Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are fantastic in keeping your floors spotless, they can't substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the best vacuums (Marvelvsdc noted) struggle to get into carpets or rugs, and can often get tangled in cords and socks.

Maintaining a regular schedule of maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair that is tangled from brushes, and emptying the dust bin) will help your robot last longer.

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a few cleaning sessions without needing to be charged. The second-placed model in our top picks is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. The runtime is enough to clean smaller homes with the combination of hard floors and low-pile carpets, or a larger home in which the rooms are about the same size.

A longer battery life means the robot will be able to spend less time charging and more time cleaning. You should choose a model that has a self-emptying bin. These models are more efficient at collecting debris and then returning to docks to recharge. It is important to clean or replace filters and wipe down the sensors and cameras regularly so that they can see clearly.

Smart mapping technology is a great feature to be looking for since it permits you to program your robot to only clear certain rooms or areas that it's likely to crash into furniture or other obstacles. It's also helpful for ensuring your robot can get under and around beds, sofas and other furniture with a high height. A few robovacs that are cheap come with boundary strips that you can use to block off specific areas. Other high-end models rely on cameras and sensors.

Even the most powerful robot vacuums cannot replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's recommended to have a power vacuum available for these tasks and schedule robot vacuums for light cleaning throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot should be able to navigate you home without getting stuck or crashing into things such as metal screws or pet hair that is loose, or sand. In our tests, we employ a tracking device to track the robot as it goes through a multiroom lab and shows its surroundings. We also check how well the robot avoids obstacles such as power cords, furniture legs and pet waste.

The top robots can map out multiple floors and can recognize landmarks such as windows and doors. The most advanced models such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, come with a dual-sensor navigation device which uses the LIDAR sensor to map the space and a structured lighting camera in front of the robot to detect objects in real time. This lets the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles, such as power cords and furniture legs and can store up to four floor maps within its internal memory.

The most affordable models depend on bump sensors that aren't as precise. In my tests, they were able to see through dog poop and cords as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The most affordable choice, the Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It is a great carpet as well as a hard floor, tangle, and hair pickup. It also has an auto empty score that is near-perfect.

Another important feature is a large dust bin that doesn't need to be manually empty, and for those models that mop, a water tank which can store weeks of mopping sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this feature and has a large enough footprint to go under furniture but not so big that it doesn't fit into the nook between your toilet and bathtub.

Apps

self-cleaning robot vacuums vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require an array of technologies to keep them current. The result is a mature market with plenty of options. Even the most advanced models require interaction from their users, especially when it comes time to schedule cleaning, make a the floor plan of your home and set up virtual barriers.

To lessen the chance of this kind of interaction, look for a model that has its own app to determine the location of your home, and save these settings for future use. This will let the robot vacuum begin where it left off in subsequent runs, without having to restart the mapping process each time.

It's worth looking out for a vacuum that comes with zones or spot cleaning modes. You can instruct the robot vacuum cleaner to focus on a specific area, such as under the table after a big family meal. You can usually choose to do this using the app or via voice commands.

A lot of models also offer object avoidance. It allows the robot to see something in its path, for instance the shoe box or a crate of dog toys, and coach itself around it. This prevents it from running into objects which could harm its sensors or cause jams.

This feature is offered on some of the more expensive models we tried. However, they typically rely on bump sensors to accomplish this and weren't always able to avoid obstacles in my test homes.

Pet Hair

When it comes to removing pet hair, look for one that is specifically designed to handle this kind of debris. The best budget robot vacuum models have powerful suction capabilities and a brush that prevents getting caught in a knot, and an emptying mechanism that can automatically empty hair into the dust bin when needed. Some models can also determine dirt levels and adjust the cleaning intensity according to the amount of dirt. They are able to detect objects that aren't part of your home's flooring, such as furniture toys, food bowls, toys cords, and so on.

Certain robot vacuums come with features that are pet-friendly, such as a water dispenser that can be used to mop floors and a HEPA filter that helps reduce allergens, such as pet dander. They might also have a quieter mode of operation to cut down on the amount of noise produced during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They are designed to analyze your home, and create an attack plan based upon the layout of each room and obstacles. Shark Matrix Plus is a two-in-one robot vacuum that can create a map of a room, and navigate around furniture, and other obstacles with the help of accelerometers and Gyroscope smart sensors.

Other advanced models allow you to set no-go zones, which are areas that the robot is meant to avoid--like fragile items or pet feeding areas--by altering settings using an app. This feature is particularly useful for families with busy schedules, since it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions without having to be in the space where the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is an additional great feature. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to clean a space that is especially dirty or stuffed with pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't need something small, go for a model with a large bin, or even a self-emptying bin. We recommend picking a model that has a large bin, or even a dustbin that self-empties. The former will allow you to keep up with the process of emptying your bin regularly enough to ensure its efficiency. The second will save you time and effort by automatically dropping the contents into an inner container each time you clean it.

Look for models with smart mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the layout of your house and plan more efficient routes. They also detect and avoid objects that may hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Look for models with smart mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the patterns of your house and plan more efficient routes, and models that detect and avoid objects that may hinder their routes (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables).

Some models provide spot cleaning. This allows you to choose a specific area of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the top models are able to remove small particles like baking soda, sand orzo, screws made of metal and pet hair, as well heavier debris like oatmeal, orzo, and metal screws.

Based on the manufacturer, the majority of robots last for years and will continue to perform well in the event that you maintain them with regular maintenance, such as cleaning hair that has become tangled from brushes and dust bins, emptying them after every use and wiping down sensors and cameras when required. The best-performing robots also tend to be more modular which makes them simpler and less costly to repair or replace parts such as batteries and wheels as they wear out.