My search for the best smart faucet began in early 2020. COVID-19 had brought life to a standstill, and there was all sort of theories about how the virus spreads. One of them pointed at faucets, especially in multi-member households, as the likely transmission source.

Being a person who shared his washroom and kitchen with multiple persons, I had every right to be worried about my safety. So I started looking for a faucet that allowed touchless operation. Only then did I realize the potential smart faucets hold to change our lives, for the better.

The best smart faucets not only offer hands-free operation – you can activate them with your voice or an app. They also provide measured water disbursement, spot-resistant and futuristic finishes, and effortless installation. If you’re ready to take the plunge, here are the best smart faucets in 2021. 

In A Hurry? Here’s Our Top Three Picks

How We Chose the Best Smart Faucets

Here’s the criteria we used for their selection:

• Minimum flowrate of 1.5 GPM: Despite all the bells and whistles that it offers, the main purpose of a smart faucet is to meet your home’s water requirements. That’s why most models you see below offer 1.5GPM+ flow rates.

• Pull down functionality: Pull down faucets make cleaning dishes easier in the kitchen by reducing the gap between their spout and the utensils. They’re also easy to maneuver around the sink area and reduce the risk of heavy splashing.

• Touchless operation: Whether via an app, voice control or gestures, the majority of smart faucets you see below, including all three of our top picks, allow touchless operation to save your hands from getting dirty.

• Plug-in operation: Do you want one more gadget in your life that needs constant recharging? We don’t think so. That’s why the majority of smart faucets we picked for this review offer plug-in operation.

Moen Sleek U Smart Pulldown Faucet

• Flow rate: 1.5 GPM
• Voice control: Yes
• Gesture Control: Yes

Why is Sleek U by Moen our top pick for smart faucets?

Start with its exquisite finish. Available in matte black, black stainless and chrome, its spot-resistant finish never welcomes fingerprints and smudges. With regular wipe downs, the faucet will remain as sparkling six months down the line as it’s right out of the box.

Voice control is the main draw of Sleek U by Moen. You can ask Google Assistant or Alexa to turn this faucet on/off or to dispense water at a general temperature (“hot” or “cold”). Or you can even command the voice assistants to release a precise amount of water at a specific temperature (“1tbsp at 60*F”).

You can also create custom presets, with options including the temperature of the water, the amount of water you want released (in units of your choice) and the rate at which water will be released (ranging from 50 to 100 percent). Presets come pretty handy for repetitive tasks.

Gesture control is on offer two. Waving your hand over the faucet’s spout to turn water on and off might not be as sexy as issuing voice commands, but we’ve found that it’s much quicker, especially when you don’t need water at a specific flow rate or temperature.

The U by Moen app is next on the list of bells and whistles. Available for both Android and iOS devices, you can use the app to set default water temperature, set the faucet to shut off after a specific time (1min to 1 hour), and more. The app also gives you daily and weekly reports of your water usage.

Things We Like   

• Can be voice controlled
• Lets you create custom presets
• Sends weekly water usage reports

Things We Don’t Like      

• Accessories are super-expensive

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes
4. Plug-in operation: Yes

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet

• Flow rate: 1.8 GPM
• Voice control: Yes
• Gesture Control: Yes

How does the Kohler Sensate compare with Sleek U by Moen?

This smart faucet costs almost twice as much as our top pick. Even though it’s available in the same finishes (chrome, matte black, stainless steel, chrome) and offers a similar flow rate (1.8GPM vs. 1.5GPM), though its spout’s reach is bigger (8.44’’ vs. 7.6’’).

Voice control, gesture control and physical handle controls are what you get from both the Sleek U by Moen and Kohler Sensate. There are, however, a few minor differences. With the Sleek U you have to wave your hand above its arch to turn it on/off. This faucet, meanwhile, has its sensor below the arch.

More importantly, Sleek U by Moen lets you control the water temperature via voice. So you can simply tell the smart faucet to “Release 2 liters at 60*F”. The Kohler Sensate doesn’t offer this feature, forcing you to use its handle to set the water temperature.

Leaving the comparison behind, you can’t find any faults with this model’s design. A single-hole constructions helps it consume little space on your countertop and a pull-down nozzle enables it to water every corner of your sink. This means you won’t have to move all your dishes to the middle.

Its voice control has received an update. When it was first released, Kohler forced you to tell Google Assistant or Alexa to “Ask Kohler” before each command. So you’d say, “Hey Alexa, ask Kohler to …”. Subsequent updates have removed this requirement so you can now ask the assistant directly.

One area where this model could have done better is fraction compatibility. At the time of writing, you can’t tell it you need 1.5 cups. Instead, you’d have to ask for 12 ounces. Kohler says that future updates will enable you to ask for water in fractions. We hope for this faucet’s sake that it’s true.

Things We Like   

• Has 360-degree rotating spout
• Voice, gesture and physical controls
• User intuitive Kohler Konnect app

Things We Don’t Like      

• Pricier than the competition

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes
4. Plug-in operation: Yes

DELTA Trinsic VoiceIQ Smart Faucet

• Flow rate: 1.8 GPM
• Voice control: Yes
• Gesture Control: No

Multiple features set the Delta Trinsic VoiceIQ apart from our top two picks. Both the Sleek U by Moen and Kohler Sensate are plug-in faucets. This model, however, needs 6 AA batteries to run its under-sink controller. This might cause its running costs to snowball if your water usage is high.

Aside from that, both our top picks offer single-hole installation to conserve space. While the Delta Trinsic offers that functionality too, it also allows for 3-hole installation, as long as you are willing to purchase a deck plate separately. This increases the number of users who can benefit from it.

The final major difference is in the arena of voice control. Our top two choices can be voice controlled with no-strings attached. This smart faucet, however, requires you to install a battery-operated power switch under your sink if you plan on using its voice features.

Moving on, we love the fact that the VoiceIQ doesn’t force you to talk with a smart speaker. If you’re not in the mood to speak, its Delta Touch20 Technology will allow you to turn this faucet on/off by touching anywhere on its handle or spout. You won’t need to trouble your epiglottis.

The added features don’t go far enough to justify the downsides, though. Delta’s smart faucet costs more than Sleek U by Moen, our top pick. And we have heard its users complain that this faucet develops leaks after a few years of usage.

Things We Like   

• Supports 3-hole installation
• Has an LED indicator light
• Multiple hand-wash features

Things We Don’t Like      

• Requires batteries for voice control

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes
4. Plug-in operation: No (requires batteries for under-sink switch)

Moen Arbor Motionsense Touchless Pulldown Kitchen Faucet

• Flow rate: 1.5 GPM
• Voice control: Yes
• Gesture Control: Yes

The Moen Arbor Kitchen Faucet comes in 4 colors and as many styles. Its color range includes chrome, matte black, oil-rubbed bronze, and stainless steel. The styles, meanwhile, include 1-sensor, 2-sensor, standard, and voice control. We’re reviewing the oil-rubbed bronze, voice control unit here.

The voice control model gives you four operations to control its operation. You can either control it with Alexa or Google Assistant or you can control it directly from your smartphone (via the app). Alternatively, hands-free (gesture control) and manual methods are on offer, too.

This unit uses two motion sensors to detect hand gestures. One is on top of the spout and the other near the faucet’s base. One swoosh over the spout will release water, and another will stop it. If for some reason you don’t appreciate their working, you can turn the sensors off using the app.

You also get three spray functions from this model. Our favorite among them is the ‘powerful cleaning rinse’ as it helped clean our ultra-dirty dishes within minutes. You also have the ‘aerated stream’ mode for everyday cleaning and the ‘pause function’ to stop the release of water.

On top of everything else, you can pull down the faucet to get a more powerful stream while cleaning. The pull down’s hose is very flexible and makes no compromises on the stream’s power. However, while docking is highly convenient, we think a magnet would have made things better.

Things We Like   

• Has a pull-down spout
• Three spray modes
• Voice, gesture, and app control

Things We Don’t Like      

• Lacks magnetic docking

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes
4. Plug-in operation: Yes

Forious Touchless Kitchen Faucet

• Flow rate: 1.8 GPM
• Voice control: No
• Gesture Control: Yes

The Forious Touchless Kitchen Faucet costs less than the three models we saw above. As you might guess, this gives it the wiggle room to leave some features out. They include voice control, smartphone compatibility (it doesn’t have an app) and plug-in operation (needs 4 AA batteries to operate).

To make up for these ‘shortcomings’, it offers multiple highly-sought after features. First among them is effortless installation. Other smart faucets force you to spend hour(s) on getting them up and running, in contrast with this model that any expert plumber can set up in less than 20 minutes.

Next comes its motion sensor function. You can wave your hand underneath the faucet to turn the water supply on/off. Those of you who prefer physical controls can always turn the knob. Doing that will switch the controls from touchless to normal.

We also appreciate the fact that it comes with a safety shut-off function. This feature turns off the water 3 minutes after you turned it on. You also get a wipe down cloth to keep it fresh and clean as well as gloves to prevent physical contact with it.

A 360-degree swivel sprayer helps it reach every corner of your sink. Its brushed nickel finish might not be as long lasting as that of steel, but it still does enough to keep rust at bay. And you also get a lifetime warranty on this model.

Things We Like   

• Affordable asking price
• Auto-shutoff function
• 360-degree swivel sprayer

Things We Don’t Like      

• Runs on batteries

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes (gesture control)
4. Plug-in operation: Yes

Delta Leland Pull Down Kitchen Faucet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV3cIKPv9Zs

• Flow rate: 1.8 GPM
• Voice control: No
• Gesture Control: No

Delta Faucet takes no prisoners when it comes to making your kitchen more intelligent, but what if you can’t afford to pay the asking price of the Trinsic VoiceIQ? Not to worry. That’s precisely where the Leland will come to your rescue.

Available in arctic steel, Venetian bronze and chrome finishes, this model is a bare-bones version of the flagship VoiceIQ we saw above. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles (voice control, LED light) that its counterpart possesses, but you can’t complain given that it costs 5x fewer.

Despite its relatively meager asking price, the Leland offers intelligent touch sensor, one which can recognize the difference between a touch/tap and a grab (for rotating or removing the sprayer). This keeps accidental activations at a minimum.

You also get magnetic docking. It snaps the kitchen sprayer into place to ensure that it doesn’t drop when you aren’t drawing water. A ShieldSpray Technology helps the stream of water oozing out of the faucet cut through stubborn messes, making cleaning dishes a cinch.

Most other budget smart faucets only have their spout touch activated. The Leland has upped the ante by touch-activating the entire faucet (except the nozzle). You can therefore tap this faucet anywhere to turn the water on and off.

Things We Like   

• Limited lifetime warranty
• Fits 1-hole and 3-hole configurations
• Magnetic docking prevents drooping

Things We Don’t Like      

• Lacks voice and gesture controls

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: No
4. Plug-in operation: No (requires batteries for under-sink switch)

iTouchless EZ Faucet Pro

• Flow rate: 1 to 2 GPM
• Voice control: No
• Gesture Control: Yes

Almost all smart faucets we reviewed above work independently – you can’t hook them up to your existing faucet. The iTouchless EZ Faucet Pro is different. Here’s a unit that works like a charm with any standard American faucet assembly to save you from the hassle of replacing your existing assembly.

Here’s how the EZ Faucet Pro smart faucet adapter works. An infrared sensor at the base of its spout allows the release of water once your hands enter its reach. If you want to bypass auto-flow, you can do so by activating its manual mode, which dispenses water for up to three minutes.

Four AAA batteries are needed to power this unit and they can last for more than a year regardless of your water usage. An LED indicator will start lighting up when the batteries are low to let you know it’s time to replace them. Simple, right?

All in all, this is a budget smart faucet model that automatically turns water on/off, you can install in your bathroom or kitchen and is an ideal drinking tool for your felines. We’re not joking! Multiple users have commented how easy this module makes their cats to stay hydrated.

On the dark side, you miss out on multiple advanced features. This unit gives you zero control over its flow rate and lacks a smartphone app or voice control. Worse, the entire structure is made of plastic, even the screws fitting into the faucet. So nobody can say for sure how long it will last.

Things We Like   

• Hooks up to your existing faucet assembly
• Shuts-off water to prevent wastage
• Has a manual on/off switch

Things We Don’t Like      

• Lacks voice controls

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless operation: Yes (gesture control)
4. Plug-in operation: Yes

Delta Faucet Mateo VoiceIQ

• Flow rate: 1.8 GPM
• Voice control: Yes
• Gesture Control: Yes

The Delta Faucet Mateo VoiceIQ is one of the more versatile options out there. This voice-activated faucet leverages your Google Assistant or Alexa to follow your voice commands. You can tell it to dispense specific amounts of water – like 32 ounces for your bucket or a cup for your tea.

What if your hands are caked with dough or covered in oil? Even then you can turn it on by touching your wrist or the back of your hand to its spout. However, we can think of many scenarios where this could lead to an accidental activation.

Another excellent feature that we liked about this smart faucet is it never asks you to burn your hand to check the water temperature. A front-facing LED light indicator will show you the current water temperature in Fahrenheit.

Unfortunately, as is the case with the Trinsic VoiceIQ, this model too relies on batteries to power its under-sink controller switch. On the bright side, it also copies its counterpart by letting you create customized presets and by offering magnetic docking.

Things We Like   

• Offers magnetic docking
• Multiple installation options
• Lets you create customized commands

Things We Don’t Like      

• Requires under-sink outlet

How It Compares With Our Criteria

1. 1.5GPM or more flow rate: Yes
2. Pull down faucet: Yes
3. Touchless controls: Yes
4. Plug-in operation: No (requires batteries for under-sink switch)

What is a Smart Faucet?

Smart faucets are gadgets equipped with efficiency sensors and temperature gauges that allow each member of your household to decide how much water they use in the bathroom or the kitchen, as well as the temperature of the water.

These are highly convenient if you hate scrubbing soap gunk off your faucet’s hot/cold handles, or simply want to keep your hands cleaner than they would if you had to adjust the flow rate every time you went to wash dishes in the kitchen.

How Do Smart Faucets Work?

Smart faucets work in one of three ways. The majority is equipped with ‘one-touch activation’, where a gentle touch anywhere on the faucet will signal it to release water – a massive convenience when your hands are dirty with sauce or cake.

Other smart faucets feature a sensor in the front, ready to turn the unit on/off based on commands from a hand-wave. These units have a box located below the faucet that allows them to open or shut the water supply without requiring you to physically turn the water knob.

The third type of smart faucets lets you control their operation with your voice. Once you have them installed, you’d need to download the faucet’s app, create an account and link it with your voice assistant of choice. The faucet will then work with your voice commands.

Why You Need a Smart Faucet

The benefits of smart faucets aren’t limited to water savings and hands-free operation. These gadgets also prevent the spread of bacteria and germs, steer clear from attracting fingerprints and smudges and help you save money on your water bills. 

Here are the major benefits of smart faucets:

1)   Hands-free operation

Smart faucets offer hands-free operation in one of three ways: motion detection, voice control, and app control. Motion detecting faucets turn on upon detecting movement in the sink. Voice-controlled faucets, meanwhile, can be turned on/off using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

2)   Prevent the spread of germs

COVID-19 has opened our eyes to the invisible viruses and bacteria on our household surfaces, and a smart faucet can help us deal with such germs. With hands-free control, you and your family members would never again have to touch a potentially dirty tap with your hands.

3)   Won’t attract smudges and fingerprints

What would happen once you stop touching your kitchen and bathroom faucet? You won’t be transferring a heap of fingerprints and smudges to the tap. This way, you won’t have to clean your faucet and sink as often as a conventional faucet.

4)   Save water

The fact that smart faucets save water is good for the environment as well as your water bills. Water only flows when you need it to flow, and the faucet’s pre-heating mechanism means you won’t be wasting water while waiting for the heater to heat it to the appropriate temperature.

5)   Control water usage

Let’s say you want to cook a specific recipe. You can just tell your smart faucet to release “1 cup of water”. Or perhaps you’re going to make tea for guests, in which case you can command the faucet to “Fill up the 2 liter tea kettle” or “10 cups of water”.

Disadvantages of Smart Faucets

There are three major disadvantages of smart faucets. The first is that they require a power source to operate. Some of them need to be plugged in, while others are battery-powered. The latter type of models might have significant running costs if their batteries die down quickly.

The second drawback of smart faucets is that they cost more than your average tap. You can get three traditional faucets (or more) for the price of the cheapest smart tap. This might pose a budget issue if you’re going to replace the taps of your entire home.

Lastly, since they have fewer replaceable parts than your average tap, you’d have to replace the entire system if any fault arises. However, this problem is taken care of by their extensive warranty period, which is often bigger than what your conventional faucet comes with.

Types of Smart Faucets

Smart faucets are available in three types: hands-free, digital and combo. The first type is the most recognizable, having been used in public restrooms for several decades. That isn’t to say that you should just stick to what you have already used.

Here are the three main types of smart faucets:

Hands-free smart faucets

• Our choice: iTouchless EZ Faucet

Hands-free smart faucets contain small IR sensors that signal them to release water upon detecting movement in the sink. They are a convenient option if a) you don’t like removing grime off your sink’s handles and b) you don’t want to touch handles for any reason.

Our favorite hands-free smart faucet is the EZ Faucet from iTouchless. It’s easy to install, automatically turns off water supply when you pull your hands away and comes with all the tools you need for its installation. And the best thing about it? It’s a low-priced solution.

Digital faucets

• Our choice: Tenlo Gold Touch Kitchen Faucet

Digital faucets are a relatively recent entrant to the bunch. They use LED displays to show you the temperature the water is set at and let you adjust it per your preference. You can either buy these units as either full-systems, or you can get add-ons that work with your existing taps.

The Tenlo Gold Touch Kitchen Faucet is our pick for digital taps. This unit lets you switch between its two spray modes with the tap of a button. Its 360-degree retractable design allows the faucet to reach every corner of your sink. And you also get a 3-year warranty on this unit.

Combo faucets

• Our choice: Moen Sleek U Pulldown Smart Faucet

Combo faucets are the priciest of the bunch, but they more than make up for in features and add-ons what they lack in affordability. They combine the ease-of-operation of hands-free faucets with the efficiency of their digital counterparts. Some can even let you monitor your home’s water usage.

If you’re looking for recommendations, Moen Sleek U is our top-pick for combo faucets. Apart from heating water to up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, it can be voice controlled (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa) and has a smartphone app giving you full control over its operation.

How to Choose Smart Faucets – Buyer’s Guide

You might have deduced by now that smart faucets do not belong to the one-size-fits-all category. They are available in different styles and shapes, offer different flow rates, and have different finishes. Their sensor style and power source vary too.

Here are the things to keep in mind while choosing smart faucets:

Activation Feature

Smart faucets rely on motion-detecting sensors to trigger and stop the release of water. Both of these aspects are affected by the number and accuracy of sensors a faucet has, with units having multiple sensors being more accurate than those with one or two sensors.

The sensors should be speedy to react – they must signal the release of water immediately after you swipe your hand. You shouldn’t have to wait for more than 1 to 2 seconds for water. At the same time, the sensor shouldn’t be activated by any motion in the room, this might lead to wasted water.

Power Supply

You have two options when it comes to powering your faucet: an alternating current (AC) transformer or the battery. Battery-operated models cost less up front, but have greater running costs as you’ll have to replace batteries. The running cost might snowball if you’re exhausting several batteries a month.

As a result, if you have electrical connection near your sink, we suggest you choose a plug-in model. Sure, it will cost more up front. But it will save you money over the long term, as well as the hassle of replacing batteries every few weeks.

Faucet Style

Smart faucets are available in the following styles:

• Widespread faucets can be installed on sinks with holes ½’ to 1’ apart. Such faucets have an elegant, high-end feel to them. They come with left and right handles, alongside a spout.

• Centerset faucets give the similar feel as their widespread counterparts, but the sinks that support their installation have holes drilled at 4-inches apart. These faucets are space-saving and work great in narrow spaces.

• Single-hole faucets are installed on sinks with a single center-hole. They don’t have left or right handles. All they have is a top handle that you can push up or down to start or stop the flow of water.

• Vessel sink faucets are designed for above-counter vessel sinks. These sinks sit atop the counter in your bathroom, which means you might not be able to use these faucets for your kitchen.

Water Flow Rate

The faucet’s flow rate will determine how much water the unit uses. The unit for measurement of water flow in plumbing appliances is gallons per minute (GPM). Keep in mind that the higher the GPM, the more efficient the faucet will be, meaning it will waste less water.

In the United States of America, kitchen faucets rarely if ever exceed a maximum flow rate of 2.2 GPM. This number might not be huge to meet the water requirements of the whole household. But it will be more than enough for everyday use in a kitchen.

Faucet Finish

Similar to their traditional counterparts, smart faucets too are available in multiple finishes. The most common finishes include chrome, stainless steel, zinc alloy, brushed nickel, among others. We suggest you choose a unit with a finish that could complement your interior décor.

Keep in mind that their touchless-operation saves smart faucets’ exterior from fingerprints and other smudges. So if high shine metal has always caught your eye, but you didn’t go for it due to your hatred of dealing with the smudges, smart faucets offer you an excellent opportunity to go for it.

Additional Features

Here are the bells and whistles you can get with certain models:

• Voice Activation: Having a voice activated faucet will save you the trouble of swiping your hand underneath the tap every time you need water. You can just pair the unit with your home device (Google Assistant or Alexa) and issue commands.

• Customizable Presets:  Aided by the voice activation feature, customizable presets let you issue commands such as ‘Ask faucet for 2 cups at 90 degrees’, ‘Ask faucet for 1tbsp’ or ‘Ask faucet for 2 liters’. The faucet will then memorize your commands for future reference.

• Auto-Shutoff Timers: Most smart faucets come with an auto shut-off timer that turns off water release after a certain amount of time. How is this useful? Perhaps a kid forgot to close the faucet all the way. The faucet will stop release water instead of wasting it.

• Exact Measurements: This feature enables you to get water at the desired volume. Most smart faucets supports multiple measurements including tablespoon, ounce, cups, liters, pints, quarts, and gallons.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a smart kitchen faucet cost?

The cost of smart kitchen faucets ranges from $40 to $900. Models on the lower end of range might offer touchless controls, but they will most certainly lacks the bells and whistles (voice control, gesture control, app connectivity) that you get from pricier smart faucets.

How does the Moen Smart faucet work?

The Moen Smart faucet works with the help of a ‘Wave Sensor’ located on its front. One swipe of the hand over the faucet signals the sensor to release water, another swipe stops it. Alternatively, you can use a handle on its side to adjust flow and temperature.

Can a touchless faucet work manually?

Most touchless faucets you see on the market work manually. You can turn their manual operation on and off with the help of a handle. Their sensor only comes into play when the handle is in the on position, leading to touchless operation.

Conclusion

If money is no object and you want the best smart faucet for your home, the Sleek U by Moen is a great choice. Apart from offering touchless controls (voice, gesture, app), it offers pull-down functionality, and sends weekly water usage reports to your smartphone.

However, if money is a concern and you’re looking for a budget option, iTouchless EZ Faucet Pro is your best bet. This competitively-priced model lets you hook it up to your existing faucet assembly and has a sensor that releases water automatically on detecting gestures.