Then there are the top-of-the-line Roomba s9 and self-emptying Roomba s9+, which we do not recommend. Instead of the classic puck shape, it has a D-shaped body and extra-wide brushes to improve its edge-cleaning and corner-cleaning abilities. It also has four times more raw suction than the already-strong irobot vacuum cleaner Roomba i3, i7, or j7. That helps it consistently pick up larger debris like cat litter or yard waste better than most robots, though it still doesn’t come close to deep-cleaning dust from a rug like a traditional vacuum. We don’t like the s9 because it’s one of the clumsiest navigators we’ve tested.
If you think we’ve missed one worth covering, let us know—though we may already be testing it. There are at least a couple dozen super-smart yet affordable robots that, using invisible lasers, can quickly learn the layout of any home, then clean individual rooms on command, and skip everything else. bissell crosswave cordless If you’re up for fiddling with maps in a smartphone app, it’s a fantastic and flexible system. But with a little ingenuity, you can come up with low-tech solutions that don’t cost extra. Prices have dropped nicely on the Shark ION, from its original $449 MSRP to much more wallet-friendly prices.
We see regular robot vacuum deals cutting the price on this model as well, so you’ll find it available on sale regularly. After researching which robot vacuums to test, we settled on 11 models with a wide variety of features and price points. We set up each vacuum, downloading apps and creating accounts where necessary. We ran each vacuum multiple times through an approximately 1,500-square-foot home with two cats, hardwood floors and mostly low-pile carpeting. As for cleaning, we’ve found over and over again that basic Eufy bots are capable of picking up all the most common types of debris off bare floors and low-pile rugs. It’s actually kind of surprising how effective they are, since the advertised suction is so modest, and the single brush roll is small.
For a lot of people, the app’s robust controls are worth the fiddling and occasional frustration. For others, it’s more trouble than it’s worth, and in that case we’d suggest a simpler robot like the Roomba i3—one that just starts cleaning when you turn it on, and keeps going until it can’t find anywhere new to clean. These higher-end Roomba models have some disadvantages compared with other smart-map robots that rely on laser navigation, including our other top pick, the Roborock S4 Max. Laser-nav bots can learn your home’s layout in a single session, whereas these Roombas typically need two or three sessions of training.
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 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.
The Roomba i3+ is usually the most affordable way to get a great self-emptying robot vacuum system. The only Roborock model that works with an auto-empty dock is the high-end Roborock S7+, which is quite expensive. The Roomba j7+, which has a lot of the same advanced navigation features as the Roborock, actually costs less than the S7 and dock combo. The dream scenario is that you set your robot to automatically run on a schedule and then empty itself out, so you don’t have to touch your bot or even think about cleaning your floors for weeks on end.
That’s fine, but it’s still a tiny fraction of the suction you’d get from a traditional vacuum and only makes the X8 a marginally better cleaner than a much more affordable robot, like the Roborock S4 Max. The older Eufy RoboVac L70 is still available as well, but its app is not capable of permanently remembering specific rooms in your home, which makes it substantially less convenient than most current laser-nav bots. Many of these laser-navigation bots have similar specs, designs, and behaviors, and there’s no clear evidence to suggest that some are more reliable or durable than the others. But we’re inclined to recommend the Roborock irobot vacuum cleaner S4 Max in particular because it’s often one of the lower-priced models of its ilk (it often sells in the mid-$300 range), and it has the most full-featured app with the richest set of controls. The main downside to the Roborock and similar laser robots is that they’re unlikely to last as long as iRobot’s Roomba models, including our pick, the Roomba i3, and their single-brush designs don’t clean rugs as well, either. And if you’re intimidated or annoyed by the idea of controlling a robot with an app, then the simpler Roomba i3 would be a better choice, because it’s a sturdier robot and still cleans in a thorough, orderly fashion.
If your main struggle is keeping up with pet hair and small pieces of debris like cat litter, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a well-performing robot vacuum. In our testing, the iLife V3S Pro did the best job on cat hair and cat litter on my hardwood floors. The Eufy does a superb job picking up dirt, excelling on hardwood floors, tile and low-pile carpets. It filled its dustbin with pet hair and cat litter, though it wasn’t able to get up all the litter on a higher-pile carpet. Battery life is also an important factor to consider based on the size of your home. In general, most robot vacuums can run for at least 60 to 70 minutes, which should be enough to tackle smaller homes and apartments.