The Best Robot Vacuum 2023

Robot vacuums can make cleaning your floors easier. The best robot vacuums can remove dirt, pet hair, crumbs and more.

Although they're not the same way as an ordinary vacuum cleaner, they have made significant progress in the last few years. They're smarter, more powerful and (marginally) better at avoiding chairs.

Smart Mapping

Robot vacuum cleaners employ navigation tools like lasers and sensors to navigate through your home. They remove pet hair, crumbs, and dirt from hard floors, like wood, tile and laminate, as well as low-pile area rugs and carpets. Robots that are the most advanced maps your home, so they know where they've been and how to avoid bumping into obstacles such as couches, chairs, and bookshelves. You can also set up no-go zones using your smartphone to alert your robot to stay clear of areas you don't want it to clean.

Robots that have advanced mapping capabilities like the Roomba J7, use the onboard camera and processor-powered intelligence to see and avoid obstructions. This means you can let it to do an efficient cleaning without having to constantly be checking the status of your floorplan or manually move obstacles out of the robot's path. The TP Link Tapo RV30 Plus is a robot that includes vacuuming and mopping. It's a single-stop solution to keep your home clean. It has a great suction system and works with Alexa or Google Assistant. It can self-empty and is also able to be used as a surveillance camera.

A less expensive bot that vacuums, mops and can also be used as a robotic trashcan, the Roborock Q Revo is a solid option for homes that don't require the advanced features of the more expensive models. However, it has some limitations when compared to the Roomba S8 and J7. It's got only one brush, not dual roller brushes, meaning it might not be as effective at removing larger pieces of debris like shoes and socks. It doesn't have AI obstacle avoidance so you may need to clear obstructions before you run.

The iLife A4s Pro robot is a simple reliable robot for those who value simplicity and competence. It's less than $200, and offers strong, consistent suction for hardwood as well as carpets with low pile and avoids tangles with rug threads. It doesn't have any advanced features, but it does its job well. It is also compatible with voice commands. You can set it up to run a program, or create zones that are not allowed to be used using the app.

Object Detection

Object-avoidance technologies can make or break the ability of a robot vacuum to navigate through your home. Certain models on our list contain sensors (or even cameras) that help your robo-cleaner avoid common traps for robots, such as cords, kids' toys and pet messes. iRobot Roomba J7, one of the most amazing examples of smart technology in action, is a fantastic example. It also comes with a sleek base that automatically emptys the dustbin so you don't need to.

In our testing, we set this robotic cleaner up in a big house and were impressed by how quickly and thoroughly it cleared floors without getting sluggish. It's extremely maneuverable and can reach areas that most standup vacuums cannot be, such as under beds and couches. It also has a great suction, a huge 500 ml dustbin and an over two hours of runtime. It lacks the option to set up no-go zones, and its object recognition is a bit hit-or-miss. We saw it bumping into things in our tests on occasion and resulted in vessels falling over.

It's important to keep it in mind that, regardless of how smart a robot vacuum is it won't replace your regular upright or canister vacuum. It's not equipped to clean carpets with a lot of dirt. It's not able to reach ceilings or other difficult-to-access areas. But for keeping your floors clear of crumbs, pet hair and other particles it's an ideal addition to your cleaning routine.

Most robot vacuums come with sensor systems that help them navigate around obstacles and stairs. They can tell when they're about fall down the stairs, for example and also detect cluttered spaces and move around them. If you're not careful your robot cleaner could get stuck on a shoe, cord or another object.

Certain robot vacuums come with mapping capabilities that allow them to draw an precise floor plan of your house and locate themselves. This lets them know which areas they've cleaned before and avoid spending time cleaning the same areas. It also lets them continue where they left off if they need to return to their charging dock.

Self-Emptying

A robot vacuum that automatically empty its dust bin when it is full is an incredible convenience. Some models have a window that allows you to know when the bin needs to empty. This is a great feature for people who have children or pets who are likely to create much more mess than adults.

Most robot vacuums allow you to select whether the machine will be controlled by a remote control, an app for your smartphone, or by voice commands. They also come with a range of digital functions, including maintenance and scheduling. You can program your robot to clean your house on an annual or a regularly using the appropriate settings. You can also program the robot to clean and map out specific areas of your home.

Some of the smartest robot vacuums we've tested are equipped here with built-in cameras and sensor technology that lets them create maps of your home. These maps can be saved to the robot's app, so you can easily navigate to specific rooms or areas of your home. Some of these systems even remember furniture placement and transitions between hard floors and carpet.

Smart vacuums help you save time by cleaning entire homes automatically and keeping detailed records of previous cleaning sessions. You can access these records via an app on your phone or tablet. Most can also connect to your smart speaker, so you can control them with voice commands.

TP-Link Tapo RV30+ is a self-emptying robot that offers excellent performance at a low price. It can clean floors and sweep up pet hair and other particles from rugs made of wood and low pile. It's not quite as sophisticated as other robots we've reviewed, however it does its job well.

The rubber-like wheels on this model permit it to glide right over the transitions between rooms as well as obstacles such as tangled cords for devices that trip up other robots. It also has a large dust bin that doesn't need to be empty manually, and it's also able to recharge and resume cleaning when it's not able to continue cleaning. It's more expensive than the other robotic vacuums that we've tested but it is able to combine powerful suction with simple controls to give you a great value.

Voice Control

The majority of robot vacuums can be controlled via a remote control or an app for a smartphone. Some also connect to smart speakers such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, allowing you to control them using voice commands. This is a great option if your robot needs to clean and you have pets or small children that could interfere.

Many models also come with an automatic mode that works without input from you. Simply press a button on the robot or within the app and it will begin sucking up food, dirt, crumbs, and pet hair. The robots can be programmed to clean on a regular schedule and is perfect for those who prefer to make it easy to set it and forget it.

Some of the higher-end models include a sophisticated feature which uses artificial intelligence to detect and scan obstructions in your home. These models can identify things like furniture, stairs, power cords and even different kinds of flooring. This can help to avoid the dangers which is especially helpful in homes with a lot of rugs and other floor coverings that are hard for robots to navigate.

Other robots are less sophisticated in their object detection abilities however, they are still able to do the job. One example is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 plus, that has the sleek and easy-to-use appearance of a wifi hub but offers the capabilities of a top-of-the-line robot. It is extremely suction-driven and can handle dirt and debris on hardwood floors and rugs with medium pile easily. Its short, squat side brushes are less likely to get tangled in stray shoes and cords and its hybrid roller brush utilizes bristles and plastic rather than bristles in traditional form for a more thorough cleaning.

The model is more expensive than other mid-range robots but it can do everything you'd expect from mopping and vacuuming with a robot. It can create and map a cleaning schedule and has virtual keep-out zones and is compatible with voice assistants. However, it doesn't have room-scanning or obstacle avoidance like the S8 or j7.