The Best Robot Vacuum 2023

Robot vacuums can make cleaning your floors a breeze. The best robot vacuum for thick carpet robot vacuums can remove dirt, pet hair, crumbs, and much more.

Although they're unable to do as good of a job as the regular vacuum however, they've come a long way over the last few years. They're more efficient, smarter and (marginally) better in avoiding the legs of chairs.

Smart Mapping

Utilizing navigation tools such as sensors and lasers, robot vacuum cleaners navigate around your home, removing pet hair, crumbs and dirt into their bins from hard floors such as wood, tile and laminate and carpets and area rugs with low pile. Robots that are the most advanced map your home, so they know where they've been and can avoid bumping into obstacles like couches, chairs and bookshelves. You can also use the smartphone app to set up zones that prohibit your robot to stay out of rooms it doesn't want to clean.

Robots with advanced mapping capabilities, like the Roomba j7, utilize onboard cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles. This means that you can leave it to do an effective cleaning without having to continuously monitor the state of your floorplan, or manually move obstacles out of the robot's path. The TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus is a heavy duty robot vacuum that combines mopping and vacuuming, which means it's a complete 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, and can be used as security cameras.

Roborock Q Revo, a cheaper robot that vacuums, mop and functions as a robotic trashcan is a great choice for homes that do not require for more advanced features. It does have some disadvantages in comparison to Roomba S8 and j7. It has only one rubber brush instead of the dual roller brushes of the other, so it might not be as effective in collecting larger objects such as shoes and socks. It doesn't have AI obstacle avoidance, so you may need to clear clutter before running.

The iLife A4s Pro is a basic robot that's ideal for those who prioritize simplicity and competence. It's less than $200 and offers strong, consistent suction on both hardwood and low-pile carpets and also avoids tangles caused by rug threads. It doesn't include any fancy features, but it does the job well. It also works with voice commands. You can set it to run on a schedule or create zones of no-go zones with the app.

Object Detection

Object-avoidance technology can be the difference between a robot vacuum's ability to navigate around your home. Certain models on our list include sensors (or even cameras) that help your robo-cleaner avoid common traps for robots such as cords, kids' toys and pet messes. iRobot Roomba J7, one of the most impressive examples of intelligent technology in action, is a great example. It also comes with a sleek clean base that empties the trash bin automatically so that you don't have to.

During our tests the robotic cleaner up in a large house and were awed by how quickly and thoroughly it cleared floors without becoming bogged down. It's very mobile and can reach places that the majority of stand-up vacuums are unable to reach, like under beds and couches. It also has a great suction, a huge 500 ml dustbin and an over two-hour running time. It's not able to set up no-go zones, and its object recognition isn't exactly reliable. We noticed it hitting objects on occasion during our tests and resulted in vase caps falling over.

It's important to keep it in mind that no matter how clever the robot vacuum is it won't substitute for your upright or canister vacuum. It won't be able to clean heavily soiled carpets. It won't reach ceilings or other difficult-to-reach areas. It's a great addition to your routine cleaning for removing crumbs, hair, and pet dander.

Sensor systems are integrated into many robot vacuums to help them navigate around stairs and obstacles. They can tell when they are about to fall down the stairs, for instance, and can also recognize areas that are cluttered and move around them. If you're not careful your robo-cleaner may get stuck on a shoe, cord or any other object.

Some of the smarter robot vacuums come with the ability to map, which allows them to design an outline of your home and then locate themselves within it. This lets them know which areas they've already cleaned, and avoid the hassle of going over the same areas. It also allows them to resume the same place they left off, should they need to return to their charging dock.

Self-Emptying

A vacuum cleaner that can automatically empty its dust bin once it is full is a wonderful convenience. Some models come with windows that allow you to see when the dust bin has to be empty. This feature is ideal for people who have children or pets who can create much more mess than adults.

The majority of robot vacuums allow you to choose whether the machine is controlled with the use of a remote, an app on your phone or via voice commands. They come with a variety of digital features, including scheduling and maintenance tips. If you set the right settings, you can program your robot to clean on a regular time, or on a weekly basis. You can also program it to mark and clean specific areas of your home.

The smartest robot vacuums that we have tested are equipped with sensors and cameras which allow them to build maps for your home. These can be saved in the robot's app, so you can easily navigate to specific rooms or areas of your home. Some of these systems can even remember furniture placement and even note the transitions between hard floors and carpet.

The best smart vacuums can help you save time by automatically mapping and cleaning entire homes and keeping precise records of previous cleaning sessions. You can access these records using an app on your tablet or phone. Many can also connect to your smart speaker, so you can control them using voice commands.

TP-Link's Tapo RV30 Plus is an affordable, self-emptying robotic vacuum that offers good performance for the money. It can clean floors and sweep pet hair and other particles from rugs made of wood and low pile. It's not as advanced as the other robots we've reviewed but it does the job well.

The tank-like wheels that this model has allow it to glide right over the transitions between rooms as well as obstacles like tangled cords from devices that trip up other robots. It has a huge bin that doesn't have to be manually emptied and is able to recharge itself and continue cleaning when it is unable to continue cleaning. It's a bit more expensive than the other robotic vacuums we've tried, but it blends powerful suction with simple controls to give you a good value.

Voice Control

The majority of robot vacuums are controlled by a physical remote or an app that you can install on your smartphone. Some also connect to smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home, allowing you to control them using voice commands. This is useful if your robot needs to clean up and you have pets or small children who might interfere.

Most models also include an automatic mode that operates without any input from you. Simply press a button on the robot or in the app and it will begin sucking up dirt, food hair, and crumbs. The robots can also be programmed to clean regularly and is perfect for those who prefer to make it easy to set it and forget it.

Some of the more expensive models include a sophisticated feature that uses artificial intelligence to detect and scan obstructions in your home. These models can identify things like stairs, power cords as well as furniture, and even discern between different kinds of flooring. This can help robots avoid hazards. This is especially useful in homes with large areas of carpeting and flooring that are difficult for robots to navigate.

Some robots are more basic in their object detection abilities however, they still get the job done. One example is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 plus, which has the clean and easy-to-use appearance of a WiFi hub, but offers the performance of a top robot vacuum cleaner-notch bot. It is extremely suction-driven and is able to remove dirt and debris on hardwood floors and rugs with medium pile effortlessly. Its short, squat side brushes are less likely to become stuck in stray shoes or cords, and its hybrid roller brush uses bristles and plastic, rather than the traditional bristle brush to provide an even more thorough cleaning.

The model is more expensive than the other models in the middle-end but it has everything you'd expect from a robot vacuum and mop. It can draw out the cleaning schedule and then create one. It also has virtual zones to stay out of. However, it does not have obstacles avoidance or room scanning like the j7 and best robot vacuum for thick carpet S8.