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Best Overall
Roborock Q5 Pro+
The Best Affordable Vacuum Mop
Eufy X10 Pro Omni
Another Good Vacuum Mop
Dreame X30 Ultra
The Best Entry-Level Vacuum
TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus
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 you can find robot vacs at every price point with an incredible array of features, including mapping capabilities, self-emptying bins, and even cameras.
Vacuuming an ever-changing household is a complex task, and no robot vacuum is perfect. However, I test them in one of the most challenging environments possible—a carpeted, two-story family home with messy kids and a shedding dog—and I find them indispensable. Whether you’re choking on cat hair, need to lighten your chore load, or just want to spend more time with your family, we have a pick that will help.
Looking for more cleaning solutions? Check out our Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Cordless Vacuums, and Best Air Purifiers guides for more.
Updated April 2024: We added the Eufy S1 Pro and X10 Pro Omni, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, the TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus, and the Dreame X30. We also added more information on the iRobot and Amazon acquisition and noted a new Samsung robot. We also updated prices and links throughout.
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Photograph: Roborock
Best Overall
Roborock Q5 Pro+
The Roborock Q5 Pro+ is this year’s iteration of the reliable midrange Roborock Q5+ (9/10, WIRED Recommends) that has been my mainstay for the past several years. It’s pretty much the exact same vacuum for the same price, except that now it has a detachable mop pad, slightly stronger suction, a little more run time, and a slightly bigger dustbin (770 milliliters as compared to the previous 470 ml). It uses the same lidar detection, so no mobile cameras roaming your home. But it remains remarkably fast and thorough, cleaning about 890 square feet in 90 minutes, mostly unattended. The app updates regularly, and I’m continually discovering delightful features, like automatic cliff zone detection in a spot where there’s a room grate—no other robot vacuum has noticed that you can’t vacuum here! Along with the hardware features, you can create multiple maps, designate different rooms, or set different cleaning zones in the app, as well as see your maps in 2D or 3D.
After almost a year of operation, I do find it a little annoying that there’s no automatic dustbin detection; it will leave the occasional dog hair dustball when cleaning a room. However, given the problems I’ve had with other robot vacuums, this seems negligible. This is the best robot vacuum if you, like me, have a large house with multiple surfaces and you need a capable, reliable robot helper.
★ Alternative: Don’t need a mop? The list price for the Roborock Q5+ is normally still $700, but you can clip the coupon, and it also goes on sale often. Mine is still reliably running.
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Photograph: Amazon
The Best Affordable Vacuum Mop
Eufy X10 Pro Omni
The only thing that makes it reasonable for me to say that $800 is a good price to pay for a robot vacuum and mop is that I just recommended a $700 vacuum above. Alas for all of our bank accounts, most other robot vacuums in this category hover between $1,400 and $2,000. The Eufy X10 Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) has AI-enabled “visual recognition technology” that lets it seamlessly navigate around your house and build multiple maps effortlessly.
The battery life is decent—it cleaned 800 square feet of multiple floor types in an hour and a half, with battery to spare. The mop exerts two pounds of downward pressure as it scrubs, which cleaned up the stickiest banana mash in minutes. It can exert up to 8,000 Pa of suction, which is quite a bit, but honestly I didn’t notice that much of a difference when I upped the suction on the most often-trod parts of my carpet. Its edging capabilities are not great, mainly because the AI navigation is so sensitive—it spends a lot of time darting away from shoe cabinets, and it leaves about 80 percent of major spills, like a full jar of Cajun seasoning, on the floor for my Dyson to clean up. But this is a good option if you want a (relatively) moderately priced vacuum with a mop.
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Photograph: Dreame Tech
Another Good Vacuum Mop
Dreame X30 Ultra
The only problem with most vacuum-mop hybrids is that you can’t remove the mop pads to clean carpet or rugs. Most of them raise their pads, but that’s not always effective. The Dreame X30 (7/10, WIRED Review) detach the pads if it senses that it’s in a room with carpet. You have to change the default setting (it just raises the mop pads up if you don’t), but this is a very 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 a fairly powerful battery life and mapped and cleaned fairly well, although mirrored and glass doors confused it a little bit. Reviewer Nena Farrell tried it on Cheerios, cat food, and cat litter, but it never got 100 percent of the dirt, which is a little disappointing with at this price. Still, if you have a larger home with a variety of surfaces to clean, this could be a good choice.
★ Alternative: Eufy’s Mach S1 Pro ($999) is available only on Kickstarter for now; it’s expected to launch on Eufy’s website in May. It combines a number of different technologies for ultra-precise navigation, ozone sanitation, and a self-cleaning roller mop, instead of one that merely dampens itself, which results in much cleaner floors. It is also outstandingly beautiful. A full review is forthcoming, but given a week of preliminary testing, I would say that it’s worth waiting for this to launch on the Eufy site.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Best Entry-Level Vacuum
TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus
The TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus is is the upgrade to last year’s Tapo RV10 Plus (7/10, WIRED Review). Instead of the more primitive gyroscope navigation, it uses lidar to build an accurate map of your living space. The map of the first floor of my house is very accurate. It can clean 500 to 600 square feet in a few passes and returns to the self-emptying bin in approximately 50 minutes to empty itself, and it has never run out of power during a clean. I have seen a noticeable change from before I started using it and after—the pet hair and debris I’d typically see in between my Dyson vacuum sessions was reduced after the Tapo started its job. It also looks much prettier than any budget robot vacuum I’ve ever seen, even if it does tend to get stuck in the fringe of my carpet and on my Ethernet cord.
It uses the Tapo app (iOS, Android), which means you can control it in the same place that you control TP-Link Kasa devices. The app offers the ability to start the vac remotely, choose rooms and the type of cleaning, and set schedules. I set mine to start cleaning every weekday at 1 pm. The one significant downside is the dust bag. One lasts about 70 days, at which point you will need to replace it. (Two are included.) I am having a hard time finding a place to buy these replacement dust bags. —Julian Chokkattu
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Photograph: Chris Haslam
The Obligatory Dyson
Dyson 360 Vis Nav
We’re including Dyson’s new robot vacuum because, given Dyson’s other stellar vacuums, many of you will be considering it. Reviewer Chris Haslam notes that when compared to the original Dyson 360 Heurist, the new robot vacuum is wider and flatter and considerably more powerful, with a spin speed of 110,000 rpm (up from 78,000). There’s a flashy digital display, a much-improved dustbin-removal and -emptying system, and the filter is easy to remove and clean. Dyson claims its vacuum has up to six times more suction than the competition.
Haslam liked the new “triple-action” brush bar (soft nylon for large debris on hard floors; antistatic carbon fiber filaments for fine dust; and stiff nylon bristles for carpet), which sweeps right up to the edge of the room. However, its navigation capabilities left something to desired. On hard floors and in rooms with no obstacles, it managed perfectly, but chair legs and rugs defeated it. A whole host of other brands, including Roomba, Eufy, and Ecovacs, have had no problem in Haslam’s home. If you have a house with an open floor plan and very little furniture, the 360 Vis Nav’s eye-watering price might be worth it. Otherwise, it’s simply not good enough.
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Photograph: iRobot
Best Cheap Robot Vacuum
iRobot Roomba 694
If all you want is a robot vacuum for under $200 that will ping-pong around your kitchen after dinner, there is no shortage of options. You can generally find a slim Eufy 11S for under $200, which can fit under the lowest cabinets. In my testing, I have found that Yeedi vacuums have trouble making it back to the dock, but otherwise the battery life and room navigation are pretty great. The earlier iterations of the Roborock S Series also go on sale often; I have a Roborock S6 that is still going strong.
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, where it 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’s a great buy. The app is simple and easy to use, the vacuum is quiet and powerful, and it has stellar navigation capabilities.
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Photograph: iRobot
The Best-Looking Robot Vacuum
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 so far, iRobot is the only company to offer bin sensors in even the midrange Roomba i3+ line, so that 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 now no worry that Amazon can use the data acquired from inside your home.
★ Alternative: I’ve now tested both the j7+ and the Combo j7+ (5/10, WIRED Review), which is the j7+ with a robot arm that can lift and lower a mop to the ground. The robot arm was super cool and solved a real pain point, but otherwise, the j7+ had trouble finding its way around—I had multiple frustrating navigation errors other robot vacuums didn’t have. iRobot’s other tools are useful enough that I still include them in our recommendations.
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Photograph: Eufy
Best for Pets
Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid
Unlike almost every other model here, this Eufy robot vacuum utilizes twin turbines. Each turbine generates up to 2,000 Pa of suction energy, meaning that it can suck up twice as much dirt in one pass. In my testing, the X8 Hybrid’s maps were way too wonky for me to trust it to lug a full 250-milliliter tank of water around my house. However, it was the perfect vacuum to deep-clean all the dog hair and kid detritus in the basement. If you have an enclosed area that needs regular deep cleaning, this will do the trick.
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Photograph: Ecovacs
The Best-Smelling Robot Vacuum
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—it comes with an air freshener.
I’m very sensitive to smells, and I was expecting to find the air freshener to be a horrible, extraneous addition. I was surprised to find that I loved that faint, refreshing aroma as the vacuum quickly and efficiently cleaned my house. Unlike 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.
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Photograph: Samsung
Amazing Navigation
Samsung Jet Bot AI+
Samsung’s Jet Bot AI+ was not my favorite by any means. It looks like it was designed by someone who has never seen a robot vacuum before. It’s enormous. The vacuum is 5 inches high, tall enough to get stuck under our sofa, and the tower is a whopping 21 inches high. You’ll definitely notice it parked in the corner.
I had to include it, however, because it’s quiet, fast, and powerful, and its navigational system is even better than iRobot’s. It left about 4 inches of clearance around all obstacles, which might not work for you if you need a lot of edge cleaning. But I watched in amazement as it skillfully navigated around a sleeping 80-pound dog, even vacuuming around her face without trembling a single whisker. It was phenomenal. Samsung will shortly be releasing a new AI-enabled cleaning robot, so if you’re considering this vacuum, you may want to hold off for a bit.
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Photograph: Getty Images
A Few Tips
Yes, You Still Need a Push Vac
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.
- Vac during the day. If you have a mapping robot vacuum, it usually uses an optical sensor, which means it requires a little light to navigate. It’s better to schedule a run at 2 pm than at midnight.
- Don’t throw out your old 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.
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Photograph: iRobot
Why Self-Emptying Bins Are Worth It
You’ll Probably Need One
If you think your robot vacuum isn’t working, the first thing I’d suggest you try is emptying the bin more regularly. If it’s dragging dust balls around your house instead of picking them up, it probably just doesn’t have enough room in the bin. When I reviewed the Roomba S9+, I predicted that within a few years, most robot vacuums would have a self-emptying bin. The future has come to pass, and now almost every manufacturer makes one.
I’ve tried almost every self-emptying bin available. I think the convenience is worth it, but they may require some tinkering. If you purchase the bin as an accessory rather than bundled, the robot may have trouble settling itself properly on the base station’s ports when it docks. You also have to check occasionally to make sure the self-emptying chutes on both the station and the robot vacuum itself aren’t clogged.
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Photograph: Narwal
Don’t Buy These Vacuums
We’ll Take a Pass
Not every vacuum earns a spot on our list. These are the ones I repacked straightaway.
- Narwal for $699: This expensive vacuum is incredibly beautiful and preposterously hard to use in every way. The proprietary app is clunky, the navigation software is buggy, and it failed to pick up dog hair that I tossed right in front of it. However, Narwal has recently launched an update that I’m looking forward to trying.
- Neato D10 for $600: We’ve liked Neato’s vacuums in the past, and I was excited to try the latest model. It’s one of the easiest robot vacuums to set up. However, the build quality has worsened noticeably over the years; it kept disconnecting from the app and losing my map in the process. And at 4.25 inches tall, it got stuck under my dishwasher and cabinets.
