8 Best Robotic Pool Cleaners in 2022 – Top Rated Pool Vacuum

Break out the grill, ice up the drinks, and oh, yeah clean the pool too! Summer is almost here and is your pool ready?

When you want that a summer BBQ pool party to go off without a hitch, remember to have plenty of smoothies for the kids, Margaritas for the Ladies, and beer for those who want it with their BBQ. Then break out the Soft drinks for everyone else. But most importantly get your pool ready because before and after a Backyard BBQ there is nothing better than a cool dip in the pool to get people in the mood for more fun and maybe a second round of “Q,” drinks, and more swimming fun.

To do that you need the best robotic pool cleaners to clean your pool before the fun, and we have 8 for you to examine, and then you can choose exactly the one that suits your pool needs best.

What is the Best Robotic Pool Cleaners(Our Top Picks)

We hope you enjoy our blog post about what’s out there for robotic pool cleaners and find something to suit your needs.

1. Best Overall: Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus
   “Easy to use, this automatic pool cleaner features dual scrubbing brushes and superior filtering capabilities so you can relax knowing your pool’s floor and walls are left exceptionally clean.”
2. Best Energy Efficient Cleaner: Hayward RC9990GR TigerShark
   “This robot cleaner has an on-board pump for intense vacuum power and a patented filter cartridge system that makes cleanup easy.”
3. Best for Performance: Dolphin Premier Pool Cleaner
   “Powerful dual scrubbing brushes attack tough dirt and debris leaving your swimming pool floor, walls and waterline exceptionally clean in 3 hours.”
4. Best Automatic Pool Cleaner: Dolphin Quantum Robotic
   “Easy-to-use, light weight in-ground robotic pool cleaner with a weekly scheduler so you can set your Dolphin to automatically clean for you every day, every other day, or every 3rd day.”
5. Best for Robotic In-Ground Pool: Polaris F9450 Sport
   “This is convenient if you want to start or stop cleaning without having to run back and forth to the cleaner every time. Vortex Vacuum Technology, which captures more than four times the debris load of other cleaners”
6. Best Energy Saving Pool Cleaner: Hayward RC9740 SharkVac
   “Scrubs and vacuums pool floor and coves, features both out-of-water and beach entry sensors, provides protection of motor from water damage, has a large debris capacity, cleans up to 50’ in diameter pools in 3 hours or less.”
7. Eco-friendly Cleaning: Pentair Kreepy Krauly Prowler 830
   “It comes with an automatic filter bag system that captures debris as small as 2 microns, including sand, silt, hair and lint.”
8. Best for Portability: Dolphin 99996356 Dolphin Triton
   “The Dolphin Triton cleans the floor, walls and waterline of your pool with its patented swivel steering technology and dual scrubbing brushes.”

Top 8 Best Robotic Pool Cleaners in 2022

So, we think you will be pleased with the 8 Pool Cleaning Robots you are about to look at in the following sections that embody what we have just talked about.

1. Best Overall: Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

The Dolphin runs along the floor and climbs to the water line up sidewalls of your pool and scrubs off the grime, grunge, and algae that can accumulate in a pool when it’s not used for a few days.

Features:

If you have, a swimming pool that is up to 50 feet in length this is the perfect cleaning tool that will automatically take care of all the hard work for you. Its patented CleverClean technology gets spectacular performance at a very low cost.

The other advantages it has is that its 60-foot cable won’t get tangled, as it has a full 360° swivel that allows you to place it anywhere in your pool. From there, just let it do its thing, and it will finish in about three hours, and you have a pristine pool in which to play once more.

It doesn’t hook up to your pools pumping system, and the entire unit is self-contained, and all you have to do is when it’s done, take it out of the water when it’s finished and clean the filter. Most people purchase the optional card to make it easy to move from the pool to its storage.

Cons:

• It can’t deal with large leaves which means you’ll have to strain them out yourself by hand

Insider Tips:

• Cords tangle. Get a cable detangler. Amazon and eBay both sell them and they are worth the price
• Buy yourself a skimmer bot and let it run around on top of the water. That way the flying debris wouldn’t have time sink to the bottom and put more work on the Dolphin

2. Best Energy Efficient Cleaner: Hayward RC9990GR TigerShark

When you want your swimming pool, cleaned fast and you do not have 3 hours. You need something fast, and nothing is quicker than a tiger shark. It races about and within 90 minutes and then you can enjoy your pool again.

Features:

The tiger shark deals with pools up to size 20′ x 40′ its patented technology allows it to clean your pool within 90 minutes or less this is due to highly efficient 24 V motors that use less power than you’ve ever seen before. The onboard pump provides heavy-duty vacuum power that sucks up dirt, algae, dead insects, and leaves quickly and easily. Cleanup is a snap as you just rinsed the filter assembly with a garden hose after it’s done.

Corners, sidewalls, and steps are no obstacle to one of the fastest pool cleaning machines on the market today. Its top-mounted impeller assembly does not disturb the dirt and the bottom of the pool that is trying to pick up, which is a handicap with some of the other pool cleaning robots in use today.

It goes from box to the water in one easy step, and when it has finished, it automatically shuts itself off until you need it again.

Cons:

• Good cleaner but not a great cleaner

• The tracks wear out in about a year or two and are not covered under the warranty

Insider Tips:

The secret to getting the most efficient cleaning out of this robot is to clean the filters after each cleaning cycle. Another secret is to change the cartridge with a spare and clean the old one later to get your cleaning robot back in the pool faster.

3. Best for Performance: Dolphin Premier Pool Cleaner

Newest and best of Pool Cleaners today with 360 degrees of cable rotation with a sensor suite that puts the other to shame that cleans everywhere, shallow, and deep with ease.

Features:

This unit is so reliable that the maker sells it with a 3-year warranty and that is just for openers. Like a Navy submersible, it maps the contours of your entire pool and then proceeds to follow its dimensions in a systematic and precise manner that ensures you the best in a cleaned pool.

While it traverses your pool’s sides and bottom it’s specially designed treads moves it smoothly and at the same time breaks up the buildup of dirt, grunge, as well as dead insects. They are sucked into a multi-filter system that does not tax your pool’s pumping system.

If you want, it to do an even better job you can order a wireless remote that allows you to take command of your pool cleaning operation that lets you let the Dolphin get the areas you want to be done first.

In addition to that, you can also get a caddy that will make moving it about on land and keeps it out of the way when it is not in use.

Cons:

• Inspect the packaging for damage as the Amazon warehouse seems to be lax

• This is the 2012 model remarked by the reseller to make you think it is a newer machine. However, it does do the job

Insider Tips:

Start with the bag first. That takes care of the big stuff. The second time around, unless you’ve had a storm or something, switch to the medium filters. The third time and afterward use the micro-filter, and you will not only have a great looking pool, but it will save wear a tear on the unit as well.

4. Best Automatic Pool Cleaner: Dolphin Quantum Robotic

With the latest technology available for 2017, the Quantum is ready to take on your pool’s cleaning needs. Along with an advanced navigation system, you have the best optimal cleaning with this robotic helper.

Features:

This is not a redesigned Dolphin this is a completely new dolphin designed and built from the ground up to meet the needs of anyone who owns a pool that requires maintenance and is made especially for a person who does not want to do it by hand.

The Quantum’s Powerjet 3D lets the unit deliver more work with less energy and uses the least amount of effort with highly efficient DC motors that jet this unit around your pool in record time and as he goes about its duties consumes less power than any other unit and its size class.

In addition, it has a larger capacity to hold pool debris, which means less time out of the water for you to have to clean it. Instead, it can be down at the bottom doing its job and with each one of its four filters; it ensures that your pool is spotlessly clean. It learns your pool, and from there it uses its onboard navigation to clean in the fastest time possible.

Cons:

• Cleans well but why does it cost so much?

• There is no cord detangler

Insider Tips:

• Search on Amazon or up on eBay and order yourself a chord detangler and have it mounted near the unit this will save you many problems untangling the cord and potentially damage it.

• Your best bet is to order a caddy to go with this unit as once it’s out of the water, it can be hard to manage

5. Best for Robotic In-Ground Pool: Polaris F9450 Sport

The Polaris F9450 tools around with a four-wheel-drive that allows it to speed about vacuuming your pool’s bottom and sides spotlessly and with its 7-day timer makes it autonomous. When it is done, a quick flick dumps the debris.

Features:

One of the largest canisters of any robotic cleaner on the market today it can take everything from small dead insects to large leaves with equal ease. The four-wheel-drive capacity allows it to maneuver and go about its job efficiently and quickly.

You almost don’t even know it’s there until it’s time to empty the quick release canister that keeps your hands clean while taking debris from your pool to the trash. Your hands will never touch soggy leaves, dirt, and other debris that drips into your pool.

What is even better this pool cleaner has a brain of its own that you can program with the exact dimensions in size of your pool and when you wanted to go to work. This means while you are sleeping at night your robotic helper is busily cleaning your pool for tomorrow morning’s brisk morning dip. The Remote makes it easy to bring it to the service to remove the canister of debris along with directing to where you want it to go to work.

Cons:

• It has trouble with steps and ledges

• The impeller should be on the top instead of the back as it churns the muck, which makes it harder to pick up

Insider Tips:

• Do use the caddy. It will save your back moving in and out of storage. Yes, you need to store it in a shed or covered area. UV does evil things to plastic. So, keep your unit well shaded after use.

• Check the warranty and be nice to the caddy, as it will cost you $200 to replace if it becomes damaged and they don’t have replacement parts.

6. Best Energy Saving Pool Cleaner: Hayward RC9740 SharkVac

When your pool is, dirty and you needed it to be cleaned right away. You need a shark, and the RC9740 is the shark that will do the job swiftly that lets you enjoy your pool instead of spending your time cleaning it.

Features:

Energy-efficient this is one of the best design systems that can get the bottom of your pool cleaning needs. All the debris that is collected from the bottom and the insides of your pool are in a top accessible trash container that allows you to pop it out and clean it almost instantly.

Close it up again and let it loose in your pool and it will happily scurry about, scrubbing, and vacuuming both the floor and the sides of your pool with equal ease. Steps are no obstacle as it can climb and move about with the agility of a shark catching its next meal.

Computer technology gives the shark a brain of its own, and it provides the unit with the ability to map out your pool and be able to cover it efficiently in the shortest amount of time.

Cons:

• Sometimes you have to start the unit from different locations to get the optimal cleaning pattern from this unit

Insider Tips:

• Make sure you clean the filter cartridge after every pool cleaning this ensures that you get the clip best cleaning power for each run of the unit

• A storm this is an electrically powered robot and ensures that the receptacle you are using is waterproofed to prevent any damage to the unit or people plugging it in.

7. Eco-Friendly Cleaning: Pentair Kreepy Krauly Prowler 830

The Prowler has wireless control, Robotic power clean, and gets the job in under 2-1/2 hours. However, the secret is in the Prowler’s design that sucks and scrubs all the grunge and dirt away.

Features:

It weighs in at a tad under45 pounds, which means it might be a chore for some, which is why the caddy along with the remote lets you walk the unit in and out of you and move it to storage easily.

Once it’s in the water, it is virtually weightless, and its ability to reverse itself helps it if it finds itself in a tight area. This also prevents it from turtling in cases, where other pool cleaners lose it.

The Prowler backs down and tries a different approach. Another wonderful thing about it is that everything works automatically and you do not put any strain on your pump. It also means you do not require a booster pump as well like other units that cannot get enough sucking power.

But, what really takes the cake is that the filer cartridges are so easy to clean. One Spritz with a hose and you filter is cleaned and ready to go again.

Cons:

Sometimes the unit tells you the filter is full. One check, however, lets you know if there is a glitch or not. The issue is not prevalent.

Insider Tips:

Be careful of the caddy. It is not steel, but plastic. Hoses and plastics do not last long in bright sunlight, and they become brittle and crack. Sometimes the filters you get leaves a small gap and sprays debris out back into the water. If your robot is, experiencing this, you need to cut some gasket material and fit it with the filter, so everything fits tightly.

8. Best for Portability: Dolphin 99996356 Dolphin Triton

With this best robot pool cleaner you can preprogram to handle the shape and size of your pool to cover it all, with its 2-wheel drive it cleans your pool in nothing flat.

Drains are no problem for the Triton. It ambles over them, and even odd-shaped stairs are no obstacle for climbing and cleaning action. Within 3 hours, your pool is spic and span ready for fun.

Features:

The Triton is an InGround pool cleaners that get the job done, and it doesn’t care about the shape of your pool. You could be doing laps, or just swinging in a circular pool or one that is freeform made from stamped concrete.

No hookup to your pool’s pump. It does require a little help from you as you need to be sure you check the filters and know which setting you are using. Then it’s “Katie bar the doors,” as it goes out and learns your pool and from then on, it never misses a spot. You get a filter bag that’ you should use for the first go-round and then you can set it up to use the filters. The finer mesh filters will keep your pool sparkling after you have let the Triton get rid of the big stuff.

Cons:

Be careful. Some units are Knock-offs, and you need to be sure yours is the real deal. Amazon has been purging their inventory to remove them. However, some of their suppliers are still trying to palm off faux pool cleaners on them.

Insider Tips:

• It is heavier than other Dolphin models, so you want to get the remote. Your back will thank you, and you do not run the risk of ending in the pool with it.

• If your robot has trouble with getting close to the surface of your pool, replace the PVC brushes. This is one of the things most people miss, as everything appears fine. But, a slight wearing raises the bristles high enough to miss the little stuff.

What makes a great pool robot?

A great pool Robot is on that does the work for you. That means it needs to know the size of your pool. It also needs to have the capacity to hold the debris that it cleans up.

• Your robot needs to discovery you pool and find its way around it.

• This requires a brain and a set of sensors that let it measure your pool’s size, contour, and the depth.

• Because your automatic pool cleaner has to clean not only the bottom of the pool but the sidewalls as well

• So, the best robot pool cleaner you choose must be agile and able to climb walls and well as move smoothly about the bottom

• It also needs to be able to get around any obstructions it finds as well

• Which bring us to one of the most crucial aspects of cleaning your pool? “What does your robot do, when it finds something that blocks its way?”

• Your pool robot needs to be able to decide how to deal with what is blocking its way

• Of course, there are some secondary considerations as well

• What to do with the garbage it picks up. The next thing is how easy is the whole operation to do?

That’s the set of criteria we applied to our search for a robot that will do the job and while you are looking at our selection keep these thoughts in mind and it will make your selection much simpler.

Which Robotic Pool Vacuum cleaner is Right for You?

If you’ve looked at our selection of the best robotic pool cleaners, you see they cover the gamut of intelligence, sensors, programmability and ability.

Out of the 8, we liked the Dolphin Premiere. It has the features we thought a great robot has at its command. However, you may have decided on one of the other based on what you have seen or heard from some of the other customers you have talked too, or you’ve developed an affinity to one of them for other reasons.

That’s fine by us. Our job is to bring you the information you need so, and you can make the right choice that fits your needs and type of pool you have. So, by all means, pick the one you like best and enjoy the summer with your robotically cleaned swimming pool where you can play, while it does all the work for you.