Best Robot Vacuum 2024: Tried and Tested Cleaners for Carpets, Mopping, and Self-Emptying

The best robot vacuums do a great job of keeping your carpets clean with minimum hassle. They use sensors, and sometimes built-in cameras, to find their way around your home and even return to base to charge themselves. All you might have to do is occasionally empty the collection bin – it’s that easy.

Our team of expert testers has reviewed over 100 vacuums, including cordless models, handheld vacuums, and vacuums specifically designed to tackle pet hair. On this page, we’ve picked out our favorite fully tested robot vacuums.

Below, you can find a quick list of our top picks with prices and buying links. Beneath that, you’ll find our short reviews of the robot vacuums themselves. We’ve also put together a buying guide – which you’ll find at the bottom of the page – with all the information you’ll need to know, and what to look out for, if this is your first time buying a robot vacuum.

Best robot vacuum: At a glance

How we test robot vacuum cleaners

We test each robot vacuum cleaner in a typical domestic setting. The charging station is always placed in the same location and the robot is given the same basic floorplan of 624ft² to clean, so we can see how navigation and speed compare. It’s a demanding floor plan that will challenge even the smartest robot, with plenty of corners, tight spots, low furniture, surface changes, and cable nests.

During our testing, each robot is connected to Wi-Fi and controlled through the corresponding app, where available. We test all the features and functions, including self-emptying, and navigation on a second floor, to ensure robots can handle switching between multiple maps. If a robot comes with a mop attachment, we also test this by running a basic clean cycle.

When it comes to analyzing a robot’s cleaning capabilities, we test each robot using 50g (~1.76oz) of rice and flour and 5g (~0.18oz) of pet hair. We send the robot to perform a spot clean of each spill on both carpet and hard floor, and then measure the amount collected each time. This indicates how effective each robot is at gathering these problematic materials and allows us to directly compare the results.

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The best robot vacuum cleaners from our testing

1. Eufy RoboVac X8: Best overall

Price when reviewed: $320 | Check price at Amazon

If you’re after a good-at-everything robot vacuum, this is the one we’d pick. The Eufy RoboVac X8 is not just effective at picking up dust and dirt off your floor but it’s also supported by excellent navigation and a good app. In our testing, it was a good general cleaner, though it wasn’t the best we’d seen when dealing with serious messes.

We gave it top marks for the app and found the robot was excellent at mapping out rooms, making it easy to configure and use, even for newbies. During the initial clean, its cameras and lasers build up a detailed map of your floor, which is then saved by the smartphone app (available on Android and iOS). This allows you to send the X8 to clean individual rooms and set virtual boundaries to cordon off no-go areas. Such straightforward and user-friendly operation, paired with an affordable yet capable robot, makes a compelling package offering excellent value for money.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13.58 x 13.58 x 3.85in; Weight: 7.72lb; Battery life: 3hrs; Charge time: 4-5 hrs; Bin capacity: 0.6qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 75dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

2. iRobot Roomba j9+: Best Roomba robot with mop

Price when reviewed: $900 | Check price at Amazon

The iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ sits at the top of iRobot’s current range of robot cleaners. It can both vacuum and mop your floors, with a handy lift-away mopping arm that tucks well out of the way when it detects carpet. As with all recent Roombas, it has a clever object detection system that can avoid a wide range of dropped objects – including its speciality: pet poo. The j9+ also features a dual-roller suction system that did a great job of picking up dirt and dust, without getting clogged up, during our testing.

Unfortunately, there are elements that don’t stack up against its rivals quite so well. For example, it doesn’t use Lidar to navigate, so mapping isn’t as fast or accurate as many other robot vacuums. Also, many other similarly-priced robot mops have rotating pads which do a more efficient job of mopping the floor.

The j9+ has one of the most attractive base stations we’ve seen, with a faux wooden top that makes it look a bit like an occasional table – stick a vase on it and no-one would know. As well as charging the battery, the base station keeps the robot’s water reservoir topped up and self empties the collection bin into a larger bag, so you don’t need to perform maintenance tasks quite so often.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13.3 x 13.3 x 3.4in; Weight: 8.98lb; Battery life: 120mins; Charge time: 4hrs; Bin capacity: 0.3qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: N/S

3. Eufy RoboVac 15C Max: Best budget robot vacuum

Price when reviewed: $250 | Check price at Amazon

The superb RoboVac 15C Max is the more fully featured version of the RoboVac 30C, our previous favorite budget robot vacuum. It costs a little more but, in our tests, we found the 15C Max provides much more suction power than its predecessor, with 2,000Pa of suction. However, despite the extra power, we found it impressively quiet in all three settings – Standard, Boost IQ, or Max – with it registering just 55dB on the lowest.

Carpeted areas will benefit from the more powerful settings but, during our testing, the standard setting was more than adequate for easy-to-clean hard floors. One feature we found particularly useful was Boost IQ, which adjusts the suction power automatically as the vacuum cleaner transitions between different types of flooring. According to the manufacturer, on the lowest setting, the RoboVac 15C Max should run for up to 1hr 40mins from a single charge. It’s compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant for a fully hands-off approach to your daily cleaning.

It’s worth noting that it’s not quite as feature-rich as some of the other robot vacuum cleaners on this list – it lacks infrared scanning and room-mapping, for example – but, for the price, the RoboVac 15C Max barely puts a foot wrong.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 12.8 x 12.8 x 2.85in; Weight: 5.95lb; Battery life: 1hr 40mins; Charge time: 2-3hrs; Bin capacity: 0.6qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 55dB; Navigation type: Predetermined cleaning pattern

4. iRobot Roomba j7: Best robot vacuum for pet owners

Price when reviewed: $300 | Check price at Amazon

One of the annoying things about robot vacuum cleaners is that you generally have to tidy up before you set them off. Encounters with charging cables, stray socks, or – if you’re really unfortunate – pet poop can cause them to get stuck or make more mess than they clean up. Thankfully, you don’t need to worry about such things with the iRobot Roomba j7.

It won’t tidy for you, but it will give a wide berth to obstacles that could cause problems and, during our tests, it carefully avoided socks, USB-C cables, and fake plastic poop. It still gets nice and close to furniture but can sometimes bump into chairs.

We were also impressed by its cleaning power. Despite being a bit slower than its rivals, it has a proficient two-roller system that does a good job of sucking up dirt and dust while avoiding hair tangles.

If you want a robot that also empties itself, check out the Roomba j7+, which is essentially the same robot but comes with a charging station that will empty the collection bin after every clean.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13.34 x 13.34 x 3.4in; Weight: 7.5lb; Battery life: 1hr 15mins; Charge time: 2hrs; Bin capacity: 0.32qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 55dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

5. Roborock Q7 Max+: Best budget self-emptying robot vacuum with mop

Price when reviewed: $550 | Check price at Amazon

We don’t expect robot vacuum cleaners that can empty themselves to be particularly affordable, but the Roborock Q7 Max+ confounds those expectations. It comes with a secondary vacuum built into its charging and self-emptying station which sucks the dirt out of the robot’s collection bin and into a larger, static dust bag. This means you don’t have to empty the robot after every clean and, depending on your usage, you might be able to wait up to seven weeks between emptying, at least according to the manufacturer.

Despite its budget price, the robot still performed well in our tests. The suction is limited to 4,200Pa, but its roller uses rubber fins rather than regular bristles, which are good on both carpet and hard floor. We also found it to be more resistant to hair tangles than robot vacuums with regular brushes. However, we did find it wasn’t quite as good at avoiding obstacles as some of the others we’ve tested.

The Roborock Q7 Max+ does have a mopping function, but it’s fairly basic – a cloth attached to a plastic plate, which is then clipped onto the base of the vacuum cleaner. Water is added to a reservoir in the collection bin and fed out slowly through the mopping cloth as it’s dragged along behind the robot. It does the job but, like many in this price range, it isn’t the most effective. Still, for the price, we think this is an excellent self-emptying vacuum with good performance and useability.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 17.4 x 12.16 x 16.73in; Weight: 14.08lb; Battery life: 3hrs; Charge time: 5hrs; Bin capacity: 0.5qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 67dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

6. Ecovacs Deebot N10: Best budget robot for tricky home layouts

Price when reviewed: $650 | Check price at Amazon

The Ecovacs Deebot N10 has plenty going for it. It’s a decent vacuum cleaner that will do a good job of keeping your floor clean, especially if you send it out regularly. This is easy to set up using the Ecovacs app, which is well-featured and simple to operate.

The best thing about the N10 is that it’s an excellent navigator. In testing, it handled our tricky C-shaped floor plan with ease and was able to vacuum around furniture and floor-length curtains without any trouble. Its LiDAR-based mapping managed multiple floors with little difficulty and it didn’t become stuck in or around any hazards, such as cables.

The most disappointing element is the mop – another drip-fed, drag-and-wipe affair that didn’t perform well in our tests. It simply isn’t as thorough as robots that add movement, agitating dirt to remove it, but it will work on light grime. If a mop is important to you, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni, below, is probably the best robot mop we’ve tested.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.7in; Weight: 19.07lb; Battery life: 5hrs; Charge time: 3-5hrs; Bin capacity: 0.44qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 65dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

7. Dyson 360 Vis Nav: Best robot for cleaning power

Price when reviewed: $1,199 | Check price at Amazon

When it comes to suction power, nothing beats the Dyson 360 Vis Nav – in our opinion, the most powerful robot you can buy. With Dyson’s powerful Hyperdymium motors, there isn’t much that will stay on the floor when this beast passes over it.

There are other unique features that make the 360 Vis Nav worth considering too. Although most robots can handle different types of flooring, the soft roller on this model was particularly effective on hard floors in our tests, while its bristles meant it was equally good on carpets. We also found it to be more effective at cleaning along edges than most as, instead of wispy, spinning brushes that flick dirt into its path, the 360 Vis Nav has an arm that extends out of the side, to suck it directly under the vacuum.

However, despite its obvious strengths, the Dyson vacuums are very expensive and, for that money, we’d expect it to have self-emptying and effective mopping but, alas, it has neither.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13 x 12.6 x 3.9in; Weight: 16.96lb; Battery life: 1hr 5mins; Charge time: 2.5hrs; Bin capacity: 0.6qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 62dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

8. Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni: Best self-emptying robot vacuum and mop combo

Price when reviewed: $592 | Check price at Amazon

The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is the best-performing combination robot vacuum cleaner and mop that we’ve tested, but its talents come at a price. One such drawback is its size: while the robot itself is fairly standard, the base station is enormous.

There’s a good reason for it, though: not only does the station charge the robot and empty its collection bin into a larger and easier-to-empty vacuum bag, but it also fills the mop cartridge with clean water. It also washes the mop pads when the robot has finished its work.

It’s a good vacuum cleaner, but the mopping action impressed us most in tests. The robot uses two circular pads that rotate at 180rpm, giving the mop more cleaning power than its rivals, most of whom simply wipe the floor as they pass. The Omni X1 might be relatively expensive, but it’s worth considering if you’re looking for a cleaner that can do a good job. Keep an eye out for discounts and vouchers on Amazon, because Ecovacs regularly offers both.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 16.9 x 17.6 x 22.8in; Weight: 41.2lb; Battery life: 4hrs 20mins; Charge time: 6.5hrs; Bin capacity: 0.42qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 67dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

9. iRobot Roomba Combo j7+: Best for dodging obstacles

Price when reviewed: $699 | Check price at Amazon

Most robots can navigate furniture, but a dropped sock or an abandoned charging cable can easily tangle a robot, stopping it in its tracks. In our tests, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ tackled such problems with ease. It’s equipped with a front-mounted camera and has a visual database of common hazards it can check to determine whether it should be cleaning or avoiding a problem – that includes socks, charging cables, and even pet poop.

Its skills don’t end at object detection either. The Combo j7+ has iRobot’s rubber-sheathed dual roller bars, which are effective at collecting dust and debris, and it self-empties into a base station once the robot’s collection bin is full. It also has a mopping function, which automatically lifts out of the way as it approaches carpets and rugs. Unfortunately, the mopping isn’t as good as it could be, and the vacuuming is arguably better on the base model, the Roomba j7, but if you have an unavoidably messy house due to children, pets, or both, this is worth considering.

Key specs – Size (WDH): 13.34 x 13.34 x 3.4in; Weight: 24.12lb; Battery life: 75mins; Charge time: 4hrs; Bin capacity: 0.33qt; Wi-Fi connectivity: Yes; Decibel volume: 64dB; Navigation type: Laser/camera mapping

How to choose the best robot vacuum cleaner for you

What specifications and features are the most important?

Bin capacity: Robot vacuums have smaller collection bins than a regular vacuum, so need emptying more frequently, but there can still be quite a difference in bin capacity from model to model. The largest we’ve tested has a 700ml capacity – that’s just under 24fl oz – but they can be as small as 300ml – just over 10fl oz.

Mop attachments: These robot vacuums have a small water reservoir and usually only a cleaning pad attached to the bottom that drags along the floor as the robot makes its way around your room, though you can spend more to get a robot with more active mopping action. You’ll probably still need to use a regular mop to tackle really stubborn stains – a mopping robot is only good for cleaning up light dirt and dust from hard floors.

Self-emptying: Although robot vacuums have small collection bins that need emptying frequently, some can empty themselves into a larger bin in their base station and then continue to clean. However, these robots tend to be more expensive and the base station will occupy more space in your home.

Height: One thing robot vacuums are great at is cleaning below low-lying furniture. However, since some are considerably taller than others, if you’re planning on using it to clean under things, it’s worth checking the dimensions to make sure it will fit before you buy.

Which robot vacuums give the best cleaning performance?

Although a lot of robot vacuums look the same from the outside, their performance can vary hugely due to a number of different factors.

Brushes: Some of our favorite robot vacuums, such as the Dyson Vis Nav, have brushes that span the full width of the unit, allowing them to clean right along the edges of your room and into the corners. Unfortunately, this isn’t particularly common and most robot vacuums stick with the popular disc shape, with the main brush centered between the wheels and a couple of less effective spinning brushes at the edges to pull dust into the vacuum.

Suction power: Typically expressed in pascals (Pa), this measurement of pressure describes how much suction the motor inside the robot vacuum can produce. For an effective clean, you should look for around 2,000Pa or more – something all of our tested favorites can offer.

How well do they deal with household obstacles?

All robot vacuums employ bumpers and sensors to help them find their way around and prevent them from falling down the stairs, but some are more efficient at navigating your home than others.

Predetermined cleaning patterns: The cheaper versions run a random cleaning pattern bumping around your rooms blindly and cleaning as they go. This works up to a point but it can take a while for these types of vacuum to finish cleaning a room and they often miss spots, though they try their best.

Cameras and laser sensors: The more expensive robots employ cameras and advanced laser sensors to map out their surroundings. This means they can work out the most efficient route before getting started and won’t cover the same spot twice. Even then, advanced sensors can only go so far – a big problem with robot vacuums is that they often get beached on low-lying furniture or stuck on stray cables.

No-go zones: The simplest and best way to avoid having issues with obstacles is to keep your floors clear but that isn’t always possible, in which case you need a robot – like the Eufy RoboVac X8 – that has the option to set virtual no-go zones using the accompanying app. That way you can instruct your robot to avoid the places you don’t want it to go near.

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