To learn more about how we rate and test robot vacuums, consult our vacuum buying guide. On top of these calculations, we factor in the reliability and owner satisfaction score of robotic vacuums from surveys based on members’ experiences with more than 9,000 robot vacuums. While this one isn’t exactly a Roomba, it’s certainly in the family and it pairs well with certain smart models from iRobot’s stable of vacuum robots. Meant for use on hardwood, tile, or stone floors, the M6 is perfect for cleaning spills, pet waste, and other messes. Similar to iRobot’s vacuums, the automated M6 mop features smart mapping and coordinated app control. Users can pair the app to voice-control devices in order to direct the bot to quickly clean up specified areas.
For homes with pet dander and shedded fur, a dual multisurface rubber brush allows for easy release of hair to avoid tangling, while a high-efficiency filter traps 99 percent of dander and other common allergens. A recharge and resume feature automatically activates after about 90 minutes of battery use. It comes loaded shark cordless with filters and dust bags for the base, plus replacements for each. In response to the growing interest of hackers in their product, the company developed the iRobot Create. In this model the vacuum cleaner motor is replaced by a “cargo bay” for mounting devices like TV cameras, lasers and other robotic parts.
All of these bots have worked well, but they lack some of the polish of our top picks. We’ve also noticed that the lesser-known brands have not updated their robots’ software with bug fixes or new features as consistently as Roborock has. When you add up all those little optimizations, the Q5 saves a noticeable amount of time compared with other bots.
The popular model has a three-stage cleaning system to suck up dirt, crumbs, dust, and debris — with not much effort on your part. Designed to keep your entire home spotless, it tackles messes on hard floors and carpets for up to 90 minutes on a full charge. For even more convenience, when the robo vac’s battery runs low, it automatically returns to its dock to recharge.
One of the newest designs, the i9 Roomba, comes in a D-shape with a flat edge that smartly tracks into corners to get even more dirt. Certain models that use sensors instead of cameras to get around can navigate without any light. As opposed to hacking and extending Roomba, non Desktop users can use the iRobot HOME App, although only certain models support 5 GHz. If the S7 MaxV Ultra is out of your price range, the S7+ is an excellent alternative. It can’t refill its own water tank, clean its own mopping cloth, or function as a home security camera, but it offers all the other perks of the S7 MaxV Ultra for $400 less. The iRobot Braava 320 is an intelligent and effective mop and broom for the time-pressed homeowner or apartment-dweller who’s tired of doing the work by hand.
Connected bots also typically generate statistics and maps of the areas they clean. Many even create personalized floor plans, allowing for targeted room cleanings and eliminating the need for you irobot vacuum cleaner to use “virtual walls” to cordon off sections of your home. The Roomba i3+ EVO is a top choice for anyone looking to upgrade from a standard robot vacuum to one with self-emptying abilities.
The Eufy RoboVac G30, on the other hand, stands out for its short stature. Measuring 12.8 inches in diameter and 2.85 inches tall, it’s one of the smallest robot vacuums we’ve tested, meaning it can clean where a lot of other robot vacuums won’t fit, like under couches. Before the X1 Omni hit the scene, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI was the most advanced floor-cleaning robot we’d seen.
Our journalists combine independent research with over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right . Rachel Cericola is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter who has been covering smart-home technology since the days of X10. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others.
As for cleaning, we’ve found over and over again that basic Eufy bots are capable of picking up all the most common types of debris off bare floors and low-pile rugs. It’s actually kind of surprising how effective they are, since the advertised suction is so modest, and the single brush roll is small. If you have plush carpets and a lot of hair to deal with, though, you’re likely to prefer a robot with better brush action and possibly stronger suction. Then there are the top-of-the-line Roomba s9 and self-emptying Roomba s9+, which we do not recommend. Instead of the classic puck shape, the s9 has a D-shaped body and extra-wide brushes intended to improve its edge-cleaning and corner-cleaning abilities.
We wouldn’t recommend the Coral One robot-handheld hybrid at any price. In our tests it was uncomfortably loud—by far the noisiest vac we’d ever tested—and the nav system was not effective. It sort of converts into a handheld vacuum, but it’s heavy, and you need to remember where you put the awkwardly shaped nozzle. The LG CordZero R9 is a very expensive vacuum with powerful cleaning specs, but owner reviews from Australia, where it had been available for a while at the time of our research, were not favorable. During several of our tests, the Q5 produced good visual results, but the results for the i3 EVO were a little better when we weighed the dustbins.