Whether you’re up against pet hair or you want to splurge on a high-end laser-guided robot vacuum, we have the perfect pick for you.
NO OTHER PRODUCT I’ve tested has advanced as quickly as the humble robot vacuum. Just a few short years ago, they were mostly annoying, overpriced devices that fell off steps and got stuck on rugs. Now the best robot vacuum at every price bracket packs an incredible array of features, including self-emptying bins, mop washing, and more.
Cleaning a dynamic environment like an ever-changing house is a complex task, and no robot vacuum is perfect. However, I have a two-story family home with elementary-school-aged kids and two active dogs, and as a working parent, I find robot vacuums indispensable. Whether you’re choking on cat hair, need to lighten your chore load, or want to spend more time with your family, we have a robot vac that will help.
Check out our other cleaning guides, like Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Carpet Cleaners, Best Cordless Vacuums, and Best Air Purifiers. We also have guides on How to Set Up Your Smart Home and How to Get the Most Out of (and Into) Your Robot Vacuum.
Updated November 2024: We’ve updated the information for the Roborock QRevo Curv, took out the TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus, and added the Eureka J15 Ultra.
1.Roborock Qrevo S
| Specs |
|---|
| Navigation type: Lidar (no cameras) |
| Suction: 8,000 Pa |
| Multifloor mapping: Yes |
| Dual-function mop and vac: Yes |
Roborock makes a bewildering array of vacuums at various prices. Happily, they all work and age well. The Qrevo S is 2024’s update to the midrange Qrevo line. It’s smaller than its predecessor, with slightly less suction at 7,000 Pa versus the 10,000 or even 18,000 Pa Roborock offers in its higher-end vacs. However, I have found that to a certain extent, more suction doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning regularly (it may even bald your carpets!). What’s important is that the Qrevo S has everything you need—multifunctional vacuuming and mopping, automatic bin emptying, and mop washing—for a not-insane price.
The Qrevo S uses lidar, or pulsed laser, navigation to build maps and navigate around obstacles, instead of using a camera—which I appreciate, as I prefer to keep pictures of my house and possessions from floating around the internet, if possible. It also has a new AI-enabled feature called SmartPlan, where, instead of selecting which cleaning mode you want on which part of your house, the robot vacuum will select it for you. I was extremely skeptical, but SmartPlan does, in fact, work, vacuuming the carpeted rooms before vacuuming and then mopping the hardwood and tiled bathroom and kitchen. It can also save up to four maps in the app, so you can carry it around to clean your whole house. Overall, I found the Qrevo S a reliable and not too expensive cleaning partner.
2.Roborock Qrevo Curv
| Specs |
|---|
| Navigation type: RBG camera |
| Suction: 18,500 Pa |
| Multifloor mapping: Yes |
| Dual-function mop and vac: Yes |
OK, I know I said suction power doesn’t matter, but that’s until your husband decides that baking soda is a good alternative to an actual carpet cleaner, sprinkles it all over your house, and you need to vacuum it all up. The Qrevo Curv debuted at IFA in 2024 and recently went on sale in the US. Not only is it incredibly beautiful, but it also has a max suction power of 18,500 Pa (more than the 8,000 Pa in the Roborock Max line, which now seems like a misnomer). It has retrieved a lot of fine white baking soda from my thick, high-pile carpet that I would have otherwise been hard-pressed to eliminate. It also has a wild roller brush that divides in two to help it keep from getting hopelessly tangled, and it works on my long hair.
The QRevo Curv uses an RGB camera to navigate, and it takes photos for obstacle avoidance that are stored on your cleaning device and then passed through the server to your phone. You can disable that feature in the app if that bothers you. Other than that, it has every feature you could think of. A flexible arm that comes out to scour corners? Yup! Hot water washing so that the mop gets dry and doesn’t stink? Sure thing! A lifting chassis that pops the vacuum over high ledges? OK, so this feature doesn’t work that well, but in every other way, this vacuum has made my life so much easier. Just push SmartPlan and watch it go.
3.iRobot Roomba 694
Generally, if you want a cheap robot vacuum, I suggest looking at the ones from iRobot. Even the cheapest iRobot vacuums have features like Dirt Detect, which spot-cleans specific areas. The company has many robots in its midrange 600 series and E series that are all about $300 or less. There are some minor differences—for example, the 694 has a roller brush, while the slightly more expensive E5 has iRobot’s signature brushless roller; different vacuums may have different button styles—but for the most part, if you can find a Roomba for $300 or less, it will be a reliable buy. This comes with the major caveat that iRobot does not advertise its robot vacuum suction levels, and anecdotally it picks up quite a bit less than some of our more powerful picks. Still, the app is simple and easy to use, the vacuum is quiet and powerful, and it has stellar navigation capabilities.
4.Yeedi M12 Pro+
| Specs |
|---|
| Navigation type: Laser |
| Suction: 11,000 Pa |
| Multifloor mapping: No |
| Dual-function mop and vac: Yes |
Yeedi is the more affordable sub-brand of Ecovacs, which makes other robot vacuums we like. Like Ecovacs, it also has a broad line-up of robot vacuums at different prices. When I first tried Yeedi’s vacuums, the navigational software was abysmal, but the company has won my most-improved award since then, the cheaper Yeedi C12 Pro+ ($330) got lost or stuck about 20 percent of the time, but I didn’t have problems when I tested this higher-end model.
The M12 Pro+ has a few standout qualities. At 4- and 3.5-liter capacities, the clean/dirty water tanks are just ginormous—you won’t have to switch them out too often. It has an extendable arm for cleaning out nooks and crannies and a decent 11,000 Pa of suction. It has significantly dropped in price than the Eufy X10 Pro Omni (9/10, WIRED Recommends), which was our original pick here.
5.Dreame X30 Ultra
The only problem with most vacuum-mop hybrids is that you can’t remove the mop pads to clean carpets or rugs. Most of them raise their pads, but that’s not always effective. The Dreame X30 Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review) detaches the pads if it senses it’s in a room with carpets. You have to change the default setting (it just raises the mop pads if you don’t), but this is an important feature if you’re a little grossed out by having your robot drag wet, dirty pads on the carpet where your kids play.
It has fairly long battery life and mapped and cleaned my home fairly well, although mirrored and glass doors confused it a bit, tried it on Cheerios, cat food, and cat litter, but it never got 100 percent of the dirt, which is disappointing at this price. Still, if you have a larger home with various surfaces to clean, it’s worth considering.
6.iRobot Roomba j7+
Even as dozens of competitors have hit the market, iRobot’s vacuums are still beautiful. The robots never have trouble settling on the auto-empty station and it even offers bin sensors in the midrange Roomba i3+ line so the robot automatically empties itself when it’s full. The Roomba j7+ has powerful suction and some of the best navigational tools on the market. iRobot now has a feature called Genius that lets you teach your Roomba about your personal preferences and cleaning schedules, instead of painstakingly programming them manually. Earlier this year, Amazon and iRobot mutually agreed to terminate their pending acquisition, so there’s no worry that Amazon can use the data acquired from inside your home.
7.Ecovacs Deebot T9+
Ecovac’s midrange model, the Ecovacs Deebot T9+ (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has commendable features like not using cameras to navigate and disposable mopping pads that are easy to use. It also has one standout feature: an air freshener.
I’m sensitive to smells and was expecting to find the air freshener a horrible, extraneous addition. Surprisingly, I loved that faint, refreshing aroma as the vacuum quickly and efficiently cleaned my house. Unlike with other mopping robot vacuums here, you swap out the vacuuming base for the mopping base. This is a little extra work, but it does prevent your robot from dragging a damp mop over your carpeted floors on the way back to the dock.
What Navigation System Do I Use?
Robot vacuum manufacturers will try to tell you that the most important spec is the level of suction. That is wrong—it’s the navigation system. It doesn’t matter how good a vacuum is at cleaning if it gets stuck every time it starts. A more complicated or expensive navigation system doesn’t guarantee that it won’t get stuck, but it is a good starting point. Many vacuums also combine systems.
- Sensor mapping: The most inexpensive vacuums use a combination of sensors along the exterior of the vacuum, like cliff detectors on the bottom and wall detectors on the bumper, to ping-pong around your home avoiding obstacles.
- Gyroscope: This is an affordable but surprisingly effective method of mapping that has been used in ships for centuries. A spinning wheel or light helps the vacuum determine its position relative to other objects in your home.
- Lidar: Lidar stands for “light detection and ranging.” The vacuum uses plused lasers to determine how far away each object is.
- Camera navigation: There’s a camera on it. Basically, the vacuum has little eyes that look around. While I’ve found this system to be extremely accurate and/or unintentionally hilarious, you must look for additional security protocols to make sure that said hilarious images of your home don’t end up on the internet.
- SLAM: With SLAM navigation, or “simultaneous localization and mapping,” the vacuum uses algorithms to process a bunch of data—for example, how many times the wheels have rotated, along with camera or sensor data—to calculate where and how far it should move. It’s usually used in combination with a few, or all, of these other navigation technologies.
- Machine learning: Many robot vacuum manufacturers now tout their own proprietary mapping system. For example, iRobot uses a system called Imprint Smart Mapping that learns as it cleans, as does Roborock’s SmartPlan. These also usually come in combination with a camera or lasers.
Robot Vacuum Tips
Robot vacuums have a complicated task. Your home is ever-changing, and no robot vacuum will be perfect. We have a few starting points here, but if you’re still having trouble, you should check out our guide to getting the most into your robot vacuum.
Stay home for your robot vacuum’s first few runs. Many homes have hot spots—a weird door jamb, a lumpy rug—where you will need to rescue your vac. Do a quick run-through beforehand for robot booby traps, like ribbons, charging cables, and pieces of string.
Check your Wi-Fi. If you have a Wi-Fi-enabled robot vacuum, most of them can only connect to the 2.4-GHz wireless band. If you’re having problems connecting, make sure you’re linking to the right band. Check out our guide to setting up your smart home for more tips.
Vacs need maintenance. Like every robot—especially one that comes in contact with the grimiest parts of your house—you need to care for it regularly. Error messages may prompt you to empty the bin mid-run, cut the hair off the rollers, or wipe off the cliff sensors. Instruction manuals and YouTube can help.
Vacuum during the day. If you have the choice, it’s usually better to schedule a run at 2 pm than at midnight, since many vacuums also use optical sensors to navigate.
Don’t throw out your hand vacuum. I hate to be a downer, but you’re probably still going to need a full-size manual vacuum once in a while. I keep a Dyson around for quick spot cleaning and vacuuming bedroom corners.
Be wary about disposable bags: Some vacuums pull dust into a disposable bag. Instead of dumping out the bin and getting dust everywhere, you just toss the bag out neatly and replace it. Unfortunately, some companies stop selling these bags altogether (looking at you, TP-Link), leaving you with a functioning robot vacuum that can’t suck up dust anywhere. Try and find information on how long parts like this will be available.
How We Test
Each WIRED gear tester sets up the vacuum in their own home, according to the manufacturer instructions, and in a spot with clear Wi-Fi signal. Over the course of two weeks, we run the vacuum every day, examining a number of factors: battery life; how well the app works; whether the map is accurate; if it consistently cleans around the edges of your home; and how well it picks up dirt of various sizes, which includes sand, lint, dog hair, Cheerios, wood chips, and flour.
We also look for mitigating factors, such as whether it’s incredibly loud or ugly, or if it fits into your kitchen at all. For a vacuum to be useful, you have to want to use it and have it around. We also noted a vacuum’s power via the manufacturer’s stated Pa, or pascals—the higher the number, the greater the suction.
