A robotic pool cleaner carries a motor and filter on board, so it cleans without help from the pool pump, which can stay switched off, as Zodiac explains. Corded robots draw power through a floating cable from a transformer beside the pool. Cordless robots run on a battery and are charged between cleans, so there is no cable to tangle, but each clean is limited by the battery.
| Robot | Power | Cleans | Pool size | Cycle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin X20 | Corded, 15m cable | Floor and walls | Up to 10m long | 2 hours | $1,400–1,600 |
| WYBOT C1 | Cordless | Floor, walls, waterline | Up to 150 sq m | Up to 2.5 hours | $600–700 |
| Hy-Clor i4 | Cordless | Floor, walls, waterline | Up to 80,000L | 2 hours | $800–900 |
| Dolphin E10 | Corded, 12m cable | Floor only | Up to 8m long | 1.5 hours | $1,000–1,100 |
| Dolphin Liberty 200 | Cordless | Floor, walls, waterline | Up to 10m long | Up to 2.5 hours | $1,800–2,000 |
Specifications are from each store's listing. Prices were checked at Clark Rubber, Edisons, Amazon and Bunnings on 27 September 2026.
1. Best Corded Robot: Dolphin X20
The X20 is a corded Dolphin robot, made by Maytronics, for in-ground pools up to 10 metres long. Clark Rubber's listing describes a brush that spins at twice the robot's travel speed to scrub the floor and walls, a two-hour cycle and a weekly timer. It weighs 6.5kg, runs on a 15m floating cable, and has a two-year limited warranty.
Clark Rubber lists floors and walls, not the waterline. There are few owner reviews of the X20 on Australian stores so far.
What We Like:
- Weekly timer
- Active scrubbing brush
- 6.5kg to lift out
What We Don't Like:
- Waterline not listed
- A cable to manage
2. Best Value Cordless: WYBOT C1
The C1 is a cordless robot that cleans the floor, walls and waterline in pools up to 150 square metres, with five cleaning modes chosen from an app. Edisons lists up to 2.5 hours of running time and a 65W pump that moves 11,500 litres an hour, with a standard 12-month warranty. It is sold by Edisons and on Amazon.
Owner reviews rate how well it cleans and how easy it is to use. Battery life gets mixed reports, and some owners say it struggles in corners and around curves.
What We Like:
- Cleans the waterline
- No cable
- App with five modes
What We Don't Like:
- Mixed battery reports
- Struggles in corners, say some
3. Best from Bunnings: Hy-Clor i4
Hy-Clor's i4 is a cordless robot for in-ground pools up to 80,000 litres. Bunnings lists it as cleaning the floor and walls and scrubbing the waterline, with a two-hour run time, a 180-micron filter, and scheduling up to a week ahead from an app. A retrieval hook for lifting it out comes in the box.
The scheduled cleans cover the floor only. Owner reviews at Bunnings are mostly positive; one owner reports charging problems after nine months.
What We Like:
- Scrubs the waterline
- Retrieval hook included
- Week-ahead scheduling
What We Don't Like:
- Scheduled cleans are floor only
- A charging fault reported
4. Best Floor-Only Robot: Dolphin E10
The E10 is Dolphin's entry-level corded robot, and it cleans the floor only. Clark Rubber lists it for pools up to 8 metres long, above-ground pools included, with a 1.5-hour cycle and a 12m cable. It has an on/off switch rather than a timer, and a two-year limited warranty.
It leaves the walls and waterline to you, and there are no owner reviews of it on Clark Rubber yet.
What We Like:
- Suits above-ground pools
- Simple to run
- Two-year warranty
What We Don't Like:
- Floor only
- No timer
5. Best Premium Cordless: Dolphin Liberty 200
The Liberty 200 is Dolphin's cordless robot. Clark Rubber lists it for the floor, walls and waterline of pools up to 10 metres long, with up to 2.5 hours from a 5,000mAh battery and a magnetic induction pad for charging instead of a plug. Its basket has both fine and ultra-fine filters, and it has a two-year warranty.
It costs about twice as much as the E10 and weighs 8.1kg. There are no owner reviews of it on Clark Rubber yet.
What We Like:
- Cleans the waterline
- Induction charging
- Fine and ultra-fine filters
What We Don't Like:
- About $2,000
- 8.1kg to lift out
Other options worth a look
- WYBOT C2. WYBOT's step up from the C1, with a 180-micron filter and a 10-micron fine filter, for pools up to 200 square metres, sold at Amazon.
- Aiper Scuba SE. A 3.4kg cordless robot made only for above-ground and portable pools up to 80 square metres, running up to 90 minutes on a three-hour charge, sold by Clark Rubber.
- WYBOT F1 solar skimmer. A solar-powered skimmer that works the water's surface and collects leaves in a 7-litre basket, sold by Edisons.
How to pick a robotic pool cleaner
Corded or cordless. A corded robot runs for its full cycle every time. A cordless robot avoids the cable but is limited by its battery, two to 2.5 hours for the cordless robots here, and has to be charged between cleans.
Floor, walls or waterline. The E10 cleans the floor only and the X20 the floor and walls. The three others scrub the waterline as well.
Pool size. Each maker states the pool length, area or volume its robot is designed for, shown in the table above.
Robot, suction or pressure. Dolphin's robots cost more than a suction cleaner that runs off the pool pump, though a cordless robot such as the WYBOT C1 costs less than the dearer suction models. How the three kinds compare is covered in robotic vs suction vs pressure pool cleaners.
FAQs
Does a robotic pool cleaner need the pool pump running?
No. It runs on its own motor and filter, so the pool pump can be off while it cleans.
How long does a robotic pool cleaner take?
Between 1.5 and 2.5 hours for the robots here, depending on the model and the cleaning mode.
Is a corded or cordless pool robot better?
A corded robot runs for its full cycle every time and has no battery to wear out. A cordless robot has no cable to tangle, but each clean is limited by the charge.
