The Best Robot Vacuum 2023

Robot vacuums can make cleaning your floors easier. The best ones can remove tracked-in dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair and more.

While they can't perform the same way as an ordinary vacuum cleaner, they have improved a lot in the past few years. They're more sophisticated and more powerful, as well as (marginally better) at avoiding the chair leg.

Smart Mapping

Using navigation tools like sensors and lasers, robot vacuum cleaners move around your home, removing pet hair, crumbs, and dirt into their bins from hard floors like laminate, wood, and tile and also carpets and area rugs with low pile. Robots that are the most sophisticated map your home, so they know where they've been, and can avoid hitting obstacles such as couches, chairs, and bookshelves. You can make use of your smartphone's app to set up no-go zones, which tell your robot not to enter rooms it doesn't want to clean.

Robots with advanced mapping capabilities, such as the Roomba J7, utilize an the onboard camera and processor-powered intelligence to avoid and detect obstacles. This means you can leave it to do an efficient cleaning without having to constantly monitor the state of your floorplan, or manually remove obstacles from the robot's path. The TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus is a robotic that does mopping and vacuuming, which means it's a one-stop solution to keep your home clean. It has a great suction and works with Alexa or Google Assistant. It also comes with a handy self-emptying feature that can be used as security cameras.

Roborock Q Revo, a less expensive robot that vacuums, mops and functions as a robotic trashcan, is a good option for homes that do not require for more advanced features. However, it has some limitations in comparison to the Roomba S8 and J7. For one, it has a single rubber brush instead of the dual roller brushes of the others and it may not be as effective in cleaning up larger particles such as shoes and socks. It also doesn't have any AI obstacle avoidance, so it could be necessary to get rid of any clutter prior to running it.

The iLife A4s Pro robot is a simple, reliable robot for those who value simplicity and competence. It's less than $200, and delivers consistent, strong suction on hardwood and low-pile rugs, while avoiding tangles. It doesn't include any advanced features, however it does its job well. It also works with voice commands. It can be set up on a schedule, or create no-go zones using the app.

Object Detection

Object-avoidance technologies can make or break the ability of a robot vacuum navigate your home. Certain models on this list have sensors (or cameras) to assist your robot vacuum in avoiding common traps for robots, such as cords, toys for children and pet mess. The iRobot Roomba j7 is one of the most impressive examples of this type of smart tech in action. It also has a stylish clean base that fills the dustbin automatically so you don't need to.

In our testing the robot, we set the cleaner up in a big house and were awed by how quickly and thoroughly it cleaned up floors without getting sluggish. It's very mobile and can reach areas that most standup vacuums cannot, such as under beds and couches. It comes with a 500-ml dustbin, excellent suction and a runtime of over two hours. However, it lacks the ability to create zones that are not allowed to be used and its detection of objects is a bit hit-or-miss, meaning we saw it bump into things occasionally during our tests (resulting in a few tipped vases).

It's important to keep it in mind that no matter how smart a robot vacuum may be it isn't going to substitute for your upright or canister vacuum. It's not equipped to clean carpets that have been heavily soiled. It's not able to reach ceilings or other difficult-to-access areas. It's a great addition to your regular cleaning routine for getting rid of hair, and pet dander.

Sensors are integrated into many robot vacuums to help them navigate around stairs and obstacles. They can usually sense the moment when they're going to fall down the stairs, for instance, and they also detect areas of clutter and maneuver around them. However, if you're not vigilant your robot-cleaner could become stuck on a cord or stray shoe and require assistance.

Some of the more advanced robot vacuums have mapping capabilities, which allow them to create an outline of your home and locate themselves within it. This lets them know which areas they've already cleaned and avoid spending time cleaning the same areas. This allows them to continue the same place they left off should they need to return to the charging dock.

Self-Emptying

A vacuum cleaner that can automatically empty its bin after it is full is an excellent convenience. Some models come with windows that allow you to see when the dust bin has to be empty. This is an excellent feature for anyone who has pets or children who create more mess than adults.

The majority of robot vacuums let you choose whether the machine is operated with a remote, an app from your phone, or through voice commands. They come with a variety of digital functions, including maintenance and scheduling tips. You can program your robot to clean your house on every week or on a regularly using the appropriate settings. You can also program it to mark and clean specific areas of your house.

Some of the smartest robot vacuums we've tested come with built-in cameras and smart sensor technology that allows them to create maps of your here home. They 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 keep track of the furniture's placement and transitions between hard flooring and carpet.

The best smart vacuums can save you time by automating the mapping and cleaning of entire homes and keeping precise records of previous cleaning sessions. You can access these records through an app that you can install on your smartphone or tablet. They can also be connected to your smart speaker so you can control them via voice commands.

TP-Link Tapo RV30+ is self-emptying robot that provides excellent performance at a low cost. It can clean both floors and sweep up pet hair and other debris from low-pile and hardwood rugs. It's not as advanced as other robots that we've reviewed, however it does its job very well.

The tank-like wheels on this model allow it to roll right over the transitions between rooms and obstacles like tangled cords from devices that trip up other robots. It also has a huge dust bin that doesn't need to be emptied manually, and it can recharge and continue cleaning when it runs out of power. It's more expensive than other robotic vacuums we've tried, but it combines powerful suction and simple controls to give you a great value.

Voice Control

The majority of robot vacuums are controlled via a remote control or an app that runs on smartphones. Some also connect to smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home, allowing you to run them using voice commands. This can be helpful when you have children or pets who could interfere with your cleaning, or if you're too exhausted to operate the robot manually.

The majority of models have an automatic mode that works without any input from you. Simply press a button on the robot or within the app, and it will start sucking up dirt, food crumbs, and pet hair. They can be programmed to clean according to the schedule, which makes them ideal for people who simply need to set and forget.

Some of the more expensive models have a feature that makes use of artificial intelligence to detect and scan obstructions in your home. These models can identify things like stairs, power cords, and furniture, and even distinguish between different types of floors. This can help them avoid these hazards, which is especially useful in larger homes with lots of carpets and floor coverings that are hard for robots to navigate.

Other robots are more basic in their abilities for object detection however they still manage to accomplish the task. One example is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 plus, that has the sleek elegant, easy-to-use design of a WiFi hub but boasts a lot of the performance of a top bot. It is extremely suction-driven and can handle dirt and debris on hardwood floors and rugs with medium pile effortlessly. Its squat and short side brush is less likely to get caught in shoes or cords. The hybrid roller brush, which uses bristles and plastic, offers a thorough cleaning.

This model is more expensive than the other models that are in the middle of the range, but it does everything you would expect from a robot vacuum and mop. It can draw out a cleaning schedule and create one. It also has virtual zones that you can stay clear of. It doesn't offer the same room-scanning and obstacle-avoiding capabilities as the j7 and s8.