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Mar 01, 2025

The Winners of Our Best Robot Vacuum Tests

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. These robot vacuum cleaners eradicated dirt, pet hair, and other debris during our

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

These robot vacuum cleaners eradicated dirt, pet hair, and other debris during our lab and at-home tests.

In This Article

Better Homes & Gardens / Dera Burreson

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.

We put dozens of robot vacuums to the test to evaluate which are the best for tackling hardwood floors, carpets, pet hair, and more. While we love the models recommended here, robot vacuums might not be ideal for every home.

Joseph Passalacqua, CEO of Maid Sailors, says, “I’ve found that their performance can vary significantly based on several factors. For daily maintenance and light cleaning, they are fantastic, but they can't entirely replace the thoroughness and versatility of manual vacuuming, especially for deep cleans.”

We evaluated the vacuums for their overall quality, noise level, and ease of use. Once lab testing was complete, we took the robot vacuums home and used the devices for up to six months. For more on how we tested robot vacuums, see our testing process below.

Smart features and superior mapping capabilities make this robot vacuum stand out from the crowd.

For the price, we wish it included a few extras, such as backup mop pads.

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.

On both hardwood floors 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.

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 have seen a how-to video or similar.

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.

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.

We don't think it would be a total replacement for a monthly wet-vac cleaning, but 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.

We love how intelligent the vacuum is; the smart features really improve the experience. The vacuum seamlessly moved around human and chair legs in its path during testing and adjusted its performance over time as it got to know the layout of the apartment better. We wish it came with a few extras like backup mop pads or a few accessories.

Product Details: Battery Life: 180 minutes | Accessories: Mop cloth, mop cloth mount, auto-empty dock, power cord | Object Avoidance: Yes

Its effectiveness on carpets and hard floors outperformed much more expensive vacuums we tested.

This robot vacuum doesn't offer app integration, so you'll have to use the remote to control it.

When it comes to simplifying your 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.

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 carpet, it made several laps to pick up every last bit of hair, dirt, and sand, even managing to pick up deeply embedded debris.

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, since everything gets sucked away.

On hard floors, the vacuum struggled 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.

The battery-powered remote has clearly marked buttons for starting, scheduling, and maneuvering the vacuum, and after just a few minutes, we felt like experts using the device. Its only shortcoming is the lack of app connectivity for even more intuitive use, but for the price and the effectiveness of its settings, it's a great budget pick.

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.

Product Details: Battery Life: 100 minutes | Accessories: Filter, remote control, charging dock, side brush, power adapter, cleaning tool | Object Avoidance: Yes

The auto-detangling roller means you don’t have to worry about long hairs getting tangled in the vacuum.

The mopping feature left the floor a bit streaky.

It can be tricky to find a good robot vacuum that can handle carpeted flooring—but the Eufy X8 Pro Robot Vacuum does it incredibly well. We found that it tackled everyday dust and debris like a champ, but we were particularly impressed with the auto-detangling roller.

The built-in detangling mechanism means you won't have to worry about pulling long hairs out of the vacuum (which is never a nice chore). We thought the vacuum was very quiet; whether running on carpet or hardwood flooring, it wasn’t as disruptive as other vacuums we’ve tested.

It’s also worth noting that this vacuum allows you to customize the suction to best suit the specific kind of flooring in your home. Though it did eventually gather all the debris, we did find that it struggled with a concentrated pile of pretzel bits and took more passes to suck it all up.

The main issue we ran into was that the mopping function couldn’t tackle stuck-on messes all that well. It also left the floor looking pretty streaky compared to manual mopping. Not having to mop by hand is a pretty good deal, though, and the floor was still clean at the end of the cycle.

The vacuum held up well with daily use, picking up debris effectively and not getting stuck on objects or the edges of rugs as often as our old model did. While we still recommend it for these reasons, we should note that the battery never lasts through a full house clean, and the vacuum has a tendency to spit debris onto the charging dock.

Product Details: Battery Life: 100 minutes | Accessories: Dust bag, charging dock | Object Avoidance: Yes

It uses a rubber brush to scoop up hair and dirt, making it easier to avoid hair wrapping around it and clogging the machine.

Though the manufacturer claims this vacuum can avoid pet waste on the floor, it failed to do so during testing.

Pets and tidy homes can 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. 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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Product Details: Battery Life: 75 minutes | Accessories: Charging dock | Object Avoidance: Yes

This vacuum boasts incredible suction power and works well on hardwood and carpet.

The mopping capability isn’t as effective as using a regular mop.

We loved the ease and convenience of the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Robot Vacuum and Mop, which made cleaning dirt, spills, and pet hair a stress-free task. The vacuum performed well on all floor types, even cleaning up coffee messes and syrup spills from hard floors with ease.

We also loved how easily and efficiently the self-empty feature worked without leaving behind debris or any mess. The all-in-one model is also notably easy to set up with a very intuitive and user-friendly app and easy Wi-Fi connectivity.

The automated maintenance and scheduling features meant we could really set-and-forget it, which is a major plus for convenience.

While the mopping capabilities offered a good supplement between regular cleanings, we didn’t feel it was as effective as a regular mop. During testing, we noticed that it couldn’t tackle tougher debris like dried mud, but otherwise worked well on less substantial messes.

This vacuum has majorly improved our lives by making cleaning so easy. For everyday cleans, it's excellent as both a vacuum and a mop. We have occasionally noticed hair caught in the spinning brush, but the way it's designed makes this a simple fix.

Product Details: Battery Life: 180 minutes | Accessories: Two washable mopping pads, charging dock | Object Avoidance: Yes

This vacuum learns from its mistakes and avoids areas where it’s gotten stuck before.

The app is a bit confusing to figure out.

The Roborock Q Revo Robot Vacuum is by far the best option if you want a vacuum mop and are willing to pay a little bit more than the average price. It offers multiple suction and water flow options for mopping that make it easy to customize to your space and specific needs.

The vacuum learns from previous mistakes and avoids getting into spots where it had gotten stuck. For example, it hit two obstacles on its first clean and avoided them or tried a different approach on subsequent cleans. It works well on all floor types, so it truly is a one-and-done model.

Spot mode is great because you can have it go over the spot multiple times to make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned. As with most robot vacuums, you might find yourself wanting a deeper clean every so often. But overall, our floors have been much cleaner since we started testing this.

We really liked the fully automated aspects of this vacuum. It doesn’t just vacuum and mop—it has self-emptying and self-cleaning features and gets the mop pads impressively clean.

The biggest con we came across during was that the app experience isn’t the most user-friendly. There are a ton (and we mean a ton) of customization options, and it took us a while to figure out the ins and outs. We would have appreciated some kind of walkthrough tutorial to get started.

This is an excellent vacuum mop combo that impressed us more the longer we used it. The device gets into corners better than our old robot did, plus the app connectivity and self-empty feature make it easy to operate. We trust it to run unsupervised due to the effective object avoidance, and it can handle all debris that we encounter on a regular basis.

Product Details: Battery Life: 180 minutes | Accessories: Mutifunctional dock, mop cloth, power cable | Object Avoidance: Yes

After testing in our lab and at home, we determined that the best robot vacuum is the Dreametech D10 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop because of its effectiveness on multiple flooring types. We found it to be extremely easy to set up and operate, with helpful features such as adjustable suction.

We tested 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 home the robot vacuums from our lab tests, 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

When picking out the best model for your needs, consider what flooring you have. “Most robot vacuums excel on hard floors like tile, hardwood, and laminate, picking up dust and debris with ease,” Passalacqua says. “When it comes to carpets, especially those with high pile, their efficiency often drops.”

“The suction power required to clean carpets effectively is usually higher than what most robot vacuums offer, making them less ideal for homes with extensive carpeting," Passalacqua says.

During testing, different robot vacuums performed notably better on certain types of flooring. Some models were great at tackling cereal on hard floors, but struggled to pick hair out of carpet fibers. Others expertly removed debris from rugs, but only scooted dirt around on hardwood.

If you're planning to use your robot vacuum when you aren't 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.

Shlomo Cherniak, owner of Cherniak Home Services, says, “Advanced models use sensors and cameras to navigate around obstacles, ensuring a smoother and more efficient cleaning process. Look for models with advanced sensors for better navigation.”

Whether you're cleaning one room or the whole house, you'll want to make sure your robot vacuum has the battery power to get the job done without recharging. Battery life on the ones we tested ranged between 70 and 200 minutes.

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 65 decibels (approximately the same noise level as an average conversation).

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.

We appreciated the Wyze Robot Vacuum for its simple setup and efficient cleaning performance on various types of flooring. However, we found that it would get stuck very easily and wouldn’t learn from its mistakes. It also had a flimsy base and seemed to be prone to misalignment.

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 was reasonably effective on hard floors and carpets, it had trouble picking up hair on rugs, and it was extremely loud when cleaning. It also got tangled on power cords and ran over pet messes and laundry.

The Dyson 360 VisNav Robot Vacuum worked well when tackling fur and dust. We liked that it had very strong suction power, was surprisingly quiet, and was user-friendly overall. That said, it struggled in corners and left dirt behind. It’s also expensive considering the lack of features like self-emptying functionality or mopping capabilities.

Better Homes & Gardens / Laura Miller

You can keep your robot vacuum in excellent condition for a long time by providing occasional maintenance and care. This includes replacing the filter regularly (check the manufacturer's instructions), cutting any tangled hair out of the brush roll, and emptying out the dust bin after use.

Some robot vacuums have self-emptying and self-cleaning capabilities, which limits how often you perform these tasks. Brent Hild, director of product management at iRobot, recommends regularly wiping down the sensors at the bottom of your robot to ensure it can "see" correctly to avoid obstacles and staircases.

"Wi-Fi-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.

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 models have object-avoidance technology and stair recognition, which prevent them from falling down the stairs while in use. If your vacuum's performance is suffering, Rairdin says suggests giving it "a good cleaning" or evaluating whether there's a problem with the battery before replacing it.

A robot vacuum can make it easier to keep your floors tidy on a daily basis without taking time out of your busy schedule. We found that, while added features like object avoidance, mapping, and self-emptying are helpful, the most important factor is a vacuum's effectiveness on different flooring types.

We also think that robot vacuums with sensors are helpful, as they allow them to move throughout your home without falling down stairs or getting stuck behind furniture.

For many consumers, yes. “Robot vacuums can be worth the investment, especially for those who value convenience,” Cherniak says. “They save time and effort by automating daily cleaning tasks…Consider your home's layout and flooring type before purchasing.”

Robot vacuums are convenient, but they aren’t the end-all, be-all solution that they are often made out to be. “Some cons of robot vacuums include small dustbins that require frequent emptying, potential issues with hair tangling in the brushes, and the need for regular maintenance,” Cherniak says.

Better Homes & Gardens / Laura Miller

Kaitlyn McInnis is a former lifestyle editor and current Better Homes & Gardens contributor. This story was updated by Erin Mayer, editor at Better Homes & Gardens.

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