We love the modern era. Everything can be so convenient if you just let it be… like our picks for the best robot vacuums, for example.
We get back from a trip away to the cottage, dump our luggage at home, fire up our air purifier, let loose the robot vacuum cleaner and head out for a quick spin on our electric unicycle. And when we return, the hard work of cleaning is over.
That’s why we think that everyone could benefit from one of our best robot vacuums, they take the hard work out of life, so that you have more time to yourself.
Best Robot Vacuums
iRobot Roomba s9+
EDITOR’S CHOICE
There’s no doubt in our minds, this is the best robot vacuum ever but it is a little pricey.
Neato Robotics Botvac
TOP RATED CHOICE
When you’re on a more modest budget and need a strong vacuum cleaner, this is a great choice.
eufy by Anker
BEST VALUE CHOICE
Small and cheap, it represents excellent value for money but isn’t the strongest cleaner.
iRobot Roomba s9+
We loved testing the iRobot Roomba s9+ and that’s because it made short work of cleaning nearly every surface we tried it on.
It excels on hardwood flooring but even on carpet and rugs, it’s a best in breed performer and it can make short work of dust, soil, pet hair, etc. without any trouble at all.
That’s why it’s our top pick of robot vacuum cleaners.
Quick Fact: You can use the iRobot app to stop the vacuum from going in places that you don’t want it to go and you can even issue voice commands to the robot using Alexa or Google Voice.
1. The best cleaning power of any vacuum in our tests
2. The fastest cleaning robot that we tested too
3. The app is excellent and makes it very easy to set the robot properly
1. The price tag puts it in the same league as the top human powered vacuums
2. Can struggle on rugs laid over a hardwood surface as they can catch
3. You have to buy bags and replace them over time
Neato Robotics Botvac D7 Connected App-Controlled Robot Vacuum
You can’t go wrong with the price of Neato Robotics’ Botvac D7 which is comfortably half of the Roomba S9+.
However, it can’t quite match the cleaning power of the Roomba but it did slightly better on low-pile carpet when we put them head-to-head.
Nor, sadly, can it empty its own bin which means you need to step in every now and again.
Quick Fact: The Neato model is amazing at navigating its way around your home and we think that it’s even faster than the Roomba in this respect.
1. The Neato app is excellent and you can control it remotely with ease
2. It’s the best cleaner in our roundup for short-pile carpets
3. It has a very good internal navigation system
1. It struggles with pet hairs which is going to be a very big deal for some
2. You have to empty the bin, it can’t do it by itself
3. Several purchasers report frustration with NEATO’s customer support team
eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 30C
The last of our top 3 is for the very price-sensitive consumer hoping to get a bargain in the form of a robot vacuum cleaner.
And the eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 30C delivers in many respects.
It’s very quiet (maybe too quiet – it’s hard to tell that it’s working) and it cleans very well.
Quick Fact: eufy does not advertise what it does with your data or have a security oversight panel or a vulnerability disclosure program – this needs to change.
1. Very good value for money – this price point is very reasonable
2. It’s very quiet when in use
3. The robot vacuum cleaner works very well, cleaning most things and surfaces with ease
1. No effective security protocols – we doubt anyone wants to hack your vacuum, but it’s a pain, all the same
2. Can get stuck between two different types of floor
3. Navigation system is basic and movement random – takes longer to clean than needed
Samsung Electronics R7040 Robot Vacuum
Samsung’s early vacuums in this class weren’t great but the R7040 Samsung Robot Vacuum puts most of the issues to bed and does it in style.
The price has recently come down on this vacuum and it’s a bargain at this price.
It excels on carpet and bare floor but may struggle on other surfaces.
The Samsung SmartThings app is very good and allows an audit of cleaning history as well as programming capacity.
Quick Fact: In general Samsung’s security handling is among the best in the business, however, we’re still not entirely convinced that their data handling is as good as it could be.
1. Samsung owners say this is a great vacuum cleaner
2. It cleans decently and is good value for money
3. The Samsung app offers excellent functionality
1. Can get itself trapped between objects
2. There are compatibility issues between the app and some versions of Android
3. Sometimes drops the Wi-Fi connection
iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum
This is an older model from iRobot and it’s possible that the iRobot Roomba 960 will eventually be discontinued.
However, at its price point it’s very good value for money and it cleans most floors and things well – though we did find that pet hair can snarl the rollers.
They have a vulnerability and patching program in place which is a very good thing for owner.
Quick Fact: The Roomba 960 maps your home as it cleans it for the first time, then you can better plan your cleaning regime and automate it via the app.
1. Cheaper than its big brother but still very good
2. Excellent suction and can clean most surfaces without issue
3. It always gets the job done
1. May be discontinued in the near future – which might make finding parts hard for repairs
2. Can’t handle pet hair very well – you’ll need to keep an eye on it
3. The bin can fill up very quickly and needs manual emptying
iRobot Roomba E5 (5150) Robot Vacuum
A bare bones offering from iRobot completes our lineup of the best robot vacuum cleaners.
The Roomba E5 (5150) is a simple thing with no remote control (though the app does a decent job of allowing some basic programmability).
As with all iRobot devices, this is subject to a full security program for peace of mind.
Quick Fact: It might not have all the facilities of its bigger brother and sister but you can teach it to clean in certain patterns using voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant.
1. Lower cost than other iRobot models
2. Cleans decently – not the best in our tests though
3. Handles pet hair well
1. Often bounces off objects rather than stopping before them
2. Often can’t find the charging dock when it needs it
3. Battery isn’t the longest
Final Thoughts On Robot Vacuum Cleaners
We love a clean house but if we’re truthful with ourselves, we don’t love cleaning it. That’s why these best robot vacuum cleaners are a modern-day essential, in our opinion.
You switch them on, let them go and they do the hard work for you, freeing you up to do something more satisfying. Nobody has enough time in today’s world, why not let machines make some for you?
