Quick Answer: The Polaris Freedom Plus ($1,699.99 list, seen as low as $1,349.95 at Leslie’s) is a cordless robotic pool cleaner that adds a hand-held remote control with underwater LiFi communication and NavTech smart mapping on top of the same core cleaning as the cheaper base Freedom. Per Polaris’s own specs, both models run about 2.5 hours per charge and recharge in under 5 hours — so the Plus’s premium buys you direct manual control and mapping, not extra runtime. It suits owners who want to drive the robot by hand into a specific corner, not just set it and walk away.
Polaris built its reputation on pressure-side cleaners that need a booster pump, so a cordless, cable-free robot under the Polaris badge is still a relatively new proposition. The Freedom Plus is the brand’s answer to premium cordless rivals like Beatbot and Aiper — and its standout idea, a physical remote you can use underwater without an app, is genuinely different from anything else in this review series. It’s one of eight robotic models in Polaris’s current lineup, ranked alongside the rest in our best Polaris pool cleaner guide. Here’s what’s actually confirmed, and who it’s for.
Polaris Freedom Plus at a glance
| Spec | Polaris Freedom Plus (2026) |
|---|---|
| Type | Cordless robotic pool cleaner (in-ground) |
| Cleans | Floor, walls, waterline |
| Coverage | In-ground pools up to 50 ft |
| Battery | ~2.5 hours (150 min) per full charge |
| Charging | Under 5 hours via included charging caddy |
| Cleaning modes | Floor Only, Floor + Walls, Waterline, Smart Cycle |
| Control | Hand-held remote (LiFi) + Wi-Fi app |
| Navigation | NavTech smart mapping |
| Filtration | Multi-layer top-load basket |
| Waterproof rating | IP68 |
| Warranty | 2-year limited |
| Price | $1,699.99 list (seen as low as $1,349.95) |
| Rating | ★★★★☆ |
Polaris Freedom Plus
- Hand-held remote with underwater LiFi communication — drive it by hand, no app pairing required.
- NavTech smart mapping plus cyclonic vacuum technology with dual traction motors.
- Four cleaning modes including a Smart Cycle that sizes the run to your pool.
- 2-year limited warranty and an IP68 waterproof rating.
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By the numbers
- Runtime: Polaris’s own spec page rates the Freedom Plus for approximately 2.5 hours of cleaning per full charge, matching the 150-minute figure retailers like Leslie’s list — enough for one full cycle on a typical residential pool.
- Charge time: Per Polaris, a full recharge takes under 5 hours using the included charging caddy — identical to the base Freedom’s charge time, so the Plus doesn’t trade convenience for runtime.
- Price spread: List price is $1,699.99, but Leslie’s has sold it for $1,349.95 — roughly a 20% swing on the exact same SKU, so it pays to compare retailers before buying rather than assume list price.
- What you’re actually paying more for: Both Freedom models share identical published runtime, charge time and cleaning-mode counts — the Plus’s roughly $300–500 premium over the base Freedom buys the hand-held remote, NavTech mapping and cyclonic vacuum technology, not more cleaning power on paper.
What it does well
The remote is a real differentiator. Every other cordless robot in this review series — Beatbot’s AquaSense line, Aiper’s Scuba series, WYBOT’s C-series — is controlled through a phone app or left to run its automatic cycle. The Freedom Plus’s hand-held remote uses LiFi to communicate with the robot underwater, so you can manually steer it into a corner full of leaves or park it under a diving board without opening an app or worrying about Wi-Fi range at the pool.
No app dependency for basic operation. Because the remote works independently of a home network, the Freedom Plus is a reasonable pick for pools where Wi-Fi signal doesn’t reach reliably — a real limitation for app-only cordless robots like the Aiper Scuba S1 or Beatbot AquaSense 2.
Polaris’s cleaning fundamentals. Cyclonic vacuum technology and dual traction motors with independent brush rotation are built for wall-climbing and debris pickup, and the multi-layer top-load filtration basket handles both fine and coarse debris without a separate bag.
Four real cleaning modes. Floor Only, Floor + Walls, Waterline, and a Smart Cycle that sizes the run to pool size cover the common scenarios without digging into a menu.
Where it falls short
- No runtime advantage over the cheaper Freedom. Both models publish the same ~2.5-hour runtime and under-5-hour charge time on Polaris’s own site, so buyers should be clear-eyed that the Plus’s price premium is entirely about control and mapping features, not more cleaning time.
- Pricier than app-only rivals with similar cleaning scope. The Beatbot AquaSense 2 (
$749) and Aiper Scuba S1 ($699.99 list) clean floor, walls and waterline for hundreds less if you don’t need the remote. - 50-ft pool ceiling. Like the base Freedom, it’s rated for in-ground pools up to 50 ft — check your pool’s longest dimension before buying if you have a large or irregular-shaped pool (see our best robotic pool cleaner for large pools guide).
- Retailer price spread makes list price unreliable. A ~20% gap between Leslie’s sale price and list price means shopping around matters more than usual for this specific model.
Polaris Freedom Plus vs the alternatives
| Model | Control | Runtime | Standout | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris Freedom Plus | Hand-held remote + app | ~2.5 h | LiFi remote, NavTech mapping | $1,699.99 list |
| Polaris Freedom | iAquaLink app only | ~2.5 h | Same cleaning, lower price | ~$1,199–1,399 |
| Beatbot AquaSense 2 | App | Up to 4 h | Surface parking, 3-yr warranty | ~$749 |
| Aiper Scuba S1 | App | Up to 3 h | Best value wall climbing | ~$549.99–699.99 |
Within Polaris’s own lineup the choice is simple: the Plus if you want to drive it by hand and don’t want to depend on an app or Wi-Fi; the standard Freedom if you’re content with app-only control and want to save $300–500 for identical runtime. Against the wider cordless field, both Polaris models cost meaningfully more than the Beatbot AquaSense 2 or Aiper Scuba S1 for the same floor-walls-waterline coverage — the Polaris badge and the remote are what you’re paying extra for, not a longer cleaning cycle. See the full field ranked in our best cordless robotic pool cleaner guide.
Polaris Freedom (standard)
- Same ~2.5-hour runtime and under-5-hour charge as the Plus.
- iAquaLink Wi-Fi app for remote monitoring and mode selection.
- No hand-held remote or NavTech mapping — Smart Cycle handles the routine instead.
Who should buy the Polaris Freedom Plus
Buy it if you want a Polaris-brand cordless cleaner with hands-on control — the remote is genuinely useful for chasing a leaf pile into a corner or working around a pool with patchy Wi-Fi coverage, and NavTech mapping is a real feature the base model lacks. It suits in-ground pools up to 50 ft where you’re willing to pay a few hundred dollars more than app-only rivals for that control.
Skip it if you’re happy leaving a cleaner on its automatic cycle and never touching a remote — the Beatbot AquaSense 2 or Aiper Scuba S1 clean the same floor-walls-waterline combination for considerably less, or the base Polaris Freedom if you want the Polaris name without paying for the remote at all.
The bottom line
The Polaris Freedom Plus doesn’t out-clean its own cheaper sibling on paper — both share the same runtime and charge time per Polaris’s specs — but it’s the only cordless robot in this category with a genuine hand-held, app-free remote and dedicated smart mapping. That’s a real, if narrow, reason to pay the $1,699.99 list price (less if you catch Leslie’s sale pricing) over the base Freedom or a cheaper app-only rival. For most pool owners the Beatbot AquaSense 2 remains the better value; for the owner who wants to physically drive their pool robot, the Freedom Plus is the one that lets you.