Let’s face it: Vacuuming isn’t a fun thing to do, but it’s necessary for a clean home, especially if you have pets. What if you could automate vacuuming like you can automate washing dishes with a dishwasher? It’s possible with a robot vacuum, a handy device that moves around your floors and swipes up dust bunnies and other debris along the way.
While early robot vacuums were extremely pricey, today’s are much more affordable, making them more accessible to homeowners. If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into automated home cleaning, check out our list of the best robot vacuums.
7 Best Robot Vacuums in 2024
| Product | Amazon Price | Features | Voice Assistant Compatibility | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iRobot Roomba Vac Robot Vacuum | $249.99 | Smart navigation, 2-hour run time, 3 power levels, sleek design | No | Overall performance |
| Shark AI Ultra Voice Control Robot Vacuum | $599.00 | Voice control, self-mapping, multiple cleaning passes, high-tech sensing | Alexa, Google Assistant | Smart home integration |
| Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX | $249.99 | Compact, quiet, intelligent sensing, 100-minute run time, increased suction | No | Budget-friendly cleaning |
| Roborock S8 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop | $1,599.99 | Self-emptying dock, vacuum & mop, advanced sensors, app controls | No | Advanced features |
| Narwal Freo X Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop | $399.99 | Hands-free maintenance, vacuum & mop, zero-tangle brushes, voice control | No | Hands-free maintenance |
| Dreame X40 Ultra Robotic Vacuum | $1,899.99 | 12,000Pa suction, SideReach technology, advanced mapping, OmniDirt detection | No | Deep cleaning |
| WYZE Robot Vacuum | $199.98 | Precision mapping, smart cleaning paths, 3 suction levels, affordable | No | Precision mapping |
Are Robot Vacuums Worth It?
Robot vacuums are often lauded as some of the best smart home devices you can add to your home tech lineup, but are Roombas worth it? What about other brands? If you have the budget for one and want to save some time on your daily and weekly cleaning tasks, they could be.
A robot vacuum is a vacuum that runs autonomously, meaning you don’t need to push it around like you would a traditional vacuum. It has sensors along its surface that determine where your walls and other obstacles are so it can navigate around them while vacuuming your floors. Some of them even map your house while they travel so they’ll know where to go each time to cover the most surface area possible.
These devices can be helpful for homes with pets and kids, as you can run them daily or multiple times per day for quick clean-ups of fur and dropped snacks or crumbs.
Despite their convenience, robot vacuums aren’t for everyone. If you have a lot of clutter or decor on your floors, it can be difficult for a robot vacuum to find its way and really get your house clean. They’re also not meant for deep cleaning, so you still may need to vacuum manually every week or so for a comprehensive cleaning. And, if you have stairs in your home, don’t expect your robot vacuum to move up and down them. You’ll need to either have one on each floor or move it from floor to floor.
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2024’s Must-Have Robot Vacuums
The following products have earned spots as the best robot vacuums on the market for different types of homeowners, whether you’re looking for an all-around model or one that’s easy on the budget.
Best Overall Performance: iRobot Roomba Vac Robot Vacuum
- 3-stage cleaning system
- Smart navigation and sensors
- iRobot Home App controls
- Low-profile for tight spaces
- 120-minute battery, auto-recharge
- Adjustable suction levels
The iRobot Roomba is kind of what started the trend of robot vacuums. It was the original robot vacuum that was affordable enough for the everyday homeowner to buy, and it was an exciting piece of technology when it was first released in the early 2000s. The Roomba has become more sophisticated since then. Its current model offers smart navigation, allowing it to clean your space in organized rows rather than willy-nilly wherever it feels like going. As a result, you get more thorough and precise cleaning, especially with the Roomba’s sleek design that allows it to move underneath furniture.
The Roomba offers up to two hours of straight cleaning time, so there’s a good chance it’ll complete its vacuuming cycle without needing a recharge. You can also choose between three power levels, depending on the clean you need, so you can find the right balance between suction and quietness. While reviews of this newest model are overwhelmingly high, some customers do point out that its intelligent sensing might need a little work, depending on your floor plan. In some cases, the Roomba might have trouble detecting where it needs to go or moving around obstacles in a way that decreases its cleaning efficiency.
Best for Smart Home Integration: Shark AI Ultra Voice Control Robot Vacuum
- Matrix Clean for full coverage
- Bagless self-emptying base
- Anti-hair wrap brushroll
- 360° LiDAR mapping
- Pet-friendly cleaning
- Voice and app control
The Shark AI Ultra Voice Control Robot Vacuum is certainly on the higher end of the investment range for robot vacuums, but that’s because it offers more than your basic model. This robot vacuum can fit right into the rest of your smart home ecosystem if you use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Paired with these voice control systems, you can send commands to the robot vacuum without needing to press buttons or visit the mobile app. Use commands like “Alexa, tell Shark to clean (room name)” to clean a specific room or “Alexa, tell Shark to find my robot” if you need to know what room it’s in.
Additionally, this Shark robot vacuum is highly intelligent in the cleaning paths it takes. Unlike other robot vacuums that clean in a single-pass format, this one does multiple passes over the same areas in different directions, ensuring a thorough clean. It also self-maps your floors for precision cleaning and uses its high-tech sensing capabilities to avoid and move around objects, like toys, pet beds, and furniture.
Best for Budget-Friendly Cleaning: Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX
- Slim, quiet design
- 100-minute runtime
- BoostIQ automatic suction
- Protective features, self-charging
- Comprehensive accessory set
Eufy is known for making budget-friendly technology for homeowners, like Eufy cameras, that offer the must-haves without expensive bells and whistles. For just under $250, the Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX is an excellent deal if you’re looking for value and functionality over extras. The 11S MAX is Eufy’s lowest-priced version that’s compact and quiet but has intelligent sensing technology and can run for up to 100 minutes for whole-home cleaning. This device even increases suction by up to 1.5 times when it senses that a little extra is needed, like on thin carpeting.
With that said, this vacuum may need a little more maintenance than others to keep it running smoothly, specifically with a regular clean-out of its brush mechanism. Some customers, especially those with pets, have mentioned that their vacuum stops working when it gets some buildup on the brush. Others have noted that it’s not as effective at picking up pet hair as they hoped for. So, this may be a better buy if you have no pets or pets that don’t shed much.
Best for Advanced Features: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop
- Auto mop washing and self-maintenance
- 6000Pa suction with dual brush system
- Dual sonic mopping with lifting technology
- 3D obstacle avoidance
- App and Alexa integration
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop is one of the best robot vacuums if you really want to invest in a robo vacuum that does it all and you don’t mind paying for it. Although this one will set you back close to $1,600, it does the most and requires the least amount of maintenance out of the vacuums on our list.
This robot vacuum has an all-in-one dock that self-empties, so you don’t need to spend time cleaning it out after every run or two. Instead, it can go about seven weeks until you’ll need to step in and do a complete emptying. The dock also cleans the brushes and refills the water tank for the robot vacuum to continue using its mopping feature.
Speaking of mopping – yes, this vacuum does that, too. After it completes its vacuuming cycle, you can have it mop your floors, or request a mop whenever you need a touch-up. Once it goes back to its docking station, it’ll dry off the vacuum to prevent molding and unpleasant smells.
You’ll also get high-tech sensing using infrared sensors to ensure the vacuum doesn’t run into objects on the floor and advanced app controls to manage the vacuum’s washing, drying, and emptying modes.
Best for Hands-Free Maintenance: Narwal Freo X Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop
- 2.4G WiFi support
- 7,800Pa suction, pet-friendly
- Tangle-free conical brush
- Wet/dry mopping with 280ml tank
- Tri-laser obstacle avoidance
- 9mm mop lift for carpets
If you want hands-free vacuuming, mopping, and maintenance without paying a super high price tag, try the Narwal Freo X Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop. This robot vacuum doubles as a floor mop to clean up both wet and dry messes. When it arrives back at its dock, it empties itself so you don’t have to. With typical cleaning routines, you can expect to not have to manually empty the dock for about seven weeks. You can also get your hands a little less dirty with this vacuum’s zero-tangling brushes, which are designed to pick up hair and pet fur and move them into the dust bag instead of clumping up on the brushes.
If you’re wondering why this model is so much cheaper than the Roborock, it’s because it doesn’t have quite as robust features, like the self-filling water tank or the advanced app controls. But it does include a lot of the must-haves, like voice control, automatic recharging, and 3D floor mapping.
While the Narwal Freo X has overwhelmingly positive reviews, some customers claim that the vacuum hasn’t worked well to tackle their pets’ specific type of fur. Others have said it doesn’t navigate their floorplans properly.
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Best for Deep Cleaning: Dreame X40 Ultra Robotic Vacuum
- OmniDirt Detection
- Liftable brushes and mop
- Avoids 80+ obstacles
- App with mapping and modes
- Auto-maintenance features
- Hot water mop wash and 75-day dust storage
The Dreame X40 Ultra Robotic Vacuum is a robot vacuum and mop with 12,000Pa suction, making it one of the most powerful robot vacuums for cleaning up stubborn messes. It includes SideReach technology, allowing it to precisely clean around objects and walls without missing spots other vacuums might not be able to reach. It also uses 3D structured lighting and a built-in camera to learn the floorplan of your home to provide more accurate cleaning.
The mopping feature might be even more exciting than the Dreame X40’s vacuuming capabilities. This vacuum and mop has OmniDirt detection, which actually detects dirt and messes as it moves through your home to target each mess with precision cleaning.
Other features that make this particular device stand out include its long-lasting 6,400mAh battery, auto-emptying and auto-refilling docking station, and custom settings for low and high-pile carpets. You can also create No-Go zones to keep pets, children, and specific objects safe when the vacuum is in operation, and the vacuum can adjust its settings for heftier cleanup around areas where pets visit most, like around the litter box or food dishes.
Best for Precision Mapping: WYZE Robot Vacuum
- Precision LiDAR mapping
- Smart app control, No-go zones
- 2100Pa suction, 3 modes
- Multi-surface cleaning
- Self-charging, 110 mins runtime
The Wyze Robot Vacuum should be on your radar if you have a unique floor plan or want complete control over where your robot vacuum goes without paying for extra features you don’t need. It aligns with the budget-friendly vibe of its Wyze cameras and other smart gadgets with its price tag of just under $200. Still, it offers precision mapping via the connected app, letting you map your home and the areas you want it to clean or stay away from, which can be helpful if you just want to spot clean or keep the vacuum away from currently cluttered areas.
Once you have everything set up in the Wyze app, the robot vacuum creates “smart” cleaning paths for efficient cleaning throughout your home. Choose from three suction levels — quiet, standard, and strong — to match your surfaces and cleaning needs.
Most customer reviews note how pleased they are with the power and precision of this vacuum, but there are some complaints regarding customer service for troubleshooting or securing replacement parts. This model is a few years old now, so it’s worth noting that Wyze may not have replacement batteries or other parts available if needed down the road.
Other Robot Vacuums We Tested
We tested several robot vacuums for this roundup. Although these next options didn’t make our top list, they still deserve some consideration.
Roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop
- Simultaneous vacuum and mop
- PreciSense LiDAR, 3D mapping
- Combined dustbin and water tank
- All-rubber, tangle-resistant brush
- 180 minutes runtime, large coverage
The Roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum and Mop offers full cleaning of your floors with its vacuuming and mopping technology. Although it’s not self-emptying or self-refilling like some of the models on our top list, it has a relatively large dust bin and water tank to keep it running without several stops in between to empty and fill it. Its battery also lasts up to three hours on a single charge.
One feature we really like with this robot vacuum is its highly adjustable mopping. It includes 30 adjustable water flow levels for you to get just the right setting for your specific floors.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop
- 8,200 Pa suction power
- Zero-tangle brush design
- Rouleaux mop heads, AI DirtSense
- Hands-free maintenance dock
- Tri-Laser precision obstacle avoidance
The Narwal Freo X Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop has a higher price tag than some of the other robot vacuums we’ve recommended, but that’s because it has the features you might expect when you think of a robot vacuum that does it all. It vacuums, it mops, and it does it all with as little maintenance from you as possible.
The more techie and robust version of the Narwal Freo X Plus, this robot vacuum has a self-emptying docking station, zero-tangling brushes, and a refillable water and detergent system for fuss-free mopping.
Things to Consider When Shopping for Robot Vacuums
As you search for the best robot vacuum for your home, keep the following in mind:
Battery life: Some robot vacuums can only last about an hour before needing a charge, while others can continuously clean for three hours before having to head back to their docks. If you have a large home, you should look for a long-running battery.
Maintenance: How big are the dustbin and the water reservoir if the robot vacuum is also a mop? Larger containers mean less time you’ll need to spend refilling and emptying them. If you want the least maintenance possible, consider a self-emptying, self-refilling robot vacuum, although the price tag on these can be quite high.
Overall performance: For a robot vacuum to be worth it, it should have excellent suction power and a reliable overall performance. This is especially important if you have pets, for example, as pet hair typically requires extra suction and tangle-free brushes. Read reviews thoroughly to determine whether a robot vacuum actually works as well as its description says it does.
Navigation: Can a robot vacuum understand and work with your floor plan? Make sure it has precision navigation with high-tech sensors that detect obstacles, walls, etc., and creates smart pathways for itself instead of moving haphazardly around your home. Also, ensure that a vacuum can move over your carpeting without trouble. Some robot vacuums can handle high-pile carpets better than others.
App control: Robot vacuums that come with a connectable mobile app usually offer lots of control over their settings, including defining where the vacuum can and can’t go and setting it up to work with a voice control system, like Alexa, for hands-free operation.
Simplify Your Life with a Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Because robot vacuums tend to cost more, in general, than manual vacuums, it’s important to decide whether one fits your budget and is necessary for your everyday cleaning needs. They certainly can simplify your cleaning routine in many cases, but if you have lots of stairs to navigate or a complex floor plan, they might not work well with your home.
Robot Vacuum FAQs
Common complaints about robot vacuums are short battery life, difficulty moving around cluttered spaces, and the maintenance necessary to keep them running their best. Some consumers also note the hefty price tags for some models, especially compared to manual vacuums.
Many robot vacuums are designed with overcharge protection to prevent problems from happening if they’re left on the charger all the time. If yours doesn’t have overcharge protection, unplug it once it’s fully charged to prevent damage to the battery and reduce the risk of a fire hazard.
How frequently you need to empty a robot vacuum depends on how often you use it, how much it picks up each time, and how much capacity it holds. Generally, most robot vacuums used regularly need to be emptied every 2 or 3 days, but if you run your vacuum daily or a few times each day, you may need to clean it out every day.
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