Best Smart Water Bottles: Trackers and UV Self-Cleaners

“Smart” on a water bottle means one of two things, going by what the makers themselves describe. Either a sensor estimates how much has left the bottle and a light reminds you to drink, or a UV light in the cap treats the water and the inside of the bottle. One bottle on sale does both.

Most of the 2022 version of this list has gone. Of its five bottles, only HidrateSpark’s is still sold, as a newer model. We went through the makers’ own stores to see what replaced the rest. We have not handled any of these bottles, so what follows is what each maker states and what that means once you own one.

Some links on this page go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The bottles compared

Prices are the makers’ own US store prices, rounded.

How the tracking works

HidrateSpark fits a removable sensor to the base of the bottle. The company says it weighs the bottle and its contents and sends each sip to the app over Bluetooth. LARQ puts its sensor in the cap and says it measures the water level each time you set the bottle down on a flat surface. WaterH’s pages do not explain how its sensor works. Its FAQ puts the accuracy at 95% or better.

Either way, the number in the app is an estimate of what left the bottle. A sensor cannot tell a drink from water poured down the sink, and a glass from the kitchen tap has to be logged by hand.

The reminder is simpler. The bottle lights up and the app sends a notification to your phone. On the HidrateSpark you can add a sound.

What a UV cap does and does not do

LARQ’s caps hold a UV-C LED that shines into the bottle. It runs for ten seconds every two hours on its own, and for one or three minutes when you press the cap. The claims and the limits below are LARQ’s own.

• What LARQ claims: the original PureVis eliminates up to 99% of bio-contaminants such as E. coli. For the PureVis 2 the figures are up to 99.999% of Salmonella and 99.99% of E. coli in a 60-second cycle, and 99.99% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in a six-minute cycle.
• What it does not remove: heavy metals, chemicals or fluoride. LARQ says the PureVis has no filter, so it does not take physical impurities out of the water.
• What it needs: water that is clear to the eye with no sediment. LARQ says ice can block the light, and that coffee, tea and sugary drinks reduce its effect.
• What you still wash: the area around the mouth, which the light does not reach. LARQ asks for a warm soapy rinse from time to time, and the cap must never go in a dishwasher.

So “self-cleaning” means a light on a timer. It acts on bacteria and similar organisms in water that was already clear, and it is no substitute for a filter where the worry is what is dissolved in the water. LARQ sets all of this out on its PureVis support page.

Bottles that track what you drink

HidrateSpark PRO 2, about $80

This is the current model from the maker of the STEEL bottle on the old list. It is an insulated steel bottle in 21 oz and 32 oz sizes, or a 30 oz tumbler. HidrateSpark gives the battery up to 21 days and charges it by USB-C. The 21 oz costs about $80 and the other two about $85. The 32 oz does not fit a cup holder, by HidrateSpark’s own table.

The app runs on iPhones with iOS 16.6 or later and on Android. HidrateSpark says it shares data with Apple Health, Fitbit, Health Connect and Withings Health Mate. Tracking, goals and reminders are in the free app, and a paid Premium subscription adds extras such as logging other kinds of drink. The sensor also works with Apple’s Find My, which is no use with an Android phone.

Cleaning takes some care. The sensor comes off first and must never be submerged. The lids can go on the top rack of a dishwasher, and the steel body is hand wash only. The chug and straw lids are for cold drinks only.

Pick it if tracking is the point. HidrateSpark publishes more about this bottle than its rivals do about theirs, from battery life to the services the app connects to, and it costs about $50 less than the LARQ that also tracks. The older PRO is still on its store at similar prices with a 10 to 14 day battery and a magnetic charging cable, and we see no reason to choose it. HidrateSpark PRO 2 on Amazon

Do one sum before buying the “Smart Ready” version, which is the same 21 oz bottle without the sensor at about $45. The sensor on its own is about $50. Together that is about $95, or $15 more than the PRO 2 bought complete.

WaterH Boost, about $70

A 32 oz insulated steel bottle that shows your intake and its battery level on a display on the bottle, so you do not need the phone to see the day’s total. A light ring reminds you at regular intervals. It charges by USB-C. The app runs on iOS 15 or later and on Android, and its App Store listing says it syncs with Apple Health.

The list price is about $70, and WaterH’s own store had it marked down to about $47 when we looked. WaterH advises against putting its bottles in a dishwasher. Its product page gives no battery life for the Boost. For the smaller 24 oz bottle it says 30 days.

Pick it if you want the cheapest tracker, or the total on the bottle itself. Skip it if you want to know how long a charge lasts before you pay. WaterH Boost on Amazon

Bottles with a UV cap

LARQ Bottle PureVis 2, about $130

The one bottle that does both jobs. It has the UV cap, a removable filter straw and a sensor that tracks intake through the LARQ app, which runs on iOS 17 or later and on Android. It is insulated steel, 23 oz at about $130 or 34 oz at about $140, and LARQ says a charge over USB-C lasts two to three weeks.

Two things to know. The filter is a running cost: LARQ says each one lasts up to two months and a pack of three is $35, so about $70 a year. And LARQ says hot liquids fog the sensor, so tracking only works with cold or room-temperature water.

Pick it if you want tracking and the UV cap in one bottle. Skip it if you want only one of those, because the HidrateSpark and the plain PureVis both cost less. LARQ Bottle PureVis 2 on Amazon

LARQ Bottle PureVis, from about $100

The original: an insulated steel bottle with the UV cap and nothing else. There is no app and no filter to replace. The 17 oz is about $100. LARQ says a charge lasts up to a month, and that the bottle can go in a dishwasher but the cap cannot.

It still charges by Micro-USB, which is the reason to hesitate if every other cable you own is USB-C. LARQ Bottle PureVis on Amazon

Monos Kiyo, about $80

Monos, a luggage company, sells a UV bottle in 17 oz for about $80 and 25 oz for about $90. It charges by USB-C and Monos puts the battery at about a month. There are two cycles, one of 60 seconds and one of three minutes, and Monos claims up to 99.99% of bacteria in the longer one.

Monos describes cycles you start with a press and does not mention one that runs on a timer, which is the feature LARQ calls self-cleaning. It also tells you to fill the bottle from a drinkable source. Pick it over the PureVis for the price and the USB-C port. Monos Kiyo UVC Water Bottle on Amazon

What happened to the old list

• HidrateSpark STEEL: replaced. HidrateSpark’s store now lists only the PRO 2 and the older PRO.
• Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid: gone from Thermos’s store, where a search for a connected bottle finds nothing. A search of the App Store no longer finds the Thermos Smart Lid app it depended on.
• Joseph Joseph Dot: no longer on Joseph Joseph’s UK or US store.
• Aquio bottle with Bluetooth speaker: a search of iHome’s store finds no bottles now.
• TYLT bottle with power bank: TYLT’s website is a blank page.

Which to pick

• To track what you drink: the HidrateSpark PRO 2.
• To track for less: the WaterH Boost.
• For a UV cap: the Monos Kiyo on price, or the LARQ Bottle PureVis if you want the light to run on its own every two hours.
• For both in one bottle: the LARQ Bottle PureVis 2, with the filter cost in mind.

Readers outside the US should check delivery first. HidrateSpark’s store offers eleven countries, among them the UK, Canada and Australia. LARQ lists the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and several Asian markets. WaterH’s store lists the US, Canada, the UK and Spain. None of the three lists India or Nigeria.

Quick answers

What does a smart water bottle do?

One of two jobs. A tracking bottle estimates how much you drink with a sensor and reminds you with a light and a phone notification. A UV bottle shines UV-C light into the water from the cap.

Which smart water bottle tracks water intake?

The HidrateSpark PRO 2, the WaterH Boost and the LARQ Bottle PureVis 2. The HidrateSpark weighs the bottle, and the LARQ measures the water level from the cap.

Is there a water bottle that cleans itself?

LARQ’s PureVis bottles switch on a UV-C light every two hours. LARQ still tells owners to wash the mouth area by hand, and says the light does not remove chemicals, heavy metals or sediment.

Are smart water bottles worth it?

Only if you want the logging done for you. A reminder alone costs nothing: WaterH says its app can be used free without a bottle, with drinks added by hand.

Can a smart water bottle go in the dishwasher?

Mostly not. HidrateSpark allows only the lids, on the top rack. WaterH advises against it. LARQ allows the original PureVis bottle but never the cap.

Prices move, so confirm on the maker’s store before you pay.