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Robot PoolCleaner Picks

Beatbot vs Dolphin

Beatbot does more things. Dolphin does fewer things for longer. If your problem is surface debris, Beatbot is the only one of the two with an answer.

By Mike M. · Published November 6, 2026 · Last updated November 6, 2026

How this page is funded: we earn an Amazon commission on qualifying purchases made through links here, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we pick or the order we rank them in — here is the method and the full disclosure. Prices are live from Amazon, checked November 6, 2026.

Choose Beatbot if you need surface skimming or the largest debris baskets — the Sora 70 and AquaSense 2 Ultra clean the water's surface, which no Dolphin does. Choose Dolphin for a longer service life, cheap stocked parts and pools over 40 feet.

At a glance

Quick picks

Tap any row for the full write-up. Prices are live from Amazon, checked November 6, 2026.

#ProductBest forScorePrice
1
Beatbot Sora 30

Beatbot Sora 30

Beatbot · 6,800 GPH

Best Beatbot value8.5out of 10
$699.00$999.00· View on Amazon

30% off. Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

2
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

Dolphin · Corded, mains power supply — no battery

Best Dolphin value8.1out of 10
$899.00· View on Amazon

Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

3
Beatbot Sora 70

Beatbot Sora 70

Beatbot · 6,800 GPH

Best Beatbot for surface debris8.6out of 10
$1,499.00· View on Amazon

Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

4
Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme

Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme

Dolphin · Corded, mains power supply

Best Dolphin for large pools8.6out of 10
$1,449.00· View on Amazon

Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

5
Beatbot AquaSense 2

Beatbot AquaSense 2

Beatbot · Floor, walls and waterline

Best Beatbot for waterline7.5out of 10
$849.00$1,298.00· View on Amazon

35% off. Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

6
Dolphin Escape

Dolphin Escape

Dolphin · Corded, mains power supply

Best Dolphin for leaves7.7out of 10
$699.00· View on Amazon

Price checked November 6, 2026. #ad How we earn

What actually decides this

The verdict: Beatbot if surface debris or basket volume is your problem, Dolphin if longevity or pool size is.

The capability Beatbot has and Dolphin does not

Surface skimming. The Beatbot Sora 70 and AquaSense 2 Ultra clean the water’s surface as well as the floor, walls and waterline. No Dolphin on this site does, at any price, and Maytronics does not make a surface skimmer.

This matters more than it sounds. Debris caught floating never sinks, never stains the floor and never loads your filter — it is the single highest-leverage intervention available for a pool under tree cover. The pine-needle roundup explains why. If that is your situation, Beatbot wins and the rest of this page is academic.

Basket volume

Beatbot publishes 5 liters on the Sora line and 9 on the iSkim. Maytronics does not publish basket volumes, describing the Escape and Cayman as having a “massive top-loading filter” and the Nautilus line as top-load cartridge. In practice the Escape’s bin is genuinely large, but an unpublished figure cannot be compared, and we are not going to estimate one.

Where Dolphin wins, and it is not close

Service life

No battery, every wear part numbered and stocked, motor assemblies available as spares. Owner reports describe seven-to-ten-year lives. Beatbot is a young brand with no established third-party parts ecosystem and sealed battery packs.

Running costs

Dolphin ultra-fine cartridges are about $26 for four. A genuine Beatbot AquaSense 2 filter basket is about $60; the Ultra’s dual basket is about $100. Over five years that is a meaningful gap, and the Beatbot baskets are model-specific so they do not carry across an upgrade. Filters by brand has the numbers.

Pool size

Maytronics rates to 50 ft (CC Supreme, Wave 60) with no runtime limit. Beatbot machines are battery-limited. On a long pool this is decisive — see the large-pool roundup.

Side by side

BeatbotDolphin
PowerCordlessCorded
Surface skimmingYes (Sora 70, AquaSense 2 Ultra)No
Published basket volume5 L / 9 LNot published
Largest rated poolBattery-limited50 ft
Filter cost$60-100 genuine basket~$26 for four cartridges
Parts networkGenuine only, youngNumbered, stocked nationwide
Waterline cleaningDouble pass (AquaSense 2)Dedicated brush (CC Supreme)

The honest recommendation

If your pool is under trees, buy Beatbot — or buy a Dolphin and add a dedicated solar skimmer, which is often cheaper than the all-in-one and removes more. If your pool is large, or you are buying a machine you expect to own for a decade, buy Dolphin.

The picks in full

Beatbot Sora 30

Best Beatbot value

The Sora 10 with four-zone coverage, platform cleaning and tap-to-retrieve — the sensible middle of the Beatbot range for a pool with steps and a ledge.

Spec score

8.5/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
9.0
Surface coverage
9.0
Filtration
6.5
Runtime & coverage
9.0
Value for spec
8.5

Published specifications

Suction6,800 GPH(retailer listing)
Battery10,000 mAh(retailer listing)
Basket5 L(retailer listing)
CoverageFour zones: floor, walls, waterline and platform(retailer listing)
NavigationSonicSense AI avoidance, auto park(retailer listing)
RetrievalTap-to-retrieve(retailer listing)
Filter ratingNot stated on this listing(not published)

What works

  • Platform cleaning is a real differentiator if you have a tanning ledge or wide steps
  • Tap-to-retrieve brings it to the nearest wall — the single most underrated convenience feature here
  • Same 5 L basket and 6,800 GPH as the Sora 10
  • Four-zone logic means walls and waterline are scheduled, not incidental

What doesn't

  • Beatbot does not state a micron figure on this listing
  • Around $200 more than the Sora 10 for coverage logic rather than hardware
  • No surface skimming — that starts at the Sora 70

Who should skip this

Skip this one if your pool is a plain rectangle with no ledge or wide steps. You would be paying for zone logic you will never use — take the Sora 10.

Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

Best Dolphin value

The default corded robot for a 40-foot inground pool: it climbs walls, it has never needed charging, and Maytronics parts are stocked everywhere — which is why it outlives cordless units.

Spec score

8.1/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
8.0
Surface coverage
6.5
Filtration
9.0
Runtime & coverage
9.5
Value for spec
8.0

Published specifications

PowerCorded, mains power supply — no battery(retailer listing)
Rated pool sizeInground pools up to 40 ft in length(retailer listing)
WallsWall-climbing scrubber brush(retailer listing)
ControlWi-Fi app control(retailer listing)
Filter accessTop-load filter cartridges(retailer listing)
Fine filtrationUltra-fine cartridges sold separately(retailer listing)

What works

  • No battery means no battery to degrade — the single biggest cause of a dead cordless robot at year three
  • Ultra-fine cartridges are a $19-26 upgrade, which makes it the cheapest route to real fine filtration
  • Maytronics spares — brushes, tracks, filters, power supplies — are stocked by everyone
  • Top-load filter access means you empty it without turning it over

What doesn't

  • A floating cable in the pool, which tangles on a freeform shape and has to be stowed
  • The power supply needs a dry, shaded, GFCI-protected spot near the pool
  • No waterline pass — that is the CC Supreme

Who should skip this

Skip this one if your pool is freeform or over 40 ft, or you cannot site a power supply within cable reach of the water.

Beatbot Sora 70

Best Beatbot for surface debris

The only machine here that skims the surface and cleans the floor in the same cycle without being a $2,300 flagship — the right answer for a pool under heavy tree cover.

Spec score

8.6/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
9.0
Surface coverage
10.0
Filtration
6.5
Runtime & coverage
8.5
Value for spec
7.5

Published specifications

Suction6,800 GPH(retailer listing)
Battery10,000 mAh(retailer listing)
CoverageFloor, walls, waterline, surface and platform(retailer listing)
Surface cleaningJetPulse surface cleaning(retailer listing)
RetrievalAuto parking and tap-to-retrieve(retailer listing)
Filter ratingNot stated on this listing(not published)

What works

  • Surface plus submerged cleaning in one unit, for roughly $800 less than the AquaSense 2 Ultra
  • Catching leaves at the surface stops them sinking and staining — it is the single highest-leverage feature for a tree-shaded pool
  • Full five-surface coverage including platforms
  • Tap-to-retrieve, so a 25 lb robot is never a swim away

What doesn't

  • No published micron rating
  • A machine doing two jobs splits its runtime between them
  • At $1,499 it is competing with corded Dolphins that never need charging

Who should skip this

Skip this one if you have no overhanging trees. Without a surface debris problem, the Sora 30 does the submerged work for half the price.

Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme

Best Dolphin for large pools

The 50-foot Dolphin with a dedicated waterline scrubber and dual drive — the corded answer for a large pool where a cordless robot would need two charges.

Spec score

8.6/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
8.5
Surface coverage
8.5
Filtration
9.0
Runtime & coverage
10.0
Value for spec
7.0

Published specifications

PowerCorded, mains power supply(retailer listing)
Rated pool sizeInground pools up to 50 ft in length(retailer listing)
WaterlineDedicated waterline scrubber brush(retailer listing)
DriveDual drive(retailer listing)
ControlWi-Fi app control(retailer listing)
Filter accessTop-load filter(retailer listing)

What works

  • 50 ft rating covers nearly every residential pool, including long lap pools
  • A dedicated waterline brush, not a wall climb that happens to reach the line
  • No battery, so a long pool never means a mid-cycle recharge
  • Full Maytronics parts support

What doesn't

  • A long cable in a long pool is more cable to manage, not less
  • Costs more than most cordless flagships while skimming nothing
  • Still needs a sited power supply

Who should skip this

Skip this one if your pool is under 40 ft — the Nautilus CC Plus does the same job for roughly $550 less.

Beatbot AquaSense 2

Best Beatbot for waterline

Beatbot's mainstream robot, and the only one here that passes the waterline twice on purpose — the pick when a grease and sunscreen line is your actual complaint.

Spec score

7.5/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
7.5
Surface coverage
8.5
Filtration
6.5
Runtime & coverage
7.5
Value for spec
7.0

Published specifications

Surfaces cleanedFloor, walls and waterline(retailer listing)
WaterlineDouble-pass waterline scrubbing(retailer listing)
RetrievalSmart surface parking(retailer listing)
PowerCordless(retailer listing)
Filter ratingNot published as a micron figure on this listing(not published)

What works

  • Two waterline passes shifts a tide line that one pass smears
  • Surface parking means it comes to you instead of sitting on the deep end floor
  • Beatbot's build quality is the one thing owner reports are consistently positive about

What doesn't

  • No published micron figure on this listing, so you cannot compare filtration on paper
  • Mid-$800s is a lot for a machine that does not skim the surface
  • The Ultra sits above it and the Sora 30 below it; this model is squeezed from both sides

Who should skip this

Skip this one if the waterline is not your problem — the Sora 30 does floor and walls for substantially less.

Dolphin Escape

Best Dolphin for leaves

Dual motors and a genuinely large top-loading filter in a 33-foot machine that works in both above-ground and inground pools — the pick when leaf volume is the problem and you want a corded robot.

Spec score

7.7/ 10 — derived from published specs, see the rubric
Debris capacity
9.0
Surface coverage
5.0
Filtration
8.0
Runtime & coverage
9.5
Value for spec
7.5

Published specifications

PowerCorded, mains power supply(retailer listing)
Rated pool sizeAbove-ground and inground pools up to 33 ft(retailer listing)
MotorsDual motors(retailer listing)
FilterLarge top-loading filter(retailer listing)
BrushHyperBrush(retailer listing)
TractionHyperGrip tracks(retailer listing)

What works

  • The large top-load filter bin is the reason to buy it: leaf-heavy pools fill a small canister in minutes
  • Works in above-ground and inground, so it survives a pool change
  • HyperGrip tracks hold on slick vinyl and fiberglass where wheels spin
  • No battery

What doesn't

  • 33 ft is its ceiling — a 40 ft pool needs the Nautilus CC Plus
  • No wall climbing or waterline pass
  • Corded

Who should skip this

Skip this one if your pool is longer than 33 ft, or you need the walls and waterline cleaned as well as the floor.

Questions people actually ask

Is Beatbot or Dolphin better?

Beatbot for surface skimming and large baskets; Dolphin for service life, cheap parts and pools over 40 feet.

Does any Dolphin clean the water's surface?

No. Maytronics does not make a surface skimmer. If you need surface cleaning, either buy Beatbot or pair a Dolphin with a dedicated solar skimmer.

Which is cheaper to maintain?

Dolphin, clearly. Ultra-fine cartridges are about $26 for four against $60-100 for a genuine Beatbot basket, and Dolphin brushes and tracks are cheap and stocked.

Is Beatbot a reliable brand?

Owner reports on build quality are consistently positive, but the brand is young and there is no established third-party parts ecosystem — which is a risk on a cordless machine whose battery will eventually need replacing.

Where these facts come from

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