How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum

A bargain robot vacuum is a great value. Beware of the maintenance costs that could be more than expected: tangles in brushes, blocked air inlets and emptied dust bins will quickly turn your automated cleaning dream into a burden.

The iRobot J7 Combo is the best value robot for a lot of people. It provides the same hands-free experience for robot vacuum cleaner less than half the price.

Suction Power

Certain models that are priced at this level have strong enough suction for basic vacuuming, while others might require a bit of assistance with a handheld nozzle in order to reach the deepest crevices and cracks. A budget-friendly vacuum will likely do the job if you live in a home that has primarily hard floors. If you have a mix of floors, rugs or pets who shed, you'll have the best results using a more capable robot vacuum.

Some models with a budget price include a mopping feature and a water tank, which increases their flexibility. The Dyson R7050C has a large 770ml bin and excellent navigation scores, but it is more loud and does not include mopping capabilities. The more compact Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, in contrast, is quite quiet and has an auto-empty dock. It has a reservoir of water and a suction power of 5,500-pascals and a large bin that you can fill with cleaning solutions to make it more efficient. The Q5 Pro can be controlled via the smart app, which allows you to vacuum or mop a room, sequence of rooms, or a whole area. You can also establish no-go zones and customize suction settings for each room.

The budget Shark ION is a great pick for those looking for an affordable, basic device that is reliable. It's not as well-equipped as the other models we've tested that have a simple application and basic mapping capabilities, but it offers good navigation and cleaning capabilities. It's also one of only few robots that discern between hard flooring and carpets. The 300ml dustbin is only emptying once every 30 days.

Take a look at some of the top models in this price range if you want something more advanced that can vacuum, mop, and create a map for smarter obstacle-avoidance. The iRobot Roomba 650/750 has a powerful suction, a clever comb to remove pet hair as well as fine dirt and voice control through your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that has superior cleaning capabilities for the price.

Navigation Efficiency

A budget robot vacuum cleaner can be as effective as more expensive models, so long as it can navigate through your home and avoid obstacles. To assess the effectiveness of navigation, our lab technicians set up a tracker to monitor a robot's movements through a multiroom test home and assess its ability to identify the rooms it must clean in a given time frame, while avoiding hazards such as rug cords, power cables and furniture. In addition, we analyze how fast robots can move over a variety of household terrain such as stairways and transitions between different floor robot types.

The most affordable robot vacuums have navigation systems that let them effectively clean a room without getting lost or running into obstacles. The majority of black friday robot vacuum deals vacuums have the ability to map which is essential for a complete house cleaning. However, even models that do not have mapping can be used to effectively clean a room, so it's important to consider the cost and features you require for your home.

We also consider the ease with which robots can get over common thresholds in the home, such as the size of a door's sill or the width of the sofa. A good budget robot will be able to negotiate these obstacles and some have settings that adjust the suction power based on the floor type. Finally, we take a look at whether a budget robot is compatible with your home's smart-home setup and can be controlled remotely via an app or voice control.

One example of a top budget robot is the iLife V3s Pro, which has basic mapping capability and other advanced features in a very affordable package. It can be controlled using the iRobot App and has an automatic return feature that will return the self-cleaning robot vacuums back to its base when the battery is exhausted and continues where it left off.

The iLife V3s Pro does not come with the advanced object-avoidance technology you find on many premium robots. However, it does have live cameras that transmit a grainy stream to your phone so you can watch it work. The cameras are able to detect stairs and other obstructions and alert the robot when it encounters them. However, the iLife uses random navigation instead of a method designed to avoid objects stuck against furniture legs, so it might not be able to maneuver around a chair leg or another tight spot as easily as a robot equipped with mapping capabilities.

Cleaning Performance

When shopping for a robotic vacuum, you must consider the price and performance. Budget models may not have advanced features like mapping, but you can find many that perform very well at cleaning your home. Pay attention to the dimensions and capacity of the robot's dustbin. You'll need to have enough space to hold all the trash the robot gathers, such as pet dander, dirt, and hair.

You'll also require a robotic vacuum that is able to remove the stains that carpets have. We test every model in the ZDNET chart to see whether it is able to remove dirt and hair from carpet. The most effective models have a special brush that digs into fibers to eliminate dirt.

The majority of budget models are effective at picking up messes on carpets that are not paved or in low-pile carpet, but struggle to clear larger pieces of pet hair and debris from higher-pile carpets. These models typically have less suction, but they can still be effective at cleaning up particles from tight spaces like corners and under furniture.

The iLife V3s Pro vacuum cleaner is the best vacuum for its price. It has a good score in our tests and it's able to take hairs and dirt off carpets. It is also one of our quieter models and easy to use. It has an opening for suction that scoops debris rather than pushing it through the brush bar, and it is able to adjust power to match the surface. It also comes with a side brush that has three bristles that push hair and debris in the path of the robot, but it's not as effective at in removing fine dust.

If you need both mopping and vacuum, look for a model that can do both such as the Combo j9 Plus. It can vacuum and mop simultaneously and you can alter the settings for each room. It's more expensive than the other budget robot vacuum cleaner price vacuums on our chart, but it has the advantages of a forward-facing camera that allows more precise mapping and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords and cat piss.

Maintenance

Robot vacuums are handy however, they come at price. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also become tangled in cords, or fall off the stairs.

The most affordable robot vacuums reduce these hassles as they require little user management. The top picks have navigation systems that stay clear of objects and keep themselves clear of dangers, including tangled electrical cords and dropped food. They also use a combination of sensors to map rooms and build maps that show the areas they've cleaned before so they don't go over the same areas repeatedly.

Don't let the cost of the more expensive models deter you from buying. They are still able to do a fantastic job if given the chance. A majority of our top budget picks are from top OEMs, such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame, so you'll be assured that they've been designed with the utmost attention to detail and built to last.

If you're willing to invest more, consider mopping with a robot. These machines can scrub floors using a damp cloth and eliminate staining that is difficult to remove. They can also be used combination with a mop pad to tackle tough jobs, such as dried coffee.

There are a number of mopping robots in our roundup but the most affordable model is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has the sleek and uncluttered appearance of a home hub, but the features and performance of a top robovac that includes LiDAR navigation. In our tests, the RV30 was able to navigate without bumping mindlessly into furniture and create detailed floor plans that it can use for future runs. This is the only budget robot that we tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, but the app setup guide you through the entire process.

Be sure to maintain your robot regardless of whether you pick the most expensive or one that is more affordable. You should empty the dustbin and clean the filter after every cleaning session (refer to the owner's manual or the manufacturer's site for more information). Replace the battery if required and test the Wi-Fi connectivity.