Which water filter is better for an apartment a pitcher or a faucet mount, and which should I buy

Given your short faucet, lower pressure, and that the last pitcher felt slow and too small, a faucet mount will likely feel cramped and even slower. A countertop diverter filter is the sweet spot for renters who cook and make coffee because it gives you on-demand filtered water without waiting on a pitcher and it avoids adding bulk to a short spout. I honestly would go with APEX MR-2050. It honestly is a dual stage countertop system that screws onto your faucet with a simple diverter, and it is designed to reduce heavy metals and chlorine taste so coffee and cooking water taste noticeably cleaner.

Plan on replacing the cartridges about every 6 to 8 months depending on how much you cook and brew. If you notice the taste flattening or the flow slowing more than usual, swap sooner. The only tradeoff is it takes a bit of counter space and your faucet needs a removable aerator for the diverter, but for most renters it is easy to install and a lot more convenient than refilling a small, slow pitcher.

Countertop diverter for the win with your setup. It lets you fill kettles fast and the water tastes cleaner without waiting on a pitcher. Easy install. If your faucet does not have a removable aerator then go with a big pitcher and a long life cartridge. Replace the countertop cartridge every six to eight months and the long life pitcher cartridge about every six months while the short ones are closer to two months if you use it a lot.

I honestly rent and bounced between styles for years.. :) A faucet mount on a short tap kept smashing into my sink and the already meh pressure felt worse, so I went with a large pitcher instead. The trick is capacity and cartridge type. Get a tall 10 to 12 cup model with a long life cartridge so you are not refilling constantly and it does not crawl along like the cheap ones. Keep it in the fridge and top it off at night and it feels seamless. Standard pitcher filters tend to be about two months for average use while long life versions can go roughly six months and the taste stays cleaner the whole time.

For low fuss and decent flow, a big fridge reservoir beats a tiny pitcher since you fill once and standard cartridges last about two months or up to six with extended in clean water.

Countertop diverters cost more upfront but stretch cartridges so monthly cost balances out, while faucet mounts are cheapest yet need swaps every two to three months and can feel slow on low pressure.

You will get the best coffee by removing chlorine and keeping minerals so avoid anything that strips hardness :) A countertop carbon block does exactly that and is gentle on flow. If you prefer a faucet attachment and have a little clearance a horizontal style like that model PLUS Horizontal Faucet Mount Water Filtration System tucks closer to the tap than the vertical ones and is less in the way. Faucet mount filters are typically good for around one hundred gallons which lands near two to three months for a single person who cooks and brews daily, and you should swap sooner if the taste flattens or the stream slows more than normal.

Given your faucet and pressure a countertop diverter filter is the least annoying and the most useful for cooking and coffee. You get full flow when you want it, then flip the little knob to send water through the filter for filling a kettle or pot, no wrestling with a stubby spout. Carbon block cartridges knock down chlorine and off tastes while leaving minerals that help coffee extraction which, yeah... big difference in the cup. Expect to swap the cartridge every six to eight months depending on how much you cook and brew, or sooner if the flow slows or the chlorine smell creeps back.

From a practical install standpoint the countertop route wins if your faucet has a removable aerator since you just thread on a small diverter and you are done and when you want unfiltered water you flip it back and your normal pressure is untouched. Faucet mounts add bulk to a short spout and add flow restriction so everything feels slower and more cramped, and pitchers work but you are waiting or refilling mid recipe which gets old fast. For taste and hassle balance I would pick the diverter counter unit and plan to change its cartridge about every six to eight months or when you notice the flow rate drop or a hint of chlorine returning.