Quick Answer: The Polaris 280 ($599.99 sale / $899.99 regular, PoolSupplies.com) and Polaris 380 ($749.99-$849) look like a simple one-jet upgrade — dual venturi jets versus three — but independent testing shows the real gap is bigger than that. Home Grail rates the 280 just 4 out of 10 (The Pool Nerd calls it Disapproved), while the 380 scores 4 out of 5 stars overall, with strong build-quality, power, and feature scores. Both still require a separate booster pump (roughly $400-500 more, per Poolbots and The Pool Nerd) to actually run. The 380 is the better buy for most leaf-heavy pools; the 280 only makes sense if the roughly $150-250 price gap is the deciding factor.
Both cleaners already show up side-by-side in our individual Polaris 280 review and Polaris 380 review, each FAQ briefly naming the other as “the one with an extra jet.” That framing undersells how different the two actually test. Here’s the full side-by-side, verified against PoolSupplies.com, Walmart, Home Grail, and The Pool Nerd.
Polaris 280 vs 380 at a glance
| Polaris 280 | Polaris 380 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $599.99 sale / $899.99 regular (PoolSupplies.com) | $749.99 (PoolSupplies.com) to $849 (Walmart), up to $1,098.94 some retailers |
| Jets | Dual venturi | Triple venturi |
| Power source | Separate booster pump required (~$400-500) | Separate ¾ HP booster pump required (~$400-500) |
| Cleans | Floor only (vacuum + sweep tail) | Floor, walls, and steps |
| Drive | TankTrax, narrow turbine + drive shaft | All-wheel belt drive, 20 m/min, auto-reverse |
| Filtration | Single-chamber filter bag (large debris only) | Single-chamber filter bag (large debris only) |
| Cleaning cycle | 3 hours or less | 3 hours or less (Home Grail measured ~2 hours in practice) |
| Independent verdict | Disapproved (The Pool Nerd) / 4 of 10 (Home Grail) | 4 of 5 stars overall (Home Grail) |
| Home Grail component scores | Not individually published | Build 4.3/5, Power 4.6/5, Features 4.5/5, Price 2.4/5 |
By the numbers
- The price gap is smaller than the quality gap. The 380 costs roughly $150-250 more than the 280’s sale price — but Home Grail’s scoring puts the 280 at 4 out of 10 against the 380’s 4 out of 5 stars (≈8 out of 10), a far bigger spread than the dollar difference alone suggests.
- One extra jet, one extra zone of coverage. Polaris’s own spec sheets confirm the 280 cleans floor only, while the 380’s third jet also powers wall and step cleaning — the jet count difference isn’t just about speed, it changes what surfaces each cleaner actually reaches.
- Neither sticker price includes the booster pump. Poolbots and The Pool Nerd both estimate roughly $400-500 on top of either cleaner’s listed price — a cost that applies equally to both models, so it doesn’t change the relative comparison, only the real total each one costs.
Polaris 280: the lower-cost entry point
Polaris 280
- Dual venturi jets and a large single-chamber bag for leaf and acorn pickup — floor only, no wall or step cleaning.
- Requires a separate booster pump (not included), roughly $400-500 more per independent estimates.
- The Pool Nerd rates it Disapproved; Home Grail scores it 4 out of 10.
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The 280’s case is purely cost — it’s the cheapest way into Polaris’s pressure-side lineup, and its dual venturi jets still haul leaves and acorns competently. But Home Grail’s 4/10 and The Pool Nerd’s Disapproved verdict both land on dated navigation and floor-only coverage as real limitations, not just nitpicks. Full details in our Polaris 280 review.
Polaris 380: the stronger all-around pick
Polaris 380
- Triple venturi jets add wall and step cleaning on top of floor coverage, with all-wheel belt drive and auto-reverse.
- Home Grail scores it 4.3/5 build quality, 4.6/5 power, 4.5/5 features — only price (2.4/5) drags the rating down.
- Still requires a separate booster pump, same ~$400-500 estimate as the 280.
The 380 is the stronger cleaner by every independent measure that isn’t price — Home Grail’s own overall verdict of 4 out of 5 stars reflects real coverage gains (walls and steps, not just floor) on top of the extra jet. Full specs and independent-tester notes in our Polaris 380 review.
Polaris 280 vs 380 vs the alternatives
| Model | Jets | Power source | Standout | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris 280 | Dual venturi | Booster pump required | Lowest-cost entry point | $599.99 sale + booster pump |
| Polaris 380 | Triple venturi | Booster pump required | Highest Home Grail score | $749.99-$849 + booster pump |
| Polaris 360 | N/A (no jet count published) | Existing circulation pump | No booster pump needed | ~$574-679 |
| Polaris VRX iQ+ | N/A (robotic) | Standard outlet | App control, 4WD, fine filtration | ~$1,499 |
Against each other, the 380 is the stronger buy on everything except sticker price. Against the rest of the Polaris lineup, both lose ground fast once the booster pump is factored in — the Polaris 360 skips that extra purchase entirely, and the Polaris VRX iQ+ filters finer water and scrubs walls without needing a second piece of equipment. See the full field in our best Polaris pool cleaner guide.
Which should you buy?
- Choose the 380 if: you can stretch the budget roughly $150-250 further — Home Grail’s scoring shows this buys a meaningfully better cleaner, not just one extra jet.
- Choose the 280 if: the lower sticker price is the deciding factor and floor-only coverage is acceptable for your pool.
- Either way: budget for a separate booster pump (~$400-500) on top of whichever model you pick — neither one runs without it.
- Consider skipping both if: you’d rather avoid the booster-pump purchase entirely — the Polaris 360 or a robotic cleaner solves that.
The bottom line
The Polaris 280 and 380 aren’t a clean apples-to-apples upgrade pair — the spec sheet says “one extra jet,” but Home Grail’s independent testing says the real gap is bigger: a Disapproved/4-out-of-10 cleaner versus a 4-out-of-5-star one. The Polaris 380 is the better buy for most leaf-heavy or larger pools if the extra $150-250 is workable. The Polaris 280 still earns its keep as the cheapest way into Polaris’s pressure-side line, as long as floor-only coverage and a dated navigation system are acceptable tradeoffs. Either way, budget for the booster pump both models require before comparing total cost to a robotic alternative.