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Tap Score Review: Worth the Money?

Tap Score review: is the $179 City Essential test worth it? What each package covers, what it costs, and who should order one.

Tap Score Review

What You Get When You Order Tap Score

Tap Score mails you a kit with pre-labeled sample bottles and a return shipping label. You take a first-draw sample before any water has run, which captures lead that may have leached from fittings overnight. You also take a flush sample after running cold water for 2 minutes, which reflects the distribution system. Tap Score states its laboratory returns a digital report 5-7 business days after it receives the sample.

The first-draw and flush pair is the useful part for lead. A high first-draw result with a low flush result points at your own plumbing, not the utility. That tells you whether a point-of-use filter at the tap is the right fix.

Tap Score Packages: Which to Choose

Essential City

111 contaminants
$179
Includes: Lead (first-draw and flush), PFAS panel, nitrates, arsenic, chlorine, heavy metals, disinfection byproducts
Who needs it: City water households as a baseline; pre-1986 homes for lead; any household before buying a whole-house filter
Right choice for 80% of city water households

Advanced City

204 contaminants
$289
Includes: Everything in Essential + expanded pesticide panel, solvents, additional pharmaceutical compounds, GenX and newer PFAS compounds
Who needs it: Homes near industrial sites, agricultural areas, or anyone with an unexplained health concern; households near military bases (PFAS contamination risk)
Worth it near industrial or agricultural areas

Essential Well

130+ contaminants
$199
Includes: Coliform bacteria, E. coli, nitrates, arsenic, iron, manganese, hardness, pH, TDS, heavy metals
Who needs it: Every well water household — this is the minimum annual test for private wells
Non-negotiable for private well owners

Well Advanced

167 contaminants
$389
Includes: Everything in Essential Well + pesticides, herbicides, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, radon
Who needs it: New well property (establish baseline), near agriculture or industry, unexplained well taste/odor issues
Do once as a baseline when buying a well property

Tap Score Verdict: Order It Before Any Filter Purchase

A Tap Score panel costs $179 to $389 depending on the package. A filter chosen without knowing your water can cost $649 for RO you may not need. The report tells you which contaminants to match against a filter's certification listing. Buy the test first, then buy the filter whose listing names what your report found.

Recommended Test Kits

9.5
testkit

Tap Score Essential City Water Test

aquasana

$179

  • ✓EPA-certified lab
  • ✓Tests 111 contaminants
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9.5
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Tap Score Well Water Test

aquasana

$239

  • ✓EPA-certified lab
  • ✓Tests 130 contaminants specific to well water
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Frequently Asked Questions