Litter-Robot 4 vs Litter-Robot 5 (2026)

Pick Litter-Robot 4 if you want the known globe, the cats are inside a 3–25 pound line, four cats is the crowd you actually have, and you would rather keep the $100. Whisker still lists it at as low as $699.

Pick Litter-Robot 5 if a cat is between 25 and 30 pounds, you want the waste-type feature they call WasteID, or their “up to 5 cats” line matches the house and you will still empty a drawer. They list it at as low as $799.

Pick a scooped box if the kitten is under the weight line, the budget is the whole story, or you will not wash a globe. Kitten litter is the first-year object. A robot is later.

On Whisker’s chart and 4-vs-5 article, LR4 is up to 4 cats, about 3–25 pounds, and a waste drawer they describe as about 8 days for one cat. LR5 is up to 5 cats, about 3–30 pounds, and about 10 days for one cat. Those day counts are their household sketch. Two cats who share a grudge will not hit the brochure.

The same sources say LR4 wants a carpet tray if it sits on carpet, and that LR5 is listed as usable on more floors without that add-on. Confirm the floor you own before you treat the $100 gap as pure profit. LR4 is the one they currently pair with LitterHopper. Their 4-vs-5 table has listed LitterHopper for the LR5 as coming soon. If the hopper is the feature you came for, read today’s accessory page. We will not freeze a “coming soon” into a promise.

Both are rotating globes, clumping litter, an app, and a drawer. You still buy litter. You still want a mat. “Never scoop again” remains the ad.

Whisker describes WasteID as telling urine from feces, for odor control and for the app. Some of the smarter claims on the LR5 page are tied to Whisker+, and they say features can take weeks of use before they settle. A subscription icon is not included in the sentence “as low as $799” unless the cart says it is.

A weight graph is not a urinalysis. A cat who strains, cries, or produces no urine does not get a software watch. That is a same-day clinic, including for a cat who “usually” uses the robot. Urinary diets are what a veterinarian prescribes after an exam.

PrettyLitter’s color chart is the other version of this mistake. Is PrettyLitter worth it explains why a consumer signal is not a culture.

Litter-Robot EVO is the compact fork on the same chart: Whisker has listed it around $599, for fewer cats (they say up to two) and a lower top weight (about 3–19 pounds). Buy EVO if the apartment is the constraint and you have one cat who fits. Do not buy it because it is “the new one.” LR5 is the new flagship. EVO is the smaller appliance.

Litter-Robot 5 Pro is a different price — Whisker’s 4-vs-5 article has listed it at $899 — with cameras and identification features that want Whisker+. If you wanted a camera, read pet cameras and decide whether the camera belongs in the litter closet. A camera does not empty the drawer.

Litter-Robot 3 Connect is discontinued on Whisker’s store. Retailers have still listed leftover new units around $499–$549. Parts, the app, and a warranty that ages out are the skip-ifs. We would not start a first robot purchase on a model the manufacturer has left behind. The cost-over-time page is how to think about year two on whichever globe you do buy.

Skip both if the cat is under about 3 pounds, too old to step in, or you needed a $150 covered box. Skip LR5 if you are paying $100 for WasteID and you will ignore the app. Skip LR4 if your cat is over the 25-pound line they publish and you are hoping the sensor will be generous.

Skip a used marketplace unit with no warranty as a “deal” unless you can live with a brick. The multi-cat stack still wants more than one box when the politics require it. A robot can be one of the boxes. It is not the peace treaty.