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The Best Robot Vacuums for 2019

The Best Robot Vacuums

Whether you’re replacing an early generation robot vacuum or looking to purchase your first, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the abundance of options and prices, ranging from fairly cheap to fairly steep. We tracked down reliable bots for every home and budget, from simple robots that dust hardwood to mightier models capable of pulling pet hair out of thick rugs. Then we put them to the test to see which ones could pick up dirt while navigating an obstacle course of furniture.

How We Chose the Best Robot Vacuums

We started by researching the entire robot vacuum market, scouring reports and customer reviews, to see which ones really worked best for most types of homes. Research told us to settle for nothing less than the combined action of brushes and suction — and to be competitive in today’s market, these robovacs should be able to integrate nicely into your home and daily life.

Your robot should have a suite of reliable sensors to avoid crashing into everything around it; cliff-detection is also absolutely necessary, because no robot today should take a tumble down the staircase. To make the fairest comparison possible, we excluded robots with dual vacuuming and mopping functions. After compiling our criteria, we further analyzed our list and arrived at nine seemingly top-notch robot vacuums to test.

The robot vacuums we tested this round

Eufy 30C

Roomba i7+

Roomba e

Roomba 690

Roomba 960

EcoVacs Deebot 900

Ecovacs Deebot 601

Neato Botvac D4

Neato Botvac D6

What we’ve tested in the past:

Bissell SmartClean 1974

Ecovacs Deebot N79

Eufy RoboVac 11

bObSweep Bob Pethair Plus

iClebo Arte

iRobot Roomba 690

iRobot Roomba 960

Neato BotVac 80 Connected

Samsung Powerbot

Our 2017 lineup

Terrain handling

We brought all nine robots home to let them run their full courses to see how these bots moved and whether they would roam in circles for several minutes, avoiding actual problem areas, or jammed themselves between chair legs and tight corners. If you aren’t home to rescue a stuck bot, it’s probably spending its cleaning cycle jailed between furniture legs, which means you’re not getting a good clean. However,  just because a robovac gets stuck doesn’t mean it’s poorly wired — you might just need to move your stuff out of the way. Regardless of how advanced they are, these machines are generally prone to gobbling scarves and thin curtains, and ambitiously climbing thicker rugs only to get stuck and beep plaintively for help.

Navigation skills

We tested each in a small apartment (1,000 square feet) and a three-story home to see how well each robovac could manage different room sizes and topographies. We aligned the bots with their advertised strengths (carpet, hardwood, etc), and found most bots (in general) clean until the job is done — or until they think they’ve covered the area — rather than continuously operating until their battery runs out. This is especially true for the mapping bots — they typically won’t linger in a certain space for longer than they have to, unless you prompt them to complete a second pass (either manually or via the app). Instead, they’ll seek out new areas to clean and cover more ground.

The majority of the bots were able to work around shifted furniture; the basic bots “forget” the previously-made floor plan and assume everything has changed for the next cleaning cycle — it’s like starting with a blank canvas. More advanced robots can create maps of your home that you can then manipulate and customize for future runs — which is useful but sometimes tricky, especially when the technology doesn’t cooperate (for example: forgetting floor plans or failing to deal with minor shifts of the furniture or charging base).

Cleaning power

Because robot vacuums are designed to deal with everyday dust and debris in the house, and not necessarily heavy-duty pickups, we used finer materials in our controlled test to gauge relative suction powers. We sprinkled 100 grams of flour and 50 grams of coffee grounds onto the apartment living room floor and gave each bot 30 minutes to clean it up. While this debris only comprises a fraction of what most of these robovacs can hold in their dustbins, we found that none of our bots picked up more than 71% (led by the Roomba 960).

Testing limitations: Time

The 30-minute timeframe doesn’t set the stage for a total clean, since this is only a portion of an average run time (60-120 minutes), and the robovacs that operate in more random movements generally perform better when totally unbridled.

Testing limitations: Navigational abilities

We can’t attribute the scant pickup to suction power alone, though — some bots preferred cleaning an entire floor and running on their own terms, whereas others clung to the edges of the walls (Neatos) or enjoyed gliding under furniture (Ecovacs and Eufy). The way a bot is designed to move, along with certain cleaning settings, greatly affects the volume and type of debris a robovac collects.

Ease of use

To really maximize the efficiency of a robot vacuum, you should be able to control it from anywhere — this is why we stuck to Wi-Fi compatible bots. Since connectivity is becoming a standard feature for even entry-level bots, we made distinctions based on how well each synced to our home’s system and whether the corresponding apps communicated reliably with the machines.

This stage also allowed us to see how well these robovacs lived up to their marketing claims. We tested whether these bots could return to their home bases and tried out all the hyped bells and whistles (“no-go lines,” virtual wall hubs, boundary strips, and smart home tools). For the more advanced models, we asked: Can we really draw virtual lines on the app to keep our bots from roaming into certain rooms or areas? How well do these robots actually adapt to changes in the home? No bot is “easy” to use if it can’t adjust to your busy lifestyle (or newly-furnished family room) and leaves obvious dirt on the floor for you to manually vacuum later.

The 5 Best Robot Vacuums

iRobot Roomba 960 -

Eufy RoboVac 30C -

iRobot Roomba 690 -

EcoVacs Deebot 900 -

Roomba i7+ -

Best Navigation and Cleaning Combo

Best for Tight Spaces

Best Basic Model

Best Map Customization

Best High-Tech Model

The Best Navigation and Cleaning Combo

Roomba 960

Thorough cleaning with “recharge and resume” technology.

Pros Methodical cleaning pattern Reliable suite of sensors “Recharge and resume” technology Advanced app

Cons Price

Why we chose it Methodical cleaning pattern

All Roombas boast iRobot’s patented three-stage cleaning system (agitate, brush, suction) and dirt-detection sensors, enabling them to identify high-soil areas and target their cleaning efforts. What really sets this robot apart, though, is its smooth, s-shaped cleaning pattern that actually seeks dirt. In all of our in-home test runs, the Roomba 960 would start at one end of the room, zoom to the other end, and snake its way back, repeating this pattern until it covered the entire area. This motion likely helped it outpace the other bots in our controlled test by picking up 71% of the mixture without pausing or “thinking” it was done halfway through the allotted time. The 960 also has impressive suction power — five times that of the 600-series — making it particularly good for cleaning up after shed-prone pets.

Reliable suite of sensors

The 960 uses odometry (similar to the system that measures the tires on your car) to build a map of the area and help calculate how far it’s traveled. As an added feature not found in its entry-level siblings, the camera on the top of the 960 helps it recognize certain spaces via different patterns of light in order to determine its position on the map.

“To build the map of the floor it is cleaning, the robot — in its brain — draws an imaginary box and then tries to travel and color in that box. As it moves through the home, it discovers walls and other obstacles that help form a map... Once it’s colored in that box, it draws another one and so forth.”

“Recharge and resume” technology

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to even the best robot vacuum is battery life. Poor battery performance can lead to half-cleaned floors and extra legwork on your end. Fortunately, the Roomba 960 (along with other advanced models) has “recharge and resume” technology. This means that when its battery runs low, the 960 will travel to its dock to power up so it can finish the cleaning job. We found this is especially useful for larger homes with more rooms that require extra vacuuming.  

Advanced app

The easy-to-use interface of the iRobot app makes setting up your Roomba an absolute breeze — very seldom did we encounter connectivity issues during testing. The app will send you real-time updates of the robot’s status, and if you feel like your floor needs an extra cleaning pass or you need to focus on dust along the baseboards, the app also lets you enable specific cleaning functions.

Both the 690 and 960 let you schedule cleaning times and start a cycle while away, but the 960 goes a step further by sending you a detailed report of where and for how long it cleaned. Although you can still use the virtual wall barrier, you won’t be able to customize or draw virtual boundaries on a map like you can with the i7 — but if you’re indifferent about those high-tech features, the 960 will provide you with just enough post-cleaning data to confirm it’s done its job.

Points to consider Price

This is a drawback for many robot vacuums on the market today — but you do typically get what you pay for. The Roomba 960’s hefty price tag isn’t even one of the most daunting ones. (Just look at the i7+, for example. At $1,000, you’re upgrading to detailed mapping and automated dustbin emptying). But if the price tag is a dealbreaker, check out the newer Roomba e5. It retails for about $100 less but still has the same impressive suction power as the 960. The e5 comes with a washable bin and is designed specifically to deal with pet hair, so if you don’t care about the 960’s meticulous mapping feature or s-shaped cleaning pattern it’s a good option.

The Best for Tight Spaces

RoboVac 30C

A no-fuss, sleek design that kicks dirt lingering beneath low-clearance furniture.

Pros Diligent cleaner Smart, sleek design Easy to use Price

Cons Random motions

Why we chose it Diligent cleaner

The Eufy impressed us with how smoothly it cleaned and transitioned from hardwood to carpet. During our controlled testing, the Eufy 30C unleashed its suction power, sought the mess, and consumed just as much as the Roomba 690 (about 64% of the mixture). Plus, if you’re at home and watching the robot work, you can customize how you want it to clean with spot and edge cleaning functions —  the former boosts suction power to target tougher areas on carpet.

The no-frills design didn’t hinder this bot’s cleaning longevity — it outpaced some of our other models when cleaning by consistently running its full 100 minutes. Others sometimes considered the areas clean and called it quits after 10-45 minutes. You’re definitely maximizing cleaning capacity with this bot, because the Eufy didn’t waste time circling one particular corner of the room or halfway cleaning another.

Smart, sleek design

The Eufy 30C glides around and under furniture with ease, making it able to venture into places your handheld and other robots physically can’t. It’s almost an inch shorter than the other vacs we tested, standing at 2.85”. The Eufy was the only robot that “thought” it could manage cleaning under the leather couch in the testing room of the apartment. Granted, it didn’t account for the additional low-hanging beams in the middle of the couch and cried for help when it got stuck, but the fact that it tried and could fit under such a low clearance for even a small amount of time serves as a testament to its slim yet powerful design.

Easy to use

Transitioning the robovac between our two testing homes was a cinch: The robot quickly adapted to the  systems of each and responded well to specific cleaning commands on the app (spot and edge cleaning, directional shifts, and premade scheduling prompts). And if you want to keep your robot out of a certain area, Eufy gives you three different ways to do this: virtual controls, physical remote controls, and boundary strips (these look like thin magnets).

We also receive real-time updates on the Eufy’s progress, so if it were to get stuck under a piece of furniture or scoop up a napkin in its left wheel on the way out of the kitchen — we knew immediately. These push notifications are common to almost all robot vacuums today, but Eufy gave especially deliberate, clear, and accurate updates, which made fixing the problem that much easier. After pulling the robot out from under the couch or plucking the forgotten napkin from its wheel, the bot continued its route as if nothing had happened.

Price

While this is a pretty basic bot when compared to the market at large, the Eufy 30C is reliable, provides a powerful clean, and still gives you the freedom to forget about vacuuming, for hundreds of dollars less than some others. It isn’t one of the cheapest, but for its price ($300), it optimizes its capabilities and meets marketing claims.

If you want something even cheaper

We picked the Eufy 30C because of the convenient mobile control and powerful suction, but if you don’t care about , scheduling cleans from your from your phone, or mind giving up a little bit of suction power, the Eufy 11s has great reviews and retails for about $80 cheaper than its newer sister. The Eufy 30 is basically our pick without — again, if you don’t mind giving that up, this is another sound option.

Points to consider Random motions

The Eufy 30C absolutely gets the job done and typically uses its full battery life before returning to the home base. But if you want a detailed map or report of exactly where your bot cleaned while you were gone, you’ll need to look elsewhere. The lack of advanced navigation can actually be an advantage in some situations — just because a bot maps the area, doesn’t mean it’ll automatically give your home a better clean. If you don’t mind moving your robot between floors, the Eufy will clean without the sensitivity or (potential) predetermined restrictions of a stored floor plan — it starts with a clean slate every time like the Roomba 690. While this might mean it bumps into the same bar stool every round until you move it elsewhere, this isn’t necessarily a negative, since the landscape of your home is prone to change over time, too.

The Best Basic Model

Roomba 690

A persistent, diligent, and cost-effective robot that won’t stop until the dirt is gone.

Pros Cleaning power Cost-effectiveness

Cons Shorter battery life Not as easy to clean

Why we chose it Cleaning power

This robot is tenacious. In fact, it might even be a more diligent cleaner than the 960 (although not as powerful). We were impressed with the Roomba 690’s decisive motion — rather than languishing in tight spots, it either powered through or powered back out. The Roomba 690 also picked up almost two whole cups of cheerios — when it noticed a pile in the middle of the floor, it used its “dirt detection” power and circled the mess until it was gone.

The Roomba 690 makes its way around by bumping into things, because it doesn’t have the same sensor makeup as the 960 or i7 and lacks the light-detecting camera. But it does do its job. This was even reflected in our controlled tests, where the 690 wasn’t too far behind the 960 in overall dirt pickup (64% compared to 71%).

Cost-effectiveness

One of the main reasons we kept this robot in our lineup was because of its reliable, basic functionality at a fair price. It retails for around $300 on Amazon, which is an entry-level price tag in the robot vacuum market. Not everyone is going to want or need an advanced robot vacuum that maps and methodically travels throughout their home — if you’re looking for a robot to do the bare minimum and give one or two rooms an effective clean, this is a safe bet.

Points to consider Shorter battery

The Roomba 690’s battery doesn’t last as long as those of pricier models. Although the 690 technically runs for 15 more minutes than the 960, the Roomba 960 can extend its battery life for a certain run by recharging and resuming without any prompting. That said, there’s no need for an upgrade if you have a small home or apartment — the 690 has you covered. For few rooms and thin to normal carpeting, the 690 allows you to give your manual vacuum a much longer down time.

Not as easy to clean

The Roomba 690’s brushes are easy to pop in and out — but pulling long hair strands entwined within the bristled brush can be a chore, especially when compared to the dual rubber-brushed design of the newer i and e Series Roombas. Unlike the newer iRobot models, the 690 and 960 dustbins can’t be washed because of their proximity to the motor (the company fixed this problem by moving the motors farther away).

The Best for Map Customization

ECOVAVCS

This robot builds a detailed blueprint of your floor plan in no time, and its mapping customization features let you target contained messes with ease.

Pros Navigation and advanced mapping Slim design Continuous cleaning

Cons Weaker suction Glitchy app

Why we chose it Navigation and advanced mapping

When we let this EcoVacs robot roam the family and guest bedroom of our apartment (about 400 square feet total), it created a detailed map and accurately segmented the rooms in less than 40 minutes. The EcoVacs app lets you send the robot to clean a specific zone on your floor plan. We tested this from our office 19 miles away — we drew a box around a small portion of the living room in the apartment and watched the little blue dot on the app (which represents the robot) travel to that box and clean for three or four minutes before returning to its home base. If you want to clean a contained spill without having to wait 30 minutes for your robot vacuum to bump around and figure out where the mess is, you can just tell this bot exactly where to go.

Slim design

Despite being a tad taller than our Roombas (3.74”), this robot makes a point to travel under under low-clearance furniture. The knob at the top (which is the hub that emits the laser — or lidar —  technology that makes mapping so easy) makes it a little thicker and less able to crawl under certain places than the Eufy, but this didn’t necessarily hinder its performance in slipping under those dressers and low coffee tables.

Continuous cleaning

Like the higher-grade Roomba models (i7 and 960), you can set the EcoVacs Deebot 900 to a “continuous cleaning” mode. This means if your robot runs out of battery halfway through the cleaning run, it’ll scoot back to its charging base for an extra boost before continuing the round. Combined with the easy and efficient mapping functionality, this makes running this robot relatively low-touch.  

Points to consider Weaker suction

If you want a robot vacuum to pick up loose, light debris, this EcoVacs will get the job done, but it isn’t as powerful as others. It only brought in about 43% of our test mixture after 30 minutes. That’s not to say it wouldn’t have collected it all eventually, but we chose it more for its easy-to-manage, strong mapping technology than pure cleaning power. You can also select “max” vacuum power in the app to amp suction for any and all cleaning passes, if you choose. You will be forfeiting a quieter clean, but that’s only a problem if you’re around to hear it.

Scott Ledterman, general manager of EcoVacs, says that noise and suction power go hand-in-hand. Ledterman says the team at Ecovacs tries to strike the right balance between delivering effective cleaning and tolerable noise, even if this means slightly slowing fan motor speeds (which weakens suction) to drive the noise down.  

“At the end of the day, it needs to have enough power to pick up dirt and grime reliably to where it doesn’t leave stuff on the floor… but combine that with a product that’s quieter than a dishwasher, so it can run in your home while you and your family or friends are actually hanging out in the home.”