where water tablets can come in handy, and they can be used on all kinds of biologically contaminated water whether it’s collected from swamps, rivers, lakes, etc. Depending on the water’s turbidity, it may require a larger chemical dose. Tablets do not, however, treat “toxic water” that’s been altered by pesticides, mines, or any sort of chemical contamination.
For most casual hiking or backpacking trips though, the majority of tablets should work just fine. Water treatment pills are good for camping, as a backup plan on long treks into remote locations, or for use to purify water sources following a natural disaster. They’re also not a bad thing just to have on hand for emergencies.
HOW DID THEY COME ABOUT?
Growing concerns about water safety came into play in the s during a major cholera outbreak in London. Years later, a British scientist named John Snow linked the disease spread to polluted drinking water. From there, he went on to figure out that chlorine could be safely added to water systems to act as a bacterial disinfectant.
Snow’s theory spread worldwide in the early s and chlorine began being used as a water sterilization method throughout major cities. Then, in the s Harvard University developed the first portable water treatment tablets. They were originally created for use by the U.S. Army and given to soldiers to carry in their packs for sterilizing water during emergencies. Since then, water purifying tablets have been tweaked and refined, bringing us the large variety we currently have today.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
Even when a stream, river, or lake appears crystal-clear, it can still contain heaps of dangerous microorganisms that when ingested bring on a slew of gastro issues like diarrhea, vomiting, or in more serious cases, illnesses that can even lead to death. This is why it’s important that any water collected from an untreated source first be sterilized before drinking it.
Although it may sound odd to hear the words “chemicals” and “drinking water” paired together in a positive light, tablets contain a safe amount of chemicals that when dropped in water dissolve and go to work on “killing off” dangerous microorganisms like bacteria and viruses, making the water safe for human consumption.
ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?
Water purification pills can eliminate harmful water threats like viruses and bacteria, including common gut destroyers like E. coli, Salmonella, and Cholera. However, it’s important to note that tablets DON’T eliminate chemical pollutants, sediment, or certain protozoans.
How strong a tablet is and what it protects against will depend on its chemical makeup. For example, chlorine dioxide tablets are effective against Cryptosporidium, but a scientific study performed by the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson proved that iodine tablets are ineffective in safely deactivating Cryptosporidium.
The water’s temperature along with its pH level is another consideration, as these factors can alter the effectiveness of a tablet.
Water purification tablets side by side.
Bottom line: should you use water purification tablets for your water purification needs?
✅ WEIGHT: ULTRALIGHT
Tablets take minimal space in your pack and weigh as little as a fifth of an ounce. To put that in perspective, a Sawyer filter and a Steripen weigh 2 and 5 ounces, respectively.
✅ SHELF-LIFE: LONG
Unopened, purification tablets have a shelf-life of approximately 5 years.
✅ COST: CHEAPER UP-FRONT
When compared to filters, water purification tablets are a cheaper up-front option. Why up-front? Tablets are single-use while other purification methods will filter hundreds of gallons of water before needing to be replaced.
✅ EASE OF USE: SIMPLE AS 1-2-3
Besides a container to hold the water in, they don’t require any special equipment, additional fuel for heating, or electricity. Drop 'em in and wait.
❌ LONG-TERM USE: NOT DESIGNED FOR CONTINUOUS USAGE
Tablets shouldn’t be a long-term solution to treating water, as their chemical make-up is safe in small quantities, but isn’t intended for extended use (like over six months).
❌ TASTE: OFTEN GIVES OFF A CHEMICAL TASTE
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Another downfall to tablets is how they give off a strong chemical smell and flavor, especially the chlorine and iodine ones. Note this can lessen by letting the water “air out” during treatment or by using an iodine-neutralizing pill.
❌ PREP TIME: ABOUT 30 MIN. OF WAITING TIME
Compared to filters, tablets don’t offer immediate clean water like a filter can, since adequate time is needed for them to do their work. Just know that they don’t provide immediate results, and you’ll have to wait anywhere from 30 minutes-4 hours when using them for water to become safely drinkable.
❌ EFFECTIVENESS: NOT AS PURE AS OTHER METHODS
Another consideration is that according to the CDC, out of the various ways of sterilizing water, boiling remains the most effective in removing harmful pathogens. Filters are also known to provide the “cleanest” tasting water, and they block dirt and debris without having to pre-filter the water, which is a necessity with tablets.
Taste neutralizing tablets take about 3 minutes to take effect.
STEP-BY-STEP:
Fizzing vs dissolving water purification tablets (Left: Potable | Right: Coghlan's).
ARE WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS SAFE?
Yes, water purification tablets are generally safe when used properly. They should be used sparingly, however, and not as the main source of acquiring clean water for months on end. Iodine pills can be especially dangerous when used for long periods, and they shouldn’t be taken by women who are pregnant or anyone with iodine sensitivities or thyroid issues.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS?
As long as you’re buying from a reputable company and the pills are taken properly and in small amounts, you’ll be good. The pills should never be swallowed whole, and they should be handled with care when being used, as the chemical residue left on hands can irritate eyes and skin causing a burning or itching sensation.
Lastly, if you’ve never used tablets before, the chemicals in them may cause mild stomach, mouth, and throat irritation upon the first few uses, although, this doesn’t happen for everyone.
WHAT DO WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS TASTE LIKE?
Water purification tablets' taste varies depending on the type of chemical used. Iodine, for example, gives off a more metallic flavor, and it can even turn your water (and your water bottle) a rusty hue. Chlorine can have a strong chemical flavor and give off an unpleasant bleach smell. This can be reduced by letting the water ventilate for a while. Chlorine Dioxide is a chemical that remains rather flavorless. Some users even say they think it improves the taste of water.
DO WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS EXPIRE?
Yes, they do BUT most tablets have a long shelf life, lasting months or even years depending on the brand and packaging. To ensure this long shelf, it’s best to store them in a safe, dry place when not in use, and when using a bottle be sure to recap the bottle tightly. Naturally, individually wrapped tablets will have a longer expiration date compared to a bottle once it’s been opened. Once a bottle has been opened it’s recommended the pills be used within three months.
Water is a necessity for survival, but it’s also a necessity to have it clean enough to drink. We’ve all experienced food poisoning a few times in our lives- and impure water will make that seem like a breeze when you get sick from it. The best water purification tablets make cleaning water quick work and will get you back to other important tasks in an emergency or survival situation.
There are only a handful of brands and types to choose from when it comes to tablet-form water purifiers. Even still, you need to know what you can rely on when you need it most.
This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best water purification tablets, tested each of them, and now the results are in: the overall best, a budget option, and an upgrade option. If you need to get clean water that will keep you going in a survival situation, one of our suggestions will help keep you hydrated.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Potable Aqua (with PA Plus) water purification tablets hit our top spot since they get the job done at the right price. These tablets are effective, fast, and don’t leave that funky iodine taste or stain that cheaper one-shot tablets have. They are lightweight enough to add to any kit and very simple to use. After just 35 minutes, you’ll have water that is ready to drink when it filters out bacteria and Giardia lamblia.
Many people complain about the taste of Potable Aqua, but that would be the single tablets rather than this two-tablet solution with the extra neutralizing tablet. This makes the taste of the water much more palatable. I’ve been using this two-tablet product for so long that I had forgotten that the single tablet was sold on its own. For the small price difference, it is worth the investment to clear the water up and neutralize the taste.
Add Potable Aqua PA+ Tablets to your kits and don’t look back. We use them in our kits and are thrilled to see that they easily beat out the competition when we put them to the test.
Not only are these the best tabs to use in your mobile kits, but they are also simple and thorough. You use one tab for one liter and let it react for 30 minutes to 4 hours (if the water is cold and dirty), which is one of the simplest reactions you can find for chemical water purifiers.
Many other treatment types require mixing, or multiple tablets, or aren’t as aggressive at cleaning up the water. The chemical disinfectant leaves hardly any trace of taste, and it performed great in my taste test.
They have an extensive shelf life and are the easiest option to spread between your family’s bug out bags and other survival kits. I pop off several packs for everyone’s bags as they are virtually weightless and take up hardly any room.
Pick up some Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets for any of your kits for the best water treatment solution in tablet form and you won’t regret it.
Aquamira is a bit different (and it’s not a tablet), but we felt it was a worthy inclusion in our testing since so many people suggested it. It did not disappoint!
Use the bottle droppers to drip 7 drops into the included mixing cap, and then let the reaction happen for 5 minutes. The reaction will turn the mixture yellowish. Pour that mix into a liter of water, shake or stir, and then let it sit for 15 minutes. After that time has passed, you’ll have drinkable water. This is the fastest purification method I tested and is even quicker than the tried-and-true boiling method!
The downside to these is that they are liquid, and can have some related problems. For starters, you have to babysit the drop mixture while it reacts so you can’t be on the move or you risk spilling it. Also, the bottles are squeeze bottles so you can get some leaks if you aren’t careful where you pack them. After my tabletop testing, I found it best to include these as part of my home water storage solution rather than a mobile kit. They are significantly better tasting than bleach mixtures and can scale to large storage containers too.
Pick up some Aquamira Water Treatment Drops for fast water treatment at home.
Our research narrowed the field down to the several purification tablet brands and types that we tested: Potable Aqua, Coghlan’s, Ef-Chlor, Aquatabs, P&G, Katadyn, Chlor-Floc, Colemans, and more.
Some of these brands use the same chemicals and concentrations to develop their tablets, so we ended up testing quite a lot of them looking at the differences in quality, taste, packaging, etc. You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
We did not consider any in-place purifiers, membrane purifiers (like straw filters), UV purifiers, or powder and focused entirely on water purifiers in tablet or drop form. You can find examples of each of those that work well, but the purifiers with small packaging are great for portable kits.
The best filters can be found in their own review: The Best Survival Water Filters | Portable and Stationary.
A few that we compared were the same product and manufacturer- just different brand labels.
We’re always looking for new and better equipment, so if you have a purification tablet you swear by let us know down in the comments. We review most of our tested gear annually, so we can always get it in the next roundup round and see if it makes the cut and we can see if it will beat out our top picks.
The best water purification tablets have several important features to look for:
When you get the right blend of these, you can find reliable tablets that will keep you hydrated through an emergency. Below, we break down what each of these features means for truly dependable tablets that you can trust with your life:
The amount of money you spend on something like purification tablets shouldn’t blow out your budget. Having one is better than having none, but the same applies to other tools and gear you may need for an emergency. Budget according to your risk and your needs rather than just spending lavishly.
On the flip side, you don’t want to go too cheap. Luckily, every tablet we tried was effective when the instructions were followed correctly, but there are still benefits to spending more. Cheap tablets require more time to purify the water and often leave a chemical taste. Don’t get too frugal when it comes to something you will rely on in an emergency.
You never want to spend too much money on one resource, especially something like tablets. It’s better to diversify your tools and preparedness gear to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios. There is a sweet spot where you get high value out of the best features with not too high of a price, which is where our top pick sits.
The effectiveness of a purification tablet is tied to the contents and quality of the tablet. Several different chemical compounds can be used to purify water, but only a few of them come available in tablet form. Water purification tablet chemicals typically include:
These vary in effectiveness and have their strengths. Chlorine dioxide is the most powerful of the three listed here and is one of the most effective at killing a wide range of microorganisms, including viruses and protozoans. The downside to chlorine dioxide is that it requires a much longer treatment time than both chlorine and iodine-based tablets.
Speed is important in an emergency and important for clean water in an emergency. Four hours becomes a much longer time to wait for water purification than 30 minutes since water purification tablets are an emergency solution.
In-place and bulkier water purifiers are expected to take a little longer, but water purification tablets are meant to be fast and easy. If you wait around all day for purified water, you may as well be boiling water to purify or using other solutions. In the military, we called this a ‘fire and forget’ method – add a tablet to your water bottle and keep on moving. Then you can drink it after the short time limit of at least 30 minutes. This lets you stay mobile and concentrate on other tasks.
A few of the treatment options can leave the water with an odd flavor. Some iodine treatment tablets also come with iodine neutralizer tablets to eliminate the unpleasant taste with a two-part tablet treatment. Chlorine tablet-treated water can be left exposed to air to allow the chlorine to evaporate over time to reduce the odd taste.
Unpleasant taste isn’t the only concern. Those with thyroid conditions, iodine allergies, and pregnant women should avoid iodine water purification tablets.
The packaging and composition of purification tablets can provide some versatility when you need to use them outside of your regular function or in unique scenarios. Individually packaged tablets are amazingly convenient for bug out bags and everyday carry, and one of the reasons we love our upgrade pick.
Water purification tablets are very easy to use, and they come with instructions printed right on. Take care to read them and it’s hard to go wrong. You’ll need to know how much water you are purifying, usually listed in liters.
Before you start tossing tabs in, you’ll also need to filter out any debris and sediment in the water. This is not necessary with all water purification tablets, but it is good practice since it will speed up the process and require fewer tablets.
Once you’ve discovered how many tablets you need to treat your membrane-filtered water, you just add the tablets and wait for the time listed on the packaging.
The CDC and FEMA hope everyone has water purification tablets on hand. There is not enough in the strategic stockpile for everyone, and distribution would be a massive challenge. Membrane filtering isn’t clean water, and you’ll need potable water no matter what emergency you encounter.
This is why you’ll find it suggested for almost every kit.
Water purification tablets are essential for:
We suggest at least a few tablets for these kits as well:
Of course, you can always use the tablets for things beyond emergencies and survival kits too- like rugged camping and bushcraft. We actually encourage it- don’t let them sit in your bags and kits without knowing how they work or how to use them properly.
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best water purification tablets is useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical military and prepping experience:
Gerba, C., et al. (). Efficacy of iodine water purification tablets against Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages 96-100. (Source).
Nakamura, S., et al. (). The impact on health and risk factors of the diarrhoea epidemics in the Bangladesh floods. Public Health. Volume 116, Issue 2, Pages 68-74. (Source)
Powers, E. (). Efficacy of Flocculating and Other Emergency Water Purification Tablets. Army NATICK Research Development and Engineering Center. (Source)
Water is essential to survival, so you’ll need several ways to store, collect, and treat water in a wide range of situations. Whether you are staying put to bug in or hitting the road to bug out- water purification tablets should be a part of your survival kit.
To go along with solid treatment tablets, you should also consider a few other water storage solutions:
We presented quite a lot of information, but as always: if you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help. Our research and testing found that the Potable Aqua Tablets are the best option given their value, effectiveness, speed, taste, and versatility. If you take our suggestion and grab these purification tablets- make sure you try them out and know how to use them before an emergency.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.