11 Of The Best Robot Vacuums In 2021
If you’re like most people, vacuuming is low on your list of favorite chores. You can avoid cleaning, or enlist the aid of a robot vacuum to clean your home autonomously. The best robot vacuums are now smart enough to avoid obstacles, powerful enough to thoroughly clean hardwood floors and carpet and convenient enough to work on their own without getting stuck or otherwise pestering you.
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In fact, these cleaning machines have come a long way in the last few years. Now they’re far more self-sufficient and often equipped with high-tech features like cameras and radar for more efficient navigation. Many even have the ability to empty their own dustbins and respond to voice commands.
Unfortunately, robot vacuums are not inexpensive. Entry-level models can often be found for less than $200, but they tend to lack more advanced features like the ability to connect to a mobile app and Alexa. Moreover, less pricey models often don’t navigate as well. At the other end of the spectrum, premium robot vacuums from top brands can cost well over $1,000, but they truly make cleaning a hands-off task, thanks to automatic dirt disposal, floor mapping technology and advanced sensors.
Be sure to consider your home’s needs when shopping for a robot vac. Do you have hard floors or carpet? Do you need a model that can handle lots of pet fur? No matter what your needs, here are the best robot vacuums for getting the job done.
Best All-Around Robot Vacuum
iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum
iRobot is one of the most well-known robot vacuum brands on the market. So well known, in fact, that most people use the term “Roomba” interchangeably with “robot vacuum.” It’s popular for good reason, though. Its products have a reputation for reliability and high-quality performance, and while the iRobot Roomba 694 may not have as many high-tech features as the more expensive models, it’s still a top pick thanks to its solid performance and reasonable price point.
The Roomba 694 has a three-stage cleaning system that’s effective at loosening, lifting and sucking up dirt and dust from hard floors and carpet. For the other hard to reach corners, its Edge-Sweeping brush can pick up what was missed with ease. Its Dirt Detect™ Technology helps your robot find the dirtier areas in your home and then cleans them more thoroughly. Since it’s Wi-Fi connected, you can schedule and monitor the cleaning sessions from your smartphone and you can start it with the sound of your voice using Google Assistant and Alexa enabled devices—yes, really.
This new model also suggests an extra clean when the pollen count is high or during pet shedding season. The vacuum has two multi-surface brushes that grab both fine particles and larger debris, and it can clean for up to 90 minutes before docking and recharging itself. This robotic vacuum navigates around your home using several sensors, going under and around furniture and other obstacles. To prevent the robot from falling down staircases and other surfaces, Cliff Detect recognizes the area in front of it.
Need proof that the Roomba 694 is one of the best robot vacuums out there? It has almost 31,000 5-star reviews on Amazon and many buyers sing its praises: “I am not the best housekeeper. I tend to be a clutterbug, and I am not faithful at daily sweeping and vacuuming,” writes one five-star reviewer. “I have two children and two cats, so plenty of dirt accumulates each day…There were a few missed spots on her very first go, but by her third time, no area seemed to go unnoticed.”
Best Budget Robot Vacuum
Ecovacs Deebot N79W+ Robotic Vacuum
Most robot vacuums represent a substantial investment, so it’s uncommon to find one that costs less than $200. The Ecovacs Deebot N79W+ isn’t just inexpensive (there are more than a handful of vacuums in this price range) but it packs a surprising number of features as well.
Of course, you need to set your expectations appropriately. The Deebot N79W+ doesn’t map your entire house or have virtual fences and no-go zones, for example. But you get three ways to control it: a remote control, mobile app and Amazon Alexa voice-command capabilities. The Alexa support in particular is otherwise almost unheard of at this price. In addition, it offers a solid 110 minutes of runtime between charges and can automatically crank up suction power up to two times when needed to clean a troublesome spot. It even has the ability to detect obstacles in its path and route around them.
Glitzy tech aside, it’s simply a dependable vacuum. The side brushes and main brush work together to sweep, lift and suck up dirt, and one Amazon customer wrote that “it has no trouble picking up all the crumbs, dirt and cat fur in its path.”
Best Robot Vacuum For Pet Hair
Samsung POWERbot Wi-Fi Connected Pet Plus Robot Vacuum
Pet hair poses a tough challenge for robot vacuums, as it often gets wrapped up in their wheels and brushes. However, the Samsung POWERbot Pet Plus was designed with these problems in mind. Its soft-action brush automatically detangles and removes pet hair around the brush, all while picking up fine dust from your floors.
This robot vacuum automatically detects the floor type to optimize suction power and it delivers 40 times more powerful cleaning, compared to other similar robot vacuums, on all floor types. Its Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to control and schedule the unit from your phone and it’s equipped with large wheels that more easily roll over rug edges, door frames and wires.
This model also gets the seal of approval from pet owners: “I was looking for a robotic vacuum that would work on dog hair,” writes one reviewer. “I have a constant layer of dog hair on my floor that I just couldn’t keep up with. [The POWERbot] does the job! My house is cleaner than it ever has been.”
Best Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum
Shark IQ Self-Empty Robotic Vacuum
Self-emptying robot vacuums aren’t as rare as they once were. Popularized by models like the iRobot Roomba s9+ (also on this list), there are now a slew of vacuums that empty themselves into a larger trash bin automatically when they return to the dock. That amps up the convenience factor, since you don’t need to handle the robot very often and only need to empty the bin perhaps once a month. The Shark IQ Self-Empty Robotic Vacuum follows the same formula, but drives the price down substantially, putting this convenient tech within reach of almost everyone.
The vacuum offers the same powerful suction and self-cleaning brush roll that mostly eliminates getting clogged by hair that you’ll find in other Shark robot vacuums—and this model can store a complete floor plan of your home in memory. That means you can command it to clean the whole house or just specific rooms on demand. You can operate it from the mobile app or using your voice with Alexa or Google Assistant. And thanks to its “Recharge and Resume” feature, if the battery runs down while it’s still cleaning, the Shark can return to its dock, charge up and then automatically restart and pick up where it left off. That’s pretty convenient.
Best Robot Vacuum For Hard Floors
Eufy by Anker BoostIQ RoboVac 30C
If you mostly have hard floors in your home, the Eufy RoboVac 30C is a great low-price option that has more than 12,000 reviews and a 4.5-star rating from users. This model has a slim 2.85-inch body that can fit under furniture, and it delivers up to 100 minutes of cleaning per charge. The RoboVac 30C also has BoostIQ technology, which automatically increases its suction when it moves onto a carpet.
And according to its glowing reviews, this model’s three-stage cleaning system is extremely effective on hardwood, tile and laminate floors. “This Eufy model has exceeded all expectations thus far!” says one buyer. “We have four dogs and two cats with a combination of hardwood and tile flooring. It’s very quiet, delicately weaves through dining room chairs to get any dog hair and dirt and senses the stairs that lead down into the living room.”
Best Robot Vacuum With Mapping Technology
Shark IQ R100 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum
Shark is a widely-trusted vacuum brand, and consumers seem to be as pleased with the Shark IQ R100 Robot Vacuum as they are with the brand’s full-size vacuums. This robot vacuum is available for a reasonable price, yet it still boasts a number of high-tech features, including home mapping, Wi-Fi connectivity and voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
On its first few runs, the Shark IQ takes the time to map out your whole home, and once its mapping is complete, you can select exactly which rooms you want it to clean. It then vacuums each location in a methodical, row-by-row pattern, not just bumping around randomly. The vacuum features an extra-large dust bin, a self-cleaning brush roll and a high-efficiency filter, and the brand claims it delivers the same powerful suction that you’d expect from other Shark vacuums.
Best Robot Vacuum For Large Homes
Neato Robotics Botvac D7 Robot Vacuum
Neato Robotics is another major player in the robotic vacuum space and one of its top products is the Botvac D7. While most robot vacuums are circular, the Neato Botvac has a unique D-shaped appearance, with one flat edge that helps it clean corners and edges more effectively. It’s ideal for large homes, as it boasts a 120-minute battery life and can store up to three individual floor plans.
The Neato Botvac D7 has an advanced home mapping system that allows you to set up virtual “no-go” areas, trouble areas that need extra attention and even separate maps for different floors of your home. The vacuum is Wi-Fi enabled so you can control it from your smartphone, and it’s compatible with a wide range of smart products. Plus, it’s equipped with a high-performance filter and Turbo mode, which increases both brush speed and suction for a deeper clean.
Best Robot Vacuum And Mop
BISSELL SpinWave Robotic Mop and Vacuum
Your floors will be cleaner than ever with the Bissell SpinWave, a robotic vacuum and mop in one. It comes with both a dry and wet tank, allowing you to choose how you want it to clean. The wet tank includes two rotating mop pads that scrub your floors, automatically avoiding carpets and area rugs. When the dry tank is attached, the unit uses its dual spinning brushes, rotating brush roll and powerful suction to vacuum both hard floors and carpets.
Plus, according to reviewers, the Bissell SpinWave does a better job mopping floors than other similar products: “I have a ‘robot mop’ from another brand, but all it does is release water slowly and drag a microfiber pad over the floor. The spinning pads in the back are what sold me on the SpinWave. It vacuums the floor as it mops, and it’s extremely quiet so I can run it while my kids are sleeping.”
Best Splurge-Worthy Robot Vacuum
iRobot Roomba s9+ Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum
Sleek and modern, the Roomba s9+ is one of the brand’s newest products, and this robot vacuum is equipped with all the bells and whistles you could ever need. It offers increased suction, better sensors and a special brush to clean corners and edges. It also has automatic dirt disposal, emptying its dustbin into the unit’s base to save you some maintenance.
The s9+ can be controlled via a smartphone and creates a map of your house as it cleans. It’s truly a smart gadget, learning where and when you normally clean to suggest personalized schedules. Plus, it has an anti-allergen system that captures 99% of pollen and mold—ideal for anyone with allergies.
While the price is certainly high, buyers say it’s worth the expense: “I have owned an ‘off branded’ robot vacuum for quite sometime now, and I was relatively impressed with the performance,” explains one reviewer. “I did not see the point or the need to spend a huge amount of money on a robot vacuum…In came the iRobot Roomba s9+, and I must say, I am honestly blown away. There most certainly is a difference in the quality and performance.”
Best Vacuum For All Types of Floors
Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum
If you have different types of floors throughout your house or apartment, finding a vacuum suitable for them all can be a challenge. But the Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum is one of the best robot vacuums for the job. Designed with Ultrasonic Carpet Recognition and an intelligent mop lifting feature, this robot automatically identifies changes in flooring, increases cleaning power and auto lifts on carpets after mopping to prevent cross dirt.
Curious as to how it cleans? It’s loaded with the latest technology—Sonic Vibration Technology scrubs at 3000 cycles per minute to get rid of dry stains while the Multi-Directional Floating Brush provides multiple planes of movement keeping the brush closer to the ground for a deeper clean. To get rid of dust and hair, this vacuum has intense suction properties to lift and pull dirt from floors and deep inside carpets.
If you don’t know where to begin when it comes to vacuuming, not to worry because this robot does. Its LiDAR Navigation with Adaptive Route Algorithms creates accurate maps while advanced algorithms determine the quickest route. Each robot can recognize up to four homes and each room automatically.
Don’t want your robot vacuum to go into certain rooms? You can control where the robot goes with No-Go Zones, Invisible Walls and No-Mop Zones. With 180 minutes, or roughly 3 hours, of battery life, this robot can clean the largest of homes at one time. Reviewers love the customization options available with this robot vacuum. “The scheduling and power options give you the right amount of power and quiet when you need it,” one reviewer explains.
Best Vacuum Bundle
iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum with Braava Jet M6 Ultimate Robot Mop
Looking to get all the cleaning done at once? Thanks to their 3-stage cleaning systems, the iRobot Roomba robot vacuum and robot mop bundle can get the job done. Using Imprint Link Technology, the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum and Braava jet m6 robot mop work together to vacuum and mop in unison. Each cleaning device has specialized navigation that help them move throughout the home in neat rows, leaving clean floors behind.
With a simple command to Alexa or Google Home or in the app, the duo starts cleaning immediately. You can tell the mop where you want it to clean and its Precision Jet Spray will work to eliminate sticky messes and grease. If you don’t want it to enter a certain room or go near something specific, you can control it with smart mapping technology. Plus, it’s smart enough to know where you clean the most and suggests schedules to keep you on top of the chores.
Worried about cleaning all the pet hair? The robot vacuum’s high-efficiency filter traps 99% of cat and dog dander and allergens for a clean look and feel. And if you forget to empty the vacuum, the robot has an automatic dirt disposal that allows the i7+ to empty itself for up to 60 days. Reviewers praise this robot vacuum for its self-emptying abilities, one even calling it the “best Roomba yet.”