Others worked great at removing debris from rugs but only scooted dirt around on hardwood. Our testers loved the ease and convenience of this all-in-one robot vacuum, which made cleaning up dirt, spills, and pet hair a stress-free task. This smart vacuum and mop combo performed great on all floor types, even cleaning up coffee messes and syrup spills from hard floors with ease. When mopping, the machine actually scrubs the floor instead of simply running over the mess, allowing it to remove sticky residue and liquid spills alike. We put more than 30 different robot vacuums to the test to evaluate which were the best for tackling hardwood floors, carpets, pet hair, dirt, and more. Our team of experts spent two days in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa, running the vacuums on multiple floor types to see how well they picked up sand, crumbs, pet hair, and more.
Even if you’re home to babysit your robot and rescue it from trouble, that kind of defeats the purpose of having an automatic vacuum. Roborock does a decent job of keeping spare parts like filters and spare brushes in stock for its recent-model robots, which is an improvement over the company’s spotty stock status in past years. Even if you can find something like a spare transmission or wheel, it’s not so easy to just swap it in using a regular screwdriver, as it is with Roomba devices. But we’re happy to report that Roborock seems to be establishing a decent reputation for product quality and support. Save when you bundle robot vacuums and mops that automatically work in perfect sequence, giving your floors a comprehensive clean. The iRobot Roomba 677 vacuum cleaner takes all the guesswork out of automatically cleaning your home.
Meanwhile, the Roomba relies on cameras and sensors alone, with lasers left out of the mix. Neato cleaned up in this test, with the Neato D9 leading all of our CNET-tested cleaners overall and the less-expensive Neato D8 coming in third overall. As with the low-pile tests, note that most of the cleaners in the top half of the graph are all relatively close to one another — it isn’t until you get to the bottom of the pack that those bars really start to shrink. That’s good for you as a consumer, because it means that you’ve got a good variety of robot vacuums to choose from that all offer comparable cleaning capabilities across various price points. It’s a capable vacuum, too, and a top-five finisher on all three flooring types we test, which is something that only one other robot vacuum we’ve tested can claim (the also-excellent Neato D10).
The S7 MaxV Ultra stole the spotlight, but the Roborock S7+ is also a strong choice. Like its more expensive sibling, the S7+ boasts Roborock’s VibraRise technology, which allows it to both mop your hard floors and vacuum your carpeting dyson robot vacuum in the same cleaning run. Whereas other hybrid cleaners avoid carpet completely while mopping, the S7+ automatically lifts its mop cloth out of the way and goes on vacuuming, allowing it to complete both tasks more efficiently.
It took an average of 30 minutes, but this robot vac left barely a speck of dust, large debris or pet hair when cleaning our test room. It had good pick-up for fine to medium dyson robot vacuum crumbs on carpet too, but it didn’t quite compare to that of a standard vac. Some pet hair got caught on the brushes, but any tangling was limited and easy to remove.
On rugs and carpeting, we noticed that it made several laps around the surface to pick up every last bit of hair, dirt, and sand in its way, even managing to pick up debris that was deeply embedded in the fibers. When it comes to simplifying your home cleaning routine, you don’t always have to pay top dollar to get the best product. The ILife V3s robot vacuum cleaner is the least-expensive robot vacuum we tested, yet we were surprised to find that it outperformed several other models that cost hundreds more. “After using the iRobot Roomba 694, I am not in any way tempted to splurge for a $900+ robot vacuum since the features on my Roomba are great,” our long-term tester said after using the device in her home for a month. IRobot’s latest Roomba offering is the Roomba s9+ self-emptying robot vacuum, which the brand designates as their strongest vacuum yet. This robot has multi-surface rubber brushes that are 30% wider than the Roomba 600 series models to cover more ground.
Once we whittle down each test group to arrive at our picks, we keep running those bots, and we examine how loud each one is (using a decibel meter), what replacement parts are available, and what warranties are offered. Senior staff writer Rachel Cericola first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, when the only smart-home devices were X10. She has been covering smart-home gear for Wirecutter since 2016, and she has had her hands on everything from in-wall light switches, LED bulbs, and water-leak detectors to video doorbells, outdoor security cameras, and security systems. She has also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among others. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. SpaceX’s Starship rocket, the most powerful ever built, exploded minutes after launching on its maiden flight.
If you’re a luxury homeowner who wants the most futuristic robot vacuum ever created, then you’ll want to add the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni to your home. The X1 Omni has a modern design and feature set that makes some of the best robot vacuums look downright archaic. Expect everyone who enters your home to stop and stare at the sleek and modern cleaning station. This bot mops and vacuums, of course, but it also cleans itself, empties itself, and has a camera that can be used to keep an eye on your pets or your home while you’re away. The iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum is smarter and more high-tech than the 600 series, but it’s a step down from the Roomba s9+ model. It has some convenient and smart features that the Roomba 694 doesn’t have, but it can’t clean corners like the s9+ model.
They also note that the red light can mean that the bag isn’t detected—make sure it’s fully secured in place before you close the lid. Make sure to also clean and replace your Roomba’s filter regularly to ensure it’s running smoothly. If you pick up a Roomba and move it manually while it’s in the middle of a cleaning cycle, it may obstruct the navigation function. As a result, the Roomba could have trouble finding its home base at the end of a cleaning cycle.