Waterdrop WD-F13 Refrigerator Water Filter (GE MWF replacement)
A 4.8-star, 11,000-rating aftermarket filter for GE and SmartWater MWF fridges at a fraction of the OEM price. We read the 5-star praise and the 1-star horror stories so you know exactly when it's a bargain — and when to stick with GE.
By Diskount Editorial · August 24, 2026
Is the deal actually good?
The deal is real but the single-filter price is not where the value is. At $15.29 with Prime ($17.99 list, 15% off) one WD-F13 already undercuts the OEM GE filter that repeat buyers describe as costing two to three times as much, but the 3-pack works out to about $9 per filter and the 4-pack to about $8.25 — that's the price that makes this worth switching for. The ratings back it up: 86% of 11,283 buyers gave five stars and only 1% gave one star, and the low-star reviews cluster around three specific things (fit on certain GE models, slower flow than OEM, and the occasional off taste) rather than random quality complaints. Our take: if your fridge takes a plain MWF cartridge and you want chlorine-and-taste filtration at a budget price, buy one first to confirm fit, then stock up on the multipack. If you need lead or cyst reduction, or your fridge uses a chipped XWFE-style filter, this is the wrong product.
The Waterdrop WD-F13 is the aftermarket cartridge that shows up when GE fridge owners get tired of paying OEM prices for the MWF filter. It's a drop-in, tool-free replacement for the GE MWF, GWF, SmartWater MWFP/MWFA/MWFINT, HDX FMG-1 and Kenmore 9991 family, built around a coconut-shell carbon block and certified to NSF/ANSI 42 (chlorine, taste and odor) and NSF/ANSI 372 (lead-free materials). It's rated for six months or 300 gallons, ships with month-reminder stickers, and is sold by Waterdrop Filtration Tech with Amazon fulfilment. At 11,283 ratings and a 4.8 average it is one of the most-reviewed filters in its category, which also means there are enough critical reviews to see clearly where it falls short.
Who it’s for
Owners of GE, GE Profile, Hotpoint and Kenmore side-by-side fridges that take the plain MWF/SmartWater cartridge, who mainly want chlorine, odor and taste removal and would rather pay around $9 a filter than OEM prices. Repeat buyers who have used this filter for years on the same fridge report the most consistent results, and the multipack buyers are the happiest about value.
Who it’s not for
Anyone whose fridge needs the newer chipped GE XWFE/RPWFE filter (it will not register and the filter light stays on), anyone whose current cartridge is the MWFP style with the offset water slots (several reviewers found zero flow on those), and anyone who specifically needs NSF 53 lead, cyst or pharmaceutical reduction — this base model is certified for NSF 42 and 372 only. If a slower dispenser stream or a bit of pump noise would bother you, spend the extra on OEM.
What buyers actually say
Paraphrased from 230 verified customer reviews we read, plus the full 11,283-rating breakdown — not verbatim quotes.
Roughly 96% rate it 4–5★, and about 1% at 1–2★.
👍 What they love
- +Fits and installs in minutes on most GE and SmartWater MWF fridges — no tools, just unscrew the old cartridge and screw this one in; many buyers have used it for five to ten years on the same fridge.
- +Costs a fraction of the OEM GE filter: reviewers repeatedly note one GE cartridge runs about the price of three of these, and the 3-pack at roughly $9 per filter is the most-praised buy.
- +Chlorine and off-taste removal is on par with the GE-branded filter for the large majority — clear, fresh-tasting water and ice with no plastic or carbon taste once flushed.
- +Certified to NSF/ANSI 42 and 372 by NSF International (certificates C0293234 and C0145653, 2022) — chlorine, taste and odor reduction plus lead-free construction — with a third-party-tested 97% chlorine reduction claim rather than a self-declared one.
- +Month-reminder stickers in the box make it easy to track the six-month replacement window.
- +Sold by the brand and shipped by Amazon with 30-day returns; several critical reviewers mention Waterdrop customer service proactively refunding or replacing filters that failed.
👎 Where it falls short
- –Fit is the number-one failure mode: a minority of GE owners — older models, MWFP-style cartridges and chipped XWFE fridges in particular — report no water flow, a dispenser that drips, a cartridge that won't lock in, or a filter light that never resets. When it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit at all.
- –Slower dispenser flow than the OEM filter is the most common complaint in 2- and 3-star reviews — Amazon's own review summary flags water flow and leak-proofing as mixed — along with a squeal or hammering noise when water runs through; some saw flow degrade further within weeks.
- –Needs a thorough flush — expect carbon fines and air in the line for the first gallon or two, and a few buyers saw black particles persist longer than they were comfortable with.
- –This base model is NSF 42/372 only — it improves taste and reduces chlorine but does not claim lead, cyst or pharmaceutical reduction (NSF 53/401). Buyers testing with TDS meters were disappointed, though a carbon filter isn't designed to lower TDS.
- –Rare but serious: a handful of 1-star reviews describe a cracked or split cartridge that leaked inside the fridge or onto the floor. It's a small fraction of 11,000+ ratings, but check the seal and the first day of use carefully.
- –Lifespan can fall short of six months with hard water, and a few multipack buyers received short-packed or unsealed boxes.
- –No alignment arrow on the cartridge body, so first-timers have to guess the orientation when seating it.
What’s in the box
Check these before you buy
Match the filter code on your old cartridge, not just the fridge brand
Pull the current filter and read the label. If it says MWF, GWF, MWFA or MWFINT you are in the sweet spot. If it says MWFP, or your fridge is new enough to use a chipped XWFE/RPWFE filter, buyers report no flow or a permanently orange filter light. A handful of older GE models also failed to seat this cartridge, so buy a single before committing to a multipack.
Buy the 3-pack for the real savings — after you have tested one
The single at $15.29 is fine, but the 3-pack ($26.99, about $9 each) and 4-pack ($32.99, about $8.25 each) are where this beats OEM by a wide margin. Reviewers who bought the multipack and it fit are the happiest group; reviewers who bought three and it didn't fit are the angriest, and some were past the return window by the time they opened the second box.
Flush it properly and expect sputtering at first
Waterdrop's own spec is to run the dispenser for about five minutes (roughly 2.5 gallons) to clear the carbon fines and trapped air, and reviewers confirm it takes at least a gallon or two — a few needed more. Sputtering, a fast-then-slow stream and a couple of drips after releasing the lever in the first day are normal. If flow stays weak or the dispenser keeps dripping after a full flush, pull the filter, reseat it firmly, and if that doesn't fix it, return it — that is the signature of a fit problem.
Date it, and shorten the interval if your water is hard
Stick one of the included month labels on the cartridge when you install it. The rated life is six months or 300 gallons, and most reviewers hit that, but several with hard well or municipal water saw taste or flow drop off at one to three months. Weak flow, hollow ice cubes or a returning off taste are your cue to swap it early.
The pick
Waterdrop WD-F13 Refrigerator Water Filter (GE MWF replacement)
View this deal on Amazon →Questions
Will the Waterdrop WD-F13 fit my GE refrigerator?
It replaces the round, screw-in GE MWF, GWF, MWFA, MWFINT and SmartWater cartridges, plus HDX FMG-1 and Kenmore 9991. Check the code printed on your current filter rather than the fridge model alone. Reviewers with MWFP-style cartridges (offset water slots) and with newer fridges that use the chipped XWFE/RPWFE filter found it either had no flow or wouldn't register, so those should stick with the correct OEM part.
Does it remove lead or just improve taste?
This WD-F13 is certified to NSF/ANSI 42 (chlorine, taste and odor) and NSF/ANSI 372 (lead-free materials in the filter itself). It does not carry NSF 53 or 401, so it isn't rated to reduce lead, cysts or pharmaceuticals. Waterdrop sells a separate Plus version with those certifications if that's what you need.
Did Diskount test this filter?
No. We did not buy or lab-test the WD-F13. This Spotlight summarizes what verified Amazon buyers reported across the 5-star to 1-star reviews we read (about 230 of them, including nearly every 2- and 3-star review) together with the product's published certifications and price. Where buyers disagree, we say so.
How does Diskount make money on this page?
Waterdrop is a featured partner in an Amazon Creator Connections campaign, so if you buy through the link on this page Diskount earns a boosted affiliate commission from Amazon. It costs you nothing extra and does not change the price you pay. It also doesn't change what we write: the cons above come straight from the critical reviews.
How we made this — and how we get paid
We didn’t test this product. The good and bad above are our own summary of verified customer reviews — the consistent praise and the recurring complaints — paired with the live price. Waterdrop is a featured partner, so Diskount earns a boosted commission during the campaign; it never changes your price and doesn’t buy a one-sided page. If the reviews were bad, this page would say so. Read our full methodology.