The 5 Best Robot Vacuums 2021

We keep finding deals on bots from no-name brands like Coredy, Goovi, Onson, and Amarey, all of which have product dimensions that are barely distinguishable from those of the Eufy RoboVac 11S that we recommend. The Eufy 11S doesn’t have Wi-Fi or any smart-home connectivity, but you can still set a daily cleaning schedule with the remote control. The Roborock S4 Max has a single, relatively small brush roll , so it’s not as effective on carpets as Roomba’s dual-roll design.

The placement requirements for different makes and models will vary, of course; but generally speaking, you’ll need to place the base station somewhat in the open. Tuck the base out of the way and your robot might have trouble finding it so it can dock and recharge its battery. Also, don’t forget that the charging station needs to be reasonably close to a power outlet.

Roomba automatically transitions from one floor surface to the next, including carpets, rugs, tile, linoleum and hardwood floors. If you’re picturing having your new robot vacuum clean your floors while you’re asleep, think again. Even the quietest models tend to make a racket when they’re zipping around your house, banging into your walls and furniture as they go. But yes, most robot vacuums do need to be emptied on a regular basis, or after every cleaning . That said, there are some self-emptying models that automatically dump debris into a bin in their home base , although as you can probably guess, self-emptying vacuums tend to be the most expensive.

Infrared sensors keep it off the stairs, though like other bump bots, it can’t avoid obstacles like lamp cords. The iRobot j7+ is the best robot vacuum you can buy right now, with simpler mapping, more cleaning power and smarter features than anything else we tested. Robot vacuums are designed to make your life easier, cleaning the floors so you don’t have to. They’re particularly great for keeping up with pet hair but can also keep your house tidy when you’re just too busy bissell crosswave cordless (and they’ll do it better because they don’t mind vacuuming every day). The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI is a pricey 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop with excellent battery life, the ability to identify and avoid obstacles, and a unique home monitoring feature. The Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL R101AE vacuum holds up to a months’ worth of dust and debris in its base station, and features a self-cleaning brushroll and lots of smart features for a truly low-maintenance experience.

She is a graduate of West Virginia University’s Perely Isaac Reed School of Journalism. The Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge, Roborock E4, and Ecovacs Deebot 601 all use a similar nav system as the Roomba i3, but we seriously doubt that they’ll be as durable as the Roomba. We dismantled an older Eufy RoboVac 30, and major repairs are impossible without breaking parts of the robot.

The i6+’s rubber brushes, automatically adjusting cleaning head, 75-minute runtime, and power-lifting suction make for a formidable combination against messes of all sizes. Where the brushes and cleaning head allow it to transition between hard and carpeted floors with ease, the latter steadily extracts debris regardless of the surface. Consider the layout of your home and whether you have mostly hardwood floors or deep-pile carpeting. If you live in a Victorian-style home or have medium- to high-pile carpeting, a robot vacuum will likely require a lot of input from you. However, if you live in a more modern, open-flow style of home with tile or hardwood floors, a robot vacuum is a great option.

The very cheapest robot vacuum cleaners are often more hassle than they’re worth. You can get these for as low as $50/£50 but often their low suction power and poor connectivity make them little more than incredibly slow remote control disks. You might also struggle to pick up spare parts and refills for some of the less well-known brands. The robot vacuum deals listed here, however, bring you the most trusted brands with products that are tried and tested at low prices. While the iRobot Roomba is your best bet for high performance cleaning, there are also plenty of excellent robot vacuum deals on offer at the $150-$200 / £150-£200 price tag below.

irobot vacuum cleaner

In our experience, it can be useful in spaces as large as 1,000 square feet, as long as you run it most days of the week as a habit and can forgive that it might not thoroughly clean every room every time that it runs. But some people don’t want to deal with the unpredictable coverage, and that’s understandable. If you want a smarter robot, take a look at our top two picks, the Roomba i3 and Roborock S4 Max. If you only need to vacuum a few rooms at a time, and you’re looking to save a few bucks, consider the Roomba 694, or really any model from the 600 series. This affordable robot vacuum is quieter and fits under more furniture than any other model we’ve tested. While it works best in small spaces, it rarely gets stuck and does a good job on bare floors and short-pile rugs.

Generally speaking, all the vacuums on this list can handle hardwood floors and pet hair without issue. The Neato Botvac D4 Connected isn’t cheap, but it offers virtual boundaries and customized cleaning maps dyson robot vacuum for less than any other robot vacuum. IRobot’s Roomba s9+ is expensive, but its intelligent navigation, super-powerful suction, and ability to empty itself out make it the best robot vacuum we’ve tested.