Beatbot if you want cordless: its Sora robots float to the edge and drain themselves, and they're easier to live with than Dolphin's heavy cordless models. If you're happy with a cable, Dolphin's corded Nautilus CC Plus has a stronger test record than any Beatbot at a similar level.
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The Sora 30 and Sora 70 float to the edge and drain themselves Les Numériques Digital Trends. Dolphin's Liberty 600 comes up when you shake a clicker, but weighs about 12kg Maison et Domotique.
Beatbot's robots are all cordless. Dolphin's corded Nautilus CC Plus cleaned floors and walls well for three independent testers Reviewed Family Handyman Test Your Own Pool.
The Sora 70 skims as well as cleaning underwater, and Digital Trends saw it catch most pollen, leaves and bugs. The Dolphins we compare here don't skim Les Numériques.
Bob Vila found the corded Dolphin Premier kept scrubbing with much of the robot above the water. The Sora 30 didn't linger or climb high enough for Les Numériques, and Digital Trends rated the Sora 70's waterline work only average.
The corded Dolphin Escape did a great job on an above-ground floor for Bob Vila but won't climb walls. The cordless Sora 10 does walls and the waterline PCWorld, but needs about a foot of water to reach steps.
The closest match from each brand at three price levels, with today's prices.
The cordless Sora 10 does the floor, walls and waterline, and PCWorld found it surprisingly capable for the price. The corded Escape cleans only the floor of an above-ground pool, though Bob Vila found it did that very well.
The corded Nautilus CC Plus has three independent tests behind it Reviewed Family Handyman Test Your Own Pool. The cordless Sora 30 picks up well and floats up by itself, but its waterline scrub disappointed Les Numériques.
Both cordless. The Liberty 600 left floors very clean Les Numériques but wanders and weighs about 12kg. The Sora 70 also skims and drains itself at the edge, and caught nearly all floor debris in a floor-and-walls run for PCWorld.
Beatbot makes only cordless robots. Its cheaper Sora models are light, run for hours and float up to be collected, but find their way by covering ground rather than following a plan. PCWorld and Basic Tutorials found the Sora 10 gets a pool clean given time, though it skips steps. The Sora 30 and Sora 70 have big baskets that PCWorld called perhaps the easiest clean-up it had seen. Testers found them slow, and the waterline is a weak spot Les Numériques Digital Trends.
Dolphin, made by Maytronics, sells both corded and cordless robots. The corded ones have the stronger record: Reviewed, Family Handyman and Test Your Own Pool all found the Nautilus CC Plus cleans floors and walls well, and Bob Vila rated the Premier's waterline scrubbing. The cordless Liberty 600 left floors very clean for Les Numériques and Maison et Domotique, but wanders at random and is heavy. Steps are a weak spot across the range.
Every Beatbot runs on a battery. Dolphin still sells corded robots, and they're its best-tested: the Nautilus CC Plus impressed Reviewed, Family Handyman and Test Your Own Pool, and Reviewed found the cable reached well without tangling. If a cable doesn't bother you, that's a strong reason to go Dolphin.
The Sora 30 and Sora 70 surface at the end of a run and let their water out, and Clubic notes the Sora 30 floats up even with a flat battery. Dolphin's cordless robots wait on the floor until you shake a clicker, which worked for Les Numériques, but the Liberty 600 weighs about 12kg and Maison et Domotique struggled to lift it over an above-ground pool wall. The small Sora 10 can sink again if you're slow, as PCWorld found.
Bob Vila found the Premier senses the waterline and keeps scrubbing, and the tile line sparkled after a full cycle. Beatbot is weaker here: Les Numériques found the Sora 30 didn't climb high enough to shift stubborn marks, and Digital Trends rated the Sora 70's waterline scrubbing only average.
PCWorld found the Sora 10 missed every step, as it needs about a foot of water. The Sora 30 did better, climbing steps and ledges with enough water for Les Numériques. On the Dolphin side, Family Handyman had the Nautilus CC Plus stuck on steps about once every ten days, and testers of the Liberty 600 split Les Numériques Maison et Domotique.
Only Beatbot's Sora 70 skims here, and it suits light floating debris best: PCWorld saw soft leaves pushed under to sink. Dolphin filters finer. The Liberty 600's two-layer filter held nearly all sand and debris for Les Numériques, while Beatbot's standard Sora basket lets fine dust through Les Numériques.
For a cordless robot, yes: the Sora robots are easier to get out of the pool and the Sora 70 skims too Digital Trends. For a corded robot, Dolphin wins by default, as Beatbot doesn't make one, and the Nautilus CC Plus has a strong record Reviewed.
Nobody has run either brand's robots long enough to say. The longest test is Test Your Own Pool's swim season with the Nautilus CC Plus, with no leaks or loss of performance. Digital Trends rates Beatbot's three-year replacement warranty highly, and the current US Nautilus CC Plus comes with a one-year warranty Maytronics (US).
For a small flat pool where only the floor gets dirty, the corded Dolphin Escape did very well for Bob Vila. If you want the walls done too, the Sora 10 climbs them PCWorld. Avoid the Liberty 600 here, as lifting it over the wall was hard work for Maison et Domotique.
They take their time. PCWorld needed six hours for the Sora 70 to catch nearly everything on the floor and walls, and Clubic watched the Sora 30 roam at random before getting the job done. Dolphin's cordless robots also wander, with Les Numériques recommending full cycles for the Liberty 600.
Dolphin's do better. The Liberty 600's two-layer filter left practically no visible dust for Maison et Domotique. Beatbot's standard Sora basket is too coarse for fine dust, and Clubic found the optional fine basket hard to clean.
