We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping Home Products Patio Furniture & Outdoors The 5 Best Suction and Pressure-Side Pool Cleaners of 2024, Tested and Reviewed These affordable pool cleaners will help you spend more time relaxing and less time cleaning By Cai Cramer Cai Cramer Cai Cramer is a shopping writer at PEOPLE.com with 2 years’ experience in journalism and digital media. She regularly tests the best and buzziest products in the beauty and lifestyle spaces and has researched and written about moisturizers, blow dryers, clothing, and luggage, among many other popular products. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 15, 2024 05:52PM EDT In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Things to Consider Behind the Scenes FAQ Why Trust PEOPLE? What Is People Tested? Photo: People / Kristin Kempa When warm weather comes, the first thing we want to do is lay by the pool or take a swim. The last thing we want to do? Clean a leaf-filled, pollen-encrusted swimming pool. That’s where suction-side pool cleaners and pressure-side pool cleaners come in: They do the hard work for you by sucking up yucky debris so that you can sit back, relax, and actually enjoy your pool. There are a lot of great pool cleaners on the market, and, as we all know, not every device does exactly what it claims to do. So, we decided to test the best-selling suction and pressure-side pool cleaners ourselves, with an extensive testing process informed by pool-cleaning experts. We tried out multiple pool cleaners in our backyard pools, putting them up against a season’s worth of leaves, pollen, rocks, and all of the other things that fall to the bottom of the pool. What's the Diff? Pressure pool cleaners cling onto the floor and walls of a pool with a Venturi vacuum (a.k.a., a process that uses water pressure to create a vacuum seal) and often has a tail to sweep up debris that the vacuum can suck up. Suction cleaners directly suck debris into a waste chamber. After all that scrubbing and scouring (by the pool vacuums, not by us), we were left with five pressure-side and suction-side pool cleaners that clearly outperformed the rest. It's worth noting that we also tested many robotic pool cleaners, but we still recommend these suction and pressure-side pool cleaners; they can give you an incredible clean at half the price of a robotic model. Read on to discover the best pressure-side and suction-side pool vacuums to leave your pool sparkling and spotless. Our Top Picks Best Pressure-Side Pool Cleaner: SALE Polaris Vac-Sweep Pressure Inground Pool Cleaner at Amazon $724 $599 Jump to Review Best Suction-Side Pool Cleaner: Zodiac Baracuda G3 Suction Pool Cleaner at Amazon $349 Jump to Review Best for Large Debris: Polaris Vac-Sweep 360 Pressure Pool Cleaner at Amazon $574 Jump to Review Best for Leaves: Hayward Navigator Pro Suction Pool Cleaner at Amazon $349 Jump to Review Best for Pollen: Pentair Kreepy Krauly Pool Cleaner at Amazon $404 Jump to Review Best Pressure-Side Pool Cleaner Polaris Vac-Sweep Pressure Inground Pool Cleaner PHOTO: Walmart $724 $599 at Amazon Star Qualities Strong suction gathered small and large debris and left pool looking spotless Easy to empty out after use Cleaned all surfaces easily Red Flags One of the more expensive pool cleaners that we tested Requires an extra Polaris pump With strong, reliable suction, the Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 swept away the competition (literally!). It gave us everything that we’re looking for in a suction pool cleaner: a large debris bag to gather leaves and pine needles, automatically scheduled cleaning times, and the ability to clean the pool floor, walls, and stairs. Our 820-square-foot pool was cleared of pine, leaves, and pollen in just three hours. The Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 appeared to handle both big and small debris with equal success, and we found the debris bag to be surprisingly simple to empty out. The dual venturi jets create a powerful suction that left our pool looking nearly spotless — without us lifting a finger. The device connects easily to a dedicated pressure line and requires a booster pump that’s sold separately. If you’ve already had a Polaris pool cleaner in the past, then it’s possible you might already have the necessary pump at hand, but if you don’t, then you’ll have to buy the compatible accessory as well. Pool Type: All inground pools | Dimensions: 20 x 23 x 10 inches | Weight: 6.2 pounds | Cleaning Cycle Time: 3 hours | Jet type: double venturi jets | Filter: Bag PHOTO: People / Jennifer Zyman PHOTO: People / Jennifer Zyman Best Suction-Side Pool Cleaner Zodiac Baracuda G3 Suction Pool Cleaner PHOTO: Amazon $349 at Amazon $23 at Walmart $324 at Lesliespool.com Star Qualities Scrubbed pool floor and walls, removing chemical buildup, minerals, and algae Automatically regulates water flow to achieve the ideal suction level Red Flags Took us over an hour to initially set up While there are many devices on the market that can suck up leaves and debris off the bottom of a pool, there aren’t many options that effectively scrub the pool walls and stairs. Those areas are commonly missed and left to develop crusts of minerals and algae, which can ultimately be an expensive problem to fix if left unattended. That’s where the Zodiac Baracuda G3 Advanced Suction Side Pool Cleaner comes in — with a 36-fin disk that suctions onto pool surfaces, this device left our pool walls sparkling clean. Although we loved the finished result, the setup was not easy. It took about an hour and a half for us to get the device up and running, in part because it didn’t come with a physical manual, and the online manual was difficult to read and a bit confusing. Once we finally set it up (it took two people because we had to push the hose below the surface to fill it with water), we had a much easier time using the suction-side pool vacuum for repeated testing. We were very impressed with the results each time, so we still think it’s worth the set-up time, especially for anyone who’s felt the frustration of scrubbing chemical residue off the sides of their pool. Pool Type: All inground pools | Weight: 17.66 pounds | Cleaning Cycle Time: 1.5 hours | Pump type: Compatible with any single, two-speed or variable-speed pumps | Filter: Connects to pool filter PHOTO: People / Frances Crouter PHOTO: People / Frances Crouter PHOTO: People / Frances Crouter PHOTO: People / Frances Crouter Best for Large Debris Polaris Vac-Sweep 360 Pressure Pool Cleaner PHOTO: Amazon $574 at Amazon $574 at Target $30 at Walmart Star Qualities Easily sucked up large debris and left our pool looking spotless in two hours Cleans pool floor and walls, and trailing sweep hose was able to reach every corner of our pool Connects right to your existing pool return line Red Flags Took a few tries to figure out the right level of pressure Anyone who has a swimming pool with trees nearby understands the frustration of fishing leaves out of their should-be-relaxing backyard pool. That’s why we love the Polaris Vac-Sweep 360. It's a very similar model to our Best Pressure-Side pick, but it has three venturi jets and doesn't require an additional booster pump. In our test pool, we were able to easily hook it up to our pool’s existing pressure line. After adjusting the pressure a few times to get to a level where the device could navigate the pool’s floor and walls without moving too fast, the pool vacuum got to work quickly and efficiently. The lightweight pressure pool cleaner has three powerful venturi jets and a sweep hose that trails behind the vacuum to kick up debris that can get stuck in hard-to-reach spots. It easily sucked up everything into an all-purpose debris bag. We tested the Polaris Vac-Sweep 360 in our pool after a rainstorm, which meant that our 512-square-foot pool was covered in slimy discarded leaves and bugs. We weren’t sure that an automatic vacuum would be able to handle the job, so we were shocked when, after about two hours of scrubbing and vacuuming, this pool cleaner picked up every last leaf. Our pool was left sparkling and spotless, and we were able to relax and swim with peace of mind. Pool Type: All inground pools | Dimensions: 20 x 10 x 22.75 inches | Weight: 14 pounds | Cleaning Cycle Time: 3 hours | Jet type: 3 venturi jets | Filter: Single chamber bag PHOTO: People / Kim Vogt PHOTO: People / Kim Vogt PHOTO: People / Kim Vogt Best for Leaves Hayward Navigator Pro Suction Pool Cleaner PHOTO: Amazon $349 at Amazon $23 at Walmart View on Hayward.com Star Qualities Fastest model to clean leaves from our test pool Very quick setup; connects to your existing filtration system Specifically designed for gunite surfaces Red Flags Heavier than most pool vacs we tested Difficult for us to get out of the water once full We set the Hayward Navigator Pro Pool Cleaner loose in our 960-square-foot test pool on one of the first cleaning days of the pool season, which meant that it had to tackle piles of squishy leaves and debris. The suction pool cleaner got to work quickly, and within one hour, our pool was clean and sparkly. This Hayward suction pool vacuum was explicitly designed for gunite surfaces (a mixture of cement, sand, and water), which can be rougher along the bottom of the pool than, for example, materials like fiberglass. The Hayward Navigator Pro can easily tackle those lightly bumpy surfaces, with SmartDrive technology that routes the device across pool walls and floors in a path that avoids hose tangling. Our biggest qualm with this suction robot is that it’s quite heavy to lift even before it’s filled with waste, so pulling it out of the pool takes some serious muscle. But, we found the setup to be very quick compared to some of the other pool vacs we’ve tested (this one doesn’t require a booster pump or any extra tools to install), and we were really impressed with how many leaves this device could suck up in just one hour. Pool Type: Gunite pools | Dimensions: 40.4 x 13.6 x 11.9 inches | Weight: 17.71 pounds | Cleaning Cycle Time: 1.5 hours | Filter: Connects to pool filter People / Michael Navarro Best for Pollen Pentair Kreepy Krauly Pool Cleaner PHOTO: Amazon $404 at Amazon $28 at Walmart View on Lesliespool.com Star Qualities Easily picked up small debris that was stuck on the pool floor, walls, and waterline Lightest pool cleaner we tested Red Flags Requires a filter attachment to pick up larger leaves and debris The Pentair 360042 Kreepy Krauly pool cleaner did a remarkable job at collecting pollen and other small debris from the surface and bottom of our test pool. The suction pool cleaner cleaned the pool's floors, walls, and waterline, but we were especially impressed with how well the Kreepy Krauly tackled the grime stuck to our pool floor. The design itself is pretty simple, with just one “moving part” — that means that there are fewer gears that could get stuck or need replacing, which makes us feel more confident that this is a dependable pool vac. This was also a very quick pool cleaner to get started with, and it was lightweight enough for us to carry and drop into the pool with ease. It can plug directly into a cleaner port if your pool already has one, or you can connect it to a skimmer basket with the included adaptors. As great of a job as this suction pool vac did on the bottom of our pool, we had one major gripe: While it easily handled small debris, the Kreepy Krauly requires a separate filter attachment to pick up larger leaves. But, this aside, we think this suction pool vac is a great value. Pool Type: Gunite pools | Dimensions: 42 x 16. 5 x 7. 5 inches | Weight: 1 pounds | Cleaning Cycle Time: 2 hours | Filter: Connects to pool filter PHOTO: People / Rob Roszkowski PHOTO: People / Rob Roszkowski What to Know About Suction and Pressure Pool Cleaners Pool Type Just like you have to give some thought to the size of your yard if you're buying a walk-behind mower, you'll have to think about pool type when buying a pool cleaner. One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a suction or pressure-side pool cleaner is the type of pool that you’re working with — if you choose the wrong one, you risk damaging your pool’s surface. Some of the most common surface-types for in-ground swimming pools are concrete, gunite, fiberglass, and vinyl. Our best overall pick, the Polaris Vac-Sweep 280, is made to clean all common pool surface types. Pool Size Think about the size of your pool before choosing which suction or pressure pool cleaner is best for your needs — if your pool is larger, it will probably take longer to clean. “Pool vacuums can operate slowly; they may need to run overnight to fully clean the pool,” says Dr. Claudia Duncan, owner and CEO of Professional Pool Management. If time is of the essence, the Hayward Navigator Pro Pool Cleaner worked the fastest of any of the pool cleaners that we tested. Suction Level Depending on what kinds of debris tend to accumulate in your swimming pool, you might need more or less suction from your pool vacuum. If your pool is located near trees with large leaves, then you might require a pool cleaner with stronger suction, such as the Polaris Vac-Sweep 360, in order to suck up bigger debris. But, a stronger suction often means that the device requires more power to propel it, so if you can get away with less suction, you might save money on your electric bill. Behind the Scenes In order to find out which suction and pressure pool cleaner is the best of the best, we tested some of the top-selling models in our own pools for the following attributes: Ease of set-up: We began by unboxing each pool cleaner, and we followed any included instructions to set it up, taking note of how simple or difficult that process was, and how long it took for us to get the device up and running.Run-time: If the device required us to charge it, we noted how long the pool cleaner needed to reach a full charge. Then, we then started a timer, placed the pool cleaner in a dirty swimming pool, and allowed it to run an entire cycle. We then took note of how long the pool cleaner took to clean our whole pool. Effectiveness: Over the course of our testing period, we used each pool cleaner at least three times, giving a few days in between each cleaning so that the pool would gather regular leaves and debris. We took careful notes on how thoroughly each pool cleaner worked and how clean our pools looked when we were done. In the end, we were left with a list of the 5 best suction and pressure pool cleaners to leave your pool spotless. Frequently Asked Questions What is the difference between a suction and pressure pool cleaner? As its name suggests, a pressure-side pool cleaner uses pressure to force debris into its filter, where it captures it in a filter bag. Pressure-side cleaners commonly have a scrubbing “tail” behind the device, which can help scrub up dirt and debris in hard-to-reach areas, like corners and stairs. Suction-side pool cleaners don’t have tails; they are more like a vacuum hose connecting to your existing filtration system. Suction pool cleaners are great at picking up smaller particles but can sometimes clog up with larger debris. Pressure-side pool cleaners are often better at capturing larger debris, like leaves and rocks, and they hold that debris in an attached filtration bag. But pressure-side pool cleaners are often more expensive than suction cleaners and sometimes require additional parts or attachments, like a booster pump, to work properly. How much should I spend on a suction or pressure pool cleaner? Cleaning out a pool can be an expensive endevour, but it’s necessary for the sanitation and enjoyment of your pool, and it’s cheaper to own the device yourself than to rely on a pool cleaning service. You can expect to pay anywhere from $320 to $600 on a pressure side or suction side pool cleaner. Why Trust PEOPLE? Cai Cramer is a commerce writer at PEOPLE, covering the best and buzziest products across the beauty, fashion, health, and lifestyle spaces. For this story, Cai used testing insights provided by real world testers who tried out various suction and pressure-side pool cleaners in their own pools. The testers were each given a methodology to follow that was informed by an interview with Dr. Claudia Duncan, Owner and CEO of Professional Pool Management and member of the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance. While writing this story, Cai also did extensive research on the differences and mechanisms of suction-side and pressure-side pool cleaners. What Is People Tested? We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs. But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square. In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.