After going through an intensive research process to narrow down our short list of top products in this space, we tested most of our top five to be sure that these products are worth your time. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter and test to verify manufacturer claims.
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Robot vacuums are one area in which the 21st century has somewhat aligned with "Jetsons"-style predictions. In the last few years, they have become widely available at a variety of price points, from budget models to feature-packed robots that avoid obstacles, mop your floors and empty their own dustbins.
Not only can the best robot vacuums turn this common household chore into something easy and convenient, but they also free up your time, so you can relax. You can schedule automatic cleanings or ask your smart speaker or smartphone to start your vacuum while you're on the couch or on vacation.
The BestReviews Testing Lab tested more than 30 robot vacuums. We evaluated them on performance, ease of use, smart capabilities and build quality. We ran tests on carpet and hardwood flooring, checked their ability to move from one surface to the other and examined their overall navigation. We paid special attention to how well they sucked up pet hair and cat litter. Finally, we assessed how easy they were to clean and maintain.
At the top of our list is the DREAME L40 Ultra Gen 2 Robot Vacuum and Mop, which keeps floors sparkling clean with its superior suction and innovative design.
Editors' Favorite
Battery life: 230 min | Dimensions: 13.8” L x 13.8” W x 3.8” H | Dock capacity: 3.2 L | Weight: 8.58 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 is one of the most powerful robot vacuums on our list, allowing it to provide complete floor cleaning. It delivers 25,000 Pa of suction power, so it can deep clean both hard floors and carpeting. Offering five suction levels, it lets you choose the right power for the floor type and the amount of dirt present. It even has a mopping function, so it can handle wet or sticky messes on hard flooring.
The L40 Ultra Gen 2 is highly efficient, thanks to its built-in dynamic laser that powers its obstacle-avoidance feature. It can navigate around objects, like toys, socks, furniture legs and other obstacles, so you don’t have to pick up around the house before you send the robot out. It also performs a 360-degree scan of your home to determine the optimal cleaning routes for truly thorough cleaning.
The all-in-one base also makes maintenance a breeze. It auto-empties the robot’s internal dustbin for up to 100 days, plus washes and dries its mopping pads. It even automatically refills the robot’s water tank for mopping, so it’s always ready to clean. The base charges the robot, too, which boasts a battery life of more than three hours.
Great Value
Battery life: 180 min | Dimensions: 13.78” L x 13.9” W x 3.8” H | Dock capacity: 2.7 L | Weight: 25.57 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Roborock Qrevo Series Robot Vacuum and Mop QV 35A is a powerful, feature-packed robot vacuum that makes keeping your floors clean as easy and convenient as possible. It provides 9,000 Pa of suction power, allowing it to remove embedded dirt, hair and other debris from carpeting and rugs and effectively clean hard surfaces. It also has an anti-tangle brush system with a full-rubber spiral main brush and an asymmetrical side brush that prevents hair from tangling or wrapping around them, so you don’t have to worry about your robot getting stuck.
In addition to removing dry debris from hard floors, this model also easily tackles wet or sticky messes. It features dual spinning mops that rotate at 200 rotations per minute and offer 30 adjustable water levels to effectively clean all hard floor types. The mop heads automatically lift to transition between hard surfaces and carpeting, preventing your carpets from getting wet.
You don’t need to babysit the QV35A while it’s cleaning, either. It uses PreciSense LiDAR navigation to scan and accurately map your home for more efficient vacuuming. It can store maps for up to four levels, too, so your entire house is covered. Its reactive obstacle-avoidance technology also allows it to move around items such as furniture, cords, toys and clothing, preventing it from getting stuck in the middle of cleaning.
Best Vacuum/Mop Combo
Battery life: 210 min | Dimensions: 13.98" L x 13.78" W x 4.24" H | Dock capacity: 2.5 L | Weight: 9.6 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Narwal Freo X10 Pro offers excellent mopping and vacuuming in a single midpriced model. In fact, it’s one of the most compelling and full-featured vacuum/mop combo robots in its price range.
The Freo X10 Pro offers 11,000 Pa of suction power combined with a floating tangle-resistant bristle-fin combo brush to get into carpet pile without damaging hardwood floors. It navigates smartly with a combination of LiDAR and cameras to recognize and avoid obstacles, so you don't have to worry about it getting stuck.
Its mopping capabilities are also impressive. Two triangular spinning mop heads press down and scrub against stubborn dirt and stains and reach into edges and corners for a thorough clean. Notably, Narwal doesn’t make you use a solution if you don’t want to; it cleans well with just plain water.
The X10 Pro’s self-empty dock holds up to 2.5 liters of dirt. It takes care of mop maintenance, like washing and drying, for you as well, and can empty and refill the robot’s water tank. Plus, dual side brushes feature a tangle-free design, so they're easy to maintain.
Best Bagless Robot Vacuum
Battery life: 120 min | Dimensions: 13.08” L x 8.43” W x 13.9” H | Dock capacity: 2.5 L | Weight: 15.25 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: No
If you’re looking for a robotic vacuum that won’t miss any spots while vacuuming, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum is up to the task. It vacuums in a precise grid and makes multiple passes over areas with heavy dirt and hair to ensure that every inch of the floor is clean and no debris is left behind. It also features a HEPA filter that traps 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, so you don’t have to worry about dust and allergens escaping into your home’s air.
This filtration system and powerful suction make it ideal for homes with pets, allowing it to pull embedded hair from carpeting and capture pet dander. However, it also has a self-cleaning brushroll, so you don’t have to worry about your pet’s hair getting stuck around the brushes.
The Shark AV2501AE also offers a highly advanced navigation system that allows it to learn your home’s layout. It uses 360-degree LiDAR vision to map your home, enabling it to clean your floors efficiently even in low light. It can also avoid obstacles in its path, so it doesn’t get stuck on cords, cables or other items.
Best Mid-Range Mop Combo
Battery life: 200 min | Dimensions: 12.83" L x 13.72" W x 4.4" H | Dock capacity: 2.5 L | Weight: 39.2 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Eufy Robot Vacuum E25 is a powerful robot vacuum-mop combo that makes maintenance a breeze. It features 20,000 Pa of suction power to remove dust, pet hair and other debris from both hard floors and carpeting. It also has anti-tangle brushes that keep hair from getting caught around them and prevent clogs inside the robot. Its unique corner arm also ensures your rooms are cleaned edge to edge, reaching into corners and along baseboards to remove all dirt and pet hair.
The E25 also has an all-in-one base that handles all of the most frequent maintenance tasks. It self-empties its onboard dustbin each time it docks, and the base can hold up to 75 days’ worth of debris for less frequent emptying. It also automatically refills the onboard water tank and washes and dries the mopping pads after each cleaning session.
You don’t have to worry about your robot running out of battery life in the middle of vacuuming and mopping, either. It can clean for up to 200 minutes on a single charge, so it’s ideal for larger areas. Its precise navigation and mapping also enable it to clean more efficiently, and the AI-backed obstacle avoidance lets it maneuver around over 200 common household objects even in low-light situations.
Best for Hard Floors
Battery life: 200 min | Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.9" W x 3.86” H | Dock capacity: 4 L | Weight: 11.7 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Mopping is a chore that’s become a favorite to pass on to a robot vacuum. The Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni adds a special trick to its mopping repertoire by being able to clean and refresh its mop attachment in the robot itself, no re-docking needed.
The Deebot X9 Pro Omni mop-and-vacuum robot has a rotating roller mop that spins at 220 rpm at multiple times the pressure of non-roller mops. The mop roller is designed to wring itself clean and refresh with new water as it spins, minimizing the reuse and spread of absorbed dirt. The X9 Pro Omni’s AI also prioritizes hard floor mopping, detecting the dirt level of the mop roller and automatically mopping again if needed.
For vacuuming, the X9 Pro Omni uses Ecovacs’ BLAST high-volume airflow and V-shaped split roller to pick up and remove dirt from all kinds of flooring and carpeting. The X9 Pro Omni has a low-profile silhouette thanks to front-mounted navigation sensors, so it can get under furniture. Its multipurpose dock cleans, washes, dries and refills the mop while storing 4 liters of collected dirt. It has a battery life of around 200 minutes, so it’s sure to get everything cleaned in one go.
Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair
Battery life: 180 min | Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.78" W x 3.8” H | Dock capacity: 2.7 L | Weight: 25.7 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Cleaning up pet hair is one of the most sought-after jobs for any robot vacuum. The Roborock Qrevo S5V does the job with enhancements to its roller and side brush that collects more hair while keeping it from getting tangled up in the works.
The Roborock Qrevo S5V combo mop-vac robot uses a floating rubberized roller to pick up dirt and pet hair from flooring surfaces. Its bristle-free, split-sided design helps keep pet hair looser and more accessible than bristle brushes, and channels the hair more neatly into its suction path, where 12,000 Pa of suction force takes care of the rest. The side brush’s arms are served like a spiral, also cutting down on hair wrap. With this system, the Qrevo S5V claims 100% hair removal.
The Qrevo S5V has spinning pads for mopping that also extend for edge and corner cleaning. Its dock stores seven weeks of dirt and holds enough water for over 3,500 square feet of mopping, while also washing and drying the mop heads automatically. It navigates with LiDAR and has 180 minutes of battery life.
Best for Pet Owners
Battery life: 180 min | Dimensions: 13.7” L x 13.86” W x 3.82” H | Dock capacity: 3.2 L | Weight: 9.79 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Pet owners certainly won’t find the Dreame L50 Ultra lacking when it comes to picking up hair and kibble around the house. Powered by a TurboForce high-speed motor, it delivers 19,500 Pa of suction, comparable to that of an upright vacuum. This intense power enables it to remove embedded dirt and hair from carpets, along walls and in corners for truly thorough whole-house cleaning.
The robot also features an anti-tangle brush system that prevents pet hair from getting caught around it. It consists of a bristled rubber brush and a TPU rubber brush that keep hair from wrapping around, so the Dreame L50 Ultra always maintains its suction.
It also has a mopping function, so your hard surfaces get just as complete a clean. It automatically lifts the mop head when on carpeting, too, so you don’t have to worry about your carpets getting wet. Best of all, its all-in-one dock not only auto-empties the L50 Ultra after each cleaning session for up to 100 days but also cleans and dries its mop pads and refills the robot with water for effortless maintenance.
Best Under $200
Battery life: 260 min | Dimensions: 13.78” L x 13.78” W x 3.83” H | Dock capacity: NA | Weight: 8.59 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: No | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Mova S10 Robot Vacuum is proof that you don’t need to break the bank to find a powerful, convenient robot vacuum. It offers 7,000 Pa of suction power, which is similar to what some pricier models provide. It can remove dirt, crumbs and other debris from hard floors without scattering it and even eliminate pet hair from carpeting.
Like higher-end models, the Mova S10 also has a mopping function to thoroughly clean hard floors. It automatically lifts the mop head depending on the floor that it’s on, though, so you don’t have to worry about your carpeting getting wet.
This robot is also easy to control. It has a connected app that lets you create cleaning schedules, adjust settings and create no-mop zones to fully customize how it cleans your floors. It’s compatible with Alexa, Siri and Google Home for voice commands, too, so you can just tell the S10 to start vacuuming when there’s a mess to clean.
Best for Mixed Flooring
Battery life: 240 min | Dimensions: 13.3” L x 12.07” W x 4.1” H | Dock capacity: 3 L | Weight: 35.2 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Whether it’s carpeting or hardwood, the Yeedi M14 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop offers deep cleaning for all your home’s floors. It boasts 18,000 Pa of suction power that allows it to pull embedded dirt and hair from carpeting and a super slim design that lets it clean beneath sofas, beds and other furniture. It also effectively vacuums along a room’s edges, ensuring that no dust or hair collects in the corners.
The robot also mops hard floors, offering a roller that rotates 200 times per minute to mimic hand scrubbing. It automatically lifts the mop when on carpeting and adjusts the water flow based on the flooring surface to avoid puddles. You don’t have to worry about cleaning the mopping pads yourself, though, because the M14’s all-in-one base automatically washes them with hot water and dries them with warm air.
Best Autonomous Robot Vacuum
Battery life: 180 min | Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.78" W x 3.1” H | Dock capacity: 2.7 L | Weight: 9.04 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
What if you’re looking for a sophisticated cleaning robot that needs as little guidance as possible? To go beyond the basic, consider the Roborock Saros 10R. This premium model showcases some of the cutting-edge advances in home robotics made over the last couple of years.
The Roborock Saros 10R is a combo vacuum-and-mopping robot with an all-in-one docking base. It boasts an impressive 22,000 Pa of suction force, comparable to a full-sized upright or canister vacuum, and dual mopping pads that spin at 200 rpm. Its dock is a wonder, not only holding seven weeks’ worth of dirt, but also refilling the robot’s mop tank with warm water and detergent, cleaning the mop pads, even detaching the mop pads by itself when necessary.
The autonomy of the Saros 10R extends to the robot itself. Roborock’s StarSight navigation uses dual LiDAR combined with three-dimension time of flight (ToF) sensors to actively identify and navigate around thousands of possible objects and obstacles, and does away with a top turret to allow it to slip under low-profile furniture. Its FlexiArm tech allows the side brush and mop pads to extend into corners or along walls for a deep clean, while its AdaptiLift chassis allows it to lift itself over thresholds as high as an inch and a half. It can even recognize and track down your pets for you to say hello to when you’re away.
Best Bagless Robot Vacuum
Battery life: 300 min | Dimensions: 14.1" L x 17.8" W x 5" H | Dock capacity: 1.5 L | Weight: 23.4 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Yeedi C12 PRO Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop offers complete floor cleaning and can even remove the stickiest residue from hard floors. That’s because its mopping system vibrates at over 480 times per minute, allowing it to lift even the most stubborn stains. It also exerts more downward pressure as it mops, increasing friction with the floor for improved scrubbing.
As a vacuum, this robot uses cyclone technology to efficiently capture dust and debris. It features a four-layer filter system and 14 small cyclones that work to separate fine debris up to 2 millimeters in size and keep it contained. It also features a bag-free dust container, so you don’t have the added maintenance cost of buying replacement bags.
The Yeedi C12 PRO Plus is an ideal model for large homes. Its battery can clean for over four hours, letting it clean even the most spacious layouts on a single charge. It vacuums in a highly efficient manner, though, because it has multiple sensors that enable precise navigation. It also creates multilevel maps of your home, so it can choose the smartest paths while vacuuming.
Best Robot Vacuum
Battery life: 150 min | Dimensions: 13.7” L x 13.9” W x 4.3" H | Dock capacity: 2.5 L | Weight: 44.2 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
If you want a robotic vacuum that makes the floor-cleaning process almost entirely hands off, the Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra Robot Vacuum & Mop is the model for you. It offers both vacuuming and mopping functions to thoroughly clean both carpeted and hard surfaces.
You don’t have to worry about emptying the dustbin or washing the mop pads. The included base automatically empties the onboard dustbin, holding up to 120 days’ worth of dirt and debris. It also automatically washes and dries the pads after mopping, so it’s always ready to clean.
It features advanced AI obstacle avoidance, too, so you’re less likely to have to intervene because it gets stuck. Its dual RGB cameras and AI Chips allow it to identify over 200 items around the house and avoid pet waste within 150 millimeters and furniture within 8 millimeters, so it can clean more quickly and efficiently.
With 18,000 Pa of suction power, the Narwal Freo Z10 is also powerful enough to handle busy homes with children and pets. It boasts a tangle-free brush and a dual-flow anti-tangle system that ensures that hair doesn’t cause clogs. Its side brushes push air directly into the dustbin, too, keeping your robot working properly.
Best Self-Cleaning Mop System for the Price
Battery life: 130 min | Dimensions: 12.99" L x 1"1.38 W x 3.35" H | Dock capacity: 3.1 L | Weight: 19.8 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The eufy Omni C20 Robot and Mop is a feature-packed robot vacuum and mop that makes keeping your floors clean a breeze. It has an all-in-one base that automatically empties its dirt bin, washes and dries the mop pads, and refills the onboard water tank for hands-free maintenance. The dock’s internal dustbag can hold up to 60 days’ worth of dirt, hair and other debris, so you can go months without having to empty it.
With 7,000 Pa of suction power, it’s strong enough to pull dirt, crumbs and pet hair from carpeting. In addition to a main rolling brush, it’s equipped with a side brush that sweeps debris toward the robot for better pickup. Its roller brush also has a built-in detangling comb to remove any hair that gets tangled around it, allowing it to maintain its cleaning performance.
You don’t have to worry about the Omni C20 missing dust and debris in hard-to-reach areas, either. Its compact design, with a height of just over 3 inches, allows it to fit into tight spaces, including under beds, sofas and desks, so that every area of your home is thoroughly cleaned.
Best Low-Cost Auto-Emptying Vacuum
Battery life: 150 min | Dimensions: 13" L x 13" W x 3.9" H | Dock capacity: 3 L | Weight: 18.92 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
The Tapo LiDAR Smart Navigation Robot Vacuum may be affordable, but it has many of the same features as higher-end robotic vacuums, including a self-emptying dock. It contains a 3-liter dust bag that allows it to automatically empty itself every time it returns to the base, letting you go up to two months without manually emptying the dirt.
It’s also powerful enough to deep clean carpeting and even lets you increase suction power in carpeted areas. In the Tapo app, you can mark areas with rugs and carpets in your home and customize the cleaning settings to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned. The robot also features an optimized air inlet and an upgraded cleaning brush, enabling it to pick up over 97% of dust without clogging.
The Tapo LiDAR Smart Navigation Robot Vacuum can also clean efficiently thanks to its mapping capabilities. It creates two-dimensional maps of your home’s layout, including specific rooms and furniture. These maps allow you to fine-tune your cleaning routine and even add virtual walls and no-go zones, so you don’t have to worry about the robot getting stuck in an area that’s often littered with toys, clothing or other obstacles.
Best Budget Autonomous Robot Vacuum
Battery life: 200 min | Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.8" W x 3.9” H | Dock capacity: 3 L | Weight: 11.7 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Top-end features don’t necessarily come with top-end prices. The Ecovacs Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni is a cleaning robot with a surfeit of impressive technologies that lets it operate with as little input from you as necessary.
The Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni is a mop-and-vacuum combo robot with a self-empty multipurpose docking station. It offers 18,500 Pa of suction power and, according to Ecovacs, moves 34 cfm of air, using increased air flow volume to maximize its cleaning ability per charge. Its single, tangle-resistant fin-and-bristle roller comes with a detachable comb to keep hair accumulation under control, and it uses rotating mop pads that can lift up to 18 millimeters above the surface to keep rugs dry. The pads and side brush also extend for a more thorough edge and corner clean.
The T50 Max Pro Omni uses object recognition to navigate around obstacles, minimizing the need to tidy up before cleaning, with a front-mounted sensor to give it a sleeker profile. Its dock holds 90 days of dirt and washes, dries and refills the T50 automatically.
Epic Discount
Battery life: 200 min | Dimensions: 13.8" L x 14.3" W x 3.7" H | Dock capacity: 2.5 L | Weight: 10.6 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: Yes
Our editors’ favorite among the best robot vacuums is the Narwal Flow Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo. This comprehensive combination cleaning robot blends some of the best advancements in robot vacuum cleaning we’ve seen to date into a single product. It should take care of virtually all your floor cleaning needs by itself, allowing you to get more important things done.
The Narwal Flow is a powerful combination robot vacuum and mop with 22,000 Pa of suction force and a tangle-resistant combination bristle brush. It uses dual cameras with onboard AI object recognition to map and navigate in real time around obstacles and can pass underneath furniture as low as 4 inches above the floor. It’s designed to dig deep into carpet and has two tangle-resistant side brushes for edge cleaning.
Its mopping is some of the most impressive we’ve come across, featuring a continuously self-washing track mop that maximizes surface contact while rolling at 110 rpm. This action allows the Flow to deeply scrub against floors, lifting stains and dried-on messes.
The mop head can extend outward to get into edges and corners, and 110-degree water rinses it during operation. The docking station holds 2.5 liters of dirt and washes, dries and refills the Flow’s mop automatically.
Affordable Quality
Battery life: 200 min | Dimensions: 13.2” L x 13.2" W x 4.1” H | Dustbin capacity: 0.38 L | Weight: 6.24 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: No
iRobot’s Roombas were the original consumer robotic vacuums, so much so that the word “roomba” has become almost genericized. The company’s been through some turbulence over the last few years, but they still make Roombas, and the Roomba 105 Vac with Auto Empty is one of them.
A practical everyday model, the Roomba 105 with Auto Empty is a vacuum-only robot with some 7,000 Pa of suction pressure, much more than Roombas of the past. This increased suction combines with a single bristle brush roller instead of the dual rollers of Roombas past. The Roomba 105 also brings LiDAR navigation to all levels of the Roomba lineup, so say goodbye to the bump-and-turn semi-random movements of earlier models.
The Roomba 105’s self-empty dock holds about 75 days’ worth of dirt, while the robot itself has a 380-milliliter dust bin. It uses LiDAR to map and navigate and offers improved edge and corner cleaning over its predecessors. Battery life is good at 200 minutes.
Best for Reliable Mapping
Battery life: 120 min | Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.8" W x 4.1” H | Dustbin capacity: 1 L | Weight: 15.3 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Mopping: No
Shark has always had a strong presence in the robot vacuum space, and we’ve tested several of them in the past. For a low-cost option that’s still full of features, we recommend trying the Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum with voice control and a self-empty dock.
The Shark AI Ultra is a vacuum-only robot with around 2,000 to 2,500 Pa of suction. It features Shark’s PowerFin brushroll with flexible ribs between the bristles to cut down on hair tangling. It uses LiDAR navigation to map and move around your home, and can detect and avoid obstacles around 4 inches tall (the height of its LiDAR turret). It has 120 minutes of battery life per charge, but automatically tops itself off if it runs low like most robot vacuums. It responds to Alexa and Google Assistant and can be set up for Siri as well.
One innovation present in the Shark AI Ultra is Shark’s Matrix clean, which makes the robot clean a floor in a crosshatch pattern to go over each spot at least twice from perpendicular directions, enhancing the cleaning effectiveness over a single parallel pass or random navigation. The Shark AI Ultra comes with a bagless self-empty dock that can hold about 60 days’ worth of dirt.
We surveyed the market for robot vacuums and noted the best and most popular brands. We used experience and knowledge gained during a past round of robot vacuum testing in our Testing Lab to inform our selections. Factors we considered included:
Consider investing in a robotic vacuum cleaner if any of the following apply.
A robot vacuum’s suction power is often measured in Pascals or Pa. This measure is far from the complete story of cleaning efficiency for a robot vacuum, but it’s a quick shorthand that can help you choose a model for your cleaning needs. Suction power has increased since the early days of robot vacuums; an older Roomba had significantly less than 1,000 Pa of suction, while some high-end models offer more than 20,000 Pa. Look for a starting value of at least 5,000 Pa of suction for a current robot vacuum.
The other factor in a robot vacuum’s cleaning effectiveness is its roller element. Like the beater brush on a human-operated vacuum, the roller’s job is to loosen and agitate dirt from floors or carpet and lift it to where the robot’s suction can pull it into its dust cup. In our past testing, we found that dual rollers were more effective at pickup than single rollers even at low suction levels, but single rollers have become more common to go with higher levels of suction force. Rollers may have bristles, fins or both. Hair is more likely to tangle around bristles, so look for finned rollers if pet hair is a big concern. Some budget robot vacuums don’t have rollers at all and rely completely on suction and side brushes.
When they were first introduced, robot vacuums were notorious for wandering around semi-randomly and bumping into walls or furniture. While this cleaning method was more effective than it looked, more orderly cleaning patterns quickly came to market. Today’s robot vacuums mostly use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to make their way around a room. A turret or window shoots invisible lasers that build a map of the space for the robot vacuum to remember, while object recognition allows it to find and avoid obstacles, such as socks, cords, pet messes or children' s toys, that once would have confounded earlier robot models.
Consumers have embraced robot vacuums that have self-emptying docks or docking stations. Where once you’d have to manually empty the robot vacuum’s onboard dust cup, nowadays many robots have docks equipped with vacuums themselves to suck out the collected dirt and store it for weeks before needing to be emptied. Self-empty docks may be bagged or be bagless and, if the robot features a mop, also hold water and do maintenance routines.
One of the most avoided of manual chores, mopping has become a killer feature for robot vacuums. Early combo robots had rudimentary pads that simply dragged along a surface, removing dust but unable to tackle either spills or stubborn dirt.
Today’s combo vacuum-and-mop robots have mopping elements that spin or rotate to dig into dirt and stains, and pair with multifunction docks that wash and dry the pads plus refill the robots with clean water and fresh solution. Look for the RPM (revolutions per minute) for spinning or rolling mop pads and how easy it is to refill, clean and dry the mopping elements on a robot vacuum. Look also for how much the mopping element can lift, so that the robot won’t drag a wet or dirty mop on top of carpet.
A robot vacuum needs regular cleaning to stay in peak condition.
Every week or so, check its rollers for pet hair and other tangles and clean its sensors and wheels. For most robot vacuums, this involves simply turning the robot on its back and opening an access panel to its roller brushes. Remove the roller and cut or untangle string, pet hair and other debris. Clean the compartment containing the rollers as well. Replace the rollers when you’re done.
Use a soft microfiber or lint-free cloth to clean any sensor windows on your robot vacuum, including cliff sensors, IR receivers, camera windows and laser ports. Check the wheels and axles for debris.
Every so often, unscrew the side brushes if possible and check for debris in the axle. If possible, rinse the dirt bin in warm water, and replace the dust filter when recommended.
Robot vacuums cost more compared to a standard upright vacuum. That said, the prices of vacuums can vary. Generally, the higher the price, the more features you have and the more cleaning power you’ll get.
The most affordable robots cost under $200, including the Tapo LiDAR Smart Navigation Robot Vacuum. Less-expensive robotic vacuum cleaners feature more basic cleaning options (think low-pile carpet, minimal messes and smaller living rooms) and may lack mopping and self-empty dock features found in costlier models.
Between $200 and $800, you’ll find the best entry-level and mid-priced models of well-known and dependable robot vacuum manufacturers, including iRobot, Roborock, Eufy and Shark. Pricier robotic vacuum cleaners tend to have better navigational abilities. If you want something that responds to voice commands, offers powerful suction, includes mopping and a self-emptying dock, and stands out for its navigation system, look in this price range. The Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2, the Roborock Qrevo Series Robot Vacuum and Mop QV 35A, the Narwal Freo X10 Pro, the Roborock Q7 M5+, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum, the Eufy Robot Vacuum/Mop E25 and the Eufy Auto-Empty C10 are in this price range.
What would you get for a $2,000 vacuum cleaner? A refined cleaning experience on all fronts, mostly from better corner and edge performance, wider brushes, more powerful suction, scheduling and zone options, and fully automated multifunctional docks. Some high-end models feature advanced AI object recognition and can even function as pet cams. You may balk at spending this much on a vacuum cleaner, but the savings in time and effort are worth it. The Dreame L50 Ultra is in this price range.
Though highly convenient and useful, there are some potential downsides to robotic vacuums that you should be aware of before you buy one.
Robotic vacuum cleaners are generally much more expensive than upright vacuum cleaners. Even a budget robot vacuum can cost as much or more than a high-end upright vacuum cleaner.
The price difference is due, in large part, to convenience: You don’t have to run the vacuum yourself.
It also has to do with the advanced features offered, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, smart mapping and compatibility with a voice assistant.
Robotic vacuum cleaners can get stuck. Even the smartest models aren’t as smart as you are, and they can jam under couches or get confused in a cluttered room, bringing a cleaning session to a halt. Many high-end robot vacuums feature obstacle avoidance, which helps them navigate around items like cables and furniture legs, but they can still encounter problems on occasion.
In other words, you could come home to an unvacuumed living room and a jammed robot vac that needs some “help” extricating itself from a tight situation.
Though more powerful than a cordless stick vacuum, robotic vacuum cleaners lack the powerful suction of a traditional upright. You simply can’t get a super deep clean with a robotic vacuum.
We recommend using it often in combination with a traditional vacuum for heavily soiled areas or on dense surfaces like high-pile carpet and even medium-pile carpet.
A. The biggest advantage is that you can set it and forget it. A robot vacuum can be set up to clean whenever and wherever it’s necessary without needing any effort from you, other than giving a voice command, tapping a button on your phone screen, or setting up a schedule.
A. It depends on whether the vacuum you choose can clear said furniture. If your couch is high enough off the ground, a robotic vacuum should have no problem getting beneath it to clean. The advent of LiDAR-based navigation made it common for robots to have little turrets jutting out of the top. These turrets could interfere with passing under furniture. Some models, however, have their sensors front-mounted, allowing them to fit under furniture. If a robot vacuum thinks it can fit under a piece of furniture, but actually can’t, it might keep trying until it’s wedged in tight and has to call for help. This can happen when low-profile furniture is on high-pile carpet.
A. Many robot vacuums offer spot cleaning. They might even have specific spot-clean modes that can be activated from the unit itself or from a remote or app. To use spot clean, it’s recommended you physically place the robot next to the mess to be cleaned. It will then run a cleaning pattern focused on the area without continuing on to a different part of the room.
