Investing in one of the best robot vacuum cleaners can save you a huge amount of time and effort. These clever bots make their way around your home, using sensors for navigation and obstacle-avoidance, and they're perfect for regular, low-level cleaning. Most can be controlled remotely, meaning you can set them to run when you're out of the house, for minimal disruption and inconvenience. Increasingly, we're seeing models that mop as well as as vacuum, too.
While we have included a robovac in our general best vacuum cleaner guide, these are rather different to your regular, person-powered vacuum. For one, they're typically more expensive (although there are good deals to be had), and typically less powerful, too. Some can struggle with corners and getting close to the edges of rooms, and, although their capabilities are growing, they still can't cope with stairs. If you need something for tricky spaces and multi-level homes, you're better off consulting our best cordless vacuum cleaner guide.
We test robot vacuum cleaners in real homes, assessing not just how well they clean, but how easy they are set up and operate, and whether there are any little niggles that'll become annoying. That means we can say with confidence: these are the best robot vacuum cleaners you can buy today.
Best robot vacuum cleaners: quick List
Best overall
This self-empty robot vacuum and mop delivers powerful yet quiet suction and impressive mopping. The app is well designed, and the navigation excellent.
Best for pet hair
This robot vac has rubber rollers that grip hair and direct it straight into the bin. There's also excellent obstacle avoidance – including dodging pet messes.
Best budget
This robot vac is half the price of most of the models on our list, and delivers solid performance and an impressive feature set for that low price.
Best for hard floors
Lots of robovacs have a mop function, but it can be an afterthought. This Ecovacs model is comes with impressive hot water cleaning capabilities.
Best for carpet
This robovac is outstanding on carpet. As well as picking up finer dirt with ease, it will suck up large debris and get right up to the edges of rooms – both tasks that robot vacs tend to struggle with.
Best vacuum-only
If you just need vacuuming and no mop, this is our top pick. It boasts impressive mapping tech and smart assistant integration, as well as a useful self-empty feature.
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Best premium
If you have the budget for it, this is a complete cleaning solution, with outstanding vacuuming and mopping, lots of useful features, and a hand vac thrown in for good measure.
Today's best robot vacuums – as tested by experts
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The best robot vacuum overall
Eufy X10 Pro Omni is the best robot vacuum for most people. This self-empty robot vacuum and mop checks pretty much all our boxes. The suction power is excellent, pulling all kinds of debris, fluff and hair and fluff out of our tester's carpet (although it did flick larger debris about rather than sucking it up – a problem with almost all robovacs). It's relatively quiet in all but it's very highest vacuum setting, too.
With some 2-in-1 robovacs, the mopping is a bit of an afterthought, but the Eufy X10 Pro Omni has rotating pads that press down for a more thorough clean on hard floors. On test, it had no trouble at all cleaning a dried-on sugary drink and sticky sauce, automatically choosing the right amount of water for the job. (If you want even more impressive mopping, check out the Ecovacs T20 at #4, which has hot water mopping capabilities.)
The app is easy to use and functions well. Our reviewer was also very impressed with the mapping – the X10 accurately mapped their apartment on its first exploratory outing – as well as the navigation and obstacle avoidance. However, they did note that the Eufy X10 Pro Omni could occasionally get stuck trying to get over high room thresholds.
The dock station is a little on the larger side, but looks pretty stylish, and houses the water tanks and extra dustbin that allow this robovac to self-empty and (in the case of water) refill, minimizing the need for hands-on time. Overall, an excellent all-rounder that'll suit most people's needs.
Read our full Eufy X10 Pro Omni review
The best robot vacuum for pet hair
The Roomba Combo J7 Plus is the best robovac for pet hair, thanks to its powerful suction and dual rubber brush bars that effectively grip and pull hair from carpets, without letting it tangle and clog up the mechanism. In fact, even though it's far from the newest Roomba now, it's still an excellent all-rounder and for a long time held the top spot in this best robot vacuum ranking. As well as that great suction, it delivers genuinely useful smart features, decent mopping and quiet operation (apart from the noisy self-empty).
The obstacle detection and avoidance is strong, and pet owners should also be reassured that the J7 comes with Roomba's P.O.O.P Pet Owner Official Promise, which essentially means the company guarantees it'll avoid pet waste. (The J7 Plus sits at the top of our best robot vacuums for pet hair guide, where you'll find other options if it turns out not to be quite right for you.)
This Roomba works with all the key smart speakers and its app is both intelligent and easy to use. It maps your floorplan and enables you to create specific cleaning zones, and it's constantly checking and learning: it'll send you a notification if it thinks a particular space needs more attention. Overall, a strong all-rounder and an especially good recommendation for pet owners.
Read our full iRobot Roomba Combo J7 plus review
The best robot vacuum cleaner on a budget
Many of today's best robot vacuums are pretty pricey, but if you're on a tighter budget, check out the Proscenic Floobot X1. It offers strong performance and functionality for a price that's around half what you'll pay for most of the models in our list.
It offers mopping as well as vacuuming, and is able to detect which kind of flooring it's on to activate the correct cleaning method accordingly. During our review period we were impressed with the suction and how it handled different kinds of spillages. The Floobot has an usual habit of expelling larger bits of debris as a compact ball, which does help free up space in the bin for smaller dust particles, but ideally we'd still prefer it to go into the bin rather than onto the floor.
As you might expect from a budget robot vacuum, there's room for improvement when it comes to mapping complicated rooms and detecting things like pet food bowls. However, if you have a relatively clutter-free, open plan space, it should be fine. One other frustration that arose during our testing period is that there are some limits to what you do remotely – for example, you can't remotely activate mopping when the Floobot X1 is on its dock. Our tester also found the Wi-Fi connection could be patchy.
While both cleaning power and mapping features will almost certainly be better with a pricier model, if you just need something basic for light cleaning, the Proscenic Floobot X1 is a great choice, and superb value for money. If you're hunting for something even cheaper, check out our Eufy RoboVac 11S review for another straightforward robovac that punches above its price tag.
Read our full Proscenic Floobot X1 review
The best robot vacuum for hard floors
The Ecovacs Deebot T20 is the best robot vacuum for those with a lot of hard floors. Our reviewer tested it on a couple of different types of hard flooring in their home, and was very impressed with the performance. Firstly, the vacuuming is thorough, removing loose dust and debris effectively. Perhaps more impressive is the mopping function – like the Eufy X10 at #1, the Deebot T20 has rotating mop pads that scrub the floors rather than just wiping them, but where this model goes a step further is that it uses hot water to dislodge sticky stains.
On test, our reviewer found this addition genuinely useful, rather than just a gimmick. However, they did note that it created a lot of dirty water, so while this is a self-empty model, you will still have to empty the dock tank fairly often.
We found it fairly quiet to run, were impressed with the mapping and found the obstacle avoidance to be fine but not amazing. Like most robot vacuums, our tester found the edge cleaning could be improved.
The self-empty charging base includes two 4-liter tanks for clean and dirty water, which are used not only for mopping but also for cleaning the mop pads. As a result, it's pretty bulky, at 22.5 inches tall (57cm) and 17 inches wide (43cm), so not one for small homes.
If mopping is your priority, we also found the Eufy Omni S1 Pro absolutely excellent in this area. That model is a fair bit pricier than this Ecovacs robot vacuum though.
Read our full Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni review
The best robot vacuum for carpet
The Narwal Freo X Ultra is the best robot vacuum for carpet. It's a premium product, (and it's not available in the UK), but delivers the best carpet cleaning performance of any robovac we've tested. On test we found that not only did it suck up finer dust and dirt efficiently, it also scooped up larger debris – namely bits of cereal – just as well. Most robovacs fling large debris about the room rather than vacuuming it up, so this is very impressive. Another area where many robovacs fail is on cleaning around the edges and into the corners of rooms. Again, the Freo X Ultra shines here. On test, we found the side brushes got right up to the edges of rooms.
It's good at avoiding objects, reliably dodging pets and other discarded objects, and only really struggling with cables (which no robovac we've tested has been able to reliably avoid).
The Freo X Ultra's mopping capabilities are not quite as impressive as its vacuuming, but still good. It cleared up spillages well, but the mop pads couldn't get close to the edges of rooms. We also found this robot vacuum would dock regularly for mop cleaning, which isn't necessarily an issue, but does extend overall cleaning times.
While the app is intuitive, and the mapping good, there is a major issue for anyone with an open plan living space. Namely, you can't separate it into different zones. It won't be a problem for everyone, but if you live in an open plan home, you'll probably want to opt for a different brand.
Read our full Narwal Freo X Ultra review
The best vacuum-only robovac
If you don't need a mop function, this is an outstanding vacuum-only robot vacuum. This Roomba boasts advanced mapping technology and Alexa and Google Assistant integration, and has a self-empty base, which means you're barely required to lift a finger. The high-capacity dust bags typically need replacing every 30 days (which does represent a quite annoying ongoing cost). If you're on a tight budget, you can buy it without the self-emptying base (that version is the i7 without the plus). The use of bags helps reduce the presence of dog dander and other potential irritants, which is handy if anyone in the household suffers from allergies.
This Roomba doesn't quite match the suction power of its more expensive siblings, and in our tests we found that we tended to get the best results when we activated the dual-pass feature, which retraces its steps to vacuum an area twice. At around 65dB it's nice and quiet, although the self-emptying system is much louder at around 82dB for the 10 to 30 seconds it takes to complete.
The i7 doesn't seem to be part of the current US line, although it's still available from third party retailers at time of writing.
Read our full iRobot Roomba i7+ review
The best premium robot vacuum
The Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo is the best premium robot vacuum. Its vacuuming powers are some of the very best we've come across, it tackles the edges of rooms remarkably well, and its mopping is excellent too. It also, unusually, comes with its own mini handheld vacuum (and if you get the Complete version, there's a stick vacuum thrown in!) for supplementary cleaning.
As you'd expect at this price, it's not short on features, including its own voice assistant. It can launched via the tap of a foot, the base station will wash and dry the mop pads, the dust cups of the robovac and the handheld vac will auto-empty when docked, and the mapping is outstanding. The companion app works extremely well – our tester was especially impressed that it automatically partitioned the rooms into their own spaces. In terms of performance, we had almost no issues with this robot vacuum at all – if it's in your budget, it's worth the investment.
Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review
Tested by
All the robot vacuums in this ranking have been rigorously tested, either by one of the TechRadar Homes team or an experienced reviewer. Meet some of the expert reviewers who tested the robovacs that feature in this guide.
James has tested robot vacuums of all sorts from the most basic models to the ones so feature-packed that they can be used as a security camera. He appreciates models that can suck up all sorts of debris, clean the edges of rooms, and allow easy room partitioning in-app.
Josephine is TechRadar's Managing Editor of Lifestyle, and has spent the past three years testing all things smart home, including robot vacuums. Whether it's premium devices from the likes of iRobot and Samsung or more affordable, basic robovacs, she has tried a whole host of suckers, with a particular focus on next-gen smart features that will revolutionize how we clean.
How to choose the best robot vacuum for you
There are several things to think about when you want to find the best robot vacuum cleaner for you.
As well as deciding whether you want a robovac that just vacuums or one that mops, it’s also important to consider battery life, as nobody wants a robot vacuum that runs out of power halfway through cleaning your home. If you have a lot of floor space to clean, look for robot vacuums that have large dust canisters or those that empty their dust bins, meaning it really can be left to clean your floors unaided.
Some robot vacuums take a methodical path across your floors, ensuring the vacuuming process is quick and efficient. However, these tend to be more expensive than robot vacuums that employ a random route when cleaning your floors.
Also, look for a smart mapping feature that ensures the robot vacuum learns the layout of your home and can clean specific rooms or areas at the touch of a button, and those that allow you to set no-go areas that the robot vacuum won’t even attempt to clean - ideal if you have teenagers, which leave their clothes all over their bedroom floor.
Frequently asked questions
Are robot vacuums worth it?
Yes. We're not going to pretend that robot vacuums aren't often more expensive than upright or cordless vacuums – but they're often smarter too, and of course part of what you're paying for is the convenience of not having to do the vacuuming yourself or worry about how often you should vacuum. Robot vacuums are an excellent solution for busy people who don’t have time to put the vacuum around. And they also offer a good alternative for those with mobility issues because all you need to do is switch them on. And we know some happy buyers with ADHD who've found their scheduling abilities to be real game changers. With many robot vacuums suitable for programming from your phone, you’ll be able to switch these devices on when you’re out and about and come home to clean floors.
Most robot vacuums cope well with hardwood floors and carpeted areas, but they don't do stairs – so you'll still need something to deal with that if your home isn't on just one level.
How much does a robot vacuum cost?
Robot vacuum cleaners can cost anything from between $200 / £150 for models such as the Eufy RoboVac 11S to well over $1000 / £1000 for models such as the iRobot Roomba S9+.
How much you spend depends on your budget and your must-haves in a robot vacuum cleaner. As a rule of thumb, the more features and functions a robot has, the more expensive it will be. This doesn't mean that the performance you are getting with a robot vacuum will be any less, though.
It's also worth remembering that robot vacuums often feature very heavily during big sales events such as Amazon's Prime Day, Black Friday, the January sales and so on. So it's a very good idea to keep an eye out for deals.
Do robot vacuums work on pet hair?
Like other types of vacuums, many of the best robot vacuums on this list and other models we've tested are effective at collecting pet hair, fine dust, and larger debris from floors.
Designs that offer a Boost or Turbo mode are ideal if you have thick-pile carpets or rugs as they ensure you can temporarily increase the suction power, ensuring no fur remains after cleaning.
The best models to choose are ones that have rubber brushes that are free from bristles, so the pet hair doesn't get trapped around them. Although that's not to say robot vacuums with bristled brush bars aren't as effective at collecting the hair. If you choose one of these, look for a design with a tool to help remove pet (or human) hair that's got tangled to make your life easier.
Can a robot vacuum replace a normal vacuum?
Robot vacuums can offer a very impressive clean, even on thick carpets, making them an excellent alternative to upright or other vacuums. They'll be more convenient too as you can set them to work when you're busy doing other things. In addition, the dust cups on robot vacuums are often smaller than you'd expect to find on a canister or an upright vacuum cleaner.
While robot vacuums don't have crevice tools that work well down the side of your sofa or stairs, these machines usually have small brushes on the outside of their shells. The brushes do an excellent job of getting close to baseboards and ensuring that any crumbs or dirt on hard floors don't escape the vacuum's suction. However, as of yet, they can't clean the stairs.
Read more on this subject by reading can a robot vacuum replace your existing vacuum cleaner?
How do robot vacuums work?
Robot vacuums have a series of brushes on the underside of the machine that work together to collect dirt and dust that they come in contact with. The dirt is then sucked into the dust cup, which is fitted into the vacuum's body. Most are equipped with smaller brushes that extend past the circumference of the vacuum, and the purpose of these is to reach dirt that's settled against baseboards or in awkward places.
More advanced robot vacuums have lasers on the front of the machine and some on the underside of the device too. These lasers detect where furniture, objects, and edges are in your home, helping avoid bumps, and cliff detection prevents the machine from falling down the stairs. Read our article on how do robot vacuums work to find out more.
What is the best robot vacuum?
After reviewing all ten robot vacuum cleaners in this guide, our number one is the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus. Combo means it's also a robot mopper, which makes it great for homes with tiled or other hard floors as well as carpets or rugs.
The Roomba works with all the key smart speakers and its app is both intelligent and easy to use. It maps your floorplan and enables you to create specific cleaning zones, and it's constantly checking and learning: it'll send you a notification if it thinks a particular space needs more attention.
Like its recent Roomba siblings the Combo J7 Plus is usually very quiet but the self-emptying feature is a loud 90dB, albeit only for ten to thirty seconds. But that's our only real niggle about an otherwise excellent robot vacuum and mopper that we think is the best option for most buyers.
How we tested these robot vacuums
To identify the best robot vacuums, we put models from big brands such as Shark, Dyson, and Roomba to the test and smaller names, including Eufy and Roborock. We evaluate the dirt pick-up of each model covering fine dust and cookie crumbs, along with larger particles, including cereal, while also looking at whether its pick-up on edges and crevices is as good as on large surface areas.
As well as assessing how effectively the robot vacuums clean floors, we also compare how easily they maneuver on the carpet and hard floors, as well as whether the robovac takes a logical path around a home or cleans in a random pattern means you could easily miss areas. We also looked for robot vacuums that can learn the layout of your home, meaning they can be dispatched to clean a particular room or space in just a few taps.
We rate each robot vacuum on how easy it was to empty, how loud it was in use, and how long the battery lasted between charges.
