This work investigated the performance of two solar stills with similar polythene film cover and black painted stainless steel basin. One was a passive solar still and the other named active solar still was augmented with an external heat source of a photovoltaic module with output power of 45.9 W and a direct current heater. The maximum daily water production of active solar still and passive solar still was 4.36 and 3.21 L/m2, respectively. The estimated cost per L/m2 for active solar still and passive solar still was USD 0.045 and 0.015, respectively. The quality of water produced from both solar stills met World Health Organization drinking water standards. © The Author(s) 2019.