We tested and researched the best robotic pool cleaners available, evaluating effectiveness, maintenance, ease of use, and value. Our best overall pick, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner, was praised for its dual scrubbing brushes, three one-touch cleaning settings, and tangle-resistant cable.  Here are the best robotic pool cleaners, tested by us. This robot uses smart navigation to clean the floors and walls of your swimming pool, and its tangle-free cable ensures that it won’t get stuck as it works. It’s easy to empty the two cartridge filters from the top of the machine, and it captures large and small debris. Our tester found that this pool cleaner is extremely easy to set up and start, and it picked up a noticeable amount of silt, as well as small leaves, petals, and bugs. “This cleaner-bot really gets the pool sparkling clean, even after a big crowd of swimmers, and I don’t need to run it as often as I did with my previous one to maintain that level of freshness,” our tester said. “I was also impressed by how quiet the machine is and how well it navigates the pool walls, tracking all the way up and down the sides and even breaking the waterline.” Plus, its built-in scheduler automatically starts a cleaning cycle every day, every other day, or every third day. Our tester also noted that this cleaner easily climbed the walls of their older-style pool, which are set at a 90-degree angle and have very little curvature between the floor and sides. They had also previously purchased a used Dolphin M400 model last year and said that the Nautilus was overall easier to use, faster at cleaning, and better at tracking with the floor. Keep in mind that you should remove the robot after each use to empty it and rinse the filters, and rinse off any excess chemicals. While the power supply to this robot vacuum isn’t waterproof, its quick cleaning capabilities make up for a minor design error. Overall, this robot pool cleaner is a great choice for just about any pool style and is reasonably priced compared to other models with similar technology. Price at time of publish: $899 When the AIPER robot is done cleaning or running low on battery, it self-parks near a pool wall, allowing you to pull it out using the included hook. Our tester said that some debris did fall out of this pool cleaner’s filter while she removed it. She also said that it struggled to navigate the deep end of their pool and seemed to get stuck down there, which meant that it didn’t always clean their entire pool. However, she noted that it likely would perform better in a pool with a shallower deep end, as the product is designed to climb inclines up to 15 degrees. The unit recharges in just four to six hours, and it can clean an in-ground pool up to 17 x 50 feet on a single charge. It might not do as thorough a job as some more expensive models, but it’s a great budget-friendly model for light everyday pool maintenance. Price at time of publish: $270 Our tester said they enjoyed using this robot’s corresponding app to keep up with its cleaning progress and see its location in their pool. Our tester tried this robot’s pre-programmed standard and enhanced cleaning times and noted that the cleaner was able to get her pool about 95 and 99 percent clean, respectively. For the remaining debris, she enjoyed using the remote steering to direct the robot to the small spots it missed throughout the pool.  This pool cleaner is equipped with powerful scrubbing brushes—three to be exact—that provide a deeper clean, and smart navigation software scans the pool to create an efficient cleaning route. The tangle-free cable prevents the unit from getting stuck, and the unit features an automatic weekly timer and an LED indicator light that tells you when the filter is full. Although this model is effective at climbing walls and cleaning the waterline, our tester did note that it cannot clean steps that are too narrow for it. However, it did manage to clean their wider sun ledge. Price at time of publish: $1,500 The four-wheel-drive helps this cleaner to clean the walls, floor, waterline, and even steps. Thanks to its rear water-cleaning system, it easily blows debris off stairs and out of tight corners, so the machine can suck it up.  Although this model is more expensive, innovative features like a convenient storage caddy and the patented Easy Lift removal system, which drives the robot up the wall to be easily removed, make this cleaner worth the splurge. This cleaner is quite heavy, weighing 21 pounds, but our tester noted that it was still relatively easy to lift out of the pool. However, she didn’t think it would be very difficult for older users, since it has the Easy Lift technology, which aids in most of the exertion of lifting from the bottom of the pool. Price at time of publish: $1,600 Through the transparent lid on the Polaris P825, you can see into the debris canister, so you know when it needs emptying, and the Push’N’Go emptying system saves you from having to touch the filter contents. The oversized intake area easily sucks up large leaves and their remnants, and the robot comes with its own caddy for convenient storage. The only major downside of this model is that the power cable easily gets twisted, inhibiting the unit’s cleaning abilities. Price at time of publish: $900 Our tester appreciated how easy it was to dump debris from the top-load filter after a cleaning run, which they said took about three hours. You can also clean out the filter basket with a garden hose. This cleaner’s plug-and-play operation is easy to set up and use immediately. Our tester loved how much time this cleaner saved them from having to manually clean the pool, especially since their pool is covered by a tree, which frequently drops leaves. Overall, this unit may be simple in performance, but it’s compact and effective, making it a top choice for an above-ground pool. Price at time of publish: $729 Thanks to its powerful treads and high-speed pleated brush, this robot can scrub the floor, walls, and even the waterline, removing algae and grime. Its weekly scheduler includes three frequency options, and the tangle-free cable prevents the power cord from getting twisted while it works. It’s easy to remove and empty the large filter basket, and the unit automatically dumps out any water when you remove it from the pool, leaving debris trapped in the filter. Price at time of publish: $999 This robotic skimmer’s UV-resistant exterior isn’t damaged by the sun, and its large-capacity debris basket can hold lots of leaves and twigs. When it needs emptying, you simply pull the basket out via the top handle; you don’t even have to remove the robot. The included remote control allows you to direct the robot to a certain area for spot cleaning. However, it sometimes can get stuck in corners or other tight spots. Price at time of publish: $490 Our tester experienced heavy rain between testing phases of this cleaner, and they noted they were particularly impressed with the clear and thorough path that this cleaner cut through a significant amount of algae at the bottom of their pool. Although this cleaner is powerful, our tester wished there were a better way to know when it was done with a cleaning cycle. The only status symbol is a small red light on the control panel, which turns off once the cycle has completed. Our tester did have to periodically stop their other household tasks to check on the cleaner’s movement and the status light. Despite this pool cleaner’s time-saving design and effectiveness, we recognize that it’s an expense that may be more than your above-ground pool’s initial cost. However, our tester said this pool cleaner is well worth the splurge if you dislike the maintenance involved in your pool or cannot physically maintain the upkeep of manual cleaning. Price at time of publish: $549 Testers made note of how easily the robotic cleaners navigated walls, water lines, steps, ladders, and sun shelves, if applicable. They also noted whether the cleaner had a methodical movement, especially if it was equipped with pool mapping technology. After completing at least two separate cleanings, about a week or so apart, we asked our testers to rate the cleaners on their design, ease of use, effectiveness, and value. We also asked them to consider whether they would recommend the cleaner to a friend or family member, and whether they’d consider purchasing the cleaner themselves.

What to Look for in a Robotic Pool Cleaner

Features

Do you want the power to clean your pool with a swipe on your phone? Do you want to pre-program a cleaning schedule or access a quick-cleaning mode to get the job done in a flash? There are robotic pool cleaners that can do all this and more. Your budget, the size and the shape of your pool, and the amount of debris your pool generally collects should be factored into which features you want in a cleaner. Some smart robotic cleaners, like our best smart pick, the Polaris - VRXIQ+ Robotic Pool Cleaner with iAquaLink Control, have features such as delayed scheduled cleanings, temperature monitoring, and remote steering. Our tester loved that she could easily control this cleaner from the app and move it to spots that it missed while on an automatic cycle.

Functionality

Some pool cleaners skim the top surface of your pool to get dirt and debris before it sinks, while others will crawl the sides and bottom to get anything that has sunk. You also want to consider the size of the basket that collects all the debris, mainly if your pool is surrounded by trees and plants that regularly deposit leaves and dirt into the pool.

Value

Pool cleaners can vary widely in price. In most cases, the more functionality and features a unit has, the higher the price tag. When determining how much to spend on a unit, consider your budget and the size of your pool and how much debris you regularly find in it. Our tester loved our best-for-coves pick, the Polaris 7000 Above Ground Robotic Pool Cleaner, because it completely removed the labor out of cleaning their above-ground pool. However, this model is not equipped with any smart features and is still rather pricey. It’s a worthy investment if you consider the cost per use and time saved on manually cleaning.

Why Trust The Spruce?

This article was written by Camryn Rabideau, a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce. While researching the pool cleaners, she spoke with Stewart Vernon, COO and founder of America’s Swimming Pool Company, for insights on how to select the best option for your pool. As she evaluated different robotic cleaners, she considered factors such as their setup, ease of use, versatility, and overall cost, aiming to select top-rated products at a wide range of price points to cater to different shoppers. This article was also updated by Emma Phelps to include our insights from a new round of testing top-rated pool cleaners in real-world scenarios. Our volunteer testers tested the pool cleaners in their own pools for several weeks and recorded their positive and negative experiences with each model.

What is Spruce Approved?

Here at The Spruce we want to ensure that we fully stand behind every product we recommend and that when we say something is the best, we mean it. You might have noticed The Spruce Approved badge next to the products on this list. Every product with this badge has been carefully selected by our expert team of lab testers and editors and rigorously tested in person. In most cases, we buy all of these products ourselves, though occasionally we get samples provided to us directly by companies. No matter how we procure products, they all go through the same tests and must meet the same strict criteria to make the best-of cut. We also pride ourselves on transparency and will always let you know if we received a product for free.