Rated suction
Manufacturer figures, gallons per hour · Higher is better
- Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi4,500 GPH
- Dolphin Nautilus CC4,000 GPH
- Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra5,500 GPH
- Beatbot Sora 706,800 GPH
The Best Robot Pool Cleaners (2026)
We compared corded and cordless robot pool cleaners on pool size and shape, wall and waterline coverage, steps and ledges, filter size and fineness, run time, retrieval and warranty.
Ad disclosure: we earn a commission on Amazon links, at no cost to you. It never decides our picks. How this works
Our 4 picks at a glance
-
Best overall
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi
Suits In-ground pools to 40 ft that want a weekly timer
- Best thing: Best overall at Reviewed and Bob Vila in 2026; runs on a weekly timer, no charging
- Watch out: No waterline scrubbing or skimming, and Maytronics now lists only a one-year warranty
-
Best budget
Dolphin Nautilus CC
Suits Small round or rectangular pools, manual start
- Best thing: Corded and light at 14.8 lb; scrubs floor and walls in in-ground or above-ground pools
- Watch out: No timer, app or swivel: every cycle is started by hand
-
Best premium
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra
Suits Large, multi-level pools and hands-free retrieval
- Best thing: Cleans floor, walls, waterline and surface; about 6 hours of run time per PCWorld
- Watch out: 29.1 lb dry; skimming caught only about 40 percent of floating debris per PCWorld
-
Best for steps and ledges
Beatbot Sora 70
Suits Pools with steps or a tanning ledge, plus skimming
- Best thing: Cleans ledges as shallow as 8 in, plus floor, walls, waterline and surface
- Watch out: Ships with a coarse 150-micron filter; the 3-micron basket is an extra
Compare at a glance
From spec sheets and independent tests. The best result in a row is tagged.
| Feature | Dolphin Nautilus CC PlusBest overall | Dolphin Nautilus CCBest budget | Beatbot AquaSense 2 UltraBest premium | Beatbot Sora 70Best for steps and ledges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powercable or battery | Corded, 60 ft swivel cable Best | Corded, 50 ft, no swivel | Cordless, 13,400 mAh | Cordless, 10,000 mAh |
| Rated pool sizemanufacturer | In-ground, up to 40 ft long | Up to 33 ft, above-ground OK | 3,444 sq ft per cycle Best | 3,229 sq ft |
| Floor, walls and waterline | Partly: Floor and walls | Partly: Floor and walls | Yes: Floor, walls, waterline | Yes: Floor, walls, waterline |
| Surface skimmingindependent test | No: No | No: No | Partly: About 40% caught (PCWorld) | Yes: ~90% caught (Digital Trends) Best |
| Steps and ledges | No: Can't clean steps (Reviewed) | No: No step cleaning listed | Partly: Steps over 1.31 ft deep | Yes: Ledges from 8 in deep Best |
| Run timeper cycle or charge | 2 h cycle, mains powered | 2 h fixed cycle, mains | 5 h floor; ~6 h in PCWorld test | 5 h floor; 6 h 21 min tested |
| Scheduling | Yes: Weekly timer and app Best | No: Manual start only | Partly: App; recharge between runs | Partly: App; recharge between runs |
| Filterincluded | 70 µm cartridge Best | Fine filter, µm not listed | 7.7 L dual basket, 150 µm Best | 6 L basket, 150 µm |
| Warranty | Partly: 1 year | Partly: 1 year | Yes: 3-year replacement Best | Yes: 3-year replacement Best |
| On Amazon | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Dolphin Nautilus CC (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra (opens in a new tab) | Check price on Amazon(paid link) for Beatbot Sora 70 (opens in a new tab) |
The picks in detail
Who each one is for, and what to know before you buy.
- 2 h default cleaning cycle
- 70 µm top-load filter
01Best overall
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi
The corded robot to start with for a typical in-ground pool: it scrubs the floor and walls on a weekly timer and never needs charging. It skips the waterline, steps and surface, and Maytronics now lists only a one-year warranty.
Pick it ifIn-ground pools up to about 40 ft long, in any common shape, whose owners want the robot to run on a schedule without charging or retrieval
Skip it ifPools with a tanning ledge or a visible waterline ring, above-ground pools, and buyers who want more than a one-year warranty
What stands out
- Best overall in both Reviewed's and Bob Vila's 2026 robotic pool cleaner guides
- Weekly timer and MyDolphin Plus app, so it can clean on a schedule with no charging
- Top-load Ultra-Fine cartridge filters down to 70 microns, the finest included filter among our picks
- Anti-tangle swivel on a 60 ft floating cable, per Bob Vila and Reviewed
Flaws to know
- Maytronics' spec page now lists a one-year warranty and a 40 ft pool rating; The Pool Nerd reports the warranty fell from 2.5 years
- No waterline scrubbing, no surface skimming
- Cannot clean steps and sometimes gets stuck trying, per Reviewed
- Power supply is water resistant, not waterproof (Bob Vila)
Why it made the list. Best overall at Reviewed and Bob Vila in 2026: a corded robot that scrubs floor and walls on a weekly timer, with a 70-micron top-load filter and a swivel cable. Maytronics now lists a one-year warranty, and it does not scrub the waterline.
All specs (9)
- Power
- Corded; 60 ft floating cable with anti-tangle swivel (cable length per Bob Vila and Reviewed)
- Pool size
- In-ground pools up to 40 ft long; rectangular, round, kidney and freeform (Maytronics; older listings say 50 ft)
- Cleaning coverage
- Floor and walls; Maytronics lists no waterline scrubbing
- Cycle
- 2 hours by default
- Filter
- Top-load Ultra-Fine cartridge, down to 70 microns
- Suction
- 4,500 GPH (manufacturer figure), two combined brushes
- Scheduling
- Weekly timer and MyDolphin Plus app over Wi-Fi
- Weight
- 20.8 lb
- Warranty
- 1 year (Maytronics US spec page, September 2026)
- 2 h fixed cleaning cycle
- 14.8 lb robot weight
02Best budget
Dolphin Nautilus CC
A simple, light corded robot that scrubs the floor and walls of a small round or rectangular pool with no battery to charge. You start every run by hand, so it suits owners who clean before weekends rather than on a schedule.
Pick it ifSmall rectangular or round pools up to 33 ft, in-ground or above-ground, whose owners are happy to drop the robot in and press start
Skip it ifAnyone who wants a weekly timer or app control, freeform or kidney pools, and pools with a visible waterline ring
What stands out
- Corded, so there is no battery to charge and none of the overheating risk behind recent cordless recalls
- Scrubs floor and walls with an active brush and 4,000 GPH rated suction
- At 14.8 lb, the lightest robot in our comparison
- Rated for both in-ground and above-ground pools
Flaws to know
- No weekly timer and no app: every cycle is started by hand
- No anti-tangle swivel on its 50 ft cable, per The Pool Nerd
- No waterline scrubbing, and the fine filter has no published micron rating
- One-year warranty and only rectangular and round pools listed by Maytronics
Why it made the list. The entry model of the Nautilus CC family: corded, floor and walls, 14.8 lb and rated for in-ground or above-ground pools up to 33 ft. No timer, app or swivel, so you start each run by hand.
All specs (9)
- Power
- Corded; 50 ft cable without swivel (per The Pool Nerd)
- Pool size
- Up to 33 ft long; rectangular and round shapes (Maytronics)
- Pool type
- In-ground and above-ground
- Cleaning coverage
- Floor and walls; no waterline scrubbing
- Cycle
- Fixed 2-hour cycle
- Filter
- Top-access fine filter kit
- Suction
- 4,000 GPH (manufacturer figure), one active brush
- Scheduling
- None: no timer, no app, no remote
- Weight and warranty
- 14.8 lb; 1-year warranty (Maytronics US spec page, September 2026)
- 5 h per charge, floor mode
- 5,500 GPH rated suction
- 29.1 lb dry weight
- 3 yr replacement warranty
03Best premium
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra
The most automated cordless robot on our list: camera-guided cleaning of the floor, walls and waterline across large pools, long run time and a three-year replacement warranty. It is heavy to lift, its skimming tested weak, and its filters are coarse for the price class.
Pick it ifLarge, freeform or multi-level pools whose owners want camera-guided cleaning, long battery life and self-parking, and can lift about 30 lb after each run
Skip it ifPools with a shallow tanning ledge, owners who mainly need surface skimming, and anyone who struggles to lift a heavy robot out of the water
What stands out
- Cleans floor, walls, waterline and surface, rated for up to 3,444 sq ft of pool floor per cycle
- PCWorld measured about 6 hours of run time and saw its AI camera find 9 of 10 test leaves
- Floats up, drains and parks at the wall when done or low on battery
- Dual baskets hold 7.7 L; three-year full-replacement warranty
Flaws to know
- 29.1 lb dry and about 45 lb if lifted full of water, per PCWorld
- Surface skimming caught only about 40 percent of floating test debris in PCWorld's test
- Missed dirt on a shallow tanning area in Reviewed's test; platforms need at least 13.7 in of water
- 150-micron baskets; The Pool Nerd found the filtration weak and disapproves
Why it made the list. The camera-guided cordless flagship: floor, walls, waterline and surface for up to 3,444 sq ft per cycle, about 6 hours of run time in PCWorld's test, self-parking and a three-year replacement warranty. It weighs 29.1 lb and its skimming tested weak.
All specs (9)
- Power
- Cordless, 13,400 mAh lithium-ion; about 4.5 h to recharge on a contact dock
- Run time
- Up to 5 h floor, 4.5 h walls and waterline, 10 h surface (manufacturer); PCWorld measured about 6 h
- Coverage
- Floor, walls, waterline and surface; up to 3,444 sq ft per cycle; in-ground and above-ground, any shape
- Navigation
- HybridSense AI camera with dual time-of-flight, infrared and ultrasonic sensors (27 in total)
- Filter
- Dual baskets, 4.0 L (150 + 250 µm) and 3.7 L (250 µm)
- Suction
- 5,500 GPH (manufacturer figure), 11 motors, four roller brushes plus side brushes
- Extras
- ClearWater clarifier dispenser (agent sold separately), automatic surface parking
- Weight
- 29.1 lb dry
- Warranty
- 3-year full replacement
- 5 h per charge, floor mode
- 6,800 GPH rated suction
- 6 L debris basket, 150 µm
04Best for steps and ledges
Beatbot Sora 70
The cordless all-rounder for pools with steps or a tanning ledge: it cleans from the ledge to the surface, runs well past five hours in independent tests and carries a three-year warranty. The stock filter is coarse, and it has to come out of the pool to charge.
Pick it ifIn-ground or above-ground pools with steps, a sun shelf or lots of floating debris, whose owners want one cordless robot instead of a robot plus a skimmer
Skip it ifOwners who want fully hands-off weekly scheduling, and pools where fine silt or algae dust is the main problem and a finer filter is needed out of the box
What stands out
- Rated for ledges in water as shallow as 8 in; Reviewed saw it clean steps and a Baja shelf
- Jet-assisted surface mode caught about 90 percent of floating debris in Digital Trends' test
- Ran 6 h 21 min in Digital Trends' test and more than 6.5 h in PCWorld's after a firmware update
- Large 6 L top-lift basket and a three-year replacement warranty
Flaws to know
- Ships with a 150-micron filter; the 3-micron basket is an extra
- Slow S-shaped route; PCWorld found 8 to 10 percent of debris left after a Pro-mode run
- Waterline scrubbing rated average by Digital Trends
- Charges by plug, no dock, in about 4.5 h; 22.9 lb to lift after every run
Why it made the list. Cleans ledges in water as shallow as 8 in as well as floor, walls, waterline and surface, with a 6 L basket and more than six hours of run time in two independent tests. Reviewed's Editor's Choice; the stock filter is a coarse 150 microns.
All specs (9)
- Power
- Cordless, 10,000 mAh lithium-ion; about 4.5 h to recharge through a titanium charging plug
- Run time
- Up to 5 h floor or 7 h surface (manufacturer); Digital Trends measured 6 h 21 min in Pro mode
- Coverage
- Floor, walls, waterline and surface; up to 3,229 sq ft; platforms from 8 in deep and at least 3.3 x 3.3 ft
- Pools
- In-ground and above-ground, any shape; 0.7 to 11.5 ft deep; salt below 5,000 ppm
- Filter
- 6 L basket, 150 µm; optional 3 µm ultra-fine basket sold separately
- Suction
- 6,800 GPH (manufacturer figure), 8 motors, four roller brushes
- Navigation
- Ultrasonic obstacle avoidance and S-shaped path planning, 18 sensors
- Weight
- 22.9 lb
- Warranty
- 3-year replacement
How to choose a robot pool cleaner
Start with your pool, not the robot. Its size and shape, whether it has steps or a tanning ledge, and how much lands on the surface decide which of the four picks fits. The table sums up the numbers; the sections below explain what they mean in practice.
| Model | Power | Rated pool | Cleans | Filter | Run time | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi | Corded, 60 ft | In-ground, to 40 ft | Floor, walls | 70 µm cartridge | 2 h cycle | 1 year |
| Nautilus CC | Corded, 50 ft | To 33 ft, above-ground OK | Floor, walls | Fine filter | 2 h cycle | 1 year |
| AquaSense 2 Ultra | Cordless | 3,444 sq ft per cycle | Floor, walls, waterline, surface | 150 µm, 7.7 L | Up to 5 h floor | 3 years |
| Sora 70 | Cordless | 3,229 sq ft | Floor, walls, waterline, surface, 8 in ledges | 150 µm, 6 L | Up to 5 h floor | 3 years |
01Corded or cordless
A corded robot plugs into a power supply beside the pool and runs on low voltage through a floating cable. It never needs charging, keeps full suction for the whole cycle and, with a weekly timer like the one on the Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi, can stay in the pool and clean on its own schedule. The trade-offs are a cable across the deck, a power supply that has to stay dry, and tangles if the cable has no swivel.
A cordless robot runs on a lithium battery. Nothing trails across the deck, and both Beatbot picks add waterline and surface cleaning that our corded picks lack. But after every run it has to come out and charge, about 4.5 hours for both Beatbots, so it cannot run unattended for a week. The Pool Nerd, which tests dozens of robots, prefers corded models for exactly that reason. Battery safety is the other factor: all three robotic pool vacuum recalls in the CPSC database since 2023 involved cordless models whose batteries or chargers could overheat (see below).
02Pool size and shape
Maytronics rates its corded robots by pool length: 40 feet for the CC Plus Wi-Fi and 33 feet for the CC. Beatbot rates by floor area: 3,444 square feet per cycle for the AquaSense 2 Ultra and 3,229 for the Sora 70, several times the floor of a typical 16-by-32-foot pool. Shape matters as much as size. Maytronics lists only rectangular and round pools for the basic Nautilus CC, while the CC Plus Wi-Fi and both Beatbots handle kidney and freeform shapes. For above-ground pools, the CC and both Beatbots are rated; the CC Plus Wi-Fi is designed for in-ground pools.
03Walls, waterline, steps and ledges
Every pick climbs walls. The difference is what happens at the top. The two Dolphins stop short of scrubbing the waterline, according to Maytronics' spec pages and The Pool Nerd, while both Beatbots scrub along it; Digital Trends rated the Sora 70's waterline work as average.
Steps and tanning ledges are where most robots give up. Reviewed found the CC Plus Wi-Fi could not clean steps and the AquaSense 2 Ultra missed dirt on a shallow tanning area. Beatbot rates the Sora 70 for water as shallow as 8 inches on platforms at least 3.3 feet square, and Reviewed saw it clean steps and a Baja shelf. If your pool has a sun shelf, that single spec narrows the choice.
04Filter size and fineness
Two numbers matter: how fine the filter is, in microns (smaller is finer), and how much it holds. The CC Plus Wi-Fi's top-load cartridge catches particles down to 70 microns, the finest included filter here. Both Beatbots ship with 150-micron mesh but hold far more: 7.7 liters across two baskets on the AquaSense 2 Ultra and 6 liters on the Sora 70, which matters under trees. Beatbot sells a 3-micron basket for the Sora 70 separately. If fine sand, pollen or algae dust is your main problem, favor fineness; if leaves are, favor capacity.
05Battery run time and retrieval
Cordless run times are manufacturer figures, but both Beatbots beat theirs in independent tests: PCWorld measured about 6 hours from the AquaSense 2 Ultra, and Digital Trends ran the Sora 70 for 6 hours 21 minutes in its most demanding mode. Both float to the wall and drain when they finish, so nobody fishes in the deep end. Weight still counts, because you lift a cordless robot after every run: 22.9 pounds for the Sora 70 and 29.1 for the AquaSense 2 Ultra, which Reviewed calls a potential deal breaker. Corded robots run fixed two-hour cycles and only come out when the filter needs a rinse.
06Warranty and surface skimming
Beatbot backs both of its picks with a three-year replacement warranty. Maytronics now lists one year for both Nautilus models, and The Pool Nerd reports that the CC Plus dropped from 2.5 years. Surface skimming is the other split: only the Beatbots do it, and in independent tests the Sora 70 caught about 90 percent of floating debris (Digital Trends) while the AquaSense 2 Ultra caught about 40 percent (PCWorld). If floating leaves are a daily problem, weigh that heavily or plan on a separate skimmer.
What we left out and why
Models we considered, and why each one did not make the list.
Aiper Seagull SE
The budget pick in Reviewed's, Bob Vila's and PCWorld's 2026 guides, but Aiper's own US store now marks it as being phased out, and it cleans flat floors only. We do not add models the brand is dropping.
Aiper Scuba X1
Bob Vila liked its filtration, but PCWorld's review found weak debris pickup, a filter that was hard to clean and a robot that could not get itself out of the pool. Aiper also has two CPSC recalls on other cordless models: the Elite Pro in 2023 and the Seagull Pro in 2025.
Wybot C2 and older Wybots
The CPSC announced a recall of the Wybot S1 and Osprey 700 Max in April 2026 because their batteries can overheat; the C2 is the replacement unit. The Pool Nerd disapproves of the C2 over weak suction, and we want to see the recall play out first.
Dolphin Premier, Sigma and Quantum
The Pool Nerd's favorites add waterline scrubbing and larger or finer filters to the corded formula, but sit well above the Nautilus line in price. They are the natural step up if you want a corded robot that also scrubs the waterline.
Polaris VRX iQ+ and 9650iQ Sport
PCWorld named the VRX iQ+ its best corded cleaner, and Bob Vila picked the 9650iQ Sport for in-ground pools. We could not confirm current US specs from Polaris directly for this update, so both are candidates for the next one.
Beatbot AquaSense X, Aiper Scuba V3 and Mova Rover X10
New camera- or LiDAR-guided robots that drew attention at CES 2026. Bob Vila liked the Rover X10 but found it very heavy to lift, the AquaSense X is Beatbot's new flagship with a self-cleaning dock, and independent test results for all three are still few.
Frequently asked questions
Do robot pool cleaners work in above-ground pools?
Many do. Maytronics rates the Nautilus CC for above-ground pools, and Beatbot rates both the AquaSense 2 Ultra and the Sora 70 for them. The Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi is designed for in-ground pools, so check the listing before you buy for an above-ground pool.
How often should a robot pool cleaner run?
It depends on how much falls into the pool. Bob Vila's tester ran the Sora 70 every three to four days in a Florida pool, and more often before guests. A corded robot with a weekly timer, like the CC Plus Wi-Fi, keeps a schedule on its own; a cordless robot has to be charged and dropped in each time.
Do I still need a skimmer?
With either Dolphin, yes, because neither cleans the surface. The Sora 70's surface mode caught about 90 percent of floating debris in Digital Trends' test, enough for many pools, though Bob Vila notes it does not replace a solar skimmer that runs all day.
Are cordless pool robots safe to charge?
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and use only the supplied charger. All three robotic pool vacuum recalls in the CPSC database since 2023 involved Aiper and Wybot models whose batteries or chargers could overheat. We found no CPSC recalls for Beatbot or Maytronics as of September 2026.
Should I wait for Prime Big Deal Days?
Prime Big Deal Days run October 6-7, 2026, and Black Friday is November 27. If your pool season is winding down, those are the two sale windows worth watching; all four picks are current models. For more yard and home automation, see our automated home picks, including the best robot lawn mowers.
How we chose
We compared corded and cordless robot pool cleaners on pool size and shape, wall and waterline coverage, steps and ledges, filter size and fineness, run time, retrieval and warranty. The short answer: the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi for most in-ground pools, the Dolphin Nautilus CC for small, simple pools on a budget, the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra for large, complex pools, and the Beatbot Sora 70 for pools with steps or a tanning ledge.
This is a research-based shortlist; we have not used these robots ourselves. We started from Reviewed's and Bob Vila's 2026 guides and Robot Review Desk's 2026 roundups, then checked each finalist against the manufacturer's spec page and independent reviews from PCWorld, Digital Trends and The Pool Nerd. We searched the CPSC recall database for every brand, dropped models the brand is phasing out, and left out robots whose independent test results were weak.
- 4picks, each with who should skip it
- 9differences compared side by side
- 6models or groups left out, with reasons
- 19sources cited across the picks
All 19 sources
- maytronics.com /en-us/residential-pools/best-performance-cleaners/dolphin-nautilus-cc-plus-w-wi-fi_99996409-PCI.html
- reviewed.com /home-outdoors/best-right-now/best-robotic-pool-cleaners
- bobvila.com /articles/best-robotic-pool-cleaner
- thepoolnerd.com /dolphin-nautilus-cc-plus-review
- saferproducts.gov /RestWebServices/Recall
- maytronics.com /en-us/store/residential-pools/best-value-cleaners/dolphin-nautilus-cc/99996113-USB.html
- robotreviewdesk.com /guides/best-budget-robot-pool-cleaner-2026
- thepoolnerd.com /dolphin-nautilus-cc-review
- beatbot.com /products/aquasense-2-ultra
- reviewed.com /home-outdoors/content/beatbot-aquasense-ultra-2-review
- pcworld.com /article/2935539/beatbot-aquasense-2-ultra-review.html
- thepoolnerd.com /beatbot-aquasense-2-ultra-review
- robotreviewdesk.com /guides/best-robot-pool-cleaner-2026
- beatbot.com /products/sora-70
- bobvila.com /reviews/beatbot-sora-70-review
- pcworld.com /article/3075787/beatbot-sora-70-review.html
- digitaltrends.com /home/beatbot-sora-70-review
- thepoolnerd.com /beatbot-sora-70-review
- 9to5toys.com /2026/05/08/review-beatbot-sora-70-pool-cleaning-robot-solution