An inground robot is matched to the pool on four lines of its spec: the pool size it is rated for, the surfaces it cleans, how it gets power, and how fine its filter is. Dolphin rates by pool length; Aiper, Beatbot and Wybot by floor area. Size the pool first, then read the ratings in the maker's own unit.
Corded or cordless, and how high it climbs
Two choices sort the robots before any brand comes in.
Power
Corded
A floating cable runs from a power supply on the deck. No battery to wear out and no runtime limit; the cable has to reach the far end of the pool, and a swivel keeps it from twisting.
Power
Cordless
A battery robot charged on the deck between cycles. Nothing across the deck while it runs. The maker's runtime is tied to a mode, and the battery ages.
Coverage
Floor and walls
The robot climbs the walls and turns back below the surface. The band at the tile line still needs a brush.
Coverage
Waterline and platforms
It climbs to the surface and scrubs the tile line. A few also clean sun shelves and benches, but only above a height the maker states.
Matched to the pool
Common pools and the model that fits each. The name jumps to its card further down.
A 70 ft swivel cable, listed for pools up to 60 ft.
Compare the twelve
Figures are from each maker's product page. Where the maker's site could not be read (Polaris, Hayward) or the maker lists a robot only in comparison tables (the Dolphin LIBERTY 300), the card marks figures from the Amazon listing.
The product links here go to Amazon, and Which Pool Robot earns a commission on purchases made through them. How we choose and earn
A corded robot with a swivel on the cable, a weekly timer and app control. It cleans floor and walls in a two-hour cycle and comes with ultra-fine filters.
Pool
Inground, up to 40 ft
Cleans
Floor and walls
Cycle
2 h, weekly timer
Filter
Ultra-fine filter kit
Cable
Corded, with swivel
Weight
20.8 lb
Warranty
1 year (maker)
Suits: An inground pool up to 40 ft long of any shape, where the waterline gets brushed by hand or does not collect much.
Weigh: Maytronics lists it for inground pools only. The maker page says 40 ft in one table and 50 ft in another, and Amazon sells it under both; 40 ft is the safe reading.
The base Nautilus: corded, floor and walls, a two-hour cycle and a fine filter. Maytronics rates it for inground and above-ground pools, rectangular or round, up to 33 ft.
Pool
Inground or above ground, up to 33 ft
Cleans
Floor and walls
Cycle
2 h
Filter
Fine filter kit
Cable
Corded, no swivel
Weight
14.8 lb
Warranty
1 year (maker)
Suits: Pools up to 33 ft, inground or above ground, where a robot that climbs walls is enough.
Weigh: There is no swivel on the cable, so it can twist over a season and needs straightening by hand. The ultra-fine basket 9991460-R1 fits it; the larger ultra-fine panels do not.
Adds the waterline to the floor and walls, with a swivel cable, weekly timer and app control. Rated for pools up to 50 ft, inground or above ground.
Pool
Inground or above ground, up to 50 ft
Cleans
Floor, walls and waterline
Cycle
2 h, weekly timer
Filter
Fine filter kit
Cable
Corded, with swivel
Weight
17.4 lb
Warranty
1 year (maker)
Suits: A pool up to 50 ft where a scum line at the tile is the part that takes the most hand brushing.
Weigh: Same 2 h cycle and fine filter as the cheaper Nautilus models. Maytronics gives it a 1-year warranty; the Advantage PRO below has the same spec rows and 2 years.
The one Dolphin that Maytronics links to Amazon from its own US site. Floor, walls and waterline on a 2 h cycle, swivel cable, app, and pools up to 50 ft.
Pool
Inground or above ground, up to 50 ft
Cleans
Floor, walls and waterline
Cycle
2 h
Filter
Fine filter kit
Cable
Corded, with swivel
Weight
18.5 lb
Warranty
2 years (maker)
Suits: The same pools as the CC Pro, for a buyer who wants the second warranty year.
Weigh: Its spec rows match the CC Pro apart from weight and warranty. Amazon lists a 1-hour quick clean as well.
The top of the Nautilus line: floor, walls and waterline, a choice of 1.5 or 2.5 h cycles, and both fine and ultra-fine filters in the box.
Pool
Inground, up to 50 ft
Cleans
Floor, walls and waterline
Cycle
1.5 or 2.5 h
Filter
Fine and ultra-fine; 2 µm with the ultra-fine (maker)
Cable
Corded, with swivel
Weight
24.6 lb
Warranty
1 year (maker)
Suits: Inground pools up to 50 ft with fine dirt or pollen that passes a standard filter.
Weigh: It is the only Dolphin with a published micron figure: down to 2 microns with the ultra-fine filter. At 24.6 lb it is the heaviest robot here to lift out.
A cordless robot rated for 1,600 sq ft and pools up to 50 ft long. It pairs a 180 µm basket with a 3 µm MicroMesh layer and runs up to 180 minutes in standard mode.
Pool
1,600 sq ft, up to 50 ft
Cleans
Floor, walls, waterline and shallow areas
Runtime
Up to 180 min in standard mode (maker)
Charge
3–4 h
Filter
180 µm basket plus 3 µm MicroMesh; 3.5 L
Weight
17 lb
Warranty
24 months (maker)
Suits: A mid-size inground pool where a cord across the deck is the thing to avoid.
Weigh: Aiper gives four runtimes for it, from 150 to 270 minutes, depending on the mode. Its spec table says inground, while the body text adds above-ground pools.
Cordless, rated for 2,152 sq ft, inground or above ground, and pools up to 13 ft deep. Two filter layers: 180 µm and a 10 µm ultra-fine.
Pool
Inground or above ground, 2,152 sq ft, 13 ft deep
Cleans
Floor, walls and waterline
Runtime
Up to 180 min in Eco mode (maker)
Charge
3 h
Filter
180 µm plus 10 µm ultra-fine
Weight
17.6 lb
Warranty
2 years (maker)
Suits: Larger pools than the Scuba S1 covers, on a robot that also works in an above-ground pool.
Weigh: The 180-minute runtime is Wybot's Eco figure. The robot runs between 50 and 95 °F and charges between 41 and 95 °F, which leaves out cold spring openings.
Cordless robot, floor, walls, waterline and platforms
Beatbot Sora 30
Beatbot Sora 30
Rated for 3,229 sq ft with a 5.2 L basket. Beatbot gives up to 5 h on the floor alone, or 4.5 h covering floor, walls and waterline, and it climbs onto platforms 8 in or higher.
Pool
Inground or above ground, 3,229 sq ft
Cleans
Floor, walls, waterline, platforms of 8 in or more
Runtime
Up to 5 h floor; 4.5 h floor, walls and waterline (maker)
Charge
About 4.5 h
Filter
150 µm; 5.2 L basket
Weight
19.6 lb
Warranty
2 years (maker)
Suits: Large pools, and pools with a sun shelf or bench the robot should clean too.
Weigh: The filter included is 150 µm. A finer basket is sold separately in the maker store. About 4.5 h to charge.
The cordless Dolphin sold on Amazon, rated for inground pools up to 33 ft. It charges on a magnetic connector, and Click-Up brings it to the surface at the end of a cycle.
Pool
Inground, up to 33 ft (listing)
Charging
Magnetic connector (listing)
Retrieval
Click-Up surfacing (listing)
Runtime
Not published
Warranty
2 years (maker comparison table)
Suits: A buyer who wants a cordless robot from the maker of the corded Nautilus line.
Weigh: Maytronics publishes no battery size, runtime or charge time for any LIBERTY model, and lists the 300 only in its comparison tables. The details here come from the Amazon listing.
A corded Polaris robot with a 70 ft swivel cable, a motion-sensing remote, a 7-day timer and a caddy in the box. The listing rates it for inground pools up to 60 ft.
Pool
Inground, up to 60 ft (listing)
Cable
70 ft, with swivel (listing)
Controls
Remote, 7-day timer (listing)
Filter
5 L canister (listing)
Warranty
2 years (listing)
Suits: Long inground pools, up to 60 ft, where the cable length runs short on 50 ft robots.
Weigh: The Polaris site could not be read, so every figure here is from the Amazon listing. One listing line says 60 ft of cord while the title says 70.
The cordless Polaris, with four cleaning modes and an app. The listing rates it for inground pools up to 50 ft, and Polaris says it cleans a pool in 2.5 hours or less.
Pool
Inground, up to 50 ft (listing)
Cycle
2.5 h or less (maker)
Charge
Under 5 h (maker)
Controls
Four modes, app (listing)
Suits: Routine cleaning of an inground pool up to 50 ft, cordless.
Weigh: The listing says it is made for routine upkeep and should not be used for the first cleanup after construction, resurfacing or a spring opening. Charge time reads as about 4 h on the listing and under 5 h on the Polaris site.
Hayward's long-running corded robot, rated for pools up to 20 by 40 ft on a 4 h cycle with a 24 V motor.
Pool
Up to 20 × 40 ft (listing)
Cycle
4 h (listing)
Motor
24 V (listing)
Warranty
1 year (listing)
Suits: Rectangular inground pools up to 20 by 40 ft.
Weigh: Hayward's product pages could not be read, so these figures are from the listing. Retailers give its robots a 1-year warranty; check Hayward's current terms.
A 50 ft rating on a corded Dolphin is about the cable reaching and the robot covering a pool that long. A square-foot rating on a cordless robot is about the battery: how much surface it covers on a charge. If a cordless robot cleans the walls, count them. A 32 by 16 ft pool, 3.5 to 6 ft deep, has 512 sq ft of floor and about 970 sq ft with the walls included.
Steps, benches and sun shelves
Most robots skip steps entirely. Platform cleaning is listed with a minimum height: Beatbot gives 8 in for the Sora 30 and 12 in for the Sora 10, and Maytronics lists sun ledges for the EON and LIBERTY 200. If a robot's spec doesn't mention steps or platforms, assume it stays on the floor and walls.
The outlet and the charger
A corded robot's power supply sits on the deck and plugs into a GFCI-protected outlet. Chargers for cordless robots follow the same rule, at a distance from the water the manual sets. Maytronics' Niya Sonar guide, for example, asks for a 30 mA GFCI and puts the charger at least 12 ft from the pool edge.
Warranty terms differ for the same robot
Maytronics gives 1 year on the Nautilus line sold through its own store and 2 or 3 years on dealer models with matching specs; the Advantage PRO and CC Pro are one example. Read the warranty on the listing you buy from, and keep the receipt.
Sold by the maker only
These robots had no Amazon listing that could be checked. They are sold from the maker's own store.
