PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin Self-Cleaning Litter Box Review

ScoopFree SmartSpin specs

Running costs: with our defaults, consumables for one cat come to about $1.58 a month plus litter. Deodorizers last about 15 days each; we couldn't confirm their price, so they're not included. See the full breakdown in the cost calculator.

Versions and bundles

Each option is a separate Amazon listing. Prices, where shown, are dated snapshots, not live prices.

Specs are compiled from manufacturer pages, Amazon listings and independent reviews and can change between production runs. Confirm the weight range and what's in the box on the Amazon page before buying.

We haven’t tested the PetSafe ScoopFree SmartSpin ourselves. This review draws on WIRED, which tested it among more than 30 automatic boxes, plus PetSafe’s specs and the Amazon listing.

The SmartSpin is PetSafe’s answer to the PETKIT PuraMax 2: a spherical box on legs that turns to sift clumps into a sealed drawer and logs visits in an app. Unlike PetSafe’s crystal boxes, it takes ordinary clumping litter. PetSafe lists it at $399.99, and WIRED lists it at $340. Check the price, since the gap between those two figures is wide.

Who it’s for (and who should skip it)

It’s for owners who want a big-brand box with app tracking under $400 and who’d rather use regular clumping litter than buy proprietary trays. It’s rated for cats up to 25 lb, and WIRED found it easy to build and said it works surprisingly well.

Skip it if you want more than one kind of sensor. The SmartSpin relies on weight detection alone. At a similar price, the PETKIT PuraMax 2 combines proximity and weight sensors, and PETKIT says its entrance stays open during rotation. Skip it too if you have a senior cat, given the 12 in height. If build quality matters, note WIRED’s comment that it feels “kinda cheap”.

How it cleans, and how safe it is

WIRED says a weight detector starts the cycle a few minutes after the cat leaves. That’s the only detection method: there’s no infrared or laser curtain like those on the Litter-Robot 4 or the PETKIT boxes. Weight-only sensing works as long as the cat is heavy enough to register, which is why the kitten rule matters.

Whether the entry stays open through the whole cycle is not confirmed. Neither PetSafe nor a named review in our sources says so either way. Watch the first few cycles yourself.

The Amazon listing says to keep the box unplugged or auto-clean off until a kitten is at least 2.5 lb and 6 months old. Put your cat’s numbers into the cat safety checker, and read are self-cleaning litter boxes safe? to see how weight-only boxes compare with multi-sensor designs.

Living with it

Litter

PetSafe says any litter works and recommends premium clumping litter. WIRED found it worked surprisingly well. The interior is smooth with no grooves, which makes it simple to wipe down between litter changes. See best litter for self-cleaning litter boxes.

Emptying and odor

The 6 L drawer holds up to two weeks of waste for one cat, according to PetSafe. The Amazon listing says to empty it weekly with two or more cats. The drawer is sealed and has a clip-in deodorizer, and each deodorizer lasts about 15 days.

App

The app logs each visit’s time, weight and duration. It connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, so check that your router broadcasts a 2.4 GHz network.

Height

The box sits 12 in from the ground, according to PetSafe. That’s a climb for older cats or cats with mobility problems, so turn on the mobility option in the safety checker if that’s your cat.

Running costs

The SmartSpin’s consumables are cheap. Liners cost $17.99 for 25 at list price on Amazon (a snapshot showed $13.49). Our cost model assumes about 2.2 liners per cat per month, from PetSafe’s two-week drawer figure, which works out to about $1.58 per cat per month. Litter is Dr. Elsey’s Ultra at $22.99 for 40 lb from Chewy, at 10 lb per cat per month.

That’s about $7.33 a month, or roughly $88 a year, for one cat. Over five years, with the box at $340, we estimate about $780 for one cat and about $1,220 for two. That’s the lowest five-year total among the boxes we’ve modeled. Deodorizers aren’t included, because we couldn’t confirm their price. Adjust the inputs in the cost calculator.

What you’ll need beyond the box

• Litter: Dr. Elsey’s Ultra unscented, 40 lb.
• Liners: SmartSpin waste bin liners, 25 count, $17.99 list.
• Deodorizers: SmartSpin deodorizers, 2-pack. Each lasts about 15 days.
• Mat: a Gorilla Grip 35 × 23 in mat.

The SmartSpin Bundle in black adds a litter mat, 50 liners and four deodorizers if you’d rather buy everything at once. The warranty is a one-year limited warranty.

Bottom line

The SmartSpin is a solid, cheap-to-run clumping-litter box from a big brand. WIRED found it worked surprisingly well, the app logs visits and weight, and it has the lowest five-year cost we’ve modeled. The trade-offs are weight-only sensing, a 12 in step-up, a build WIRED calls cheap-feeling, and an entry we can’t confirm stays open during cycling. At its usual price, the PuraMax 2 gives you more sensors for about the same money. To see how it fits your home, try the litter box matcher, compare PetSafe’s range in PetSafe ScoopFree vs Litter-Robot, or check the SmartSpin price.

Featured in our guides

• The Best Budget Self-Cleaning Litter Boxes Under $400 (2026)
• Best Self-Cleaning Litter Box With Health Monitoring: Weight, Visit and Camera Tracking Compared
• PetSafe ScoopFree vs Litter-Robot: Crystal Trays or a Rotating Globe?

Sources

• amazon.com
• petsafe.com
• wired.com