The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner

TestHut’s Top Choice: Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T9+

The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T9+ is a premium robot vacuum that boasts an array of impressive technologies that make it an efficient and excellent cleaner.

The vacuum is equipped with TrueMapping, a combination of Lidar and a DToF laser sensor that gives it one of the most robust and efficient navigation programs of any robot vacuum. It completed room mapping faster than any other vacuum in the test, following a logical pattern around the perimeter and efficiently cleaning open spaces. It recognizes carpets and rugs, changing the cleaning mode accordingly, and has excellent obstacle recognition, navigating around furniture, cords, and pet waste.

With the highest rated power in the test at 3000Pa, the Deebot T9 also does a great job of cleaning. It was able to pick up both smaller and larger debris easily and performed the best in the pet hair test, leaving behind only traces of fur. The vacuum also comes with a mopping feature, but it is not well implemented, especially compared to Roborock 7S. The mop pads are disposable, and it struggled to eliminate stains in the test, leaving behind sticky residue and coffee even after several passes.

Like many smart vacuums, the Deebot T9 comes with its own app that allows you to customize many features. The app includes a good smart mapping feature that is visually appealing, and you can set “no go” zones to keep the vacuum from going places you don’t want it to. You can schedule cleanings, adjust suction power and mop water usage, and see the maintenance schedule. The vacuum comes with an air freshener feature that can be controlled via the app, but it is more of a gimmick than a useful addition.

When it comes to ease of use, the Ecovacs Deebot T9 is a top performer. With the optional auto-empty station and a dock, emptying the dustbin is easy, but even manually emptying the 420ml dustbin by hand is a simple task. The vacuum is among the quietest, averaging around 63dB and reaching 74 at its peak, about the same as a normal conversation or traffic from inside your car. Operating the Deebot is quite simple, and it has a long battery life. If it does run low, it will automatically dock, recharge, and then continue cleaning where it left off.

Overall, with an impressive overall score of 4.7 out of 5, the Deebot T9 is at the top of the list for the best robot vacuum. It does an excellent job of both navigating and cleaning with top-of-the-line object recognition, making it a reliable choice for premium robot vacuum users.

The Best Robot With Mop: Roborock 7S

The Roborock 7S is an excellent robot vacuum cleaner with mop that impressed us with its great cleaning performance and advanced smart features. While its navigation system is not as robust as some of the other models we tested (like Ecovacs Deebot T9+ or Roborock 6S MaxV), it still navigated our test space efficiently and recognized different floor types.

It features a strong 2500Pa cleaning power that effectively picked up cat litter and even pet hair on carpets. Additionally, the advanced mopping feature with a vibrating mop is a standout feature, making it great for keeping floors clean. It can recognize various floor types, so the mop will not get your carpets and rugs wet.

The Roborock 7S also boasts smart features that are easy to use through the accompanying app. The smart mapping feature allows you to see the robot move through your home and set up no-go zones, while the app sends alerts and messages as needed.

While the 7S is easy to use, with a rubber brush construction that’s easy to clean, it is a bit louder than Ecovacs Deebot T9+ and has a smaller dustbin, which means frequent emptying. It also has a lower threshold clearance than Ecovacs Deebot, Roomba i7+ and Xiaomi Mop Pro, so it may require manual positioning in rooms with higher thresholds.

Overall, the Roborock 7S is a great option for those looking for a reliable and powerful robot vacuum with advanced features and a strong mopping function. Its cleaning performance and smart features are impressive, and while its navigation system has room for improvement, it still navigates efficiently and recognizes different floor types.

With a total score of 4.3/5 in all categories, the Roborock 7S is one of the best vacuums we tested. Find more details about it in our detailed dedicated review on Roborock 7S.

The Best Budget Robot Vacuum: Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro

The Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that offers an impressive set of features and cleans well at a great price. It boasts an LDS laser navigation system and a SLAM algorithm that help it move efficiently through spaces while avoiding larger obstacles. However, it struggled with recognizing smaller obstacles like socks and avoided dark carpets as if they were edges it might fall off.

In terms of cleaning performance, it did well in hard surface cleaning tests, leaving behind flour and other debris in the same way other models did, but performed less impressively on medium-thickness carpet. It struggled to pick up smaller pieces of cat litter and left a lot of pet hair, moving it around rather than sucking it up. It includes a mop that performed about as well as other models with mops (like Roborock 7S and Ecovacs Deebot T9+), leaving some residue behind when removing stains.

The Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro uses the Xiaomi Home App, which offers useful features that are relatively easy to use and access. The smart mapping feature is straightforward, and the app allows you to access cleaning modes and settings with the touch of a button. It earned a score of 4.5/5 for its smart features.

Another highpoint of the Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro is its ease of use. It has a large dustbin that is easy to access and empty, and it is easy to keep clean and maintain the moving parts. It also earned a top score for being one of the quieter vacuums in the test, with a relatively high average of 70dB. Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro overcame a 3 cm high threshold, which is impressive. Only Deebot T9+ could also do that. Overall, it earned a score of 4.5/5 for ease of use.

In conclusion, the Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro is a great budget option that offers all the features of top models but at a much lower starting price. While it may not clean as well as Ecovacs Deebot T9+ and Roborock 7S, it does a good enough job to keep your home tidy.

The Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Owners: iRobot Roomba i7+

The Roomba i7+ is a robot vacuum cleaner that has received high ratings for its ability to clean pet hair effectively.

The Roomba i7+ uses vSlam technology and an odometry algorithm for navigation, which was found to be a little inefficient during testing, missing some spots and cleaning in a seemingly random pattern. However, it improves over time as it learns and creates a map of the space.

The Roomba i7+ has a relatively low power rating of 1800Pa, but its double-rubber brush design allows it to clean effectively, especially picking up dog and cat hair. We were especially impressed during our carpet test as it cleaned almost all the cat hair with no tangles.

The vacuum cleaner has several smart features, and the Roomba app is easy to use and allows scheduling of cleaning times and customization of cleaning preferences. However, it does not have live mapping, so the progress of the vacuum cannot be tracked as it cleans. The map is generated after the cleaning is complete, and virtual no-go zones can be set up to prevent the vacuum from going into unwanted areas.

The Roomba i7+ is relatively easy to use, with an auto-emptying station that eliminates the need to empty the dustbin after each cleaning. However, the station is loud, operating at over 80 decibels, and the dustbin is the smallest among the models tested. If the auto-emptying station is not used, the dustbin has to be pulled out and emptied manually after each cleaning. The Roomba i7+ can overcome 2cm thresholds and almost made it over a 3cm obstacle, which is still impressive. Only Xiaomi Mi Mop Pro and Ecovacs Deebot T9+ could overcome the 3 cm threshold.

Overall, the Roomba i7+ is high-performing robot vacuum cleaner recommended for pet owners. Its double-rubber brushes are highly effective, with almost no tangles, and its cleaning performance is quite good, especially on carpets. The navigation can be improved, but it is still a capable vacuum cleaner, and the smart features are useful.

The Best Obstacle Recognition: Roborock S6 MaxV

The Roborock 6S MaxV is a top-of-the-line robot vacuum that offers excellent navigation capabilities, useful smart features, and adequate cleaning and mopping functions.

In terms of navigation, the 6S MaxV uses a combination of advanced sensors and cameras to create a real-time map of your home while avoiding obstacles. Its navigation capabilities are among the best in our tests, with an overall score of 4.5 out of 5. The vacuum was also able to recognize and label obstacles, although it occasionally got caught on cables or socks.

The cleaning performance of the Roborock 6S MaxV is only average, with a score of 3.5 out of 5. While it has a high suction power of 2500Pa, it lacks the ability to clean around edges and often redistributes pet hair instead of vacuuming it up. As with other robot vacuums, the mop feature is more of a wet duster than an actual mop, although the washable and reusable pad is a nice touch.

One area where the Roborock 6S MaxV truly excels is in its implementation of smart features. Its smart mapping mode is the best in our test, with easy-to-read room recognition and the ability to identify and label furniture. Setting no-go zones and customizing the map is also straightforward and works well. The app is intuitive and allows you to schedule cleaning and maintenance easily. Additionally, the vacuum’s front-facing camera can be accessed remotely via the app, which is a useful feature for monitoring pets or children.

In terms of ease of use, the Roborock 6S MaxV is straightforward to operate, with a dustbin that can be easily removed and emptied. The app also keeps track of maintenance needs for you, making it easy to keep the vacuum in good working order. The vacuum’s maximum volume of 77dB is a bit loud, but it’s not unbearable.

Overall, the Roborock 6S MaxV is an excellent robot vacuum with a good combination of navigation, smart features, and cleaning and mopping capabilities. While its cleaning performance is only average, its other features make it a top contender in the robot vacuum market.

Also tested: Neato D8

The Neato D8 is a robot vacuum with a unique D-shaped design that caught our attention. We were excited to test it, but unfortunately, its overall performance was mediocre. While it does clean relatively well, its navigation, obstacle recognition, and ease of use left something to be desired.

In our navigation test, the Neato D8 seemed to be confused at times, taking the longest to clean the room, and never seeming fully comfortable navigating our test rooms. While it uses LIDAR as its navigation helper, it mostly bumped and ran, hitting things with its front bumper and then turning in another direction. It missed spots under tables and did not impress us.

However, in our cleaning performance tests, the Neato D8 did relatively well. It has powerful suction, although the manufacturer does not reveal the pascal unit count, and its unique D-shape with a flat front and side brush allows it to reach into corners and clean edges. It also boasts the widest brush which allows it to clean more in one pass than other robots. It did well in both our hard floor and carpet tests, picking up both cat litter and pet hair.

When it comes to smart features, the Neato D8 uses the Neato app that gives you access to cleaning schedules and lets you customize cleaning features. However, in our tests, the app was a bit lethargic, and the robot struggled with navigating our space efficiently. The app itself is relatively easy to navigate and use, but it was not the best in our test.

The Neato D8 was not the easiest vacuum in our test to operate. To empty the dustbin, you have to remove the entire top panel, which feels a bit clunky. On the plus side, the dustbin was the largest in our test at 700ml. It was also one of the loudest vacuums in our test, reaching 81dB at the max setting and averaging around 76dB during cleaning, which is like a loud conversation. In our threshold test, it was able to clear 1cm, but that was it, so if you have higher thresholds, you will have to move it from room to room.

Overall, the Neato D8 earned a score of 3.7/5 in our tests. While it does have an innovative shape and overall design, in our tests, it did not do as well as we hoped. There are better robots to choose from that we tested, but it does have powerful suction and potential.

Also tested: Eufy RoboVac S11 Slim

The Eufy RoboVac 11S is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that offers basic navigation and cleaning performance.

As a “bump and run” robot vacuum, it uses a rudimentary navigation system based on a mapping algorithm, bump sensors, and infrared sensors. This navigation system felt dated in our tests, and it lacked object recognition, often bumping into furniture and trying to suck up cables or other objects left on the floor. Although the Eufy RoboVac 11S does remember where its dock is located and can find its way home when it is finished cleaning, its lack of advanced navigation technologies resulted in it taking longer to clean our test room than other robots.

Despite its limited navigation capabilities, the Eufy RoboVac 11S offers a decent cleaning performance with 1300 Pa of suction power and 2 spinning brushes that effectively feed debris into the cleaning brush. It also has 4 cleaning modes, including auto, spot, edge, and single room, and features BoostIQ technology that automatically increases the cleaning power when needed. However, it did leave some spots untouched in our tests, and its suction power was not strong enough to clean between the cracks in tile and hardwood floors. Overall, it earned a 4/5 score in our cleaning performance test.

In terms of ease of use, the Eufy RoboVac 11S is straightforward to use right out of the box. It comes with a simple remote control, and once the dock is plugged in and charged up, using it is as easy as pushing the Autoclean button and letting it do its job. It also has a relatively quiet operation, with a noise level of 71dB at the highest setting, and it has a runtime of 100 minutes.

In summary, the Eufy RoboVac 11S is a decent entry-level robot vacuum that offers basic navigation and cleaning performance. While it lacks advanced navigation and smart features, it is easy to use, relatively quiet, and has a large 600ml dustbin.

It may not be the most efficient cleaner and may require some manual intervention, but for its price point, it offers decent value. Overall, we rated the Eufy RoboVac 11S a 2.5 out of 5 in our test.

How we chose which robot vacuums to test

When we decided to test robot vacuums, we knew it would be a challenging task. We started with two main questions: Which robots are at the top of the ratings over and over again? And what types of features do users value most?

We started the process with an analysis of the most popular and highest rated vacuum brands and models on the market. Next, we carefully sifted through user reviews, ratings, and comments to see which models were performing the best for users.

While reading professional reviews we looked for consistent patterns, keeping track of which models were always at or near the top. In addition, we watched dozens of Youtube reviews of various robot vacuums to see which ones performed the best and had the features that most users were looking for.

In our research, it was clear that most users valued cleaning performance above all other metrics, so this became our top feature to look for as well. We were also looking for vacuums that could navigate well because cleaning performance is closely related to how easily the robot can make its way around the home and avoid obstacles. Some other areas we wanted to test were smart features and overall ease of use.

Ultimately, we wanted a mix of robot vacuums at a variety of price ranges from the top-of-the-line models with all the bells and whistles, to the simplest, cheapest model that could still clean well.

Our final choices came down to availability, and we decided to order 7 models costing from £160 to £900. These models represented 6 different manufacturers, and were highly rated and praised by professionals giving us a wide range of features to test. We knew that our well-researched choices would lead to interesting conclusions about robot vacuums.

Robot vacuum testing process

At TestHut, we take pride in our thorough testing strategy in which we put products through all the paces to determine their actual value to customers. After careful consideration, we divided our tests into 4 main categories and weighted each category according to importance: Navigation (30%), Cleaning (30%), Smart features (20%), and Ease of use (20%). Then we planned a variety of tests to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each model.

How we tested: Navigation

In order for a robot vacuum to do a good job keeping your home clean it needs to be able to navigate the space autonomously without getting stuck or missing any areas. Manufacturers use a variety of technologies and make different claims about performance, so we wanted to make sure that the vacuums in our test could clean completely and efficiently without getting stuck. Navigation is also important for robot vacuums because they are designed to tidy up spaces regularly, so their efficiency and usefulness depends on how well they navigate your home, so this counted for 30% of the total score. We rated them in 2 subcategories and weighted each category.

We rated Coverage as 60% of the total score of Navigation. In this test, we set the robot vacuums loose in our test rooms which included a variety of obstacles such as tables, chairs, a sofa, and different surfaces like wood, tile, and carpets. Then we watched to see how well they cleaned each area. Did they miss any spots? How long did they take to clean? Was there logic in their navigation pattern? We rated vacuums highly if they were able to efficiently move through a room and clean most of it without missing spots.

We also performed several obstacle recognition tests and rated these as 40% of the Navigation score. We checked to see how well various technologies could avoid cords, clothing, and even simulated pet waste. In addition, we set each robot on a staircase to see if they would avoid falling down. The highest ratings were given to vacuums with good object recognition that would allow you to let the robot run autonomously without having to rearrange a room for it to work.

How we tested: Cleaning performance

Another important feature of a robot vacuum is its cleaning performance and it was worth 30% of the total score. Different users are going to be using their vacuums in different settings with a variety of floor types, and we wanted to see how well each model did in a variety of circumstances. We performed several tests to determine which vacuums would clean best in real-life circumstances, and then divided these into 2 subcategories and weighted each one.

The first tests were on hard surfaces and we rated this at 50% of the Cleaning performance score. We tested on tile and hardwood floors and paid special attention to how well the vacuums could reach into corners. Each vacuum was placed into a test box with a measured amount of material to pick up, and then we weighed how much debris was in the dustbin after each test run. We used flour, cat litter, and larger debris to see which vacuums were able to clean different-sized particles.

The next tests were on carpet cleaning and pet hair which were also rated at 50% of the total cleaning score. For these tests, we used both a low pile and medium pile carpet samples to see how well the different models performed. In one test, we covered the carpet in actual pet hair to see which vacuums were the best for homes with pets. In another we used 2 different sizes of cat litter and coins to see how well the vacuum’s suction power could pick up debris from carpet.

Several of our models also included a mopping feature, so we tested this but we did not count it as part of the total cleaning score. In these tests, we simulated spills including letting a sticky stain set for a week on tile to see if any of the vacuums could scrub it clean.

How we tested: Smart features

A major selling feature of robot vacuums is that they have apps with smart features that let you customize them in a variety of ways. We felt that this feature was important, but not as important as Navigation or Cleaning so it was worth 20% of the total score. It was broken down into 2 subcategories.

The first smart feature that most vacuums share and we felt is important is the Smart mapping feature which we rated at 60% of the score. Smart mapping allows the user to see where the robot vacuum has been to make sure it has cleaned properly. Many maps include ways to make custom areas with “no go” zones to keep the vacuum from getting stuck or causing damage. We carefully tested each map feature and tracked how well these worked.

We also rated the app itself for usability at 40% of the total Smart features’ score. For this test, we opened the apps and navigated through each one comparing the layouts and menus determining how easy they were to learn and whether or not they were instinctive and responsive. Higher scores were given to apps that were clear and well thought out.

How we tested: Ease of use

The final category is ease of use. You want your robot vacuum to be convenient to use and it should be less work and hassle than traditional cleaning methods. This counted for 20% of the total score, and it was broken down into 3 subcategories.

The first category was overall maintenance and we rated this at 60%. Each robot vacuum has a list of items that must be maintained to maximize their lifespan and performance. Some are easier and cheaper to maintain than others. We also paid attention to the maintenance of emptying stations.

Another factor is noise and we rated this at 20%. All robot vacuums are noisy, but we valued those that made less noise than others. We tested each model at various settings and even tested the emptying stations.

The last category we measured was the ability to overcome thresholds, and we rated this at 10%, but it may still be an important factor depending on what type of home you have. We created an increasing height of threshold from 1 cm to 3 cm and then watched to see which models could make it over them. If you have several thresholds in your home, you will want to consider this before you buy.

In conclusion

After many hours of research, planning, and testing, we came to concrete conclusions and are confident in our final picks. Take a look at our final product list to help you find the perfect vacuum for your home.