Which is the Best Automatic Litter Box in 2026? | The Cat Butler — Transcript

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1. 0:00Automatic litter boxes promise to  save you time scooping the litter box,
2. 0:04but not all are created equal. Some are incredibly safe, with advanced
3. 0:09sensors that protect your cat. Some come with built-in AI
4. 0:14cameras that track your cat’s health. And some are simply much easier to clean.
5. 0:19In this video, I tested and ranked the top  automatic litter boxes of 2026 to determine
6. 0:26which one is actually the best. I am the Cat Butler and this is
7. 0:31my two ragdoll cats Teemo and Arya. My cats and I will be ranking the Litter
8. 0:37Robot 5 Pro, the PETKIT Purbot Ultra, the  PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2, the Petlibro Luma,
9. 0:46and the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. Each automatic litter box is scored
10. 0:51across several categories like safety,  odor control, and smart features.
11. 0:56I’ll rank each model in every category,  and at the end, we’ll reveal the overall
12. 1:01ranking and determine which automatic  litter box is the best in 2026.
13. 1:07Every model will be linked  in the description below.
14. 1:14Now let’s start with the  most important category.
15. 1:17Safety. Safety should be the single most important
16. 1:20factor when choosing an automatic litter box,  because your cat’s life literally depends on it.
17. 1:27In recent years, there have been  documented incidents where cats were
18. 1:31seriously injured or even killed due  to poor design and sensor failures.
19. 1:36That’s why investing in a safer automatic  litter box, even at a higher price point,
20. 1:41is far more important than saving money. A truly safe automatic litter box should include
21. 1:47proper sensors and mechanical fail-safe features such as a side-to-side rotation or a partially
22. 1:54open entrance that never fully  closes, so a cat cannot be trapped.
23. 1:59So coming in last, at number  5, is the Petlibro Luma.
24. 2:03I ranked the Petlibro Luma poorly because  the design is not safe for your cat.
25. 2:09There are two specific areas where a  cat could potentially get injured.
26. 2:13The first safety concern is  the top of the litter box.
27. 2:16As it removes waste, the opening fully closes. Potentially trapping and injuring your cat.
28. 2:22As you can see in my test, Kirby becomes  caught while the unit is rotating.
29. 2:36The Petlibro Luma did not stop,  it continued to apply pressure
30. 2:40after making contact for several minutes. The only way I could stop it was to power off the
31. 2:59unit and physically force it open to free Kirby. If a cat was in that situation, it would
32. 3:04have resulted in serious injury. You can even see that it doesn’t
33. 3:09even stop when I put my finger there. The second safety concern is near the
34. 3:16bottom edge where a cat might place their  paw while standing at the entrance.
35. 3:21If the unit rotates while their paw is positioned  there, there is a risk it could get caught.
36. 3:28Petlibro did release a firmware  update that improves the safety
37. 3:32mechanism at the top of the litter box. With the update installed, the unit is designed to
38. 3:37stop if it encounters resistance during rotation. As you can see here.
39. 3:47However, the litter box still fully  closes during the cleaning cycle.
40. 3:51Because of that design, I was  not comfortable allowing my cats,
41. 3:55Teemo and Arya, to use it unsupervised. I didn’t even feel comfortable relying on
42. 4:00manual mode, where the Petlibro Luma only cleans  when you activate it and not automatically.
43. 4:07I felt the safest way to use  this automatic litter box was
44. 4:10to unplug the unit when I was not present. And when I needed to clean the litter box,
45. 4:15I plugged it back in and only activated the  cleaning cycle manually when I was present.
46. 4:21At that point, it defeats the purpose  of owning an automatic litter box.
47. 4:28At number 4 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. I ranked the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus at number
48. 4:354 because its original design did kill a  cat in Vietnam based on a facebook post,
49. 4:40and the changes they made did improve its safety,  but there are still possible areas where it can
50. 4:45still be dangerous to your cat. So how did the cat die?
51. 4:50According to a Facebook post shared by the owner,  the cat stuck its head into the unit while it was
52. 4:56cleaning, and the machine closed on it. The M1 originally used a full gear ring
53. 5:01design, which allowed the litter box to  completely close while it was cleaning.
54. 5:06This created a serious safety risk, as  a cat’s head or neck could be trapped.
55. 5:12After the cat died, Neakasa released  an updated version with an incomplete
56. 5:17gear ring that limits the rotation so  the unit no longer fully seals shut.
57. 5:23This change did dramatically improve  the safety of the Neakasa M1,
58. 5:28but the second area of concern is the  opening where the waste is being dumped.
59. 5:33A cat can potentially get stuck while the  litter box is closing the waste bin.
60. 5:48As you can see, the sensors are not too  reliable at detecting objects or my cat.
61. 5:54There were multiple times when my  cat was standing right next to the
62. 5:57litter box and it continued to move anyway. You would expect the unit to stop as soon as it
63. 6:02detects a cat nearby, but that didn’t happen. You can even see in the Neakasa app that they
64. 6:08include multiple precautions, such as recommending  a camera to monitor your cat for safety.
65. 6:15In my opinion, the only way to use this  automatic litter box safely is to turn off
66. 6:19the automatic cleaning mode entirely and manually  activate cleaning only when you are present,
67. 6:25so your cats aren’t put at risk. However, it completely defeats the
68. 6:30purpose of having an automatic  litter box in the first place.
69. 6:34At number 3, is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. Litter Robot has a perfect safety record with
70. 6:40no accidents throughout the years on the market. The Litter Robot rotates side by side and there
71. 6:46is a pinch point between the  cylinder and the waste bin.
72. 6:50As you can see here, a cat  technically could get stuck.
73. 6:53Litter Robot 5 Pro does feature multiple  sensors designed to stop immediately
74. 6:58if a cat enters during a cycle. Here is me testing the sensors.
75. 7:03You can see it consistently stops when  the cat looks into the Litter Robot.
76. 7:07Here are my cats again looking  into the Litter Robot.
77. 7:11Every time the sensors spotted my cat, the  Litter Robot did stop the cleaning cycle.
78. 7:20The potential pinch point is why I  ranked Litter Robot 5 Pro number 3.
79. 7:26I don’t like relying entirely on sensors and  would prefer a mechanical fail-safe in place,
80. 7:32so there’s an extra layer of protection  if the sensors ever malfunction.
81. 7:44Coming in second at number 2 is  the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2.
82. 7:49I have used this model for over 4 months and  the PETKIT Purbot Max Pro 2 is quite safe.
83. 7:56PETKIT improves safety in the Purobot Max  Pro 2 by patenting a design removing certain
84. 8:02gear rings, preventing the drum from  completing a full 360-degree rotation.
85. 8:07You can see it never fully  closes while it's rotating,
86. 8:11eliminating the risk of injury to your cat. This is the litter box rotating from the back,
87. 8:18and you can see it never  fully closes there either.
88. 8:22It also has 12 electronic sensors. The 4 large blue sensors on the bottom
89. 8:28are weight sensors and recognize when  your cat steps in the litter box.
90. 8:32Here is Arya demonstrating how the safety  sensors work, and you can see how it stops.
91. 8:39The chute itself is also designed so  your cat can’t fit through the opening,
92. 8:44removing another potential risk. It’s the combination of advanced
93. 8:48electronic sensors and built-in mechanical  safety systems that truly protect your cat.
94. 8:55With no closing parts that could trap or  injure them, the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2
95. 9:00stands out as a very safe automatic litter box. Coming in first is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra.
96. 9:11I have used this model for over a year and it is  the safest automatic litter box on the market.
97. 9:17First, the PETKIT Purobot Ultra rotates  side to side, not front to back.
98. 9:22This completely eliminates the risk of  a door or opening closing on your cat.
99. 9:27Second, it has zero pinch points. There are no doors, flaps, or rotating
100. 9:33openings where a cat can get stuck. The litter simply moves through a
101. 9:38chute and drops into the waste compartment. There’s nothing that can close on your cat.
102. 9:43The chute itself is also designed  so your cat can’t fit through the
103. 9:46opening, removing another potential risk. Finally, the sensors are extremely responsive.
104. 9:53There are over 20 sensors. Any time a cat approaches or
105. 9:57is nearby, the unit immediately stops. It won’t continue rotating if your cat is close,
106. 10:03which adds an extra layer of safety. From a safety standpoint, this makes
107. 10:08the PETKIT Purobot Ultra the safest  automatic litter box I’ve tested.
108. 10:17Now let’s rank the automatic litter boxes based on  odor control, starting with the worst offender.
109. 10:25Coming in last, is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. In terms of odor control, it doesn’t include
110. 10:32an odor eliminator, so opening the  waste drawer can be quite unpleasant.
111. 10:40Ohhh. Also during
112. 10:44the cleaning cycle it exposes the waste bin  so if you are nearby you will smell it.
113. 10:50And if you live in a region that is  warm year round, it can be very smelly.
114. 10:55At number 4 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. The Litter Robot 5 Pro uses a carbon
115. 11:01filter and odor trap that are supposed to  reduce odors. While that sounds promising,
116. 11:06I found that when I opened the drawer,  it didn’t do much to control the smell.
117. 11:11Here are my cats and I breathing in the smell. It did not smell too good.
118. 11:18At number 3 is the Petlibro Luma. The Petlibro Luma uses a fan that circulates
119. 11:25air through a carbon deodorizer to trap odors. This air circulation starts right after your cat
120. 11:31finishes using the litter box and  is quite effective at controlling
121. 11:35odor immediately after they go. But I found when opening the waste
122. 11:40bin there is still a faint odor smell. At number 2 is the PETKIT Purbot Max Pro 2.
123. 11:48You will barely smell odor with  this automatic litter box.
124. 11:52One feature I really like is that after your cat  finishes using the litter box and is not nearby,
125. 11:57the machine releases an N60 odor eliminator, a  non-toxic formula that helps neutralize odors.
126. 12:04This means unpleasant smells are  addressed almost immediately.
127. 12:08The waste is also sealed behind an automatic  waste bin door after it’s deposited inside.
128. 12:14So you won’t smell a thing. The only time you may smell a hint of
129. 12:17odor is when you open up the waste drawer. Despite an N60 odor eliminator built into
130. 12:23the waste drawer, there will  still be a faint odor smell.
131. 12:27Another nice design is that when it’s time  to throw out the waste bag, you can pull the
132. 12:31drawstring to seal it before opening the waste  bin, which helps contain some of the smell.
133. 12:38Coming in first, at number  1, the PETKIT Purbot Ultra.
134. 12:42You will have zero odor with  this automatic litter box.
135. 12:46ZERO. There’s an N60 odor eliminator inside the
136. 12:50waste bin chamber that neutralizes odors, and the  waste bin door automatically closes after waste is
137. 12:56dumped, which really helps keep smells in. But my favorite feature by
138. 13:01far is the packing system. It automatically ties and seals the
139. 13:05waste bag, so you never have to deal with the  smell when you are throwing out the litter.
140. 13:10You just press this button and voilà. Watch how it works.
141. 13:14It's so cool. Now let's rank the
142. 13:26size of the automatic litter box. Litter box size is important for
143. 13:30someone living in a smaller space, like an  apartment, where floor space is limited.
144. 13:37In last place at number 4 is  the PETKIT Purobot Ultra.
145. 13:42As you can see when placed side  by side with the other Automatic
146. 13:45Litter Boxes it has the largest footprint. That’s because the back section houses the
147. 13:51automatic packing feature, which automatically  seals the litter waste for disposal.
148. 13:57At number 3 is the Petlibro Luma. It is very tall and requires
149. 14:02this step in order for the cats to  comfortably get into the litter box.
150. 14:07Here is the Petlibro Luma in  comparison to the other litter boxes.
151. 14:11Tied at number 2 is the PETKIT Purobot  Max Pro 2 and the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
152. 14:18You can see roughly they are similar in size,  compact, and suitable for senior cats.
153. 14:24A great automatic litter box for  people living in smaller spaces.
154. 14:28The Litter Robot 5 Pro cleverly designed its  steps into the main body to save space.
155. 14:34At number 1 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. You can clearly see it is much smaller compared
156. 14:40to the other automatic litter boxes. So depending on your living situation,
157. 14:44the size of the automatic litter box  may play a major role in your decision.
158. 14:55Now let’s rank the automatic litter boxes  based on the size of the interior space.
159. 15:00The size of the interior space is  important because large cats like
160. 15:05Mainecoons or Ragdolls may have difficulty  using the litter box as it is too small.
161. 15:11They need enough room to turn around, dig, and  use the litter box without feeling cramped.
162. 15:18Open-style litter boxes also tend to be  more comfortable because they don’t have
163. 15:23height restrictions, allowing cats to stand up  comfortably when they are doing their business.
164. 15:30In last place at number 5 is  the PETKIT Purbot Ultra.
165. 15:34The PETKIT Purobot Ultra is an enclosed  litter box with a small interior space
166. 15:40and may not be suitable for large cats. My cat Arya, who is an average sized female cat,
167. 15:46did not have any issue using this litter box. While my larger male Ragdoll cat who is about
168. 15:531.5 x larger than an average cat would not  use the litter box as the height restriction
169. 15:59and small space made him uncomfortable. Teemo likes to stand tall when he pees and
170. 16:04poops, so the limited vertical  space clearly bothered him.
171. 16:09At number 4 is the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2. It has a slightly larger interior space than the
172. 16:16PETKIT Purobot Ultra, but I still find that larger  cats are a little uncomfortable when using it.
173. 16:23Arya used it no problem, but Teemo  would only use it once in a while.
174. 16:32He preferred the large  normal litter boxes I had.
175. 16:35At number 3 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. It is an enclosed litter box with an
176. 16:41interior space that is larger than  the PETKIT automatic litter boxes.
177. 16:46It still has a height restriction and I find my  large cat Teemo only used it once in a while.
178. 16:53Arya had no problems using it. At number 2 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
179. 16:59It is an open style litter box with no height  restriction so it is suitable for large cats.
180. 17:06The interior space is smaller  than PETKIT and Litter Robot.
181. 17:09This was the first litter box that my large  cat Teemo used on a more frequent basis.
182. 17:14The only problem was the litter box interior  space wasn’t big enough and sometimes Teemo
183. 17:19would pee on himself as you can see here. And like always Arya used it no problem.
184. 17:26In first place, at number  1, is the Petlibro Luma.
185. 17:30It is an open style litter box and  its interior space is larger than
186. 17:34the Neakasa and the other models. Teemo really liked using this box as
187. 17:39the added interior space really gave him room to  stick his butt out and pee and poop comfortably.
188. 17:46Out of all the automatic litter boxes  he used this litter box the most.
189. 17:51And as always Arya had no problems using it. In summary, if you have a large cat, you should
190. 17:58choose an open style litter box like the  Petlibro Luma and Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
191. 18:04And if you have an average cat, any of  the automatic litter boxes should work.
192. 18:13Not all automatic litter boxes are  compatible with every litter type.
193. 18:18Some are designed to work with only one  specific kind of litter, while others offer
194. 18:23the flexibility to use a wider range of options. That flexibility matters, because you and your
195. 18:30cat may already have a cat litter you like. For example, for Teemo and Arya I personally
196. 18:36prefer a pea-based plant litter because it has  zero dust and it's better for their health.
197. 18:41Traditional clay litters can produce  silica dust, a fine mineral particle
198. 18:45found in many types of rock. Because cats put their faces very
199. 18:49close to the litter when they dig and bury their  waste, they can inhale that dust directly.
200. 18:54Over time, repeated exposure can contribute to  respiratory issues like asthma or allergies,
201. 19:00which is something I want to  protect Teemo and Arya from.
202. 19:04However, because pea-based litter  comes in a pellet form, it isn’t
203. 19:08compatible with some automatic litter boxes. For this reason, automatic litter boxes that
204. 19:14support multiple litter types have a higher  ranking as they give you the freedom to choose
205. 19:19what works best for you and your cat. In last place at number
206. 19:233 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. The Litter-Robot team recommends using clay litter
207. 19:29only, as other plant-based litters can create  excess condensation inside the unit, which may
208. 19:36lead to corrosion of nearby components over time. Plant-based granular litters can still
209. 19:42work in the Litter-Robot, but they are not  officially recommended by the manufacturer.
210. 19:47I personally tested a corn-based litter and  found that the Litter Robot 5 Pro still worked,
211. 19:53but it used noticeably more litter than normal,  causing the litter to run out much faster.
212. 19:59Lastly, pellet clumping litters like Pine, Tofu,  and Peas do not work in the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
213. 20:06Because the Litter-Robot team only  recommends one litter type, clay,
214. 20:10the Litter Robot 5 Pro was ranked last. At number two is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
215. 20:18It supports granular clumping litters,  including both clay and plant-based options,
216. 20:23but does not work with pellet-style litters. Tied at first place is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra,
217. 20:31the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro  2, and the Petlibro Luma.
218. 20:37What is special about these three litter boxes  is it comes with two sifters, one for pellet
219. 20:42litter like tofu and pea-based litter, and a  sifter for more sand-like litter like clay.
220. 20:48You just swap in the correct sifter  for the litter you want to use.
221. 20:51Making these litter boxes compatible  with a lot of litter types.
222. 20:56One thing to note is only clumping  litter works with this litter box,
223. 21:00and non clumping litter like  pine and crystal doesn't work.
224. 21:04Lastly, another observation was that the  PETKIT litter boxes and Petlibro Luma,
225. 21:09when using the pea-based cat litter seemed  to conserve litter better, and I didn’t
226. 21:13run out of litter nearly as quickly. This suggests their cleaning mechanisms
227. 21:17are more efficient at separating waste  while leaving usable litter behind,
228. 21:22which can save you money over time. Now let’s rank automatic litter
229. 21:30boxes based on litter tracking,  starting with the worst offender.
230. 21:35At Number 5, the Neakasa M1  Lite Plus tracks a lot.
231. 21:40I absolutely hated how much litter it tracked. Because of the open design, litter spreads
232. 21:46everywhere, and since it only allows sandy  litter like clay, the problem is even worse.
233. 21:51I don’t use clay litter because long-term  dust exposure isn’t great for cats or humans
234. 21:56and can contribute to allergies and asthma. Instead, I used walnut and grass-based litter,
235. 22:01which technically worked in this box, but  it isn’t the litter I actually prefer.
236. 22:06The pea-based litter I normally use  that is low tracking isn’t compatible
237. 22:09with the Neakasa at all unfortunately. I found myself spending at least three
238. 22:15minutes vacuuming the surrounding area  every time my cats used the litter box.
239. 22:20that added up to roughly 12  minutes a day vacuuming or
240. 22:243 full days of vacuuming over a year. That’s a lot of lost time that could be
241. 22:28used for something far more productive. At number 4 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
242. 22:35Litter Robot 5 Pro has a fence that helps  reduce tracking, but because it can only use
243. 22:40sandy litter like clay or in my case corn  litter, it still tracks a fair amount.
244. 22:46You can see that litter is all over my floors. Unfortunately the pea-based litter I normally use
245. 22:52that is low tracking isn’t compatible  with the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
246. 23:05At number 3 is the Petlibro Luma. Because the Petlibro Luma allows pellet
247. 23:11litter like Tofu and Pea-based  litter, tracking is reduced.
248. 23:15The unique pellet shape makes it hard for  the litter to get stuck in your cat’s paws
249. 23:20and have it tracked outside the litter box. The Petlibro Luma also has an elevated mat
250. 23:26that catches some stray litter as well. The reason the Petlibro Luma isn’t ranked
251. 23:31higher is because its open design allows  litter to track out much more easily compared
252. 23:37to the other models I’ll discuss later. At number 2 is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra.
253. 23:44The PETKIT Purobot Ultra is compatible with  pellet-style litters like tofu and pea-based
254. 23:48litter, which naturally helps reduce tracking. Its fully enclosed design also keeps litter
255. 23:55contained, resulting in even less tracking  compared to open-style automatic litter boxes.
256. 24:03At number 1 is the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2. Similar to the PETKIT Purobot Ultra it is also
257. 24:10compatible with pellet-style litters  like tofu and pea-based litter,
258. 24:13which naturally helps reduce tracking. It also has a fully enclosed design.
259. 24:18The one thing that makes it different  is there is a snap-on fence that
260. 24:21helps reduce litter tracking. You can easily attach it right here,
261. 24:25and it does a great job catching  loose litter as your cat steps out.
262. 24:38Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on the waste bin size.
263. 24:43Waste bin size is important because it  determines how often you need to empty the
264. 24:47waste bin. The larger the bin, the less often  you have to clean it out, which saves time.
265. 24:55In last place at number 5 is  the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
266. 25:00As you can see the waste bin is quite  small at about 14 x 9 x 2 inches.
267. 25:06I found it frequently became full, and  I had to clean out the waste bin.
268. 25:11When it was time to empty the litter for  a deep clean, the waste bin sometimes
269. 25:15couldn’t hold all the litter, causing it  to overflow and create a messy cleanup.
270. 25:31At number 4 is the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2. The waste bin is roughly 9 x 10 x 5 inches.
271. 25:40The waste bin is smaller in size,  but I’ve found that deeper waste
272. 25:44bins work better because the waste can  stack vertically and not overflow.
273. 25:48At number 3 is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra. The waste bin size is roughly 14 x 8 x 6 inches.
274. 25:56Like the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2 it does  have a slightly deeper waste bin than the
275. 26:01other automatic litter boxes, which  prevents waste from overflowing.
276. 26:06At number 2 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. The waste bin is roughly 14 x 12 x 5 inches.
277. 26:14A decent waste bin size. At number 1 is the Petlibro Luma.
278. 26:20It has a slightly larger waste  bin at 14.5 x 13 x 4 inches.
279. 26:25Even though it has a larger waste bin by  volume than the Litter-Robot 5 Pro, the shorter
280. 26:31height means you occasionally need to shake and  redistribute the waste so it doesn’t overflow.
281. 26:42Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on smart features.
282. 26:47These are the extra technologies built into the  litter box, like cameras, AI health tracking,
283. 26:52and other technologies. Coming in last,
284. 26:55at number 5 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. It doesn’t have many smart features compared
285. 27:01to the other automatic litter boxes. It doesn’t have a camera, so there’s no
286. 27:05AI camera to identify which cat used the  litter box or AI health insights to flag
287. 27:10potential issues based on your cat’s waste. The only way it distinguishes between cats is by
288. 27:16weight, which you manually enter in the app. I found that the Neakasa would sometimes
289. 27:21misidentify which cat was using the litter box,  especially if the cat wasn’t fully inside it, like
290. 27:28when they were standing partially on the edge. At number 4 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
291. 27:36Litter Robot was late to the game integrating  its automatic litter box with a camera.
292. 27:42Only releasing its first model with a camera in  the fall of 2025 with the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
293. 27:49It has two cameras, one external camera with  facial recognition that includes video and
294. 27:54event recording and one internal camera that has  no video and event recording, only live viewing.
295. 28:01The outside camera records a lot of random  stuff and most of the clips saved are not
296. 28:06useful in seeing real litter box usage. I believe Litter-Robot moved quickly to release
297. 28:13a camera-equipped litter box after seeing  their competitors launch a camera-enabled
298. 28:17model nearly a year earlier. And unfortunately, it shows.
299. 28:21The software feels like it  wasn’t fully ready at launch.
300. 28:24The AI system doesn’t appear to be fully  integrated with the weight-sensing system, and
301. 28:29it still seems to be in an early training phase. On top of that, pet toilet videos from the
302. 28:35internal camera aren’t even viewable, which  makes the camera feel more like a marketing
303. 28:40feature than a fully developed tool. As a result you can’t see what your
304. 28:44cat has been doing in the bathroom  and what their waste looks like.
305. 28:48It gives the impression of a prototype  that was rushed to market rather
306. 28:52than a polished, premium product. And based on other users’ experiences,
307. 28:57this doesn’t seem to be an isolated issue. You can see on Reddit that many users have
308. 29:02complained that the Litter Robot 5  Pro’s camera and health monitoring
309. 29:06did not meet their expectations. It's important to note that you are
310. 29:10unable to download any video that is  recorded on the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
311. 29:15At number 3 is the Petlibro Luma. It has a 1080 HD camera with AI that has
312. 29:22body and waste recognition. Letting you know whether
313. 29:25your cat peed or pooped. It also lets you monitor your cat in real
314. 29:28time and automatically records each visit. I actually liked the AI Camera.
315. 29:34It did a very good job at identifying  each cat, and recognizing the waste
316. 29:38type accurately most of the time. The video quality was also very good and clear.
317. 29:44One thing I didn’t like was the camera angle. Because the camera is mounted on top,
318. 29:48you don’t get a good view of your  cat actually using the litter box.
319. 29:52Lastly, videos are downloadable  if you have a subscription.
320. 29:56At number 2 is the PETKIT Purbot Max Pro 2. It has an AI-powered camera inside the litter
321. 30:02box that lets you monitor your cat in real  time and automatically records each visit.
322. 30:08The AI camera is easily my favorite  feature of the Purobot Max Pro 2.
323. 30:13The camera is situated inside the litter box,  and you have a perfect view of your cat using
324. 30:18the litter box. Hello Arya.
325. 30:21I like being able to monitor my cats’ health  directly through the PETKIT app, and the built-in
326. 30:261080p camera makes that incredibly easy. It also has facial recognition that identifies
327. 30:32your cats once you upload their photos, so  every visit is tagged to the right cat.
328. 30:37This makes it incredibly useful for monitoring  their health, letting you review each visit,
329. 30:42see how they’re using the box, and catch early  signs of issues like diarrhea or constipation.
330. 30:49For example, the camera made it  easy to see that it was Arya,
331. 30:52and not Teemo who was having diarrhea. In a regular litter box, I usually have
332. 30:57no idea whose stool it is unless I literally  catch them in the act, so being able to review
333. 31:04the recorded camera history made a huge difference  and I was able to get Arya quickly to the vet.
334. 31:10Not every automatic litter box  has an AI camera that works well,
335. 31:14and this is what sets PETKIT apart. At number 1 is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra.
336. 31:22It features an AI-powered 1080p external  camera that can be rotated in the app,
337. 31:27so you can monitor your cat whether they’re  near the litter box or actively using it.
338. 31:32Each visit by your cat is automatically  recorded in the PETKIT app.
339. 31:37This even includes snapping a photo and video  of your cat’s waste as it's being cleaned,
340. 31:42letting you know whether your cat is sick. Just like with the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2,
341. 31:48the PETKIT Purobot Ultra was able to identify that  Arya and not Teemo was the one having diarrhea.
342. 31:54That was incredibly helpful because I knew  exactly which cat needed to go to the vet.
343. 31:59The facial recognition is also very impressive. What makes PETKIT Purobot Ultra rank higher than
344. 32:04the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2 is the  automatic waste sealing system.
345. 32:09It’s an additional feature  to help with odor control.
346. 32:13When you’re ready to dispose of the litter waste,
347. 32:15you simply press a button and it  automatically seals the bag for you.
348. 32:19It is completely hands-free. That means you smell zero odor.
349. 32:30Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on the app experience.
350. 32:34The app experience will be ranked on how many  features the app has and how smooth it runs.
351. 32:39In last place at number 4 is  the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
352. 32:44The Neakasa app does not have many features. You can adjust settings like turning automatic
353. 32:49cleaning on or off, track how often your cat uses  the litter box and how long they stay inside,
354. 32:56and see when the waste bin is full  or when the litter is running low.
355. 33:00That’s about it. Nothing fancy.
356. 33:04At number 3 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. The Litter Robot app has a lot of
357. 33:09potential, but it has a few key  features that as of February 2026,
358. 33:145 months after release are not  working properly as advertised.
359. 33:19Like I mentioned earlier, Litter Robot  may have rushed out the 5 Pro because
360. 33:24they were behind competitors in adding  cameras to their automatic litter box.
361. 33:29As a result, the camera and the app  don’t feel fully integrated or polished.
362. 33:34The internal camera doesn’t actually  record usable footage, so you don’t
363. 33:38get to see your cat using the bathroom. Therefore you have no clear images or
364. 33:43videos of your cat’s waste to help assess their  health. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera records
365. 33:50everything in front of the unit, which creates a  lot of footage that isn’t necessarily relevant.
366. 33:56Since the videos aren’t categorized  or tied to specific litter box visits,
367. 34:00it’s hard to tell which clips correspond  to an actual bathroom session.
368. 34:05I’m also not a fan of how the app  separates videos from the visit insights.
369. 34:10It would be much more useful if each recorded  video were linked directly to a specific visit,
370. 34:16clearly labeled as a pee or poop session,  so you could quickly review what happened.
371. 34:21Right now, it simply logs a “visit” and the  videos and visits are on different pages.
372. 34:26That said, I do like the charts. Over time, they can help you spot trends.
373. 34:33For example, if your cat is using the  litter box less frequently than usual.
374. 34:38Other users have also complained about  the cameras not working as intended.
375. 34:42Even adding their own cameras to help with  monitoring their cat’s visit to the litter box.
376. 34:47The AI functionality still feels  unfinished and has a lot of room to grow.
377. 34:52Litter Robot needs to fully implement  deeper data integration between the
378. 34:56camera and the health insights to provide  a powerful health monitoring system.
379. 35:04At number 2 is the Petlibro Luma. I have to say the app is beautifully
380. 35:09designed and very user friendly. It also tracks your cat’s litter habits,
381. 35:14and runs smoothly without any bugs. On the main page of the Petlibro app,
382. 35:19you can control the litter box functions like  air purification, cleaning, and litter emptying.
383. 35:25It also gives you a summary of your cat’s litter  habits, including how often they go to the
384. 35:30bathroom and how long they spend inside. At the bottom, there’s a detailed
385. 35:35activity log of everything that happens. If you swipe left, you can access the live
386. 35:40camera feed, where you’re able to manually record  video, take photos, and even speak to your cat.
387. 35:47There’s also a video history section. One feature I really like is that you can download
388. 35:53videos of your cat directly to your phone. The app automatically records when your cat
389. 35:57uses the litter box, and it does a pretty good  job detecting and capturing those sessions.
390. 36:03Keep in mind, not all of the features I  mentioned are available for free and some
391. 36:07require a paid subscription, which I’ll go  into more detail about in the next section.
392. 36:13Tied at number 1 is the PETKIT Purobot  Ultra and PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2
393. 36:19because they both use the same app. The PETKIT app is very easy to use and
394. 36:24extremely well organized. Everything is on one page.
395. 36:28Visits are clearly displayed right next  to the corresponding footage of your cat
396. 36:32entering and using the litter box, which makes  reviewing sessions simple and intuitive.
397. 36:38It even captures a separate video  and photo of the actual waste,
398. 36:41so you can go back and analyze it later if  you’re concerned about your cat’s health.
399. 36:46Everything is presented in a  way that’s easy to digest.
400. 36:50You can quickly see which cat used the  litter box with PETKIT’s AI camera,
401. 36:54their weight, how long they stayed  inside, and how frequently they went.
402. 36:59The PETKIT app offers yowling detection. It can alert you when your cat is vocalizing
403. 37:04in a way that may signal discomfort, such  as signs of a possible urinary blockage,
404. 37:10giving you an additional  layer of health monitoring.
405. 37:13At the top of the app, there’s a live camera  feed so you can check on your cat in real time,
406. 37:18along with a recorded video history that includes  both highlight clips and full bathroom sessions.
407. 37:24The app has never been buggy in my experience,  and another big advantage is that you can
408. 37:29easily download videos directly to your  phone to share with your vet if needed.
409. 37:34I ranked PETKIT the highest because the app is  simple, clean, and thoughtfully integrated.
410. 37:45Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on noise level.
411. 37:49Because no one wants a loud  machine disrupting a quiet home.
412. 37:53In last place is the Petlibro Luma. The fan used to reduce odor gets quite
413. 37:59loud while it is cleaning. Here is how it sounds.
414. 38:19It gets really loud.
415. 38:26The rest of the automatic litter  boxes are tied for first.
416. 38:30If you listen closely to each one, the  noise level is relatively the same.
417. 39:03So there isn’t much difference between  which automatic litter box you pick,
418. 39:07unless you choose the Petlibro Luma, which  is noticeably louder than the rest.
419. 39:15Now let’s rank the automatic litter boxes  based on cleaning and maintenance.
420. 39:19In last place is the Litter Robot 5 Pro. I had high hopes that the Litter Robot
421. 39:255 Pro would be easier to clean. After several generations of the product,
422. 39:29I expected meaningful improvements, as difficult  cleaning was one of the biggest customer
423. 39:34complaints about earlier models. Unfortunately, deep cleaning
424. 39:38the Litter Robot 5 Pro is still a pain. You clean Litter Robot 5 Pro by first emptying the
425. 39:44left over litter by touching this button here. Unfortunately for me, after pressing the empty
426. 39:50button, the system failed  to respond and only after
427. 39:52many tries pressing the button did it work. Here is the Litter Robot emptying the litter.
428. 39:57One thing I noticed is that the empty  cycle often leaves litter behind.
429. 40:02As a result you have to separately  dump the excess litter in the trash.
430. 40:07After dumping the litter you have to wipe the  globe, Litter Robot says not to wet the base,
431. 40:13so be careful if you decide to hose it down. Then you got to wipe and clean all the nooks and
432. 40:18crannies, which really is a pain. I think in total I spent up to 20
433. 40:23minutes really cleaning the litter box At number 4 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus.
434. 40:29First, you need to dump the remaining  litter into the waste bin.
435. 40:33Because the bin isn’t very large, it can sometimes  overflow, making cleanup more difficult.
436. 40:39Then you remove the litter chamber  by unlocking the side covers.
437. 40:43After that you can rinse and  wash the litter chamber.
438. 40:46The Neakasa is easier than the Litter Robot 5 Pro,  but unlocking the side covers can be clunky.
439. 40:54At number 3 is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra. It’s easier to clean than the Neakasa
440. 40:59and Litter Robot 5 Pro. First you empty the remaining cat
441. 41:03litter with a button and it does a very good job  at removing all the cat litter in the cylinder.
442. 41:09Then you take off the cover and unbuckle  the latch to lift out the entire cylinder.
443. 41:14The liner and sifter are removable if  you want to wash them separately.
444. 41:19The reason the PETKIT Purobot Ultra is not  ranked higher is the opening is smaller so
445. 41:24it’s a little harder to clean the inside. At number 2 is the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2.
446. 41:31It's easier to clean than the Ultra  because of the bigger opening.
447. 41:34The Purobot Max Pro 2 is very  straightforward to take apart.
448. 41:38First, you add the litter remover to the  sifter to empty out the cat litter.
449. 41:42Take off the cover and unbuckle the  latch and lift out the entire cylinder.
450. 41:47The drum, liner, and internal  components can be all washed.
451. 41:52Just give the litter box a  good wash and you are done!
452. 41:55At number 1 is the Petlibro Luma. I found it quite easy to take apart and clean,
453. 42:01and the individual parts are not too heavy. To clean the Petlibro Luma you need to first
454. 42:07empty the remaining litter which can  be done by tapping the empty button.
455. 42:11It does a pretty good job of completely  dumping out all the litter.
456. 42:15Then you take out the filter and  litter mat to wash and clean.
457. 42:19The next step is to remove the litter  basket through these handles.
458. 42:23It's very easy to remove.
459. 42:25And now the parts are disassembled  you just have to wash it.
460. 42:29The litter chamber is very easy to  wash thanks to its open design.
461. 42:33Overall I found the cleaning for the Petlibro  Luma very easy compared to the other models.
462. 42:44Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on the brand’s reputation.
463. 42:48This matters because a company’s reputation  is built over years of customer feedback,
464. 42:53product reliability, and how well  they support their customers.
465. 42:58In last place, at number 4 is the Petlibro Luma. Petlibro just recently launched their automatic
466. 43:05litter box several months ago. Because it is such a new product,
467. 43:09it simply doesn’t have the long track record of  reliability that some of the other brands have.
468. 43:15Over time that may change, but for now  it’s still too early to fully judge.
469. 43:21At number 3, is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. Neakasa is a younger brand in the automatic
470. 43:26litter box space, and unfortunately their  reputation for safety took a hit after the
471. 43:32reported incident in Vietnam where a cat died. But they did respond to this incident by
472. 43:38updating the design so the litter  box can no longer fully close.
473. 43:43So that is why I ranked them higher. At number 2 is the PETKIT brand that
474. 43:48includes the PETKIT Purobot Ultra  and PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2.
475. 43:53PETKIT has over 10 years in the automatic  litter box industry and has built a reputation
476. 43:59for producing safe and reliable products. The company is known for listening closely
477. 44:04to customer feedback and quickly  updating its products with new
478. 44:07features based on what customers want. PETKIT has also been one of the most
479. 44:12innovative brands in the category, one  of the first brands to introduce a camera
480. 44:16to help owners track their cat’s litter box  habits and detect potential health issues.
481. 44:23At number 1 is the Litter Robot 5 Pro.
482. 44:26Litter Robot has over 25 years in  the automatic litter box industry.
483. 44:31And has built a strong reputation over  the years for developing great products.
484. 44:36Its customer service is top notch. You can call or message them any day of the week.
485. 44:41And their support team will quickly  help you with any issues you may have.
486. 44:45I love speaking to customer service over  the phone so this is a big plus for me.
487. 44:56Now let’s rank the automatic litter  boxes based on overall cost.
488. 45:00This includes the upfront purchase  price and subscription cost you may
489. 45:04need to pay to access some of  the more advanced features.
490. 45:07In last place at number 5  is the Litter-Robot 5 Pro.
491. 45:12At $899 as of February 2026, it’s one of the most  expensive automatic litter boxes on the market.
492. 45:20I ranked this model at the  bottom because it simply doesn’t
493. 45:23deliver enough value for that price. It advertises health tracking features,
494. 45:28but there are no actual images or videos  of your cat’s poop or waste to review.
495. 45:34The internal camera that looks into the globe  does not record video, which really defeats the
496. 45:39purpose of having it there in the first place. The front-facing camera only records your cat
497. 45:45when they’re outside or sitting in front of  the unit. It cannot reliably distinguish when
498. 45:50your cat is actually using the litter box,  so you end up with a lot of footage that
499. 45:55isn’t relevant to their litter habits. The Litter-Robot does provide a visit log
500. 46:01showing how often your cat uses the  box and how long they stay inside.
501. 46:06However, daily detailed summaries are  locked behind the Whisker+ subscription,
502. 46:11which costs $7.99 per month, something other  automatic litter boxes include for free.
503. 46:17Here’s a clear, side-by-side breakdown of what you  actually get for FREE vs the PAID subscription.
504. 46:23Without the subscription, you get 30 days of  stored data, including front-camera videos and
505. 46:29basic device activity like bathroom visits. With the paid subscription, you get two full
506. 46:35years of cloud-backed data, daily pet  insight summaries, a tracking dashboard
507. 46:40to monitor litter habits over time, and coverage  across all Litter-Robot devices in your home.
508. 46:46But at nearly $900 upfront, without  actual video footage of your cat’s waste,
509. 46:51it’s difficult to justify the premium price. And on top of that, you can’t even download
510. 46:56the recorded clips to share with your vet  if your cat does have a health issue.
511. 47:03At number 4 is the Petlibro Luma. Priced at $599 as of February 2026, it
512. 47:11is priced in the middle of the pack and delivers  on the health tracking features it advertises.
513. 47:17It does a good job capturing Teemo  and Arya going to the bathroom and
514. 47:21Most of the more advanced features are  locked behind a paid subscription.
515. 47:26Here’s a clear, side-by-side breakdown of what you  actually get for FREE vs the PAID subscription.
516. 47:26With the free version, you get live streaming,  a usage log that tracks when your cat uses
517. 47:26the litter box, and a photo of each visit, but  there’s no video history or recorded playback.
518. 47:26Petlibro's paid AI subscription  gives you extended video history,
519. 47:31AI-powered health insights and alerts, and the  ability to save and share highlight clips.
520. 47:38Higher-tier plans also include  early access to new AI features,
521. 47:43priority customer support, and  coverage for multiple devices.
522. 47:47It can only be purchased as an annual  plan and ranges from $119.99 per year to
523. 47:54$199.99 per year for their most expensive plan. Making it the automatic litter box with the most
524. 48:02expensive subscription plans. There is a 7 day free trial
525. 48:04if you want to test it out. The free version is very limited,
526. 48:06and to truly make the camera useful,  you need the paid subscription.
527. 48:10Without the video clips, it’s difficult to
528. 48:13review your cat’s behavior and  spot potential health issues.
529. 48:17At number 3 is the PETKIT Purobot Ultra . At $899 it is one of the more expensive
530. 48:23automatic litter boxes on the market,  but it delivers on the price with great
531. 48:28AI health monitoring for your cat. It does an excellent job capturing
532. 48:33Teemo and Arya when they use the litter  box, and also providing both clear video
533. 48:37recordings and photos of their waste. All of this is easy to access here.
534. 48:40Most of the advanced features  are actually offered free.
535. 48:43Here’s a clear, side-by-side breakdown of what you  actually get for FREE vs the PAID subscription.
536. 48:49Subscription prices start at  $3.99 a month and go up to
537. 48:54$11.99 a month for their most premium plan. What makes the PETKIT Purobot Ultra rank so highly
538. 49:01is how many features PETKIT gives away for free. What they’re really charging for
539. 49:06is just extended video storage. What I also like is you can download
540. 49:10video clips without a paid subscription. The PETKIT Purobot Ultra truly offers
541. 49:16a lot of value for the price you pay. At number 2 is the PEKIT Purobot Max Pro 2.
542. 49:24It offers even more value for the price  you pay then the PETKIT Purobot Ultra.
543. 49:28At an original price of $599 as  of February 2026 it provides the
544. 49:34best value for the features it delivers. It offers the same free and paid features
545. 49:39as the PETKIT Purobot Ultra, but at  a much lower upfront purchase price.
546. 49:45At number 1 is the Neakasa M1 Lite Plus. At $499 as of February 2026, it is one of
547. 49:52the more affordable automatic litter boxes and  gets the job done at a reasonable price.
548. 49:58It does not have a subscription  as all its features are free.
549. 50:02If you are looking for an automatic litter  box to just scoop and have basic insights
550. 50:06like when your cat visits the litter  box then this is the litter box.
551. 50:15After testing every category, my final ranking  for the best automatic litter boxes of 2026 is:
552. 50:21number 5, the Petlibro Luma; number 4, the Neakasa  M1 Lite Plus; number 3, the Litter-Robot 5 Pro;
553. 50:32number 2, the PETKIT Purobot Ultra,  number 1 the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2.
554. 50:39Overall, the PETKIT Purobot Max Pro 2 earned the  top spot because it offered the best combination
555. 50:46of safety, odor control, AI health monitoring,  and app experience at the best price.
556. 50:53Essentially, it offers the  best value for your money.
557. 50:56I also liked that it gives you the  flexibility to choose your own litter.
558. 51:00It works with both sand-like  litters and pellet-style litters,
559. 51:04and ultimately the type of litter you use plays  the biggest role in how much tracking there is.
560. 51:10Pellet-style litter usually  results in less tracking.
561. 51:14PETKIT’s app also offers a lot of free  features, which is perfect for people
562. 51:18who don’t want to spend much. Even without paying, you can use
563. 51:22live streaming, two-way audio, stool image  checkups, facial recognition, 1-day image
564. 51:27storage, and daily 30-second short video clips. Their AI Lab is also free and has been updated to
565. 51:35include yowling detection and pH urine monitoring
566. 51:39The PETKIT Purobot Ultra was ranked second because  it offers strong safety features, excellent odor
567. 51:45control with its auto packing feature, a great  app experience, and AI health monitoring.
568. 51:51I also really liked that it allows you to use  both sand-like litter and pellet-style litter,
569. 51:56giving you more flexibility. The main downside is that it’s quite
570. 51:59large and may not fit well in smaller  homes, and it’s also one of the more
571. 52:04expensive automatic litter boxes on the market. Lastly the interior space is also quite small.
572. 52:13The Litter-Robot 5 Pro was ranked third  because it has a strong safety record
573. 52:17and has proven to be a reliable and safe  automatic litter box over the years.
574. 52:22It also includes many sensors designed  to stop the unit if a cat approaches or
575. 52:27enters during a cleaning cycle. Where it falls short, however,
576. 52:30is in the smart features and app experience. Some of those features don’t work as well as
577. 52:35expected, like the internal camera not being able  to record, the waste identification not working,
578. 52:42or not even being able to download videos. So at such a high price point,
579. 52:47those limitations are hard to overlook. The Neakasa M1 Lite Plus was ranked fourth
580. 52:53because there was a past incident where  a cat died while using the litter box.
581. 52:58However, it ranked higher than the Petlibro Luma  because Neakasa updated the design by adding a
582. 53:04mechanical fail-safe with an incomplete gear ring,  which prevents the unit from fully closing.
583. 53:10Overall, it’s a reasonable option if you’re  simply looking for a basic automatic litter box.
584. 53:15The Petlibro Luma is a beautiful automatic  litter box, but I had to rank it last.
585. 53:21I actually really liked the Petlibro Luma in  many categories, but what ultimately kept it
586. 53:26from ranking higher was its safety. After Kirby got stuck during my
587. 53:31test and seeing how difficult it was to get  him released, it was pretty concerning.
588. 53:40At the end of the day, your cat’s life and  well-being are the most important thing.
589. 53:45Until Petlibro adds a proper  mechanical fail-safe to the design,
590. 53:50I unfortunately have to rank it last. I hope this comprehensive review helps
591. 53:55you find the automatic litter  box that’s right for you.
592. 53:59You can find links to each  model in the description below.
593. 54:02Comment down below if you’ve  tried any of these models.
594. 54:05I’d love to hear your  experience and what you think