FreshWater Salt vs. CLEARRAY vs. FROG @ease: Which Water Care System Is Best?

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We Sell Spas With All Three Systems. Here’s How Each One Actually Works, What You’ll Still Have to Do, What They Cost to Keep Running, and Which One Is Right for Your Spa and Your Life

By Leisure Time Inc.  |  October 2026  |  Estimated Read Time: 13 minutes

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Ask ten hot tub owners what they dread most and nine will say water care. So it’s no surprise that the three big names in ‘easy water’—the FreshWater® Salt System, CLEARRAY® Active Oxygen®, and FROG® @ease®—come up in nearly every showroom conversation we have. They all promise cleaner, softer water with less work. They all deliver on that promise. But they are not the same kind of system, and that matters more than any marketing claim.

This guide explains what each system really does, what it doesn’t do, what you’ll still have to handle yourself, what you’ll buy over a year of ownership, and—most importantly—which one fits the spa you own or are shopping for. We’ll be honest about the trade-offs, because the right answer depends on your situation, not on which brand shouts loudest.

From Leisure Time Inc., with showrooms in Boise, Idaho Falls, and Twin Falls. We’re an authorized dealer for Hot Spring and Caldera (FreshWater Salt), Sundance (CLEARRAY), and FROG products—so we have no reason to steer you toward one over another beyond what works best for you.

The Short Answer

If you want the quick version before the details:

• If you own (or want) a Hot Spring or Caldera spa, the FreshWater Salt System is the best fit—it’s built in, it generates its own chlorine, and it can stretch drain-and-refills to as long as a year. Add FreshWater IQ if you want it to monitor itself.
• If you own (or want) a Sundance spa, CLEARRAY Active Oxygen comes standard and does the heavy lifting of oxidizing contaminants—you pair it with a small, steady dose of sanitizer. Many of our customers use FROG @ease for that step.
• If you own any other spa—or a plug-and-play, or you simply want the easiest cartridge-based routine—FROG @ease is the standout. It works in nearly any hot tub, self-regulates, and cuts chlorine use by up to 75%.

Now, here’s why those are the answers.

First: These Aren’t All the Same Kind of System

The most common confusion we see is treating these three as interchangeable ‘alternatives to chlorine.’ They aren’t. Two of them are primary sanitizers—systems that provide the ongoing sanitizer your water needs. One is a supplemental oxidizer—a system that destroys contaminants so your sanitizer can work far less hard, but doesn’t replace it entirely.

• FreshWater Salt System = primary sanitizer. It generates chlorine from salt inside the spa, continuously. You don’t add chlorine.
• FROG @ease = primary sanitizer. Pre-filled mineral and SmartChlor® cartridges maintain a low, steady chlorine level. You don’t measure or mix chlorine.
• CLEARRAY Active Oxygen = supplemental oxidizer. Ozone and UV-C light neutralize bacteria and contaminants as water circulates, so you need much less sanitizer—but you still maintain a small residual dose of chlorine or bromine.

FreshWater® Salt System (Hot Spring & Caldera)

The FreshWater Salt System is built by Watkins Wellness for its Hot Spring and Caldera spas, and Hot Spring calls it ‘our best spa water.’ It’s the system behind the growing wave of ‘salt water hot tubs.’

How It Works

You add a small amount of salt to the water at fill. A titanium cartridge then uses that salt to generate chlorine automatically and continuously, so the water stays sanitized without you adding chlorine. The result is water Hot Spring describes as more natural-feeling—no itchy, dry skin or eyes, no harsh odors—because the chlorine level stays low and steady instead of spiking after each dose.

What You’ll Still Do

• Replace the titanium cartridge about every four months. It snaps in and out in seconds, no tools, no draining.
• Keep pH and alkalinity balanced and add an occasional oxidizer when the control panel prompts you—the panel tells you when the system needs attention and what adjustment to make.
• Drain and refill up to once a year. With proper maintenance, Hot Spring says the system keeps water clean and clear for up to a full year, though heavy bather load shortens that.

The Smart Upgrade

FreshWater® IQ adds smart monitoring: it checks your water hourly, tells you exactly what to add, and—with Precision Dosing—handles more of it automatically. It’s included on Hot Spring Highlife and Caldera Utopia spas and available on Limelight and Paradise.

Who It’s For

Hot Spring and Caldera owners—period. The salt system comes standard on Highlife and Utopia spas and is optional on the other collections, but it is not available for other brands. If you’re buying a Watkins spa, this is the easiest, most hands-off water you can get, and it’s the system we recommend on those spas nearly every time.

CLEARRAY® Active Oxygen® (Sundance)

CLEARRAY Active Oxygen is standard on every Sundance acrylic spa and sits at the center of why Sundance water care is so easy. It’s a hands-free system that, in Sundance’s words, ‘works harder and cleans longer.’

How It Works

The system injects a low dose of ozone into the water, then passes that water by a UV-C lamp. The UV light energizes the ozone-treated water and unlocks ‘active oxygen’—an advanced oxidation process that destroys contaminants and treats 99.9% of waterborne pathogens. It runs automatically as water circulates through the spa’s MicroClean® filtration and Dynamic Flow circulation pump, so you never touch it.

What You’ll Still Do

• Maintain a small residual sanitizer. CLEARRAY neutralizes contaminants but doesn’t provide the ongoing residual the water needs, so you add a modest amount of chlorine or bromine on a routine—far less than a spa without it. Sundance also offers the SunPurity™ mineral cartridge to help.
• Replace the UV-C bulb about once a year through your dealer.
• Drain and refill about every three to four months, per Sundance’s guidance, depending on use.

The Smart Upgrade

On the 980 and 880 Series, Sundance offers True Water®—a nanobubble system that continuously cleanses the water and, Sundance says, uses up to 80% less chlorine than salt systems and up to 95% less than traditional hot tubs. Add the SmartTub® app and you can monitor it all from your phone.

Who It’s For

Sundance owners. It’s already in your spa, it’s excellent, and it makes the small sanitizer step you handle genuinely small. The question for Sundance owners isn’t whether to use CLEARRAY—it’s what to pair it with, which brings us to FROG.

FROG® @ease® (Works in Almost Any Spa)

FROG @ease is made by King Technology, and unlike the other two, it isn’t tied to a spa brand. FROG makes floating versions for any hot tub from 150 to 600 gallons, in-line versions built into select spas, and brand-specific versions for Sundance, Jacuzzi, Freeflow, Fantasy, and Bullfrog spas. Its promise is ‘no mess, no guess, no stress.’

How It Works

Two pre-filled cartridges work together to create what FROG calls Fresh Mineral Water®. A mineral cartridge helps kill bacteria and keeps pH balanced. A SmartChlor® cartridge delivers a patented, slow-dissolving form of chlorine that self-regulates—it releases more only when the water needs it, holding a consistent 0.5 to 1.0 ppm instead of the spikes and crashes of hand-dosed chlorine. Together, FROG says, they kill bacteria two ways while using up to 75% less chlorine than the standard minimum.

What You’ll Still Do

• Replace the SmartChlor cartridge every three to four weeks, depending on spa size and use. FROG’s test strips have an ‘out indicator’ that tells you exactly when.
• Replace the mineral cartridge every four months or whenever you drain and refill.
• Shock once a month with FROG Maintain—not weekly.
• Dip a test strip occasionally. FROG’s single-color-match strips check pH, alkalinity, hardness, and cartridge status in seconds.

Who It’s For

Anyone whose spa doesn’t have a built-in salt system: owners of other brands, plug-and-play and rotomolded spas, and—very often—Sundance owners pairing it with CLEARRAY. It’s also the right pick if you love the simplicity of ‘snap in a cartridge and forget it.’ FROG notes it costs slightly more than dichlor but less than other systems, and backs it with a satisfaction guarantee.

Side by Side

Here’s how the three compare on the things that actually affect your week and your wallet:

What Each Costs to Keep Running

None of these is free to operate, and ‘cheapest’ depends on your spa and how much you use it. Here’s the honest shape of it:

• FreshWater Salt: About three titanium cartridges a year, a bag of salt at each fill, and balancing products. The big offset is water: stretching refills toward a year saves hundreds of gallons and the chemicals to re-balance them. Bather load is the variable—a busy spa burns through cartridges faster.
• CLEARRAY: One UV-C bulb a year, plus whatever residual sanitizer you choose. CLEARRAY itself is inexpensive to run; the sanitizer and optional minerals or True Water are where the ongoing cost sits.
• FROG @ease: Roughly a SmartChlor cartridge a month and three mineral cartridges a year, plus monthly Maintain shock. FROG says it’s slightly more than dichlor but less than other systems—and most owners feel the time saved more than pays for it.

Bring us your spa model and how often you soak, and we’ll give you a realistic yearly estimate for your specific setup rather than a generic number.

How to Choose: A Quick Framework

Work through these in order and the right system usually becomes obvious:

1. Start with the spa. Hot Spring or Caldera? FreshWater Salt. Sundance? CLEARRAY is already there—decide what to pair it with. Anything else? FROG @ease.
2. Decide how hands-off you want to be. Salt with FreshWater IQ is the most automated; FROG @ease is the simplest cartridge routine; CLEARRAY paired with FROG is a close second.
3. Consider skin and sensitivity. All three are gentler than hand-dosed chlorine or bromine. If itchy skin or chlorine smell has kept you out of a spa, any of them is a big step up.
4. Think about your consumables rhythm. Would you rather change one cartridge every four months (salt) or one every month (FROG)? Do you want a yearly bulb (CLEARRAY)?
5. Factor in drain-and-refill. If stretching refills to a year matters—for water savings or simply less work—salt leads.
6. Bring us a water sample. Your source water (especially well water) affects every system’s startup. We test it free and dial in your routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which hot tub water care system is best?

It depends on your spa. All three are excellent at what they do, but they’re different kinds of systems. The FreshWater Salt System is the best fit for Hot Spring and Caldera spas, where it’s built in and can stretch refills to a year. CLEARRAY Active Oxygen is standard on Sundance spas and does the heavy lifting of oxidizing contaminants. FROG @ease works in nearly any spa and is the simplest cartridge-based routine—and it pairs beautifully with CLEARRAY on a Sundance.

Is a salt water hot tub really chlorine-free?

No—and that’s a common misconception. The FreshWater Salt System generates chlorine from salt, so the water is still sanitized with chlorine. The difference is that it’s produced continuously at a low, steady level rather than dumped in by hand, which is why the water feels softer with no harsh odor and no itchy skin or eyes. You don’t add chlorine; the system makes it.

Does CLEARRAY mean I don’t need chlorine?

No. CLEARRAY is a supplemental oxidizer—ozone and UV-C destroy contaminants and dramatically reduce how much sanitizer you need, but the water still requires a small residual of chlorine or bromine between soaks. Many Sundance owners handle that with FROG @ease, which maintains a low, self-regulating chlorine level so you never hand-dose. Sundance’s True Water upgrade reduces sanitizer further.

Can I use FROG @ease in a Sundance, Hot Spring, or Caldera spa?

In a Sundance, yes—FROG makes an @ease version specifically for Sundance spas, and it works alongside CLEARRAY. FROG’s floating @ease system works in nearly any spa from 150 to 600 gallons, so it can be used in a Hot Spring or Caldera too, but on those spas the built-in FreshWater Salt System is almost always the better fit. Ask us and we’ll match the system to your model.

How often will I drain and refill with each system?

With the FreshWater Salt System, up to once a year with proper maintenance (heavy use shortens that). With CLEARRAY, Sundance recommends about every three to four months. With FROG @ease, about every four months, timed with the mineral cartridge change. Longer intervals save water and the chemicals needed to re-balance it.

Which system is cheapest to run?

They’re closer than you’d think, and it depends on use. Salt means roughly three cartridges a year plus salt, offset by far fewer refills. CLEARRAY itself is cheap—a yearly bulb—with the cost sitting in your sanitizer. FROG @ease runs about a SmartChlor cartridge a month plus mineral cartridges and monthly shock; FROG says it’s slightly more than dichlor but less than other systems. Bring us your model and usage and we’ll estimate your real yearly cost.

At Leisure Time Inc., we sell and service spas running all three of these systems every day, and we stock the cartridges, bulbs, salt, and FROG products to keep them going. Whether you’re choosing a new spa and want the easiest water possible, or you own a spa and want to simplify your routine, bring us your model and a water sample. We’ll test it free, walk you through your options honestly, and set you up—including Autoship on consumables so you never run out.

Cleaner water, less work, and a dealer who carries all three—that’s how you pick the right system.

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Tags: Hot Tub Water Care, FreshWater Salt System, CLEARRAY, FROG @ease, SmartChlor, Salt Water Hot Tub, Ozone UV, Hot Spring, Caldera, Sundance, Idaho