The Best Robot Vacuums for 2023

Why We Picked It

The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is the most expensive floor-cleaning robot we’ve reviewed, but it’s also the most advanced. It can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash and dry its own mop cloth, representing a major step forward in robotic floor cleaning. It even doubles as a roving home security camera with two-way audio, and features a built-in voice assistant, dubbed Yiko, that allows for voice control without a separate smart speaker.

In our testing, it cleaned for up to 145 minutes in Auto mode before running low on juice—a good battery life result. It never got stuck on common obstacles like power cords and long curtains, and had no trouble sucking up dust, hair, and other debris. 

Who It’s For

This top-of-the-line model is suitable for those with deep pockets who are willing to pay a premium for convenience. With long battery life, strong suction power, and AI-powered obstacle avoidance technology, the X1 Omni is an excellent option for large homes, and those with pets. The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra offers similar features and performance for a bit less money, but the X1 Omni is our Editors’ Choice thanks to its streamlined design, built-in virtual assistant, larger water tanks, and hot-air mop-drying feature. 

Why We Picked It

The iRobot Roomba j7+ might induce sticker shock, but it’s one of the smartest standalone robot vacuums you can buy. It uses a built-in camera and machine learning technology to recognize obstacles in its cleaning path in real time, and automatically reroute itself around them. iRobot has trained its PrecisionVision Navigation machine learning algorithms to identify phone cords, power cables, headphones, pet waste, shoes, clothing, and towels on the floor using hundreds of millions of images crowdsourced from its customers who have opted in to contribute to its database. 

When it encounters potential obstacles that aren’t in its database, the j7+ snaps photos and asks you whether it should avoid those areas in the future. It only takes about a minute to review the obstacle images, and doing so can prove extremely useful. This method allows you to quickly and easily create Keep-Out Zones around areas that typically halt cheaper robot vacuums.

Who It’s For

If you have a cluttered home or accident-prone pets and you’re in the market for a standalone robot vacuum, the iRobot Roomba j7+ is the model to buy. iRobot is so confident in the robot’s poop-evading abilities that it’s offering it with a P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee: If the Roomba j7+ fails to avoid solid pet waste within a year of your purchase, the company will give you a new one for free.

Why We Picked It

These days, automatic dustbin emptying is becoming a standard robot vacuum feature. While most self-emptying robot vacuums transfer the contents of their bin into a bag, the Shark IQ Robot XL takes a different approach. It has two dustbins: one in the robot itself, and a larger one in the base station that only needs to be emptied about once a month. The advantage of Shark’s bagless auto-empty system is that you never have to worry about running out of bags. 

The Shark IQ Robot XL also stands out for its self-cleaning brushroll, which in our testing successfully prevented hair from getting wrapped around it, a common problem with many robot vacuums. Moreover, it delivered strong suction power, effectively cleaning dust, debris, and pet hair from hard flooring and carpet, and it never got stuck. It offers a number of useful smart features, including home mapping for targeted room cleaning and virtual no-go zones.

Who It’s For

If you’re looking to upgrade from a basic robot vacuum to one with self-emptying abilities, the Shark IQ Robot XL is an excellent choice. Thanks to its bagless self-emptying system and self-cleaning brushroll, it’s one of the lowest-maintenance robot vacuums we’ve tested. That said, allergy sufferers might prefer the comparably priced Roomba i3+ EVO, which empties its bin into an AllergenLock bag so you’re not exposed to dust. 

Why We Picked It

The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra stands alongside the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni as one of the most advanced floor-cleaning robots currently on the market. Like Ecovacs’ competitor, this high-end hybrid can do it all: it vacuums and mops your floors, then cleans itself, so it’s always ready for the next run without requiring you to lift a finger. Even better, it undercuts the X1 Omni by about $150. 

The S7 MaxV Ultra boasts a unique mop-lifting feature, also available on the more affordable Roborock S7+, which allows for more efficient cleaning runs than the competition. Most two-in-one robots with a carpet sensor, including the X1 Omni, automatically avoid rugs when mopping so as not to get them wet. Roborock’s VibraRise technology goes a step further—when the robot detects carpet while mopping, it raises the mopping plate about 5mm, allowing it to mop your hard floors and vacuum your low- to medium-pile carpets in a single pass. And with a maximum 5,100 pascals (Pa), the S7 MaxV Ultra offers some of the best suction power we’ve seen.

Who It’s For

If you’re choosing between the two most premium robot vacuums money can buy, the S7 MaxV Ultra and the X1 Omni, go with the former if you have a lot of hard flooring and you’re mainly concerned with mopping performance. Roborock’s bot uses sonic vibration technology to scrub your floors 3,000 times per minute, while the X1 Omni’s circular mopping pads spin at 180 revolutions per minute. Both robots left our test floors streak-free and shiny, but the S7 MaxV Ultra is slightly better at deep cleaning.

Why We Picked It

Before the X1 Omni hit the scene, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI was the most advanced floor-cleaning robot we’d seen. This feature-rich hybrid vacuums and mops while using AI to successfully detect and avoid many obstacles other floor-cleaning robots would get stuck on. To put its obstacle-evasion technology to the test, we intentionally placed dog toys that have tripped up other robot vacuums in its path. Without fail, the Ozmo T8 AIVI detected the toys in its way and changed directions accordingly. 

Moreover, this robot functions as a roving home security camera. From its companion app, you can move the robot around and view a live video stream of what’s happening inside your home. It also has the longest battery life of any robot vacuum we’ve tested, cleaning for up to 170 minutes on a charge. For even greater convenience, Ecovacs makes an Auto-Empty Station (sold separately) that allows the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI to empty its bin into a disposable dust bag without your help. 

Who It’s For

The Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI was ahead of its time when it launched in 2020, so while it’s a couple of years old at this point, Ecovacs’ former flagship robot vacuum is still an excellent choice. Even better: You can now snag it for a discount. Its exceptional battery life and obstacle avoidance abilities make it a particularly compelling option for those with large homes and cluttered floors. If you can swing it, we highly suggest adding the Auto-Empty Station, which allows for a month of maintenance-free cleaning between dust bag replacements. 

Why We Picked It

The S7 MaxV Ultra stole the spotlight in 2022, but the year-old Roborock S7+ is still a strong choice. Like its more expensive sibling, the S7+ boasts Roborock’s VibraRise technology, which allows it to both mop your hard floors and vacuum your carpeting in the same cleaning run. Whereas other hybrid cleaners avoid carpet completely while mopping, the S7+ automatically lifts its mop cloth out of the way and goes on vacuuming, allowing it to complete both tasks more efficiently.

It also features a self-emptying dustbin, good battery life, impressive obstacle avoidance, and strong vacuum suction power. 

Who It’s For

If the S7 MaxV Ultra is out of your price range, the S7+ is an excellent alternative. It can’t refill its own water tank, clean its own mopping cloth, or function as a home security camera, but it offers all the other perks of the S7 MaxV Ultra for $400 less. 

The S7+ works well on hard flooring and carpet, but is best for homes that have both. With four vacuum power levels—Quiet, Balanced (the default setting), Turbo, and Max, topping out at an impressive 2,500Pa of suction—it’s an excellent option for homes with pets and carpeting.

Why We Picked It

As robot vacuums get more technologically advanced, with laser navigation sensors and home security cameras, they’re also getting bigger and taller. These days, it’s hard to find a model that stands less than 3 inches. The Eufy RoboVac G30, on the other hand, stands out for its short stature. Measuring 12.8 inches in diameter and 2.85 inches tall, it’s one of the smallest robot vacuums we’ve tested, meaning it can clean where a lot of other robot vacuums won’t fit, like under couches.  

Its battery life is just okay, but the RoboVac G30 smartly navigates your home, cleaning in orderly lines instead of randomly ping-ponging from wall to wall like some other affordable models. The RoboVac G30 offers a lot of power for its size, and it automatically increases the suction when it moves over carpets and heavily soiled areas.

Who It’s For

With app and voice control support, smart navigation, and strong suction power, the RoboVac G30 is a solid choice for anyone on a budget. Its compact design makes it especially appealing for small homes and apartments, particularly if you have low-profile furniture. If your current robot vacuum can’t get the dust bunnies under the couch, or constantly gets stuck between chair legs, the G30 is worth a look. 

Why We Picked It

The iLife A9 robot vacuum is the most budget-friendly model on our list, but it offers lots of functionality and excellent performance for its low price. In testing, we were pleasantly surprised at how fast the A9 zipped around and the ease with which it moved between different flooring types. After one cleaning run in our roughly 1,000 square-foot test home, its dustbin was completely full with dust, debris, and dog hair. It left some remnants behind on medium-pile carpeting, but handled hard flooring and low-pile carpeting well. It’s often discounted to less than $200, which is a steal for a robot vacuum with Wi-Fi connectivity, Amazon Alexa voice control support, home mapping, and smart navigation. 

Who It’s For

If you’re new to the world of robot vacuums and want to try one without spending a ton of money, the iLife A9 is a wise choice. Since it comes with a physical remote control, a feature that’s becoming less and less common these days, the iLife A9 is also a nice option for those who prioritize ease of use and don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up app or voice control (though it does support those features as well). If you have medium-pile carpeting in your home, it’s not the best option, but if you have hard floors and low-pile carpeting, it’s one of the best robot vacuums you can get in its price range. 

Why We Picked It

iRobot is one of the most respected names in the robot vacuum market, and the Roomba i3+ EVO is its most affordable model with a self-emptying dustbin. It’s hard to overstate the advantages of this feature. Beyond offering greater convenience than their more manual counterparts, self-emptying robot vacuums significantly limit your exposure to dust, a big plus if you suffer from allergies. 

The i3+ EVO offers 10 times the suction power of the entry-level Roomba 600 series, and in testing did a good job of removing dirt from hard floors and carpet. When it finds an especially dirty area, it automatically goes into Dirt Detect mode and moves over the offending spot multiple times until it’s sufficiently clean. iRobot recently updated this model with smart mapping capabilities, so you can send it right to specific rooms by phone or voice for targeted area cleanings.

Who It’s For

The Roomba i3+ EVO is a top choice for anyone looking to upgrade from a standard robot vacuum to one with self-emptying abilities. If you’re tired of manually emptying your current bot’s bursting dustbin on the daily, the Roomba i3+ EVO will eliminate that chore. It’s a particularly compelling option if you suffer from allergies, because it also uses a high-efficiency filter to capture allergens as it cleans.

One caveat is that the i3+ EVO’s mapping capabilities are limited to a single floor. Its more expensive siblings, on the other hand, can remember multiple floors, which is useful if you have a multi-level home.

Why We Picked It

Wyze has a reputation for making feature-rich yet affordable smart home devices, and its first robot vacuum is no exception. The Wyze Robot Vacuum features a raised Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor that casts thousands of invisible laser points to measure surroundings and generate an editable map of your home’s floor plan. Self-driving cars and pricier vacuums feature LiDAR technology, but it’s rare to see in a budget-friendly robot. Once the Wyze vacuum creates a map of your home, you can label each room, select the ones you want cleaned, and send the robot directly there. You can also create virtual walls so the robot avoids certain areas, like a mess of cords under your desk or TV stand. It works quickly and methodically, with 2,100Pa of suction power to effectively collect debris and pet hair from hard floors and carpeting. Even considering its lack of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice support, it’s one of the smartest robot vacuums in this price range.

Who It’s For

The Wyze Robot Vacuum’s low price and competitive feature set make it a nice option for first-time robot vacuum buyers. In testing, it had no problem traversing hard flooring and carpet, and thoroughly collected dog hair from both, so it’s also a strong budget-friendly choice for pet owners. 

If you have a small home or an apartment of around 1,000 square feet or less, the Wyze Robot Vacuum should have no problem covering your entire space in a single run. If it runs low on battery before finishing the job, the robot will return to its base station, charge up, then pick up where it left off.