The best robot vacuums have come a long way in recent years. While they used to be a bit hectic in their cleaning, today’s top models vacuum your floors methodically, mapping out the room, detecting dirt, avoiding obstacles, and emptying their own dustbins. Some even have suction power that’s comparable to full-size vacuum cleaners.
To help you find the very best robot vacuum for your home, we’ve tested more than 50 top-rated models over the past two years, evaluating them on cleaning performance, navigation, noise level, and value. No matter your budget, you’re sure to find a cleaning tool that will suit your needs among our following picks.
iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum
Star Qualities
- Great value for a Roomba
- Quiet during operation
- Super-strong suction
- Maneuvers well around obstacles
Red Flags
- Struggles at the edge of rugs
- Hair wraps around brush roll
- No mapping technology
The iRobot Roomba 694 earned a perfect five out of five stars in our testing for its simplicity of setup, effectiveness on rugs and hard floors, and maneuverability. We loved how well this little vacuum navigated around the space—it moved quickly, fitting between chair legs, under tables, and around other furniture. It also picked up pet hair, human hair, and Cheerios extremely well and even sucked up an impressive amount of sand. Plus, it’s not overly loud, is easy to empty after use, and has smart technology such as voice control and app connections.
While this vacuum had some trouble getting debris at the edge of the rug where it met the floor, the combined brush and vacuum technology got most dirt up on a first pass. The only inconvenience with this model is its lack of object-avoidance technology. We don’t think it’s a dealbreaker, but you will want to pick up things like toys and socks off the floor before it runs.
How It’s Held Up
After six months, this vacuum does a mighty job navigating various corners and oddly shaped walls. It expertly picks up long hair and dirt, but some hair does tend to get stuck in the brush roll. However, our tester wishes it had mapping technology because it often strays into unwanted areas and rooms.
Works On: Hard floors, rugs, carpets | Special Features: App control, voice control | Object Avoidance: No | Mopping Capabilities: No | HEPA Filter: No | Good For: Pet fur, hair, crumbs, dirt
ILife V3s Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Star Qualities
- Quick and easy setup
- Maneuvers well around obstacles
- Includes remote control
- Quiet during use
Red Flags
- Struggles in corners
- No smart features
This budget-friendly robot vacuum was a favorite among our team because it moves around a space efficiently, picking up most dirt on carpets and hard floors along the way. It comes with a handy remote control, so you can change the settings while you lounge, and it can navigate between carpet and hard floors with ease, avoiding most objects despite not having specific object-avoidance technology. We also love how quiet it is — we could hold a clear conversation during testing, even when the vacuum was close by.
This vacuum had trouble grabbing Cheerios from corners during testing, but that was the only hitch in its effectiveness. Though there aren’t any smart features with this model, we think it is a great value and would be a good starter robot vacuum.
How It’s Held Up
Six months after using this robot vacuum in our tester’s home, we can say that it’s still highly effective at picking up everyday messes, like stray kibble around the dog food container. Though it doesn’t plot routes, which could be a con for some folks, it does an excellent job cleaning the space it’s in.
Works On: Hard surfaces, carpet | Special Features: Remote control | Object Avoidance: No | Mopping Capabilities: No | HEPA Filter: Yes | Good For: Pet hair, dirt, other debris
Star Qualities
- Highly effective on pet hair
- Edge-cleaning function
- Hair doesn’t tangle around brushroll
Red Flags
- Limited scheduling options
For pet owners, the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max proved to be highly effective at picking up hair from both hard floors and carpeting. This model doesn’t have any smart features — instead, you control it via remote. It moves smoothly from hard floors to carpet, automatically increasing suction as needed, and its low-profile design fits nicely under our sofa for more thorough cleaning.
Pet owners will likely appreciate this vacuum’s edge- and spot-cleaning modes, which are ideal for tackling balls of hair, and we didn’t run into any issues with hair tangling around the brushroll. Our only complaint is that the vacuum’s scheduling abilities are limited. It can only be set to run daily — you can’t pick specific days for it to clean.
Works On: Hard floors, carpets | Special Features: BoostIQ technology, anti-collision sensors | Object Avoidance: No | Mopping Capabilities: No | HEPA Filter: No | Good For: Dirt, pet hair, other debris
ECOVACS DEEBOT T9+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
Star Qualities
- Self-emptying design
- Works well on all floor types
- Quick setup
- Mop feature with disposable pads
- Solid object avoidance
Red Flags
- Long mapping process
Similar to a wet-dry vacuum, this hybrid mop-vacuum combo can more thoroughly clean your floors. It picked up a ton of dog hair, as well as scraps from a recent renovation, and its TrueDetect 3D technology allows it to avoid tables, walls, and napping pets by sensing the areas ahead. (However, its initial mapping run takes around two hours, so don’t plan on using it immediately after setup.) We also tried its mopping feature a few times, and the disposable pads were a nice touch.
This robot empties itself after each run, and we loved the scheduling capabilities that allowed us to clean specific areas of the home. It’s also super quiet; we can use it during the day while we work without it being a nuisance.
How It’s Held Up
After six months of additional testing, the battery life remained just as strong as the day we opened the package, but we did need to replace the unit’s brush and filter. We also noticed that while it does a great job on dust and debris, it’s not the best for picking up large amounts of pet hair.
Works On: Hard floors, tile | Special Features: Floor mapping sensors, auto-emptying station | Object Avoidance: Yes | Mopping Capabilities: Yes | HEPA Filter: No | Good For: crumbs, sticky messes, other debris
Star Qualities
- User-friendly app
- Easily moves from floor to carpet
- Good object avoidance
Red Flags
- Some difficulty while mapping
- App required to access certain features
Sleek in design and accompanied by a user-friendly app, the iRobot Roomba J7 vacuum is a top choice for cleaning carpeting. It goes over spots multiple times to ensure no dirt is left behind and does an extra lap around the perimeter of the room. It did an equally good job cleaning hard floors, and we loved how effortlessly this vacuum picked up everything from dust to food and pet hair.
It can be hard to access all of the features that this Roomba provides without downloading the app — one of the main features of this model is its object-avoidance technology, and we witnessed a few messes that would have been avoided if we had used the app. We also suggest setting this vacuum in the room you want to clean, as it has some difficulty sensing new rooms and spaces.
Works On: Hard floors, carpets | Special Features: iRoomba Genius app voice-activated, three-stage cleaning system, power-lifting suction | Object Avoidance: Yes | Mopping Capabilities: No | HEPA Filter: Yes | Good For: Dirt, pet hair, other debris
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