There's a lot more to upgrading your equipment in Moon Sweepers than replacing your Toothbrush with a bigger broom. Between the Supply Wall, Upgrade Matrix, Garage, and construction system, you can improve everything from cleaning width and storage capacity to movement, selling profits, and automated collection. Not every upgrade is available in the same place, though, and some improvements only affect certain equipment. Here's a breakdown of the available upgrades, their costs and benefits, and which ones are worth your money.
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Where to Buy Upgrades
All Cleaning Tools and Prices
Upgrade Matrix Bonuses
Suit and Tool Belt Upgrades
Vehicle Upgrades
Automation and Building Upgrades
Upgrades in Multiplayer
Which Upgrades Are Worth Buying?
Where to Buy Upgrades in Moon Sweepers
Moon Sweepers separates its upgrades across several menus. Where you need to go depends on whether you're improving a handheld tool, buying an ability, upgrading a vehicle, or adding machinery to your base.
- Supply Wall: Purchase cleaning tools, Tool Belt slots, and suit equipment.
- Upgrade Matrix: Buy improvements for cleaning, containers, movement, logistics, and the economy.
- Garage: Purchase vehicles and install upgrades specific to them.
- Building Tool: Construct cleaning robots, conveyors, production machinery, and other infrastructure.
The Upgrade Matrix contains five categories: Containers, Cleaning, Suit, Logistics, and Economy. These provide improvements beyond purchasing a new broom or vehicle.
One distinction worth remembering is that handheld equipment upgrades aren't the same as vehicle upgrades. Increasing your brush's cleaning width through the Upgrade Matrix doesn't automatically improve a sweeper's cleaning area. Vehicle modifications are handled through the Garage.
All Cleaning Tools and Prices in Moon Sweepers
There are six handheld cleaning tools, beginning with the free Toothbrush and ending with the Extra Wide Broom. Each provides a different cleaning width and starting dust capacity.
| Cleaning Tool | Price | Base Width | Base Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toothbrush | Free | 12 cm | 0.5 kg |
| Nail Brush | $5 | 18 cm | 0.75 kg |
| Hand Brush | $10 | 24 cm | 1 kg |
| Household Broom | $25 | 43 cm | 3 kg |
| Wide Broom | $75 | 65 cm | 6 kg |
| Extra Wide Broom | $150 | 98.8 cm | 12 kg |
These are the starting specifications before additional improvements are applied.
The Household Broom is one of the strongest early purchases because its 43 cm cleaning width is a substantial increase over the Hand Brush's 24 cm, while its dust capacity triples from 1 kg to 3 kg.
That makes it a more meaningful improvement than simply buying the next inexpensive brush in the shop.
The Extra Wide Broom eventually reaches almost a full meter of cleaning width, but whether it's worth purchasing depends on how close you are to moving into vehicle cleaning.
How Do Tool Capacity Upgrades Work?
Individual tools can also receive capacity improvements, letting you collect more dust before the container fills.
For example, the Household Broom has a $30 upgrade that increases its capacity from 3 kg to 6 kg. That's twice as much dust between packing interruptions.
These upgrades are separate from the broader Dust Compactor bonus in the Upgrade Matrix.
I wouldn't invest heavily in the smaller brushes just to maximize their individual stats. If you're about to replace a tool with something significantly wider, it's worth comparing the upgrade price against the cost of buying that better tool outright.
All Moon Sweepers Upgrade Matrix Bonuses
The Upgrade Matrix is where you'll find some of the most useful long-term improvements in Moon Sweepers. Its bonuses can affect cleaning performance, container capacity, movement, material handling, and the amount of money you earn.
Here's a breakdown of the named upgrades and their effects:
| Upgrade | Effect | Known Cost / Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Wide Heads | Increases handheld cleaning width | $40 / +8% at Level 1 |
| Dust Compactor | Increases handheld dust capacity | $150 / +15% at an early level |
| Auto Packer | Automatically packs dust when your tool fills | Check Upgrade Matrix |
| Servo Stride | Improves movement speed | Check Upgrade Matrix |
| Rapid Transfer | Speeds up dust deposits and transfers | $30 at Level 1 |
| Market Contracts | Increases launch payouts | $120 / +6% at Level 1 |
| Supplier Network | Reduces eligible purchase costs | 5% discount at one level |
| Region Bounty | Increases cleaned-region rewards | +$15 per region at one level |
| Lunar Exchange | Adds another selling bonus | $2,500 after Market Contracts Level 3 |
The prices and bonuses shown are for the specified levels. Additional upgrade tiers can have different costs and benefits.
Cleaning and Container Upgrades
Wide Heads and Dust Compactor improve two different parts of manual cleaning.
Wide Heads makes each pass cover more ground, while Dust Compactor lets your tools hold more material. Auto Packer addresses the interruption caused by a full container, automatically creating a capsule when that happens.
There's an interesting difference between upgrading your current brush and replacing it altogether.
Take the starting Toothbrush, which has a 12 cm cleaning width. An 8% width increase adds less than one centimeter to that base figure. Compare that with purchasing a Household Broom for $25, which starts at 43 cm.
That's why I'd prioritize getting a decent cleaning tool before investing too much money into percentage improvements for the starter equipment.
Once you're using wider brooms regularly, those additional bonuses become more worthwhile.
Movement and Logistics Upgrades
Servo Stride and Rapid Transfer are useful for different reasons.
Servo Stride improves movement speed, making it more convenient to travel across the lunar surface. Rapid Transfer reduces the time involved in depositing and transferring collected dust.
Auto Packer can also reduce interruptions while cleaning, although automatically packing dust doesn't mean it gets sold automatically. Capsules still need to reach the Depot or a connected transport system.
Economy Upgrades
Market Contracts, Supplier Network, Region Bounty, and Lunar Exchange focus on the financial side of your operation.
Market Contracts improves your dust-selling payouts. The first level costs $120 and adds a 6% bonus, making it increasingly useful as your deposits get larger.
Lunar Exchange becomes available after Market Contracts Level 3 and provides an additional selling improvement, giving you another way to increase your earnings.
Supplier Network is different because it saves money on eligible purchases rather than improving sales. A 5% discount on $2,000 worth of qualifying purchases would save $100, so timing matters if you're planning an expensive equipment shopping spree.
Region Bounty rewards completed cleaning areas instead, making it more useful when you're consistently finishing sectors.
For a closer look at selling bonuses, see our Moon Sweepers Market Contracts guide.
Moon Sweepers Suit and Tool Belt Upgrades
The Supply Wall also contains equipment that improves how you move around the Moon, manage your tools, and see during nighttime cleaning.
Tool Belt Upgrades
Your Tool Belt allows you to carry multiple pieces of equipment without constantly returning to the station to switch tools.
The second Tool Belt slot costs $15, while the third costs $30. You can eventually expand the belt to hold up to six tools.
Additional slots are primarily a convenience purchase. They won't make a brush clean faster, but they become useful when you're regularly switching between different equipment.
Gravity Boots
Gravity Boots cost $250 and allow you to switch to Earth-like gravity using the B key.
They're useful for changing how you move across the lunar surface, particularly if you prefer a more controlled movement experience.
Forward Jetpack
The Forward Jetpack costs $300 and provides a forward movement boost when you double-tap Spacebar.
It's a mobility upgrade rather than a cleaning improvement, so I'd consider it once you're comfortable with your existing tools and want more movement options.
Night Vision Goggles and Helmet Lighting
Patch 1.0.4 introduced Night Vision Goggles for $350, giving you another way to see during Moon Sweepers' long nighttime periods.
Press N to cycle between your helmet lamp, Night Vision Goggles, and turning your lighting off.
Helmet lighting upgrades are also available through the station's Supply Wall following the update.
Night Vision Goggles are worth considering if you regularly continue cleaning after dark, but they're not something I'd prioritize while you're still saving for your first proper broom or vehicle.
All Vehicle Upgrades in Moon Sweepers
Vehicles have their own upgrade system through the Garage. These improvements affect the vehicle you're working with rather than simply applying the same bonuses available to your handheld tools.
The main vehicle upgrades include:
- Suction Control: Adjusts cleaning coverage by trading some travel speed for a wider intake.
- Big Hopper: Increases the amount of dust a vehicle can store.
- Quick Release: Improves unloading speed.
- Tuned Motors: Improves vehicle movement performance.
- Turbo Kit: Provides additional speed improvements.
Which of these upgrades deserves your money depends heavily on the vehicle and what you're using it for.
For example, increasing hopper capacity is useful if you're regularly filling your vehicle before finishing a cleaning route. But if unloading already takes longer than collecting the dust, installing Quick Release may be more useful than adding another capacity upgrade.
Suction Control introduces another choice. Increasing the cleaning area can help clear wider sections of terrain, although the accompanying speed reduction means you won't necessarily travel across the Moon as quickly.
I'd focus vehicle upgrades on the sweeper I actually use instead of investing in several vehicles just because they're available.
Remember that vehicle purchases themselves are separate from upgrades. The Push Sweeper starts at $300, the Ride-on Sweeper costs $1,000, the Lunar Sweeper costs $2,500, and the Mega Vacuum Rover costs $6,000. Each offers a different starting point for further improvements.
Automation and Building Upgrades in Moon Sweepers
Not every major improvement comes from an upgrade menu. Some of the biggest changes to your cleaning operation happen when you purchase buildings that take over jobs you previously handled yourself.
You'll need the $50 Building Tool to begin constructing equipment.
Robot Vacuum Mk I and Mk II
The Robot Vacuum Mk I costs $250 and covers 19 hexes around its dock. The Mk II costs $500 and expands that coverage to 37 hexes.
These are useful when you want an area cleaned while you're working somewhere else. The larger model covers more ground, but both depend on having dirty terrain within their reach.
Once the surrounding area has been cleaned, the robot no longer has fresh dust to collect from that location.
Packager and Conveyor Automation
The $100 Packager provides a convenient way to deposit collected dust into a Conveyor system, allowing the material to travel toward the station without you carrying every load back manually.
When paired with automated collectors, a working Conveyor network can also handle dust deliveries while you continue cleaning elsewhere.
Our Moon Sweepers Auto Selling Guide covers setting up these connections and getting paid automatically.
JOONAS and the Capsule Catcher
JOONAS is one of the largest automation investments, costing $20,000. Unlike stationary Robot Vacuums, it can travel between dirty sectors and clean beyond a single dock's coverage.
It sends collected dust capsules toward the nearest Capsule Catcher, which costs another $1,500 and allows those materials to enter your transport system.
Patch 1.0.4 improved JOONAS with faster cleaning and continued operation when players move farther away.
At a combined $21,500, JOONAS and a Capsule Catcher are better suited to an established operation than an early cleaning setup.
They're also separate construction purchases rather than additional levels of the Upgrade Matrix.
Are Upgrades Shared in Moon Sweepers Multiplayer?
Yes, but it depends on which type of upgrade you're purchasing.
Since Patch 1.0.3, everyone in a multiplayer crew uses the host's Upgrade Matrix. When any crewmate purchases an improvement there, the upgrade applies to the entire crew.
This makes shared bonuses such as Market Contracts and other Matrix improvements particularly useful for groups working together.
However, individual cleaning tools, personal equipment, and owned vehicles are a separate matter. Purchasing a new broom or vehicle doesn't automatically give every teammate their own copy.
Vehicle ownership also works more conveniently after Patch 1.0.3. You can store, retrieve, and upgrade vehicles you own through any Garage instead of being restricted to the one where the vehicle was originally purchased.
If you're playing with friends, I'd agree on the next major Matrix purchase before spending money. A bonus that benefits everyone's current activity can provide more immediate value than several individual purchases that only one person uses.
Which Upgrades Are Actually Worth Buying in Moon Sweepers?
With so many ways to improve your equipment, it's easy to spend a lot of money without seeing much difference in how quickly you clean.
Our recommendation is to separate essential improvements from purchases that are mainly about comfort or convenience.
The Household Broom is one of the most useful early purchases because it offers a substantial improvement over your starting equipment for just $25. If you continue cleaning manually, wider brooms and additional container capacity are natural investments.
Market Contracts is a strong economy upgrade once you're regularly selling dust. Its bonus applies to the money you're already earning, so the benefit continues as your cleaning operation grows.
For vehicles, hopper capacity, suction coverage, and unloading speed are all useful, but there's no single improvement I'd purchase first for every sweeper. A vehicle that constantly fills up needs a different upgrade from one that's struggling to unload its collected dust.
Mobility and visibility upgrades are more situational. Gravity Boots, the Forward Jetpack, and Night Vision Goggles can make certain activities more comfortable, although none directly increases your cleaning width or dust-selling value.
Supplier Network is also worth considering before making several expensive purchases, since a discount is considerably more useful before you've spent the money than afterward.
If you're trying to decide how much to invest before changing equipment entirely, our Moon Sweepers guide to spending smarter and cleaning faster covers those broader purchasing decisions.
The best upgrades in Moon Sweepers aren't necessarily the most expensive ones. A relatively cheap improvement can have a major effect when it addresses something you're dealing with constantly, while an expensive perk might barely matter if you've already moved beyond the equipment it benefits. Check what each purchase actually changes, make sure it applies to the tools or vehicles you're using, and you'll get far more value out of your upgrades.
