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Oct 17, 2024

The best robot vacuum 2024: top robovacs to keep every home dust-free | TechRadar

Low-effort, fuss-free robovacs to take care of your daily cleaning When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Investing in one of the best

Low-effort, fuss-free robovacs to take care of your daily cleaning

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Investing in one of the best robot vacuum cleaners can save you a huge amount of time and effort. These clever bots make their way around your home, using sensors for navigation and obstacle-avoidance. Most can be controlled remotely, so you can set them to run when you're out of the house, for minimal disruption. A lot of them can mop as well as vacuuming, too.

For all the benefits in convenience, robovacs still won't do quite as good a job as today's best cordless vacuum cleaners. They're generally less powerful, can struggle with corners and getting close to the edges of rooms, and they still can't navigate stairs. What they are perfect for is staying on top of regular, low-level cleaning, with next-to-no effort required from you.

TechRadar's testers have been reviewing robot vacuums since 2015. We've tested over 75 robot vacuums in total, with 16 new robot vacuums reviewed in 2024 so far. We only use experienced reviewers, who have tried out multiple different models and know exactly what makes a great robot vacuum. We run objective tests to gauge how well each model can pick up different kinds of debris, as well as assessing how easy they are set up and operate, and how effective they are at navigation and obstacle avoidance.

Right now, I think the best robot vacuum on the market is the Eufy X10 Pro Omni. On test, this combination robot vacuum and mop was almost perfect, acing our cleaning tests and delivering accurate navigation too. However, it might not be the right choice for everyone, so read on for my curated list of the best robovacs around.

Ruth is a Homes Editor at TechRadar, and has been reviewing consumer tech for over three years. She's spent the past 6 months focusing on home appliances, and floor cleaners in particular.

Top choice

Best overall

This self-empty robot vacuum and mop delivers powerful yet quiet suction and impressive mopping. The app is well designed, and the navigation excellent.

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For pet hair

Best for pet hair

This robot vac has rubber rollers that grip hair and direct it straight into the bin. There's also excellent obstacle avoidance – including dodging pet messes.

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Budget pick

Best budget

This robot vac is half the price of most of the models on our list, and delivers solid performance and an impressive feature set for that low price.

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Top mop

Best for hard floors

Lots of robovacs have a mop function, but it can be an afterthought. This Ecovacs model is comes with impressive hot water cleaning capabilities.

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Carpet queen

Best for carpet

This robovac is outstanding on carpet. As well as picking up finer dirt with ease, it will suck up large debris and get right up to the edges of rooms – both tasks that robot vacs tend to struggle with.

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Premium pick

Best premium

If you have the budget for it, this is a complete cleaning solution, with outstanding vacuuming and mopping, lots of useful features, and a hand vac thrown in for good measure.

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This page has been updated different specs and a new specs summary table, to make it easier for you to compare different models.

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Our expert review:

✅ You have carpet in your home: We were very impressed with this model's suction powers, which is great news if you need something that can pull dust from carpet.✅ You want something that mops well: The X10 Pro Omni's mops had no problem with tricky cleaning tasks like sticky sauces and dried-on sugary drinks.

❌ You don't need a mop: There's no vacuum-only version of this particular model, so if you don't need the mopping capabilities, look elsewhere in the list. ❌ You're short on space: The X10 Pro Omni has a large base station that you'll need to make room for.

Eufy X10 Pro Omni is the best robot vacuum for most people. This self-empty robot vacuum and mop checks pretty much all our boxes. The suction power is excellent, pulling all kinds of debris, fluff and hair and fluff out of our tester's carpet (although it did flick larger debris about rather than sucking it up – a problem with almost all robovacs). It's relatively quiet in all but it's very highest vacuum setting, too.

With some 2-in-1 robovacs, the mopping is a bit of an afterthought, but the Eufy X10 Pro Omni has rotating pads that press down for a more thorough clean on hard floors. On test, it had no trouble at all cleaning a dried-on sugary drink and sticky sauce, automatically choosing the right amount of water for the job. (If you want even more impressive mopping, check out the Ecovacs T20 at #4, which has hot water mopping capabilities.)

The app is easy to use and functions well. Our reviewer was also very impressed with the mapping – the X10 accurately mapped their apartment on its first exploratory outing – as well as the navigation and obstacle avoidance. However, they did note that the Eufy X10 Pro Omni could occasionally get stuck trying to get over high room thresholds.

The dock station is a little on the larger side, but looks pretty stylish, and houses the water tanks and extra dustbin that allow this robovac to self-empty and (in the case of water) refill, minimizing the need for hands-on time. Overall, an excellent all-rounder that'll suit most people's needs.

Read our full Eufy X10 Pro Omni review

Our expert review:

✅ You have pets: With its grippy rubber brush bars and powerful suction, this robovac is great at getting hair out of carpets. ✅ You want maximum value for money: While its still not cheap, the fact it's an older Roomba means it regularly attracts discounts, meaning you'll generally get a lot for your money.

❌ You want the latest and greatest Roomba: The Combo J7 Plus is far from the newest Roomba on the block – for the most cutting-edge features, check out the Roomba Combo 10 Max (review coming soon).

The Roomba Combo J7 Plus is the best robovac for pet hair, thanks to its powerful suction and dual rubber brush bars that effectively grip and pull hair from carpets, without letting it tangle and clog up the mechanism. In fact, even though it's far from the newest Roomba now, it's still an excellent all-rounder and for a long time held the top spot in this best robot vacuum ranking. As well as that great suction, it delivers genuinely useful smart features, decent mopping and quiet operation (apart from the noisy self-empty).

The obstacle detection and avoidance is strong, and pet owners should also be reassured that the J7 comes with Roomba's P.O.O.P Pet Owner Official Promise, which essentially means the company guarantees it'll avoid pet waste. (The J7 Plus sits at the top of our best robot vacuums for pet hair guide, where you'll find other options if it turns out not to be quite right for you.)

This Roomba works with all the key smart speakers and its app is both intelligent and easy to use. It maps your floorplan and enables you to create specific cleaning zones, and it's constantly checking and learning: it'll send you a notification if it thinks a particular space needs more attention. Overall, a strong all-rounder and an especially good recommendation for pet owners.

Read our full iRobot Roomba Combo J7 plus review

Our expert review:

✅ You're on a budget: The Floobot X1 delivers a lot for around half the price of most robot vacuums in this list. ✅ You still want a low-effort solution: While it lacks some fancier features, this robovac can still self-empty, and mop as well as vacuum.

❌ You need reliable remote control: Our reviewer found this robovac could sometimes struggle to maintain a Wi-Fi connection. You're also limited in what you can do remotely. ❌ You have a home with a complex layout: We experienced some mapping issues with our review model, and it didn't always take the most logical route around the house.

Many of today's best robot vacuums are pretty pricey, but if you're on a tighter budget, check out the Proscenic Floobot X1. It offers strong performance and functionality for a price that's around half what you'll pay for most of the models in our list.

It offers mopping as well as vacuuming, and is able to detect which kind of flooring it's on to activate the correct cleaning method accordingly. Although its suction levels are much lower than all the other models on this list (just 3,000Pa), during our review period we found it could still handle a range of different spillage types remarkably well. The Floobot has an usual habit of expelling larger bits of debris as a compact ball, which does help free up space in the bin for smaller dust particles, but ideally we'd still prefer it to go into the bin rather than onto the floor.

As you might expect from a budget robot vacuum, there's room for improvement when it comes to mapping complicated rooms and detecting things like pet food bowls. However, if you have a relatively clutter-free, open plan space, it should be fine. One other frustration that arose during our testing period is that there are some limits to what you do remotely – for example, you can't remotely activate mopping when the Floobot X1 is on its dock. Our tester also found the Wi-Fi connection could be patchy.

While both cleaning power and mapping features will almost certainly be better with a pricier model, if you just need something basic for light cleaning, the Proscenic Floobot X1 is a great choice, and superb value for money. If you're hunting for something even cheaper, check out our Eufy RoboVac 11S review for another straightforward robovac that punches above its price tag.

Read our full Proscenic Floobot X1 review

Our expert review:

✅ You regularly need to clean greasy spillages: The USP here is that the T20 offers hot water mopping, which is especially good at dealing with greasy cleanup tasks. ✅ You value an advanced app: The T20's app is one of the smartest we've come across. It can intelligently label and segment rooms, and you can view maps in 2D or 3D.

❌ You don't need the very best mopping: The hot water mopping does bump up the price here, and other robovacs do a good enough job for most people (the Eufy X10 at #1 has a great mop, for example). ❌ Speed is of the essence: Because of the hot mopping, this robovac needs to return to the dock multiple times per cleaning session to wash its own mop pads, so don't expect it to complete the job particularly quickly.

The Ecovacs Deebot T20 is the best robot vacuum for those with a lot of hard floors. Our reviewer tested it on a couple of different types of hard flooring in their home, and was very impressed with the performance. Firstly, the vacuuming is thorough, removing loose dust and debris effectively. Perhaps more impressive is the mopping function – like the Eufy X10 at #1, the Deebot T20 has rotating mop pads that scrub the floors rather than just wiping them, but where this model goes a step further is that it uses hot water to dislodge sticky stains.

On test, our reviewer found this addition genuinely useful, rather than just a gimmick. However, they did note that it created a lot of dirty water, so while this is a self-empty model, you will still have to empty the dock tank fairly often.

We found it fairly quiet to run, were impressed with the mapping and found the obstacle avoidance to be fine but not amazing. Like most robot vacuums, our tester found the edge cleaning could be improved.

The self-empty charging base includes two 4-liter tanks for clean and dirty water, which are used not only for mopping but also for cleaning the mop pads. As a result, it's pretty bulky, at 22.5 inches tall (57cm) and 17 inches wide (43cm), so not one for small homes.

If mopping is your priority, we also found the Eufy Omni S1 Pro absolutely excellent in this area. That model is a fair bit pricier than this Ecovacs robot vacuum though.

Read our full Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni review

Our expert review:

✅ You want great vacuuming and mopping: This combination robovac's cleaning powers are excellent – it even managed to vacuum into the corners of rooms, which is generally an issue for robovacs.✅ You want a stylish dock: The Freo X has a space-age, curvy dock that I wouldn't mind having on display.

❌ You're on a budget: The Narwal Freo X is premium in price and arguably not the best value for money compared to some of the other models here. ❌ You have an open plan home: The Narwal app won't let you demarcate open plan spaces into 'rooms'.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is the best robot vacuum for carpet. It's a premium product, (and it's not available in the UK), but delivers the best carpet cleaning performance of any robovac we've tested. On test we found that not only did it suck up finer dust and dirt efficiently, it also scooped up larger debris – namely bits of cereal – just as well. Most robovacs fling large debris about the room rather than vacuuming it up, so this is very impressive. Another area where many robovacs fail is on cleaning around the edges and into the corners of rooms. Again, the Freo X Ultra shines here: the side brushes get right up to the edges of rooms.

It's good at avoiding objects, reliably dodging pets and other discarded objects, and only really struggling with cables (which no robovac we've tested has been able to reliably avoid).

The Freo X Ultra's mopping capabilities are not quite as impressive as its vacuuming, but still good. It cleared up spillages well, but the mop pads couldn't get close to the edges of rooms. We also found this robot vacuum would dock regularly for mop cleaning, which isn't necessarily an issue, but does extend overall cleaning times.

While the app is intuitive, and the mapping good, there is a major issue for anyone with an open plan living space. Namely, you can't separate it into different zones. It won't be a problem for everyone, but if you live in an open plan home, you'll probably want to opt for a different brand.

Read our full Narwal Freo X Ultra review

Our expert review:

✅ You also need a manual vacuum: Most people with robovacs also have a manual vacuum. The Ecovacs takes the fuss of that out by providing you with one in the first place.✅ You love a high-tech gadget: With its own voice assistant, fantastic mapping and (albeit unreliable) foot control, this is one clever robot vacuum.

❌ Your priority is mopping: The mopping here is very good, but probably not as good as the Eufy at #1 or Ecovacs at #4. ❌ You're on a budget: The Deebot T30S Combo is one of the more expensive robot vacuums in my guide, and if you're willing to make a few compromises on performance or features

The Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo is the best premium robot vacuum. It has the highest maximum suction of any robot vacuum in this ranking (11,000Pa – matching the maximum we see on any robot vacuum). The specs stood up on testing too; this robovac's vacuuming powers are some of the very best we've come across. Our tester also found it could tackle the edges of rooms remarkably well, and its mopping is excellent too.

Most people with robot vacuums need to supplement them with a manual vacuum – even if your robovac is great at corners and edges, it still won't be able to tackle stairs or upholstery. Ecovacs has taken the effort out of that by bundling a mini handheld vacuum in with the T30S Combo (and if you get the Complete version, there's a full stick vacuum thrown in!) for supplementary cleaning. At 3L, the onboard dustbin capacity is larger than usual, meaning it you'll need to replace the bags less often.

As you'd expect at this price, this robot vacuum not short on features, including its own voice assistant. It can launched via the tap of a foot (although on test this didn't always work reliably), the base station will wash and dry the mop pads, the dust cups of the robovac and the handheld vac will auto-empty when docked, and the mapping is outstanding. The companion app works extremely well – our tester was especially impressed that it automatically partitioned the rooms into their own spaces. In terms of performance, we had almost no issues with this robot vacuum at all – if it's in your budget, it's worth the investment.

Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review

All the robot vacuums in this ranking have been rigorously tested, either by one of the TechRadar Homes team or an experienced reviewer. Meet some of the expert reviewers who tested the robovacs that feature in this guide.

James has tested robot vacuums of all sorts from the most basic models to the ones so feature-packed that they can be used as a security camera. He appreciates models that can suck up all sorts of debris, clean the edges of rooms, and allow easy room partitioning in-app. So far he has reviewed 9 robot vacuums for TechRadar, including models by Narwal, Ecovacs, Yeedi, Bissell and Shark.

Alistair is a London-based journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. He has tested numerous robovacs over the years for TechRadar, from brands like iRobot, Eufy and Roborock. His favourites match intelligent navigation with smart design.

For certain people and households, very much so. I only used manual vacuums before I started testing robot vacuums for TechRadar, and now I wouldn't be without one. They have revolutionized my cleaning – I live alone, so I'm not dealing with loads of dirt and dust buildup, but I send the robot out once or twice a week and it just takes care of the vacuuming for me. It's realistically far more often than I would drag a manual vac out of the cupboard, so my apartment is cleaner than usual, and my dust allergy symptoms have calmed down too.

Robot vacuums can be expensive, but you don't have to shell out for a top-of-the-range model – for many people, even a basic, affordable option will make a big difference.

There are caveats, though. Robovacs can't deal with stairs, so their usefulness in multi-floor homes is far more limited. They're also not capable of proper deep cleans, so if you're dealing with lots of hair or dirt, they might not cut it.

Pricing for robot vacuums can vary enormously. At TechRadar, these are the price bands we use:

Budget: less than $500 / £400

Mid-range: $400-$800 / £400-£650

Premium: $800+ / £650+

Broadly speaking, the more functions are included, the higher the price tag. Adding things like mopping, self-emptying, and self-cleaning will all result in a much higher price tag. So if you just want a capable robot vacuum and are happy to empty it yourself, you'll be able to shop mostly in the budget and lower mid-range brackets.

It's not rare these days to see range-topping models run to four figures, but the rate of meaningful improvement has started to slow, and for many people, the features included in those models are far from essential. Big-brand robovacs that are a couple of years old can often deliver the best value for money, with very few sacrifices in performance. And sales events like the Black Friday deals generally come through with strong discounts in this category too.

Yes, but with caveats. Generally, robot vacuums can't match manual models for outright suction power, so they won't clean built-up pet hair and dander as thoroughly as, say, a corded upright. That's especially true if you're dealing with carpet. Robot vacs are best suited to convenient, little-and-often cleans, so if you send yours out daily, it'll help you stay on top of your pet's hair and stop it from building up in the first place. You'll likely still want to supplement this with the occasional deep clean with a manual vacuum, though.

If you have shedding pets and carpet, look for models with higher suction power (5,000Pa or ideally more), and a boost/extra suction mode option. Models with rubbery brushrolls are also typically good at gripping hair.

Realistically, probably not. For one, you can't use them anywhere but on the floor, so you'll need something to clean your stairs, furniture, mattress and so on. They also can't really match manual vacuums for suction power, so while they can help you stay on top of dust build-up, most people will want to supplement their work with the occasional deep clean with a manual vacuum.

Read more on this subject in our article exploring can a robot vacuum replace your existing vacuum cleaner?

Robot vacuums have a series of brushes on the underside of the machine that work together to collect dirt and dust that they come in contact with. The dirt is then sucked into the dust cup, which is fitted into the vacuum's body. Most are equipped with smaller brushes that extend past the circumference of the vacuum, and the purpose of these is to reach dirt that's settled against baseboards or in awkward places.

More advanced robot vacuums have lasers on the front of the machine and some on the underside of the device too. These lasers detect where furniture, objects, and edges are in your home, helping avoid bumps, and cliff detection prevents the machine from falling down the stairs. Read our article on how do robot vacuums work to find out more.

After reviewing 16 new robot vacuums (and counting) in 2024, the best robot vacuum on the market right now is the Eufy X10 Pro Onmi. This combo vac-and-mop performs very well on both hard floor and carpet, and it's nice and easy to use thanks to a very well-designed app. It also takes care of emptying itself, meaning less intervention is required from you.

That model sits in the premium price bracket, though, so if you're on a tighter budget our top recommendation is the Proscenic Floobot X1, which punches well above its relatively wallet-friendly price tag.

New robot vacuums are being released at an alarming rate, and it can be difficult to tell one from another. Here's my quick guide to how to choose the right robot vacuum for you.

Today's top-specced robovacs can generate upwards of 10,000Pa of suction. That's rare though, and you're generally looking at machines that sit in the four-figure price bracket to get that kind of power. In the mid-range, expect 5,000-7,000Pa of suction. Lower than 5,000Pa is what I'd expect in a budget-friendly model.

Many of today's best robot vacuums are also able to mop floors. This can be useful if you have a mix of hard floors and carpet, but be aware that robovac mopping tends not to clean as well as good old manual mopping. Dual, rotating circular disc mop pads tend to deliver a more effective clean than semicircular mop pads, in my experience.

The cheapest robovacs will only have a dock for charging. Pricier models incorporate self-emptying of the onboard dustbin, and draining/refilling of the onboard water tanks. The very fanciest models offer automatic mop pad cleaning, and detergent dispensing for the mopping fluid. Onboard dustbins tend to be small, so if you're dealing with lots of dust or hair then I'd recommend prioritizing a self-empty dock. However, be aware that the more functions you add, the bigger the dock will be – the ones with water tanks can be pretty massive.

Beyond suction power, there are lots of design aspects that will affect how well your robovac cleans, including edge cleaning features, pet-friendly features, and features geared towards tackling hair.

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Historically, robovacs aren't great at cleaning up to the edges of rooms, but today's best robot vacuums add spinning side brushes designed to flick debris into the robot's suction path. Combo models might also have mops that can kick out from the side of the vacuum to get closer to the sides of rooms.

Pet owners might want to look for a model that is able to recognize their pet and either avoid it (if it's spooked by the addition of a sentient appliance to the household) or seek it out to check up on it while you're out of the house. If your pet occasionally makes a mess on the carpet, look for models that are designed to recognize and avoid poop.

If you have long hair, or live with someone who does, you might want to consider a robot vacuum with features geared towards ensuring it doesn't end up tangled all around the brushrolls. Some brands will address this by tapering their brushrolls or breaking them in the middle, with the aim of quickly directing hair towards the bin inlet. Dreame even has an alternative brushroll attachment that has little blades to chop up hair so it can be more easily managed.

✅ More than 180 vacuums and robot vacuums reviewed✅ 16 new robot vacuums tested in 2024 so far✅ 9 years of vacuum testing; 8 years of robovac testing

A new robot vacuum can be a significant investment, so to ensure you end up with the right one for you, each model here has been tested either on-team, or by one of our regular, experienced freelance reviewers.

We test out models from a wide range of brands, including the likes of iRobot Roomba, Shark and Roborock, as well as Eufy, Ecovacs, Narwal and Proscenic. We try to cover options for different budgets, rather than only testing the latest-and-greatest models (which, after all, will be overkill for many shoppers).

We run specific tests to assess how well the robot vacuum can cope with different kinds of cleaning challenges. We test fine dirt pickup by sprinkling a mix of flour and cookie crumbs on the floor, and large debris pickup using oats. We run both of these tests on both hard floor and carpet.

If the robot vacuum has a mop function, we see how it copes with fresh liquid spillages as well as dried-on, sticky messes. To assess object avoidance, we also lay out a charge cable, a sock that's a similar color to the floor, and some fake pet poop, to see if it can spot and avoid them.

As well as these standardized tests, my reviewers integrate these robovacs into their daily cleaning setup, to get a feel for how they work in general. They'll assess things like mapping (does it take a logical route through the house?), floor detection (will it reliably pick up its mop pad when moving from hard floor onto carpet?), edge cleaning (does it get right up to the edges of rooms, or leave a margin that needs manual cleaning?), noise levels (when cleaning and also when self-emptying) and anything else what impacts usability or effectiveness.

We'll dig into the app and gauge how well-designed, usable and intuitive it is, and how much control it offers. We'll test any specific performance claims made by the manufacturer, as well as checking out any special features like built-in voice assistants and camera surveillance.

After at least two weeks of testing, we consolidate our findings and use them to judge who (if anyone) we'd recommend the robot vacuum to. We also compare the features and build quality to the price, to assess if it's good value for money.

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Ruth is a TechRadar Homes Editor. She has covered a wide range of home kit, but currently specializes in aircare (vacuum cleaners, fans, air purifiers), and haircare (hair dryers, straighteners and stylers). Prior to making the shift to Homes, Ruth was TechRadar's Sleep Editor, testing and reviewing mattresses and other sleep products. She's also a certified Sleep Science Coach.

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