At first, an automatic vacuum cleaner can sound like an extravagance, but in a world where everyone is just getting busier, it makes sense to reclaim some valuable time and introduce a little automation into things. But they’re not just for people who are busy – they are also a great help to anyone with shedding pets, young children, the elderly or those with a physical restriction.
They’re seriously smart gadgets. By utilising sensors, the robots avoid drops and obstacles. The user selects a cleaning course type, be it room, edge or spot clean, and off it goes. The rounded shape means that they won’t snag or catch, and they have no sharp corners to damage any furniture. The low profile lets them pass under furniture to clean where you cannot. These are all standard features.
There’re a lot of helpful robots out there, across different price ranges and boasting different abilities. To help you out, we’ve brought together a selection of the best robot vacuum cleaners.
Jump to:
Is it worth getting a robot vacuum?
Yes, yes and yes again, robot vacuums are honestly worth every penny. You’ll have floors that have never been so clean and with minimal effort, what's not to love?
Of course, coughing up the heavy sum of cash can be daunting at first, but the efficiency, speed and basically zero effort, means you can spend more time doing the things you love instead of hoovering.
While the robot does most of the work for you, there may still be areas that it misses, like under sofas or corners it can’t reach. Just like this, there are other factors to consider before splashing the cash, so let’s take a look.
What you need to know before investing in a robot vacuum:
They need to be emptied
Sounds silly, but yes, they do need to be emptied, and most likely on a more regular basis than your average hoovers.
Some robot vacuums do however feature self-emptying functions, where dirt and debris are emptied into their charging base/ home point, which again will need to be emptied but on a less regular basis.
They can get stuck
It happens, even with all their sensors and crazy abilities, your robot vacuum can get stuck sometimes on their route.
Issues like this can be avoided after the first few trips around the house, if you identify problem areas your robot vacuum typically encounters, simply block them off.
They need clear space
Your robot vacuum will go for any cables, loose shoelaces and cords if they're out and in their route of cleaning. No permanent damage will be done, but you will have to clear these away to avoid the issue occurring again.
There are newer features and models that were created to avoid this, some now come with mapping tape so you can square off areas you want them to clean, others feature detailed floor-scanning, which will detect cables and areas to avoid.
The best robot vaccum cleaners 2021
All of these robot vacuums have been hand-selected by What's The Best shopping experts. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching, so you can choose the best one. Plus, we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in. Find out why you should trust us here.
Recommended
Description
This is the ultimate robot vacuum for your smart home. With the ability to connect to your smart devices, the Neato can be controlled via your phone, smartwatch, Amazon Echo, Google Home and Neato Chatbot for Facebook. The shape allows for deep corner cleaning, and it's packed with all the mod-cons you need, from laser navigation to multi-floor cleaning and automated charging. Review: "I am amazed how good our Neato is! I didnu2019t hold out much hope of it getting round our large ground floor on one charge and it didnu2019t quite make it but the fact it can charge and resume resolved that issue. I also know we can upgrade the battery to one that lasts longer. I didnu2019t expect edge to edge cleaning but it gets pretty close and as it cleans daily there is very little dust accumulating at the edge of rooms. As it canu2019t climb skirting I dust those and flick any dust from the edge, behind doors etc further into the room. I can see carpet being more of an issue but we only have hard floors downstairs. The no go lines took a while to get right but they stop it climbing into the dogs water bowl etc. I have to empty the dust box daily. We have two dogs that shed a lot and Iu2019ve never seen my floors so clean. Well worth the investment to keep our floors looking like new."
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Self-sufficient - this robot vacuum returns to the charge base whenever is needed | • Some users found it difficult to set-up and connect to Wi-fi at first |
| • The robotic vacuum cleaner removes dust, allergens, and dog hair even more efficiently | |
| • Can connect to your smart devices so you can control from anywhere |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 33.56 x 31.9 x 9.95 cm |
| Item weight: | 3.4 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.7 litres |
| Wattage: | 30 watts |
| Noise level: | 69 dB |
| Box contains: | Neato D4, one filter, one combi brush, one cleaning tool and charging station |
Best for on-the-go control
Description
A great offering from the brand that started it all. The Roomba 692040 is Wi-Fi enabled, so you can control it from any smart device u2013 this includes Amazon Alexa and Google Home speakers. There's a really useful scheduling feature, which can be set a week in advance u2013 you could set the timer for when you're at work, so you will always return to a clean house. There is a three-stage cleaning process, dedicated corner brush and dirt detection sensors, meaning that no mess is too much. Review: "I have never had a robot vacuum cleaner before, but have been using this, and it is excellent. We have mostly carpet, and it copes very well.I had been worried about carpet use or the mix of flat.vs carpet change, but it is no problem at all; it could almost go off road! The app and schedule is fine also."
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Auto-adjust cleaning head that adapts to different floor surfaces – to effectively clean carpets and hard floors | • Doesn’t work over shaggy carpets/rugs |
| • Dirt detect sensors to concentrate on areas with more dirt | |
| • Can connect to your smart devices so you can control from anywhere | |
| • Schedule a clean up to seven days in advance | |
| • Navigates under and around furniture and over loose cords without damaging household objects |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 34 x 34 x 9.2 cm |
| Item weight: | 3.08 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.3 litres |
| Max runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Noise level: | 58 dB |
| Box contains: | Roomba 692, home base charger, one lead and operating instructions |
Best for pet hair
Description
Cat and dog owners take heed. Neato has designed a brush combination specifically for the task of collecting up animal hair, in addition to the regular cleaning vacuum duties. This deep-cleaning power can be controlled over Wi-Fi with a smart device or via an Amazon Alexa device. You can place virtual no-go lines to makes sure that certain areas of you house, like around dog bowls, are not ventured into. The charge is significant too, boasting 120 minutes of cleaning time (and yes, it'll self-charge too). Review: "I was particularly impressed with the pickup ability of the RoboVac, it really does a superb job at picking up bits of dirt in the carpet. This is helped by the greatly enlarged spiral brush, enabled by the D-Shape design. Also, because the vac maps your floor design it makes sure every part is covered. I had to create some virtual no-go lines on the app (I used an iPad and Pencil for this as using the touch screen was very imprecise). The fireplace was blocked off because of the candles on the hearth and finally, the step from the kitchen to the dining room was just a little too steep for the Vac to successfully climb (although it would spend 20 minutes trying!). The absolute bonus of this Vac is its integration into the Samsung SmartThings system, as you can see the Vac appears as a device allowing me to set the Vac to run when I leave the house each day. You also get a nice map after every clean to confirm which areas were cleaned (shown in light blue)."
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Choose your clean - the eco option gives a longer, quieter energy-saving clean while turbo option provides a super-powered cleaning | • The most expensive product in our round-up |
| • Includes zone cleaning, multiple floor plan mapping, and No-Go Lines, so your home will be cleaner than it ever has been | |
| • Can connect to your smart devices so you can control from anywhere | |
| • Exclusive D-Shape design mimics corners of your home for a precise clean |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 56 x 31.9 x 9.95 cm |
| Item weight: | 3.4 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.7 litres |
| Wattage: | 61 watts |
| Noise level: | 69 dB |
| Box contains: | Neato D6, ultra-performance filter, one spiral combination brush, one side brush, one cleaning tool, charging station and separate pet accessory pack (ultimate pet brush, two filters, cleaning tool and side brush) |
Best for smart navigation
Description
Yours.co.uk review: "This product is ideal if you struggle with heavier vacuum cleaners, as it minimises the amount of energy and time you need to put into cleaning. It is, however, a luxury and while it was able to deal with the odd mess, I did have to regularly get the big vacuum out. So if you only had the budget for one or the other, I would recommend investing in a regular, good quality vacuum cleaner." "There were also a few downsides. The suction level is very good for a vacuum of this size, but it did take a few attempts to pick up some bits of fluff and pet hair off the floor. It is also rather noisy, so if you do plan to watch some TV while it's on, you may need to turn it up a tad. The final point is that it often struggled to find its way home to the charging base, moving around in circles unable to locate it, meaning I did have to give it a little nudge in the right direction at times." Read the full review of the Eufy Robovac G30 over on Yours.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Hands-free control with BoostIQ Technology | • Some users said although the suction was great, for pet hairs it took a few round trips to catch them all |
| • Two-in-one mopping and sweeping | |
| • Smart dynamic navigation 2.0 with path tracking sensor and cleaning history |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 32.5 x 32.5 x 7.25 cm |
| Item weight: | 2.9 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.45 litres |
| Noise level: | 56 dB |
| Box contains: | RoboVac G30 Hybrid, charging base, ac power adapter, two side brushes, additional unibody filter, cleaning tool, water tank, washable mopping cloth, disposable mopping cloth, waterproof pad, 6.6 ft. boundary strips, adhesive tapes, five cable ties, filter element, user manual, quick start guide, welcome guide and worry-free 12-month gurantee |
Best two-in-one vacuum and mop
www.robertdyas.co.uk
Description
Vacuuming is a thing of the past, cue Robot Mop. This revolutionary cleaning machine will get your floors looking sparkling clean in no time - well, more like 70-80 minutes to be precise! Pop this on before you go to work and you'll come back with an (almost) brand new kitchen.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Intelligent cleaning system 2.0 with mopping module | • Has a longer charging time of 4.5 hours |
| • Easy to use via remote control and automatically returns to charging station when it needs more power | |
| • Dust, hair, and pollen are collected in the bagless dust container, so you never have to worry about re–emission |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 30 x 30 x 8 cm |
| Item weight: | 2.05 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.3 litres |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Box contains: | Medion MD 19510, docking station with adapter, one remote control (including 2x AAA batteries), four side brushes, two filters and one mopping module |
Best budget option
Description
The Venga! 3-in-1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner is a great budget option, which offers great versatility through changeable heads, that allow it to act as a vacuum, mop or brush. It also has built-in sensors to stop it from colliding with walls or falling down the stairs. Review: "Easy to use and quick to set up. Picks up a lot of dust and pet hairs. The remote works to wake up the robot, make it focus on one area, and go back home. The mopping attachment works well, doesn't run out of water and still manages to clean our whole (big) kitchen with a full tank. Definitely worth it for the money."
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Features a built-in wet mopping function | • Some users have found sourcing stockists for spare or replacement parts difficult |
| • Has 11 anti-collision and cliff sensors to easily slip between furniture and not fall in the stairs | |
| • Thanks to its integrated HEPA filter, the exhaust air of the vacuum cleaner is clean, 99.95% of dust particles have been removed by the strong filtering systems |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 33 x 33 x 7.6 cm |
| Item weight: | 2.8 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.3 litres |
| Box contains: | Venga! VG RVC 3000 BS, dust tank, wet mopping dust tank, remote control (2x AAA batteries included), charging base (AC power adapter included), cleaning tool, extra mop and four rotative side brushes |
Best all-round vacuum
Description
This little vacuum does it all. The powerful suction and brush combi guarantee a consistently great clean u2013 you can attach a cloth to the underside for hardwood mopping too. There are all the smart sensing systems that you would need, offering anti-bump, anti-fall and obstacle detection. The Proscenic will recognise when it needs charging and return automatically back to the charging base. Review: "I'm a bit biased here, I just love this robot vac. Since the day it arrived, it has become a family best friend. It's a good solid well-made robot vac that does exactly what it should do, it vacuums floors well, it's not a gimmick, it picks up what you would expect it to. It is at its best on the wood flooring downstairs where it misses nothing, it's surprisingly impressive at getting into the corners of a room and working its way along skirting boards."
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Suction is adjustable in three levels to meet your different needs | • We can’t find any! |
| • Can be controlled by the remote control, APP and Alexa & Google Home voice command | |
| •Mop and vacuum in the same time with the electronically controlled 2-in-1 water tank and dustbin included | |
| • Works in a programmed pattern, that eventually reaches every area that it can access for an efficient and effective clean | |
| •Automatically increase suction power when carpet is detected |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 32.5 x 32.5 x 7.3 cm |
| Item weight: | 2.5 kg |
| Volume capacity: | 0.5 litres |
| Noise level: | 60 dB |
| Runtime: | 70-120 minutes |
| Box contains: | 850T Robot vacuum cleaner, water tank, mopping cloth, remote control, cleaning tool, magnetic strips, side brush, HEPA filter and charging station td> |
With some models, you can also control the robot via Alexa, Wi-Fi, set up a house map on a smartphone or schedule cleaning times. There are also many models which self-charge – once they start getting low on juice, they head back to their small home station and dock for recharging.
What to read next:
Leave your home looking spotless with the best steam cleaner for tiles
William Lobley is a Senior Content Writer and reviewer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in technology, gaming, and outdoors. He also writes for Empire Online.
Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from Will and the rest of the What’s The Best team.