The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuums can make the chore of vacuuming a little less painful. Today's models also mop and even climb (small) stairs.

Some have a small trash bin that they empty by themselves. Others can be controlled via a smartphone app rather than the physical remote. Some models have mapping features that help them navigate more efficiently.

1. Power

Our top choice for robot vacuums has a suction power of 8,000Pa, which is enough to eliminate even the most stubborn hairs and dirt. Its ultra-thin square shape allows it to slide underneath furniture such as beds and sofas. Dual-Laser LIDAR technology provides precise obstacle avoidance as well as intelligent navigation. It's also great for cleaning pet hair, baking powder and other messes around corners and baseboards.

Apart from the DEEBOT X2 OMNI, the other top-of-the-line bots on this list include the Robot Roomba J7+ and the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. The latter comes with a powerful docking station that is able to perform maintenance and includes mopping capabilities as well. Its powerful suction and effective mopping kept my floors free of pet hair, muddy paw prints, and other debris throughout every flooring type test we conducted.

A model that has 2,500Pa suction will suffice for the majority of homes in the lower price range. These models are quieter, and therefore a better option for those who have sensitive ears. They aren't silent, but they are only about the same as normal conversations at home.

Consider your budget and cleaning requirements to find the perfect combination of power and efficiency. For regular light-duty cleaning you will require a longer time-to-run and less suction is recommended. Weekly heavy-duty cleaning requires the maximum power. Consider your flooring, home layouts and cleaning schedules in order to determine the best model to meet your needs. We recommend checking out our complete list of robot vacuum reviews and ratings to get more details on the most recent models available. Many customers report seeing their carpets and bare floors appear cleaner after introducing a robotic vacuum into their home.

2. Navigation

A robot vacuum mop cleaner robot won't be able to do its job effectively without knowing how to navigate your home. Because of this, the best robots use sophisticated navigation systems that consistently scans rooms and then creates an outline map to ensure thorough cleaning without getting lost or hitting obstacles. There are three kinds of robot navigation including LiDAR, camera, and sensor.

LiDAR is used by the most expensive models to create a virtual room map, which provides the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency. Bump sensors are employed in less expensive models, but they can be inaccurate and miss a lot debris when working in dark places. Many robots also have cliff sensors to stop them from falling down stairs or other falls.

Several robots I tested used object recognition to navigate around things like fake dog turds. However, the Eufy X10 was the best. It was equipped with powerful mop heads that oscillate, a user friendly app, and superb mapping capabilities.

Other features worth looking into include sensors for floors that can recognize hard floors and soft carpet automatically increasing suction power when needed. Some robots, like the Roborock mop, utilize a mopping pad lift to get into corners and eliminate dried spills. Many hybrids are able to apply cleaning solutions to tough stains.

A smaller size of the bin will require less frequent emptying, whereas larger ones can save money on replacements. The cheapest robotic cleaners usually use a small disposable dust bag, while the mid-range models typically have larger 3L dustbins that last for many years. Certain premium robots such as the ECOVACS DEEBOT OMNI Station can self-empty and refill their water tank for hands-free convenience.

3. App control

The majority of robot vacuum reviews vacuums have an app that monitors cleaning progress, schedule sessions and connect to smart home devices. Many robot vacuums can be controlled via voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Certain models come with a remote control that lets you start the process, pause it, and return to dock. Pick a model that comes with an extra large dustbin and is able to self-empty instead of one that needs manual emptying.

Some robots are equipped with mapping technology to help them avoid obstacles such as stairs and furniture. Others let you set no-go zones or targeted rooms, ensuring that they only clean the areas that need it most. They also have a cliff sensor to stop them from falling, which is particularly useful in multi-level homes.

If you intend to make use of your robot vacuum for cleaning rug carpets, you should choose a model which can be used both for wet and dry mopping. You'll get better results from an vac that is able to remove its own mop pad, and then rinse and reattach when it comes time for another cleaning cycle. Also, look for a machine that has a rubber roll that is less prone to tangles from pet hair and other debris than bristle rollers, as found on some smaller models. It's a good idea inspect the robot's brushroll as well as side brushes for debris stuck on every week or once, too. If you notice that they are beginning to get clogged up, it may be time to replace parts.

4. Debris collection

Robot vacuums are designed according to the name to remove dust and other debris on your floors. The most effective ones can pick up fine particles like baking soda and sand as larger pieces such as metal screws, orzo pasta, and pet hair. They also have better results on low pile carpets than many manual vacuums.

All flooring types are covered, and the top-performing robots had pickup scores of more than 95 95%. The ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI and the Roborock Q Revo were our two most efficient bots in this class. Both are highly automated with docking stations that can perform maintenance by themselves and app features which make them extremely user-friendly.

Both have self-emptying bins that automatically empty the wastebasket. They also have the ability to clean the washboard as they mowing. They also have 8,000Pa suction, smart mapping technology, and advanced obstacle avoidance technology that helps them navigate even the most difficult of spaces. The ECOVACS model is also one of the few robots that we tested that can take its mop pads and vacuum carpet which makes it the ideal option for those who need to switch between vacuuming and mopping frequently.

If you want a cheaper option, we recommend the Roomba Combo J7 from iRobot+, our budget-friendly pick. It features LIDAR navigation and decent debris pickup capabilities for the price. It can be a bit slow at mapping out rooms and is susceptible to bumping into obstacles, but the price is lower than our other picks.

5. Battery life

The most effective robot vacuums are made to let you go on with your life while keeping your floors in tip-top span. It is still necessary to manually clean your home from time to time, but robovacs will assist you in maintaining a minimum standard of cleanliness, and even clean while you're away.

Find a robovac equipped with long-lasting batteries to get the most out of it. A good rule of thumb is to expect a model to last about two cleaning sessions if you use it on the highest power setting. This is less than a full-sized vacuum, but it should be sufficient to clean most homes. If you don't want to wait around while your robovac is charging, you can also choose a model that automatically makes its way back to the base station to recharge.

If you are looking for a robovac that can do a amount of everything, you should consider an all-in-one robot that can mop too. Eufy's X10 is the most effective model in this category and provides self-emptying, auto vacuum and mop-draining and self-refilling of the dust bin as well as the mop pad. It can also be programmed to automatically re-fill and wash mops when they're empty.

Its respectable carpet and hard floor pick-up, great hair pickup and tangle prevention, and its near-perfect auto empty score makes it the clear winner of our test scores. It's not cheap, however and unless you live in a small home with no pets, it could be too expensive for some. The runner-up one, the Dreametech D10+, has the same performance, but is priced 25% less.