What to look for in a robot vacuum: seven questions before you buy

Which floors do you have?

With carpet and rugs the robot must lift or drop its mop, or the rug gets wet. A mop lift lets a robot mop the hard floor and vacuum the carpet in one run, as Vacuum Wars puts it.

On hard floors alone this question settles little, so go on to the next one. With a lot of carpet, look in a model’s specifications for its mop lift.

Do you have pets or long hair?

Hair wraps around the brush. An anti-tangle brush prevents that. According to Vacuum Wars, brushes with bristles loosen carpet fibers better than all-rubber ones. Vacuum Wars names two anti-tangle designs to look for: two brushes with a gap between them, and a single brush that tapers toward one end.

A small bin fills fast in a home with pets. Vacuum Wars calls a bin under 300 ml small for such a home. A self-emptying dock empties the bin for you. A camera that recognizes droppings helps prevent the other well-known accident, though no system is foolproof, as the question on clutter covers.

Should it mop too?

Mopping freshens the floor. A flat pad rarely shifts dried stains, while two spinning pads manage better. Vacuum Wars distinguishes three designs:

• A flat pad suits light upkeep and lower prices.
• Two spinning pads are a strong all-round choice for routine mopping.
• A roller or track mop is most useful on wet spills.

How much do you want to do yourself?

A station can empty the bin, wash and dry the mop and refill the water. We sort them into three tiers: a charging dock only, a self-emptying dock, and an all-in-one station that also washes and dries the mop. The more the station does, the bigger and pricier it is. This is how today’s models stand:

On sale today by tier: charging dock only 65, self-emptying 69, all-in-one 128. Median price of an all-in-one: $723.

How high are your thresholds and your furniture?

Measure from the floor to the top of the threshold. Most robots cross 0.8 in. According to Vacuum Wars, about 0.8 in is the traditional limit for a single step. Higher thresholds need a climbing system.

Measure the clearance under your sofa too. According to Vacuum Wars a standard robot is about 4 in tall and the lowest are about 3.1 in, so a low robot still fits under furniture where a standard one gets stuck.

Is there often something on the floor?

A robot with a camera recognizes small items such as cables and toys and drives around them. Without a camera, simpler sensors avoid far fewer objects, so it often drives over them or gets stuck.

If something does turn up now and then, check the model’s test results.

What do you want to spend?

We use today’s price, shipping included, at every store that ships to you, foreign ones included (an asterisk marks an estimate). Prices on October 3, 2026, the highest-ranked models on sale now:

On sale today: 266. Our ranking puts them in order, the deals page lists only real price drops and the advisor turns your answers into a shortlist. Amazon Prime can pay off: this guide does the sums.