Bottled vs. Bottleless Water Cooler:
Which Option Best For You?

After these 7 questions about your business we will give you the answer to what system is best for you. Below we show cost, employees hours and when you'll make your money back and grow. This will help explain why you got your answer.

Tell us about your workplace

Seven questions, about a minute. Nothing is sent anywhere and no email is asked for.

1. How many people drink from the cooler each day? Count everyone on site on a normal day, not the headcount on the payroll.
25 people
2. How much does your team drink at the cooler? No authority publishes a workday drinking figure, so our 2026 market report models three scenarios instead of inventing one. This choice moves every number below.
3. Is there a cold water line near where the cooler would sit?
4. How much room do you have for storing jugs?
5. Who changes the jugs today?
6. How long will you stay at this address?
7. What matters most to you?
Override the price assumptions

Defaults are the published medians from the WaterModo 2026 US Office Water Cooler Market Report: $8.66 a jug (n=8), $10.50 jug cooler rental (n=9), $52.50 bottleless (n=10), and $49, the middle of the only three install fees any of the 112 audited providers publish. Delivery starts at zero because only 5 of 112 publish a delivery fee, and it is $6 to $20 where they do. The one cooler per 25 people box is a rule of thumb about walking distance, not a capacity standard, so it is off by default.

Method

How This Tool Works

How it picks a winner

There will be 7 questions that determine your fit score. These questions include access to water lines, how many jugs you can store, who picks up the jugs, how long your lease is for and amount of people. This will show when jugs are cost effective. We then use price to see what works best. Your gallons will be based on your drink situation. Jugs are calculated using the median price and bottleless will have a set price for each cooler.

Where the numbers come from

Every default is a published median from our 2026 US Office Water Cooler Market Report, an audit of 112 US providers:

  • $8.66 per 5 gallon jug (n=8) and $10.50 jug cooler rental (n=9)
  • $52.50 a month per bottleless cooler (n=10)
  • 3.94, 4.76 or 6.57 gallons per person per month, the report's three drinking scenarios

Two things we will not invent: a cooler per headcount ratio, and a carbon figure. Neither has a published standard.

Keep going

Other Free WaterModo Tools

These will allow you to find out what to rent and how many. They will also let you know what you should be paying.

Tool 01

How Much Does a Bottleless Water Cooler Cost

You can get an idea of what you should be paying per month based on head count and your area. This will include installation and filter changes.

Open tool ›
Tool 02

Should I Buy or Rent a Bottleless Water Cooler

See how much cheaper it is to rent a unit over a 1, 3 and 5 year period. Find out when renting will become more cost effective.

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Tool 03

What Type of Cooler Should I Get

Answer 6 questions to determine if you need a countertop, freestanding or under counter water cooler. Or if a bottle filler would suit your space better.

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Tool 04

How Many Coolers Do I Need

Use this tool to determine how many coolers you need in your office. So that you don't end up being sold too little units.

Open tool ›
Tool 05

How Many Plastic Bottles and Co2 Am I Saving

Based on your head count find out how many plastic bottles and delivery runs you will no longer have to pay for.

Open tool ›
Guide 01

Bottleless Water Coolers Explained

What does a bottleless water cooler do? What is involved in installing one? What do the filters do? How much should you be paying per month?

Read guide ›
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