The cheap, simple bots have matured to the point where they work really well in many homes. If you want advanced features like interactive maps, smart-home connectivity, and self-emptying bins, there are plenty of solid choices, with healthy competition helping to drive down prices.
Not many bots are truly terrible anymore, and most of them work well with certain types of floor plans. Based on years of at-home use and side-by-side testing, we think that nimble navigation is the most important element of a great robot vacuum, followed by cleaning performance and repairability.
Smart maps that let you set up barriers and target individual rooms for cleaning can also be super-handy. And we considered privacy and security, among other less-important features all of our criteria are covered in detail below. For every robot, I run at least two regular cleaning cycles in my apartment. None of the rooms have any wall-to-wall carpet, but there are 10 area rugs, with styles ranging from lightweight doormats to rubber-backed, medium-pile rugs that take up half a room.
I have a long-haired cat, a long-haired wife, and a toddler, who all leave plenty for the robot to pick up for my part, I spill a lot of coffee grounds. In one test, I run the bot in a room with two chairs, some stray USB cables, a sock, a flat-weave area rug with uneven edges and tassels, and a tall threshold—several of the most-common bot-trapping obstacles in one place. In another test, I pour out about an eighth of a cup of all-purpose flour across an area rug and bare floor including some against a baseboard and let the bot try to suck it up for a couple of minutes.
Then I sprinkle a 2-ounce mixture of cat litter and coffee grounds around my dining room, which has a mix of bare wood and a low-pile rug as well as a big table with three dinner chairs and a bench underneath it. I run each bot for 25 minutes or until it stops on its own, whichever comes first. I make sure to try out anything related to the interface or user experience: companion smartphone apps and all of the features within, like room or zone labeling, no-go lines, and suction adjustments , compatibility with voice assistants like Alexa, the scheduling system, and, for the bots that still use them, boundary markers, physical remotes, and anything else along those lines.
Using a noise-meter app, I measure the volume and frequency of each bot from about 10 feet away as they work. Then I check how easy it is to take apart each bot, and which kinds of replacement parts are available online. When I find robots that do well on all of those tests, I run them as much as possible for at least a week to see if they perform consistently. For example, I found that bots in the Roomba series sunset and that software updates to the Electrolux Pure i9 sometimes screwed up the navigation.
Plenty of affordable robot vacuums clean and navigate effectively. But it gets the job done for a fair price. The series comes in a few variants. The Roomba can connect to Wi-Fi so that you can control it through an app or voice assistant. Older models like the and no Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi are also similar. The company still stocks parts for the original Roomba from and every model released since then—everything from brushes and batteries to wheels and dustbins. Personally, I used a Roomba at home for four years and found that it held up very well.
Several other Wirecutter staff members own Roomba series bots and have also found them to be sturdy and reliable. Another advantage is that the Roomba has two counterrotating brush rolls, mounted in a suspension system, while every other affordable bot has a single brush sitting at a fixed height. But the brush design more than compensates. The Roomba also has a dirt-detection system that no other cheap bot uses.
Most robot vacuums are pretty good at this now, and the Roomba is as good as any of them. You can also control it through Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The voice commands, in our opinion, are more of a gimmick or party trick—all you can do for now is tell the bot to start, stop, or look for its base—but some people find them cool or handy.
The Roomba , like most affordable robots, is what we call a bump-and-run navigator. With 90 minutes of battery life, the effective brush design, and clever features like the dirt-detection sensor, the Roomba can reliably clean spaces as big as 1, square feet, in our experience.
If you want a smarter robot, take a look at our upgrade picks. Compared with other cheap bump bots, the Roomba is a little rough. None of the current Roomba series models come with a barrier system, but they work with the iRobot virtual walls , which you can buy separately. These battery-powered beacons project an invisible do-not-cross barrier, switchable between a narrow cone shape to block a doorway or a semicircle to keep the bot away from pet bowls.
Or you could upgrade to a robot with smart mapping, like the Roborock S4. The Eufy RoboVac 11S , along with other Eufy models that begin with a number instead of a letter, are also decent and affordable robots with semi-random navigation that are especially effective in smaller spaces, but they can be useful in any home.
The RoboVac 11S was even the top pick in this guide for a couple of years. And since the 11S stops short of most obstacles, it also avoids creating many of the bonking impact sounds that the rougher Roomba does.
Other basic Eufy models have slightly stronger suction and can be a couple decibels louder, but they are still quieter than most competitors.
Another surprisingly useful upside to the basic Eufy bots is the short body. I was surprised the first time I saw the 11S disappear under my bed—and then more surprised when it reemerged with an unholy amount of cat hair stuffed into its bin and wrapped about the brush roll. Eufy makes several bots built on the same base as the 11S, plus extra features. About a year after the 11S was released, we started to hear from owners whose bots had already died, and the complaints have kept on coming.
We dismantled an older Eufy RoboVac 30, and major repairs are impossible without breaking parts of the robot. The Roomba , on the other hand, was easy for us to strip down and reassemble with just a screwdriver.
Eufy is good about honoring its warranty if a bot breaks down within the one-year window and will often offer a discount for a new one to customers whose bots break outside the warranty period. And the company does sell some replacement parts, including filters , brush rollers , side brushes , brush guards , and batteries through Amazon—but no replacement wheels or brush transmissions, like iRobot does for Roombas.
Many people will probably get years of reliable service from their Eufy bots. More on these clones later. The price is reasonable, too. The S4 Max and Roborock bots in general are weaker on other robot-vac fundamentals, like carpet-cleaning performance and durability. And with the horde of copycat bots that flooded the marketplace in late , the S4 Max might not always be the best deal among robots of this type.
The smart-map feature is the highlight here. Using its laser rangefinder LiDAR and bump sensors, the S4 Max learns your floor plan in a single cleaning session and creates an interactive map in the companion app. That map enables a bunch of cool tricks, like targeted room cleaning and no-go zones, without having to manually move the bot or fiddle with physical barriers like you would with other robots including our other picks.
Like all bots that rely on laser navigation, the S4 Max is smart about driving around obvious obstacles such as furniture legs and stopping short of walls. When you add up all those little optimizations, the S4 Max saves a noticeable amount of time compared to other bots. I found that the S4 Max could clean my kitchen, dining room, and living room about square feet in total in 30 minutes, which is about 15 minutes quicker than the Roomba i7 which itself is a few minutes faster than the Roomba i3 and roughly the same pace as other speedy laser-navigating bots.
The bigger your home, the more valuable this speed will be. The S4 Max will be fantastic in many homes, but it has a few quirks and shortcomings you should know about.
So does any bot with this kind of advanced navigation system. For a lot of people, the robust control is worth it. Cleaning performance is adequate but not great. On its strongest suction setting, the S4 Max has enough oomph to suck up almost anything from a bare floor. Some older Roborock models, especially the previous-generation Roborock S4, have struggled to climb onto rugs if the transition is more than a half centimeter or so, or to clean plush rugs without a stuck-brush error.
The S4 Max seems to be better, at least at climbing taller transitions this applies to door thresholds, too. A thick rug like that is a challenge for any robot vacuum and lots of regular vacuums, too , and it worked better when we took off the side brush.
But even then, the S4 Max moved slower over the rug and seemed to pick up less debris than competing models. Bottom line: If you have soft, thick rugs you want to clean with a robot vacuum, consider another model. The original Roborock S5, which put the company on the map, was built on a more repairable and possibly sturdier frame, whereas all the subsequent models seem to be a bit flimsier. Many brands are gaming the system somehow. For Roborock in particular, several verified purchasers wrote that the company offered them a gift card to improve or delete critical reviews.
If the S4 Max is out of stock or the price seems high, you actually have a ton of similar models to pick from we have more details on some of them below. Although the Roomba i3 is new as of fall , all the praise we heaped upon the Roomba for its durability should apply to the i3 as well. Sticking with the same chassis has given the company time to work out the kinks in the system, too, and it makes repairs easy for owners to pull off at home. On a few occasions, we ran the Roomba i3 immediately after a Roomba series bot completed a session, and the i3 still came back with a half-full bin.
Another time, we ran the Roomba i3 after cleaning with the Roborock S4 Max. The Roborock performed better than the Roomba series bots, but the Roomba i3 still came back with quite a bit of hair and some larger debris in it. But on most types of floors in most homes, we think the i3 will consistently pick up more of the obvious debris especially hair than other great bots at this price. The i3 is currently the most affordable model in the Roomba lineup that follows a mostly logical, orderly path throughout your home, drawing a map as it works.
It can run for up to 75 minutes on a charge, which is good for about 1, square feet a little less if the space is broken up into many small rooms , including the edge-cleaning routine at the end of a session. The i3 is a new model, and its nav system is a bit different than any other Roomba to date: Instead of a camera to track its location as with the Roomba i7 or older series bots , an iRobot representative told us the i3 relies on a gyroscope, plus a bunch of other sensors and mapping techniques that other Roombas have used for years.
The i3 has worked well for us so far, and user reviews have been positive. Or you could upgrade to the i7, which can do most of the same tricks as the Roborock S series bots—more on that later. We get into more details about it later in this guide , but it actually works. The i3 starts every session from scratch, with no memory of the map it created the previous time, and aims to clean every bit of open ground that it can find.
You might even prefer the simplicity of letting the bot figure everything out rather than fiddling with an app. The app lets you start or stop the bot, set cleaning schedules, and adjust a few settings one or two passes, edge cleaning, full-bin behavior. It also works with Alexa and Google voice assistants. The older Roomba series was a pick in this guide from fall through fall The only meaningful differences compared to the i3 are that the series bots have cameras, which speeds up navigation a bit in most scenarios; certain variants have more battery life than the i3; and none of the series bots work with the auto-emptying dock.
You could also consider stepping up to the iRobot Roomba i7 , a camera-based navigator with a smart-map feature that lets you tell it to clean specific rooms or zones, or to avoid certain areas. It also follows a more-efficient path than the i3 or series, so it finishes the job quicker and it has a big battery to boot. The price premium is justifiable. They include:. The iRobot Roomba j7 , which has a camera-based obstacle avoidance system that the company promises—with a money-back guarantee—that it will not smear pet poop all over your floors.
The Roborock S7 vacuum-mop hybrid and its self-emptying dock. Its unique feature is a retractable mop, which lifts itself up a few millimeters when it senses a carpet. The mop also vibrates slightly as it works, which may help its scrubbing ability. The Shark AI VacMop , which is one of the few hybrid bots that is designed to work with a cleaning solution, rather than plain water.
It also has a camera-based obstacle avoidance system. The Eufy RoboVac X8 , which claims to have superior cleaning capabilities compared to those of similarly priced robots. The company behind it is reputable enough, with a larger presence in the US than most low-cost brands have. This futuristic-looking robot is the latest release from Dyson.
A step up from its previous model, Dyson claims to have made this vacuum capable of learning as it goes, with 20 per cent more suction than before.
This product lived up to these credentials, providing a seriously impressive and methodical clean in all the rooms we tried it out in. We set up this vacuum through the Dyson Link app, where you can view the robot mapping the zones you want it to clean, which it then remembers via its huge 10GB of memory.
You can set a cleaning schedule for your robot, viewing exactly where has been cleaned and how long it took. We also noted that the efficiency of this robot means that it sometimes moves at quite a speed, barging into objects in its way before understanding and then remembering how to navigate around them. Read the full Dyson heurist review.
The younger sibling to electronics brand Anker, Eufy provided one of the cheaper robot vacuum cleaners we tried out, and you get a surprising amount for your money. Quick to set up, this two-in-one vacuum and mopping robot takes around three hours to fully charge. This robot was not as powerful as others we tested, and you have to manually choose between two suction settings.
However, we found it did a good enough job of cleaning and moving across different surfaces — although it is recommended for hard floors only, so bear this in mind.
This robot was the only product we tested that came with its own handy cleaning brush to help you remove the dust and hairs that get stuck underneath the robot, which was a nice touch. It also has a waterproof base mat for use when you select the mopping function. At a bargain price, go for this one if you want a robot vacuum that is capable of a quick tidy up before you get home, which you can schedule and control from the Eufy Home app.
Read the full Eufy robovac G10 hybrid review. This three-in-one robot is able to vacuum, sweep and mop floors. However, the mopping attachment is actually sold separately, so that already may be a tad misleading.
Still, this was the cheapest and quieter robot vacuum cleaners we tested, and at 2. It is able to move under most household furniture, removing dust from normally hard to access areas. It is also compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, so you can use voice commands to tell it to start, stop, or find out how much battery is left. It was also easy to empty and re-fit the dust canister on this robot after each full clean.
Choose this one if you are a pet owner and have carpeted floors, as we found it was very effective at picking up animal hair. We found this effectively cleaned each room, and navigated different surfaces easily although it did have some trouble getting over the corners of a rug. The feature we were most impressed with was the nifty swing-out side brushes, which worked really well, capturing dirt from the hard to reach corners of each room and from under furniture.
At 67 decibels when on night mode, this was one of the quieter vacuums we tested. Time saving: The best aspect of a robot vacuum cleaner is the fact that it cleans your home all by itself, saving you valuable time and leaving you one less chore to do yourself. Vacuum and mopping: Many of the newer robot cleaners are dual function, with mopping capabilities as well as vacuuming. Space saving: The compact and minimalistic design means robot cleaners take up much less space in your home than a traditional vacuum cleaner, plus they look a lot nicer, too.
Control remotely: Wifi-enabled robot vacuums can be operated and controlled via a smartphone app, and many of these models feature voice control, which is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google assistant.
Simply pick up the robot vacuum and put it next to the mess for a quick and easy spot clean. Small bin capacity: Robot vacuum cleaners are much smaller than traditional vacuums, which means they have a much smaller bin capacity. Price: Although they are becoming more affordable as the technology develops, robot vacs are more expensive than regular vacuum cleaners, making them a serious investment in your cleaning routine.
Obstacles: Depending on the size of the model — robot vacuums can get stuck on objects or under furniture. However, the robot will go back to the charging base when the battery is low and will then return to the area to resume cleaning once adequately charged. Basic robot vacuum cleaners will clean any area available to them — so if you leave the sitting room door open it will navigate its way through and start cleaning the next room.
More advanced robot vacuums come with mapping technology. When I talked to engineers at iRobot about a year ago, they told me that there are several ways to measure suction power, but there are no industry standards. They viewed the reported Pa measurements as essentially useless, hence why it's nearly impossible to find suction power for iRobot vacs. It's also difficult to find the Pa for Ecovacs, though Eufy and Roborock report the measurements for their models.
Due to the inconsistent reporting from manufacturers, we don't include Pa as a part of our testing methodology and criteria. While using a robot vacuum is easy enough, shopping for one can be overwhelming. Here are the main aspects to look for when considering which one to buy.
Size: If you have furniture that's hard to move or low-clearance pieces like sofas or bed frames, you'll want to pay attention to the height of a robot vacuum; the other dimensions are usually within the range of reason for a normal household. For example, I have several radiators in my house with a 3. If you want your robot vacuum to get under your low-clearance furniture, make sure you choose a model that is slim enough to do so.
Features: It's important to think about what features you actually need. For instance, if you work from home and are rarely away, HD cameras aren't useful since you can keep tabs on your home with your own eyes.
If your floors are covered with carpet, you don't need your robot vac to mop. I also rarely use voice control out of personal habit, but if you use Alexa or Google Assistant for everything, then compatibility with those services is a must. Extras: You can easily purchase extra filters or brushes for robot vacs, but we think having them included with the unit is better.
All of our top picks include useful extras like brushes or dirt disposal bags. We expect most of the models we recommend in this guide to go on sale, so it pays to wait until those sale days. Robot vacuums make keeping your house clean easier, but there's still some regular maintenance needed to improve the performance and longevity and help your indoor air quality.
Run your robot vac when no one is around: Andrea Ferro, Ph. The robot vacs can kick dust, pollutants, and microbes back into the air as it vacuums floors, which can lead to subpar indoor air quality. Ferro even suggests that daily cleaning isn't a bad idea. I generally set my vacuums to run in the early morning before I wake up or when the level of my house where the vacuum is running will be unoccupied, especially since I live in a large house with three pets and no HVAC system.
Clean the dustbin and filter: If you're regularly vacuuming your space, you'll need to make sure to empty the dustbin and clean the filter. You'll also need to replace the filter and brushes every few months. Manufacturers usually give guidelines in the vac's user manual on how often you should replace these components.
A good sign that it's time to replace your filters or brushes is if they appear to be damaged or if your vac just isn't doing as good of a job of cleaning as it once did. Fortunately, many models come with extra filters and brushes, but eventually, you'll have to purchase replacements. Manufacturers usually link to their parts store in your robot vac's app, but you can also usually find parts on Amazon, so it's worth shopping around. Just make sure that you are buying the right parts for your model.
Use it in addition to a traditional vacuum: Despite how far robot vacuums have come in the last decade, they won't replace your stick and upright vacuums anytime soon. While the dream is to set your robot vacuum on a schedule and have it do all the floor cleaning for you, it's just not the reality at the moment. Robot vacuums don't clean as much dirt and debris as upright vacuums. Robot vacs function best as maintenance cleaners.
Having them run a couple times a week will make your floors less gunky, especially if you have pets. But these vacuums also need babysitting. You need to clear their path of anything that might get tangled in their wheels, and some have trouble getting into or out of tight spaces. Their bins are fairly small, so you'll need to empty them more regularly than an upright or stick version.
Even squarish robot vacuums — as opposed to round ones — aren't perfect at getting into corners. Some are too tall to fit under certain types of furniture. They obviously avoid stairs, too.
Upright vacuums typically come with attachments that are useful for cleaning things like drapes or furniture, which robot vacs can't handle. They're good for touch-ups and in-between uses. Since iRobot's first Roomba came on the market in the early s, robot vacuum technology has improved a lot. You can now find square-ish models in addition to round ones, and the mapping technology is much better. Cameras and optical sensors can help with obstacle recognition, and LiDAR-based navigation uses lasers to detect objects.
These capabilities aren't perfect, but vacuums are now more adept at finding their way back to charging docks than they were even a few years ago.
Another new feature is self-emptying bins, which suck the debris out of the robot and into a canister in the charging dock. Many robot vacuums are now smart, letting you start a cleaning session from an app or by asking a smart speaker. With cameras and connectivity come some privacy concerns. Some interesting features aren't universal, such as auto-dirt disposal and home surveillance.
A few of the new features she's excited about — and that are found in many if not all of the models in our guide — include:. The novel coronavirus is most easily spread through face-to-face interactions and in close quarters. If someone in your household has been sick — even if it's not with COVID — it's recommended to clean and disinfect the area. Though robot vacuums automate cleaning your floors, they are not completely hands-off. There are several care and maintenance steps you should take to ensure your vac operates properly for many years to come.
Manufacturers provide clear instructions for cleaning and maintaining your robot vacuum in the user manual or app. Additionally, after about two months of use, it's time to replace the filter. The front caster wheel and brushes — both the main brush and side brushes — should be replaced every year or so.
This depends entirely on the problem. In my years of testing robot vacuums, I've probably run into every problem a robot vacuum can experience: falling down stairs surprisingly uncommon , running through pet accidents, attempts at taking up crocheting, etc. I've learned that these machines are resilient. That said, any attempt to fix a problem with your robot vacuum should start with consulting customer service. After I determined there was no chance I could clean the pet waste off my robot vacuum, I reached out to the manufacturer.
And, even though the warranty specifically states these accidents aren't covered, they still provided me with a replacement unit for free. The most common problem I face is the vacuum finding my wife's yarn and wrapping it around its wheels and brushes. When this happens, you can usually work the thread free if you're patient.
I usually just cut it free. A robot vacuum can make a huge difference in your life by cleaning messes for you with the touch of a button, but they can be pricey — at least on the surface. Every week, we see discounts on robot vacuums, however, the product category is so saturated that it can be difficult to figure out which sales are worth your time.
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