“WiFi connected robot vacuums can also provide maintenance tips and reminders via the companion app, even offering health status updates on various components, such as filters and roller brushes,” Hild says. “Even though I own a Dyson Animal V8, I hardly ever use it now because the Yeedi has become my primary vacuum cleaner,” our long-term tester shark cordless said. “I run the robot vacuum twice each day during the week, and on the weekends, I run it once per day. Now, the only time I use my Dyson is to clean the furniture my dog rests on or any nooks and crannies that the Yeedi vacuum can’t get to.” Handle debris, sticky messes, and liquid spills alike with a multi-purpose vacuum and mop.
(Though the i4+ can also create Smart Maps, it doesn’t have the ability to create Clean Zones or Keep Out Zones.) The i8+ is currently $300 off at Best Buy, so you can snag it now for just $599.99. That way, the sensors can work more efficiently and don’t have any trouble navigating through the home. If your Roomba has a mapping feature, ambient light will help it navigate more efficiently. Stark’s Vacuums has grown to be one of the largest independent vacuum cleaner retailers in the country, with nine locations and more than 250 vacuums to choose from.
Despite their many joys, the best robot vacuums can be quite pricey – although prices are definitely coming down. So to ensure you get the most cleaning bang for your bucks, we’ve tested eight of the leading models in our own homes to really put them through their paces. We’ve put all their key features to the test – runtime, suction power, mapping and automation capabilities and more – to help you find the best robot vacuum for you and your home. To find the best bots for your buck, we’ve spent the last several years torture-testing the top robotic vacuums in our lab and in our homes.
The iRobot Roomba is equipped with a laser sensor that directs it around obstacles and walls. It also has sensors on the underside of the device that detect changes in elevation, allowing it to transition from bare floor to carpet. It has beater brushes like a conventional vacuum cleaner to loosen and collect dirt, as well as suction that sweeps the dirt into shark cordless a storage compartment. Top robot models have a proprietary VSLM feature — Vision Simultaneous Localization and Mapping — that takes snapshots as the Roomba works to guide the unit in an efficient path throughout the room. As a vacuum, the S7 was pretty good — it’s not the best with pet hair — but it was fast and thorough, scoring a pick up average of 93.
We’ve also tested some cheap bump bots that are slightly different from the standard-issue Eufy, including the Eureka Groove. That bot was basically fine, but it couldn’t match the agility of the Eufy model (and its endless clones) or the durability of the Roomba bots we’ve tested. Wirecutter’s Liam McCabe wrote the previous versions of this guide, evaluating some 200 robots and testing close to 50 models since 2012. It also has built-in sensors to help it avoid small objects in its path, so you can feel more comfortable running it without supervision. During testing, we found that it avoided all the objects we placed in front of it—including socks, power cords, and pet messes. The Roomba i8+, which is smaller and slightly more advanced than the i4+, can create personalized Smart Maps of your home and be programmed to only clean designated Clean Zones and avoid Keep Out Zones.
The simplest robot vacuums navigate back and forth, in long Z-shaped rows, avoiding obstacles as needed. However, the newest generation of robot vacuums feature on-board cameras or LiDAR laser mapping, which they use to construct a map of your home for guided cleanings. Today, the best robot vacuums offer a full suite of cleaning tools and assorted bells and whistles. This article was written by Erin Johnson, a commerce editor at The Spruce focusing on appliances, cleaning, and organization. She has hands-on experience testing upright, cordless, handheld, and robot vacuums and mops and has developed and led tests in The Lab.