The big difference between the two is that one is only designed to remove things like sediments, chlorine, and other unwanted chemicals that come out of your tap. These types of filter systems typically use activated charcoal to filter out impurities and odor, but it doesn’t actually add anything to it. The alkaline devices typically all come with a type of filtration system that removes impurities and odor (and they, too, often use activated charcoal to undertake this process), but they also have a line of beads that raises the pH level while it also adds important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals are great at purifying free radicals that have made their way into your body through the things that you eat as well as pollution.