What to Look for in a Robot Vacuum in 2021
With so many robot vacuums on the market, how do you choose the right one? The answer depends, of course, on what you’re actually looking for. Most robot vacuums do the same thing—clean up dirt and other small debris while navigating around your home. However, some robot vacuums have additional features such as automatically going back to the charging dock and running on a set schedule, or even mopping the floor as well as vacuum.
Since robot vacuums are designed to help keep your home clean, you should prioritize how well they clean first and foremost. A good robot vacuum needs to navigate your home while cleaning up dirt and debris easily. It shouldn’t constantly get stuck against an object that prevents it from cleaning. Robot vacuums do get stuck at times, but it shouldn’t happen often and a good one will learn where corners and objects are.
Your robot vacuum should be able to move from room to room, even if the flooring isn’t completely level around the home. You’ll also want a vacuum that won’t break itself, as in it won’t fall down a flight of stairs. These aren’t cheap, so you don’t want a vacuum that will break itself within a few months.
What prevents a robot vac from taking a damaging tumble requires smart sensors, which will help it to navigate around objects and furniture. All of our recommendations will have these smart sensors built-in, so no matter what you pick, you can take comfort in the fact that it won’t get stuck or fall onto a step and break itself.
With all this in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the best robot vacuums around. Keep in mind that all our picks do an exceptionally great job of cleaning!
Pros
- ✓ Affordable
- ✓ Can operate on schedules
- ✓ Automatically recharges
- ✓ Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- ✓ Uses dirt and advanced sensors
If you’re unsure of which robot vacuum to go for, we recommend the iRobot Roomba 694, priced at $275. It’s our best overall pick because the Roomba 694 is affordable (at least compared to the robot vacuum cleaner market in general) and does everything you’d expect from a quality robot vacuum. It also has many premium features that you’ll love.
The 694 cleans well on carpets and hardwood floors and uses a three-stage cleaning system to leave your surfaces spotless. There’s even a side brush that cleans up hard-to-reach corners and edges so that it won’t miss anything. This robot vacuum uses smart sensors that detect dirt and allows it to carefully navigate your home without falling down a flight of stairs.
The sensors also allow the Roomba 694 to clean under and around furniture and other objects. However, it may get stuck from time to time, so you may need to go save the Roomba while it learns and maps out the household.
This Roomba model also comes with many premium features, which is impressive at its price point. There’s Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can connect the robot to your internet to control it using the iRobot app or with a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can set schedules for it to operate, and the vacuum even moves back to the charging dock after 90 minutes to automatically recharge.
Overall, the Roomba 694 offers great value, so if you pick this one up, you won’t be disappointed.
Best Robot Vacuum Overall
iRobot Roomba 694
iRobot’s Roomba 694 is an affordable and popular option with many premium features such as Wi-Fi connectivity and automatic charging.
Pros
- ✓ Operates quietly
- ✓ Very affordable but still offers great value
- ✓ Offers powerful and strong cleaning
- ✓ Long battery life of 100 minutes
Cons
- ✗ No app control
- ✗ Has limited scheduling options
Do you want an affordable robot vacuum that gets the job done? Then check out the eufy RoboVac 11S, which goes for $220. This robot isn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s a great budget option for those who want a quality robot vacuum that won’t break down quickly.
The RoboVac 11S uses a powerful vacuum that cleans well on both flooring and carpet. It detects when extra vacuuming strength is needed and increases its suction power to clean your floors more effectively as well. Although the vacuum has strong suction, it’s very quiet, so the 11S is ideal for nighttime use.
This vacuum uses smart sensors to navigate around objects to prevent it from falling down the stairs. So, even though it’s a budget option, you don’t have to keep an eye on it as it’s cleaning near staircases and other perilous drops for the vacuum. There’s even a remote control that allows you to control the robot directly.
The RoboVac 11S comes with some great features, including automatically recharging when it’s low on power. The bottom wheels are large enough to allow the robot to climb over small ledges and carpets as well.
Overall, you won’t have to pay any attention to the 11S as it’s cleaning. Just remember to empty the dust box when it gets full, and be prepared to work with the limited scheduling options when setting it up.
Best Budget Robot Vacuum
eufy RoboVac 11S
Robot vacuums can be expensive. Luckily, eufy has an affordable vacuum that gets the job done. It even automatically recharges when low on power!
Pros
- ✓ Very long battery life of 180 minutes
- ✓ Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- ✓ Automatically recharges and resumes
- ✓ Provides a deeper clean with the mopping feature
- ✓ Has superior features to keep your floors spotless
Cons
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ App control and mapping can be difficult to set up
If you want to improve your home cleaning even further, you can opt for a robot that both vacuums and mops. The Evovacs Deebot T8 costs $550 and is a premium robot mop and vacuum combo. It seriously takes cleaning to another level.
As expected, the Deebot T8 cleans incredibly well on carpets and all floor types. To use the mopping feature, you need to install the included water tank and attach the mopping pad. You don’t need to worry about the Deebot soaking your carpets, though. The T8 detects when it’s on the carpet and won’t spill out any water as a result. Very nifty!
When mopping floors, the cleaning pad soaks itself with water, and the robot drags the pad across the floor to provide a deep clean, leaving your floors clean and shiny. The tank contains 240mL of water and can cover over 2,000 square feet, which is impressive.
The Deebot T8 has a variety of other features to justify the premium price tag. For example, it uses laser mapping and navigation and saves maps of your home to provide the best cleaning route possible. It also uses technology that can detect objects down to a millimeter level, which prevents the T8 from getting stuck on any object.
Other advanced features such as carpet detection, auto-boost suction, and customized cleaning through the app make the robot one of the most advanced options on the market. You can even get the upgraded model called the T8 AIVI, which has even more features such as live video and artificial intelligence object detection—but at an even more premium price, of course.
You could also upgrade the T8 by getting the Ecovacs Deebot Auto-Emptying Station which holds up to 30 days of dirt, dust, and other debris. With the automatic dirt disposal, this robot vacuum and mop combo becomes one of the most fuss-free picks on our list.
Best Robot Vacuum and Mop
Ecovacs Deebot T8
Looking for a robot vacuum that also mops to leave your floors spotless? Ecovacs’ Deebot T8 covers up to 2,000 square feet of deep cleaning.
Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair: ILIFE V3s Pro
Pros
- ✓ Inexpensive
- ✓ Designed to pick up pet hair using tangle-free technology
- ✓ Automatically charges
- ✓ Cleans on carpets and very well on hard floors
Cons
- ✗ A little noisy
- ✗ No app control
Looking for a robot vacuum that will effectively clean up pet hair? The ILIFE V3s Pro is an inexpensive option that is priced at $160, and it’s a great pick for those with pets around the home. Of course, the V3s Pro doesn’t just clean up pet hair. It still cleans up dirt and other debris with a runtime of 90 minutes.
This robot is our pick for cleaning up pet hair because it’s designed with tangle-free technology, which is very important when dealing with fur. The V3s Pro doesn’t opt for a roller brush like most vacuums (robots or not), where hair can get caught in the rollers and gunk up the system. Instead, ILIFE’s vacuum uses powerful suction to get the job done instead.
The V3s Pro has a slim design that makes it easy to clean under furniture, beds, and other places your pets may wander. It cleans well on carpets and bare floors and uses smart sensors to navigate around your home. The robot’s sensors also prevent it from dropping down tall ledges or falling down your stairs, so you don’t have to watch over the vacuum while it goes about its business.
The best part of the V3s Pro is that it has automatic charging, which is typically a premium feature. There’s even a remote control to control the robot, where you can create schedules and switch between four cleaning modes. You’ll want to be careful about overnight cleaning, though, as the powerful suction also makes this robot vacuum on the louder side.
But with ILIFE’s V3s Pro, you’ll never have to worry about cleaning up pet hair again.
Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair
ILIFE V3s Pro
Vacuuming pet hair can be difficult. But with ILIFE’s V3s Pro, you can easily clean up after your pets with minimal fuss.
Pros
- ✓ Hands-free vacuuming up to 45 days
- ✓ Uses a multi-surface brushroll that’s great for pet hair
- ✓ Automatically recharges and resumes
- ✓ Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
- ✓ Convenient app control
Cons
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ Loud vacuum
Having a self-emptying robot vacuum is one of the most convenient ways to keep your carpets and floors clean. That’s why we recommend the Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot, a $600 robot vacuuming that will take care of vacuuming your home without fuss for well over a month.
The AV1010AE uses powerful suction to vacuum and then automatically empties its dustbin into a bagless base. The base is large enough to hold up to 45 days of vacuumed debris. So, if you’re out on vacation or don’t want to worry as often about emptying the vacuum’s dustpan, the AV1010AE IQ Robot is an excellent option.
Shark’s vacuum works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can control it by voice or with the respective voice assistant’s app. You can also control the robot with the SharkClean app on Android or iOS if you don’t have a smart home setup.
The AV1010AE IQ uses smart sensors and maps your home for selective and effective cleaning and to prevent it from falling down the stairs. Through mapping, this robot vac’s cleaning cycle goes row by row and room to room instead of randomly bouncing around, so it efficiently cleans in a way many of its competitors don’t.
It’ll automatically recharge and resume cleaning, so all you need to do is set a schedule and you won’t have to worry about vacuuming for 45 days. Finally, the Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot uses a multi-surface brush roll, which is great for vacuuming pet hair (although maybe not as great as the pure suction on the best pick for pet hair).
If you want your robot vacuum to be as fuss-free as possible, the AV1010AE IQ Robot is worth the premium price tag.
Best Self Emptying Robot Vacuum
Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot
If you’re on vacation or don’t want to worry about vacuuming your home, Shark’s robot vacuum has you covered. It’ll take care of vacuuming your home for 45 days.
