Best robot vacuums in 2024 tested and rated
The best robot vacuums feature sharp designs with efficient cleaning performance. We’ve been testing robot vacuums for 10 years to find those that deliver the strongest suction and best features for all sorts of homes, and all sorts of budgets. Each robot is evaluated using a scoring system as it goes through a series of cleaning tests in our labs.
Our overall winner is the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop; it cleans and empties itself for 30 days without any intervention while putting up impressive cleaning scores across the board. Plus, we found its mop powers through even caked-on messes to give your floor some serious shine.
However, at $999, the PowerDetect Combo isn’t for everybody. Our best budget pick is the $159 iLife V3S Pro, which cleans even tricky materials such as pet hair like a champ without breaking the bank. However, it lacks the smarts of pricier models, and doesn’t have a mopping function.
This guide features other high-scoring robot vacuums across a wide range of prices and uses. Read on to learn more about all of the models we tested.
The quick list
Here’s the best robot vacuums you can buy right now based on our testing. Read on for our full in-depth reviews.
1. Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1
Performance: ★★★★☆
Features: ★★★★★
Value: ★★★★★
The Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 offers the best of everything. It intelligently mops and vacuums your floors for up to 30 days. Just set a schedule and the robot returns to its base to empty the dustbin, wash the mop, and refill the tank automatically.
Read more below
Performance: ★★★★★
Features: ★★★★★
Value: ★★★☆☆
The iRobot s9+ is simple to operate and provides strong pick up across hard floors and carpet. Its high-end performance especially excels in picking up strands of pet hair. Roomba’s self-emptying base saves you time and effort on maintenance too.
Read more below
Performance: ★★★★★
Features: ★★★☆☆
Value: ★★★★★
For premium cleaning performance at an affordable price, the iLife V3s Pro vacuum provides excellent value. It picks up all kinds of debris and navigates with ease. It lacks smart home features, but the included remote control works well.
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4. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
Performance: ★★★★☆
Features: ★★★★☆
Value: ★★★★☆
Roborock’s S7 MaxV Ultra vacuums and mops floors so they’re not only clean but shiny too. Its strong performance is backed by features like an onboard camera for a live-view of your home, as well as a self-emptying base that can clean the mop pad.
Read more below
Performance: ★★★★★
Features: ★★★★☆
Value: ★★★★★
Shark’s IQ robot vacuum is stacked with smarts and collects then deposits debris into its docking station after each cleaning session. This bagless base system holds over a month’s worth of dirt. You can use its advanced scheduling feature to set and forget it until it’s time to empty out the dock.
Read more below
Performance: ★★★★☆
Features: ★★★★★
Value: ★★★★☆
The iRobot Roomba j7+ stands out for its intelligent mess recognition. It learns from each object it encounters and offers excellent obstacle avoidance. Plus, it’s guaranteed to avoid pet waste. There’s a handy cleaning base as well.
Read more below
Robot vacuum testing procedures
Over the past 10 years, we’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums, both by performing objective tests as well as real-world setups.
Each model we review is first evaluated to see how well it can pick up three types of debris. We measure out 20 grams of Cheerios, 20 grams of kitty litter, and 20 grams of pet hair. Next, we scatter each individually across a hardwood floor, and then weigh the contents of the robot vacuum’s dustbin to see how much of each it picked up. We then repeat the same three tests on a low-pile carpet. Afterwards, the robot vacuum receives a cleaning performance score, which is the percentage of debris it was able to collect.
After we record each robot vacuum’s scores, we let these machines loose in our tester’s home to see how each holds up in terms of navigation, obstacle avoidance, and coverage in real-world testing. Any special features such as app control, mopping functions, and self-emptying bases are factored in too. This all adds up to days of testing; it takes time, but helps ensure we’re evaluating them all properly.
After extensive testing, we’ve compiled several buying guides to showcase our results, including the best Roombas, the best cheap robot vacuums and the best robot mops. We can even tell you what it’s like when you use a robot vacuum in your home for the first time. So if you want to know more about robot vacuums so you can decide if one is right for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Meet our testers
Hunter Fenollol specializes in smart home gadgets and appliances with a focus in robot vacuums and security cameras.
Meghan McDonough has been testing robot vacuums for Tom’s Guide since 2019. Since 2008, she’s written about laptops, mobile phones, headphones, speakers, and other consumer tech.
The best robot vacuums you can buy
Best overall
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The Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop is the best robot vacuum for most people. This all-in-one floor cleaner automatically empties its dustbin, washes its mops, and refills its tanks—all for less than $1,000. Even better, its onboard AI is smart enough to detect stains and scrub them harder, finding dirt to boost suction power for maximum performance.
You can set-and-forget this model on a daily cleaning schedule without worrying about it for 30 days at a time (or 60 if you forego the mopping function). A hybrid of this caliber (such as the Roomba 10 Combo Max) tends to run around $1,400. The PowerDetect even offers more than the pricier competition with an ActiveLift leg. This helps it crawl over obstacles. It effortlessly popped the floor cleaning bot over my home’s raised saddles and onto carpets in my living and dining room.
The LiDAR turret quickly scanned our home’s main floor plan in a single passthrough. You can use Shark’s app to name rooms, set no-go zones, and send the robot out to spot-clean a 5×5 area just by dropping a pin on the map. Meanwhile, it avoided almost all obstacles, including sneakers and dog toys, except for a thin 6-foot USB-C cord draped from our living room wall outlet to my couch.
At an overall cleaning score of 95 percent, this robot vacuum deep-cleans hard floors and carpet. We found that its side brush was really effective in sweeping debris forward and into the vacuum’s bin. The only thing it had trouble on was kitty litter on carpet, but even its worst score of 83% is solid in the grand scheme of robot vacuums we’ve tested. Outside of a little more prowess on carpet, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 is nearly perfect.
Read our full Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum review
Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 Combo test results (out of 100)
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 98.3 | 100 | 99.9 | 95 |
| Carpet | 90.9 | 99.6 | 83 | 90 |
Best for pet hair
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iRobot’s Roomba s9+ is one of the smartest and most thorough robot vacuums we’ve tested, outshining every other robot when it comes to picking up notoriously difficult pet hair. It has advanced mapping which our top pick overall lacks, so it can record and remember a blueprint of multiple floors of your house after just a few trips; you can then label individual rooms, and tell the s9+ to clean specific rooms on specific days.
We suggest scheduling it for when you’re out of the house, as this is admittedly a noisy robot vacuum, particularly on hardwood floors; we struggled to have conversations as it cleaned.
However, with an average pick-up score of almost 97 percent, it’s a capable vacuum on both hard floors and carpet. We noticed that it’s better at picking up more granular materials like pet hair and kitty litter compared to Cheerios — this is usually the other way around. So it works better for collecting smaller debris.
The Roomba s9+ also comes with a self-emptying charging base; while it’s unfortunate that you’ll have to purchase replacement bags for this base, you will only have to empty the container every 30 days. This will save you a lot of time versus emptying the onboard dustbin.
If you have a bit more cash to play with, the s9+ can also talk with the company’s Braava jet m6 robot mop, with the two working as a team, vacuuming floors, followed by a mop. Ultimately, this robot vacuum comes at a steep price, but it leaves little room for improvement.
iRobot Roomba s9+ test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 96.3 | 90 | 100 | 99 |
| Carpet | 97.3 | 95 | 100 | 97 |
Read our full iRobot Roomba s9+ review.
Best budget robot vacuum
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The iLife V3s Pro is the best robot vacuum you can get for less than $200. Despite its low price, the V3s Pro consistently outperformed other robot vacuums that cost three times as much. It picked up nearly all of Fido’s fur in our lab tests — making it one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair — and it performed well in everyday home usage. It reached well up against the baseboards, picking up flaky bits of onion skin in our kitchen, and it collected all breadcrumbs in its path. It was about average in terms of noise compared to the other robot vacuums on test though, at 64.1dB.
There are a few caveats when purchasing a robot vacuum this cheap. For starters, the iLife V3s Pro is slow, taking more than 90 minutes on average to clean a 5×5-foot test space — others took less than 30 minutes. Also, it can’t be controlled from your smartphone, so you have to use the included remote control, and you can’t connect it to Alexa or Google Assistant to turn it on or schedule cleanings.
But, if these are #FirstWorldProblems you can live with, then you’ll be pleased to know the V3s Pro is great at doing the one thing it needs to do well, and that’s picking up debris. For this price, its downsides are tradeoffs we’re willing to make. That’s why it’s also one of the best cheap robot vacuums.
iLife V3s Pro test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 99.8 | 99.4 | 99.9 | 100 |
| Carpet | 94.2 | 100 | 83.6 | 99 |
Read our full iLife V3s Pro review
Best value robot vacuum
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You can simply set and forget the Shark IQ robot vacuum for over a month thanks to its advanced scheduling capabilities and self-emptying dustbin. The easy-to-use Shark app makes automating the robot vacuum painless and relays any issues the bot runs into. For the most part, the robot goes out on its own and deposits up to 45 days worth of debris into its bagless docking station.
It’s super convenient not to have to dump out contents after every run especially if you’re upgrading from a typical on-board dustbin. The Shark IQ excelled at all of our tests, even picking up kitty litter on the carpet which other models (like our previous pick for this category, the Roomba i3+) scored low marks in. We were particularly impressed by the effectiveness of its row-cleaning pattern — it thoroughly picked up fur and debris even if it blew or knocked them to the sides on an initial passthrough.
At 3.5 inches tall, it’s an average height, but it may struggle under low-reaching furniture. For instance, it reached the gaps under our kitchen cabinets with ease, but couldn’t sneak under our couch.
The Shark IQ can be controlled via an app as well as with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can create a schedule and connect it to smart home devices. It even has mapping features of more expensive robot vacuums so you can mark individual rooms as well as set invisible boundaries called No-Go zones. This is a high-performance option if you want a self-emptying charging base, but without paying top dollar.
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Read our full Shark IQ review.
Shark IQ test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 99.3 | 98 | 99.8 | 100 |
| Carpet | 96.6 | 95 | 98.7 | 97 |
Best robot vacuum with mopping
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The S7 MaxV Ultra comes with an all-singing, all-dancing charging base, which has a whopping footprint of 16.6 x 19.4 inches. So it’s safe to say you need some space if you want to invest in this combination robot vacuum and mop cleaning powerhouse. The hefty charging base isn’t just for show though — it comes with the expected self-emptying capabilities (it can hold up to 7 weeks worth of dust), plus it contains two water tanks, one each for clean and dirty water.
With this setup, it can wash its own mop cloth when necessary, which is quite a useful and rare feature. A small bristle brush will scrub the cloth once the robot docks and fresh water is applied while the dirty water is extracted. This is an ideal function if you hate the task of removing and washing the cloth after each cleaning session like with the Roomba J9+ Combo.
With an overall cleaning score of 91.26, this robot vacuum wasn’t the best of the best, but it was still above average. It achieved an almost perfect score when set to the task of picking up Cheerios and performed well when collecting kitty litter (95.73 on average). The S7 is smart enough to know when it’s on a rug and can lift its mopping pad so that your carpet doesn’t get soaked. It’s gentle in operation too, slowing itself down as it approaches obstacles.
However, its streak suffered when it came to collecting dog hair from our carpet — it picked up just 58%. That’s the lowest score we’ve seen compared with similar models; the Roomba j7+ is the closest at 72.5%, but even that’s a sizeable gap. That being said, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra offers a quality performance otherwise and the technology is very impressive.
Although its AI object recognition actively avoids most obstacles, it failed to recognize fake pet poop on the test and mistook it for fabric instead. Nevertheless, the robot vacuum would suit households without pets who value convenience above all, and don’t mind splurging for it.
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 97.6 | 99.6 | 94.8 | 98.5 |
| Carpet | 84.9 | 100 | 96.7 | 58 |
Read our full Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra review.
Best robot vacuum for pet poop
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iRobot’s Roomba j7+ is one of the best Roombas because of its obstacle avoidance technology. With this, it can essentially detect everyday objects, such as cables and socks and steer clear of them. The main benefit of this feature is the bot’s ability to avoid pet poop. In fact, iRobot is so confident in the Roomba j7+’s intelligence that it’s introduced the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.O.O.P), whereby iRobot will replace any j7+ that fails to avoid solid pet waste. This robot vacuum is constantly learning with every run too, making it one of the smartest I’ve seen. We dropped some fake dog poop in its path on test, and it didn’t disappoint, swerving to avoid the mess. Although it didn’t recognize larger objects, such as socks, shoes and dog toys at first — it should do this with time and software updates.
The j7+ comes with a cleaning base which is hard to fault. It can hold up to 60 days of debris and looks easy on the eye compared to other bases — plus it’s more compact too.
This robot vacuum scored well for collecting large debris, such as cereal and kitty litter, collecting 98.33 and 94.6% respectively. However, we’ve seen better performances on pet hair from other robot vacuums, but its overall pet hair score was still a respectable 82.5%. Ultimately, this is a great investment if your pets are prone to accidents and you want to avoid further mess. Keep in mind that’s it’s a little forceful prior to mapping though — it even knocked one of the weights which secures the walls out of place during our debris tests.
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iRobot Roomba j7+ test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 94.8 | 97.3 | 94.5 | 92.5 |
| Carpet | 88.9 | 99.4 | 94.8 | 72.5 |
Read our full iRobot Roomba j7+ review.
Best robot vacuum for upholstery
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While the best robot vacuums can get nearly every inch of your floors, there’s one place they can’t reach: Your couch cushions. That’s why the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is a great option for those who want to clean their upholstery, but don’t want to buy a second vacuum just for the task.
Connected to the base of this robot vacuum is a handheld cordless vacuum attachment to tackle stairs and couch cushions. Like the bot, this extra vacuum charges and self-empties right alongside the robot in the included self-emptying, self-cleaning, and self-filling Omni Station. There’s even a drawer built into the station that stores the hand vac attachments.
The Deebot T30s smartly cleaned both our hardwood floors and carpet; we loved how it could attach its scrubbing pads, but then leave them back at the dock when it came time to vacuum.
The T30s did very well on our cleaning tests, earning an average score of 93%; while that isn’t tops among the best robot vacuums, that’s still very good. The handheld vacuum was a great complement; not only did it suck the crumbs out of our couch cushions, but it was also able to pick up the kitty litter that the Deebot T30s missed in the carpet cleaning lab test.
Though it’s an investment at $1,199, consider that you’re getting almost three cleaning devices in one package: a robot vacuum, robot mop, and a hand vacuum for reaching all the areas the robot misses. There’s not much this hybrid vacuum misses with an overall 93 cleaning score. It excels in picking up cheerios and cat litter but like our top pick struggled to remove pet hair from the carpet.
Ecovacs Deebot T30s test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 96.6 | 100 | 92.5 | 97.4 |
| Carpet | 89.5 | 99.5 | 93.9 | 75 |
Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30s review.
Best robot vacuum for hard floors
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This robot vacuum cleaner from Wyze makes the list because of its exceptional performance on hard floors. When we put it to the test, it picked up 100% of pet fur and cereal — it just missed a perfect score, as it collected roughly 97% of kitty litter. It’s speedy as well, mapping the first floor of our home in a near record of 7 minutes, thanks to the Quick Mapping option. However, it was less impressive on carpet, with an average score of 86% — its downfall was its inability to pick up dog hair, collecting just 74%.
On top of this, the Wyze app is easy to navigate and intuitive to use. It also comes with useful features, such as a location-based trigger. For instance, we could make sure the robot wouldn’t run when we walked the dog, but would when we was a sufficient distance away.
In our opinion, the Wyze Robot Vacuum is a much more advanced option than the Eufy G30 Edge, which comes at a similar price. This is because you get room division as well as no-go zone options.
Wyze Robot Vacuum test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 99.2 | 100 | 97.5 | 100 |
| Carpet | 86.4 | 100 | 85.3 | 74 |
Read our full Wyze Robot Vacuum review.
Best robot vacuum for smart home features
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The Samsung JetBot AI+ is packed full of features to say the least, and it’s one of the most attractive robot vacuums to grace my floors. This intelligent and gentle cleaner almost acts as a security camera as much as a robot vacuum cleaner. It can patrol your home while you’re away and livestream what it can see straight to your phone. It can also recognize objects, although its accuracy left something to be desigred. It identified the iRobot Braava jet m6 robot mop as a cup/plate, and thought a stray dog toy was a sock/towel.
It can also offer alternative cleaning patterns, so you can choose the route you want it to take. At 4.75 inches, it’s taller than many other robot vacuums — it could just reach under our kitchen baseboards, but failed to get under the dishwasher, which the majority of others models could clear.
It’s quick to map out the home and easy to create no-go zones or select specific rooms to clean. This model also comes with a self-emptying base, which makes it low maintenance, but it is just as noisy as other vacuums when it empties.
In terms of cleaning, it’s very careful to navigate its way around furniture, but the overall pickup could be better, particularly on pet hair (78.5%). Having said that, it was great for collecting cereal, with an overall score of 99.6%. It’s not a cheap investment, but this robot vacuum is good-looking and I can’t complain about the range of features.
To potentially make that investment a little bit cheaper, be sure to check out our Samsung promo codes to see if you can save yourself some money.
Samsung JetBot AI+ test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Overall | Cheerios | Kitty Litter | Pet Hair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood Floor | 98.3 | 100 | 99.9 | 95 |
| Carpet | 89.6 | 99.3 | 83.4 | 86 |
Read our full Samsung JetBot AI+ review.
Also tested
We’ve tested many robot vacuums at Tom’s Guide. While most perform great, they aren’t as easy to recommend for everyone. That’s due to a lack of features at higher prices or more niche use cases that aren’t as versatile as the top models in our list. Still, the models below are worth checking out if money isn’t an issue.
Robot vacuum test results
Here’s the table on which robot vacuums are best at picking up dirt and pet hair. Note that while all of the robot vacuums were tested by picking up the same material on the same surfaces, those with an asterisk were tested in a 15 x 15-foot square, whereas the other models were tested in a 5 x 5-foot square.
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Quick tips for buying a robot vacuum
Before you start shopping for a new robot vacuum, you should consider what you need from it and how much you’re happy to spend. Here are some of the most common features you can find in robot vacuums.
- Self-emptying — This feature is available on more premium models, but is becoming more common on robot vacuums that cost less than $1,000. When the robot vacuum’s dustbin is full, it will return to its charging dock to ‘self-empty’. This is then stored in the dock until this larger bin is full and needs emptying, which you will need to do, usually once a month or less, depending on how often your robot vacuum cleans. Self-emptying models are great for those who suffer from allergies as the dust is released into the air less often.
- Wi-Fi connectivity — Most robot vacuums can connect to your smartphone via Wi-Fi, but some lower-end models don’t have this option. It allows you to control and monitor your robot vacuum from your phone and gives you access to all sorts of additional features, depending on the model.
- Hybrid models — Some robot vacuums also have a mopping function, so you can more effectively clean your hardwood floors and tiles without needing one of the best robot mops. Previously, these hybrid models didn’t perform either function well, but now there are some that do both admirably.
- Mapping — Most smart robot vacuums can map-out your home using sensors, so they can remember any obstacles, such as the stairs, and let you identify specific rooms. The map can be displayed on your phone if the robot vacuum has Wi-Fi connectivity, and using this it can plan out the best cleaning path, rather than moving randomly.
- No-go zones — If you have the mapping technology, some allow you to set no-go zones if there’s certain areas you want to avoid, such as your pet’s food bowls or an expensive rug.
- Targeted rooms — Similar to no-go zones, some also let you set targeted rooms, if you only need to clean a particular area.
- Multiple floors — Mapping can sometimes also cover multiple floors, which can be useful if you live on more than one level.
- Scheduling — This is quite a common feature for robot vacuums. By connecting with your smartphone, you can schedule when you want it to clean, be it daily, weekly or when you’re not at home.
- Remote control — Some entry level robot vacuum cleaners come with a remote control rather than Wi-Fi connectivity. It doesn’t give you as many options, but you can still control it hands-free using this.
- Battery life — Battery life is important to consider. If you’re interested in a model which comes with a base, it can self-charge between runs. However, if the model you’re looking at needs to be manually plugged in, you might come home to a half-finished job.
- Dust capacity — The smaller the dustbin, the faster it will fill. Look for a minimum of 400ml, unless it self-empties of course! Self-emptying models tend to come with vacuum bags in the charging base, whereas dustbins on the robot vacuum themselves tend to be bagless. For more info on bagged vs. bagless vacuums, check out our guide.
How big is your home?
Consider whether you mostly have hard floors or carpet. If you have carpet, how thick is it? Think about pets as well — will the robot vacuum have to pick up kitty litter or thick fur? These are all important aspects to consider before you start shopping for a robot vacuum. Consider the size of your house before you start browsing the Amazon aisles. Some robot vacuums, like the iLife V3s Pro, work better in small environments like apartments and townhomes, while models like the Roborock S4 Max are better-suited for spaces of up to 2,000 square feet with multiple rooms and multiple floors. Your pick will mainly depend on the size of your dwelling.
Do you have carpets or hardwood?
Most robot vacuum models can easily handle cleaning both carpets and hardwood, but some are better at cleaning one or the other. Higher-end robot vacuums such as the Roomba J9+ Combo can accommodate rapid surface changes by folding its mop pad atop itself and ramping up power whenever carpet is detected, and then throttling back down when it senses hardwood. Rugs should also factor into your buying decision. You might find that lower-end models will get caught up in tassels.
Do you have cats or dogs (or any other pet that sheds)?
Thankfully, many manufacturers make robot vacuums that are suited for cleaning up after pets. Models like the iLife V3s Pro and the Roomba S9, scored the best in our robot vacuum lab tests, picking up nearly all pet hair on both hardwood and carpeting, and making our list of the best robot vacuums for pet hair. And if you suffer from allergies, these robot vacuums have high-efficiency filters to help eliminate allergens that are hanging in the air. Of course, the downside to having a robot vacuum clean up after your pets is that you’ll also have to make sure you plan for more frequent maintenance. Things like the roller brush, side brushes and filters will eventually wear out and need replacing. And even if you just want a robot vacuum to help with kitties that scoot their litter over the side, you’ll need to remember to empty out the dustbin frequently so that it doesn’t overflow.
Should you get a self-emptying base?
Premium robot vacuums often come with self-emptying charging bases. These start from about $500 and can go as high as $1,400 with the latest features. There are lots of benefits to getting a self-emptying base. First, your robot vacuum can literally self-empty, so if the onboard dustbin is filled mid-route, it can empty itself and then continue cleaning uninterrupted. A self-emptying base saves you from the chore of emptying the dustbin so often as well, with most bases able to hold a minimum of 45 days of dust.
Since the dust is collected and sealed in a dust bag, you’re not exposed to the dirt when the time comes to change the bag — great if you suffer from allergies. If your robot vacuum has a mopping function, some bases come with water tanks and scrubbing abilities as well, so it can keep the mop cloth clean. Ultimately, this technology makes your robot vacuum more independent and capable.
However, there are some drawbacks to self-emptying bases. Ignoring the additional cost, these take up a lot more floor space. A robot vacuum with a self-emptying base protrudes much further from the wall and sits much taller. These devices also make a lot of noise when in use — as loud if not more so than a full-size vacuum, and one emptying session can last for around 30 seconds at a time. The value of a self-emptying base comes down to your own needs and preferences. If you suffer from allergies or can’t stand touching the dirt, it can be a real benefit. But, if you’re tight for space and like a quiet household, it may not be to your taste.
Decide on your budget.
As with most things in life, the more you spend, the more features you get. For example, higher-end robot vacuums that cost over $1,000 will have better mapping capabilities and include features like keep out zones, single room cleaning, and targeted area cleaning for high traffic spaces. They also have more add-on features such as charging docks with auto-emptying dustbins and sonic mopping attachments.However, we’ve found robot vacuums less than $200 that clean just as well, if not better, than models that cost three to four times as much. Just don’t expect too many fancy features. Also, keep in mind that many manufacturers will discount older models as they release newer ones.
Pricier models are also more efficient at cleaning — some of the best robot vacuums we’ve seen can clean a space in just 10 minutes, where it takes a cheaper model upwards of an hour.
Do you want an app with that?
Some robot vacuums can be connected with dedicated apps. Apps are useful for monitoring your robot vacuum and scheduling cleaning sessions. These can also help with mapping out your home and creating no-go zones.
Why do you want a robot vacuum?
With cars that drive themselves, drones that navigate the sky, and robot vacuums that find their way around furniture—it’s safe to say that the future is here with robots handling many of our daily tasks. A robot vacuum keeps your home relatively clean and saves you the hassle of hauling out the heavy canister vacuum every time a bowl of popcorn falls on the floor.
Though robot vacuum technology has advanced rapidly, you’ll probably still want to keep a traditional vacuum cleaner around for deep cleaning. Robot vacuums are great for daily tidying—picking up stray crumbs, cat litter, hair of all types, dust bunnies and everything else that finds its way onto your floors. They’re suited for office spaces, too, because the last thing you want to worry about when you’re on deadline is why the floor is covered in sprinkles. And for living spaces shared with roommates, investing in a robot vacuum means there’s one less chore to split up.
Many robot vacuums can be scheduled to run as often as multiple times a day, and some app-enabled robots allow you to watch their progress as they clean. If you’re concerned about allergies or dust, you can also find models that empty the onboard dustbin into a larger bin in the base, minimizing your exposure to dust.
How to clean your robot vacuum
Forgetting to clean your robot vacuum is one of the 9 vacuum cleaner mistakes you’re probably making.
Because robot vacuums are designed to clean, most of us forget that these too need regular maintenance. They have surprisingly small bins (some less than 400ml) and so, unless you’re lucky enough to own a self-emptying model, these will need emptying after each run. On top of this, it’s good practice to cut free any hairs which have tangled in the rotating brush as well as clean the filters. Some brands such as Eufy, iLife and Roborock will provide a cleaning tool which can help with these tasks. The filters will need replacing as well — you should refer to your manual for guidance on how often to replace and where to buy.
If you do not empty the bin or check for tangled hairs regularly, it will affect the performance of the robot vacuum. In fact, a full bin will result in it dragging any mess around the floors rather than picking it up.
If you own an app-connected robot vacuum, you might also get maintenance guidelines and reminders for when it’s time to clean. Some even feature replacement schedules so you don’t need to make a note in the diary!
Robot vacuum FAQs
Can a robot vacuum replace a normal vacuum?
Robot vacuums have improved tenfold since they were first introduced, both in terms of navigation and pickup. And while the gap between these devices and upright models is indeed closing, there is still admittedly a gap. Robot vacuums do not offer as strong a performance as upright vacuum cleaners, particularly corded ones. It’s for this reason that we don’t recommend throwing away the best vacuum cleaner even if you decide to invest in one of these strong contenders.
Even if you have one of the best Roombas, robot vacuums are recommended more for light, everyday cleaning, rather than for handling really embedded debris. So, ideally you will still want to run your regular vacuum every so often, while the robot vacuum helps keep dust down in the interim. That’s not to say your robot vacuum won’t lend a hand though. By keeping on top of the light debris, you won’t need to use your full-sized vacuum so often. So, it will save you some manual labor in the long run. Plus, keep in mind that robot vacuums are still improving with each new release, so over time, the necessity for your upright model will lessen. If you opt for a design which can mop as well, this too will likely replace the need for a mop and bucket in the future — but it’s not quite there yet.
Where should I place my robot vacuum?
First and foremost, you should follow the directions in your instruction manual for where to place the robot vacuum. While most will offer similar guidance, the measurements required can vary, and some designs may prefer a greater clearance. Generally speaking though, your robot vacuum should be placed against a flat and straight wall on a level surface, with around 3 ft of clearance on each side, and at least 4 ft in front. This is so that it has adequate space to start cleaning and dock on re-entry, without any furniture getting in the way. Don’t forget that it needs access to a power socket as well.
If you’re using a standard charging base, you may have to fix it to the wall, so the robot vacuum won’t knock it out of place. Some bases come with stickers to help with this issue. If you’re lucky enough to own a robot vacuum with a self-emptying base, it should be heavy enough to hold itself in place. Although this does mean it will likely require more clearance space and will protrude further out from the wall as well. Make sure you have a space in mind for your robot vacuum’s dock before you make a purchase, otherwise you might have to move some furniture around.
Are self-emptying robots worth it?
Most premium robot vacuum brands now offer self-emptying charging bases. This differs from your regular charging base in that your robot vacuum can empty the contents of its dustbin automatically, to be stored within a dust bag contained in the base. This gives your robot vacuum a new level of independence, because it no longer requires your assistance to continue cleaning. Should the on-board dustbin reach capacity, the robot vacuum can empty itself via its base and then continue on route. Of course, the dust bag will eventually need changing within the base, but these will often last for several weeks at a time.
As well as saving on this maintenance, self-emptying bases are a good investment if you suffer from allergies. This is because the debris is contained within the dust bag, rather than being dispersed into the air each time you empty the on-board bin. Self-emptying bases are also generally heavier than your standard charging base, meaning they’re less likely to be displaced as your robot attempts to park. A self-emptying base opens up other opportunities too — some bases hold water tanks to automatically fill an on-board tank for the best robot mops. Others will even scrub and clean the mop cloth as part of its docking. Ultimately, a self-emptying base will make your robot vacuum cleaner more versatile.
It’s not all good news though. As you can see just by looking at self-emptying bases, they are a chunky addition and will take up extra space in your home. They’re also remarkably loud in operation, because the dust in the vacuum needs to be effectively sucked into the dust bag. Though some robot vacuums are clever enough that you can set do not disturb timings via the app to keep things quiet. Then there’s the expense to consider — self-emptying bases naturally add a hefty sum to the price tag.
Ultimately, self-emptying bases are more of a luxury feature, rather than a necessity and its worth comes down to how much you value it. If you dread the task of emptying the on-board dustbin or suffer from allergies, it may be a worthwhile investment. But, if you’re tight on space and shopping on a budget, it may be one to skip.
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