The RoboRating is our star rating for each robot guide. We score every robot on the maker’s published specs, against robots of the same type in our table. We don’t own or test robots, so it’s a review of the specs, not a hands-on test or a customer rating. It tells you how a robot measures up on paper next to its rivals.

What the Rating Is Built From

Each rating uses only the specs in our product table. Those specs come from the maker’s manual, the maker’s product page or the maker’s listing, and the robot guide gives the source for each one. Amazon ratings, reviews and prices play no part.

A robot gets a RoboRating only once its specs have been checked against those sources. A robot whose specs are still waiting for that check shows no rating.

Which Robots It Is Compared With

A robot is compared only with robots of the same kind:

  • Inground cleaners
  • Above-ground cleaners
  • Skimmers

A cleaner rated for both pool types counts in both groups, and its page shows the rating for the pool type it is mainly sold for. Skimmers are compared only with other skimmers. If a group has fewer than five robots, it gives no rating.

Robots that are not in our tables right now (discontinued, out of stock or no longer listed) stay in the comparison when we have checked their specs. A robot that set a high mark still sets the bar, so a new robot is measured against the best specs we have seen, not only against what is in our tables today. Those robots show no rating of their own, and the rank counts only robots in our tables now.

What Counts, and How Much

Each kind of robot has its own fixed list of specs and weights. The weights are the same for every robot in a group, and they never change from one robot to the next.

Inground and Above-Ground Cleaners

Spec Weight Better is
Rated pool size (the maker’s rated cleaning area in sq ft; a robot that states only a pool length is compared by length, in ft, with robots that state a length) 15% Higher
Cleaning areas (floor, walls, waterline, steps when supported) 15% More
Navigation (random, patterned paths, or advanced mapping) 15% More advanced
Runtime or cleaning cycle (hours) 10% Longer
Filter fineness (smallest stated filter size, μm) 10% Finer
Warranty (years) 10% Longer
App and scheduling (app scheduling ranks above onboard scheduling or an app without scheduling) 10% More options
Battery capacity (mAh) 5% Higher
Weight (lbs) 5% Lighter
Charging time (hours) 5% Shorter

Skimmers

Spec Weight Better is
Debris types (how many of large, medium, fine and microscopic debris the maker says it handles) 25% More
Solar charging (solar first, then shorter stated charging time) 20% Solar, then shorter
Battery capacity (mAh) 15% Higher
Basket and filter (smallest stated filter size, μm) 15% Finer
App and scheduling 15% More options
Rated coverage (sq ft) 10% Higher

How the Stars Are Worked Out

  1. For each spec, the robot is placed among the robots in its group that state that spec. Robots with the same value share the same place.
  2. A spec the maker does not state counts as the lowest place. If a spec cannot apply to a robot, it is left out and the other weights are scaled up to fill its share. One example is battery capacity on a corded cleaner.
  3. The places are combined using the weights above into one score from 0 to 1.
  4. Stars are 1 plus 4 times that score, rounded to the nearest half star. Every rating falls between 1.0 and 5.0.

A rating is relative. The robot with the highest rating in a group still has specs other robots beat, and a 2.5-star robot can be the right choice for a smaller pool or a tighter budget.

Rank and Strengths

Below the stars, a guide can show where the robot ranks among robots of the same kind in the same budget band (up to $200, $200 to $500, $500 to $1,000, or over $1,000), such as “3rd of 8 in-ground cleaners from $200 to $500”. Robots with equal scores share the same place. A band with fewer than two robots shows no rank.

A guide lists at most two strengths. A spec is listed as a strength only when at most a quarter of the robots that state it have the same value or better.

When the Rating Changes

The rating can change when a robot’s specs are corrected, when a robot joins or leaves its group, or when it moves to another budget band. Every robot in the group is worked out again each time, so ranks and counts stay consistent across the site. The weights only change if this page changes first.

What the Rating Does Not Tell You

The RoboRating cannot say how well a robot cleans your pool, how long it lasts, or how good the maker’s support is. Pool shape, debris and water conditions matter as much as specs. Use the rating to narrow a list, then read the guide’s specs and the maker’s details for the robots you are considering.

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