BrilliantPad Smart Self-Cleaning Indoor Dog Potty (Smartphone App + 1 Roll)

Why it's worth it

The BrilliantPad rolls a fresh pad forward after each use and wraps the old one in odor-blocking film, so waste is sealed instead of sitting out. A camera and app let you check in from work, and one roll covers roughly 25 to 30 uses.

Sealing waste beats absorbing it, and that's the case for spending more. Every other system here leaves the mess exposed until you deal with it. This one wraps it. If you're gone for ten hours and your apartment is 600 square feet with one window, coming home to sealed waste instead of a soaked pad is the difference between a livable setup and one you resent. Odor control is the top criterion for buyers in this category by a wide margin, per aggregated Chewy review data.

BrilliantPad's specs put one roll at about 25 to 30 uses — call it two to four weeks for a single small dog — and the pads are five layers thick, so a single use doesn't soak through. The app tracks when your dog goes, which sounds like a gimmick until you're using it to spot that your puppy suddenly went four times in an hour.

From our review of 7 indoor dog potty systems for apartments

What we like

• +Sealing waste beats absorbing it, and that's the case for spending more
• +BrilliantPad's specs put one roll at about 25 to 30 uses — call it two to four weeks for a single small dog — and the pads are…
• +The catch is right there in the specs: this is for dogs under 25 pounds
• +Setup asks for a power outlet and Wi-Fi, and it will occupy a permanent spot on your floor

What to know

• –It is not odorless, and owners who expected that are the loudest critics
• –Rolls are an ongoing purchase, and you're locked into the manufacturer's
• –Some owners report the pad doesn't span the full width of the tray, leaving a strip where a dog can miss