May 29, 2026 1:39 PMSend the pool guy packing. Let one of these robot buddies maintain your water quality instead.Courtesy of AquaSenseSwimming pools are fun. Cleaning swimming pools is not fun.I learned this simple logic as a kid growing up in and around pools—it’s the only way to survive summer in Houston. Four years ago, I became a pool owner myself, and I found that the rule still holds. Jumping into the pool on a hot day remains a rare treat, but if the pool is filled with leaves and dirt, that treat becomes a lot less delightful. And when the thermometer is reading over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the thought of laboring on the pool deck, scooping out debris with a net, is downright cruel.Robotic pool cleaners were a thing when I was growing up in the ’80s, but there was really only one technology available: pressure-side cleaners that attach to a pump on the surface and use water pressure, not electricity, to move around the pool. These types of cleaners are still around; you’ll recognize them by the length of tubing that floats in the water and connects to a jet set into the wall of the pool.Today, the market is gravitating to electronic cleaners that don’t require a pump or that big, ugly hose in the water. And while corded cleaners are still an option—essentially running off of a long extension cord connected to wall power—battery-powered robotic cleaners are the future of the industry.Battery-powered cleaners have many benefits, including the lack of hoses or cords and the ability to be removed from the water on demand, leaving your pool unencumbered by obstacles when you want to swim in it. Of the ones I've tested, the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is the best all-around, but I've also found options for other budgets and preferences.Looking to level up your yard? Check out our guides to the Best Robot Lawn Mowers, Best Flat-Top Grills and Griddles, Best Pizza Ovens, and Best Coolers.Updated May 2026: I added the iGarden’s M1 A1 90 and Beatbot Sora 100, and checked and updated prices throughout.Jump to SectionThe Best Pool-Cleaning RobotPool-Cleaning Robot With the Best Battery LifeBest Budget Pool-Cleaning RobotBest Surface SkimmerOther Models I TestedFAQsThe Best Pool-Cleaning RobotPhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris NullBeatbotAquaSense 2 UltraAfter four years of reviewing pool robots professionally and hundreds of test runs, the one I go back to the most is Beatbot’s top-shelf bot, the AquaSense 2 Ultra.This robot has everything: near-perfect cleaning capabilities (including floors, walls, and waterline), a powerful battery with six hours of charge under the water, AI-powered debris detection, and a solid mobile app. It also has the ability to skim the surface of the pool. When finished cleaning, the AquaSense 2 Ultra floats, so collecting it is just a matter of grabbing it from the comfort of the deck. After a quick cleanup, drop the robot on the included charging stand to juice it back up, no cables required.What’s not to like? Only two things, really. Monstrous cleaning ability requires a monstrous chassis, and to say the 29-pound Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is unwieldy would be an understatement. Hauling this robot out of the water can be a chore, so work on your forearm curls if you plan to purchase one.There’s also the price point: At around $3,000 it’s pretty much the most expensive battery-powered pool robot on the market, though plenty of competitors are at least in the ballpark. If your budget’s tighter, you can get most of the same coverage from Beatbot’s Sora 70, which sells for just $1,499.Pool-Cleaning Robot With the Best Battery LifePhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris NulliGardenRobotic Pool Cleaner M1-AI 90The traditional way to use a pool robot is to keep it dry-docked and charging, then drop it into the pool only when you need it. Fish it out at the end of the run, clean the filter basket, and repeat.An alternative may appeal to lazier pool owners: Drop the robot in the pool and leave it there for a week or two, let it run on a repeating schedule, then clean it out only when the battery is dead.The trick with this strategy is that few pool robots have a battery big enough to allow for more than one or two thorough cleanings. But with its new M1-AI series, iGarden drops a massive 12,500 mAh battery into its sleek pool bot, allowing up to nine hours of running time in floor-only operation. (It can also do walls and waterline, of course, but that will eat up more of the juice.) The robot also includes cameras that use an AI-powered algorithm to actively scour for debris. In standard mode, the robot first follows an S-shaped path, then it fires up the cams to hunt down anything it missed, making for even more effective cleaning.If you stick to shorter runs, you can leave the robot in the pool for at least a week—or up to three weeks if you really stretch it out. And unlike many other pool robots, you may not mind having this one lingering in your pool, as its bright red, racecar-inspired looks make it more attractive than more industrial competitors.Best Budget Pool-Cleaning RobotCourtesy of DreameDreameZ1 Pro Cordless Robotic Pool CleanerBuying a pool robot for under $800 generally means having to make a lot of compromises: poor performance, limited battery life, iffy design. Dreame’s Z1 Pro breaks those expectations with a quirky but capable pool robot that’s full of intelligence: Its onboard sensors can even map your pool graphically in its effective mobile app as it trudges along.The robot is quite slow in the water, but (once your firmware is up to date) it’s an effective cleaner. You won’t get flawless scrubbing performance like you would with more luxe poolbots, but it’s good enough for casual cleanups, and it should work even better if you have a smaller pool. I especially appreciated the plug-free charging cable, which allows the unit to charge magnetically and keeps water from mingling with the electronics. And there’s a remote control that, if nothing else, can call the robot to the surface when it’s time to clean it out.The Z1 Pro originally shipped with a sky-high list price of $1,499, but dramatic price cuts have taken it down to $499 in the last few months. That makes it the best value and a worthwhile investment that you won’t easily find elsewhere.Best Surface SkimmerPhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris NullBeatbotiSkim Ultra Robotic Pool SkimmerMost pool-cleaning robots aren’t designed to skim the surface of the pool—and the few that are rarely do a great job of it. If you have an in-wall skimming system that works well, you might not need a robotic skimmer. However, if you regularly end up with lots of debris that tends to float for a while—or if your wall skimmers quickly get filled up—a roving robo-skimmer can help reduce topside leaves and other floating gunk.Surface skimmers are universally solar-powered, which means you never have to remove them from the pool except for periodic cleaning. (If sunshine is an issue, they can also be topped up via a standard power cable before redeployment.)Surface skimmers are also often pretty dumb, careening around the pool hoping the debris gets randomly scooped into their maw. The rare exception is Beatbot’s iSkim Ultra, which has front-mounted sensors that let it see the walls of the pool as it approaches. Instead of slamming into your tile, the iSkim Ultra slows and turns, preventing damage to both the robot and the pool. Compared to all other skimmers I’ve tested, this one does the best job.The unit does have one quirky flaw: The release button for the debris basket is located on the front nose of the robot. About twice a month it will clip a corner on my L-shaped pool, which will cause this button to be pressed, ejecting the basket into the pool. It’s easy to replace the basket when I happen to find it floating in the water, but I’m dying for a small redesign on the button placement to avoid this weird little problem.Other Models I TestedBeatbot Sora 30