Last Updated on October 21, 2021
Keeping your pool clean is a very time-intensive and laborious job. You can easily spend hours each week struggling with pool vacuums and hoses trying to keep the pool clear of debris and dirt.
Robotic pool cleaners have been a great invention for pool owners. The first robotic pool cleaners were invented in the 1990’s and they have improved drastically since then. If you are shopping for a new pool cleaner then we can help you find the best robotic pool cleaner for the money.
Keep reading to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of various types of pool cleaners as well as the best robotic pool cleaners and why they do the best job at cleaning your pool.
Here are some important aspects to keep in mind when shopping:
- Ease of use
- Reliability
- Weight
- Efficiency
- Size of your pool
- Extra features
Here Are The Best Robotic Pool Cleaners We Recommend
Various Types Of Pool Cleaners
Manual Pool Cleaners
The least expensive yet most labor-intensive pool cleaner is the manual pool cleaner. With this type of pool cleaner, you must connect the suction hose to the pool skimmer so the waste gets carried through the hose to the waste area. You must also use the long hose of the cleaner to physically push the water vacuum around the floor and walls of the pool until everything is clean.
Pressure-Side Pool Cleaners
Pressure-side cleaners are a step above the manual cleaners because they are automatic. Another benefit to these cleaners above manual cleaners is the collection of debris doesn’t happen in your pool filter but rather a filter bag on the cleaner itself. These pool cleaners are great with larger debris and do a decent job with smaller debris as well.
Suction-Side Pool Cleaners
Some people prefer a suction-side pool cleaner rather than a pressure-side pool cleaner because of the rate at which it cleans your pool. It will move around your pool on the ground and walls to move debris into your pools’ filter system. While it does a decent job at cleaning, suction-side pool cleaners require your pool’s pump and filter system to make it work, which means just like a manual cleaner, your pool’s filter will be collecting the debris which you might not like.
Robotic Pool Cleaners
The favorite pool cleaner among pool owners is the robotic pool cleaner. With robotic pool cleaners, you get a fully self-contained unit which means no need to use your pool’s pump or filter system for collecting debris. After using their low-voltage plug to connect to an outlet, it becomes push-button simple. Robotic pool cleaners use their motor for the wheels and movement around the pool, their pump for lifting large and small debris from the floor and walls, and their filter for containment of debris. If you want an easy and complete way of cleaning your pool, a robotic pool cleaner is the way to go.
Does It Make Sense To Purchase A Robotic Pool Cleaner?
Robotic pool cleaners are cool but are they worth it? If you’re trying to make sense of purchasing a robotic pool cleaner, think about the following advantages.
Self-contained system: Robotic pool cleaners are completely self-contained and don’t require your pools skimmer, pump, or filter for operation.
Plug-and-play: These cleaners are simple to use. Just plug it into an outlet and press a button. Your pool will be clean with no additional work.
Money savings: Although robotic pool cleaners are more expensive than most other pool cleaners, you will save money in the long run. Many don’t realize how much money other pool cleaners cost until their energy bill comes in. Robotic pool cleaners will cost an average of 5 cents per hour to operate which makes a huge difference.
Energy efficiency: Robotic pool cleaners are up to 90% more energy-efficient, which not only saves you money but also puts no additional load on your pool’s system.
Easy maintenance: After your robot cleans your pool, just remove the filter and wash it out with a hose. Snap it back in and it’s ready for the next cleaning.
Calculate How Much Is It To Maintain A Pool: The Average Pool Maintenance Cost
The maintenance cost of your swimming pool can easily increase without having the right tools to use, so it will be much better if you invest in those early on.
Factors To Consider With Robotic Pool Cleaners
Ease of use: Some robotic pool cleaners are easier to use than others. When thinking about purchasing a pool cleaner, take into consideration how easy it will be to operate. Every robotic pool cleaner should be easier to operate than other pool cleaners, but remember that some are easier to use than others.
Reliability: Take into consideration how reliable each robotic pool cleaner brand is. No one wants to spend money to make pool cleaning easier if it doesn’t work every time. Get a robotic pool cleaner that is reliable enough to work for many pool seasons.
Weight: Some robotic pool cleaners are extremely heavy. Luckily, with the constant improvements made in the pool cleaning industry each year, you will find robotic cleaners to be lighter while still producing the same high-quality cleaning work. If you’re going to go for a heavy robot, make sure you are going to be able to lift it out of the pool.
Efficiency: As with any industry, some products and brands are going to be more efficient than others. Will your robotic pool cleaner be able to clean all the walls of your pool? Does your pool have stairs that you want to be cleaned as well? Some robotic pool cleaners do a great job of cleaning an area once and not going through it again.
Length and Depth Of Pool: Consider the size of your pool, both length and depth. Certain sizes and specific robotic pool cleaners will only be able to handle so much. There are varieties with every brand, so make sure you get a cleaner that is going to be able to reach every corner of your pool with ease.
Extra Features: Some robotic pool cleaners have extremely worthwhile features like remote controls, scheduling, and Bluetooth capabilities. Some don’t need the extra features, but for those of us who like the additional perks, you can find them in many robotic pool cleaners.
5 Best Robotic Pool Cleaners
You’ve made a great decision in choosing to purchase a robotic pool cleaner. But with all the different pool cleaners on the market, which one is best for you? We’ve narrowed it down to these choices that work great for various sizes of pools. Take a look at each of these choices and based on the size of your pool and the features you’re looking for, we’re sure one of these options will work perfectly for you.
Dolphin Nautilus CC
- The Dolphin Nautilus CC robotic pool vacuum cleaner features powerful wall climbing capabilities to scrub the floor and walls of your pool no matter the pool shape or surface type.
- With the Dolphin's active scrubbing brush design, your pool surface gets incredibly clean. Each performance cleaning gives you an exceptional pool experience with less work.
- Get your pool exceptionally clean with the easy-access, top load fine filter basket. The fine filters remove debris from your pool for crystal-clear water. Its powerful filtration keeps your pool...
- Cleaning your pool has never been easier. With the Dolphin's plug-and-play system, just plug your robot in, drop it into the pool, and turn on the power supply for a spotless pool in 2 hours.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC automatic robotic pool cleaner is an easy-to-use, lightweight, single-button operation robotic pool cleaner that is sure to wow you.
- Ideal for pools up to 33 feet long
- Weighs 13.8 pounds
- Schedule your cleaning times with 3 settings
- Consistent active brushing collects large debris and scrubs the debris you don’t see
- Quick payback on investment with 8X less energy consumption than other pool cleaners
- It comes with a 1-year warranty
What Real World Users Say…
“This unit is perfect for my 20×40 pool.”
“The pool is crystal clean all the time. No more nagging from the wife to clean the pool.”
“We’ve had this a week. So far so great! Picks up small rocks & the finest dirt.”
Dolphin Nautilus CC PLUS
- The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus robotic pool vacuum cleaner features powerful wall climbing capabilities to scrub the floor and walls of your pool no matter the pool shape or surface type.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus automatic robotic pool cleaner is a step above its predecessor. It’s larger and can handle the bigger jobs, and comes with some nice features as well.
- Ideal for pools up to 50 feet long
- Weighs 19 pounds
- Schedule your cleaning times with 3 settings
- Dual scrubbing brushes for large and small debris
- Large top-load cartridge filters for complete cleaning within 2 hours
- “CleverClean” algorithm for smart and efficient navigational cleaning
- Anti-tangle swivel cable for ease of movement around your pool
- The same 8X less energy consumption saves you energy and money
- It comes with a 2.5-year warranty
What Real World Users Say…
“Outstanding robotic inground pool cleaner.“
“It’s a powerful scrubber cleaner that pretty much does what it’s advertised to do.”
“Life-changing purchase after cleaning manually for years. 2 years old and going strong.“
Best Overall: Dolphin Premier Robotic Pool Cleaner
- Smart Nav scans the pool shape and calculates the optimal path for faster, more efficient cleaning
- HyperGrip dual tracks for 40% less slippage while climbing walls and stairs
- Power scrubs and vacuums doors, steps, walls, and water line
- Reduces energy costs up to 90% (5 per hour) over AC-powered cleaners by running on DC motors
The Dolphin Premier robotic pool cleaner is superior compared to other machines on this list when it comes to its features and abilities. It has been deemed by many as the “best pool cleaner on the market”. Check out the features of this robotic pool cleaner.
- Ideal for pools up to 50 feet long
- Weighs 22 pounds
- Schedule your cleaning at your desired interval with Smart Control
- Dual scrubbing brushes with dual 24-volt motors clean and scrubs every inch of floor, wall, tile, and waterline
- Includes micro-cartridges, standard cartridges, and oversized leaf and debris bags
- It comes with Smart Nav software that uses advanced algorithms for optimized scanning and full coverage cleaning
- Anti-tangle swivel cable for ease of movement around your pool
- 90% less energy gives you better energy efficiency and saves you money
- A full media indicator light lets you know when it’s time to empty the filter
- You can optionally use the Dolphin remote for the advanced cleaning of specific pool areas you want to focus more on
- It comes with a 3-year warranty
What Real World Users Say…
“Their best robotic pool cleaner in the market.“
“It is an investment but well worth the money spent and cleaning time eliminated to have a spotless pool.”
“The answer to all things pool! I was really worried about purchasing this because it seems so expensive, but trust me, it is worth every last penny.”
Best Value: PAXCESS Cordless 8600 Robotic Pool Cleaner
- 【Cordless & Wall Climbing Function】Global premier cordless wall-climbing automatic pool cleaner. PAXCESS robot pool vacuum equipped with the advanced brush, which can provide a strong adsorption...
- 【Excellent Cleaning Performance】PAXCESS cordless automatic pool cleaner is the most innovative pool robot cleaner.It can clean inground pools/above ground pools for Max.1614 sq ft. Put aside the...
- 【Comprehensive & Efficient Cleaning】The pre-installed smart gyroscope, accelerometer and advanced three-axis motor provide strong suction and efficient cleaning to achieve complete cleaning...
- 【Intelligent Detection Technology】With advanced detection technology, PAXCESS cordless pool cleaner can detect different working situation by itself and these working situations will be displayed...
With a preinstalled smart gyroscope, accelerometer, and advanced three-axis motor this clever device will ensure your pool is cleaned using the most efficient route. The PAXCESS Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner is perfect for people who don’t want to spend their valuable time cleaning the swimming pool by hand because this robot will do it all on its own.
- 8600 mAh Lithium Battery
- 1614 square feet maximum cleaning surface
- Up to 90 minutes of working time
- Has twin extra-large top access filter baskets
- Comes with a 2-year warranty
What Real World Users Say…
“Super easy to use & set up. Does a good job!”
“If you want more time enjoying your pool this year than cleaning it, this is a must!”
“Highly recommend this pool cleaner if you want to air back and let it clean the pool for you!”
Best For Inground Pools: Polaris F9550 Sport Robotic In-Ground Pool Cleaner
- AUTO POOL CLEANER: The 9550 Sport 4WD provides best-in-class performance and 5 cleaning modes.
- IN GROUND: Compatible with in ground swimming pools up to 60 ft.
- POLARIS: For more than 40 years, Polaris has been known worldwide for its quality and best-in-class automatic pool cleaners.
- PREMIUM CLEANING PERFORMANCE: The 4WD robotic pool cleaner featuring motion-sensing handheld remote, Easy Lift System, dirty canister indicator, and Vortex Vacuum technology for best-in-class cleaning...
The Polaris F9550 Sport Robotic In-Ground Pool Cleaner has a range of features that make it the perfect choice for any pool owner. One of its distinct advantages is the 7-day programmable timer which allows you to set it and forget it.
- Motion-sensing remote control
- Easy lift system
- 7-day programmable timer
- 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) technology
- Easy to clean filter canister
- Works on pools up to 60 feet long
- ActivMotion Sensor Technology
- Comes with a 2-year warranty.
What Real World Users Say…
“Unbelievable pool cleaner.“
“The cleaning algorithm is superior as it covers the whole pool reliably.”
“The entire robot and cabling fit nicely on the compact carriage with wheels. This thing is a must.”
Whichever robotic pool cleaner you decide to purchase, one thing is for certain: Robotic pool cleaners save you money, energy, and time. Whether you opt for the cleaner with more features or the lighter weight options, you can be certain of an efficient clean without having to spend any extra time or effort cleaning the pool yourself. Look at this as an investment that will pay itself back in time, and enjoy your robotic pool cleaner.
Frequently Asked Questions About Robotic Pool Cleaners
Are robotic pool cleaners worth it?
Yes, they are worth it. Robotic pool cleaners can effectively clean your pool better than any other type of pool cleaner out there. The best thing about robotic pool cleaners is they can do the cleaning automatically and saves you the time you need to spend manually cleaning your pool.
How long do robotic pool cleaners last?
Robotic pool cleaners have a lifespan of about 4 to 5 years depending on the brand and how well you take care of your equipment. Cheaper models typically have a shorter lifespan of about 3 years.
How often should I run my robotic pool cleaner?
The answer to this question heavily depends on how much you use your swimming pool. You can run your robotic pool cleaner daily if you use your pool every day. If you’re only using it once or twice a week, you can just run your robotic pool cleaner once weekly or every two weeks.
Photo by Martin Cooper Ipswich 
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