The Best Robot Vacuums to Keep Your Home Clean
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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 the best robot vacuum at every price point with an incredible array of features, including self-emptying bins, mop washing, and more.
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 pulsed 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.
How We Test
Each 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.
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 them absolutely 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 other guides, like the Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Cordless Vacuums, and Best Air Purifiers, for more. 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 September 2024: We've added sections on navigation systems and how we test. We also added the Roborock Qrevo S and Qrevo Curv, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1, the Yeedi C12 Plus Pro and the M12+ Pro, the Dreame L40 Ultra, the Proscenic M9, the Eureka J20, the Narwal Freo X Ultra, and the Switchbot K10+, along with an honorable mentions section. We've also updated links and prices.
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Best Overall
Roborock Qrevo SRoborock makes a bewildering array of vacuums at a wide variety of price points. Happily, they all work well and age well. The Qrevo S is this year's update to the midrange Qrevo line. It's smaller than last year's Qrevo, with slightly less suction, at 7,000 Pa versus the 10,000 or even 18,000 Pa that Roborock offers in its higher-end vacs. However, I have found that to a certain extent, more suction doesn't really matter if you're cleaning regularly and 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 totally 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 different maps in the app, so you can carry it around to clean your whole house. Overall, I found the Qrevo S to be a reliable and not too expensive cleaning partner.
Specs Navigation type: Lidar (no cameras) Suction: 8,000 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes - Photograph: Adrienne So
The Best High-End Robot Vacuum Mop
Roborock Qrevo CurvOK, I know I said that suction power doesn't matter, but that's until your husband decides that baking soda is a good alternative to actual carpet cleaner, sprinkles it all over your house, and you need to vacuum it all up. The Qrevo Curv debuted at IFA this year and is still on presale only in Western Europe, but I love it so much that I had to include it. Not only is it incredibly beautiful, it 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 does use 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 possibly 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. It will go on sale in the United States later this year.
★ Alternative: Eufy’s Mach S1 Pro ($1,500) is astoundingly beautiful and will be the centerpiece of your kitchen. The water chamber is see-through and lights up, and an ozone generator purportedly removes up to 99.99 percent of bacteria. It also has ultra-precise navigation and a self-cleaning roller mop that washes itself as it cleans. However, it only has 8,000 Pa suction, which is less than some of our other picks, and at 26.4 inches high, the dock is very tall and makes storage a little difficult.
Specs Navigation type: RBG camera Suction: 18,500 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes
- Photograph: Amazon
The Best Affordable Vacuum Mop
Eufy X10 Pro OmniThe 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 most robot vacuums with this much functionality 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 2 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.
Specs Navigation type: AI camera Suction: 8,000 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes - Photograph: Dreame Tech
Another Good Vacuum Mop
Dreame X30 UltraThe 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 Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review) detaches 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 fairly long battery life and mapped and cleaned fairly well, although mirrored and glass doors confused it a little bit. WIRED 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.
Specs Navigation type: Lidar and 3D cameras Suction: 8,300 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes
- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Best Entry-Level Vacuum
TP-Link Tapo RV30C PlusThe TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus 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
Specs Navigation type: Lidar Suction: 4,200 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: No - Photograph: Chris Haslam
The Obligatory Dyson
Dyson 360 Vis NavWe're including Dyson’s new robot vacuum because, given Dyson’s other stellar vacuums, many of you will be considering it. WIRED 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 and 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 be 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.
Specs Navigation type: Camera Suction: 110,000 rpm (Dyson does not measure in Pa) Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: No
- Photograph: iRobot
Best Cheap Robot Vacuum
iRobot Roomba 694If 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. Earlier versions of Roborocks are 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 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.
Specs Navigation type: Sensor mapping Suction: N/A Multifloor mapping: No Dual-function mop and vac: No - 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 Combo 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.
Specs Navigation type: Camera Suction: N/A Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes
- 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 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.
Specs Navigation type: Lidar, camera, sensors, SLAM Suction: 3,000 Pa Multifloor mapping: Yes Dual-function mop and vac: Yes 
Photograph: Adrienne SoThe Rest of the Best
Honorable MentionsWe are approaching the great robot vacuum convergence; many of them now look very similar, have similar features, and come at very similar price points. Here are a few that also worked well for us:
- Yeedi C12 Pro+ for $499: Yeedi wins the most-improved award from me; when I first tried the company's vacuums several years ago, the performance was abysmal. Reviewer Ryan Waniata found that the 8,000 Pa suction was impressive, but it did get lost or stuck about 20 percent of the time.
- Yeedi M12 Pro+ for $899: This is the higher-end Yeedi, with mopping capabilities. I tested this and it worked well. It even has an extendable arm for exploring nooks and crannies, and the clean/dirty water tanks are enormous. If this goes on sale, it's a fine buy, but at MSRP the Eufy just has slightly better navigation and is a wee bit cheaper.
- Dreame L40 Ultra ($1,499): Dreame’s newest robot vacuum-mop combo debuted at IFA 2024. It’s a little cheaper than the Dreame X30 Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review), but can’t do its coolest trick of removing the mop pads. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell found that while it is cheaper, it is still not cheap, and it did bump into things a little more often than the X30 did. However, it is pretty and has plenty of battery life left after both mopping and vacuuming.
Photograph: NarwalDon’t Buy These Vacuums
We'll Take a PassNot every vacuum earns a spot on our list. These are the ones I repacked straightaway.
- Eureka J20 for $1,100: Eureka is a highly respected name in the vacuum field, and this robot vac is gorgeous and comes with a lot of bells and whistles, including an ingenious dispenser for cleaning fluid. However, it was the one vacuum in all my testing that found the tiny lip between the hardwood floor of my kitchen to the carpet of the living room to be completely insurmountable. The app also forgot the map every two days and had to re-map.
- Proscenic M9 for £439: Reviewer Simon Hill reported that this robot vacuum is terrible. It misses a lot of spots, the chute becomes instantly clogged with hair, and it makes constant noises. Whenever it gets stuck, it tells you to call customer service. The only plus side is that it seems to be out of stock.
- Narwal Freo X Ultra for $1,400: This is a beautiful vacuum with a bunch of features, including baseboard dusting. However, despite moving it from room to room to find better Wi-Fi, and switching from phone to phone to try different versions of the app, I was unable to connect it to the app and so could not use it. (I reached out to Narwal multiple times but could not fix it; we will update if I do find a fix in the future.)
- Switchbot K10+ for $600: Hill also tried this robot vacuum, which is adorable (half the size of a regular vac) but suicidal. The roller gets clogged easily, it can't find its way back to the dock, and it often hurls itself down the stairs.
- Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 for $1,000: This vacuum cleaned surprisingly well (5/10, WIRED Review). However, it doesn't auto-empty, DirtDetect doesn't work, and the app is completely bonkers (maps aren't accurate, can't add multiple floors, cleaning times are off).
Photograph: Getty ImagesA Few Tips
Yes, You Still Need a Push VacRobot 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 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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