What Is the Best Type of Swimming Pool Cleaner?

If you’ve ever had a swimming pool, you know the pain. On a given day it’s crystal clear, shining in the sunlight as though it were a magazine cover — and by the next, it’s got a coating of leaves, bugs and wherever the wind may have carried. Pools are great, no doubt. But keeping it clean? That part isn’t exactly glamorous. And if you don’t love skimming and vacuuming and scrubbing, you’re likely to wonder: Isn’t there something that will just clean this thing for me? Enter pool robotic cleaners . Not all of them are created equal. From basic manual tools to more advanced robotic systems, a lot of things are out there. I’ve tested more than a handful in the past few years — some good, some useless and one that made me feel as though I had a pool butler. And if you’re wondering what type of cleaner to invest your time and money in, let’s talk it through.

Let's begin with the broad view: there are essentially only four classes of pool-cleaning options—manual, suction-side, pressure-side, and robotic. All are somewhat different and one may be a better fit for your particular type of pool — or for your lifestyle, or patience.

This is the old-fashioned way — you’ve got a vacuum head, you’ve got a hose and you’ve got a pole. You plug it in, and steer it manually around the pool, suctioning up debris yourself. It’s cheap. It works. But it’s time consuming and kind of a pain, especially in the summer heat. I did this when I first got my pool — it was satisfying the first couple of times but after a few weekends, it became just another chore. Then again, if you’re someone who enjoys the process (like mowing your lawn), they might be A-OK. Otherwise, keep reading.

These connect to your pool’s skimmer or dedicated suction line and move around the pool by using the suction from your existing filtration system. They do a decent job picking up small debris, but they’re not exactly intelligent—just kind of wander around aimlessly. They also rely on your pool pump, which can lead to more wear and tear over time. I found mine often got stuck or clogged with leaves, which meant more time fixing it than it saved me.

These use water pressure instead of suction and usually connect to a return line. They shoot water to move themselves and push debris into a separate filter bag. These are a step up from suction cleaners in terms of power and debris handling, especially for bigger stuff like leaves or acorns. Some models do require a booster pump, which adds to the installation cost. Still, if you’ve got a pool surrounded by trees, this type might be a solid pick.

And here’s the star of the show. Robotic cleaners are plug-in devices that operate independently of your pool’s system. They’re powered by electricity and come with built-in motors, brushes, and filtration. Drop it in, press a button, and walk away. Some even have smart mapping systems that “learn” the shape of your pool and clean more efficiently over time. Honestly, using a robotic cleaner felt like upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone. It just made life easier.

Picking a good pool cleaner isn’t just about choosing the newest or fanciest model. You’ve got to think about what you actually need. Here are a few things I wish I had known earlier.

Bigger pools need cleaners with more range. Deep ends, curved walls, and steps can confuse cheaper models. Robotic cleaners usually handle complex shapes well, but it’s worth double-checking. If you’ve got a small, round, above-ground pool, you don’t need to break the bank.

All pools accumulate different gunk. At certain pools it’s bugs and pollen, at others leaves, twigs and dirt. Suction-side models tend to have trouble with larger debris, whereas robotic ones — at least the newer ones — may go from fine dust to full-on leaf piles.

Some people enjoy a bit of hands-on maintenance. I’m not one of them. After a long day or on weekends, I’d rather spend my time in the pool than around it with a vacuum pole. If that sounds like you, a robotic cleaner is worth the investment.

Here’s something most people don’t think about: suction and pressure cleaners use your pool’s system, which can increase wear and tear on your pump and filter. Robotic cleaners run on low-voltage electricity and are completely self-contained, so your system doesn’t have to work harder just to stay clean.

The first time I used a robotic cleaner , I was skeptical. It looked like a little box on wheels. I plugged it in, lowered it into the pool, and went inside. An hour later, I came back—and the pool was spotless. I didn’t even have to touch a thing. It climbed the walls, scrubbed the waterline, and picked up everything from sand to a few stubborn pine needles that used to drive me nuts.

That model happened to be from Beatbot, part of their AquaSense 2 Series. What I liked most wasn’t just that it cleaned well (which it absolutely did), but that I didn’t have to think about it. I just let it run. No hoses. No messing with my pump system. No baby-sitting the cleaner while it bumped into corners for 20 minutes.

And it wasn’t just clean-looking—my pool water actually felt better. Clearer, smoother, easier to balance with chemicals. I didn’t realize how much debris was slipping past my old cleaner until I saw what a robotic one could do.

If you love having a pool but hate cleaning it, you are not alone. I’ve tested pretty much every kind of cleaning solution you can think of — from dragging a hose around for an hour to swapping out broken suction cleaners that turned into more of a knot than a cleaning device.

Robotic cleaners aren’t great, but they’re the best set-it-and-forget-it option I’ve found. And when you find one that’s truly dope — like Beatbot’s AquaSense 2 — it changes your entire experience. The pool once again becomes a place of work and relaxation, rather than a task to check off your weekend to-do list.

So, what is the best kind of pool cleaner? The one that gives you your time back — and gives you the time to actually enjoy your pool. For me, that’s a robotic one. No contest.

Relative Blogs

About the author