Responsible For The Best Self-Emptying Vacuum Budget? 12 Ways To Spend Your Money Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuums and Mops

The Eufy 11S is one the most affordable self-emptying robot vacuums on the market. It ably sucked up dry Oats from hard floors as well as low-pile carpeting in our tests. Its dust bin is open and empty quickly, making it much easier to use than some other models in the same price range.


It recharges at the base and then resumes cleaning when fully charged. But its obstacle-avoidance system is caught in socks and cords, and it's unable to operate under low thresholds.

1. iRobot Roomba 11S

The 11S is a cheaper self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner that lots of users seem to enjoy. It is good at getting under furniture and is a great choice for those with hard floors or for daily cleaning. Its suction may be less powerful than our top picks, however it still gets the job done. It has a big dust bin and a durable battery. The app allows you to schedule daily cleanings or choose a particular room. You can also mark your home to help the device stay clear of areas you don't wish it to visit.

The app is simple to use and has a simple layout. It doesn't include any advanced features, but it's straightforward enough to use and makes it easy to track the status of your robot. It also has a helpful tutorial to provide you with the basics.

Its cleaning patterns don't always appear logical - sometimes it follows straight lines, other times it seeks out the edges of the room - but Bounce Navigation ensures your entire floor is cleaned. It's not the greatest at climbing over obstacles, though - it struggled to get under our piano pedals and pet food bowls, and was caught in our 2.25-inch shag rug several times.

While it's a great alternative for cleaning up light chores however, we believe there are better robot vacuums that are better than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba 694 is stronger, easier to maintain, has lower recurring costs and charges faster. It also has a bigger dustbin and performs better on all types of surfaces and is able to overcome low-lying obstructions (like electrical cords) more easily.

The RoboVac 11S from Eufy is another option for regular vacuuming. It has a very similar design to our top pick and is good in removing smaller and fine dust from hard floors. It does a good job on carpets with medium or low pile. It has a large dirt storage container and uses BoostIQ for automatic suction power adjustment. It comes with a simple remote control, and you can schedule daily cleanings using the app. Its battery lasts about an hour and the dustbin is able to be emptied without removing it from the dock.

2. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra robot mop and vacuum is an excellent robot with an array of amazing features for automation. The Roborock S7 MaxV is available in three models of the basic S7 model and the S7 Plus model and the S7 Ultra. The S7 MaxV Ultra is the only one equipped with an Empty Wash Fillet Dock (or an alternative Auto-Empty Dock). These docks allow the robot to return to its original location and empty the debris in a dust bag, or reservoir, drain the dirty water tank and wash its mopping pads.

Sensors on the S7 collaborate to clean and avoid obstacles. It can identify floor types and save the map of rooms and zones and even detect levels of dirt. It can also schedule and execute spot cleaning sessions. It did well in the standard tests, but could not match the iRobot Roomba j7+ during the carpet deep cleaning test.

You can program the S7 with the companion app to run a cleaning routine according to your schedule. You can choose a cleaning mode like eco or automatic, as well as a day, week or even a time. You can also select whether the robot will cease operation if its power runs out or if it encounters an obstruction.

You can still use the S7 if you don't own a smartphone by connecting a charging dock to a remote control. The remote controls are a bit confusing however once you get the hang of them, they work great. The power button also functions as a 'Cleaning' button, and the Spot Clean button directs the robot to clean the area around itself. The "Spot Clean" button also triggers the child lock.

Roborock's mobile application has been improved to include a live view function that lets you observe what the S7 does at home. You can enable it by pressing a specific sequence of buttons on your S7, and then create an unlock pattern in the mobile app that you can use at any time you want to check out what the S7 is doing.

3. Shark IQ SX

Shark isn't as well-known for robot vacuums as iRobot and Roborock, but our tests on Shark has proven it to be one of the most efficient self-emptying robot vacuums currently on the market. It's simple to set up and has an enormous bin that can be easily emptied (albeit loudly) to a trashcan when it is full. It can also be programmed to clean the whole home on a regular basis.

The IQ XL can connect to your home WiFi and lets you monitor it via the Shark app and check its battery level as it cleans. The app lets you create a cleaning schedule, receive push notifications regarding its current status in cleaning, pause it and then restart cleaning, or set it for a single area. It can also be controlled by voice commands using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app will tell you which power mode it is currently in--Eco, Normal or Max. However, we couldn't determine that any of these modes made a significant difference to the cleaning performance.

The IQ XL will automatically empty the bin at the end of each cleaning cycle into the base, and then self-empty. Its bin holds up to 60 days' worth of trash and won't require emptying more frequently than that, unless you own many pets with long hair. If you do need to empty it you can simply remove the side container, hold it over your trash bin and push a button.

The Shark IQ XL is a excellent vacuum cleaner. It does a great job of cleaning bare floors and can move well. However it's not the best choice for carpeted floors. Shark IQ XL feels a bit less sturdy than the Roomba 694. It does a good job at cleaning carpeted floors, however, it's not as effective as the iRobot Roomba i7 when it comes to bare floor performance. The i7 also feels more sturdy, is more durable and requires less maintenance. It has lower recurring costs and charges more quickly, and offers comparable battery performance. It also has more advanced technology for automation, such as no-go areas and the ability choose specific rooms to be cleaned.

iRobot J7+

This robot vac/mop combo is a rare beast, since it does both jobs exceptionally efficiently. iRobot Combo J7+ comes with all the features and smarts similar to its j7 counterpart including LiDAR maps and self-emptying. However, it also has additional features for vacuuming and mopping.

The new acoustic sensors aid the j7+ identify flooring types, meaning it can decide between vacuuming and mopping during the first time it passes through the room. This information is also used to prioritize cleaning rooms that have carpets and rug versus those with hard flooring.

The J7+ is quieter than most robotic vacuums when it's in use and even more quiet when it's mopping. The maximum reading of 64db on our decibel scale is similar to office chatter.

It's easy to set a schedule to clean and alter what the j7+ does when its dust bin is full. The j7+ can also be controlled using voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.).) The app allows you to create and view maps in your home.

In our tests, the J7+ was a solid performer on carpeted and hard flooring, removing the majority of the dirt we tossed at it. It has a hard time dealing with pet hair, large particles and sand. But it is able to clean them with more effort. It also has decent navigation capabilities and a pair of cliff sensors that prevent it from plunging down a flight of stairs or getting stuck on furniture legs.

We did find a couple of small niggles with the j7+. These include that it could snag cords and rugs, and that it doesn't always turn off its mopping when finished vacuuming. Otherwise, this is an excellent model that checks all the right boxes.

iRobot j7+ has also one of the best auto-emptying systems we've examined. It spits out its 14oz / 0.4-liter dust canister into the base station, where it automatically emptys itself for you. This helps reduce the amount of trash you have to dispose of. It is only necessary to replace the bag at the dock once every 60 days, based on how frequently you use the J7+.