EveryDrop Filter 1 vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5 vs 6: The Full Comparison Chart

**EveryDrop’s six cartridges are not quality tiers — they’re six different mounts, and your refrigerator picks yours for you.** The selection method is three steps (below), but the outcome is determined by your fridge’s model family and where the cartridge physically goes: bottom-grille push-to-turn (Filter 1), inside-door swing-out (Filter 2), upper-interior quarter-turn (Filter 3), base-grille twist-in cylinder (Filter 4), push-in top mount (Filter 5), newer French-door interiors (Filter 6). This page puts all six side by side — capacity, claims, price, and the certified-replacement options for each — in one table the manufacturer’s own chooser tool never shows you. For the deep dive on the best-seller (including the generic-market tiers and real pricing), see EveryDrop Filter 1 vs Generic.

Quick answer: Don’t pick by preference or price — pick by refrigerator. Fastest path: read the label on your current cartridge, or look up your fridge’s model number (inside the fresh-food compartment, on the wall or behind the crisper) in the finder tool. Then buy that filter (or its certified compatible) — the six are not interchangeable, and the #1 buying error is a Filter 3 owner ordering a Filter 1 because it was cheaper per gallon.

The Master Table (All Six Cartridges)

Pricing: Filter 1’s $59.99 is the three-source street anchor captured Aug 20, 2026 (Home Depot + Amazon list + Whirlpool.com’s implied regular price — method documented in the Filter 1 article). Whirlpool’s own accessory-store footnote prices Filters 1–5 identically at $48.00 on subscription (stated 20% off → ~$60 regular), which is why the table shows a flat band; Filter 6 sits outside that footnote, shown as typical range. Claims per manufacturer data sheets; always verify a specific compatible model at NSF’s database (info.nsf.org).

The Six, One at a Time

Filter 1 (EDR1RXD1) — the volume leader and the reason this category has a real generic market. Push-to-turn base-grille mount across the 2004+ Whirlpool-family installed base; 320-gallon capacity (the largest of the six); the fullest claim list (42+53+401). If your cartridge is at the bottom front of the fridge behind the grille and turns with a knob, this is almost certainly yours. Deep dive with pricing tiers: Filter 1 vs Generic.

Filter 2 (EDR2RXD1) — the swing-out: mounted in the interior upper corner, often on a hinged bracket you swing down to swap. Fits a range of Whirlpool/Maytag side-by-sides and some bottom-freezers with the interior mount. 200-gallon class; note the capacity difference against Filter 1 when comparing cost-per-gallon — identical subscription pricing makes the smaller cartridge pricier per gallon.

Filter 3 (EDR3RXD1) — the side-by-side workhorse, quarter-turn mounted in the upper interior. Two honest notes: 200-gallon capacity at the same ~$60 price as the 320-gallon Filter 1 draws frequent owner complaints (Reddit’s “engineered to fail early” thread is about this economics), and side-by-side families dominate Filter 3’s base, so “Filter 1 vs 3” confusion (below) is the common error. The economics defense: capacity is rated at NSF challenge conditions, and lighter-use households routinely exceed 6 months — but heavier households (ice + dispenser families) genuinely consume this cartridge faster than the calendar suggests. Track gallons, not just dates: the variables guide.

Filter 4 (EDR4RXD1) — the twist-in cylinder at the base grille, associated with KitchenAid/Jenn-Air/Maytag architected-series models. Different mechanical interface than Filter 1’s push-to-turn even though both live at the bottom — they do not interchange. 200-gallon class.

Filter 5 (EDR5RXD1) — push-in top interior mount for the built-in and french-door KitchenAid/Jenn-Air/Maytag families; 240-gallon capacity, the middle child on capacity. Often confused with Filter 4 by “KitchenAid filter” shoppers — the location (top interior vs bottom grille) is the giveaway.

Filter 6 (EDR6RXD1) — the newest mount, interior upper-rear slide-in on 2017+ Whirlpool/KitchenAid french-door models. The compatible market is thinner here (the mount is younger), so claim-verify rather than assume — and OEM availability is the strongest of the six.

What About the Sub-Variants (1A, Ice Cartridges, and the Number-Letter Labels)?

The six-number line is not the whole catalog. Two kinds of relatives show up in listings and model lookups:

• Compact sub-variants (the “A” labels). EveryDrop sells shorter-capacity siblings of the main cartridges — the common example being Filter 1’s compact variant, listed for shallower cutout spaces on specific model families. They mount like their parent cartridge but carry a lower rated capacity, so check the gallon rating, not just the number-and-letter, when comparing prices.
• Separate ice-maker cartridges. Some built-in and architected-series models run a second, independent cartridge for the ice maker in addition to the main water filter — which is why a “two filters?” search lands so often. The ice cartridge has its own part number, its own capacity, and its own replacement clock; the finder tool resolves which (or both) your model takes.

The rule across all variants: the model plate number, matched through the finder or the official chooser, beats any label shorthand — including this page’s numbers. Sub-variants exist precisely because the mount families overlap in confusing ways.

Cost per Gallon, Six Ways

Identical shelf pricing plus different capacities means the six cartridges are not equally cheap to run — a fact the flat price band hides. Using the OEM subscription price ($48) and the ~$60 regular price against each cartridge’s rated capacity:

Filter 1’s 320-gallon rating makes it roughly a third cheaper per gallon than its siblings at the same sticker — one more reason its compatible market is the deepest and most price-competitive. If your fridge takes one of the 200-gallon cartridges, the certified-compatible tier (typically $13–18 per filter) is where per-gallon economics actually improve; the structure of that math is in the Filter 1 deep-dive.

One caveat on reading this table too finely: cost-per-gallon assumes you actually reach rated capacity before the six-month clock — light-use households on a 200-gallon cartridge rarely do (the real-limit analysis is here), which is why the calendar, not the division, sets most households’ real cadence.

Which Filter Fits Your Fridge? (Three Methods, Fastest First)

1. Read the old cartridge. The label or end cap carries the EDR part number — that’s the answer. (While it’s out: note the install orientation for the swap back in.)
2. Read the fridge’s model plate. Inside the fresh-food compartment (wall, or behind a crisper), the model/serial plate gives the number; enter it in the finder tool or the manufacturer’s filter chooser. Model number beats cartridge-shape memory every time.
3. Match the mount description. No old cartridge and no plate? Use the mount table above — where the cartridge physically lives (bottom grille vs interior, and how it comes out) narrows it to one or two candidates.

The Two Common Mix-Ups, Settled

Filter 1 vs Filter 3: both are extremely common, neither fits the other’s fridge. Filter 1 = bottom base grille, push-to-turn, bottom-freezer and broad SxS coverage, 320 gal. Filter 3 = interior upper quarter-turn, side-by-side families, 200 gal. People buy the wrong one by chasing per-gallon price — the cartridges will not cross-fit, so the “savings” is a return shipment.

Filter 4 vs Filter 5: both skew KitchenAid/Jenn-Air/Maytag, which is exactly why they’re confused. Filter 4 = bottom grille twist-in cylinder; Filter 5 = interior top push-in. Location decides in five seconds of looking.

The Certified-Aftermarket Option (All Six)

Every one of the six has aftermarket replacements sold as “replaces EDR*n*RXD1” — and the buying discipline is identical across the line: certified tier only (NSF 42+53 listed for that specific compatible model), skip the unverified white-labels, and remember a compatible cartridge does not void the refrigerator warranty (Magnuson-Moss framework — master article). The Filter 1 market is the deepest (largest installed base = most competition = best prices); Filter 6’s is the thinnest. Per-filter economics of the certified tier vs OEM are worked through in the Filter 1 deep-dive — the structure (roughly one-sixth the per-filter price for the same claim class) carries across the family.

FAQ

What’s the difference between EveryDrop Filter 1 and Filter 3? Mount and capacity: Filter 1 (EDR1RXD1) is a base-grille push-to-turn cartridge rated 320 gallons fitting the broad 2004+ bottom-freezer/many SxS base; Filter 3 (EDR3RXD1) is an interior upper quarter-turn cartridge rated 200 gallons fitting side-by-side families. They are not interchangeable — the fridge’s model determines which one is correct.

Which EveryDrop filter does my Whirlpool need? Not answerable from the brand alone — Whirlpool-brand fridges across the years take Filter 1, 2, 3, or 6 depending on model and mount. Use the model number from the fresh-food-compartment plate in the finder, or match the mount location (bottom grille push-to-turn → 1; interior swing-out → 2; SxS interior quarter-turn → 3; interior slide-in on 2017+ french-door → 6).

What’s the difference between Filter 2 and Filter 3? Both are interior-mounted and 200-gallon class, but different mounts and families: Filter 2 swings out from an upper-corner bracket (Whirlpool/Maytag SxS and some bottom-freezers), Filter 3 quarter-turns from the side-by-side upper interior. The swing-arm mechanism is the visual giveaway.

Are all EveryDrop filters NSF certified? The EveryDrop line (Filters 1–7 incl. sub-variants like 1A) is NSF/ANSI 42+53 certified across the main family, with 401 (emerging compounds) claims on Filters 1 and 3 and select others — check each cartridge’s data sheet for its exact claim list, because “certified” is claim-by-claim, not all-or-nothing (how to read it). And certification attaches to the specific model — which is also the rule for evaluating any compatible replacement.

Sources & References

• EveryDrop by Whirlpool official product pages/data sheets — six cartridge part numbers/installation methods/capacities/claims item by item.Official documentation (explicit)
• NSF certification database (info.nsf.org) — model-level claim verification method.Official database (explicit)
• Whirlpool.com parts-store footnote — “1-pack of Filter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and A are $48.00 for refills” (subscription price, 2026-08-20 snapshot, _raw/whirlpool_water_filters_snapshot.txt) → the same-price strategy for 1-5 and the ~$60 regular-price derivation.Retail check (explicit + labeled derivation)
• Filter 1 three-source anchor $59.99 — _raw/oem_price_evidence.md (2026-08-20).Retail check (verified live)
• Filter 6 pricing — typical retail range (typical range; the footnote does not cover this cartridge).Inference basis (labeled)
• reddit complaint thread (engineered to fail early, SERP #2 ranking) — cited as a user position requiring a response.Community discussion (position cited)
• SERP interpretation——DataForSEO 2026-08-21（_work_serp_terms.json）。Competitor cross-check (verified live)

Related Guides

• EveryDrop Filter 1 vs Generic (EDR1RXD1) — the deep dive: claims line-by-line, three-tier generic market, real prices, five-year math.
• NSF 42 vs NSF 53 Certification — reading the claim columns in the table above.
• How to Change a Whirlpool Refrigerator Water Filter — the swap steps for the Filter 1 family.
• How Long Should a Refrigerator Water Filter Last? — the capacity-vs-calendar question behind Filter 3’s complaints.

Shop this guide: Whirlpool / EveryDrop filters · EDR1RXD1 (Filter 1)