The Best Robot Vacuums: Which One Should You Buy?

Vacuuming sucks (hah). But seriously, it’s one chore that most everyone can agree is not the greatest. It’s a loud, monotonous, and seemingly endless chore when there are kids and pets causing mayhem day and night. The solution? A robot vacuum.

In case you’ve been living under a rock (no judgement here, Patrick is a cool dude) and don’t know what a robot vacuum is, I’ll explain. A robot vacuum is a genius little invention that autonomously roams around your home collecting the dust, dirt, and debris that accumulates seemingly overnight. Some of them can even wash your floors as they go if they have a hybrid vacuuming/mopping design.

There’s no question that a robot vacuum can deliver convenience and cleanliness to your life. The real question is, how do you choose one over all the rest? That’s where we come in. Below, you’ll find a list of the top robot vacuums for sale in 2023. We’ll cover their features, pros and cons, and suitability in detail so you can make an informed decision on which robot vacuum is best for you.

Why Trust Us

Why take our word for it? It’s simple, really: we tested more than 2 dozen robot vacuums, judging their muster in a number of categories. We looked at cleaning power, smart technology, advanced features, ease of use, and overall value. We only chose products that scored a 7/10 or higher to ensure we don’t lead you astray with a product that doesn’t meet all of our strict requirements.

1. Best Overall: Roborock Q5+

The Roborock Q5+ vacuum is our top choice for 2023 because it offers great cleaning performance, user-friendly features, smart technology, and more all for a modest price compared to many others on the market.

This vacuum uses LiDAR technology to navigate, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging. This type of navigation uses lasers to determine the layout of a room, and the vacuum’s distance to the obstacles in said room. The benefit? The Roborock vacuum seamlessly navigates around obstacles and is extremely unlikely to get stuck.

This vacuum isn’t the most powerful on the market, but it does have above-average suction power at 2700Pa. However, cleaning power is not only determined by pure suction power, and you’re in luck with this model.

It has multiple cleaning levels that will adjust based on floor type, and it’s strong enough to give the carpet that fluffed up look we all love from our upright vacuums. Plus, it will pick up more than 95% of debris around your home, including pet hair in your low-pile carpets.

The Roborock Q5+ has a side brush for engaging more dirt with each pass, plus a multi-surface roller brush that works well on all floor types. The roller is removable in case you need to detangle pet hair (which will be a necessity with longer-haired pets or housemates with long locks).

It also comes with a self cleaning dock, which is pretty useful. The vacuum hits its mark every time since it has a little ramp for guidance – this means it will dock reliably on carpet, which can be an issue on other models. However, the dock does use disposable bags for the waste, so that is a consumable that will need to be replaced. Plus, you have to enable self-emptying manually since the vacuum’s dustbin doesn’t have a sensor that tells the vacuum it’s full.

Its mapping capabilities are also excellent. The first time the vacuum roams your home, it will map it incredibly accurately (some vacuums need a couple tries to get every square inch of your home mapping correctly). After that, you’ll be able to designate cleaning to specific rooms, a series of rooms, or the entire floor.

The battery life of the Q5+ is great. You’ll get up to 3 hours of runtime before the vacuum needs to recharge, which is on the higher end of the scale compared to others we looked at. However, it will take 5 hours to recharge.

All things considered, the Roborock Q5+ truly is one of the best robot vacuums out there. Its mid-range price is very reasonable given its performance, even if it does have a few minor what the heck? design choices.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Great dustbin capacity
• Good suction
• LiDAR navigation technology
• Great battery life
• Value-packed for a reasonable price

Cons:

• Doesn’t mop
• Noise is a bit loud
• 5-hour charging time is lengthy
• No dustbin sensor

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.8″ x 13.8″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: No
• Noise Level: 67dB
• Suction Power: 2700Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 470ml
• Navigation Technology: LiDAR
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 180 minutes
• Charge Time: 300 minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

2. Best Vacuum and Mop Hybrid: Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni

The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is an impressive little cleaning machine. With vacuuming and mopping capabilities, its versatility is hard to beat. Plus, with a suite of user-friendly features and industry-leading technology, this Deebot model won’t let you down.

This vacuum/mop hybrid is truly hands-off with a great array of automated functions. Not only does it empty its dustbin container on its own, it also empties the water tank of its used water, refreshes it with a clean supply, washes its mopping heads, and then – wait for it – dries them off. Incredible.

Its battery life is also quite impressive with up to 260 minutes of cleaning before it’s tapped out. This is more that enough for large homes, multiple floors, and office spaces. However, you should be prepared for a lengthy recharge time of more than 6 hours in exchange.

If you want a robot vacuum with excellent app functionality, the Deebot is a great pick. the app offers scheduling, adjustment of settings such as suction strength, water usage during mopping/mop intensity control, map management, cleaning zones/invisible walls, and how many times it should clean (choose two rounds for an extra-thorough clean to impress the in-laws or satisfy a landlord inspection).

Another standout feature of the Deebot is its custom voice activation assistant, Yiko. It works very similarly to smart home voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing you to ask it to start, pause, give you information about its cleaning settings, and more. If you want to connect to a smart home system instead, the robot is compatible with both.

Unfortunately, this is one of the louder vacuums we tested, coming in around 68dB when working at its maximum settings. Though this isn’t terrible, it may be an annoyance for some who have sensitive ears.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Excellent battery life
• Impressive cleaning performance
• Great app functionality
• Incredibly user-friendly

Cons:

• Quite loud
• Takes a long time to recharge
• Expensive

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 4.1″ x 14.25″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: Yes
• Noise Level: 68dB
• Suction Power: 5000Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 400ml
• Navigation Technology: TrueMapping 2.0
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 260 minutes
• Charge Time: 390 minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

3. Best for Hard Floors: SAMSUNG Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum Cleaner

The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ robot vacuum is a top choice for hard floors: it can handle any type of debris and will deliver an exceptional clean on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets.

One feature that really stands out is its AI-assisted navigation. Working in partnership with intelligent sensors, the robot will detect and identify obstacles in its path and actually mark them in the app’s map for your review.

It does really well at recognizing and avoiding obstacles, with one caveat: sometimes, its corner edge would get stuck on the object as it moves around it, which moved the obstacle along with it. Unfortunately, that means that if the obstacle happened to be pet waste, your floors would need some serious TLC (or a blowtorch, your call).

You’ll also appreciate the automatic suction adjustment feature. The vacuum is smart enough to recognize and adjust its suction to various floor types, such as hard floors, low pile carpets, and high-pile carpets. This way, your floors get the cleaning power they require and the robot remains as efficient as possible.

Its self emptying feature works really well, clearing 100% of the collected dirt and debris from the bin each time. This is a good thing, as the dustbin capacity is at the very bottom of the scale compared to other robot vacuums we tested.

The battery life is also a bit disappointing since it has only an hour and a half of juice. Given that the battery takes about 3 hours to fully charge, this is even more of an inconvenience since you’ll have to wait quite a while to complete a half-finished job.

One key difference between this robot vacuum and the majority on the market is its size. the robot is nearly 5″ tall, compared to an average of 3″ on most other robot vacuums. Unfortunately, this means the floor space under your furniture will remain dusty, grimy, and full of germs until the end of time (or until you clean it yourself, I guess).

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Great performance on hard floors
• Self emptying
• Great navigation with LiDAR technology
• Automatic suction adjustment
• Usability is great for beginners

Cons:

• Quite tall, won’t fit under furniture
• Shorter battery life
• Doesn’t mop
• Small on-board dustbin capacity

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 4.75″ x 12.6″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: No
• Noise Level: 62dB
• Suction Power: 2700Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 200ml
• Navigation Technology: LiDAR
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Charge Time: 210 minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

4. Best Suction: DreameBot L10s Ultra

The Dreametech L10s Ultra vacuum/mop hybrid robot is aptly described as a cleaning powerhouse. With the strongest suction on the market paired with intelligent mopping capabilities, your floors will look better than ever. It vacuums and mops at the same time with automatic sensing of surface types, ensuring every square inch of your hard floors receives a good scrub while your carpets remain blissfully dry.

The robot performs very well with average cleaning tasks, such as collecting dirt, dust, and debris from all types of flooring. Its profile is also pretty low at 3″ tall, so it can fit under all furniture types to ensure a thorough clean.

However, despite its strong suction, it sometimes deposits larger crumbs like cereal pieces elsewhere along its cleaning route. Plus, it doesn’t tackle spills very well, though its regular mopping duties are performed to satisfaction. The best part is that it vacuums and mops simultaneously to give you a full-house clean in half the time.

The runtime on this vacuum is quite excellent with up to 3 hours of battery life per charge. This makes it an excellent choice for large homes that take a lot longer to clean.

However, as expected, its charging time is also quite long since it will take 4 hours to fully recharge. Thankfully, since it can clean just about any square footage in one go, your floor won’t be half-cleaned when it needs to take a lengthy break to rejuvenate.

Its mapping capabilities and navigation are also right on par with what we expect from a premium robot vacuum. It navigates around objects well, accurately maps your home, and maneuvers well in tighter spaces.

While this all sounds great, its best feature is definitely the automatic emptying of the dustbin and water reservoir. Plus, its app will send a notification when the main water tank or the dustbin collection bag need to be maintained.

Its app is user-friendly in other ways too, such as offering easy setup of cleaning schedules and the option for setting custom cleaning routes for just vacuuming, just mopping, or both in each area of your home.

Another cool feature is that the onboard camera is paired with a mic that lets you talk to your pets or scare your spouse when they’re least expecting it.

However, every rose has its thorns, and the Dreametech L10s Ultra is no different. The price tag is steep, so many shoppers will be put off by the expense. Plus, it is extremely loud when emptying, which could cause problems depending on your lifestyle (think grumpy babies woken up from their nap, coworkers treated to your trucker mouth when it empties in the middle of a presentation, etc.).

That said, its overall functionality is great in all areas, making it a very well-rounded option.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Incredible suction power
• Excellent mapping capabilities
• Vacuums and mops at the same time
• Great battery life for large homes
• Strong navigation and obstacle avoidance

Cons:

• Expensive
• Not great at cleaning up spills
• Extraordinarily loud when emptying

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3″ x 13″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: Yes
• Noise Level: 63dB
• Suction Power: 5300Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 350ml
• Navigation Technology: LiDAR
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 210 minutes
• Charge Time: 240 minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

5. Best Clean: Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

Out of the dozens of robot vacuums we tested, the Roborock gave us the best overall clean. As a hybrid, it both vacuums and mops your floors – and it does so at the same time. The best part is that the robot washes itself as well, so you always have clean mop heads scrubbing your grimy floors. Naturally, it cleans better than the other hybrid models without this feature.

The suction strength is quite impressive at 5100Pa, which is about as strong as it gets for a vacuum of this size. It won’t struggle to pick up any type of debris, including larger pieces of gravel, heavy soil, and more.

Considering its suction power, its operating dB level is quite low. The motor on this model is designed to perform quietly even at maximum performance, so it won’t wake up the kids or interrupt your Zoom meeting when it’s cleaning in another room.

It uses LiDAR navigation technology, which is the best for obstacle avoidance. However, it will get tripped up on cords that are spread out, so you’ll need to make sure the home is free of this obstacle or the vacuum may get stuck and need a bit of rescuing.

The user-friendliness of this map/vacuum hybrid is virtually unmatched since it self cleans and self empties its dustbin. It even drains its dirty water reservoir and replenishes it with clean water in preparation of its next cleaning adventure, which is truly a remarkable feat.

Unfortunately, this laundry list of impressive, desirable features comes with an equally depressing price tag. This is one of the priciest robot vacuums on the market (for good reason, honestly), but it will put off many shoppers who can’t quite justify the expense on a cleaning robot, no matter how smart and pretty it may be.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Impressive suction
• Comes with a self emptying dustbin
• Mops and vacuums at the same time
• Not too loud
• LiDAR navigation technology

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Easily tripped up by wires
• Docking station has a big footprint

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.8″ x 13.8″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: Yes
• Noise Level: 57dB
• Suction Power: 5100Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 400ml
• Navigation Technology: LiDAR
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 180 minutes
• Charge Time: 360 minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

6. Best Budget: iRobot Roomba 675

The iRobot Roomba 675 model is one of the most affordable on the market that still offers intelligent features like home mapping, voice activation compatibility, and automatic surface detection. It undoubtedly is the best robot vacuum in this price point, making it a great entry-product for those new to automated vacuums.

This robot vacuum is quite smart for a budget model. It has a very user-friendly app that is easy for beginners to understand. It can schedule cleanings, adjust its settings, and connect to a smart home system all through a few clicks.

One huge point in favour of the Roomba 675 is its navigation. It easily traverses various floor types, maneuvers over/around obstacles like pet toys and curtains without getting stuck, and handles tight spaces like a champ.

One of the best features of the Roomba 675 is that it automatically detects a change in surface type and adjusts its cleaning power accordingly. It has two multi-surface brushed instead of just one, so it is more effective at cleaning carpets. However, these rollers will attract a lot of hair compared to rubber rollers, so it’s one of the harder robot vacuums to maintain.

The robot does have a few missing big-ticket items. It does not have an auto-empty dustbin, but its capacity is a satisfying 350ml, so you may get a few cleaning sessions in before needing to empty it depending on the speed of dirt accumulation in your home. Second, it has only 600Pa of suction power and doesn’t mop, which severely limits its cleaning effectiveness. Finally, its battery life could certainly be improved since you only get 90 minutes of runtime (compared to the 3+ hours offered by other robot vacuums we’ve tested).

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Scheduled cleanings
• Alexa and Google Assistant compatible
• User-friendly app
• Good navigation
• Automatically detects and adjusts to different surface types

Cons:

• Weak suction power compared to most others we’ve tested
• Loud
• Disappointing runtime
• Functionality isn’t as good as premium robot vacuums

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.7″ x 13″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: No
• Noise Level: 65dB
• Suction Power: 600Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 350ml
• Navigation Technology: iRobot intelligent navigation system
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Charge Time: 2 hours
• Self-Emptying: No

7: Best for Pets: iRobot Roomba s9

Like a lot of robot vacuums, the S9 has a HEPA filter that improves your air quality while it cleans, preventing a lot of dust and other micro-particles from contaminating your air. The robot’s accessories also include an extra filter, so you’ll be breathing quality air for a while before needing to purchase a replacement. These filters can also reduce pet dander.

The cleaning performance on bare floors was pretty impressive. It collected 100% of the dirt in our tests, though it only scooped up about 90% on carpet (those little grains of sugar and kitty litter are a pain). With industry-average suction of about 2500Pa, even denser dirt and debris doesn’t stand a chance.

This vacuum uses visual SLAM navigation technology, which stands for visual simultaneous localization and mapping, provides impressive visuals to the robot to improve its navigation around your home as well as create 3D maps of your home. This helps the vacuum avoid obstacles better since it can judge its distance to hazards.

Its D-shaped design is also optimal since it pairs cleaning efficiency with excellent maneuverability. It’s sharp corners make it effective at cleaning along wall edges as well as around edges of obstacles, while its D-shape means it doesn’t get stuck in tight spaces nearly as much as its square-shaped cousins.

The one main drawback of choosing the S9 over the S9+ is that it doesn’t have an automatic emptying system with its charging station. Luckily, the dustbin capacity is above average at 500ml, so you won’t have to manually empty it quite as much as many other models.

One other flaw of this iRobot Roomba is that it is a significantly louder than some others on our list. Most users report 70dB being an uncomfortable noise level, and the S9 comes dangerously close at 68dB. However, this is its volume at peak performance using max suction, so it hopefully won’t bother you too much at a lower power level.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Great cleaning performance on bare floors
• Excellent build quality
• Maneuverability is impressive
• User-friendly app controls and features
• Smart navigation and efficient mapping

Cons:

• Noise of operation is a bit high
• Doesn’t mop
• Does no self-empty its dirt canister

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.5″ x 12.25″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: No
• Noise Level: 68dB
• Suction Power: 2500Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 500ml
• Navigation Technology: Visual SLAM
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 75 minutes
• Charge Time: 120+ minutes
• Self-Emptying: No

8: Best Tech: iRobot Roomba j7+

The iRobot Roomba j7+ is an impressively intelligent model with just about every feature and app functionality you could ask for. It has intelligent mapping software and Precision Vision navigation that makes it more adept at avoiding obstacles.

This vacuum learns from past cleaning data to better navigate your home, provides time estimates of cleaning as well as cleaning reports, select-room cleaning, and lots more. It has a wealth of smart cleaning features that deliver a better clean and unmatched usability compared to others on the market.

The cleaning performance of this robot vacuum is pretty spectacular since it has 10x the suction of the Roomba 600 series, two multi-surface brush rolls that move in opposite directions to agitate and trap dirt more effectively (and prevent human or pet hair from getting trapped in the rollers), plus a side brush for pulling in dirt from edges.

One of its most intelligent features is the dirt detect functionality; when it senses an area that has more dirt than average, it will remain in that area to clean until it detects an acceptable level of dirt particles (i.e., none) before moving on with its usual cleaning pattern. This feature is really useful since it guarantees that heavily trafficked areas of your home get the attention they deserve without needing additional prompting by you.

As expected, the Roomba j7+ has a self emptying dirt canister for added convenience. Though it is quite loud when emptying (it wants to make sure you know it’s doing its job), it only lasts about 10 seconds.

We’re very happy to report that this iRobot vacuum will NOT smear pet waste around every square foot of your home. Thankfully, this high-end model has the navigation technology to recognize pet waste for the utter disaster it is, and it won’t try (and fail spectacularly) to clean it up.

One thing to note with this Roomba model is that its battery life isn’t up to par with other premium vacuums in this price point. Though it is efficient and can clean 1000 sq. ft. in about 65 minutes, it has a total runtime of only 85 minutes. Most others on our list offer at least 2 hours of battery life, so the j7+ isn’t the best choice for large homes unless you’re okay with it needing to recharge in the middle of a clean.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Excellent cleaning performance
• Recharge and resume feature is convenient
• App functionality is outstanding
• Guarantee to avoid pet waste
• Self-emptying

Cons:

• Unimpressive runtime
• Expensive
• Very loud when emptying the dustbin

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.6″ x 13.3″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: No
• Noise Level: 46dB
• Suction Power: Unspecified
• Dustbin Capacity: 400ml
• Navigation Technology: Precision Vision
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 85 minutes
• Charge Time: 120+ minutes
• Self-Emptying: Yes

9: Best Noise Level: Zoozee Z70 Robot Vacuum and Mop

The Zoozee Z70 robot vacuum is the best choice if you need a whisper-quiet cleaning partner, whether due to working from home or babies that need to nap undisturbed. The robot operates at around 48dB, which is lower than any other robot vacuum out there. At maximum suction (on carpets), it only reaches 62dB, which is still perfectly quiet for maintaining conversations or focusing.

What makes its decibel level even more impressive is its excellent cleaning power. The Zoozee robot vacuum has a maximum suction power of 3500Pa, which is well above the industry average of 2500Pa. Though suction power is far from the end-all-be-all of cleaning power, it certainly helps. The vacuum can easily tackle hard-floor messes and performs above-average on low-pile carpets, especially with its carpet boost feature that maximizes suction automatically when it senses this floor type.

One of the most impressive features on the Zoozee vacuum is a staggering 6-map limit. This makes it the ideal choice for multi-floor homes and various cleaning set-ups. For example, you can set a map for each level of your tri-story home, plus set an additional custom map for each floor with virtual boundaries so the vacuum will only clean certain areas that collect mess more often.

It uses LiDAR technology to navigate and has an 8m range so it can see obstacles coming ahead of time and won’t get stuck by furniture. It also has 28 sensors for things like anti-collision and anti-drop for better performance as it works its way around your home. However, very bright sunlight will make it difficult for the vacuum to see, so it’s better to use it in dimmer settings or later hours of the day for optimal performance.

The Zoozee Z70 robot vacuum also has mopping functionality. However, there are some stark differences between it and most other mopping robot vacuums. When mopping, it uses the dustbin tank to store the water, while other robot vacuums have multiple tanks for clean and dirty water or water and dirt. Unsurprisingly, this means the robot can’t vacuum and mop at the same time, which is a significant disadvantage compared to most other hybrid models.

That said, there is one caveat: the robot can run for up to 4 hours on a single charge. So, vacuuming first and mopping second isn’t the end of the world. The vacuum has plenty of juice to perform both tasks fully before needing a charge – unless you’re in a palace above 1600 sq. ft. (it covers 3200 sq. ft. per charge).

Finally, its app functionality is right up there with the most premium robot vacuums on the market. It offers scheduling, no-go zones and virtual boundaries (it comes with a 1m magnetic strip), multiple cleaning modes and settings, and more. Plus, it works with both 5GHz and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and is Alexa and Google Assistant compatible for voice activation.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Excellent battery life
• Operating noise is quite low
• Program up to 6 maps
• Strong suction
• Compatible with 5 GHz as well as 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

Cons:

• Can’t mop and vacuum at the same time
• Expensive
• Sensitive to bright sunlight, navigation won’t work as well

Specifications

• Dimensions (H x W): 3.8″ x 13.5″
• Vacuum/Mop Hybrid: Yes
• Noise Level: 46.7dB
• Suction Power: 3500Pa
• Dustbin Capacity: 220ml
• Navigation Technology: LiDAR
• HEPA Filter: Yes
• Runtime: 240 minutes
• Charge Time: 360 minutes
• Self-Emptying: No

Conclusion

Well, we’ve provided some excellent options for you to choose from. Now, it’s up to you to decide which one best fits your requirements, ticks off the most boxes on your desired features list, and comes in under your budget. No matter which one you choose, we can guarantee that you’ll never go back to manual vacuuming after you’ve experienced the joy and convenience of a robot vacuum. Happy (not) vacuuming!

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