What under-$800 buys (and what it doesn't)
- You get: floor cleaning, usually walls, 90-150 minutes of runtime, cordless freedom, salt compatibility.
- You don't get: waterline cleaning (that starts in the A$900+ bracket), fine filtration, or AI mapping.
If waterline scum is your main battle, save a little longer — buying twice costs more than buying right.
The pick of the bracket — Dreame Z1
Gyroscopic navigation at an entry price: it sweeps the pool methodically instead of bouncing at random, and covers floor plus walls. Nothing else in the bracket navigates this well.
The cheapest that's still a real product — Aiper Seagull SE
Floor-only, random navigation, but with a real brand, real parts and real support behind it. For a simple or above-ground pool, it's all you need.
In between, the Wybot S1 adds wall climbing at a floor-only price — the quiet value pick.
The sub-$450 trap
Below roughly A$450, marketplaces overflow with unbranded clones: no spare parts, no Australian support, batteries that quit by summer two. The teardown price buys a disposable robot.
The rule: identifiable brand, available parts, reachable support — or walk away.
The wrap-up
- Best in bracket: Dreame Z1.
- Cheapest real product: Aiper Seagull SE.
- Walls on a floor-only budget: Wybot S1.
- Need waterline? Step up a bracket — our cordless Australia guide covers it.