The Best Automatic Cat Litter Boxes
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. One of the biggest complaints against cats is that litter boxes are stinky, and you don’t want another creature’s poop just hanging out in your house. Naysayers be gone! Because thanks to ever-evolving and growing pet tech, automatic cat litter boxes have provided a hygienic, low-labor solution to the smelly litter box problem.
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 new PetKit PuraMax Pro because of its compact design and camera to monitor. The Litter-Robot 4 is a close second 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 2025: We've added the Homerunpet Self-Cleaning Litter Box CS106 and PetKit PuraMax Pro and updated links and prices throughout.
Best Automatic Litter Box
Petkit PuraMax Pro
Petkit’s PuraMax Pro combines the sleek look and square form factor we love from the PuraMax 2 with some of the camera-assisted interpretive abilities of the Purobot Ultra. I’ve been using the PuraMax Pro for three months with my two cats and can’t imagine ever going back to another brand or style of automatic litter box. Like the Ultra, the PuraMax Pro has multi-cat facial recognition, usage tracking, audio capability, and video footage of both the cat using the box and what they left in there, which you can view tumbling around as the litter is sifted. (Inside a new anti-leak cylinder, to boot.) Care+ doesn’t offer any in-depth health reports other than weight and use frequency, but it will send an alert if your cat’s weight has seen a consistent increase or decrease. The 1080p camera also has night vision and a 210-degree wide-angle lens. Two deodorizing cartridges (N50 and N60) sit over the 8L drawstring waste bag (which must be manually closed and removed), and with two cats I found I needed to take out the bag a couple times per week. The Petkit app sends an alert when it’s full. (Also of note, unlike some automatic boxes, the PuraMax Pro works on both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi networks.)
However, the PuraMax Pro is not without some quirks. It can’t be used on carpet, which isn’t a good idea anyway for obvious reasons, but some renters may not have a choice. Also, once my free trial of the Care+ app ended, the app (which is ad-heavy) suddenly and inexplicably began getting my two cats confused, labeling one as the other more often than it got them correct. And it’s worth noting that these cats look nothing alike—one is a small tortoiseshell and the other is a large white cat with black spots.
Unlike the Purobot Ultra, the PuraMax Pro’s camera is inside the box and doesn’t rotate, which can be frustrating when a cat appears at the box but doesn’t enter. Seeing a cat appear and then disappear without using the box happened multiple times when my cats were first learning to use it (they didn’t take to it immediately, possibly because they’re used to a round opening; we ended up needing to use some attractant), and I wish I had been able to see where they went or what they were doing, like peeing somewhere else. However, for the price, this is a feature-packed and reliable option that holds its own against competitors like Litter-Robot.
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | Approx. 8 x 10” |
| Footprint size | Approx. 26 x 21 x 24" |
| Compatible litter | Any clumping litter with granules shorter than 0.5 inches |
| Suitable cat size | 3.3 lbs to 22 lbs. |
| Special Features | Camera; deodorizing cartridges |
- Camera inside videos both your cat and its waste being scooped
- App tracks usage and weight changes
- Works with both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi
- App got my cats confused once the free Care+ subscription was over
- Square opening may be off-putting to some cats
- Camera isn’t movable
Best Connected App
Whisker Litter-Robot 4
This Litter-Robot model has been a consistent favorite, in large part to its well-designed app. 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, as well as monitors litter and waste levels, alerting 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. The large, front-facing hole is not as easy to fill as Petkit's rotating hole, and over time, my model has increasingly sensed ghost cats and stops repeatedly during cleaning cycles.
Mostly because of the super-convenient optional LitterHopper attachment, this was my top pick, until it stopped working after about seven months and I've had to manually fill litter ever since. Without Litter-Robot's auto-refill attachment, I think Petkit's new model (our current top pick) is the best automatic litter box for most people now.
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | 15.75’’ x 15.75” |
| Footprint size | 22’’ x 27’’ |
| Compatible litter | Clumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring) |
| Suitable cat size | 4 lbs minimum, no maximum |
| Special Features | LitterHopper can be attached |
- Intuitive connected app
- Compatible with LitterHopper refill attachment
- Measures and notifies when litter level is low or waste drawer is full
- Opening can be hard to refill
- Sensors get buggy over time
Best Basic Automatic Litter Box for Most People
Petkit PuraMax 2
This is a great option for most people—cheaper than some of our other picks, easy to use, compact, and actually smells great. 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 was used, for how long, when the cleaning cycle begins, ends, and when the deodorizing spray was emitted. Owners can also change settings manually via the buttons on the front.
My only complaints are that the app could be better—it's a overcrowded with ads for other Petkit products, and unlike the Litter-Robot 4, the box doesn’t have sensors to tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled—that has to be manually checked (or you can add manual reminders via the app). One of my cats, who is 15 pounds, didn't like using it as much because the opening was cramped for him, so if you have bigger cats this may be a problem.
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | 7.87" x 8.85" (76 L interior) |
| Footprint size | 24.4" L x 21.18" W |
| Compatible litter | Clay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters; incompatible with crystal. |
| Suitable cat size | 3.5 to 18 lbs |
| Special Features | Odor eliminator attachment in the waste bin; a deodorizing spray that goes off periodically |
- Odor eliminator attachment in the waste bin and has a deodorizing spray that goes off periodically
- Opening rotates up vertically for easier litter filling
- No sensors to tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled
- Overcrowded, sometimes buggy app
Best Budget Automatic Litter Box
PetPivot Autoscooper 11
This automatic litter box doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some others on this list, but if you’re looking for a basic, cheap automatic box, I’d recommend this one. Strikingly similar in design to the Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box (below), the PetPivot Autoscooper has an open-top design that remains fully open throughout the cleaning cycle and has sensors to know when the cat has used the box and when or if the cat reenters during the cleaning cycle. Like most others, it spins dirty litter from clean using grates, and the dirty litter is deposited in a drawer below the box. The litter box is the smallest and lightest I’ve tested, and the only assembly required was popping on the legs and inserting the drawer (and putting a waste bag liner in).
There’s no app required for use, and functions can be controlled by three buttons on the box—clean, refill litter, and power on/off. When you want to completely empty the litter, you attach a plastic cover that pops on to scoot all of the litter into the drawer below. Since this has no app, you won’t be able to closely monitor your cats’ usage or get alerted when the drawer is full, so this requires more check-ins than other automatic boxes.
| Connected to an app? | No (controlled via buttons on machine) |
| Entry size | 16.33" x 15.35" (10L interior) |
| Footprint size | 21.5" x 21.5" |
| Compatible litter | Benonite and mineral (incompatible with tofu or crystal litter) |
| Suitable cat size | 3 to 22 lbs |
| Special Features | No |
- Very inexpensive for the quality
- Easy to assemble
- Resembles traditional litter box
- No connected app; manual buttons only
- Box may be too high for elderly cats
Best Luxury Upgrade
Petkit Purobot Ultra
I liked this litter box a lot, even if some of the feautres are a little over the top. (Read the full review here.) It uses a camera and AI technology to monitor litter box usage and lets you see your cat’s stool to help more closely monitor their health. This upgrade has a large horizontal footprint and a camera on an arm in front of the opening, which swivels and follows your cat when it senses motion and records inside the litter box (it also has night vision). It also has auto-bagging and -sealing features, so you never have to deal with the stool. The app logs and monitors usage, including the number of times used and the average duration. The automatic litter box with a camera has 180 degree viewing, two-way audio, 24/7 streaming, and uses AI to identify which cat used the box, and while it doesn’t explicitly note whether a cat peed or pooped, you can review the footage yourself to determine.
Although this is a good idea in theory, the videos inside the litter box aren’t hi-def and were always in black-and-white, which made actually observing anything with any detail very difficult. The arm’s placement is awkward and makes refilling litter into the box extremely difficult. This litter box always worked well and kept smells at bay, but the AI analytics fell a little flat for me and it was needlessly difficult to refill the litter.
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | 8.58" x 9.84" |
| Footprint size | 20.94"x 32.20" |
| Compatible litter | Clay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (not recommended with litter longer than 0.5 in. or wider than 3 mm). |
| Suitable cat size | 3.3 to 22 lbs |
| Special Features | Camera to see inside and out of the litter box; two-way audio; AI cat identification; auto-packing and -sealing waste bag. |
- Rotating camera and two-way audio
- AI cat identification
- Auto-packing and -sealing waste bag
- Massive footprint; heavy
- Arm makes opening cramped
- One of the priciest automatic litter boxes on the market
Best Automatic Litter Box for Bigger Cats
Homerunpet Self-Cleaning Litter Box CS106
There’s a lot that I like about this litter box from Homerunpet. It’s huge, with a 106L capacity (and holds 8L of litter, with a 4.5L litter reservoir) that makes it ideal for big, chonky cats weighing up to 20 pounds (or multiple-cat households). My cat gets claustrophobic in most domed boxes, and she used this one right away. I like that it dumps and refills its own litter, and it does have anti-pinch sensors in place as well as two escape routes that are always open. There’s a drawer for storing the waste bags that line the poop drawer, as well as underneath the box so you can dump all the litter at once. It cleaned itself efficiently and quietly.
One thing to note is that the box is absolutely massive upon arrival—I couldn’t fit it in the back seat of my Mazda 3—and the litter box itself is huge, with a frustratingly short cord that might make for an inconvenient placement situation. My other gripe was with the app, which had some poorly translated instructions and alerts that sometimes left me feeling confused. But if you’re the proud parent of a hefty feline, it’s still an option worth considering, especially with its 90-day trial—you can return the box for a full refund if you pay the return shipping fees. —Louryn Strampe
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | 10" L by 10.5" W |
| Footprint size | 27.44" L × 23.62" W |
| Compatible litter | Tofu, bentonite, clay, mixed |
| Suitable cat size | Up to 20 lbs |
| Special Features | Self-filling litter reservoir |
- Lots of space for larger cats
- Litter reservoir for automatic refilling
- Huge footprint, may be too big for smaller spaces
- Poorly translated and sometimes confusing updates in-app
A More Traditional-Looking Automatic Litter Box Option
Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box
The Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box is a good automatic option for cats who prefer using a more traditional litter box with an open-top design. They won't feel cramped or trapped, and the headroom also allows large cats to move around comfortably—plus, if there's ever a malfunction, the cat can easily and quickly jump out. (Though we hope this never happens.) This box rotates backward and forward, has a bag below for waste, five pairs of infrared sensors and four weight sensors to detect cats, and is connected to an app. Neakasa's app is easy to use, but it needs work. You set up profiles for each cat with their weight, it logs usage, and you can control settings from the app, like “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano thought one of the biggest faults of the M1 was that it knew who went and other times it didn't, even when it was the same cat as the last time. When that happened, it reverted the weight to kilograms instead of her selected pounds. The weight changes slightly often, too, even when the box is correctly calibrated. Some of the settings come with slightly confusing descriptions, as it's occasionally poorly translated into English. (Read her full review here.) Overall, the M1 is a solid box that, with some app updates, should only continue to improve.
| Connected to an app? | Yes |
| Entry size | 17.09" x 16.5" (7.17 L capacity) |
| Footprint size | 23.26" x 20.67" |
| Compatible litter | Bentonite and mineral cat litter; doesn't support tofu cat litter, unspecified with crystal |
| Suitable cat size | 2.2 lbs to 33 lbs |
| Special Features | Extra infrared and weight sensors |
- Traditional-looking box
- Extra infrared and weight sensors for added safety
- App can be buggy
Compare Our Picks
| WIRED | TIRED | Connected to an app? | Entry size | Footprint size | Compatible litter | Suitable cat size | Special features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petkit PuraMax Pro | Camera inside videos both your cat and its waste being scooped; app tracks usage and weight changes; works with both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi | App got cats confused once the free Care+ subscription was over; square opening may be off-putting to some cats; camera isn’t movable | Yes | Approx. 8 x 10” | Approx. 26 x 21 x 24" | Any clumping litter with granules shorter than 0.5 inches | 3.3 to 22 lbs | Camera; deodorizing cartridges |
| Whisker Litter-Robot 4 | Intuitive connected app; compatible with LitterHopper refill attachment; measures and notifies when litter level is low or waste drawer is full | Opening can be hard to refill; sensors get buggy over time | Yes | 15.75’’ x 15.75” | 22’’ x 27’’ | Clumping or scoopable clay litter (translucent or crystal may affect litter level monitoring) | 4 lbs minimum, no maximum | LitterHopper can be attached |
| Petkit PuraMax 2 | Odor eliminator attachment in the waste bin and has a deodorizing spray that goes off periodically; opening rotates up vertically for easier litter filling | No sensors to tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled; overcrowded, sometimes buggy app | Yes | 7.87" x 8.85" (76 L interior) | 24.4" L x 21.18" W | Clay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters; incompatible with crystal | 3.5 to 18 lbs | Odor eliminator attachment in the waste bin; a deodorizing spray that goes off periodically |
| Homerunpet Self-Cleaning Litter Box CS106 | Lots of space for larger cats; litter reservoir for automatic refilling | Huge footprint, may be too big for smaller spaces; poorly translated and sometimes confusing updates in-app | Yes | 10" L by 10.5" W | 27.44" L × 23.62" W | Tofu, bentonite, clay, mixed | Up to 20 lbs | Self-filling litter reservoir |
| Petkit Purobot Ultra | Rotating camera and two-way audio; AI cat identification; auto-packing and -sealing waste bag | Massive footprint; heavy; arm makes opening cramped; One of the priciest automatic litter boxes on the market | Yes | 8.58" x 9.84" | 20.94"x 32.20" | Clay, tofu, mixed, and bentonite litters (not recommended with litter longer than 0.5 in. or wider than 3 mm) | 3.3 to 22 lbs | Camera to see inside and out of the litter box; two-way audio; AI cat identification; auto-packing and -sealing waste bag |
| PetPivot Autoscooper 11 | Very inexpensive for the quality; easy to assemble; resembles traditional litter box | No connected app; manual buttons only; box may be too high for elderly cats | No | 16.33" x 15.35" (10L interior) | 21.5" x 21.5" | Bentonite and mineral (incompatible with tofu or crystal litter) | 3 to 22 lbs | No |
| Neakasa M1 Self-Cleaning Litter Box | Traditional-looking box; extra infrared and weight sensors for added safety | App can be buggy | Yes | 17.09" x 16.5" (7.17 L capacity) | 23.26" x 20.67" | Bentonite and mineral cat litter; doesn't support tofu cat litter, unspecified with crystal | 2.2 lbs to 33 lbs | Extra infrared and weight sensors |
Others We Tested
Els Pet Orbitie for $260: This is one of the least expensive lidded automatic litter boxes. It functions much like the more expensive models, with an internal 65-liter-capacity orb that rotates and catches clumps with a plastic grate, depositing them into a bag-lined box below. The opening is a generous 12 by 12 inches—plenty big enough for my two 7-year-old cats, who took to it almost immediately despite never having seen anything but a traditional litter box. The accompanying Orbitie app doesn’t offer an extensive amount of information; it tells the user the volume of litter and what step of the cleaning phase the box is currently in, as well as how many times the box has been used and at what times. The first test unit I received was faulty—it sent multiple phantom alerts to the app, letting me know it had cleaned itself as many as 36 times a day, which I knew for a fact was not true. The replacement unit, however, works just as intended, though the bin beneath fills up fast (about every other day with my two cats), and it occasionally needs to be disassembled and cleaned, as tiny pieces of cat litter have a tendency to get in the gears beneath the orb (and make a loud grinding noise). However, this isn’t an unusual occurrence even with pricier boxes. Online reviews panned an earlier version of this box, but Orbitie says this is an improved version. Thankfully, like the bigger brands, Orbitie also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re on the fence. —Kat Merck
FurryTail Automatic Litter Box Pro for $300: I was surprised at how quickly and easily my cats took to this litter box—even my larger cat, who hates change, quickly started using it. Setup was super easy, and the box comes with a year's supply of waste bag liners, an additional grate attachment, and a mat to reduce litter tracking. Similar to many models, the circular orb rotates, sifting dirty litter into a waste bag, which on this model is on top of the machine rather than below. The box has both a manual display and buttons on the machine, as well as an app to adjust settings. I'd include this model in our top picks because of how easy it was to set up and use, as well as how much my cats liked it, but the app was basically useless. Through the app, you can adjust settings like timed cleanings and do-not-disturb modes, manually clean, and monitor waste levels. However, the app never tracked usage or weight, and for the majority of the time, didn't clean when I manually instructed it to. The sensors would sense ghost cats and refuse to clean, with the litter box not automatically cycling for the majority of the day (which sort of defeats the purpose). This automatic litter box has tons of potential, but I can't fully recommend it until the kinks (especially in the app) are ironed out.
Casa Leo Leo's Loo Too Automatic Litter Box for $700: This automatic litter box was a top pick for a long time, but it's pricey and a bit cramped for some cats. We still like it, but think the options above are better for most people (and cats). There are four weight sensors inside the barrel to detect when a cat is still inside (it needs just 1 pound of weight to detect your cat), an anti-pinch sensor (for fingers and paws), and a radar system that detects when anyone, feline or human, is near it. For extra cleanliness, it also uses ultraviolet light for extra sanitation. The Smarty Pear app (on iOS and Android) alerts you when the drawer is full (about once a week), records the times your cat used it, the cat's weight, and you can set it to automatically clean six seconds to 20 minutes after your cat uses it. You can start a cleaning session manually from the app or use your voice if you connect the box to Alexa or Google Assistant. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano’s biggest struggle using the Loo Too was pouring new litter into it, which can be tricky because of the small entry hole. The barrel is also pretty cramped, especially for her 12-pound cat.
PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin Self-Cleaning Litter Box for $340: This basic automatic litter box is around half the price but has a similar design to more expensive models. This futuristic-looking pod on legs has a rubbery bottom for litter, a weight detector that sets off the cleaning cycle a few minutes after your cat has done its business, and a slide-out tray in the bottom. After they’ve been, the body rotates, and a mesh catches the clumps and deposits them in the tray, where there’s a bag with a wee deodorizer unit that smells like watermelon. You can connect it to Wi-Fi and review your cat’s toilet visits in the app on your phone, where each entry displays the time they went, their weight, and toilet trip duration. This self-cleaning litter box was easy to build and works surprisingly well, even though it feels kinda cheap. Ultimately, as a relatively affordable self-cleaning litter box, the PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin is worth a look. —Simon Hill
Not Recommended
PetSnowy Snow+ Self-Cleaning Litter Box for $560: This box looks like something from Kubrick’s visions of space travel, or if Eames started making plastic litter boxes. It takes up quite a bit of horizontal floor space, so it may not be ideal for those in cramped apartments looking to conserve space. Unlike all others on this list, this globe is closed during cleaning, which could cause injury if the machine malfunctioned and didn’t sense a cat. The box also doesn’t tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled. My cats had a really hard time using it—they just couldn’t understand that it was a litter box. Older cats could have a tough time jumping into it, and the smaller opening could be a problem if you have bigger cats. It might be great for someone who wants to keep things tidy—it’s extremely clean, smells good, and hugely reduces litter tracking. However, we just can't recommend the box since the opening closes during cleaning, which is not safe.
The Pet Zone Smart Scoop for $166: This is probably the least “smart” automatic litter box we've tested—it's a typical rectangular plastic box with an automatic arm that acts as a rake and scoops the clumped (soiled) litter into a small bin on the other side. Once the cat leaves, it begins a 15-minute countdown and the rake slides over the length of the box, (ideally) scooping up the waste and lifting it into the receptacle. You’re only allowed to fill the litter box with about an inch and a half of litter, which my cats didn’t like (they prefer a few inches to really bury it). The rake doesn’t stop when it's in the cleaning cycle—even if something jumps in, which is potentially dangerous. My cats tend to pee on the side of the litter box, which, because of the rake’s placement, means it misses an inch on either side—I still had to scrape the caked-on litter from the edges. The cycle timing can’t be adjusted, so that the litter didn’t have time to clump completely and the rake would immediately break it down into smaller clumps that would then be missed because they were too small. For me, the hassle's not worth it, and I’d rather just scoop it myself.
