Maytronics is the closest thing the robotic pool cleaner market has to a default brand, and its Dolphin line is also the most confusing to price. The company sells through its own store, big-box retail, and a separate dealer-only "ProLine" channel, and the same robot can carry different names depending on where you find it. The result is a model wall with no obvious ladder.
This guide flattens it into tiers using 2026 US list prices from Maytronics' own store, so you can see what each step up actually buys.
Dolphin prices by tier (2026 US list)
| Tier | Model | List price | What the money buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Nautilus CC | ~$699 | Floors + walls, small pools, basic filtration |
| Entry+ | Nautilus CC Plus w/ Wi-Fi | **$749** | Adds app control and a larger cycle range |
| Value | EON 100 | **$899** | Floors + walls, simplified line |
| Mid | EON 120d | **$1,199** | Longer cycles, better filtration |
| Mid | Nautilus Titan | **$1,299** | Step up in coverage and dock features |
| Mid | Explorer E50 | **$1,329** | Wi-Fi, waterline cleaning on most configs |
| Mid+ | Liberty 400 | **$1,429** | **Cordless** — no floating cable |
| Mid+ | Nautilus CC Supreme | **$1,449** | Wi-Fi, waterline, NanoFilter |
| Mid+ | Premium 3000 / Active 3000 | **$1,449** | Retail-channel variants at the same price point |
| Upper | Liberty 600 | **$1,729** | Cordless, longer runtime |
| Upper | Active 40 / S400 | **$1,799** | Waterline + upgraded filtration |
| Upper | M550 | **$1,999** | Near-flagship features |
| Premium | Explorer E70 | ~$2,099 | Waterline, premium filtration, app |
| Premium | Active 60 | **$2,249** | High-end retail configuration |
| Flagship | Sigma | **$2,999** | Triple commercial motors, gyroscope nav, Wi-Fi |
The honest summary: the useful range is roughly $700 to $3,000, and the interesting decisions all happen between $1,300 and $1,800.
Where the real breakpoints are
Under $900 — Nautilus CC / CC Plus / EON 100. These clean floors and walls and little else. The Nautilus CC Plus at $749 is the volume seller for a reason: for a standard residential pool with no waterline scum problem, it is enough robot. Note that the CC Plus does *not* do waterline cleaning and lacks the finer NanoFilter — that is precisely what you're giving up for the price.
$1,300–$1,500 — the waterline step. This is the first genuinely meaningful upgrade. Models like the Nautilus CC Supreme ($1,449) and Explorer E50 ($1,329) add waterline scrubbing and finer filtration. If your pool develops a grease or sunscreen ring at the surface, no amount of floor cleaning fixes it, and this is the tier where that problem gets solved. Skip straight here if you have that issue.
$1,429–$1,729 — the cordless tax. The Liberty 400 ($1,429) and Liberty 600 ($1,729) are battery-powered. Understand what you're paying for: cordless buys you freedom from a tangling floating cable, not better cleaning. The Liberty 400 does not do waterline and lacks the NanoFilter — so at $1,429 you are paying roughly what the waterline-capable CC Supreme costs, and getting cordlessness *instead of* those features rather than in addition to them. Choose deliberately.
$2,999 — the Sigma. The flagship justifies its price with triple commercial-grade motors and gyroscope-assisted navigation, plus a 3-year warranty. It is a real machine, but it is four times the CC Plus for a pool that may not be four times harder to clean. It earns its money on large or awkwardly shaped pools where systematic navigation actually saves cycles.
Two pricing traps to know
First: MSRP is not street. Third-party specialist retailers routinely list the same robots below Maytronics' own store. The Sigma, at $2,999 on the official store, has been listed closer to $2,499 through pool specialists. Always check at least one specialist retailer before paying list.
Second: the ProLine/retail split is deliberate. Models such as the Premier, Quantum, and Sigma are sold through the dealer ProLine channel, while the Nautilus and Active families dominate retail. Some pairs are near-identical machines under different names — the Premium 3000 and Active 3000 sit at the identical $1,449 for a reason. Don't assume a name you can't find at retail is a better robot; check the actual feature list (waterline, NanoFilter, motor count, warranty), which is what varies.
How to choose in one pass
- Small pool, no waterline ring, tight budget → Nautilus CC Plus, ~$749. Most buyers stop here correctly.
- Waterline scum, mixed surfaces → Nautilus CC Supreme or Explorer E50, $1,329–$1,449. The single best value step in the line.
- You hate the cable more than you hate spending → Liberty 400/600, $1,429–$1,729 — but verify the feature trade first.
- Large, complex, or heavily used pool → Explorer E70 or Sigma, $2,099–$2,999.
Before buying at the top of the range, check the warranty length attached to the specific model — it runs from roughly 2 to 3 years across the line and is a genuine part of the value, since motor and power-supply failures are the common end-of-life event for these robots. For cordless models in particular, battery replaceability matters more than peak suction; we covered that in importing cordless pool robots: QC, battery, warranty.
More options across the category are on our pool cleaning robot page, and for a competing approach to the same job, see our Aiper pool robot price guide.
*Prices are 2026 US list prices as published on Maytronics' official store and, where noted, specialist retailers. Street pricing moves frequently and regional dealers set their own numbers — verify before purchase.*
