Editor’s note: Lots of our favorite robovacs in this piece are on sale for Black Friday! Check out the biggest and best Black Friday deals we’ve covered so far.
Robot vacuums are impressive devices that will clean your floors well and — thanks to bigger batteries and better robot brains — rarely get tired of doing their job. Over the last few years, these floor-sweeping bots have gone from utilitarian devices to full-fledged home robots that vacuum and mop your home, clean themselves, and trundle off to prepare themselves for the next run.
I’ve been testing robot vacuums for over 7 years and have run more than 80 of them throughout my house. This guide features my top picks if you’re looking for the best: a robot vacuum that can do it all with limited intervention from you.
Along with my top picks, I have options to fit specific needs, such as mopping, besting pet hair, shopping on a budget, and bots for small spaces. The good news is that there are many great robot vacs out there, so whether you have a 3,000-square-foot home and three shaggy dogs or a small, stylish apartment you share with a goldfish, there’s a robot vacuum to suit your needs.
- Best robot vacuum
- Runner-up best robot vacuum
- Best budget robot vacuum
- Best robot vacuum / mop hybrid
- Best robot vacuum / mop for hard floors and carpets
- Best robot vacuum for pet hair on hard floors
- Best robot vacuum for small spaces/apartments
- Other robot vacuums to consider
- What I’m testing and what’s coming next
- How I test robot vacuums
Best robot vacuum
Matic
Score: 9
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Where to Buy:
Multifunctional dock: No, charging only / Mapping: Yes, camera-based / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 3,000Pa / Remote check-in: No / Brush style: Single rubber / Mop style: Roller / Mop washing: Yes / Mop lift: Yes / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: No smart home integrations
The Matic is a complete rethink of the robot vacuum and my new favorite bot. It has excellent camera-based SLAM navigation, superb obstacle avoidance, rarely gets stuck, and is super quiet. Combined, this means that 99 percent of the time, it will finish the job.
All this makes it my top pick because, despite their attempts to better navigate our homes — from AI-powered computer vision to arms that pick up clutter — traditional disc-shaped bots are still prone to getting stuck. If you want a robot vacuum that just gets the job done, get the Matic.
It kept my floors and carpets spotless; its large rubber roller brush and suction system demolished most of my tests, and its superb mopping cleaned up wet spills and targeted dried stains. However, some aspects of its cleaning prowess aren’t as good as those of the flagship bots from Roborock and Dreame. Its height means it can’t get under low furniture or clean baseboards as closely (although its big wheels can tackle almost every transition). It’s also very slow to finish a job, as it vacuums first, then goes back to mop with its self-cleaning roller mop. It’s super quiet, so you can easily run it while you’re home.
Matic can operate fully without a Wi-Fi connection, a big bonus compared to the competition, and all data, including maps of your home, is stored locally on the robot. However, it doesn’t currently support any smart home integrations. At $1,095 (going up to $1,295 next month), it’s expensive, especially since it doesn’t come with a multifunction dock (instead, it carries its disposable bin bags and water tank on the bot). But that also means you don’t have to deal with that eyesore in your living room.
The compromises Matic makes to provide a better experience overall are worth it in my opinion — it’s like the iPhone of the robot vacuum world.
Read my full review of the Matic.
Runner-up best robot vacuum
Roborock Saros 10
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 22,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid / Mop style: Flat pad / Mop washing: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 18mm, plus automatic removal / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter (including Apple Home)
If Matic’s compromises don’t suit you, Roborock’s Saros 10 is the bot you should get. An upgrade to my previous pick for the best overall robot vacuum, the S8 MaxV Ultra, the Saros 10 is similar to the Saros Z70, minus the robotic arm and the eyewatering price tag.
A combo vacuum and mop, the Saros 10 uses Roborock’s unique sonic mopping system, which I’ve been a fan of since it launched on the S7. Its siblings, the Saros 10R and Saros Z70, use spinning mop pads, but I prefer the 10s flat pad mopping combined with vibration, which I find very effective and far less likely to get stuck on things like rug tassels. The 10 can also automatically remove its mopping pad before cleaning carpet, a great feature first seen on Dreame vacs, and now on all three Saros models.
The Saros 10 navigated really well, moving smoothly, dodging obstacles, and avoiding most common robot traps thanks to its ability to lift itself up 10mm and cross thresholds of up to 4cm. Its retractable lidar tower means it can get under furniture as low as 8cm.
The bot’s 22,000Pa suction and new single Duo Divide brush did an excellent job in my dried oatmeal and Cheerio tests, getting up all the fine debris. It also excelled at removing pet hair from my thick, high-pile rug. Plus, after months of testing, there was no hair tangled in it.
In a sea of complicated, buggy mobile apps, Roborock’s is easy to use and offers lots of features and customization options for ample control over your cleaning. The Saros 10 also has a built-in voice assistant, which makes getting the bot to clean the mess your kid made after dinner as easy as saying, “Rocky, clean here.” Dreame and Ecovacs also have this, but I found Roborock’s the most responsive.
Best budget robot vacuum
Tapo RV30 Max Plus
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: No / Suction power: 5,300Pa / Remote check-in: No / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid / Mop Style: Flat pad with tank / Mop washing: No / Mop lift: No / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
This capable robot vacuum and mop has some key features usually only found on vacuums more than twice its price: lidar mapping, room-specific cleaning, multiple suction and water levels, smart lidar-based navigation, and an auto-empty dock. With brands like Ecovacs and Roborock, you’re often paying double for the privilege of not having to empty the bot’s bin.
The Tapo RV30 did an excellent job of navigating my house, cleaning the perimeters of the rooms, and then using a mesh grid to clean inside. I had to tidy up before it ran, as there’s no AI-powered obstacle detection — so cables and socks will trip it up.
Its 5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price, and it ably sucked up Cheerios and dry oatmeal on hard flooring. It left some of the finer dust and debris, as its single bristle/rubber brush isn’t super effective. It fared less well on carpet. However, in the app, I could set it to clean a room three times per job, after which it generally picked up all visible debris.
Mopping was better than average for a mop with no pressure or oscillation. It has a wide pad and a big 300ml tank (which also incorporates a 300ml dustbin), so it applies enough water to do a good surface clean. There’s no carpet sensing, so you need to tell it where carpets are in the app if you don’t want it to mop them. Its small, 2,600mAh battery meant it had to recharge in order to clean my entire 800-square-foot downstairs. For around $80 less, you can get the RV30 without the auto-empty dock.
Read my roundup of the best budget robot vacuums for more on the Tapo and some other options.
Best robot vacuum / mop hybrid
Deebot X8 Pro Omni
Score: 8
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Where to Buy:
Multifunctional dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 18,000Pa / Brush style: Single rubber/bristle / Mop style: Roller / Mop washing: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 10mm / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter (including Apple Home)
Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 Pro Omni is the best roller mopping bot I’ve tested, and at $1,099, it is one of the least expensive flagship models – Dreame’s roller mops start at $1,600, and Narwal’s Flow is $1,500.
The X8 did an excellent job on my milk, OJ, and dried ketchup tests, absorbing the small spills with one or two passes. It covered the floors evenly, without leaving any streaks or gaps, unlike spinning mop pads. Its edge cleaning is superior to the Matic’s, as when it encounters one, it extends its mop to clean right up against it.
Like the Matic, its self-cleaning brush system kept the bot from smearing spills, but its dock offers the option of auto-dispensing cleaning solution, whereas you have to add it to the Matic’s water tank manually.
As a vacuum, it excelled in my Cheerio and dried oatmeal tests and tackled most rugs. Its relatively small, single-rubber-roller brush is less effective than Roborock’s duo-divide brush. The newer X9 addresses these issues with a redesigned roller brush and a new suction system, it calls BLAST (Boosted Large-Airflow Suction Technology), but I don’t think it’s a big enough improvement to be worth the extra money on this model.
With lidar and a 3D camera for mapping and obstacle detection, which is very good, the X8 easily navigated fake dog turds and cables, and its multifunction dock is sleek and attractive, especially compared to the one on the newer X11, which is a bulky monstrosity.
The downside of most roller mop bots is that they are big and heavy: the X8 weighs a whopping 12 pounds. Despite its ability to lift itself to clear thresholds, the X8 isn’t as agile as smaller, lighter robot vacs and is more prone to getting stuck under chair legs. It can only lift its mop up 10mm, which isn’t going to work for the fluffiest rugs. The X8 has carpet sensors, so it automatically avoids them, passes over them, or just vacuums them. But its best carpet feature is the option to have it vacuum the carpets first, then mop everywhere else.
Read my roundup of the best robot vacuum and mops for more on the X8 and some other options.
Best robot vacuum / mop for hard floors and carpets
Dreame X50 Ultra
Score: 7
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Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 20,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Single, rubber / Mop style: dual spinning / Mop lift: Yes, 20mm, plus automatic removal / Mop washing: Yes / Edge cleaning: mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
The Dreame X50 Ultra is a big upgrade to my previous favorite mopping bot for hard floors, the X40 Ultra. The major change is the addition of a “motorized swing arm” that functions like a leg, allowing it to maneuver over higher thresholds (up to 6cm) thanks to a new leg-style mechanism. This means it can get into more spaces – like from my bedroom into my bathroom, and more easily tackle obstacles like high-pile rugs.
It also has higher suction power and a much-improved brush system that uses dual rubber rollers. It did an excellent job in my oatmeal-on-carpet tests, sucking up every last flake.
The X50 maintains the X40’s excellent mopping capabilities, including automatically extending its dual-spinning mops pads and swinging them to get under your cabinets and consoles. Its dual oscillating mop pads are more effective than Roborock’s thin microfiber pad on hard floors; however, if you have lots of high-pile rugs with tassels, go with the Roborock, since the X50’s spinning pads are more prone to getting stuck on rugs.
Like the Roborock, the Dreame can remove and reattach its mop pads, depending on whether it’s vacuuming or mopping, so your rugs don’t get wet. It also has a retractable lidar tower to help it get under low furniture. However, Roborock’s app is much better, more stable and easier to use than Dreame’s, which often crashes and can take a while to load.
The X50 has good AI-powered obstacle detection, although Roborock’s is just a bit better. But both still get tripped up occasionally by pencils and other small items — something that never happens with the Matic.
Best robot vacuum for pet hair on hard floors
Narwal Freo Z10
Score: 7
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Where to Buy:
Multifunctional dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 15,000Pa / Remote check-in: No / Brush style: Single, rubber/bristle / Auto-refill mop: Yes / Mop-lift: Yes, 12mm / Mop washing: Yes / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
While my top picks, the Matic and Roborock, are great for pet hair on all surfaces, Narwal’s Freo Z10 is a good option if you have pets and hardwood floors. This bot is specifically designed for households with lots of long hair, making it a good, lower-cost option for families and pet owners. Its uniquely shaped, dual-sided brushes sweep long hair directly into the cone-shaped roller brush, which funnels it down into the vacuum and leaves no tangles.
The Freo is also an excellent mopping bot, a category Narwal has long excelled in. Its triangular mopping pads get into corners and crevices very well and can extend to better clean along baseboards, as well as move backwards and forwards to simulate scrubbing — great for muddy paw prints. In my flour test, it mopped up 90 percent of the white mess from the base of my blue cabinets. Better than the Matic and the Saros 10.
The downsides are that its dock is huge and it only lifts its mops by 12mm, not ideal for high-pile carpets. Its vacuuming is also not as effective on carpets. But the dock does have a large on-board bag to store all the hair it collects (some Narwals don’t have auto-empty bins).
There’s no camera on the bot, so its obstacle detection isn’t great. It dodged socks and shoes, but cables and shoe laces proved problematic, as did fake pet poop. If you want more accurate obstacle avoidance, which you might need if your pet has accidents, upgrade to the Freo Z10 Ultra. It costs $200 more but adds dual HD cameras for AI-powered detection.
Best robot vacuum for small spaces/apartments
Switchbot K11 Plus
Score: 7
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Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: No / Suction power: 6,000Pa / Brush style: Single rubber / Mop style: Disposable pad / Auto-refill mop: No / Mop lift: No / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter (including Apple Home)
This sub-$400 bot is a great solution for small apartments, bedrooms, or home offices. Its compact size means it can easily get around chair and desk legs and into tight spaces most other bots miss.
An upgrade to the K10 Plus, a previous pick for the best robot vacuum for small spaces, its 6,000Pa suction did a great job for this price point on both hardwood and carpet in my tests. The charging dock squeezes in a 4-liter dust bag while staying under 10 inches tall, shorter than a 500ml water bottle.
There’s no AI-powered obstacle avoidance, and the mopping function is more like swiffering with a baby wipe than mopping, but for a small home with lots of carpet, or for upstairs bedrooms, it’s a great option. It’s also very quiet and surprisingly quick, and its charging dock has an attractive wooden top that fits into these rooms better than most.
Other robot vacuums to consider
- My previous top pick, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra ($799.99), is an exceptional vacuum cleaner and a very good mop for a very good price. Its dual rubber roller brushes and 10,000Pa suction make it great on carpets; its sonic mopping is excellent on hard floors, and its AI-powered obstacle detection is very good. The Saros 10 is an improvement in every way, but consider this if you’re looking to save $900. Read my Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review.
- A previous pick for best mopping bot, the Narwal Freo X Ultra ($899.99) is still a good choice. Like the Freo Z10, it has spinning triangular mop pads and the ability to swing slightly to get closer to baseboards. Its large charging dock holds two big water tanks, but doesn’t have an auto-empty dustbin; instead, Narwal’s disposable onboard bin compresses the dust. There’s no loud noise when it returns to the dock, which is a bonus. There’s no camera, so its obstacle avoidance is spotty. Its anti-tangle brush and 8,200Pa suction did a good job on most carpets, but its 12mm mop lift isn’t effective on plush carpets.
- The Dyson 360 Vis Nav ($999.99) is a powerful beast and the best robot vacuum for carpets I’ve tested. But its navigation needs a lot of work. It’s worth considering if you have a simple floor plan with a lot of carpets, but the short battery life and lack of an auto-empty dock are major cons. Read more in my hands-on.
What I’m testing and what’s coming next
- iRobot’s new Roomba lineup starts at $299 and goes up to $999. The pricier 405 and 505 models are the first Roombas to feature full multifunction docks and dual spinning mopping pads. I’ve started testing the 505 but have run into several issues, including a failure to return to the dock. The new Roomba app is also fiddly and not as intuitive as the old model (which the previous models still use).
- The Roomba Max 705 Combo ($1,299.99) is the company’s flagship model and the only one with the original Roomba’s dual rubber roller brushes. It also features the company’s first roller mop, which has a cover that automatically deploys as it cleans carpet.
- Eufy’s Omni E28 ($1,399.99) is a self-emptying, self-refilling, and self-washing robot vacuum with a roller mop that can go over tough stains a second time if needed. The charging dock also includes a built-in deep cleaner that sprays water to tackle stains before sucking the mess into a separate wastewater tank.
- Ecovacs X11 OmniCyclone ($1.499.99, on sale for $899.99) is a bagless robot vacuum mop with multifunction dock, a roller mop, and a whopping 19,500Pa of suction power, alongside Ecovacs’ new BLAST tech designed to improve debris removal. The mop can extend up to 15mm to reach corners. It can also tackle transitions better than the X8 and X9, thanks to “mechanical climbing levers.”
- The Narwal Flow ($1,499.99) features the company’s first roller mop, which can also extend. It uses a multifunction dock for emptying the bin and refilling the water, and has a deep carpet boost mode.
- The Eureka J15 Max Ultra ($1,199) is an upgrade to the J15 Pro Ultra ($999.99). A robot vacuum and mop, it can accurately spot liquids and automatically rotate its body to tackle wet spills with its dual spinning mopping pads, while avoiding getting its vacuum duct wet. Something few mopping vacs can do.
- The Switchbot S20 ($799.99) is the second generation of our previous pick for the best mopping vacuum, the Switchbot S10. It adds an extendable roller mop/side brush, 15,000Pa of suction power, and the option of a multifunction dock if you don’t like the split dock design of the S10.
- SharkNinja’s PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 robot vacuum mop ($999.99) can lift itself up to 20mm to get over rugs and transitions. Its multifunction dock doesn’t require bags, either.
- The Roborock Q10 S5 Plus ($549.99) has an impressive 10,000Pa of suction power for a budget bot and uses Roborock’s sonic mop system, vibrating 3,000 times per minute to scrub the floors. It comes with a 2.7-liter self-emptying base that can hold up to 70 days’ worth of debris, or you can get it without for less.
- The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot is its first combo robot vacuum and mop. It uses a roller mop, lidar navigation, and Dyson’s first multifunctional dock. There’s no pricing or release date yet. Read my hands-on for more details.
- DJI’s first robot vacuum, the Romo, comes in three configurations, with the flagship model being the transparent Romo P for €1,899 (around $2,200). Then there’s the Romo A for €1,599 (around $1,700), and the more affordable Romo S, at €1,299 (around $1,500). They are currently only available in Europe. All three have multifunction docks and use wide-angle dual-transmitter solid-state lidar for navigation — the same tech found in DJI’s flagship drones — along with a pair of fish-eye vision sensors for obstacle detection.
- The $1,600 Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete features a roller-style mopping system that continuously cleans itself in real time. Its companion model, the Aqua10 Ultra Track Complete, adds hot-water mopping and automatically adds cleaning solution as it moves about, so you don’t have to stop and refill anything.
- The $2,000 Dreame Matrix 10 Ultra comes with a multi-mop switching multifunction dock that automatically swaps between nylon scrub pads, sponge pads, and thermal mop pads based on where it’s cleaning. Its three-solution compartment also holds separate cleaners for tackling pet odors, wood floors, and general messes, which the robovac will dispense on its own depending on the situation.
How I test robot vacuums
Alongside everyday use, I put robot vacuums through a gauntlet of specific tests. I test object detection and avoidance with phone chargers, socks, a pencil, and fake pet poop. I throw in Cheerios or popcorn to see if they know to vacuum that up rather than avoid it. I run them over oatmeal and flour to see how well they pick up fine debris and have them tackle both thick and low-pile carpets. I monitor how they handle rug tassels, my high pile living room rug, skinny chair legs, and room transitions.
For mopping, I test on hardwood and tile floors with dried milk, fresh OJ, and ketchup. I monitor how quickly they fill up their bin / auto-empty dock and how efficiently they use water and clean their mop pads. I set schedules, hook them up to voice assistants, and play with the app’s advanced features.
I evaluate navigation by running them on all three floors of my house and evaluating how well they map and how easy the maps are to edit and use. I also test any advanced features, such as home security camera capabilities, AI cleaning programs, and automatic mop removal.
Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, November 25th: Added new picks for best overall, best mopping, and best for pet hair robot vacs. Added a new runner-up and best for small spaces category, and new options in “Other robot vacuums worth considering.” Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.