Litter-Robot 4 vs HomeRun Pet CS106: The $700 Automatic Litter Box Showdown
ReviewBy SuperZydan4 min read
GiftedBoth litter boxes in this video, the HomeRun Pet CS106 and the Litter-Robot 4, were given to me for free. No money changed hands, and all opinions are mine.
No one likes scooping litter. I have two automatic litter boxes here: the Litter-Robot 4 from Whisker, which most people have already heard of, and the newer HomeRun Pet CS106, which refills its own litter. Both cost about the same, so I put them side by side to show you what's good and what's bad about each.
Size
The Litter-Robot 4 has a really wide entrance, almost 17 inches, and the inside is about 65 to 75 liters.
The HomeRun Pet's entrance is smaller, about 11 inches, but the inside is huge: 105 liters with an 18-inch bed. A Maine Coon or a 20 lb cat fits with plenty of room to turn around. My Siberian, Zeus, is about 20 lb and he uses it no problem.
The trade-off is that the HomeRun Pet takes up a lot more space. This thing is a tank. The Litter-Robot 4 isn't small either, but it takes up less room.
Auto-refill
This is one of the biggest differences. The HomeRun Pet notices when the litter gets low and refills itself from a reservoir on top. With one cat, the reservoir can last you about two weeks. With three pets, you can still go about a week without adding litter.
The Litter-Robot 4 can auto-refill too, but that's a separate attachment you buy, around $100.
The apps
The Litter-Robot 4 leans hard into tech. Its app can tell which pet used the box based on weight. If you have more than one cat, that's great for catching things like UTIs early, because you know who's going, when, and how often.
The HomeRun Pet app shows a 3D view of the machine, toggles for child lock and night mode (it stays silent while you sleep), and your litter, refill tank and waste bin levels at a glance. It also graphs bathroom trips by day, week or month, logs how long each visit was, and tracks your cat's weight.
Litter and waste
The Litter-Robot 4 only works with regular clay clumping litter. Anything else messes up the sifting.
The HomeRun Pet comes with two filters that pop in and out with two clips, so you can use clay, tofu or fine crystal litter.
The Litter-Robot's waste drawer is 10 liters. The HomeRun Pet's is 12 liters, with a spot in the front to hold your bags, a second waste bin, and a gel deodorizer to lock in smells.
Safety
Both are very safe. The Litter-Robot 4 uses a laser curtain and a weight scale, so it stops if a cat gets near it. The HomeRun Pet uses radar and a weight sensor, plus physical anti-pinch bumpers that stick out so it can never close all the way.
Cleaning cycle and noise
The Litter-Robot 4 rotates one way and then the other to sift the litter. It takes about 2 minutes and it's very quiet.
The HomeRun Pet sifts the same way but also moves up and down a few times to level the litter. That takes about 4 minutes, so roughly twice as long, and it's a little louder. Still not loud at all.
What I liked
- Litter-Robot 4: per-cat health tracking, a quick and very quiet cycle, and a smaller footprint.
- HomeRun Pet CS106: a huge interior for big cats, auto-refill built in, and it takes tofu and crystal litter.
Heads up
- The HomeRun Pet needs a lot of floor space, and its cycle is about twice as long.
- The Litter-Robot 4 is clay litter only, and auto-refill costs about $100 extra.
Who it's for
Go with the Litter-Robot 4 if you're a data nerd. It weighs your cats and tracks how often they go, so you can catch health issues before they turn into emergency vet bills. It's also whisper quiet, which is good if your cat spooks at loud appliances.
Get the HomeRun Pet CS106 if your cat is an absolute unit, or if you just never want to think about litter. It refills itself, so you don't scoop and you don't top it off. You can ignore it for about two weeks.
My take
Pick the Litter-Robot for health tracking, or the HomeRun Pet for pure lazy automation.
What's in the video
Products in this video
Some of these are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- View on HomeRun Pet
HomeRun Pet CS106 Self-Refilling Litter Box
The self-refilling box from the video.
Other options to look at
- Check on Amazon
Whisker Litter-Robot 4
I've tested thisThe other box in this showdown. Pick it for the health tracking and the quieter, faster cycle.
- Check on Amazon
PETKIT PuraMax 2 Automatic Litter Box
Haven't tested itAnother well-known self-cleaning box with an app, if you want a third option to compare.
