Water Softener vs Whole-House Filter: What's the Difference?

What does each one actually do?

A softener swaps hardness minerals out so your water stops leaving scale. A whole-house filter targets whatever else is in your water: catalytic carbon for chloramine, oxidation for iron and sulfur, sediment media for grit.

They are not competing products. They are stages that handle different parts of the same water.

Which one do you need?

It depends entirely on your water. City homes often need a softener plus carbon; wells often need filtration and oxidation ahead of the softener. The only way to know for certain is to measure, and we test at your tap on install day before anything is commissioned.