We have slightly hard water in our house. City water, not well. When I tested it, it came to 3grains or 50ppm. Also no iron, copper, chlorine in water. So we are on the lower end of "hard" water. The water does leave scale and spots all over the bathroom and kitchen fixtures, plus the dishwasher does not clean the way it should. I want to install a softener but hate the sodium it adds to the water. So do I put a whole house filter in line AFTER the softener to filter out the sodium? Do I forgo the softener and just do the filter? They all claim to get rid of the scale without using a softener. Everything I've read online feels like a sales pitch because they're all trying to sell THEIR product . I just want honest advice as to what may be the best approach. Thanks.

Since the salt is in solution, a filter will not remove it. Some softener systems use Potassium Chloride in the softener. You can also install an under sink RO unit for drinking. Considering your hardness level you have, you would be spending a lot of $$ to remove a little hardness -calcium