10 Best Robot Vacuums in 2020

A robot vacuum takes the cleaning power of a standard vacuum cleaner and places it in a robot body for maximum efficiency, letting it clean up most rooms without needing any user input other than a few setting changes. Even if you only have a few rooms that it can each, the average robot vacuum is able to keep all kinds of dirt and debris off the floor without taking up too much of your time. Many of them have self-managing features or enough programmed intelligence to take care of themselves, too and will charge when they are low or stop vacuuming when they are full.

But which ones are actually worth using, and which ones are more of a novelty than a useful piece of home equipment? Below are ten of the best robot vacuum options on the market at the moment, as well as a buyers’ guide for giving you a better understanding of what a decent robot vacuum can offer you.

View the Best Robot Vacuum, Below.

• eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S
• iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum
• ILIFE V5s Pro Robot Vacuum
• Ecovacs DEEBOT N79S Vacuum Cleaner
• Neato Robotics Botvac D7 Robotic Cleaner
• iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
• Roborock S6 Robot Vacuum
• Shark IQ R101AE Robot Vacuum
• iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum
• Eufy RoboVac 30C Vacuum Cleaner

1. eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S

This small robot vacuum uses a slim and quiet design to keep a low profile while it does its work, offering excellent suction power to clean a wide range of surfaces without needing any human input or guidance. Thanks to the anti-scratch top and built-in infrared sensor that looks for ledges or drops, the vacuum will keep itself safe from most common hazards around the home, and can automatically seek out its recharge station when it gets low on power. From a full charge, it can handle up to 100 minutes of non-stop cleaning, and will temporarily increase its own suction power if a patch of dirt doesn’t immediately get sucked up.

This is a simple but reliable robot vacuum that gives you plenty of power in a small, compact shape, making it great for any kind of home.

2. iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum

This simple robot vacuum cleaner uses an automatic dirt disposal system that makes the charging station automatically store away any dirt the robot picks up, meaning that it empties itself semi-automatically and doesn't need to be opened up every time you want to try cleaning again. The improved suction is designed to offer ten times the overall suction performance, and a three-stage cleaning system gets rid of both visible and invisible forms of dirt or allergens. When it comes to navigation, the robot is able to map out your home and adapt to the layout, figuring out the best routes to take, making mistakes much less common.

This is a robot vacuum that is extremely easy to use, learning the shape of your home to slowly refine its cleaning routines and maximize how effective it can be.

3. ILIFE V5s Pro Robot Vacuum

This streamlined and easy to use floor cleaning robot vacuum is perfect for picking up all kinds of debris and dust, from animal hair to actual outdoor dirt, with barely any user attention required. The slim body allows it to easily fit into small spaces, and the design has its own self-rescue technology to stop it from getting jammed on uneven or soft flooring materials.

A powerful 2600mah battery gives you up to 120 minutes of consistent cleaning, and you can switch to the “max” mode for extra cleaning power while only cutting the working time down to 80 minutes. It even contains its own water tank, allowing it to mop your floors rather than just cleaning with suction.

This robot vacuum works as both a normal cleaner and a mop system, making it one of the best options for kitchens or other areas with solid flooring that gets stained easily.

4. Ecovacs DEEBOT N79S Vacuum Cleaner

This robot vacuum cleaner can be controlled using your smartphone, letting you easily change how the system works without having to reset it or return it to its charging station. The three-stage cleaning system gives you multiple tools in the same design: a high-powered and efficient vacuum, a main brush that focuses on cleaning depth, and side brushes that focused on cleaning range. You can also toggle on the max mode for improved suction, making cleaning even easier at the cost of reducing the charge life slightly. On top of all that, the robot itself is quiet and doesn’t get in the way very often, making it a subtle choice of cleaning tool.

This is another useful cleaner that you can set up at a moment’s notice and then leave to do its job, ensuring that it will take care of itself in almost every situation.

5. Neato Robotics Botvac D7 Robotic Cleaner

This robot vacuum has a built-in smart laser system that maps out your home, letting it clean in straight and efficient lines rather than having to follow a random pattern every time. Through your mobile phone, the zone cleaning system also means that you can mark particular areas of the route to make the Botvac pay more attention to them, and you also have the option to set up no-go lines for areas that the bot should avoid.

You can even save up to three floor plans for homes with multiple stories, and the excellent filter ensures that more allergens and dust mites are captured than most other robot vacuum designs. If you need more suction power, you can toggle the Turbo mode to suck up even the toughest patches of dirt.

This cleaner is perfect for larger homes, giving you the option to map out each room independently and choose how this robot vacuum approaches its tasks.

6. iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum

This wi-fi enabled robot vacuum has a three-stage cleaning system that is designed to break up dirt to make it easier to suck up, helping you deal with stains and dirt that can’t be picked up straight away. The automatically-adjusting cleaning head will try to match the surface it is handling, letting it properly clean both solid and carpeted surfaces with ease. The exterior also has “Dirt Detector” sensors that identify the dirtiest areas of your home, allowing the Roomba to focus its efforts on the areas where they are most needed. A 90 minute charge time and an automatic recharging system give the Roomba a way to take care of itself, and it can even be controlled through voice commands using a virtual assistant.

This robot vacuum has a built-in smart laser system that maps out your home, letting it clean in straight and efficient lines rather than having to follow a random pattern every time. Through your mobile phone, the zone cleaning system also means that you can mark particular areas of the route to make the Botvac pay more attention to them, and you also have the option to set up no-go lines for areas that the bot should avoid. You can even save up to three floor plans for homes with multiple stories, and the excellent filter ensures that more allergens and dust mites are captured than most other robot vacuum designs. If you need more suction power, you can toggle the Turbo mode to suck up even the toughest patches of dirt.

This Roomba robot vacuum is perfect for a wide range of tasks, giving you plenty of useful features in an easy-to-handle body.

7. Roborock S6 Robot Vacuum

This high-quality robot vacuum gives you a range of selective cleaning tools to make controlling the robot much easier, letting you easily figure out the most optimized routes. The optional mop unit can help you with mopping as well as dirt removal, but the suction on its own is intense enough to lift up small objects and easily strip dirt away from your flooring. You can set up virtual barriers, create a scheduling system and even order the robot to return to its charging area all from the comfort of your own phone, and the design of the dock prevents it from getting tangled in its own wires on the way back.

This is another robot vacuum that gives you some of the best features available without sacrificing its own ability to clean regular dirt effectively.

8. Shark IQ R101AE Robot Vacuum

The self-cleaning internal parts used in this vacuum give you a much better level of hands-off control, letting the robot easily suck up dirt and keep itself ready to use time and time again. The charging base also has a self-emptying system that will remove dirt and debris from the robot vacuum for later disposal, meaning that the vacuum itself won’t get full quickly.  You can choose when (and how) to set up your schedule, targeting key rooms and particular times to get the most efficient automatic cleaning system you can base on your normal routines. Even better, it is specially designed to target pet hair without clogging itself up.

This is a great ‘fire and forget’ option for people who want automatic cleaning without needing to constantly empty their robot vacuum over and over again during their busy lives.

9. iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum

The three-stage cleaning offered by this robot vacuum makes it a great option for all kinds of flooring types, from hard and solid surfaces to softer carpets. The design of the robot houses plenty of sensors for easier navigation and smoother movement, as well as helping it target areas that contain the most dirt and debris.

It also uses an edge-sweeping brush that is meant to sweep away debris in corners or small spaces that the robot itself can’t fit into, meaning that you are less likely to be stuck with patches of dirt in corners. After 90 minutes, the robot will automatically go and dock with its charging station, preparing itself for the next cleaning task with only a short wait before it is ready to go again.

This convenient little robot vacuum gives you plenty of options in terms of navigation but can easily handle itself without your involvement too.

10. Eufy RoboVac 30C Vacuum Cleaner

This low-effort robot vacuum doesn't take much work to set up and can be controlled over Wi-Fi via the related app or by voice if you use a virtual assistant. The ability to set up virtual boundaries and rules lets you control where the robot goes, and the built-in booster technology will let it quickly increase its suction power in short bursts when it encounters thicker areas of dirt.

This extra strength doesn’t make it very loud, and the entire process is surprisingly quiet for the entirety of its 100-minute runtime. Once set up, it can get over carpets, doorframes, and even small ledges with ease, letting it reach areas other robot vacuum designs can’t.

This is another hands-off option that is great for any home where you want to set up a robot vacuum and let it follow a schedule all by itself.

Buyer’s Guide

Buyers’ Guide
Buying a robot vacuum is easier than it sounds, but that doesn’t mean that it is something you should do on a whim. There are hundreds of unique brands and models you can pick from, and each one will have its own benefits and drawbacks that make it more suitable for a specific location, role, or cleaning type. Knowing what you should look for can make the buying process much less of a hassle for you.

Flooring
The type of flooring you are going to be using your robot vacuum on can completely change the kinds of situations that they are meant to be used for since even the smallest difference in certain parts of the design can make an otherwise perfect robot vacuum suddenly far less efficient or reliable on certain types of ground. Certain brands will try to include automatically-adjusting systems that help you get the best cleaning results possible across various terrain types, making key parts of the cleaning system change to suit each situation. However, others might only use static parts that can’t adjust at all, which can limit where your robot vacuum is best used.

A good example is carpeted flooring. Most robot vacuum designs are able to handle smooth floors, such as ones made of treated hardwood, really well – but they might struggle with a soft, thick carpet. This can be for various reasons, ranging from a poor wheel design to a suction style or brush type that doesn’t work well outside of solid flooring. Most of the time, you will be able to get an idea of the type of flooring you are meant to use it on by looking at the product page itself, but it won’t always be as obvious as you might think.

Keep in mind that rough flooring can also be a problem for some robot vacuum designs since they might not be able to clean consistently if they are always going over bumps or slight ledges. There are some that are specially designed to tackle this problem, but many of them are also exclusively meant for smooth ground and carpets.

Pets
Pet hair can be a big problem for certain robot vacuum models since they aren’t designed to suck up long strands of hair and might end up either getting clogged, jammed up, or kicking it back into the air. If somebody in your home has allergies, this can be even more of a problem, so be sure to find something that can clean up after your pet. The best way to do this is with certain filters (such as HEPA filters) that remove allergens from the air to prevent bad reactions and a brush to get rid of any hair lying around on the surface the robot vacuum is cleaning.

Be aware that any robot vacuum is going to need maintenance, and these pet-focused features are no exception. You can get self-cleaning ones that automatically help you get rid of the hair being brushed up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will last forever, and you will often end up having to set up some kind of regular cleaning or maintenance routine just to make sure that nothing breaks down or jams while the robot is trying to clean.

Remember that pets might take an interest in your robot vacuum, too: this won’t always lead to damage, but a curious animal might keep getting in its way or trapping it in corners, leading to it not being able to clean efficiently. If your pet is the type to do things like this, it is a good idea to try and work out a cleaning schedule when the pet won’t be in the room: even if you have to shut them in a spare room for a while, the last thing you want is pet-related damage to your vacuum.

Scheduling
A scheduling or planning system can go a long way when it comes to using a robot vacuum. This essentially lets you decide where the vacuum can go, where it should focus its cleaning jobs, and what rooms should be off-limits. You can often set this up straight from your mobile phone using a paired app, letting you map out the layout of your house using the robot vacuum and then set up virtual boundaries limiting where it can go.

Since every system like this is completely different, it is impossible to get into each individual type and the sort of features they might have, but even a simple scheduling option can really help by letting you decide when and where the vacuum will automatically go. This is great for people who work most of the day or don’t have time to keep an eye on the vacuum and make sure that it is going to the right places.

Expert Tip:
A house with pets and children creates more mess than one without so be prepared to empty your vacuum more often if it is getting clogged up quickly.

Did You Know?
Many robot vacuums rely on light to be able to ‘see’ the area around them: try to keep the lights turned on if they are busy mapping out your home.

Conclusion
A robot vacuum cleaner can be the perfect tool for anybody who struggles to make time for cleaning in their own schedule, and can sometimes even clean better than a regular manual tool will! There are plenty to choose from, so you will always be able to find at least one that can work really well in your home – hopefully, this buyers’ guide and these reviews have gotten you one step closer.

Always remember that the best robot vacuum cleaner will be whichever one suits you the most: it doesn’t matter how popular, fancy or sleek it is if it is not actually going to give you all of the benefits and features you need. As long as you have one that works as you expect, you will be able to reap the benefits of a hassle-free automatic cleaning system.