everydrop Filter 1 vs 4 vs 2: Which One Do You Need?

Updated July 2026 · ClearTap editorial · everydrop compatibility

You stood in the aisle, phone out, staring at a wall of nearly identical blue boxes numbered 1 through 6. They cost the same. They look the same. And the one thing the packaging refuses to make obvious is the only thing that matters: whether the number you grab will physically click into your fridge, or spin uselessly in a socket it was never shaped for.

The part nobody tells you: they clean the same water

Here's what the numbers do not mean. A "4" is not stronger than a "1." A "2" does not filter more than a "4." Across everydrop's main refrigerator line, all three are certified to the same standards — NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine taste and odor, 53 for lead and cysts, and 401 for trace pharmaceuticals — and all three are rated to treat 200 gallons over about six months. The digit on the box is a fitment code, nothing else. It answers "which slot," never "how clean."

So the entire decision collapses to one question: what shape is the hole in your refrigerator?

The three shapes, side by side

Filter 1 is the volume seller because it fits the huge installed base of Whirlpool-family side-by-sides. Filter 4 is the odd one out — it's the descendant of the old Maytag/Amana UKF8001, a screw-in design, so if your current cartridge twists rather than pushes, you're almost certainly a 4.

How to identify yours in thirty seconds

Three ways, fastest first:

• Read the old filter. Pull the cartridge that's in there now and look for a legacy part number or the everydrop digit printed on it. This is definitive — the fridge already told you the answer six months ago.
• Watch how it comes out. Does it pop out with a push-and-release, or unscrew with a quarter- or half-turn? Push-and-release points to 1 or 2; a real twist points to 4.
• Match the model number. Find the appliance model sticker (inside the fridge, on a side wall or ceiling) and run it through everydrop's own filter finder. The finder maps model to digit with no guessing.

What about the aftermarket "fits everydrop 1" filters?

Third-party cartridges advertised as everydrop-1 compatible often cost a third of the OEM price — $12–18 against $45–50. Fit is usually fine; the variable is filtration. A generic that lists no independent certification may seal the socket perfectly and still reduce far less than an NSF 53 lead claim implies. If you go aftermarket, buy one that names its own NSF/ANSI 42 and 53 certifications, not one that merely says "compatible with." Compatible describes the plug, not the performance.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a higher number is a better filter. The digit is a shape code. A 4 and a 1 clean the same water; only their sockets differ.
• Forcing the wrong one in. A push-in cartridge will not seat in a twist-in housing, and cranking on it can crack the manifold. If it fights you, it's the wrong number.
• Buying by fridge brand alone. Whirlpool sells fridges that take a 1 and others that take a 2. Brand narrows it; the model number decides it.
• Skipping the flush. Run a few gallons through any new everydrop to clear carbon dust before you drink or make ice.
• Trusting "compatible" as if it meant "certified." On aftermarket boxes, look for the actual NSF numbers, not a fitment promise.

FAQ

General information based on manufacturer specifications and NSF/ANSI standards, not independent lab testing or medical advice. Filter performance and pricing vary by model, water quality and region. For health or legal decisions about your water, test it through a state-certified laboratory.