How to choose a robot vacuum

Start with your home

Find your situation, then go to the step that answers it. Each step lists the robot vacuums I track by what their makers state.

The 14 robot vacuums I track, side by side

US market only: prices in US dollars on each maker’s own US store, before tax. One row per version sold, so each price sits beside that version’s own figures; each robot I track has one price on its maker’s store today. Every figure is the maker’s; “Not stated” means the maker doesn’t say on the pages I read. In price order, not ranked.

Step 1: Check what it does on carpet, and the thresholds it crosses

If you have rugs and want it to mop, check first what the maker says the mop does on carpet. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, 4 take the mop off on carpet and 6 lift it, their makers say; eufy Omni C28 says it boosts suction on carpet without saying what the mop does; Narwal Freo 20 and Roborock Qrevo Edge 3 Pro don’t state what the mop does on carpet. 8 of the 14 say they boost suction on carpet, and 2 can be set to skip carpet while mopping.

Then compare your highest threshold with single-step figures only. 5 of the 14 makers give a height for a single step; MOVA Mobius 60, iRobot Roomba Plus 678 Combo, Dreame L60 Ultra PE, Narwal Freo 20, MOVA V70 Ultra Complete and iRobot Roomba Max 875 Combo give a height without saying whether it’s a single or double step, so it isn’t comparable; iRobot Roomba 105 Vac, eufy Omni C28 and Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni don’t state a height. 4 give how far the mop lifts, from 10 mm to 15 mm.

How to use it: if you have rugs and want it to mop, look for a mop that comes off or lifts on carpet, and check your thickest rug against the maker’s carpet settings. Measure your highest door threshold and compare it with a single-step figure: the list below gives each maker’s own words and says which figures are for a single step. A figure that doesn’t say isn’t comparable, and where the maker gives none, that’s unconfirmed, not a no.

Step 2: Decide whether it should mop, and check the mop

Decide whether you want it to mop, then look at the mop. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, 13 mop too, their makers say; iRobot Roomba 105 Vac’s own page is unclear on it. 7 describe a roller mop and 2 spinning pads; 4 don’t say which.

How to use it: the mop type is the maker’s own description; this guide doesn’t compare how well they clean. If your floors are unsealed wood or some laminate or vinyl, read the manual before mopping: the lines below are from the makers’ own manuals.

Step 3: Choose what the dock does, and where its water comes from

Decide which chores you want the dock to take over, then check what you’d still do by hand. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, 13 come with a dock that empties the bin, their makers say. 12 docks also wash the mop (10 with hot water), 11 dry it, 8 refill the robot’s water and 8 add cleaning solution.

Then check where the water comes from. 9 of the 14 docks use water tanks you fill and empty, and the maker of the eufy Omni S2 also sells a kit to plumb the dock in. None I track is sold plumbed in. iRobot Roomba 105 Vac, MOVA Mobius 60, Narwal Freo 20, Roborock Qrevo Edge 3 Pro and Roborock Saros 20 don’t state where the dock’s water comes from.

How to use it: a dock with water tanks needs its clean tank filled and its dirty tank emptied by hand; a plumbing kit needs a water line and a drain near where the dock goes. Check the dock’s size and the space the maker asks for in the manual. Self-emptying docks

Step 4: Check whether it has a camera, then which sensors it names

If you don’t want a camera in your home, check the camera before the sensors. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, 5 say they have a camera (Narwal Freo 20, Roborock Qrevo Edge 3 Pro, Roborock Saros 20, eufy Omni S2 and Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete), and no maker says its robot has none. For the other 9 I didn’t find a camera stated either way; some name AI vision or RGB sensors.

Then check which sensors the maker names. 11 of the 14 name a laser or time-of-flight sensor (LiDAR, DToF, 3D ToF or Mini-ToF, in their makers’ words); Narwal Freo 20 and Roborock Qrevo Edge 3 Pro name only cameras or structured light; eufy Omni C28 doesn’t state its sensors. Makers mix the sensors that map a home with the ones that spot obstacles, so these are their words, not a measure of either.

How to use it: if a camera-free robot is a must, shortlist only robots whose maker states they have no camera, and ask the others’ makers: a camera I didn’t find stated isn’t proof there’s none. LiDAR · Cameras

Step 5: Read suction, runtime and noise as the maker’s own claims

Treat suction, runtime and noise as each maker’s own claim, measured its own way. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, 11 state a suction figure in pascals; iRobot Roomba 105 Vac, iRobot Roomba Plus 678 Combo and iRobot Roomba Max 875 Combo don’t state one. Only Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni and eufy Omni S2 state a runtime, and only Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni, Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone and Narwal Freo 20 a noise level, each in the maker’s own mode, so they aren’t compared with each other here.

How to use it: a suction figure is the maker’s claim, not a test; makers don’t all measure it the same way. A runtime or noise level only means something in the mode the maker names, so read the maker’s words below. What Pa means

Step 6: Check for a paid plan, then the price and warranty

Check whether a paid plan is needed, and read the warranty terms. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, no maker says a paid plan is needed. For the eufy Omni C28 and eufy Omni S2, the maker says: “Yes! It is absolutely free to download and use the eufy Clean app.” That covers the app; I didn’t find a paid plan for the robot on the pages I read. For the other 12, I didn’t find a paid plan mentioned on the maker’s pages I read (Nov 3 and 10, 2026), which isn’t the same as the maker saying there’s none. 6 of the 14 makers state a warranty on the pages I read; each is the maker’s own wording, so read its terms for what’s covered.

For the 3 Roombas (iRobot Roomba 105 Vac, iRobot Roomba Plus 678 Combo and iRobot Roomba Max 875 Combo), Roomba after iRobot’s sale sets what iRobot has promised about the app, warranty and support beside its terms.

Below: the price on each maker’s own US store in US dollars, before tax. Not counted: tax, dust bags, mop pads, cleaning solution and other parts. In price order, not ranked.

Step 7: Read the safety rules and the recall check

Read the manual’s safety section before the first clean. Among the 14 robot vacuums I track, I found a user manual on the maker’s own site for 13. One line from each is below, in the maker’s words: 8 about children near the robot and, where the manual has no warning about children, 5 about stairs and drops. 12 of those manuals also say to use only the maker’s own or approved cleaning solution. For iRobot Roomba 105 Vac I didn’t find a user manual on the maker’s pages I checked (Nov 12, 2026), so there’s no quote: read the one in the box.

Before you buy: what the makers don’t say

Ask the maker or seller about these before you buy. For each of the 14 robot vacuums I track, these are the things this guide covers that its maker doesn’t state on the pages I read. “Not stated” isn’t a no: it means I didn’t find it.