Compare Our Top 9 Fountains

More Fountains We Tested

Petlibro Capsule Fountain for $37: This Petlibro fountain is a solid, inexpensive choice. It's made from BPA-free plastic, has a five-layer filtration system and a stainless steel top reservoir. There's a transparent water tank for easier monitoring, and it comes in a bunch of cute colors. The spout is tall and has a continuous flow, making it ideal for cats who love to drink from faucets. However, it's not connected to an app, so you'll have to monitor water levels and set manual reminders for filter replacement and cleaning. The plastic is also harder to clean, and it has a wired pump, which makes cleaning trickier (water and electricity are never an ideal combo). It works effectively but there are better options out there at this price point.

Homerunpet Wireless Stainless Steel Pet Water Fountain for $36: This simple automatic water fountain emulates the water flow from a sink that many cats like, and works either battery-powered (for up to 30 days) on a charge for cordless placement anywhere, or plugged in. It also has dual flow modes, with continuous flow while plugged in, or intermittently while unplugged, using an infrared sensor to sense when cats are nearby. It has a wireless pump for less hassle while cleaning, and a stackable design that simplifies set up, cleaning, and changing the triple-layered filter. It has a a 2.5-liter capacity that allowed me a week between refills. I'd recommend this model to anyone looking for a reliable, cheap fountain, and I liked that the design had a bump to prevent stagnation or debris from sitting at the bottom of the basin. However, I would've preferred if the whole design was stainless steel or glass, since plastic tends to get dirtier more quickly.

Petkit Eversweet Max for $90: This techy automatic fountain is battery-powered (lasting up to 83 days on a charge), and the drinking bowl is made of stainless steel, but the reservoir is plastic. Because of the shape of the basin with the chunky battery and reservoir bowl, it’s a little awkward to clean. The app logs every time a pet drinks and compares it over time to determine whether your cat’s drinking habits have changed. The app also keeps track of when the filter needs replacing and when you last added water. However, it doesn’t monitor or show how much water is left in the basin; you have to check manually. The design also made it a bit difficult to clean and refill easily.

Enabot Rola Smart Pet Water Fountain for $50: This automatic fountain is cordless and runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 60 days (although it can stay plugged in, too). It has a wireless pump that uses magnetic induction—this pump was one of the easiest and most hassle-free to clean of all I tested. The fountain has a stainless steel top that holds a decent amount of water even when not running. However, the tank is plastic—I’m wary of plastic because of its propensity to harbor bacteria (plus it doesn't keep water as cold). The app gives reminders of when the water’s low, the fountain needs cleaning, or the filter needs replacing, plus it automatically stops dispensing water and sends you a reminder to refill via its app. It also logs the number of times your pet drank and for how long, monitoring hydration patterns over time. A complaint I had is that this fountain wouldn’t stay on continuous stream mode, even when plugged in, instead automatically switching to the motion-sensing stream.

Homerunpet Wireless Pet Fountain for $70: This cordless fountain can be used as a traditional fountain plugged in on its base, or can be detached and moved around the house with 30 days of battery life. I don't love that this fountain is all plastic, but it's easy to see water levels from the outside, the top and filter layers are super easy to remove, clean, and replace, and the wireless (basically silent) pump makes it a whole lot easier to clean. Plastic doesn't keep the water as cold or clean as stainless steel, so you'll have to clean it a lot more often. The fountain only begins bubbling when a cat (or human) approaches to save battery power, and there's no option to control the flow (and no connected app). I like the wireless pump, but I'm really over plastic at this point.

Wonder Creature Cat Fountain for $23: My two cats have cycled through several water fountains over the past few years, but this no-nonsense version has been a stalwart. The inside is lit by a blue LED (bright enough to glow in the dark), and a clear viewing window on the side makes it easy to monitor the water level from afar. I also like the dishwasher-safe metal bowl and the fact you can remove parts of the white-and-yellow flower to create a fountain configuration your cat likes (waterfall, low bubble-up, tall bubble-up). The only major downsides are the fact it requires very frequent cleaning and filter changes due to the plastic body, and that there is no reservoir to hold water in case of power outage or pump malfunction. When I went on vacation, I had to swap it out for an old-school gravity dispenser. —Kat Merck

Happy & Polly Gothic Cat Drinking Fountain for $66: If you prefer gothic decor to neutral blandness, this ghostly ceramic cat fountain from Happy & Polly may tempt you to bite. The water bubbles up out of the top of the ghost and pools on the ceramic top. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets loud when the water is running low, and I worry about the motor burning out, as the 1.5-liter capacity can run dry fast. While the ceramic finish is easy to clean, it is fiddly to take apart. You will want to clean it once a week to prevent it from becoming slimy, and you must change the filter once a month. —Simon Hill

Petkit Eversweet Solo 2 for $50: I love three key features of this fountain: The bowl sits on top of a wireless charging base, so you don’t have to fiddle with cables, it is super easy to clean, and it's very quiet at around 25 decibels. A flashing light warns you when the water is running low, and you can check when the filter needs to be changed in the app. There’s an optional smart mode that pumps intermittently and a night mode to turn the light off. Pleasingly, all three of our cats drink from this fountain, though that does mean I have to refill it often, as it only holds 2 liters. —Simon Hill

Oneisall Stainless Steel Pet Fountain for $50: This drinking fountain is about as simple as they come. As it's designed for cats or small dogs, it has a large bowl, but some cats will prefer that. I love the mostly stainless steel construction, as it's easy to keep clean and less prone to dirt and bacteria buildup. You can even stick parts into the dishwasher. This fountain can hold up to 7 liters of water, so you don’t have to refill as often. It’s fairly quiet at around 35 decibels, but it gets louder when the water is running low (a red light warns you when it needs a refill). You should clean once a week and rinse the filter. The filter packs are relatively affordable, and you need to swap them once a month. —Simon Hill

Petlipo Cordless Cat Water Fountain (with filters) for $50: This all-plastic pet fountain sits on a dock for easier tank cleaning and is rechargeable for up to 60 days of cordless power. It has a wire-free pump, a large 2.6-liter capacity, and three customizable water flow modes (induction, timer, and continuous flow). The heavy-duty filter is encased in a plastic cage and only needs to be replaced every four to five weeks. I had no issues while using this fountain, but at nearly $50, it's egregiously expensive for being made out of cheap (and bacteria-harboring) plastic. Although it's a solid fountain, I'd spend less and grab a stainless steel model.

Fountains We Don't Recommend

Petcube Ceramic Pet Water Fountain for $90: I really wanted to love this fountain; although its basin is plastic, it had a ceramic top, which is more hygienic than plastic (plus, I had never tested a ceramic model before), and the brand makes some of my favorite pet cameras. However, setup was a bit confusing; it took a long time to get the base charged to power the fountain's water flow; and the sensor to start the water flow can only be triggered from one side, making placement awkward. After a few days, it would only run while plugged in. Soon, its stream was barely strong enough to reach the top, and after just over a week, it stopped working altogether. Also, it's overly expensive for what it is.

Cat Mate 3-Level Pet Fountain for $28: This tall automatic Cat Mate fountain sets itself apart with three tiers for cats who like to drink at every level. Cleaning the motor requires disassembly using tools and extended soaking. Because of the long distance the water has to travel, it evaporates quickly and needs to be refilled about every other day. Plastic also harbors bacteria, and previous plastic models I’ve owned have had mold issues. The basin is quite large and sits flat. Because of this, some debris lingers in the front rather than flowing to the filter system behind. The plastic material and lack of ergonomic gravity design caused this fountain to be dirtier than others.

Whisker City Free Fall Cat Fountain for $30: This huge fountain is better suited for dogs, with its 150-fluid-ounce bowl and waterfall design. Although the basin has a small splash pad to help offset the waterfall noise, this was one of the loudest fountains I tested. The evaporation from the waterfall-like system also caused me to refill it every other day. Because of the structure of the fountain, my cats had to bend their head at an awkward angle. They tended to avoid drinking from the basin because of that, and their heads got slightly wet from the splatter of the waterfall. The basin is also not angled, so crumbs and debris sit at the bottom of the bowl.

Petkit EverSweet Solo SE for $30: This very simple, straightforward fountain has a square-shaped body, is translucent to easily see water levels from the outside, and has a nearly silent 25-decibel cordless pump to circulate water from the basin to the top level, where 2 ounces of water are always available for drinking, even in case of power failure. The basin sits on a base and all parts easily detach, making it easier to clean. This fountain doesn’t have multiple modes or an associated app—you’ll have to check water levels manually. I noticed this fountain didn't keep water as cold as some of the others, and because of the design of the top, debris often pooled in the dipped areas, which required more frequent cleaning.

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