Compare Top 10 Robot Vacuums
Other robot vacuums to consider
Photograph: Adrienne So
We are getting closer to great robot vacuum convergence. Whatever price you’re willing to pay, you can find a robot vacuum that will look exactly the same and have similar features. Here are some that worked well for us too.
Shark PowerDetect Thermacharged Pro for $800: I’m currently testing this vacuum, which is priced quite reasonably and has a lot of fun features like an odor neutralizer. I also like that you can pour the cleaner directly into the clean water tank instead of using a separate compartment. However, its navigation is not that great. It takes a full 6 hours to clear 800 feet, which is… really slow.
Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone for $1,300: Yeedi’s parent company Ecovacs only launched the Deebot X11 at IFA 2025 this year. However, the cyclone technology that prevents the bagless dust bin from clogging has already appeared in the Ecovacs subbrand Yeedi, and the Yeedi S20 Infinity is cheaper.
Roborock Qrevo Curve for $950: This was Roborock’s 2024 flagship vacuum, and it’s still pretty good (reviewer Ryan Vanita called it the best robot vacuum he’s ever used). It has a little less suction power than this year’s Saros 10R, but I used it to clean an entire carpet full of baking powder. We look forward to Roborock releasing the Qeravo Curve Line in the North American market.
Tapo TP-Link RV20 Max for $160: This is a perfectly fine, slim, basic robot vacuum that was our most affordable choice for most of the year. However, I’ve had it on in my living room for longer periods of time testing and I’m getting a little frustrated with how often it falls out of the dock and drains the battery.
Eufy Mac S1 Pro for $800: This stunningly beautiful robot vacuum will be the centerpiece of your kitchen. The water chamber is transparent and lights up, and an ozone generator reportedly removes 99.99 percent of bacteria. It also has ultra-precise navigation and a self-cleaning roller mop that washes itself as you clean. However, it only has 8,000 Pa of suction, which is less than some of our other picks, and at 26.4 inches high, the dock is too long and makes storage difficult.
Avoid these robot vacuums
Not every vacuum earns a spot on our list. These are the ones I immediately repacked.
Mova Z60 Ultra Roller for $1,099: The Mova is Dreamy’s more affordable sub-brand and the Z60 is the company’s latest flagship vacuum. The specifications are quite impressive, with 28,000 Pa suction, roller mopping and automatic roller mop fluffing. However, it was frequently lost and the special mop tray required a lot of maintenance and would often clog and leak.
Mova P50 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum for $649: This robot vacuum has a staggering 19,000 Pa of suction and a wide range of high-end features like an extendable side brush and an intelligent dirt detection system. Reviewer Molly Higgins appreciated that it’s self-cleaning and that the bin empties on its own, but she found that, despite its smart system, the mapping wasn’t accurate, small obstacles often messed it up, and eventually the vacuum started avoiding rooms altogether.
Eufy E28 Combo Robot Vacuum for $898: I was extremely disappointed with this, as I have two dogs and two kids and need to use a deep carpet cleaner often Add For a mop and vacuum. This vacuum can mop and has a detachable carpet cleaning station. Unfortunately, the water injection system is defective. The robot vacuum needs to be in just the right position to inject water from the tank (I often have to prod it with my foot), and every time I mop, it leaks onto my kitchen floor. At least the carpet cleaner was effective.
iRobot Combo J7+ for $399: iRobot makes beautiful robot vacuums that I’ve loved for years, but its software experience was poor when I tested it. Since then, the company has gone through many ups and downs and a new line under a new CEO. We’ll update this roundup once we test the latest lineup.
EchoVox Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni for $800: My tester couldn’t return to the docking station.
TP-Link Tapo RV30C for $229: I like the simplicity of this robot vacuum, but you can’t get replacement bags for it anymore.
Eureka J20 and Eureka J15 Pro Ultra under $1,000: Eureka is a highly respected name in the vacuum field, and these robot vacuums are gorgeous and come with many bells and whistles. However, the Eureka vacuum found that the small section between my kitchen’s hardwood floor and the living room carpet was completely impassable, and the app even forgot the map every time it hit a small obstacle. It was very annoying.
Narwhal Freo X Ultra for $700: This is a beautiful vacuum that has many features including baseboard dusting. However, despite moving it from room to room to find better Wi-Fi and switching from one phone to another to try different versions of the app, I was unable to connect it to the app and hence couldn’t use it. Reviewer Nena Farrell had an easy time with the above.
Switchbot K10+ for $270: You can now equip this small robot vacuum with additional cleaning accessories like a stick vacuum or air purifier. Unfortunately, the robot vacuum itself is still terrible. This is the only vacuum where I’ve experienced poopatastrophe – where it sucked dog poop all over my house. Reviewer Simon Hill also tried this robot vacuum and found it to be suicidal. The roller comes off easily, it cannot find its way back to the dock and it often falls down the stairs.
Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 for $700: This vacuum cleaned surprisingly well. However, it doesn’t auto-empty, DirtDetect doesn’t work, and the app is a complete mess (maps aren’t accurate, can’t add multiple floors, and cleaning time is off).
Dyson 360 Wiz Nav for $500: Several reviewers, including reviewer Chris Haslam and review team director Martin Szymer, have tried this vacuum with similar results – it’s just not great. It always gets stuck. It gets into coat racks like it wants to kill them. This routinely misses scraps visible to the naked eye. Dyson will be updating its robot vacuum in early 2026, so we suggest holding off at least until then.
Which navigation system do I use?
Robot vacuum manufacturers will try to tell you that the most important specification is the level of suction. That’s wrong—it’s the navigation system. It doesn’t matter how good the vacuum is at cleaning if it gets stuck every time it starts. A more complex or expensive navigation system doesn’t guarantee that it won’t get stuck, but it’s a good starting point. Multiple vacuums also connect the system.
Sensor Mapping: The cheapest vacuums use a combination of sensors on the exterior of the vacuum, like a cliff detector on the bottom and a wall detector on the bumper, to ping-pong around your house to avoid obstacles.
Gyroscope: It is an economical but surprisingly effective method of mapping that has been used on ships for centuries. A rotating wheel or light helps the vacuum determine its position relative to other objects in your home.
Lidar: Lidar means “light detection and ranging.” The vacuum uses pulsed lasers to determine how far away each object is.
Camera Navigation: There is a camera on it. Basically, the vacuum has little eyes that look around. While I’ve found this system to be extremely accurate and/or unintentionally hilarious, you should look for additional security protocols to ensure that the aforementioned hilarious images of your home don’t end up on the Internet.
Slam: With SLAM navigation, or “simultaneous localization and mapping”, the vacuum uses algorithms to process a bunch of data – for example, camera or sensor data as well as how many times the wheels have turned – to calculate where and how far it should go. It is typically used in combination with some or all of these other navigation techniques.
IMU: An inertial measurement unit is a system that combines multiple sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers to navigate by dead reckoning.
machine learning: Many robot vacuum manufacturers now promote their proprietary mapping systems. For example, iRobot Imprint uses a system called smart mapping that learns while it’s cleaning, as does Roborock’s SmartPlane. These usually also come in combination with cameras or lasers.
robot vacuum tips
Robot vacuums have a complex function. Your home is always changing, and no robot vacuum will be perfect. We’ve got some starting points here, but if you’re still having trouble, you should check out our guide to getting the most out of your robot vacuum.
Do robot vacuums work on hardwood? Yes. Many robot vacuums have different cleaning modes that will allow you to choose between carpet, tile, or other floor surfaces. If you have a mop-vacuum combination, use only the brand’s recommended liquid cleaner. Using generic cleaners may clog your docking station.
Will my pet hate my robot vacuum? Perhaps. I’ve introduced three dogs to the robot vacuum with minimal problems, but if you’re nervous, you can try giving your pet a treat when you turn on the vacuum for the first time.
Stay at home for the first few runs of your robot vacuum. Many homes have hot spots—a wonky door jam, a lumpy rug—where you’ll need to save your free space. Do a quick run-through of things you’ll need in advance for robotic booby traps like ribbon, charging cables, and pieces of string.
Check your Wi-Fi. If you have a Wi-Fi-enabled robot vacuum, most of them can only connect to the 2.4-GHz wireless band. If you’re having trouble connecting, make sure you’re linking to the correct band. Check out our guide to setting up your smart home for more tips.
Vacant spaces require maintenance. Like every robot—especially one that comes in contact with the dirtiest parts of your home—you need to care for it regularly. Error messages may prompt you to empty the trash can every now and then, trim hair from the rollers, or wipe the cliff sensor. Instruction manual and youtube can help.
Vacuum during the day. If you have the option, it’s usually better to set a run time for 2 a.m. rather than midnight, as many vacuums also use optical sensors to navigate.
Do not throw out your hand vacuum. I hate to be a downer, but you’ll probably still need a full-sized manual vacuum occasionally. I keep a Dyson for quick cleaning and vacuuming of bedroom corners.
Beware of disposable bags: Some vacuums suck the dust into a disposable bag. Instead of throwing the trash out and collecting dust everywhere, you simply throw the bag out neatly and replace it. Unfortunately, some companies stop selling these bags altogether (looking at you, TP-Link), leaving you with a functioning robot vacuum that can’t suck up any dust. Try to get information about how long such parts will be available.
How do we test
I’ve been personally reviewing robot vacuums since 2017 and have tested over 100 (I don’t track the exact number but I’ve reviewed one about every two weeks for eight years). Each Wired Gear tester sets up the vacuum in their home according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and in a location with a clear Wi-Fi signal. Over the course of at least two weeks, we ran the vacuum every day, checking several factors: battery life; how well the app works; Is the map accurate; If it constantly cleans around the edges of your home; And how well it picks up dirt of various sizes, including sand, lint, dog hair, Cheerios, wood chips, and flour.
We also look for mitigating factors, like whether it’s incredibly loud or ugly, or whether it fits perfectly into your kitchen. For a vacuum to be useful, you have to use it and own it. We also note the power of the vacuum through Pa, or Pascal, stated by the manufacturer – the higher the number, the greater the suction.
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