These Water Coolers Bring Cold, Filtered Water to Your Home

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If you’re tired of constantly refilling the filtered water pitcher in your fridge, a water cooler might be a worthwhile investment. While they’re most often seen in offices or waiting rooms, they can be especially useful in larger households or come in handy in a garage, play space, or other area where there’s no tap available. Some families use them for drinking water to avoid drinking subpar tap water.

The majority of water coolers are freestanding units with top- or bottom-loading 5-gallon water jugs, and there are some space-saving countertop models. The most basic dispense room-temperature water only, and upgraded units have heating and cooling elements for hot or cold water. Extra features to look out for include bottleless designs, self-cleaning, and touchless operation, along with add-ons like water filtration or built-in ice makers.

But there’s a lot more to consider when selecting the right water cooler for your home—and that’s why we’ve put together this buying guide. Read on for everything to keep in mind as you’re choosing, plus how we went about researching and selecting the best water coolers we recommend.

Looking for more products to store food and drinks outside the kitchen? Check out our stories on the best deep freezer chests, the best mini fridges, and the best upright freezers.

The Best Water Coolers

• Best Overall: Avalon Bottom-Loading Water Cooler

• Best Value: Giantex Top-Loading Water Cooler

• Best Self-Cleaning: Brio Self-Cleaning Bottom-Loading Water Cooler

• Best With Cup Dispenser: Frigidaire Water Cooler Dispenser with Cup Storage

• Best Design: Primo Water Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser

What to Consider

Design

Most water coolers dispense water from either 3- or 5-gallon jugs, which you can usually find at the grocery store. You can often return your empty jugs at the same location and they’ll be reused to prevent plastic waste. These containers are typically loaded into either the top or bottom of the cooler. Bottom-load coolers are much easier to use, but top-load coolers are typically more affordable, as they have a simpler design.

Alternatively, there are point-of-use water coolers, also called bottleless coolers, which connect to the building’s water supply, saving you from having to replace water jugs. The downside here is that installation is much more complicated and may require a plumber.

Water Temperature

Basic water coolers generally dispense room temperature water, but more advanced models have built-in water heating and cooling systems. Models that dispense hot water are ideal for making tea or even instant soup, while cold water dispensers might eliminate the need for having an ice maker nearby. Some water coolers even allow you to adjust water temperature to suit your needs.

We only recommend machines with hot water dispensers that also include a safety lock, which prevents children (or unwitting users) from accidentally spilling hot water on themselves.

Maintenance

Because water coolers are prone to accumulating excess moisture, they do require regular cleaning to prevent mold and mildew. To make upkeep easier, some have antimicrobial finishes, while others have self-cleaning systems that use UV light or ozone to disinfect the interior. If you choose a more basic model without these features, just keep in mind you’ll need to clean its surfaces more frequently.

The cost of replacement filters is another consideration, if you choose a water cooler with a built-in water filter. Filters are most common on bottleless designs, and they generally need to be replaced every six months for optimal results.

How We Selected

To help you find the right water cooler for your needs, we searched for top models from reputable brands like Avalon, Frigidaire, and Brio. We selected a variety of different styles and sizes for this list, aiming to provide options for both home and office use. Many of the water coolers selected offer useful features, such as self-cleaning designs and no-spill loading, and they span a wide price range, helping you to find one that fits your needs and budget.

Bottom-Loading Water Cooler

The Avalon Bottom-Loading Water Cooler has a sleek, easy-to-use design, and it can dispense cold, room-temperature, and hot water. It can accommodate 3- and 5-gallon water jugs, which are loaded into the stainless steel cabinet at the bottom of the unit, and it has an empty bottle indicator light that lets you know when to change the jug.

The unit is Energy Star-approved, and its high-contact surfaces are treated with BioGuard antimicrobial coating to prevent bacterial growth. Plus, the cooler has a night light that makes the spouts visible in low lighting and a child lock on the hot-water button.

Self-Cleaning Bottom-Loading Water Cooler

This water cooler has a self-cleaning feature, and uses ozone (an odorless gas) to disinfect the valves. It also has an attractive stainless steel finish, and it conceals the water jug in its base.

There are spouts for cold, hot, and room-temperature water, which are activated by push buttons, and switches on the back of the unit allow you to turn off the hot or cold water, if desired. The unit has a removable drip tray, night light, and child-safety lock, and it’s Energy Star-certified, as well.

Water Cooler Dispenser with Cup Storage

Instead of attaching a cup dispenser to the side of your water cooler, you can get this model from Frigidaire, which has one built in. The cooler has dispensers both hot and cold water, and its bottom-loading design keeps the water jug tucked out of sight.

Highlights include an eye-catching stainless steel finish, and self-cleaning ozone technology that helps eliminate germs and bacteria. There’s also a built-in nightlight and a child safety lock on the hot-water dispenser.

Top-Loading Water Cooler

Many full-size water coolers cost $200 or more, but if you’re shopping on a budget, this simple model is an unbeatable value. The freestanding design can hold water bottles up to 5 gallons, and it dispenses both hot and room-temperature water using basic levers. There’s also a small storage cabinet underneath the dispensers where you can keep drinks, cups, or other supplies.

While this water cooler offers solid features for a low price, the tradeoff is that it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as some high-end models. The exterior of the unit is a plain white plastic that looks somewhat cheap.

Bottom-Loading Water Dispenser

If you’re looking for a water cooler that won’t be an eyesore in your home or office, this model from Primo is as sleek as they come. It’s available in a stainless steel or black stainless finish, and its bottom-loading design keeps the water jug hidden from sight.

The water cooler dispenses cold, room temperature, and hot water, and the latter has a child safety lock in case you have young kids in your home. The unit’s stainless steel drip tray is dishwasher-safe and there’s even a night light that makes it easy to see in the dark.

Top-Loading Water Cooler

One of the downsides of top-loading water coolers is that it can be cumbersome and messy to change the water bottle. But this option has a spillproof design to make the task much easier. There's a built-in rod that punctures the cap of a new water jug, so you won't cause a flood (or get laughs from coworkers).

The cooler dispenses hot or cold water, and it fits 3- and 5-gallon water bottles. It's operated via push paddles, which are convenient and sanitary, and the overall design is slim, so it can be tucked into small spaces.

The main drawback is that you'll be standing in front of it for a while filling your coffee mug, as it dispenses slowly.

Top-Loading Hot and Cold Water Dispenser

A common complaint about certain water coolers is that they dispense water quite slowly. But this top-loading dispenser from GE has a high flow rate of 3.5 liters per hour for cold water and 5 liters per hour for hot water. The dispenser height is also taller than most, with 13 inches of clearance underneath, so it’s easier to fill travel cups or even pitchers.

This water cooler provides both hot and cold water, and the hot water button has a safety lock to prevent accidental dispensing. The unit is Energy Star-certified, designed to cut down on spilling as you load bottles onto the top, but keep in mind that it is on the taller side—the base is more than 40 inches tall, which may make it harder to lift full bottles onto the unit.

Bottleless Reverse Osmosis Dispenser

For those who are concerned about the quality of their tap water, the Brio Bottleless Water Cooler is equipped with a four-stage reverse osmosis filtration system that removes up to 99 percent of contaminants, including lead, fluoride, heavy metals, and more. It also has a self-cleaning feature that sanitizes the dispenser.

The cooler connects to your water supply and dispenses hot, cold, and room-temperature water at the push of a button. You can turn off the hot and cold water via switches on the back of the unit, and the user-friendly design makes it easy to replace the filters as needed.

Moderna Self-Cleaning Bottleless Countertop Water Cooler

No space for a freestanding water cooler? This countertop model is a high-tech addition to any kitchen, thanks to its sleek design and useful features. With bottleless design, it hooks up directly to your waterline and dispenses cold, room-temperature, or hot water when you wave your hand in front of the sensor.

One feature that sets this model apart is its customizable water temperatures. The cold water dispenser can be set between 39 and 59 degrees, and the hot water adjusts from 174 to 194 degrees.

The unit also has a three-stage filtration system that removes impurities, as well as odors from chemicals like chlorine. However, the replacement filters cost over $100, and the brand recommends changing them every six months.

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