Polaris Freedom Plus Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner Review

Polaris robotic pool cleaners have earned several Editors’ Choice awards over the years, starting with the Polaris Sport 9550, which we reviewed in 2014. 10 years later, the Polaris Freedom Plus pool cleaner joined the list. Unlike the cable-powered Sport 9550, the Freedom Plus is battery-powered and completely cordless: just drop it in the water and let it do its thing. At $1,649, it’s priced among other capable cordless pool cleaners like the Seauto Shark ($999.99) and the Beatbot AquaSense Pro ($2,199). Like every cordless pool model, the Freedom Plus loses its Wi-Fi connection when underwater, but it comes with a unique remote that lets you control it using a light signal. With its excellent cleaning performance, easy cordless operation, and easy underwater control support, the Freedom Plus won our Editors’ Choice Award for robotic pool cleaners.

Design and Features: Built like a bulldozer

The Freedom Plus looks a little different from other Polaris cleaners we’ve tested. Instead of the four wheels used to propel the corded Polaris Alpha IQ+ ($1,499), it uses treads similar to what you’d find on a bulldozer. It measures 11.0 by 16.0 by 16.5 inches (HWD), weighs 20 pounds, and has a handle on the front that makes it easy to move from the pool to the charging station and carry. On the side of the handle is a small antenna for use with an underwater remote.

The robot has a two-tone blue finish with black trim, a gray scrubber on the front, and a lid with a transparent panel that lets you see inside the debris canister. As with other Polaris cleaners, the canister can be easily removed and cleaned with a garden hose without getting your hands dirty. Just behind the lid is an outlet that lets the water out while the robot is cleaning.

Onboard controls are located on the back of the cleaner. Here, you’ll find a slider switch that’s used to start the robot, select a cleaning mode (floor or floor/wall), and pair the cleaner with the mobile app. There are two cleaning mode indicators (one for each), a battery level indicator and a Wi-Fi indicator An operating status LED flashes blue when the robot is out of water and ready to dive, and at the end of a clean cycle when it is ready to be removed from the pool. A blinking red LED means there is a problem with the robot. Missing is the dirty filter indicator and water temperature sensor that you get with the AlphaIQ+.

The Freedom Plus Cleaner is designed for in-ground pools up to 50 feet long and up to 13 feet deep. It is equipped with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio and is powered by a 9.6Ah lithium-ion battery rated for up to 2.5 hours of use. It takes just under five hours to fully charge the battery.

The robot comes with a charging station and caddy, a hook you can attach to a standard net pole (not included) to move the cleaner when needed, and a 9.4-inch remote control. Because Wi-Fi signals don’t travel well through water, Freedom loses its Wi-Fi connection while working in the pool. However, you can use the remote control, which uses light signals to communicate with the cleaner while underwater, to drive the cleaner forward, backward, left and right. The remote allows you to start or stop the current cleaning cycle and initiate the lift system, which sends the cleaner to the side of the pool where it releases water for easy removal. Simply place the tip of the remote in the water and point it at the antenna mentioned above to control the cleaner. This feature is missing from other cordless cleaners like Beatbot AquaSense Pro and Seauto Shark.

The Freedom Plus uses the same iAquaLink mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as other Polaris cleaners. In addition to the floor and floor/wall cleaning modes available via the onboard controls, the mobile app offers two additional options: Smart Cycle Mode calculates an optimized cleaning cycle based on the size and shape of your pool, and Waterline Mode will have the robot only scrub the waterline.

Tap the name of the cleaner on the My System screen to open a control panel with a large circle in the middle that shows the cleaner’s status and cleaning mode setting. A battery life indicator can be found in the top-left corner and a start button is located below the status circle. At the very bottom is a button that opens a screen where you can set the cleaning mode. Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner to view system information such as model and serial number, battery statistics, and firmware information.

Setup and Performance: Squeaky clean

Setting up the Freedom Plus Cleaner is quick and easy. I started by assembling the caddy, which requires no tools and comes with an illustrated guide. I attached the caddy bar to the base and then attached the wheels to the base using two snap-in axles. I slid the handle onto the caddy bar, snapped the charging station into the caddy, and attached the hook and remote clamp to the handle. I charged the cleaner for five hours and was ready to pair it with the mobile app.

I had already downloaded the app from previous Polaris reviews, so I tapped the plus button in the upper-right corner of my system screen, selected Robotic Cleaner, and tapped Cordless. After scrolling through a tutorial that explained how to assemble the charger caddy, I slid the slider button on the cleaner to the right and held it for ten seconds to put it in pairing mode. My phone immediately recognized the Freedom Plus, so I entered my Wi-Fi credentials and gave the cleaner a name to complete the setup process.

The Freedom Plus did a great job cleaning the floor, walls, and waterline of my 16-by-32-foot in-ground pool, sucking all kinds of debris from my filter, including acorns, leaves, and sand. It takes 150 minutes to finish the floor and walls, 140 minutes to complete a Smart Cycle, 90 minutes to clean the floor only and 30 minutes to scrub the waterline. After each cycle, the robot climbed to the waterline, where it was easily removed after the water was removed and cleaned with a spray from a garden hose.

The light-guided remote wand worked perfectly, allowing me to guide the robot anywhere for on-demand spot cleaning. The lift system also worked without issue, sending the robot to the side of the pool where I could lift it without using the hook.

Verdict: A supremely convenient robot pool cleaner

With Polaris Freedom Plus, you can spend more time enjoying your pool and less time maintaining it. It’s cordless, so all you have to do is juice it up in the convenient charging caddy, set a cleaning mode using your phone or onboard controls, and drop it in the pool. Once it finishes a cleaning cycle the robot will be waiting for you poolside—it doesn’t get any easier than that. Its $1,649 price is a bit higher than other Polaris models, and it lacks water temperature readings and dirty canister notification, but it does offer underwater controls, a feature we’ve never seen in a cordless cleaner. That, and its excellent cleaning performance, earns the Freedom Plus our Editors’ Choice award

About John R. Delaney

Contributing Editor

I’ve been working with computers for many years, starting with a multi-year job in purchasing for a large IBM reseller in New York City before finally landing at PCMag (when it was still in print). PC Magazine) I spent over 14 years on staff before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor, most recently as Director of Operations at PC Labs.

Read full biography of John R

Read the latest from John R. Delaney

• Dreo Smart Air Circulator Polyfan 704S Review
• TP-Link Archer GE800 BE19000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router Review
• Asus RT-BE88U review
• Beatbot AquaSense Pro Review
• Asus RP-AX58 AX3000 Dual Band Range Extender Review
• More from John R. Delaney