How to pick a pool robot

The table is the map: cord vs battery, then floor, walls, waterline, or skim. A skimmer is not a vacuum.

Updated September 2026

Compare pool robots

From the copy on each details page. A check means we found that claim. Blank means we did not — not that the machine lacks it. Name, rating, and price stay put when you scroll sideways.

Robot	Rating	Price	Runtime	Pool size	Cordless	Corded	Floor	Walls	Waterline	Skim	Above-ground	In-ground	Stairs	Camera	App
Beatbot AquaSense 2 UltraBeatbot	4.5(79)	$2,699	180 min	—		—					—	—	—
Beatbot AquaSense 2Beatbot	4.7(63)	$849	150 min	3230 sq ft		—					—		—	—
AIPER Scuba S1Aiper	3.9(712)	—	180 min	—		—				—	—	—	—	—
Beatbot Sora 10Beatbot	4.6(96)	$469	180 min	3229 sq ft		—				—	—	—	—	—
Dreame Z1 ProDreame	4.0(52)	$378	180 min	—		—				—	—		—	—
Hayward SharkVac XLHayward	4.0(50)	$1,599	180 min	—	—					—	—		—	—	—
WYBOT C1Wybot	4.1(1,042)	$400	160 min	1614 sq ft		—				—	—			—
AIPER Scuba X1Aiper	3.9(68)	—	150 min	—		—				—	—	—	—	—	—
Dolphin Explorer E50Dolphin	3.0(6)	$1,728	150 min	—	—					—	—			—
WYBOT C2 VisionWybot	4.4(380)	—	150 min	2152 sq ft		—				—	—		—		—
Beatbot Sora 30Beatbot	4.3(245)	—	140 min	3229 sq ft		—			—		—	—	—	—	—
WYBOT S2 VisionWybot	4.2(42)	$900	140 min	3229 sq ft		—				—			—
AIPER Scuba S3Aiper	4.5(88)	—	120 min	—		—				—	—		—	—
Beatbot Sora 70Beatbot	4.1(287)	—	120 min	3200 sq ft		—				—	—	—	—	—
Dolphin Explorer E25Dolphin	3.0(97)	$888	120 min	—	—					—	—	—	—	—
Dolphin Explorer E40Dolphin	3.3(20)	$1,449	—	—	—					—	—		—	—
Dolphin Nautilus AGDolphin	4.4(6,388)	$568	90 min	—	—					—		—	—	—	—
Dolphin Proteus DX4 PlusDolphin	3.9(1,627)	$899	—	—	—					—	—		—	—	—
Dolphin Proteus DX5iDolphin	4.0(257)	$1,299	—	—	—					—	—		—	—
AIPER Scuba S1 ProAiper	4.1(189)	—	180 min	2150 sq ft		—		—		—	—		—	—
Beatbot AquaSense XBeatbot	4.5(79)	$4,250	180 min	—		—			—	—	—	—	—
Dolphin CaymanDolphin	3.9(280)	$1,129	120 min	—	—				—	—	—		—	—	—
Dolphin Nautilus CCDolphin	4.0(10,739)	$699	120 min	—	—				—	—	—		—	—	—
Dolphin Nautilus CC PlusDolphin	3.5(3,296)	$849	120 min	—	—				—	—	—		—	—
WYBOT B1Wybot	3.9(149)	—	120 min	1220 sq ft		—		—		—	—	—	—	—
Dolphin EscapeDolphin	4.2(1,528)	$699	90 min	—	—				—	—		—	—	—	—
Dolphin Nautilus Pool UpDolphin	4.0(134)	$500	90 min	—	—				—	—		—	—	—	—
Dolphin Explorer E20Dolphin	3.9(537)	$668	120 min	—	—				—	—	—		—	—	—
Dolphin Proteus DX3Dolphin	4.0(2,263)	$669	120 min	—	—				—	—	—		—	—	—
AIPER Scuba V3Aiper	4.0(487)	—	180 min	—		—	—	—		—	—	—	—
AIPER Seagull SEAiper	4.3(272)	$150	100 min	860 sq ft		—		—	—	—		—	—	—	—
AIPER Scuba SEAiper	3.7(771)	$150	90 min	860 sq ft		—		—	—	—		—	—	—	—
Dolphin Explorer E10Dolphin	3.7(113)	$568	90 min	—	—			—	—	—		—	—	—	—
Dolphin Proteus DX1Dolphin	3.2(5)	$569	90 min	—	—			—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
WYBOT A1WYBOT	3.7(123)	—	90 min	960 sq ft		—		—	—	—		—	—	—	—
AIPER EcoSurfer S2Aiper	4.3(2,406)	$340	—	—		—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—
Betta SE Pool SkimmerBetta	4.4(8,260)	$370	—	—		—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—

What these robots do

A pool robot crawls the floor — and often the walls and waterline — and holds debris in its own filter. You empty that filter. It does not replace chemistry or a pump. Read the table first: Floor / Walls / Waterline / Skim is the product, not the brand.

Surface skimmers (Betta SE, EcoSurfer S2) float and eat leaves on top. They are partners, not substitutes. Buying only a Betta will not clean the floor. Buying only a floor robot will not keep oak leaves off the surface in October.

The cord is the personality

Corded robots — Maytronics Dolphin Nautilus CC, CC Plus, Cayman, Escape, Pool Up, AG, Proteus DX3 / DX4 Plus, plus Hayward SharkVac XL — plug into an outlet and a floating cable. They can run as long as you let them. They climb. People who have owned pool robots for years still point at a Dolphin when they want fewer surprises. The cable is ugly and you have to keep it from tangling. In return, there is no battery to baby, and no “it died in the deep end.” Premier and Sigma are still on specialist lists; Amazon US has no live listing, so they are not here.

Cordless robots — Aiper Scuba S1 / S1 Pro / S3 / X1 / V3 / SE, WYBOT C1 / C2 / S2 / B1 / A1, Beatbot Sora 10 / 30 / 70, Dreame Z1 Pro — have no cable in the water. You lift them out to charge. That is a real chore, especially on a bigger pool that needs two cycles. Amazon sells a lot of them because the unboxing looks cleaner. Owner forums are harder on Aiper’s long-term durability than the photos. Treat cordless as convenience, not as a forever appliance — unless you are paying Beatbot or Dreame money for a machine you will actually lift.

Match the pool, not the demo video

Above-ground, mostly a floor of debris: Seagull SE or a small cordless disc. You do not need a wall climber if there is barely a wall.

In-ground, you want floors, walls, and the tile line. A climbing Dolphin is still the default: CC Plus is the workhorse the 2026 lists keep repeating, Cayman if you want to spend less, Escape if the pool is above-ground, Proteus DX3 if you want the other volume Maytronics. Cordless alternatives that actually climb: Scuba S1 / S3 / X1, WYBOT C1 / C2, Sora 10 / 30. Scuba V3 is the current “smart” cordless — it hunts debris with a camera, and it costs like it. CNET made it their overall pick; that does not make it a Dolphin.

Want one machine to do floor, walls, waterline, and skim the surface? Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra. WIRED’s 2026 all-around. It is a different product from a $200 cleaner. Comparing them on price per “robot” is how people get disappointed. If the surface is the only gap, a Betta plus a floor robot is often smarter than Ultra.

How to read the ribbons

Colored prize ribbons are independent 2026 roundups: WIRED, CNET, Bob Vila, Reviewed, Forbes, PCMag, The Pool Nerd, The Hook Up, The Spruce — not brand pages. Each list is one color, every time. Hover for the name. Gold Highly rated is Amazon owners only: enough reviews that the average is clearly in the 4s, not a mixed 4.0 and not a handful of fives. A ribbon cannot grant it.

Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus and Scuba S1 are on four lists. Sora 70, AquaSense 2 Ultra, and Scuba X1 are on three. Seagull SE, Dreame Z1 Pro, and a handful of Dolphins sit on two. They still do not agree on #1: CNET’s overall was Scuba V3; WIRED’s was AquaSense 2 Ultra; The Spruce’s in-ground overall was Scuba S1; PCMag’s was Z1 Pro; Forbes’ was SharkVac XL. The Pool Nerd’s Premier and Sigma are not on Amazon US right now, so they are not in this aisle. WIRED’s battery-life pick was iGarden M1 — same story, no live listing.

A straightforward pick

In-ground, want it to just work: corded Dolphin CC Plus. Stairs: Explorer E50 (thin reviews) or E20 (more owners). Refuse a cable, modest pool: Scuba S1 or Sora 10. Want the cordless all-in-one: AquaSense 2 Ultra or Scuba V3. PCMag’s cordless pick: Z1 Pro. Above-ground floor only: Seagull SE, Nautilus AG, or Nautilus Pool Up. Leaves on top: add a Betta or EcoSurfer S2, don’t replace the vacuum with one.