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We all love our pets, but shedding can be a major pain. If you have a cat or dog that leaves fur all over the house, consider investing in a robot vacuum that can take some cleaning duties off your plate. There’s no shortage of options on the market, but finding one that works well, offers the features you want, and fits your budget can be a bit of a challenge. We’re here to help.
The robot vacuums on this list range from affordable to super expensive, with the priciest options offering premium features such as artificial intelligence-based obstacle avoidance technology, security cameras that let you watch your pet when you’re out of the house, and even self-emptying dustbins that save you from breathing in what’s inside. Of course, each one of these vacuums is also good at cleaning pet hair, particularly from carpeting, which can be more difficult than from hardwood or tile.
Read on for the top robot vacuums we’ve tested for dealing with pet hair, as well as everything you should keep in mind during your search.
The Best Robot Vacuums for 2022
The Best Robot Vacuum Deals This Week for Pet Hair*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni
Best Vacuum and Mop Hybrid
Bottom Line:
With a self-emptying dustbin, a mop that cleans and dries itself, and a built-in voice assistant, the pricey Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is the best two-in-one robot vacuum and mop you can buy.
PROS
- Self-emptying dustbin
- Self-washing, drying, and refilling mop
- Built-in voice assistant
- Carpet sensor
- AI-powered obstacle avoidance
- Works as a security camera with two-way audio
- Good battery life
CONS
- Expensive
- Large base
- Mop scrubs less than main competitor
- Cannot install/remove mopping pads while robot is docked
iRobot Roomba j7+
Best for Avoiding Pet Poo
Bottom Line:
While pricey, iRobot’s Roomba j7+ robot vacuum has smarts to spare, with a guarantee to avoid pet waste and a self-emptying base that means you rarely have to lift a finger.
PROS
- Pet waste-avoidance guarantee
- Auto-empty base
- Intelligently suggests Keep-Out Zones
- Supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands
- Allows for scheduled area cleanings
- Rarely gets stuck
- User-friendly companion app
CONS
- Expensive
- Unimpressive battery life
Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL RV1001AE
Best for Preventing Fur Clogs
Bottom Line:
The Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL RV1001AE vacuum holds up to a months’ worth of dust and debris in its base station, and features a self-cleaning brushroll and lots of smart features for a truly low-maintenance experience.
PROS
- Features a bagless self-emptying base and self-cleaning brushroll
- Maps your home and supports scheduling, area cleaning, and virtual no-go zones
- Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Comes with a physical boundary strip
- Never got stuck in testing
CONS
- Average battery life
- Can get loud
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
Best for Mopping
Bottom Line:
With the ability to empty its own dustbin and wash its own mop, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is one of the most self-sufficient two-in-one robot floor cleaners we’ve tested.
PROS
- Self-washing and refilling mop
- Self-emptying dustbin
- AI-powered obstacle avoidance
- Carpet sensor and mop-lifting feature
- Best-in-class mopping performance
- Works as a security camera with two-way audio
- Can install/remove mop bracket while robot is docked
CONS
- Expensive
- Large base
- No hot-air mop-drying
- Smaller water tanks and dust bag than top competitor
- Camera doesn’t point outward when robot docks
Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry Robotic Vacuum
Best for Disinfecting Pet Messes
Bottom Line:
Bissell’s SpinWave Wet and Dry robot can both vacuum and scrub your floors to make them truly shine.
PROS
- Mops and vacuums
- Works with cleaning solution
- Automatically avoids carpet when mopping
- Quiet
CONS
- No mapping features or voice control
- Robot got stuck on some furniture in testing
Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI
Best Roving Pet Camera
Bottom Line:
The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI is a pricey 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop with excellent battery life, the ability to identify and avoid obstacles, and a unique home monitoring feature.
PROS
- Automatically recognizes and avoids obstacles
- Exceptional battery life
- Allows for remote home monitoring with built-in camera
- Supports virtual boundaries
- Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice support
CONS
- Expensive
- Mops with water, not cleaning solution
- Moderate learning curve
- Auto-Empty Station is sold separately
Roborock S7+
Best for Pet Owners With Allergies
Bottom Line:
With a unique mop-lifting feature that prevents your carpet from getting wet, the Roborock S7+ floor cleaning robot simultaneously vacuums and scrubs better than the competition.
PROS
- Vacuums and mops
- Auto-empty base
- Strong suction power
- Rarely gets stuck
- Multiple mop scrubbing levels
- Supports multi-level maps, schedules, virtual boundaries, and zone cleaning
- Multi-stage HEPA air filtration
CONS
- Expensive
- Only mops with water
- Loud when vacuuming carpets
Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+
Best for Automatic Carpet Detection
Bottom Line:
The Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ from Ecovacs is a pricey high-end hybrid robot that can mop and vacuum your floors and empty its own dustbin when it’s done.
PROS
- Vacuums and mops
- Includes self-emptying dustbin
- Strong suction power
- Automatically detects carpet
- Supports virtual boundaries, schedules, and zone cleaning
- Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
CONS
- Expensive
- Minor mapping issues in testing
- Average battery life
Eufy RoboVac G30
Best for Noise-Sensitive Pets
Bottom Line:
The relatively affordable Eufy RoboVac G30 robot vacuum has a compact design, strong suction power for its size, and smarter navigation than its predecessors.
PROS
- Compact, low-profile design
- Strong suction power for its size
- Well-designed app
- Easy to set up and use
- Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands
- Features smart navigation for systematic cleaning
CONS
- Doesn’t support strips or virtual boundaries
- Battery life is on the short side
Proscenic M7 Pro
Best Midrange Vacuum/Mop Hybrid
Bottom Line:
The Proscenic M7 Pro is a smart, powerful robot vacuum that can also mop small spaces.
PROS
- Strong suction power
- Vacuums and mops
- Supports app control and Alexa voice commands
CONS
- Small water tank
- Doesn’t automatically avoid carpet when mopping
- Automatic dust collector is sold separately
Wyze Robot Vacuum
Best Affordable Model
Bottom Line:
The affordable Wyze Robot Vacuum methodically zips around your home sucking up dust and pet hair from hard flooring and carpet thanks to top-notch laser mapping and efficient route planning.
PROS
- Strong suction power
- Features laser mapping technology
- Supports app control, area cleaning, scheduling, and virtual walls
- HEPA filter
CONS
- No voice command support
- Relatively short battery life
- Occasionally gets stuck
Buying Guide: The Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair
Which Robot Vacuum Works Best for Pet Hair?
Although all the models on this list can handle pet hair with aplomb, suction power is the most important factor to consider. Most companies in this space advertise power in pascals (Pa), the metric unit of pressure, though iRobot doesn’t always make this information easy to find. In general, the higher the Pa the better, especially if you have carpet.
The RoboRock S7 MaxV Ultra and Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni respectively offer 5,100 and 5,000Pa of suction power, the highest of any vacuums on this list. Needless to say, both excel at sucking up pet hair from carpeting.
Wyze Robot Vacuum dustbin
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)
Otherwise, what makes a robot vacuum good in general makes it good for pet hair: battery life, smart features, and obstacle avoidance capabilities.
On this list, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI has the best battery with an impressive run time of 170 minutes in testing, though any result over 90 minutes should suit most households.
As for smart connectivity, most robot vacuums offer companion apps with remote scheduling options, though some cheap models work only with an included remote. Many also have Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support, so you can start cleaning with a voice command.
Budget-friendly vacuums typically clean in a random pattern, while midrange and premium models often feature laser- or camera-guided navigation so they work methodically, making straight lines. Some can also map your home, and support area cleaning and virtual boundaries to vacuum specific rooms and avoid others.
Which Robot Vacuum Is Best for Cluttered Homes?
If you have cats or dogs, you also probably have some of their toys on the floor, which can stop a robot vacuum in its tracks. Some pricey models, like the Roomba j7+ and Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI, offer advanced obstacle avoidance technology that can help the robot steer clear of toys, slippers, and even pet waste.
iRobot app
(Credit: iRobot)
The Roomba j7+ uses a built-in camera and machine learning technology to detect and automatically avoid common obstacles as small as phone charging cables, even in low-light conditions. iRobot has also trained its software to identify and steer clear of pet poop; the company is so confident in this ability that it’s offering the j7+ with a P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee. If the robot fails to avoid solid pet waste within a year of your purchase, the company sends you a new one for free.
The Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI uses an artificial intelligence chipset and a camera to recognize things that can get in its way, and build a database of objects to avoid, so it works better over time. It’s one of the pricier models on this list, but in testing, it never got stuck on dog toys.
Which Robot Vacuum Is Best for Allergies?
If you’re allergic to your cat or dog, a good robot vacuum can help you stay on top of shedding to keep your symptoms under control. At the bare minimum, look for a model with a HEPA filter, which can help remove allergens as it cleans.
Recommended by Our Editors
Roborock S7+
(Credit: Angela Moscaritolo)
You also might want to consider a model that can empty its own dustbin. like the iRobot Roomba s9+. Models with this feature typically cost big bucks, but it means you never have to come into close contact with collected pet hair and dust. They also significantly cut down on maintenance. With most other robot vacuums, you have to empty the dustbin after every cleaning.
The Best Time to Buy a Robot Vacuum
It might be tempting to buy a robot vacuum during the spring shedding season, but if you can, wait until the fall. Over the past several years, robot vacuums have been one of the hottest Black Friday product categories, and we don’t expect that to change anytime soon. The same is true for Amazon Prime Day. Retailers also periodically offer discounts throughout the year, so if you can’t wait for Black Friday, shop around and you can probably find a decent discount.
For the top deals out there right now, check out our picks for the best cheap robot vacuums. Once you find the model that’s right for you, head over to our list of simple robot vacuum tips.
And for an even deeper clean, take a look at the best robot mops we’ve tested. Loyal to iRobot? We have a roundup of the best Roombas as well.
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