Litter & Litter Tech
Litter-Robot 4 vs Litter-Robot 5
Whisker publishes surprisingly little about either. What it does publish makes the choice simple, and it comes down to one number.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — here is how we're funded.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty litter boxes. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead: compile the published specs, read the manuals, and do the arithmetic on what this gear costs to run and how it behaves once there is more than one cat using it. Every spec is linked to the document it came from. Prices are checked daily — last verified October 19, 2026. Here is exactly how we pick.
The Litter-Robot 4 is $699 and the Litter-Robot 5 is $799. Whisker publishes enough about the difference to make the decision, but not nearly as much as you would expect for a thousand-dollar-class purchase — and what it withholds is as revealing as what it states.
Side by side, from Whisker’s own pages
| Specification | Litter-Robot 4 | Litter-Robot 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $699 | $799 |
| Cats supported | Not published | Up to 5 |
| Cat weight range | 3-25 lb | 3-30 lb |
| Entryway | 15.75" x 15.75" | 15.75" x 15.75" |
| Footprint | 22" W x 27" D | 22" x 27" |
| Height | 29.5" | 29.9" |
| Weight, empty | 24 lb | 28.7 lb |
| Globe capacity | Not published | Not published ("slightly larger") |
| Waste drawer capacity | Not published | Not published ("improved... and size") |
| Display | Not specified | LCD |
| Waste recognition | No | WasteID |
| Warranty | 1 year, 3-year plan optional | 1 year, 3-year plan $100 |
Every row is quoted or summarized from Whisker's own Litter-Robot 4 and Litter-Robot 5 product pages, read 3 September 2026. Rows marked 'not published' are blank on Whisker's site; we have not estimated them.
The one number that decides it
This matters more than it sounds. In a category where nobody publishes drawer volume, a manufacturer that will commit to a specific number of cats is giving you the only capacity signal available. It is a claim Whisker can be held to. “Slightly larger globe” is not.
Where each one wins
The 4 wins on price, and only on price
It is $100 cheaper, 4.7 lb lighter to move when you clean under it, and half an inch shorter. The entryway is identical, the footprint is identical, and for a one- or two-cat household with cats under 25 lb there is nothing the 5 does that changes your week.
The 5 wins on headroom
A published five-cat rating, a weight range extended to 30 lb, a bigger drawer and waste recognition. If you have a large breed — a Maine Coon, a Ragdoll, a big Norwegian Forest cat — the 25 lb ceiling on the 4 is a genuine constraint and the 5 is the only one of the two you should be considering.
The verdict by household
| Household | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cat, average size | Neither, probably | Two ordinary boxes cost a fraction and satisfy the Cornell n+1 count. See our worth-it guide. |
| 2 cats, average size | Litter-Robot 4 | Nothing the 5 adds applies. Save the $100 toward the consumables. |
| 3 cats | Litter-Robot 5 | Published headroom is worth paying for at the point where capacity starts to bind. |
| 4-5 cats | Litter-Robot 5 | The only unit here with a published rating that covers you. |
| Any cat over 25 lb | Litter-Robot 5 | The 4's published weight range stops at 25 lb. |
The cost neither page quotes
Both units share the same consumable model, and with three cats it runs to roughly $228 a year at Whisker’s own listed prices — $156 of drawer liners and $72 of carbon filters, worked out in full on the running-costs page. That is a third of the purchase price again, every year, and it is identical whichever of the two you buy. Factor it in before the $100 difference feels significant.
The comparison neither of these wins
If you are choosing between the 4 and the 5 with an open mind, it is worth knowing that the Neakasa M1 publishes both its litter capacity (7.17 L) and its waste capacity (11.23 L), takes ordinary bin bags rather than proprietary liners, and states a noise figure. On published data it is a more transparent product than either Litter-Robot, which is why it leads our automatic box roundup. What it does not do is contain odor the way an enclosed drawer does — it is open-topped by design.
The gear discussed here
Specs are the manufacturer's own, linked to the page they came from. Prices come from a live daily check; where we have no verified price we say so rather than print a stale one.
Whisker Litter-Robot 4
Whisker · Automatic litter box · Our score 8.1/10
#ad Price as of October 19, 2026. Prices move; we check daily. How we're funded.
The biggest entryway and the largest published cat-weight range of the enclosed units, and the only one whose maker publishes an actual power-supply spec you can cost out.
Published specs
| Entryway | 15.75" x 15.75" |
|---|---|
| Footprint / height | 22" W x 27" D x 29.5" H |
| Weight, empty | 24 lb |
| Cat weight range | 3-25 lb |
| Power supply | 15 V DC, 400-1000 mA (6-15 W) |
| Warranty | 1 year, 3-year plan optional |
| Globe / drawer capacity | Not published by Whisker |
Source: Whisker -- Litter-Robot 4 product page and power supply spec article
Whisker's own spec sheet accepts a 15 V supply between 0.4 A and 1.0 A. Take the 1.0 A ceiling: 15 W x 24 h x 365 = 131.4 kWh, x $0.1834 = $24.10. That assumes the motor runs flat out every hour of the year, which it does not -- so the real figure is well below this. The consumables are the actual cost.
What the specs favor
- Largest published entryway of the enclosed units here, at 15.75 inches square
- Whisker publishes a real power-supply rating, so running cost is computable
- Cat weight range published as 3-25 lb
- Three-year extended warranty available at purchase
What they don't
- Whisker does not publish globe or waste-drawer capacity, which is the number that actually decides how often you empty it with three cats
- Waste drawer liners are a proprietary consumable at $25 per 25-pack
- Carbon filter is a separate monthly consumable
- Whisker publishes no cat-count rating for this unit at all, so sizing it for a multi-cat house is guesswork
You have five cats. Whisker rates the newer Litter-Robot 5 for up to five and this one carries no published cat-count rating at all -- buying the older unit for a bigger household is guessing.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Whisker Litter-Robot 5
Whisker · Automatic litter box · Our score 8.4/10
Reference link This one sells direct and we earn nothing on it. We link it anyway because it belongs in the comparison. How we're funded.
The only enclosed automatic box here that carries a published cat-count rating, and the rating is five -- which is the whole reason to pay the extra $100 over the 4.
Published specs
| Cats supported | Up to 5 (published) |
|---|---|
| Cat weight range | 3-30 lb |
| Entryway | 15.75" x 15.75" |
| Footprint / height | 22" x 27", 29.9" H |
| Weight, empty | 28.7 lb |
| Warranty | 1 year WhiskerCare, 3-year plan $100 |
| Drawer capacity | Not published; described only as larger than LR4 |
Source: Whisker -- Litter-Robot 5 product page
$799 list divided by the five cats Whisker rates it for. The Litter-Robot 4 at $699 carries no published cat rating, so the same sum cannot be done for it -- which is itself the argument for the 5 in a big household.
What the specs favor
- Published rating for up to five cats -- the only unit here that states one
- Cat weight range extended to 30 lb, up from 25 lb on the LR4
- Same 15.75-inch square entryway as the LR4
- Larger waste drawer than the LR4, per Whisker
What they don't
- $100 more than the LR4 for a household that does not need the extra rating
- Whisker still does not publish a drawer volume in liters or gallons
- 4.7 lb heavier than the LR4, which matters if you move it to clean
- Direct-sale, so no reliable Amazon price history
You have one or two cats. Everything the 5 adds over the 4 -- bigger drawer, higher weight ceiling, five-cat rating -- is headroom a two-cat house will never reach.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Neakasa M1 Open-Top Self-Cleaning Litter Box
Neakasa · Automatic litter box · Our score 8.6/10
#ad Price as of October 19, 2026. Prices move; we check daily. How we're funded.
The only automatic box here that publishes both its litter capacity and its noise figure, and the only open-top design -- which matters because cats prefer uncovered boxes.
Published specs
| Litter capacity | 7.17 L |
|---|---|
| Waste bin capacity | 11.23 L |
| Footprint / height | 23.26" x 20.67", 20.2" H |
| Entry height | 13.86" |
| Weight, empty | 22.81 lb |
| Cat weight range | 2.2-33 lb |
| Operating noise | Not more than 50 dB (published) |
Source: Neakasa -- M1 product page
11.23 L bin. Whisker's own guidance for its comparable drawer is emptying twice a week for two cats, i.e. roughly 3.5 days per two cats. Scale that to three and the bin needs emptying about every 4 days on published volumes -- an extrapolation from a competitor's published interval, not a measurement of this unit.
What the specs favor
- Publishes litter capacity (7.17 L) and waste bin capacity (11.23 L) -- almost nobody else does
- Publishes an operating noise figure of 50 dB or less
- Open top, which is the design cats are documented to prefer
- Takes ordinary clumping litter and ordinary bin bags -- no proprietary tray or liner
- Widest published cat weight range here at 2.2-33 lb
What they don't
- Open top means odor is not contained the way an enclosed drawer contains it
- 20.2 inches tall with a 13.86-inch entry -- a big step for an arthritic cat
- Bigger footprint than the enclosed units at 23.26 x 20.67 inches
Odor is your main problem. An open top vents into the room by design; if the smell is what you are trying to fix, an enclosed drawer with a carbon filter is the shape you want.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Casa Leo Leo's Loo Too
Casa Leo · Automatic litter box · Our score 7.9/10
#ad Price as of October 19, 2026. Prices move; we check daily. How we're funded.
Publishes both litter and waste capacity at 1.5 gallons each, which is more than Whisker will tell you about either of its units.
Published specs
| Litter capacity | 1.5 gal (6 L) |
|---|---|
| Waste drawer capacity | 1.5 gal (6 L) |
| Dimensions | 22" x 24" x 27.6" |
| Weight | 27.5 lb |
| Noise | About 30 dB (Casa Leo) |
| Weight sensors | Four, accurate to plus or minus 1 lb |
| Cat weight | 1-20 lb typical; 55 lb maximum load |
| Odor control | Bamboo carbon filter plus UV |
Published 6 L litter capacity. At the 2-inch depth the Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative recommends, that is a full charge of litter every time you strip it -- roughly a 12 lb bag of clumping clay every two changes on package volumes.
What the specs favor
- Publishes litter AND waste capacity, both 1.5 gallons
- Four weight sensors with a published accuracy of plus or minus 1 lb
- Bamboo carbon filter is a standard consumable, not a proprietary tray
- Takes ordinary clumping litter
What they don't
- 27.6 inches tall and 27.5 lb -- awkward in a small bathroom
- Published cat range tops out around 20 lb for comfortable use
- 6 L waste drawer is smaller than the Neakasa M1's 11.23 L
You have a Maine Coon or a Ragdoll over 20 lb. The published comfortable range stops around 20 lb and a large cat in a rotating drum is not a place to find out where the limit is.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Common questions
Is the Litter-Robot 5 worth the extra $100 over the 4?
What is actually different between the Litter-Robot 4 and 5?
How big is the Litter-Robot waste drawer?
Do the Litter-Robot 4 and 5 use the same accessories?
How much electricity does a Litter-Robot use?
Sources
Read next
- Best Automatic Litter Boxes for Multiple Cats (2026)
Five automatic boxes ranked on published litter and waste capacity, and on what a year of consumables actually costs with three cats.
- What an Automatic Litter Box Actually Costs to Run
The full year-one and year-two running cost of every major automatic litter box, computed from published prices with the arithmetic shown.
- Are Automatic Litter Boxes Worth It?
Break-even arithmetic against ordinary boxes, worked from published prices, with a clear answer for one, two and three cat households.
- How Many Litter Boxes Per Cat?
The n+1 rule, its published source, a count-by-household table, and why four boxes in a row is really only one box.
- Litter Setup for Multiple Cats
Box counts, room-by-room placement, which box types to mix and why, for households with two or more cats.
- Litter-Robot 4 vs Neakasa M1
The enclosed globe against the open top, on published footprint, weight range, waste capacity and noise -- with a verdict by household.
- Litter-Robot 4 vs PetSafe ScoopFree
The rotating globe against the raking tray, on published specs and on what each one costs to keep running for a year.