Responsible For An Robot Vacuum Budget? 10 Fascinating Ways To Spend Your Money How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't need the most advanced features like mapping and you do not mind cleaning your trash bin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum could be the best choice for you. Find a model that has a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.


It excels at removing dirt, clumps of cat litter and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting better than any other vacuum we've tried. It also has the ability to map out and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or certain areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum cleaner can assist you in keeping up with the pet fur, dust and dander that settles on your floors every day. It also can reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving you both time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which can take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.

A robot vacuum that is also able to mop can help you cover more ground with one machine, which could be especially helpful in larger homes. You can find a model that has a water tank built into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It will need to be emptied and filled and refilled, which is an additional task to complete.

In a perfect universe, you would clear your floors first before you use your robot vacuum to stop it from crashing into anything. In the majority of homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot can see and avoid. Certain models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't wish it to be allowed to enter. For instance, a child's room or a pile of cords in an area.

If you're looking for a simple robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and whistles, this model from the company that makes networking TP-Link is a good choice. It's quiet, it can be used on hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed using the app to mop and vacuum at your leisure. It comes with a battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Simple to operate

Robot vacuums generally need only minimal effort from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors and lasers to navigate through obstacles and collect food particles, dust and pet hair from floors, tile carpets, and hardwood. Many have boundary strips that aid in staying within a room's walls, while pricier models can be set to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a set time. Some models have fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down a flight of stairs or getting caught in cords.

Look for models that can be controlled from your couch using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also look for models with Wi-Fi connectivity that let you start a cleaning session from anywhere using an app. You may want to select one with a long-lasting battery and an enormous dust bin, based on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums can double as mops, utilizing reservoirs of water to clean your floor. This is great for everyday mopping, but will not work for extra-tough messes, like pet poop, or other spills that get wet. You can choose hybrids with a removable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying model that lets you go for up to 60 days before emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan as they clean the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid falling into furniture or tripping over things such as cords or chairs. This feature is typically only available on more expensive models, but it's one of the best ways to ensure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your home and can determine where to go when it runs out of battery.

If you don't want your robot navigating into areas of your home you'd prefer it to stay clear from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) The majority of robots offer some way to create virtual barriers, either via their app or physical boundary strips. This lets you block off zones that you don't want your robot to explore, so that it can focus its attention on areas that require the most cleaning.

Many robots can also automatically navigate to different floorings based on the type of floor they're cleaning, whether that's switching between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on certain areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. This feature proved useful during our tests and helped improve the vacuum's performance on both hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. However, it's still important to tuck away furniture and cords that are loose prior to running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get stuck or run into something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts that enable users to control them with voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and build an outline of your space after each cleaning session so they can "learn" your layout and devise more efficient routes for future runs. Some come with obstacle avoidance features built in, which prevents them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to steer them around your home. Most robots are operated by mobile applications that comes with more features. robot vacuum deals can set up multiple cleaning schedules and make an agenda of your most-loved rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using directional Arrows.

Some models provide no-go zones, which are virtual barriers that you can create within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like kids' toys or dog bowls and beds). Some apps allow you to create an image of your home and provide detailed information about the floors. The app we ranked as our top pick one, the Roborock S7+, has many useful options to help you clean your home, but its interface isn't as polished and elegant as those from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that can sweep your entire house without stopping for a recharge or to empty their bins save time and effort. Some work with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also make maps of the area for you to program them for specific areas or rooms, and to avoid obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, but the iRobot J7 has advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can simplify your life (although one of our test bots did "eat" a few socks). If you're trying to improve your home maintenance, you should consider an automated mop that comes with a water container that can be filled and then empty.

While none of the models we tested could match the ability to pick up dirt of a stand-up vacuum they were able to do a fantastic job cleaning hard floors and carpets with low pile. They are great in sweeping up dust and food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They can also handle metal screws and nuts and the stray cat litter. The most effective robot vacuums are able to remove dirt from edges and corners and work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can help keep your home tidy and clean without you having to do many tasks. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and set up zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot won't trample your plants or ruin your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks also automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The top robot vacuums are programmable to clean your floors regularly for weeks or months at a time, thereby making it easier to save time and effort of manually sweeping or mopping your floors every week or every day. This lets you spend more time on things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

During testing the Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up larger particles like metal screws and nails and fluffy hair. It lacks the advanced mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for families with children.

The j7's best feature is its ability to spot and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes, and pet waste. This means that you don't have to clean up after using your robot. However, rooms that are cluttered may cause your bot to become stuck and perform an inadequate job.