The Best Water Delivery Services of 2023

There are two types of water delivery services, and it’s important that you consider your needs when deciding which one is right for you. If the eco-friendly option of bulk water delivery speaks to your company’s green initiatives, then bottled water delivery services are likely what you’re looking for. If you want an option that limits water deliveries and filters water onsite, then an installed water filtration system is the way to go. To help you decide which water delivery service would be best for your business, we extensively researched companies in the field, looking at factors such as the size of businesses they serve, the assortment of water they offer and the cost. In the end, we narrowed it down to the best options for filtered water, bottled water and environmentally friendly services.

Companies like Staples and Culligan offer a selection of bottled water delivery and water coolers for homes, small offices, and large businesses. Other companies, like Quench, offer water filtration systems that limit the number of water deliveries necessary to supply your employees with water. In 2020, these systems are sometimes more convenient, especially for small businesses.

Both water delivery and installing a water filtration system are viable options. For the sake of these reviews, we place an emphasis on water delivery services, but you can’t discuss the industry without mentioning water filtration systems, and many water delivery services install these systems for businesses. We’ll discuss those options, as well as traditional water delivery methods, throughout our reviews.

Bulk water delivery is not only convenient but reduces how much you spend on drinking water. It’s also an eco-friendly choice, since the water is delivered in big 3- and 5-gallon jugs. This way, your home or office uses fewer plastic containers for water.

In this industry, pricing varies significantly depending on what you’re getting, your location, and what type of water product you are receiving. A one-time delivery of plastic water bottles will differ greatly in price from a one-year subscription to receive 3- and 5-gallon jugs on a regular basis. 

You can expect to pay a rental fee each month for a water cooler, which will be between $30 and $50. You will then pay for each bottle or jug, which typically cost $5 to $7 for every 5 gallons.

Here’s an example rundown of what you can expect in monthly costs for a water delivery service with a company of 10-20 employees:

• $45 rental fee
• $7 cost per 5 gallons of water
• $6 for a 24-pack of 12-ounce water bottles
• $125 total estimated monthly cost

A potential pricing issue to be aware of is automatic billing. Some companies have poor reviews for auto-renewing a client’s bill. When you talk to a company about its pricing, be sure to address the billing system and contract style. Learn whether the company automatically renews your contract.

You can look at factors such as water selection, delivery area and schedules, volume of water delivery, bottle type, and amenities to choose a supplier. With a variety of office water delivery services to choose from, it’s important to consider how you want the water delivered, what makes the most sense in your area, delivery times, and options like water dispensers.

Compare the following features to help you choose a water delivery service.

WATER SELECTION 

To some, water is water, but others have preferences when it comes to taste, source or purification process. Many water delivery services offer you a considerable selection of water types or brands.

You’re likely to see choices of purified drinking water or distilled water, which is usually tap water that has undergone a rigorous cleansing process. Some prefer naturally sourced options from springs or artesian wells. Some companies also offer mineral, sparkling or flavored water.

Some businesses prefer to receive bottled water, while other companies want a water filtration system. If you’re looking for a bottled water delivery service for standard-sized water bottles, you might want to use a company like Fiji instead of a more traditional water delivery service.

AMENITIES 

Amenities such as water coolers and dispensers are important, especially if your preferred water delivery service offers bottles or jugs ranging from 1 to 5 gallons in size.

Some water delivery companies provide water coolers and dispensers free with your contract, while others require you to rent or purchase them separately. Whether you want your own cooler or one the delivery company provides, you can find a vendor with the option you need. Some companies offer other breakroom supplies that you can bundle with your water delivery service, such as coffee delivery.

Hot water is another option some water systems offer. When you’re looking to quickly make a cup of tea, a dispenser that gives you hot water on demand is an added benefit. Other businesses might only want refreshing drinking water, in which case the water heater is unnecessary.

BOTTLE SIZE 

Water bottles come in multiple sizes, so you can choose one that suits your needs. Individual drinking bottles are even available from some water delivery companies. Common bottle sizes range from 2.5 ounces to 5 gallons, giving you plenty of options whether you have a water cooler or not.

You may also want to consider a bottle-free water cooler, like the one from Culligan. These coolers cut down on plastic waste, so they can be more eco- and budget-friendly, and include water filtration.

DELIVERY SCHEDULE 

The frequency of water delivery may affect your use and how much you must order at once. Some delivery companies offer weekly deliveries; others deliver once per month, once every three months or even once every six months. Choose the delivery schedule that fits your office’s regular water consumption to ensure you always have plenty of drinking water available.

SUBSCRIPTION 

The available subscriptions can affect costs, how long you must commit to one company and how many payments you can bundle together. Most water delivery companies offer one-time deliveries as well as subscriptions for one, three, six or 12 months. Most providers also offer discounts for a longer subscription period but require you to commit to paying for that time.

While the ability to deliver water in your area is the main criteria for a water delivery company, you may also have preferences for the delivery schedule, the type of water bottle and amenities like dispensers. Knowing what you want before you look for a company can help you with your decision.

In addition to the many national companies we review, there are numerous local water delivery services that could be a good fit for your business. It’s an industry that allows local players to make an impact by delivering tremendous customer service.

One of the biggest concerns with using national brands is the inconsistency in customer service from region to region. Most national brands use regional water delivery employees, which means a major brand might have great service in the Northeast but subpar service in the Midwest.

Most complaints about national brands mention poor customer service and problems with billing. It’s often easier to reach a reliable customer service rep for a local water delivery service. Most local services don’t offer the same assortment of waters, pricing options or bottle-less dispensers as national brands, but sometimes those trade-offs are worth the improved customer service.

When seeking out a water delivery service, research your local options. At the very least, read online reviews to gauge the customer service of the national brand reps in your region. Water delivery should be a straightforward process, but when you’ve gone a month without receiving scheduled deliveries and a company still bills you, it can become a serious problem for cash-strapped small businesses.

Some companies experience difficulties with water delivery that can become a financial issue. Other companies, usually after doing research, find the best vendors with the best customer service. Those businesses get water when they need it for a fair price. Whether it’s a local company or a national brand, make sure you select a service that values your business and treats you well.

One of the issues associated with local companies is that many of them mainly deliver plastic water bottles. Consumers are less likely to purchase plastic bottles, which makes it more difficult for local water delivery services to succeed. National brands have embraced the trend of bottle-less water dispensers, coolers and filtration systems.

As part of our research, we reached out to actual water delivery service users to find out which services they use and what they like about them.

Jeremy Owens, chief marketing officer at Seriously Smoked, said his company uses and loves DS Services because of its variety and price points.

“Its distinctive feature amongst other rivals is its wide selection of product lines, which is perfect for diverse teams with people having varying tastes in water,” Owens said.

ReadyRefresh by Nestle is the service of choice for Dan Lysogorsky, director of sales at IPL Management. “Their customer service may be backed up at times, [but] the long list of products and optional sizes to choose from makes it easy to change up the palette from time to time.” Zachary Weiner, owner and CEO of Restaurant Accounting, prefers Culligan. He said the best part of the service is that clients meet with a water expert from Culligan to discuss which water type from best suits their needs.

“Its best feature, however, is also its worst,” Weiner added. “If customers cannot meet with the [expert], the installation of the dispenser, cooler or filtration system won’t happen, [which] is a disaster for people with a jampacked schedule.”

Jared Ebrahimoff, founder and COO of Lavari Jewelers, likes Quench’s bottle-less delivery system that helps reduce plastic buildup in the environment. He said it’s a worthy cause, and it is nice that environment-minded companies can choose a service that supports their beliefs. He also likes the company’s top-tier customer service.

“Since their business model focuses on machines rather than products, it’s essential to have prompt assistance in case problems arise,” Ebrahimoff  said. “The team of technicians from Quench managed to meet our expectations in terms of quality service at a sudden notice. We are very much impressed by their service.”

According to IBISWorld, the bottled water production industry, despite many advancements, experienced some decline as consumers began filtering their own water at home – which, no surprise, has impacted water delivery.

Overall, growth of the industry has been up slightly over the past five years, but traditional water delivery is slowly being phased out as consumers and businesses try to use less plastic. The number of water delivery businesses in the U.S. is declining, which isn’t that shocking. It can be difficult for local water delivery companies to compete with national players when the national companies offer both plastic bottle delivery and bottle-less water dispensers.

With more individuals and brands increasing their social responsibility, many new companies are emerging with the intentions to eliminate their plastic waste. Bottle-less water delivery is an increasing trend in the industry.

Many water delivery services now provide different filtration systems and machines that take up minimal space, offer numerous flavors, and don’t require constant bottle delivery. This is a convenient way of getting water in your office without the need for an old-school water cooler.

Water delivery services usually offer water dispensers attached directly to a water source within the office. While delivery of bottled water is still common, many businesses have turned to water dispensers. Water delivery services install these dispensers and perform regular maintenance on them for your business.

We considered a variety of factors to determine our best picks. We wanted to showcase companies that offer the best bottle-less water dispensers on the market, but we also wanted to share details on the top companies still delivering bottled water to businesses. We took a close look at these important factors for the different services:

• Pricing: How does the company compare to its peers in affordability? Is the billing process fair and reliable? Are there any hidden fees?
• Features: Does the company offer valuable features within its service?
• Water assortment: Does the company offer a decent selection of water types, capacities, etc.?
• Purity: How clean is the water? Does the company purify it or offer a filtration system?
• Customer support: Does this company have a good customer relations team that is easily accessible? What do the online reviews say?

For our review, we removed most local water delivery services from consideration, focusing on the major national players. Though local companies play a pivotal role in this industry, it doesn’t make much sense for us to review a company that only delivers water to a small region across one or two states.

Once we narrowed down the list to mainly national companies, we tried to find a balance between traditional water delivery services and those offering bottle-less coolers with regularly scheduled maintenance. We placed a heavy emphasis on customer reviews and our experiences with the customer service teams. We researched price but didn’t necessarily use it as a determining factor for our best picks. Few companies’ prices were anything unusual.

For the traditional delivery services, we really wanted to see a strong water assortment. If a company uses plastic bottles and only delivers one type of water, we considered that a negative.

The companies we reviewed all stood out for good customer service, a solid assortment of water and impressive features.

While water coolers may seem like older pieces of office equipment, they’re seeing a similar comeback to that of faxing as businesses’ need for water delivery grows. According to a recent study, the global bottled water market is expected to grow by more than $72 billion, marking a 7.1% compounded growth. Some of that growth will take place overseas in the coming years, with Germany, China and Japan showing exceptionally large growth forecasts.

As the market for bottled water grows, it’s only a matter of time before major brands begin to throw their weight around in the bottled water delivery industry. Brands like Fiji, Voss and LaCroix are becoming common options for water delivery. In an industry where most services provide their own branded waters, the inclusion of more nationally recognized brands not only widens the selection, but also means offices can cater to their employees’ specific bottled water preferences.

Many modern businesses embrace environmentally friendly policies. If a business has individual plastic bottles delivered on a frequent basis, that could contribute to environmental harm by producing so much plastic waste. That’s one reason why some businesses opt to use large water jugs, while others go a step further and purchase a water filtration system rather than bottles or jugs of pre-purified water. 

Any business looking to help the environment should avoid plastic bottles as much as possible and look for other options.