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Neato D5 vs. D7 Vacuum Comparison

Derek Hales

Written By: Derek Hales

Updated on:

The Neato D5 and Neato D7 are upper-tier robot vacuums with wifi-connectivity, voice control, and smart mapping.

Neato D5 vs Neato D7 robot vacuum comparison review

So what makes the Neato D5 vs D7 different? Find out the difference makers here.

Which is the better robot?

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Neato D5 vs. D7

Between the D5 and the D7, the D7 brings quite a few upgrades. It has an advanced brushroll, longer run time (120 minutes on the D7 vs. only 90 minutes on the D5), and a quick charge option. This leads to better cleaning performance. Its upgraded aesthetic is an extra layer of frosting on the cake.Check Price

The Differences

  • Price: The Neato D7 is more expensive than the D5 model, but also comes with more features (listed above).
  • Brushroll: The brushroll of the Neato D7 is a spiral combo brush, whereas the D5 uses a slightly downgraded combo brushroll. The D7 brushroll is said to be a stronger brushroll in terms of overall cleaning performance.
  • Run Time: The Neato Botvac D7 has a 120-minute run time while the Neato Botvac D5 only had a 90-minute run time.
  • Zone Cleaning: Only the D7 will be able to use the digital mapping technology to create “zones” like Kitchen, Bedroom, or Living Room.
  • Aesthetics: The D5 has an all black body style and the D7 has a silver and black body.

Neato D5 vs. D7 Design

The design of the Neato BotVac D5 vs. Neato BotVac D7 is similar from the outside. Both models have the classic D-shaped Neato body, simple interface, and a (nearly) full-width brush bar. Both of these models come with quite a few bells and whistles.

First, buttons:

On the Neato D5, there are three icons on the vacuum—an info LED, battery LED, and a Start button. The D7 also has the physical Start button, info LED, and battery LED. In addition, the D7 includes to lighted indicators for wifi connectivity and navigation.

Neato Botvac D5 Connected robot vacuum
Neato Botvac D5 Connected robot vacuum

What’s on the Underside? 

Under the hood, the D5 and D7 both have a familiar feel. There is a small spinning side brush (about half the length of the Roomba side brushes). There are two large wheels on each side for navigation.

Unlike other robot vacuums that have a brushroll located centrally in the middle of the vacuum, the Neato robots move the brushroll front and center.

Neato BotVac D7 robot vacuum underside

Placing the brushrush along the front of the vacuum (in combination the D-shaped design) allows the Neato to clean more tightly into corners.

RELATED – Discover how Neato vs. Roomba compares.

Size Comparison

Considering size, both the Neato D5 and Neato D7 are similar in size. The Neato D7 is just slightly smaller (in depth only).

The Neato D7 robot vacuum is:

  • 13.2″L x 12.5″D
  • 3.9″ high
  • 7.5 pounds
Neato D7 size

By comparison, the Neato D5 robot vacuum is:

  • 13.2″L x 12.6″D
  • 3.9″ high
  • 7.5 pounds
Neato D5 size

Accessories & Parts

Both the Neato D5 and Neato D7 comes with similar accessories. Both models come with the following parts and accessories in the box:

  • Charging Station
  • Battery
  • Performance Filter
  • Boundary Strip (optional)
  • Cleaning Tool
  • Spinning Brush
  • User Guide
Neato accessories and replacement parts

The main accessories the separates these two models is the:

  • Brushroll
  • Ultra-high performance HEPA filter

The Neato Botvac D7 comes with the Spiral Combo brushroll. This brushroll is a step up over the brush used in the D5.

The only other notable difference is the filter. D5 includes what Neato calls their “High Performance” filter, whereas the D7 includes their “Ultra Performance” filter.

Neato Botvac Combo Brushroll Robot Vacuum

THE BRUSHROLL | The brushroll with the Neato Botvac D7 is a Spiral Combo Brushroll while the Neato D5 comes with the standard Combo Brushroll (same as the Neato D3 and Neato D4).

Neato D5 vs. D7 Performance

So regarding overall performance, there are quite a few factors that we look at. Performance is a combined assessment of the factors below. We consider these factors, and others, when scoring robot vacuums.

RELATED – See more robot vacuum testing here.

Neato BotVac D7 robot vacuum navigation

Performance includes navigation, run time, usability, cleaning performance, and maintenance. We’ll take a closer look at each of them below.

MORE – Interested in more Neatos? Click here to check out our Neato D3. vs. D5 vacuum comparison. 

Navigation

The Neato D7 and Neato D5 both navigate with LaserSmart technology, allowing them to create a digital map of your home when cleaning.

From your smartphone or tablet, you can see areas were the Neato has cleaned and other areas it may have skipped over or hasn’t gotten to yet.

Neato laser navigation

Since Neato ties navigation into the firmware of the vacuum, it is upgraded as technology advances. The most recent instance of this was seen with the addition of “No-Go Lines”.

What are No Go Lines?

No-Go Lines allow you to digitally mark off ares that you want to avoid. This helps to prevent Neato from getting lost of stuck in areas that it doesn’t belong. In order to use No Go Lines, you’ll need to connect your Neato to a wifi network.

Neato - No Go Lines - navigation - D5 vs D7

What about physical boundaries? 

Without No-Go Lines, there is also an option to mark off certain areas with physical boundary strips. These lay directly on the floor to provide physical boundaries. You can pickup Neato brand and 3rd party boundary strips here.

How Does Neato move?

The way the Neato D5 and D7 move about is a little more methodical compared to some of the sporadic pathways of other, more basic robots. The cleaning lines are straighter and, when paired with your smartphone, you can easily see areas that the Neato has or hasn’t cleaned yet.

Run Time

The run time for the Neato Botvac D7 is up to 120 minutes, while the Botvac D5 can run for up to 90 minutes.

Neato Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum usability

In addition to initial run time, there is also Quick Charge.

This is a new feature that was recently developed, but it’s not reserved for new models. Again, because the firmware in Neatos is upgradable, as long as your pairing up with the Neato app, both the D5 and D7 will be able to access the Quick Charge feature.

Quick Charge is a great addition to the Auto-Charge and Resume.

The Auto-Charge kicks in in the middle of a cleaning cycle to tackle larger floor plans. In these cases, it will charge to full battery in the middle of a cleaning cycle and continue when the clean when it’s full battery.

With Quick Charge, Neato will boost up just enough to finish the job. This means less time parked at the dock, and more time cleaning.

Usability

The usability of both the Neato Botvac D7Neato BotVac D5, and the Botvac D3 are also pretty similar. Again, because the smartphone interface is app-based and not based on model, it can upgrade as new technology comes out.

Neato - Zone Cleaning - mapping - D5 vs D7

Both the D7 and D5 allow for the following user-friendly features:

  • Scheduled cleanings
  • Auto Charge & Resume
  • Voice Control
  • Cleaning Summaries
  • Coverage Maps

Maintenance

Maintenance costs for both the Neato D7 and D5 are fairly high, when following the recommended maintenance schedule.

This includes the regular maintenance and replacement of the filter, brushroll, spinning side brush, battery, and optional boundary marker.

Accessory / PartReplacement FrequencyReplacement Cost
Filter1-2 monthsCheck Price
Brushroll6-12 monthsCheck Price
Spinning Brush6-12 monthsCheck Price
Battery12-18 monthsCheck Price
Boundary Marker (13')OptionalCheck Price

Replacing the filter 6 times a year, brushroll once per year, battery once every other year, and spinning brush 4 times a year on the D7 (with Neato branded parts) you can expect to pay around $195 / year.

The D5 on the same replacement schedule (with Neato branded parts) will cost you $155 / year.

If you buy 3rd party Neato replacement parts those annual maintenance costs drop considerably

Cleaning Performance

We have not yet had a chance to test the Neato D7 and D5 robots in our testing lab yet.

That being said, there are some assumptions we can make about the cleaning performance, based on the performance of other Neato models.

One Neato that has faced the testing lane (see performance graphs below) at the Modern Castle lab is the Neato Botvac D3. The D3 performed good on hardwood floor and pretty average on carpet (both high and low pile carpet).

Overall

87%

Hardwood

95%

Low Carpet

84%

High Carpet

83%

But the good news is, that model is older and less advanced than both the D5 and the D7.

RELATED – Click here to read our full review of the Neato D3 robot vacuum. 

Neato Botvad D3 hardwood cleaning test

We would expect the D5 and D7 to perform significantly better than the D3, and we would estimate performance to be:

  • Hardwood – 99%
  • Low Pile Carpet – 90%
  • High Pile Carpet – 90%

Overall

93%

Hardwood

99%

Low Carpet

90%

High Carpet

90%

The D5 and D7 seem fairly close to Roomba’s 960 and 980 models, both of which scored nearly flawlessly during our cleaning tests, except on sugar on carpets (an area most robot vacuums seem to really struggle with).

You can see our Roomba 960 and Roomba 980 tests here.

Neato Botvac D5 vs. D7 Specifications

Below you’ll find a complete comparison of important specifications on the Neato BotVac D5 vs. Neato BotVac D7.

Check it out here:

ModelD5 ConnectedD7 Connected
Neato Botvac D5 Connected robot vacuum reviewNeato BotVac D7 Connected robot vacuum
Wi-FiYesYes
SchedulingYesYes
Auto-charge & ResumeYesYes
Voice ControlYesYes
Cleaning SummaryYesYes
Coverage MapsYesYes
Quick ChargeYesYes
Remote ControlYesYes
Zone CleaningNoYes
Boundary
Markers
Markers IncludedDigital 'No-Go' Lines
BrushrollComboSpiral Combo
FilterHigh Performance Ultra Performance
Run Time~90 minute~120 minute
Width12.7"12.7"
Depth13.2"13.2"
Height3.9"3.9"
Weight7.5 lbs.7.5 lbs.
Maintenance Costs$155 / year (with Neato brand parts)$195 / year (with Neato brand parts)
PriceCheck PriceCheck Price

Which Neato is Right for You?

So the decision between the the Neato D5 and Neato D7 is not separated by a large number of factors. The biggest differences between these two models are listed below:

Price

If you’re looking for the lower price, the Neato D5 is the obvious choice. The fact that new app upgrades can trickle down into older Neato models helps to make older models more desirable for the budget-conscious cleaner.

Brushroll

Although untested, it is likely that the D7 will have slightly better cleaning performance (especially on carpet floors) due to the advanced brushroll. The D5 uses the older brushroll which has a slightly simpler design which may tangle or have trouble collecting finer debris particles.

Run Time

Also for larger homes, the longer run time of the D7 model could be a real bonus.

Zone Cleaning

If cleaning specific areas is a big deal to you, that is something that you can only get with the Neato BotVac D7. Name your favorite spaces—kitchen, bedroom, or living room and have Neato get to work.

Aesthetic

The D7 also has a slightly updated interface with more LED information than the D5. Also the D5 has an all black body while the D7 employs a black and gray 2-tone style.

If you’re looking for the best value and don’t need the extended run time or Zoned Cleaning, I would recommend the Neato BotVac D5 robot vacuum.

For more information on the Neato D5, check it out at here.

If you’re looking for the best option for larger homes and want to be able to direct your Neato to specific areas, I would recommend the Neato BotVac D7 robot vacuum.

For more information on the Neato D7, check it out at here.

About Derek Hales

Derek HalesDerek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.