The best robotic pool cleaners can make maintaining your pool a joy, as long as you purchase the right one for your pool setup. These marvelous machines are becoming more and more advanced every day, and in many cases, they reduce or completely eliminate the pool owner’s need to do menial maintenance on a regular basis.

Choosing one of these cleaners isn’t as always straightforward as it should be, however. There are many things to consider when choosing a pool cleaner—particularly, a robotic one. That’s why we’ve decided to do all of the research for our readers and choose the ten best pool cleaners available. Any of the following robotic models are sure to make the pool owner’s life a lot easier.

Best Robotic Pool Cleaners

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10Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

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The Dolphin Nautilus is named after an aquatic sea mollusk, and it’s easy to see why they gave it this name. It has a short, compact design that makes it look like a snail slinking around the bottom of your pool floor. However, although it may look like an aquatic snail, it doesn’t move as slowly as one. In fact, it’s capable of cleaning swimming pools in 2-hours or less. It does this with the use of dual scrubbing brushes that do a great job of removing debris, and also with the use of built-in algorithms that provide the robot with the best cleaning patterns for each unique pool. These features make this the best robotic pool cleaner for pools up to 50-feet in size.

9Dolphin Escape Above Ground Cleaner

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Tough pool cleaning jobs need a robotic pool cleaner that’s just as tough. Fortunately, this little machine fits the bill and is capable of handling just about any pool it’s presented with. That’s because it uses Hyper Grip Continous Tracks which give it the traction it needs to maneuver over just about any pool floor. It’s also equipped with Hyper-Brush Scrubbing Brushes that are designed to power through tough messes. And since it has a smart navigation system in it, it is not only capable of getting the job done more quickly, but it’s also capable of doing it while conserving energy.

8Dolphin Oasis Z5i Swimming Pool Cleaner

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Although most swimming pools are convenient to use, not every one of them is as powerful as they need to be. Fortunately, this cleaner is capable of delivering to the pool owner both convenience and power. Not only is this product easy to use by just pressing a button and dropping it into a pool, but it’s equipped with everything it needs to forcefully remove debris from the pool. It has heavy-duty scrubbing brushes that can clean the waterline, floors, and walls of your pool in 3-hours or less. And since it uses oversized cartridge filters, it’s also easy to empty when it’s done.

7Hayward Shark Vac XL Pool Vacuum

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One of the best things about this robotic pool vacuum is that it doesn’t need anything extra in order for it to be immediately used. It contains everything it needs for immediate operation and doesn’t require the pool owner to go out and buy pumps, extra hose or hose hookups. All they have to do is set it up, and it’s ready to get the job done. Using smart steering technology, this robot scrubs the walls, floors, and waterline efficiently by using a computer certified cleaning pattern. It has a cartridge that can be accessed through its top, so the pool owner can pull it to quickly dispose of debris.

6Polaris F9550 Sport In-Ground Cleaner

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This in-ground pool cleaner is designed to clean just about any pool quickly and easily. This robotic unit has 4-wheels that are equipped with Aqua Trax tires and are capable of cleaning all pool surfaces quickly and efficiently. It uses a unique rear propulsion system that allows this unit to get into tight corners or under stairs for thorough cleaning jobs. This robot has a 70-foot cable, comes with remote control and has motion sensing capabilities. It also includes a 7-day programmable timer, so cleaning can be scheduled well in advance.

5Dolphin Premier Pool Cleaner

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This in-ground robotic pool cleaner is designed for pools up to 50-feet in size. It’s also designed to be a drop-in cleaner, meaning that the user just sets it up and places it in their pool, so it can do its job unattended. This product has an easy-to-use single button operation that allows it to be used by just about anyone. It’s also a cleaner that’s able to use four different media types, including standard cartridges, micro cartridges, debris bags or oversized leaf bags. And since it has dual 24-volt DC motors, this machine has the power it needs to scrub through any pool mess and do it while being energy efficient as well.

4Hayward Automatic Tiger Shark QC Vacuum

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Equipped with its own patented microprocessor technology, the Tiger Shark QC robotic pool vacuum is designed to clean pools more completely than other pool cleaners can do. This machine is equipped with an onboard pump that provides efficient vacuum operation, and it has a unique filter system that’s easy to maintain. It has 2 different speeds: a 3-hour cleaning cycle and a quick 90-minute cleaning cycle. And since this product is all-inclusive, it comes with all of the hoses, pumps, and hookups required for its proper operation. Its 24-volt motor is also designed to be energy efficient, so this unit can be run without worry about driving up your energy bill.

3Aquabot Pool Rover S2 40

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Of all of the cleaners on this list, this one is probably the least sophisticated. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t capable of cleaning a pool extremely well. This machine is capable of cleaning a portion of the walls, the cove and the pool floor of many different pools. It can handle just about any shaped pool and can clean surfaces of up to 40-feet. This makes it a good solution for pool owners with above-ground pools that need a machine that can move easily through the water to clean the pool. This product can filter up to 85-gallons of water per minute and includes a 40-foot EZ swivel cable.

2Aquabot Junior Automatic In-Ground Cleaner

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Although this automatic pool cleaner may look like a droid from a science fiction B-movie, it’s designed is actually informative of how well it can clean a pool. Since it operates low to the ground and is equipped with a unique track cleaning system, it’s able to clean the dirt and debris that other cleaners may miss. This machine is able to filter down to 2-microns, so algae, sand, leaves and even pollen are quickly removed. This cleaner has dual grip scrubbing brushes, a 50-foot cable and is equipped with an internal microprocessor that knows how a pool should be cleaned.

1Pentair Kreepy Krauly Prowler 830

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Designed for use in in-ground pools, the Kreepy Krauly Prowler is an in-ground robotic pool cleaner that anyone who owns a pool is going to want to check out. It measures 19-inches by 19-inches, has a 23.5-inch height and comes with a 60-foot power cord. It’s also manufactured with advanced vacuums, filters, and scrubs, so it’s capable of cleaning the majority of pool in 3-hours or less. This product only weighs 45-pounds, so it’s easy to set up and get running, and since it’s energy-efficient, it will only use about 20-cents of energy to operate per day. This makes it economical as well as practical.

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A Detailed Guide To Robotic Pool Cleaners

Having just covered our recommendations for the best robotic pool cleaners, we thought it would be appropriate to do a deeper dive on the subject—if you’ll excuse the pun. We realize that some people may want some additional information that will help them sort out one model of robotic cleaners from another model, so we decided to do this guide. In this guide, we’ll tell all of our readers everything they need to know to make an informed decision.

Step One: Consider The Cleaner’s Capacity

The first step in choosing a stellar robotic pool cleaner is making sure that you buy one that can handle your pool’s size. Some cleaners are only capable of cleaning smaller pools, while others do a great job cleaning extra-large pools. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you purchase a model that adequately climbs the pool’s walls. Some pools do an amazing job of cleaning pool walls up to the waterline, and others are only suitable for cleaning pool floors. And that’s fine, not all people need a cleaner that can climb walls, instead opting to use a pool brush. Therefore, make sure that the model you select meets your needs.

Step Two: Consider Filter Size

The pool cleaner’s filter size is also important. When choosing a new robotic pool cleaner, make sure that the filter found on the cleaner is the right size. If it’s too small, then it won’t be able to do the entire pool without having to be cleaned out. Ideally, you’ll want to purchase a cleaner that has a large enough filter for the pool to be cleaned all at once and not in stages.

Step Three: Choose A Navigation System

The next thing to consider is whether or not the pool cleaner has a navigation system, or whether you need it to have one at all. For smaller pools, you’re probably not going to need a robotic cleaner that maps our the entire surface of the pool and then decides the best way to clean it. On the other hand, what’s the point of buying a robotic system if it doesn’t make decisions on the best way to clean your pool? Besides, cleaners with navigation systems do a better job of cleaning pools than manual cleaners because they know exactly what’s been cleaned and what hasn’t been cleaned.

Step Four: Decide On Whether You Need Remote Operation 

Robotic pool cleaners are getting better all of the time and now some of them are equipped with remote controls. And even the ones that don’t have remote controls, often have apps that allow the cleaner to be operated from the side of the pool. For example, the Triton PS is a system that allows the user to spot clean sections of their pool. That allows a person to handle a slight pool mess without the robotic cleaner going through the entire pool.

Step Five: Consider Tangle-Free Cables

We don’t feel that we even should have to say it, but we’ll go ahead anyway. Look for a robotic cleaner that has a tangle-free cable. This isn’t too difficult, as most of them are equipped with these cables, but just in case you, be sure that any cleaner you buy has a tangle-free cable or you’ll be supremely sorry.

Step Six: Consider Dual Brush Systems

We can’t recommend dual-brush systems enough. Doubling the number of brushes allows the robotic pool cleaner to do an amazing job of cleaning the pool and do it quicker than single-brush models. It’s our opinion that they’re just better. Having said that, however, we would also like to state that we don’t think that single-brush systems are bad, it’s just that they don’t clean as quickly and efficiently as dual-brush systems.

Step Seven: Make Sure It’s Appropriate For Your Pool

Although many pool cleaners can be used for any type of pool, some models are swimming pool-specific. Some models are only designed to be used with in-ground pools, while other models are only designed for above ground pool use. Whichever type of pool you have, just make sure that you buy the pool that’s right for that application.

Step Eight: Some Final Features To Consider

As we reach the finish line of this article, it’s time to talk about some of the other features that you may want to consider before finalizing your purchase of the best robotic pool cleaner. Not everyone will need all of the following features, but many of them come in handy. Having stated that, let’s find out about this optional potential features.

  • Fine & Ultra-Fine Filtering
  • Quick Cleaning Cycles
  • Deep Clean Cleaning Cycles
  • Drop & Go Capabilities
  • Dual Drive Motors
  • Top Load Baskets