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 694 is ideal for smaller areas and will work best in rooms without clutter. An auto-adjust cleaning head helps the unit transition easily between low-pile carpet, medium-pile carpet, hardwood, and bare floors. It can run for up to 90 minutes before automatically recharging, but it will need to be reset before its next run. This pick for the best budget robot vacuum doesn’t come with mapping capabilities, although adaptive navigation keeps it from bumping into furniture or falling down stairs. A quieter runner than others we tested, it might be a great pick for spaces or situations where a not-so-loud robot cleaner is needed.
This behavior would be annoying from a $400 robot, but it’s especially frustrating from a robot that can sometimes cost more than our favorite dishwasher. IRobot representatives told us that the company fixed the navigation problems via a software update following the robot’s launch, so we plan to reevaluate it in future testing. Since most rooms have furniture and objects scattered throughout, the best robot vacuums are able to internally map and adjust the cleaning pattern accordingly.
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.
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.
Battery reliability is a frequently mentioned complaint on customer review websites. Battery replacements from iRobot cost a significant fraction of the purchase price of a new Roomba, shark cordless though compatible third-party batteries are available at a lower price. The iRobot customer support website offers advice on maximizing battery performance and longevity.
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.
In our tests, its data security is quite strong, but its data privacy is middling. In CR’s latest member survey, Samsung robovacs receive a middling predicted reliability rating and a Poor owner satisfaction score. For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well. If your bot breaks down outside of the warranty period, you may be able to repair it, particularly if it’s a Roomba model. Don’t chalk up the bot as a total loss until you check to see whether the broken part is available as a replacement.