6 Best Robot Vacuums for 2021

Robot vacuums are the ultimate convenience. No need to worry about your floors and carpets getting dirty. Simply schedule your robot and let it get to work.

This guide is going to take a look at the best robot vacuums on the market. We’ll talk through the pros, cons, and help you find the robot robot for your home.

Follow along as we highlight the best robot vacuum for different cleaning tasks and against a variety of debris and floor types. So with that said, let’s dive in!

Find the Best Robot Vacuum for Your Home

When you’re on the hunt for the best robot vacuum, it’s important to consider exactly which type of robot vacuum would be best. Is your space primarily carpet? Hardwoods? Or a mix of both? Do you struggle with keeping pet hair at bay?

Different robot vacuums are designed with different features and strengths. The best robot vacuums by each category are listed here:

1. Best Robot Vacuum Overall – Roomba S9+
2. Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair – Roomba 980
3. Best Robot Vacuum for Carpet – Roomba e5
4. Best Budget Robot Vacuum – Roomba 675
5. Best Robot Vacuum for Hardwood – Roborock E35
6. Best Robot Vacuum & Mop – Roborock S5

Best Robot Vacuum for 2021 Overall

When we’re gauging which model is the best overall robot vacuum for 2021, we’re considering a number of factors.

The best robot vacuums have the following features:

• A good value (balance of features and price)
• Excellent cleaning performance
• Smart navigation
• User-friendly
• Long enough run time to get the job done

To date, we’ve tested 37 robot vacuums (and always testing more) on the market, analyzing factors like design, features, usability, run time, maintenance, navigation, and overall cleaning performance.

Of the models we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The Roomba S9+ is the first Roomba model to have a D-shaped body style, a design seen previously before on the Neato Botvac D7. The updated design makes it easier for the S9+ to access corners and edges as it cleans, while also allowing for a wider cleaning path.

How It Cleans

The S9+ uses an on-board camera to digitally “see” areas, allowing it to avoid obstacles and navigate in a more efficient pattern as it cleans.

This model is also equipped with zoned cleaning and generates digital map reports that can be viewed from the iRobot Home app.

Cleaning Performance

We haven’t put the S9+ through our deep-dive cleaning tests yet. However, we have tested the Roomba i7+, which is one tier below the S9+.

Cleaning performance on the i7+ was virtually flawless and we would expect the S9+ to be just as good (if not better).

As you can see from the results below, this model was able to capture 99% of all debris types across all floor types. Results this good are virtually unmatched by models outside of the Roomba lineup.

Read our Roomba S9+ review here.

Pros

• D-shaped body makes it easier to access corners and edges
• Dust bin empties automatically, the same technology as the Roomba i7+
• Improved smart navigation using Imprint technology for zoned cleanings and digital mapping

Cons

• Much more expensive than other models on the market
• Requires physical barriers to block off sensitive spaces

RELATED – Find the best vacuum cleaners (all types) here.

Other Top Picks

If the Roomba S9+ is out of your price range here are a few other options worth considering.

If both the S9+ and i7+ are out of your price range, or you just don’t care about the self-emptying dust bin, the Roomba E5 is your best choice.

Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair

When hunting for the best robot vacuum for pet hair, many of the desired features are the same as those listed above, but there are also some special things you might want to look out for.

The best robot vacuums for pet hair have the following features:

• Excellent at removing debris from both carpets and hardwoods
• Offer above-average suction
• Rubberized brushrolls to reduce tangling
• Ability to clean without tangling

Other factors, including usability, wifi connectivity, larger dustbin, and smartphone / smart home integration, among others, are great as well and definitely worthy of consideration.

However, the most important attributes are the robots ability to effectively remove pet hair.

Another pro tip? Buy rubber gloves. Just as a rubberized brushroll really helps to grip the dirt as it spins, rubber gloves are excellent for cleaning pet hair.

Of all of the robot vacuums we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The Roomba 980 has the classic round body, an on-board camera for improved navigation, and wifi connectivity. Using the app, you can start, pause or schedule cleaning cycles, or view a digital map report of the cleaning progress.

How It Cleans

Similar to the S9+, the Roomba 980 also uses an on-board camera to help effectively navigate the space.

Dual rubberized brushrolls are designed to capture debris from all floor types and because they spin in opposite directions for each other, they do a better job at preventing tangles than traditional spiral brushrolls.

RELATED – What’s the best vacuum for pet hair?

Cleaning Performance

The cleaning performance of the Roomba 980 is very good, especially for pet-related messes. The only debris type that it struggled with is ultra-fine debris on carpet (ie: sugar).

All other debris types, outside of the sugar test, were literally 100%. And while we didn’t officially test this vacuum against pet hair, I can say from experience that it did a great job of cleaning pet hair.

Again, the rubberized brushrolls are fantastic for agitating and capturing pet hair and because they spin in opposite directions, they are less likely to tangle.

Read our full Roomba 980 review here.

Pros

• Extra-long 120-minute run time with Recharge & Resume
• On-board camera for advanced navigation
• Power Boost mode offers higher suction on carpets

Cons

• Not amazing at cleaning fine debris from carpet
• More expensive than the Roomba e5
• Louder to run than other Roombas, when cleaning low pile carpet or hardwoods

While we’re talking about the Roomba 980, I’d also like to add an accolade for the Roomba 960.

The Roomba 960 model shares many of the same features of the Roomba 980, except for the Power Boost on carpeted floors and slightly shorter run time. (75 minutes vs. the 120-minute run time on the Roomba 980).

If you’ve got a lot of carpets, the Power Boost can be a real bonus for cleaning pet hair, but homes with pets and hardwoods may likely never really use the Power Boost mode.

RELATED – Cleaning the air in your home is just as important as your floors. Check out the best air purifiers here.

Other Top Picks

If the Roomba 980 doesn’t sound right for you there are a couple other options that may be a better fit for you.

Roomba e5 makes another top pick choice due to it’s value.

Best Robot Vacuum for Carpet

Of all the robot vacuums we reviewed, not all of them are created equal.

For instance, some are great at cleaning hardwoods while others excel at carpeted floors. While the categories listed above include a variety of important features, when assessing the best robot vacuum for carpets, the process is a little different.

There is one factor that’s most important…

The biggest factor we are looking at is raw cleaning performance on our carpet cleaning tests.

All of our robot vacuums are put through a series of 12 cleaning test, which includes four different testing debris types on three different floor types (hardwoods, low pile carpet, and high pile carpet).

For the best robot vacuum for carpet, we’re mainly going to focus on the performance on high and low pile carpet, but if you have a mix of floor types in your home, you may want to consider the performance across all cleaning tests.

Of all of the robot vacuums we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The Roomba e5 is a part of Roomba’s recent launch where it also came out with the Roomba i7, i7+, S9, and S9+. See our 5 way comparison here.

All of these models include the rebranded Roomba parts with lime green accents and the advanced AeroForce filtration system with a HEPA filter that is nearly half the size of the previous version.

From this launch, the Roomba e5 is the most budget-friendly Roomba in this set, which gives you current technology, but leaves out some advanced bells-and-whistles that would otherwise drive the cost up.

How It Cleans

This model cleans similarly to other preceding Roomba models. There is no on-board camera for advanced navigation, but that doesn’t mean that it has any problem locating the debris.

On the contrary, the Roomba e5 had nearly flawless cleaning performance on all floor types.

Cleaning Performance

The complete cleaning performance results are listed below. Frankly put, there was no debris type that we tested that the e5 could not locate and remove.

Of the 12 different tests that we ran, the e5 scored between 98-100% in terms of the amount of debris picked up.

This is one of the best overall cleaning performances that we’ve seen from any robot vacuum to date.

Considering the low price of the Roomba e5, the value of this vacuum is hard to beat.

Read our full Roomba e5 review here.

Pros

• Excellent cleaning performance on all floor types, but especially impressive on carpets
• Fantastic value considering its high-quality performance and set of features

Cons

• No on-board camera for advanced navigation or zoned cleaning cycles
• Does not include Recharge & Resume feature
• No option for the self-emptying dust bin (like on the i7+ or S9+)

Other Top Picks

At the end of the day, what makes the best robot vacuum for carpet? In our view, it’s carpet cleaning performance.

All 3 of our picks here are basically a mirror of what we recommended above for overall vacuum. Simply put, Roomba S9+, i7+, and E5 scored the best on carpets among any vacuum we’ve tested.

We like the E5 as the top pick here simply because it’s such a good value. If you can get the same performance for less dollars then that’s a no brainer.

Nevertheless, if you want a little more power, longer run times, better navigation, and digital mapping you should considering the Roomba S9 or Roomba i7.

Roomba i7 is the least expensive compared to S9, S9+, and i7+.

Above we talk extensively about the Roomba S9+ and Roomba i7+. While they are still the top picks, if you don’t care as much about the self-emptying dust bin the non-plus versions of these are great robots in their own right.

To clarify, the only thing that makes the S9+ and i7+ the “plus” model is the self-emptying dust bin. The S9 and i7 models are functionally identical to the robots that come with the plus models.

Best Budget Robot Vacuum

If you’re looking for the best value for your dollar, you may want to consider a simpler robot vacuum with fewer bells-and-whistles, but no decline in cleaning performance.

This is a hard balance to strike, but for most users cleaning performance is the most critical feature.

Of all of the robot vacuums we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The design of the Roomba 675 feels more familiar to the look of a classic Roomba.

It has a round body, a central “CLEAN” button, and wifi connectivity, which makes it easy to control additional features through your smartphone.

As part of the Roomba 600 Series, this model has a bristle-style brushroll with a smaller paddle brushroll to help agitate and capture more debris.

RELATED – Looking for a budget-friendly Roomba model with dual rubberized brushrolls? Check out our Roomba e5 robot vacuum review for all the details.

How It Cleans

The Roomba 675 doesn’t have an on-board camera or any fancy sensor or digital mapping technology. It uses the classic “bump and continue” approach to effectively clean the space.

It has a long 90-minute run time which should be more than enough time for most cleaning jobs.

To block off sensitive areas, the Roomba 675 comes with a virtual wall barrier that uses infrared light to prevent the Roomba 675 from accessing areas that are undesirable.

Cleaning Performance

For the low price and relatively basic features, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall cleaning performance of the Roomba 675. This model had excellent cleaning performance across all floor types.

The dips in performance shown below were based solely on its struggle to capture ultra-fine debris during our sugar cleaning test.

The Roomba 675 is built on the same platform as the Roomba 690. The only difference between these two is the virtual wall barrier that comes with the 690.

For our cleaning tests, we put the 690 to the test, so that’s the data we have included below.

To view the complete cleaning performance scores, check out our full review of the Roomba 675 here.

Pros

• Great cleaning performance
• Includes wifi connectivity for remote control
• Value-priced which puts this model in-budget for many people

Cons

• No on-board camera for advanced navigation or zoned cleaning cycles
• Doesn’t have Recharge & Resume

Other Top Picks

If you want just a little extra functionality take a look at the Roomba 690.

Last, but not least, we have the Eufy BoostIQ 11s.

Best Robot Vacuum for Hardwood Floors

Cleaning hardwood floors is generally an area where most robot vacuums excel.

Since there is no pile (like carpet) and minimal friction, debris just sits on top of the floor and it is easily captured by many robot models without needing excessive suction power.

Because of this, it can be hard to identify just one robot vacuum that is “best” for hardwoods floors, since many models are good.

In this case, what we look for is a good value. If you’re primarily cleaning hardwoods, it just doesn’t make sense to pay for excessive suction power or other bells and whistles that you might not get the value out of.

Of all of the robot vacuums we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The Roborock E35 has a round body style and simple button controls on the top. To access the digital map and scheduled cleanings, you can open up the Roborock app on your smartphone (when paired with a wifi network).

How It Cleans

This robot vacuum cleans by using a bristle-style brushroll, which would usually be prone to tangles, but I was pretty pleased by its overall performance.

It also has digital mapping sensors that visually show you areas where the E35 has cleaned. Its cleaning path is straighter and more direct than other models which rely on the “bump and continue” approach.

This means straighter vacuum lines and the ability for the E35 to “see” obstacles before it bumps into them and slows down or choose a new path.

Cleaning Performance

Overall, the cleaning performance of the Roborock E35 was great, especially on hardwoods. For hard surface flooring, the E35 captured between 98-100% of all debris types we tested.

With the added mopping feature, the Roborock E35 is a perfect choice for vacuuming and mopping hardwoods.

The cleaning performance for carpeted floors was also pretty good. While it did struggle with finer debris (like cereal and kitty litter on high pile carpet), the long run time and Recharge & Resume feature allows the E35 to just keep cleaning until the job is done.

Read our full Roborock E35 review here.

Pros

• Great cleaning performance on hardwoods, scoring a 99% average
• Includes wifi connectivity for remote control
• Long run time (up to 150 minutes) with Recharge & Resume capabilities

Cons

• Not great at cleaning fine debris from carpets
• Runs a little slower on carpeted floors

Other Top Picks

It was pretty hard to make our other top picks for hardwood floors. Primarily, because so many robot vacuums do so well on hard surfaces.

We’ve already talked a lot about really high-end and expensive robots. All of those you can expect to score near perfectly on hardwoods.

So our recommendations here are robot vacuums that are near perfect on hardwoods, but not nearly as expensive.

First up, Shark ION R85.

Last, we have the Roborock E25.

Best Robot Vacuum & Mop

If you’re looking for a sweet balance between vacuum and mop, as somewhat of a one-stop-shop for cleaning floors, you may be interested in a combo robot cleaning machine.

The best combo robot vacuum and mop is designed for all floor types, intelligently avoiding carpet when the mopping function is enabled.

Of all of the robot vacuums we have tested, our top recommendations are listed below:

The Design

The Roborock S5 robot vacuum has a similar design to the Roborock E35 in terms of aesthetic simplicity and laser-based navigation.

How It Cleans

The Roborock S5 can intelligently navigate even complicated floor plans, using sensors to detect walls and other obstacles.

The robot navigates in straighter lines compares to other less advanced models, which gives a logical pattern to the cleaning cycle.

When running this vacuum as a mop, you simply install the narrow water reservoir and microfiber mopping pad. As it cleans the S5 will distribute water as needed and use the mopping pad to gently scrub and clean the area, leaving a slightly damp area in its trail.

Cleaning Performance

Overall, the cleaning performance of the Roborock S5 is solid, but it especially excels in cleaning hardwood floors.

When cleaning low and high pile carpet, the S5 had some of the same struggles mentioned on the Roborock E35 — difficulty capturing finer debris types (like sugar and kitty litter).

As for mopping, I was pretty impressed with its ability to mop hardwood floors. We tested the S5 in our testing lab as well as a portion of our high-traffic home.

While I’m not sure the S5 could effectively replace the need for an actual mop, it definitely made an impact on the overall cleanliness of the floors.

The image above was taken after running a complete vacuum cycle so it definitely captures debris that the vacuum would otherwise leave behind.

Read our full Roborock S5 review here.

Pros

• Great for vacuuming and mopping hardwoods
• Long 150-minute run time with Recharge & Resume feature; cleans until the job is done
• Wifi connectivity with digital mapping and no-go lines for custom cleaning cycles and detailed reports

Cons

• Not great for cleaning fine debris from carpeted floors
• Can be difficult to find replacement parts

Other Top Picks

If you like the sounds of the Roborock S5, but want to spend less the Roborock E35 is exactly what you’re looking for.

Based on our tests of robot vacuums over the last couple of years we really feel that Roborock is the current king when it comes to vacuum and mopping at the same time.

You can see Roborock’s full robot line here as well as a comparison chart we built here. For clarification, Roborock S6, S5, E35, and E25 all include the mopping attachment. Roborock C10 does not.

If you’re not keen on Roborock then you will want to go with a standalone mopping robot.

Currently, iRobot’s Braava line is far and away the best standalone mopping robots on the market.

See our Braava reviews here:

• iRobot Braava Jet m6 review
• Braava Jet 240 review
• iRobot Braava 380t review

Robot Vacuum Reviews

The table below highlights all of the robot vacuum models that we’ve tested to date, showing a range of features and price points.

Robot Vacuum Comparisons

Sometimes, the most difficult part of choosing the best robot vacuum for you is understanding the intricate differences and details between similar models.

To help make the choice easier, we’ve compiled a litany of robot vacuum comparisons.

• Roomba S9+ vs. S9 vs. i7+ vs. i7 vs. e5
• Roomba i7+ vs. i7+ vs. e5
• Roomba e5 vs. e6
• Shark vs. Roomba
• Neato D3 vs. D5
• Roomba 960 vs 980
• Roomba 690 vs. 960
• Roomba 650 vs. 690
• Roomba 690 vs. 890
• Roomba 890 vs. 980
• Roomba 890 vs 960
• Roomba 860 vs. 890
• Roomba 614 vs. 690
• Neato vs. Roomba
• Bobsweep vs. Roomba
• iLIfe vs. Roomba
• Eufy vs. Roomba
• Roomba 675 vs. 690
• Neato D5 vs. D7

For each review, we identify two or more robot vacuums that consumers frequently look for comparisons around.

Then, we take those robots and put them through a comprehensive side-by-side review, showcasing where they are similar and different. At the end, we try to help summarize all of the information so you can make a more informed decision.

Why so many Roomba comparisons? 

Because the iRobot Roomba tends to be among the most popular robot vacuum with consumers, we see far more interest from readers around Roomba related comparisons, which is why you’ll see so many Roomba robot vacuum comparisons on Modern Castle.

Didn’t find what you needed?

If there is a robot comparison you’d like to see that is not listed below, please let us know here.

More Resources

• Best Robot Vacuum for Hardwood Floors
• 7 Best Upright Vacuum Cleaners
• Best Cheap Robot Vacuum
• 8 Best Cordless Stick Vacuums
• Best Small Vacuum Cleaner
• 12 Best Vacuum Cleaners
• Best Roomba for Pet Hair

Need More Help?

Still not sure what robot vacuum is best for you? That’s okay!

We’re here to help. Please leave us your question or comment using the form down below. We do our best to respond within 24 hours.

Update Log

• July 14, 2019 – corrected an error where we stated the Roborock S5 had an on-board camera. It does not. It uses laser-based navigation instead.
• July 12, 2019 – massively updated our original version of this page to make it more streamlined with absolute recommendations for various categories. Improved formatting and made a large number of other updates.