Pool Vacuum Robots: Vacuum, Scrub and Filter Without a Hose
A pool vacuum robot has its own pump, its own filter and its own brushes. No hose to the skimmer, no vacuum plate, no manual pass. Drop a Dolphin in and it vacuums the floor, climbs the walls and comes back with the dirt in its bin.
A manual pool vacuum is a head on a pole, a hose and a half hour of your Saturday. A suction vacuum trades the pole for your pool pump. A pool vacuum robot replaces all of it: its own motors drive it across the floor and up the walls, its own pump pulls debris into its own filter, and it shuts off when the cycle ends. Your pool pump, skimmer and filter are not involved.
What to look for in a robotic pool vacuum
Vacuum power matters, but what decides whether the pool looks clean is what the robot does with the dirt it picks up. A big, easy-empty bin keeps a leafy pool from stopping the robot mid-cycle; fine filter media keeps silt and pollen from washing straight back out. Then make sure it climbs your walls and is rated for your pool length.
- Bin size: the Max-Series™ MaxBin™ holds 50 to 225% more than Gen-1 filters
- Fine media: NanoFilters™ down to 2 microns for dust, pollen and dead algae
- Suction: 4,000+ gallons per hour on the Max-Series™, 75 GPM on the ProLine™
- Wall climbing on in-ground pools, floor-first on above-ground pools
- Top-load bin that lifts out and rinses in seconds
The best pool vacuum robots
Ranked for how much they pick up, how fine they filter and how easy the bin is to empty. All five ship free with a 30-day trial.
Dolphin Quantum
The XXL MaxBin™ is 225% larger than Gen-1 Dolphin filters and ships with NanoFilters™ in the box, so it vacuums leaves and fine dirt in the same cycle. Pools up to 50 ft, waterline included.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- XXL MaxBin™ + NanoFilters™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Premier
Multi-Media™ filtration lets you swap between an oversized leaf bag for heavy debris and NanoFilters™ for fine dirt. Commercial-grade motors, dual active brushes, 3-year warranty.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- MultiMedia™ + NanoFilters™
- 3 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Cayman
MaxBin™ filtration, 2× faster HyperBrush™ scrubbing and a weekly timer for in-ground or above-ground pools up to 33 ft.
- Floor + Walls
- MaxBin™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Escape
The lowest-priced Max-Series™ vacuum: MaxBin™ filtration and HyperBrush™ scrubbing for above-ground and small in-ground pools.
- Floor only
- MaxBin™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Sigma
Triple commercial-grade motors, gyroscope navigation that vacuums in systematic rows, NanoFilters™ and app control, with a 3-year warranty.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- NanoFilters™
- 3 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Three ways to vacuum a pool
The robot is the only one that brings its own pump and filter.
| Feature | Pool vacuum robot | Manual vacuum | Suction-side cleaner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | The robot, on its own | You, with a pole and hose | Your pool pump, pulling it along a hose |
| Where the dirt goes | The robot’s own bin, down to 2 microns | Your pool filter | Your pump basket and pool filter |
| Walls and waterline | Climbs and scrubs them | If you scrub them | Floor and lower walls at best |
| Time per clean | Zero of yours; 1.5 to 3 hr cycle | 30 to 60 minutes | Zero of yours, but hours of pump time |
| Running cost | About 5¢ an hour | Your time | The main pump for the whole cycle |
| Scheduling | Weekly timer or app | None | Tied to the pump timer |
| Shop | Shop Pool Vacuum Robots | Compare Every Model |
What makes a robotic pool vacuum pick up more
The largest Dolphin filter ever.
Up to 50 to 225% larger than first-gen Dolphin filters, the Max-Series™ MaxBin™ keeps vacuuming long after a standard cartridge would be full. One tab opens it; rinse it with a hose and drop it back in. The Quantum’s XXL MaxBin™ includes NanoFilter™ panels in the box.
Robots for leaves ›
Fine dirt stays in the bin.
Sand, silt, pollen and dead algae pass straight through a coarse filter and settle back on the floor an hour later. NanoFilters™ capture particles down to 2 microns, which is the difference between water that looks clean and water that looks new.
Robots for fine dirt ›
Scrubs twice as fast as it drives.
Vacuuming only lifts what is loose. Max-Series™ robots spin a HyperBrush™ at twice the robot’s speed to break biofilm and algae off the surface first; ProLine™ robots pair dual active brushes with commercial-grade motors moving over 4,500 gallons an hour.
Dual brushes explained ›
A robot for either pool.
The Escape and Cayman are rated for pools up to 33 ft and climb into above-ground pools as happily as small in-ground ones. The Quantum, Premier, Sigma and the Explorer E30 to E70 are 50 ft in-ground robots with wall and waterline coverage.
Robots for above-ground pools ›Every robotic pool vacuum we recommend
Grouped by family. ProLine™ and Max-Series™ robots ship free from our warehouse; the cordless EON pair and the Liberty 300 are sold through Amazon.
Dolphin ProLine™ & Max-Series™ Compare the ProLine™ → Compare the Max-Series™ →
Dolphin Premier
The only Dolphin with swappable MultiMedia™ filtration.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- MultiMedia™ + NanoFilters™
- 3 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Quantum
App-connected floor-to-waterline cleaning with an XXL MaxBin™ and NanoFilters™.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- XXL MaxBin™ + NanoFilters™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Sigma
The most advanced Dolphin ever, with a gyroscope and app control.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- NanoFilters™
- 3 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Cayman
The best-value Max-Series™ performer with a weekly timer, for in-ground or above-ground pools.
- Floor + Walls
- MaxBin™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Escape
The entry Max-Series™ robot for above-ground and small in-ground pools.
- Floor only
- MaxBin™
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Explorer™ Compare the Explorer lineup →
Dolphin Explorer E20
Wall climbing on a budget in the Explorer™ line.
- Floor + Walls
- Top-load cartridge
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Explorer E30
Entry Wi-Fi with myDolphin™ Plus app control.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- Multi-layer cartridge
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Explorer E50
Wi-Fi cleaning with waterline coverage for larger pools.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- Dual-layer cartridge
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Explorer E70
A larger-pool Explorer™ that includes a caddy.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline
- Dual-layer cartridge
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Cordless Dolphins: Liberty & EON Compare the Liberty lineup → Compare the EON lineup →
Dolphin Liberty 200
Dolphin’s first cordless robot: charge it, drop it in, press start.
- Floor + Walls
- Top-load basket
- 2 years warranty
Ships free from our warehouse
Dolphin Liberty 300
Up to a week of cycles per charge, an Eco mode and Click-Up™ pickup.
- Floor + Walls
- Top-load basket
- 2 years warranty
Sold through Amazon
Dolphin Nautilus EON 100
Cordless with Wi-Fi: cleans steps, ledges, corners and the waterline.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline + Steps
- Top-load fine basket
- 1 year warranty
Sold through Amazon
Dolphin Nautilus EON 120D
Up to 4.5 hours per charge, five modes and a self-cleaning backwash filter.
- Floor + Walls + Waterline + Steps
- DebrisLock™ backwash
- 1 year warranty
Sold through Amazon
In-ground vs above-ground pool vacuum robots
Above-ground pools have a flat floor, soft vinyl walls and a short wall height, so the priority is a gentle, thorough floor vacuum with a bin that empties fast: the Escape or Cayman. In-ground pools add deep ends, steps, coves and a tile line that collects oils, which is where wall climbing and waterline scrubbing earn their keep: the Quantum, Premier and Sigma. Our buying guides cover vinyl, fiberglass, gunite, pebble and tile pools one by one.
How long does a robotic pool vacuum take?
Cycles run 1.5 hours on the Escape, 2 hours on the Cayman and Explorer line, 2.5 hours on the Sigma and up to 3 hours on the Premier. Smart navigation (SmartNav 2.0™ on the Quantum, a gyroscope on the Sigma) maps the pool and vacuums in overlapping lanes rather than bouncing around, so a full-size pool is covered once per cycle. Two or three cycles a week is enough for most pools in season.
Shop robotic pool cleaners by type
Corded or cordless, Dolphin-only or the whole field: every category page sells the same robots with the comparison that fits the question.
Pool Robots
Every robot pool cleaner we sell
Corded and cordless, from $659
Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaners
Liberty 200 & 300, EON 100 & 120D
No cable, pools up to 50 ft
Corded Robotic Pool Cleaners
ProLine™, Max-Series™, Explorer™
Unlimited runtime, weekly timers
Automatic Pool Cleaners
Robotic vs suction vs pressure
Weekly timers and app control
Electric Pool Cleaners
Plug-in and battery pool vacuums
Low-voltage, about 5¢ an hour
Dolphin Pool Robots
Every Dolphin by Maytronics
Authorized retailer, full warranty
Cordless Dolphin Pool Robots
Liberty 200 & 300, EON 100 & 120D
Dolphin’s battery robots
Corded Dolphin Pool Robots
Premier, Quantum, Sigma, Cayman, Escape, Explorer
Weekly timers, NanoFilters™, 3-yr warranty
Every Dolphin we sell
Nautilus, Wave, open box & more
The full shop
The smartest place to buy your Dolphin
Lowest Price Guarantee
Buy direct from our 10,000+ unit warehouse at unbeatable prices, with price match.
Fast Free Shipping
Ships free from our warehouse, usually within one business day.
30-Day Returns & Warranty
Simple 30-day returns, plus a full 1–3 year manufacturer warranty on every robot.
1-on-1 Support
Talk to an in-house Dolphin expert before and after you buy.
Pool Vacuum Robots: frequently asked questions
Do robotic pool vacuums really work?
Yes. A Dolphin vacuums the floor, climbs the walls and, on the ProLine robots, scrubs the waterline, trapping debris in its own filter down to 2 microns. Owners typically stop manual vacuuming altogether and run the robot two or three times a week on a timer.
Does a pool vacuum robot need a hose or a pump?
No. The robot carries its own pump, filter and motors and plugs into a low-voltage power supply on the deck (or runs on a battery, if cordless). Nothing connects to the skimmer, the pool pump or the filter.
What is the difference between a pool vacuum robot and a robotic pool cleaner?
They are the same product. Pool vacuum robot, robot pool vacuum, robotic pool vacuum and robotic pool cleaner all describe a self-contained electric cleaner like a Dolphin.
Will a robot vacuum pick up sand and fine dirt?
A robot with NanoFilters or ultra-fine media will. Standard cartridges let the finest sand and silt pass back into the pool. The Quantum and Premier include NanoFilters; the Sigma and the Explorer line accept them.
Which pool vacuum robot has the biggest bin?
The Dolphin Quantum's XXL MaxBin is 225% larger than first-generation Dolphin filters. The Premier's Multi-Media system includes an oversized leaf bag for the heaviest debris loads.
How often should a pool robot run?
Two or three cycles a week keeps most residential pools clean; pools under trees or in dusty areas may want a daily cycle in season. A weekly timer (Quantum, Premier, Cayman) or the app (Sigma, EON) handles this for you.
Can I leave a pool robot in the pool?
You can leave a corded Dolphin in the water between cycles, but Maytronics recommends removing it when it is not cleaning to extend the life of the cable, brushes and seals and to keep it out of chemical shock treatments. Cordless robots come out to charge anyway; most owners lift them by the handle after each cycle.
Related pages and buying guides
Let the robot do the vacuuming
Compare every Dolphin side by side, or talk to a specialist about the debris in your pool.