In our most recent testing, we tried 13 models, from cheap, aimless bumblers to sophisticated machines that (usually) navigate with ease. We think that the Roborock Q5 (and the Roborock Q5+ , with its self-emptying dock) and the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max are your best choices. (If you&#;re curious about hybrid models that can vacuum and mop, we have some information on those, too.)
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But don&#;t set your expectations too high. These machines excel in routine midweek cleanups but can&#;t replace traditional plug-in vacuums , especially on rugs . And even the fanciest models can drive you mad, getting tangled or trapped, or missing piles of dirt.
Robot vacuums are feats of engineering. Even a basic bot can keep your floors tidy with little effort on your part, handling pet hair and dust adeptly. Top-tier models can map your home, schedule cleanings, take voice commands, and empty themselves.
This solid, affordable robot vacuum has a large bin and excellent cleaning power. It can be scheduled to clean, but it can&#;t be controlled with an app.
This is the Roborock Q5 packaged with a charging dock that sucks debris from its dustbin after it cleans.
This bot is a top-notch cleaner and a great navigator that avoids (most) obstacles while keeping on top of scattered debris.
We checked whether a model could be repaired and whether replacement parts are easily available.
We checked each bot&#;s noise level, whether it moved easily under and around furniture, and whether its brushes could tackle corners.
We checked how well each model performed around obstacles and took note of the user-friendliness of app-controlled bots.
We measured and compared how much debris each model picked up.
The Roborock Q5 was one of the most thorough cleaners we tested, picking up more debris than some costlier models. It&#;s one of the best navigators we&#;ve tried, able to map multiple levels of your home and remember a room&#;s layout.
This model&#;s user-friendly app offers dozens of customizations, such as scheduling cleaning cycles, vacuuming specific rooms, and sending the bot back to places it may have missed. It also allows you to block off areas that you don&#;t want cleaned.
While Roborock&#;s obstacle-detection system isn&#;t perfect, the Q5 avoided hurdles more effectively than the other robots we tested. It&#;s also one of the quietest robots we&#;ve tried, which comes in handy if you have skittish pets or are easily distracted.
The Roborock Q5+ performs exactly the same as the Q5 but comes with a charging station that can suck debris from the robot right into a large, disposable bag.
The Q5 and Q5+ come with a one-year warranty.
In our cleaning tests, the basic Eufy RoboVac 11S Max outperformed even robots with fancy navigation, sucking up more debris than most, including along baseboards and close to walls. Its low height allows it to effortlessly glide under furniture to pick up dust bunnies and missed kitty treats.
The 11S Max is so quiet and nimble that it fades into the background like no other robot we&#;ve tested. It doesn&#;t connect to an app, but it does come with a remote control for scheduling it to clean and directing it to missed spots. But its navigation system tends to be random, and its bumbling aimlessness gets on some people&#;s nerves.
It comes with a one-year warranty.
We evaluated the vacuums for their overall quality, noise level, and ease of use before assigning individual ratings for each category. Once lab testing was complete, we took the robot vacuums home and used the devices for up to six months.
Additionally, we challenged each vacuum by creating a small obstacle course of furniture for it to navigate, placing socks and USB cables in its path to see if it avoided the objects or ran them over.
We put dozens of robot vacuums to the test to evaluate which were the best for tackling hardwood floors, carpets, pet hair, dirt, and more. We spent several 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.
"The software on these robots is trained to identify common hazards on the floor, such as shoes, socks, clothes, cords, and even pet waste."
"If your home is particularly cluttered &#;perhaps you have children or pets&#;you should consider a robot vacuum with object detection and avoidance," says Brent Hild , director of product management at iRobot.
However, it's important to find a vacuum that operates quietly, doesn't get stuck, and successfully avoids obstacles in its way.
A robot vacuum is a simple way to keep your floors tidy without dedicating your entire weekend to cleaning. Instead of dragging out your hefty vacuum to get rid of dirt , crumbs, and hair ground into the floor, the best robot vacuum cleaners will navigate around the house and clean on their own.
Using this vacuum at home freed up our time and improved the overall cleanliness of the home. We loved the combination vacuum/mop and often used both features together, resulting in incredibly clean and shiny floors. For anyone who despises cleaning their floors, this is a total lifesaver.
The Ecovacs Deebot N8+ has a mop attachment to handle liquid messes on your floors. We were impressed with this feature, which scrubbed off syrup spills and soaked up a puddle of coffee. However, a lot of residue remained on the mop head after cleaning, so we&#;d recommend removing and washing it after every session.
It worked extremely well on all surface types, barely even pausing to climb up onto the rug as it moved through the obstacle course. It picked up dirt, sand, hair, and crumbs without issue, receiving perfect scores for its effectiveness. We also loved that it empties itself, so you don&#;t have to clean out the dust bin after every task.
This allows you to run the vacuum more confidently even when you aren&#;t around, knowing that it&#;s not going to get lost in a room or stuck behind furniture while you&#;re gone.
This vacuum starts its first job by cleaning around the perimeter of the room, memorizing and storing information about the layout of your home for future tasks. Once it&#;s made a complete map, it&#;ll start methodically working its way through the room, seamlessly avoiding furniture and picking up debris in its path.
If you have a large home, a complex layout , or want your robot vacuum to clean certain rooms at a time, you&#;ll likely find that vacuums with mapping technology are the best to use. We found that the Ecovacs DeeBot N8+ was the best product we tested with mapping, as it easily navigated through our testing lab&#;s complicated course.
The mop attachment on this robot vacuum gets dirty easily, so plan to wash it frequently.
The mapping feature allowed it to move without hesitation throughout the room during our tests, so it never got stuck or lost.
We'd recommend looking out for a sale if possible because the price is high (but you do get a lot of features, plus intelligent mapping).
Over the testing period we actually noticed an improvement in performance as the vacuum figured out the layout of the apartment and was better able to locate and clean tricky areas. We also appreciate the self-emptying and mopping elements.
Best of all, this vacuum empties itself out at the end of every cleaning task, so you never have to come in contact with the gunk it picks up.
When trying to move over bumps in the flooring, such as from hard floor to a rug, the Ecovacs vacuum will maneuver itself at different angles in order to successfully navigate throughout the room. This means you won't have to help it onto high-pile rugs or lift it over the threshold between different rooms.
During testing, the Ecovacs robot vacuum was able to maneuver around the socks and faux pet messes we laid out in our obstacle course, but it did suck up a USB cord in its path. We recommend double-checking that any power cords are out of the way before using the vacuum.
The vacuum's mapping technology learns the layout of your house and remembers it for next time, allowing it to clean more thoroughly and efficiently. Built-in object sensors and a camera help the vacuum avoid obstacles directly in front of it like toys and laundry on the floor.
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. It detects and avoids carpets and rugs when in mopping mode, so you won't have to worry about blocking off any carpeted areas.
We loved the ease and convenience of this all-in-one robot vacuum, which made cleaning dirt, spills, and pet hair a stress-free task. This smart vacuum and mop combo performed well on all floor types, even cleaning up coffee messes and syrup spills from hard floors with ease.
It wasn't able to avoid power cords during testing, so make sure those are out of the way before running this vacuum.
This vacuum also has a built-in mop that received perfect scores for effectiveness during our tests.
This vacuum performed so well at home that we want a second model to use on the upper level. We love that the app lets you know when you need to perform maintenance on the vacuum such as changing the filters. The house is significantly cleaner since we started using it, and we tell family and friends about it all the time.
One thing to note is that this robot vacuum is guaranteed by the manufacturer to avoid pet waste, yet it ran straight through the fake pet mess we set up during testing. While this could have to do with the conditions of the test, we don't recommend running this vacuum in an area where it may come in contact with pet waste.
During shedding season, your Roomba may recommend a personalized cleaning schedule ; over time, it learns where and when you normally clean, and it may suggest extra cleanings based on what it's learned. This makes it easier to stay on top of dust , allergens, and excess pet hair in your home.
It received perfect scores on both flooring surfaces, and we found that it was also excellent at maneuvering around socks and other small obstacles scattered on the floor.
We especially loved how easy it was to remove and clean the rubber brush from the vacuum compared to other vacuums we'd used. The powerful suction allows the vacuum to pick up crumbs and sand with just as much ease on both hard flooring and carpets alike.
The iRobot Roomba J7 did an astounding job at picking up pet hair and dirt without anything getting tangled in the brush roll. This is because it has rubber brushes on the bottom instead of bristles, which scoop up hair and gunk without excess hair getting caught.
Owning a pet and keeping a tidy home can often feel mutually exclusive. But while your robot vacuum won't take your dog for a walk or take care of pet accidents left in the house, it can help keep dirt and pet hair off your floors.
Though the manufacturer claims this vacuum can avoid pet waste on the floor, it failed to do so during testing.
It uses a rubber brush to scoop up hair and dirt, making it easier to avoid hair wrapping around it and clogging the machine.
Downsides are minimal, but we do wish it came with a few extras considering the price&#;extra mop pads or a few accessories would be nice.
In general, we loved how intelligent this vacuum cleaner was&#;the smart features really made life easier and improved the machine&#;s maneuverability (it seamlessly moved around human and chair legs in its path). The robot vacuum also adjusted its performance over time as it got to know the layout of the apartment better.
We don't think it would be a total replacement for a monthly wet-vac cleaning , however it&#;s the perfect device for regular maintenance. While we were unable to test it on carpet, the manufacturer does recommend the vacuum for use on this surface as well.
Other modes such as spot clean and mopping also functioned very well. Sometimes with multifunctional vacuum/mop combinations one feature will work better than the other, but the mop quickly wiped away a stubborn sticky patch on the tile floor. Following up with a paper towel test proved the mop got all the residue.
Scheduling cleanings is intuitive, with the ability to easily adjust the times (even if you make edits right before the vacuum is supposed to start). It self empties, which is always nice to see, though this mode is very loud&#;we actually turned automatic self-emptying off because we found it disruptive.
The mapping especially impressed us. Setting it up took less time than anticipated and resulted in an accurate map that we were then able to designate and label. For a tech-savvy user this process wasn&#;t too complicated, but we felt the instructions were lacking some detail and would have liked to see a how-to video or similar.
On both floor hardwood and tile flooring , the Roborock picked up hair, dirt, and larger chunks of debris like cereal without difficulty. Hair did not get tangled around the brush roll, and any loose strands were easily removed by hand.
If the convenience of unsupervised vacuuming and a suite of customizable features are worth the splurge for you, we highly recommend the Roborock S8+ . During testing, we found the high-tech features and effortless usability of this vacuum to be more than worth the price tag.
For the price, we wish it included a few extras, such as backup mop pads.
This vacuum did a great job sucking up hair&#;both dog and human&#;especially in hard-to-reach areas such as underneath the bed. This alone is enough for us to recommend it. If you misplace the remote it can be a hassle not to have app connectivity, but overall we didn't miss the inclusion of smart features.
Its only shortcoming is the lack of app connectivity for even more intuitive use, but for the price and the effectiveness of its settings, we think the ILife V3s Pro is still a great budget pick.
The battery-powered remote control has clearly marked buttons for starting, scheduling, and maneuvering the vacuum, and after just a few minutes, we felt like experts using the device.
On hard floors, this robot vacuum struggled a bit to suck up the cereal pieces we'd strewn across the ground, but it had no trouble collecting smaller particles. We specifically noted how easy and straightforward this vacuum was to use, especially when compared to some of the high-tech robot vacuums we'd already tested.
This was somewhat surprising, as the robot vacuum doesn't have a brush roll to help it capture gunk and hair. Instead, it has two edge sweeping tools on the front to guide dirt into its path and strong suction. You won't have to cut tangled hairs out of the vacuum every few weeks since everything gets sucked away.
While it lacks app integration to help you schedule and run your vacuum, it's excellent at avoiding obstacles, maneuvering around furniture, and picking up dirt. On rugs and carpeting, it made several laps to pick up every last bit of hair, dirt, and sand, 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.
This robot vacuum doesn't offer app integration, so you'll have to use the remote to control it.
Its effectiveness on carpets and hard floors outperformed much more expensive vacuums we tested.
While it's great for quick cleanings, it probably won't be enough to deep-clean your carpets. We found that it wasn't always able to get deeply embedded hairs and debris. But it's super self-sufficent and perfect for those quick once-overs.
The company is the world’s best autonomous industrial cleaning robot supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
The Roomba 694 has become our go-to robot vacuum recommendation. We think it's an especially great pick for apartments or smaller spaces. While it doesn't have fancy features, we were impressed with its ability to navigate the space and return to its docking station at the end of the cleaning.
If you're looking for features like object detection, automatic dirt disposal, or smart mapping, you'll likely find the Roomba 694 to be a little bit lacking. It doesn't offer the fancy features of a more expensive robot vacuum, but we found this to be an incredibly reliable and effective tool for hands-free cleaning on multiple floor types.
The Roomba 694 uses WiFi connectivity and an easy-to-use app on your to complete cleaning jobs. You'll be able to name your vacuum, start a timed cleaning job, locate the vacuum, and tell it to return to the charging station from within the app, allowing you to run the vacuum even when you aren't at home.
Plus, the built-in sensors allow the robot vacuum to navigate around furniture and large obstacles in its way (though you'll want to make sure there aren't any socks, power cords, or other small items in its path). It can even detect and avoid staircases, so you'll never come home to find a broken Roomba at the bottom of your stairs.
The Roomba 694 had no trouble transitioning between the hard floor and the rug, though we noted a momentary lapse in dirt removal as it did so. We were particularly impressed by how well this vacuum removed sand from deep within the fibers of the rug, leaving behind no trace of the initial mess after it passed through.
This is thanks in part to its edge-sweeping tool, which helps to push nearby dirt particles under the vacuum so they can be sucked away by the powerful brush roll.
This easy-to-use machine effortlessly navigated multiple floor types while collecting dirt and debris with ease. On bare flooring, the Roomba 694 was able to pick up small sand particles and larger debris alike in a single pass, including cereal, pet hair, and human hair.
Whether your home has hardwood flooring, tile, carpets, or rugs, it's convenient when you can find a device that's versatile enough to clean all surface types in one fell swoop. That's why we rated the iRobot Roomba 694 as the best overall robot vacuum after testing.
It doesn't have any of the high-tech features other robot vacuums offer.
The Bottom Line
After testing in our lab and at home, we determined that the best robot vacuum is the iRobot Roomba 694 because of its effectiveness on multiple flooring types. We found it to be extremely easy to operate, with helpful features that allow it to navigate without assistance around your space.
Our Testing Process
We spent two days testing robot vacuums in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa, to see which ones made the task of vacuuming easier and which weren't worth the money.
Our team of experts designed an obstacle course to challenge each robot vacuum on hard floors and carpets, adding furniture, power cords, and small objects like socks and faux pet waste to see how each vacuum was able to maneuver throughout the space.
We also added sand, dirt, hair, and pieces of cereal to the floor to determine how effective the vacuums were at picking up different types of debris.
Finally, we took the robot vacuums from our lab tests home, where we continued to use the devices in our daily lives for up to six months. We evaluated the vacuums based on their performance, design, ease of use, and more before assigning a weighted score.
Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock
What to Know About Robot Vacuums Before Shopping
Flooring Type
When picking out the best model for your needs, be sure to consider what type of floors the vacuum is designed to work on.
During testing, different robot vacuums performed better on certain types of flooring. While some were great at tackling cereal spills on hard floors, they struggled to pick up hair out of carpet fibers. Others worked great at removing debris from rugs but only scooted dirt around on hardwood.
Some robot vacuums even have mopping features that'll wipe up liquid messes on your floors, which can be an important feature if you're looking for an all-in-one device.
Common Debris and Obstacles
If you're planning to use your robot vacuum when you aren't at home, it's especially important to find a model that is capable of navigating its surroundings without getting stuck, falling down stairs, or breaking something in your house.
The best robot vacuums will have object sensors and object avoidance to help them move across your floor seamlessly.
The more high-end models even have mapping capabilities, which allow the vacuum to memorize the layout of your home from one cleaning job to another, so it spends less time bumping into walls and more time picking up debris.
"Those with open-style or larger homes should consider purchasing a robot vacuum with smart mapping capabilities," Hild says. "Smart mapping robots can seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of a home and keep track of its location&#; Users can also set up 'Keep Out Zones' for keeping the robot out of unwanted areas."
"[If you're a pet owner], check to make sure the robot's filters are capable of capturing dog and cat dander&#;especially if you suffer from pet allergies," Hild says. "Effective brushes and rollers are also important in making sure the robot vacuum can actually handle picking up short and long pet hair alike."
Battery Length
Whether you're cleaning one room or the whole house, you'll want to make sure whatever robot vacuum you choose has the battery power to get the job done without recharging.
The robot vacuums we tested ranged between 70 minutes and 200 minutes, so depending on the size of your home, you may be able to purchase one with a shorter battery length or require one that runs for longer.
Noise Level
The best robot vacuums will not only make your life easier by cleaning your floors for you, but they'll also be quiet enough not to disturb you. We measured the decibel rating of each vacuum we tested, and the quietest option was the Ecovacs Deebot, which was only 68 decibels.
Other Robot Vacuums We Tested
Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum
On paper, the Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum has all the features you could want in a robot vacuum&#;mopping capabilities, object avoidance, easy emptying, and more. However, when we tested it in the lab, we found that even its most basic features were unhelpful.
The vacuum couldn't pick up cereal, pet hair, or even grains of sand from any flooring type, and the mop failed to clean up sticky residue when cleaning.
Shark JetBot+ Robot Vacuum with Cleaning Station
If it weren't for the price, the Shark JetBot+ Robot Vacuum with Cleaning Station would have made our list. It received perfect scores for its performance on both hard floors and carpet, especially when it came to removing pet hair.
We found its features&#;which included a self-emptying dust bin, live tracking, and mapping technology&#;to be extremely useful. However, other robot vacuums offered the same features and effectiveness for less money. For this reason, we chose to leave this vacuum off our list.
Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock
iRobot Roomba S9+
While the iRobot Roomba 694 earned the No. 1 spot in our list, the Roomba S9+ didn't perform as well during testing.
Though it earned reasonably high scores for its effectiveness on hard floors and carpets, the vacuum had trouble picking up hair on rugs, and we noted that it was extremely loud when cleaning. It got tangled up in power cords and ran over pet messes and laundry.
Your Questions, Answered
What maintenance and care does a robot vacuum need?
You can keep your robot vacuum in excellent condition for a long time by providing occasional maintenance and care. This includes replacing the filter inside the vacuum regularly (check the manufacturer's instructions to see how often this should be), cutting any tangled hair out of the brush roll, and emptying out the dust bin after every use.
Some high-end robot vacuums have self-emptying and self-cleaning capabilities, which limit the number of times you need to empty the dust bin and care for the machine. Hild also recommends regularly wiping down the sensors at the bottom of your robot to ensure it can "see" correctly to avoid obstacles and staircases.
"WiFi connected robot vacuums can also provide maintenance tips and reminders via the companion app, even offering health status updates on various components, such as filters and roller brushes," Hild says.
How long do the best robot vacuums last?
Most robot vacuums will last around three to five years, says Emily Rairdin, store owner apprentice and technician at University Vacuum + Sewing. This is provided you take good care of it and ensure it doesn't run over anything it's not supposed to, like pet waste, power cords, and socks.
Many robot vacuums have object avoidance technology and stair recognition, which can prevent it from falling down the stairs while in use.
If your robot vacuum's performance is suffering, Rairdin says "they either just need a good cleaning, because there's a lot of little parts in those robots. or something's going on with the battery."
Is it worth getting a robot vacuum?
Buying a robot vacuum can make it easier to keep your floors neat and tidy on a daily basis without having to take time out of your busy schedule.
After testing dozens of robot vacuums in our lab, we found that while added features like object avoidance, mapping, and self-emptying are helpful, the most important factor is their effectiveness on different flooring types.
We also think that robot vacuums with sensors are helpful, as they allow it to move throughout your home without falling down stairs or getting stuck behind furniture.
Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock
Who We Are
Samantha Jones is a commerce editor at Better Homes & Gardens, writing about a variety of home products including the best stick vacuums, removable wallpaper, steam irons, and more. For this story, she spent several hours researching robot vacuums and important features to consider when purchasing one, then compared her research to testing insights gathered from our lab tests in Des Moines, Iowa. She also interviewed Brent Hild, director of product management at iRobot.
What is BHG Recommends?
Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.
Looking for more products that have earned our BHG Recommends seal of approval? Check out our picks for everything from picnic blankets to humidifiers.
For more commercial robot floor cleanerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.