The Best Automatic Litter Box of 2026: Petkit and Litter-Robot

Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Featured in this article Best Automatic Litter Box Petkit Purobot Max Pro 2 Read more $600 $500 (17% off) Shop My Personal Favorite Automatic Litter Box Whisker Litter-Robot 4 Read more $699 Shop Best Basic Automatic Litter Box for Most People Petkit PuraMax 2 Read more $390 $300 (23% off) Amazon Best Budget Automatic Litter Box (With a Connected App!) Lesure Self-Cleaning Electronic Litter Box Read more $250 Walmart I can confidently say that having an automatic litter box has been the biggest game changer for me when it comes to cat ownership. I can't recommend them enough. They can be pricey, but never having to scoop poop again is priceless. We at WIRED—well, our WIRED cats—tested a dozen of the highest-rated and most technologically advanced automatic litter boxes on the market for at least a week, often more (using standard clay clumping litter unless otherwise indicated), to see if they were really worth the money—or the hype. Our new favorite automatic litter box is the Purobot Max Pro 2 because of its compact design and camera for monitoring. The Litter-Robot 4 is a close second, mostly because of its LitterHopper attachment that easily refills litter for you. Plus, we still love the more basic Petkit PuraMax 2 (and think it's a great option for most people). Check out our related guides, like the Best Automatic Feeders , Best Cat Water Fountains , Best Pet Cameras , and Best Cat Toys . More of a dog person? We've got you covered; see our Best Dog Accessories . Updated September 2026: We've added the PetPivot AutoScooper 12 and Whisker Litter-Robot EVO, and updated links and prices throughout. Table of Contents AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Compare Our Picks Others We Tested Not Recommended How Do Automatic Litter Boxes Work? Are Automatic Litter Boxes Safe? Where Should I Put the Automatic Litter Box? What Should You Look for When Shopping? History of the Automatic Litter Box How Does WIRED Select Models to Be Reviewed? How Does WIRED Acquire the Boxes? What Does WIRED Do With Them After Testing? History of the Automatic Litter Box What I'm Testing Next Love WIRED? Add us as a preferred source on Google to see more of us. Best Automatic Litter Box Photograph: Molly Higgins Courtesy of Petkit Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Petkit Purobot Max Pro 2 $600 $500 (17% off) Shop $550 $500 (9% off) Amazon $600 $442 (26% off) Petkit The Purobot Max Pro 2 is the newest model from Petkit. It features a built-in 1080p camera with a 210-degree wide-angle view. The AI-enabled camera supports multi-cat face recognition, usage tracking (via a companion app), audio recording, night vision, and 2.4-GHz and 5.0-GHz Wi-Fi networks. The camera can also record video of the cat using the box and of their stool or urine. This model has a 43 percent larger opening than the previous one, the PuraMax Pro, making it ideal for large cats like my 16-pound tabby, Basil. The waste bag is also larger: It stores up to 17 days of waste for one cat and is self-sealing for easy disposal. The Petkit app sends an alert when the waste basket is full, and two odor-eliminator cartridges help keep odors at bay. You get Petkit's premium Care+ service for a free trial period. It detects unusual activity, like howling; logs weight and use frequency; and sends an alert if your cat’s weight shows a consistent increase or decrease (a great way to monitor your cat's overall health ). When Care+ ended, it still could tell my cats apart, but reviewer Kat Merck and others have complained that it got their cats confused. Petkit's app still could use some work to be more intuitive, and it's overcrowded with ads. Overall, though, my cats took to this right away (which isn't always the case), and even my large cat was able to use this automatic litter box easily. I'm still not sure we need to be watching our cats defecate, but it is an incredible way to monitor your pets' health more closely. Connected to an app? Yes Entry size 10.7 x 10.5 inches Footprint size 21.2 x 25.9 inches Compatible litter Any clumping litter with granules shorter than 0.5 inches Suitable cat size From 6 months old or weighing 3.3 to 22.1 pounds Special Features AI-powered camera; deodorizing cartridges WIRED/TIRED AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron WIRED Camera inside records videos of both your cat and its waste being scooped App tracks usage and weight changes Works with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi TIRED App got cats confused once the free Care+ subscription was over Camera isn’t movable My Personal Favorite Automatic Litter Box Photograph: Molly Higgins Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Whisker Litter-Robot 4 $699 Shop $699 Litter-Robot $749 Amazon I've tested over 30 automatic litter boxes, but I still go back to this old model from Whisker. This previous model of the Litter-Robot (the new Litter-Robot 5 line was released in fall 2025; see our thoughts about the new 5 Pro , 5 , and EVO models below) has been a consistent favorite, largely due to its well-designed app and auto-refill Hopper (more on that below). Unlike Petkit, which has great automatic litter boxes with subpar apps that are crowded with ads for other products in the brand's lineup, the Whisker app (available for Android and iOS) is simple and intuitive. It logs usage and weight daily and historically, and it monitors litter and waste levels, alerting you when either is low. You can also adjust things like lights, manually start cycles, and set “Do Not Disturb” schedules so it won't cycle during certain periods. After continued testing, it sometimes senses ghost cats and stops repeatedly during cleaning cycles, and alerts that the waste drawer is full when it's barely 20 percent filled. But this remains a favorite and a top pick, in part because of the super-convenient optional LitterHopper auto-refill attachment , which acts as a clean litter resivoir and refills litter to perfect levels. No more bending, scooping, or pouring clean litter multiple times a week! Without the attachment, I think Petkit's new model (our current top pick) is the best automatic litter box for most people, but I still think Litter-Robot is a great choice (and is the model I use at home with my cats) because of the connected app and LitterHopper auto-refill attachment. Connected to an app? Yes Entry size 15.8 x 15.8 inches Footprint size 22 x 27 inches Compatible litter Clumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring) Suitable cat size 4 pounds minimum, no maximum Special Features LitterHopper auto-refill attachment WIRED/TIRED AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron WIRED Intuitive connected app Compatible with LitterHopper refill attachment Measures and notifies when litter level is low or waste drawer is full TIRED Opening can be hard to refill Sensors get buggy over time Best Basic Automatic Litter Box for Most People Photograph: Molly Higgins Photograph: Petkit Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Petkit PuraMax 2 $390 $300 (23% off) Amazon $500 $400 (20% off) Petkit This is a great option for most people—cheaper than some of our other picks, easy to use, and compact. Perhaps best of all, when it's time to refill with clean litter, the box rotates so the hole is on top for easier filling. Not only does this litter box smell neutral, dare I say it smells … good? This box has triple odor control: a sealed waste bin, an odor-eliminator attachment that sits in the waste bin, and a citrusy deodorizing spray that goes off after every cleaning and randomly throughout the day to ensure the litter box stays fresh. When the cat enters the box, their weight is displayed on the front, and the app logs every time it is used, for how long, when th