Are Robot Lawn Mowers Worth the Investment? Agricultural Engineers Weigh In

Ready to gain back all that time you spend mowing your lawn? Good news: Manufacturers have been perfecting residential robotic mowers to take a big task off your to-do list. New units can mow larger, more complex yards than their robot predecessors, and they’re easier to install and use, too. We dug in to learn what’s available and where each type works best.

What Is a Robot Lawn Mower?

A robotic lawn mower works a lot like a robot vacuum cleaner, charging on a base that you plug into a standard outlet. You’ll leave the unit outside throughout the mowing season, and the mower will independently cut your grass on a schedule you set, returning to its base for a recharge after each mow is complete.

Currently, around 10 companies offer roughly 50 different models for residential mowing, says Jeff Lattimer, who founded Autmow to help people sort through the options and select the one that best fits their lawn and budget.

How Do Robot Lawn Mowers Work?

Robotic mowers are designed to mow every day or two, clipping just the tips of the grass blades each time. There are two main types to consider.

Wired Units

Wired units operate within a perimeter wire installed around your mowing area. They’re the most affordable option, at around $700 to $4,000, depending on their features and battery size, Lattimer says. If your property has heavy tree cover, this is likely your best option, because its alternative relies on satellite technology and requires a clear line of sight to the sky.

If you go with DIY installation, you’ll stake the wire closely to the ground yourself. Over time, the grass will grow over the wire, which will "bury itself," Lattimer says. You can also choose to have professionals bury the wire 3 to 4 inches deep. Like a robot vacuum cleaner, the mower in a wired unit will move around within its defined space, using sensors that stop and redirect it when it bumps up against something.

The most affordable units connect to your phone locally through Bluetooth and move randomly. The pricier ones connect through a cellular service and are equipped with GPS mapping technology that gathers and stores information about where they have been, helping them more efficiently cover off on all areas of your lawn from day to day.

Wireless Units

Wireless units are newer and combine several technologies, including multiple cameras and a precise form of GPS known as real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning, to stay within their boundaries without a wire. A small base station or beacon that works a bit like your own little cell phone tower is part of the package.

These units currently cost between $1,500 and $6,000, Lattimer says. Even with the higher price tag, they have been popular since their introduction in 2022 because of their efficiency, ease of use, and ability to mow in patterns.

With this type of mower, you will use an app on your phone to virtually map your property on its initial run. You can create multiple work areas if you’d like, each with its own settings, and change the details any time. If there’s a deep rut on your property that you’d like the mower to avoid, you can program that in, too. You’ll also be able to program a schedule and choose a mowing pattern, like those satisfying stripes or checkerboards you can make with a gas-powered mower.

The app also facilitates ongoing communication with your mower, so you’ll know exactly where it is. Wireless units also use ultrasonic radar sensors to detect and avoid obstacles, like the shoes your kids kicked off or the stuffie your dog left out in the yard.

Both types come in two-wheel or all-wheel drive models, and while the latter is more expensive, you’ll be happier with its "mountain goat" capabilities if you’ve got a lawn with lots of bumps, ruts, ditches, or hills, Lattimer says.

Advantages of Using a Robotic Lawn Mower

The many advantages of using a robotic lawn mower include saving time and energy, along with a healthier lawn.

Time and work saved

In addition to freeing up the time you would have spent mowing, the frequency of mowing with a robotic unit means you don’t ever have to bag and manage grass clippings, notes Karen Panetta, an electrical and computer engineer at Tufts University. A robotic mower can also make independent living more feasible for people managing health conditions and mobility challenges.

Ease of use

Once a wireless robot mower is set up, there’s little maintenance, Lattimer says, other than changing its three to five blades—a task you can expect to do about every six weeks or once a season, at a cost of about $1 to $3 per blade.

Compact size

Many residential robot mowers are around 28 to 30 inches square and 20 to 35 pounds. "You hang it on the garage wall for the winter," Lattimer says.

It’s relatively quiet

While the average gas-powered mower operates at 85 to 90 decibels, many popular robotic mowers operate in the range of 57 to 60 decibels, comparable to normal conversation. Some edge up to around 70 decibels, similar to a regular washing machine.

But while manufacturers promote the convenience of running robot mowers at night, it’s worth noting that the World Health Organization recommends less than 40 decibels of annual average night noise outside of bedrooms, and U.S. cities with noise ordinances often set them at around 45 decibels for extended night noise in residential areas.

It's more eco-friendly

Since robot mowers use electricity via lithium batteries and produce no emissions, they are a more sustainable option than gas-powered mowers.

It promotes a healthy lawn

Robots trim a little at a time, which is less stressful for the grass than bigger cuts and nourishes the soil by leaving the tiny clippings to mulch into the soil.

Disadvantages to Using a Robot Lawn Mower

The high initial costs and sometime complicated setup are the primary disadvantages of investing in a robot lawn mower.

Initial cost

While most gas-powered push mowers range from $100 to $500, a robot mower will set you back anywhere from $700 to $6,000, depending on operation type and features. A riding mower is more comparable to that in cost, at $1,800 to $5,000.

Setup

Apps make setup fairly easy for wireless units, but if you go with a wired unit, you’ll need to invest time or money to lay the boundary wire, and the process can be frustrating, some owners say.

Wire breaks

If your system has a boundary wire, there’s always the possibility that an animal will gnaw through it or you, a city worker, or someone else (including the robot) could inadvertently cut it. That means you’ll have to troubleshoot and fix it or hire someone to repair it.

Bottom Line: Is a Robotic Lawn Mower Worth It?

For people who aren’t able to mow their lawns or want to focus their non-work time on relationships and other meaningful activities, a robot mower can definitely be a worthwhile investment, Panetta says.

Lattimer sees that in the customers Autmow serves. "Folks are thrilled with how much time they’re saving and how well it’s doing overall," he says. "If there are concerns, usually it's something that's a little like nip and tuck to the installation itself."

And as robotic mowers have been adopted in Europe, Australia, and now the U.S., manufacturers have been able to test more new technology, says John Evans, PhD, professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue University. "They’re getting more and more sophisticated each passing year."