The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuuming is the bane of many people's existence, but robot vacuums make it a little less tedious. Modern models can also mop, and even climb (small) steps.
They have a small trash bin that they empty themselves and some can be controlled from a smartphone app instead of an actual remote. Some have mapping features that assist in navigation.
1. Power
Our top choice for robot vacuums has a suction power of 8000Pa, which is strong enough to eliminate even the most difficult hairs and dirt. The ultra-thin shape of the square allows it to slide beneath furniture such as beds and sofas. Dual-Laser LIDAR technology offers precise obstacle avoidance and intelligent navigation. It also does an excellent job at cleaning up pet hair, baking soda, and other debris that can be found near the baseboards as well as in corners.
Apart from the DEEBOT X2 OMNI, other top-of-the-line bots on this list include the Robot Roomba J7+ and the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. It comes with a robust docking station that is able to perform maintenance and mopping functions as well. Its powerful suction and effective mopping kept my floors free of pet hair and muddy footprints and other debris in every flooring type test we conducted.
In the lower price range, a unit with around 2,500Pa of suction is more than enough for the majority of homes. These models are quieter, making them a better choice for people with sensitive hearing. They're still not silent, but they're only the same volume as a normal conversation at home.
Consider your budget and cleaning needs to find the perfect combination of power and usability. For light-duty cleaning that is frequent it is recommended to have a longer runtime and a lower suction is required. Weekly heavy-duty cleaning requires the maximum power. Then assess your flooring, home layouts and cleaning schedules in order to select the best model to meet your requirements. We suggest looking through our complete list of robot vacuum reviews and ratings for more details on the most recent models available. Many users report that their carpets and floor look cleaner after using a robot vacuum.
2. Navigation
A robot vacuum can't do its job when it doesn't know how to navigate your home. The best robots use sophisticated navigation technology to scan rooms and make a map, ensuring thorough cleaning without getting stuck or hitting obstacles. There are three kinds of robot navigation: LiDAR-based, sensor-based, and camera-based.
The most expensive models use LiDAR to build a virtual map of the room, offering the highest levels of precision and efficiency. Bump sensors are used in lower-end models, however they aren't always accurate and miss a lot of debris when working in dark places. Most robots also feature cliff sensors to stop them from falling down stairs or other falls.
A number of the robots I tested utilized object recognition to navigate around things like fake dog turds. But the Eufy X10 was the best. It was equipped with powerful oscillating mop heads and a user-friendly app with excellent mapping capabilities.
Other features worth looking into include floor type sensors that recognize carpets that are hard and soft and automatically boost suction power when needed. Certain robots, like the Roborock mop, make use of a mopping pad lift to get into corners and eliminate dried spills. Many hybrids are able to apply cleaning solution to stubborn stains.
A smaller size of the bin will require less frequent emptying while a larger one will save money on replacements. The cheapest robotic cleaners usually utilize a small disposable dust bag, but most mid-range models have larger 3L dustbins that can last for many years. Some premium robots, like the ECOVACS DEEBOT OMNI station, can self-empty their trash bins and refill their water tanks to provide convenience without hands.
3. App control
The majority of robot vacuums have an app that can monitor cleaning progress and schedule cleaning sessions. They also connect to smart home devices. Most also sync with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to allow voice-controlled control. Some have a dedicated remote control that allows you to start, pause and return to dock. Pick a model that comes with an extra large dustbin and is able to self-empty instead of one that needs manual emptying.
Some robots are equipped with mapping technology that can help them remember obstacles, like stairs, and avoid hitting furniture. Some robovacs allow you to designate no-go zones and specific rooms so that they only clean areas that require it the most. They also have cliff sensors to prevent them from falling down stairs, which is especially useful in multi-level homes.
If you intend to utilize your robot vacuum to clean rugs choose one that is capable of both dry and wet mopping. You'll have better results cleaning if your robot vacuum can also take off its mop pad. Rinse it, and then attach it again when you are ready to run a new cleaning cycle. Find robots that have a rubber roller. This is less likely to tangle from pet hair or other debris. It's recommended to examine the robot's brushroll and side brushes for debris that has gotten stuck once or twice a week as well. If you notice they are beginning to get clogged up it might be time to buy replacement parts.
4. Debris collection
Like the name suggests robot vacuums are made to collect dust and other debris from your floors. The most effective ones can pick fine particles such as baking soda and sand as in larger pieces of metal screws, orzo pasta and pet hair. They also provide better pick-up results on low-pile carpets than most manual vacuums.
The top-performing robots across all flooring types had scores higher than 95 percent. Our two best-performing robots in this category were the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI, and the Roborock Q Revo. Both are highly automated equipped with docking stations that perform maintenance by themselves and features in the app that make them extremely user-friendly.
They both have self-emptying bins that automatically take the contents of the wastebasket and clean the washboard while you mow. They also come with an 8,000Pa vacuum, intelligent mapping technology and advanced obstacle avoidance that helps them navigate through the most difficult of spaces. The ECOVACS robot is among the few that can vacuum carpet and remove the mop pads. This makes it a great choice for users who have to switch between mopping and vacuuming frequently.
If you're looking for a less expensive option, look into the Roomba Combo J7 by iRobot Plus, our budget pick. It comes with LIDAR navigation and decent debris pickup capabilities for the price. It's a bit slow to map out rooms and may be susceptible to crashing into obstacles, however, it's cheaper than our other top-rated choices.
5. Battery life
The best robot vacuums are made to let you get to work while keeping your floors looking spick and span. You'll still have to manually vacuum your home every so often however, robovacs can help you maintain a basic level of cleanliness, and will even keep your home clean when you're away.
Choose a robovac that has long-lasting batteries to get the most out of it. A good guideline is to expect a robovac to last about two complete cleaning sessions when you run it at the highest power setting. Read Far more is not as long as a full-sized vacuum cleaner, but it should be enough to provide for the majority of homes. If you don't like to be waiting around while your robovac recharges you, you can choose a model that automatically makes its way back to the base station to recharge.
If you are looking for a robovac that can do a bit of everything, consider an all-in-one model that can mop as well. Eufy's X10 is the most effective model in this class and provides self-emptying, auto-draining and self-refilling of your dust bin and mop pad. It can also be programmed to automatically re-fill and wash its own mops when they're running low.
The clear winner of our tests is the Dyson V810 thanks to its impressive carpet and hard floor pickup, excellent hair pickup, tangle-free performance and a near perfect auto empty score. It's expensive and unless you have the space of a small home with no pets, it might be too costly for certain. The second-placed model is the Dreametech D10+, has very similar performance but costs about 25% less.