The best robot vacuums for every budget in 2024

Who it's for:

Roborock's latest flagship dishes out some of the most powerful suction and sonic scrubbing that can be achieved by a robot vacuum today. It accurately makes it to the correct rooms of the house and livestreams its view along the way, then thoroughly cleans itself. Naturally, such a full checklist makes this a robust floor care suite for heavily lived-in homes, especially those with multiple pets or kids and multiple floor types.

On the flip side, all of that is simply going to be overkill in smaller spaces with light foot traffic that just don't need a deep clean as often. Plus, that exhaustive checklist make the S8 MaxV Ultra the most expensive robot vacuum of CES 2024. While making the investment now will probably get you off the hook from upgrading robot vacuums for several years, $1,799.99 just isn't a realistic cost for a lot of people.

Why we picked this:

Many classic robot vacuum features used to be considered premium but are now pretty standard, like self-emptying, smart mapping, and mopping. Then, there are the newer advanced autonomy features that are still reserved for truly premium bots, like self-washing, self-drying mopping pads, and small obstacle avoidance. The S8 MaxV Ultra checks all of those boxes, then rubs it in with the rare appearance of a livestream pet camera. You couldn't paint a full picture of the best robot vacuums without it.

The 10,000 Pa of suction power clocked by the S8 MaxV Ultra really showed on rugs of multiple piles in my apartment. It successfully removed the layer of cat fur that was tinting my colorful bedroom rug gray — making it believable that Max+ mode achieves 99.5% pet hair pickup, like Roborock claims. The S8 MaxV Ultra also aced my artificial obstacle course of loose soil, various snack crumbs, and even a mound of super fine corn starch.

Switching to hard floors, picking up dust bunnies and kitty litter was a breeze for the S8 MaxV Ultra on hardwood and tile. During mopping, the vibrating mopping pad visibly ate away at dried drips of sauce and footprints, and there's something about its automatic use of detergent (instead of just water) that's extra comforting to me. Being off the hook from dealing with soggy mopping pads is also clutch, especially on the rebound of using the Roomba Combo j9+, which doesn't do that.

Lastly, the livestream pet camera is just an objectively cool addition to a robot vacuum's tech menu. I really like the idea of being able to keep tabs on my cats while they're away, whether that's through watching the steam of what the vacuum sees while it roams, or entering "find my pet" mode to snuff out hiding spots.

Who it's for:

The Eufy X10 Pro Omni would be a stellar find for shoppers who are willing to spend more than a few hundred bucks to bring home a more hands off experience, but who still draw the line at $1,000. With small obstacle avoidance and a self-washing and drying mopping system, this Eufy offers more bang for your buck than the similarly-priced Roomba Combo j7+ or Roborock Q8 Max+. This particular Eufy robovac also has some of the best battery life on the market (even on its highest suction setting), making it an even easier choice for homes with lots of square footage or multiple stories.

Of all the X10 Pro Omni's advanced features, the small obstacle avoidance can't be understated, especially in homes that are, well, lived in. If you could bet money that there's a rogue sock, kid or pet toy, or phone charger on the ground at any given moment (it's the mountain of crap shoved under my bed for me), you'll appreciate the AI-powered small obstacle avoidance, which lets you confidently run the robot vac when you're not home to tidy up first.

Why we picked this:

Eufy's most elaborate robot vacuum (it's the brand's first self-emptying hybrid that self-refills the water tank and self-washes and dries the mopping pads) was also somehow the most affordable robot vacuum that debuted at CES 2024. That plus small obstacle avoidance are features we usually see in only the priciest vacs in the competition, so the fact that the X10 Pro Omni's resumé has both is seriously impressive.

Props to Eufy for not skimping on wet or dry floor cleaning here. Its official suction power ranking of 8,000 Pa is beastly on paper and proved proficient IRL on messes like spilled dry rice on both medium and flat piles. For wet or sticky messes, it's a rare sub-$800 model with dual spinning mopping pads to actually scrub more than gloss.

Who it's for:

Too many robot vacuums make impromptu spot cleaning much harder than it needs to be. If that's a pain point on your radar, you'll appreciate the straightforward approach of Shark's Matrix line. In particular, the model that mops is one of the best for quick tackling of spills or daily upkeep of a certain high-traffic spot, like near a door, with no clicking around in the app required past simply dragging a box to the desired area. Groundbreaking.

While the Shark Matrix 2-in-1 would be fine in fully carpeted rooms, it's probably best for homes without a heavy rug situation, as the bot requires you to manually point out rugs or carpets in the app and can't vacuum while the water tank is attached.

Why we picked this:

No tea, no shade: Shark wasn't a huge threat in the robot vacuum market until it overhauled its 2-in-1 line in the winter of 2022. Now, if you come across a robot vacuum with "Matrix" in the title, you know you're in good hands.

You can think of the Matrix Clean system as the robot vacuum embodiment of the "and one for good measure" approach when it comes to cleaning. This applies to both the versions of the Matrix line that mop and the ones that don't. In Matrix mode during regular vacuuming, these Shark models dish out 30% better carpet cleaning than the older RV Shark models by vacuuming in a crosshatch pattern to loosen and grab debris from multiple angles. In Matrix mode during mopping, the mopping pad vibrates 100 times per minute to scrub at stains that hybrid models with stationary cloths would gloss over.

Read our full review of the Shark Matrix 2-in-1 (previously called the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1).

Who it's for:

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is the ultimate choice for shoppers willing to pay for one of the priciest robot vacuums on the market if that means securing a true hands-off cleaning experience. Between self-washing and drying mopping pads, a two-month dust bin capacity, and enough stamina to cover 2,000 square feet on one charge, this meticulous 2-in-1 can be trusted to thoroughly tend to large floor plans with little maintenance required on your end.

There is one group of people who the Narwal Freo X Ultra is not for, though, and it's anyone who detests the sterile, all-white decor style that has apartment renovators in a chokehold. The Freo X Ultra is reminiscent of a big shiny egg, which could be the only deciding factor you need based on how modern you're willing to get.

Why we picked this:

A CES 2024 release, the Freo X Ultra sees a handful of tweaks to take TikTok's beloved original Narwal Freo to the next level. Its biggest innovation lies in highly-customizable mopping, from AI-powered waste water sensors that keep the Freo X Ultra mopping until the floor is spotless, to the ability to choose between "vacuum and mop" or "vacuum then mop" in the app, depending on the nature of the mess.

During any mopping run, the Freo X Ultra also returns to the dock at least once to rinse off its mopping pads and avoid dragging, say, a huge blob of spilled BBQ sauce across the floor. That back-and-forth-process, plus the scrubbing power of its two spinning mopping pads, means that the Freo X Ultra doesn't offer a "quick clean" like more basic one-pass hybrids. However, I don't mind the Narwal Freo X Ultra taking its time when my floors look noticeably shinier.

Once the Freo X Ultra is satisfied, it heads back to the dock to self-wash and dry its mopping pads — two tasks that the Roomba Combo j9+ requires a human to do, despite the identical price tags. The Freo X Ultra also alleviates manual dust bin duties on your end, but not in the classic self-empty way you're used to. Instead of unloading debris into a bigger bin inside the dock, the Freo X Ultra quietly compresses the debris in its onboard dust bin for seven weeks. You can opt for a disposable bag or reusable bin, both of which are included in the box.

Who it's for:

The desire to buy a robot vacuum ultimately stems from wanting to be off the hook from cleaning. But if you also want to ensure that you're off the hook from tidying up the floor before sending out your robot vacuum, the Roomba j7 is the most affordable way to do that. It has been rocking a jaw-dropping 50% discount at Amazon for most of spring 2024, dropping it from its usual $599.99 to $299. (You can also opt for the self-emptying and mopping Combo j7+.)

If you live in a space that just needs light daily cleaning (not hardcore shedding cleanup that would fill a dust bin quickly), then losing out on mopping and automatic emptying won't be a huge deal. Rather, small yet cluttered spaces will benefit much more from the j7's ability to dodge the phone charger or laundry accidentally left on the ground.

Why we picked this:

I'd argue that a robot vacuum's ability to get to the place it needs to clean without any blips is just as important as the cleaning performance itself. The j7 ensures a smooth trip in two ways: super accurate room-to-room smart mapping and a front-facing camera that helps it steer clear of items that a less-advanced robot vacuum would surely try to eat, like cords, socks, or pet waste.

The mastery of this capability, which first wowed me when testing the Combo j7+, is still a rarity in the current robot vacuum market. It's particularly hard to find for under $500, as most vacs that come with this tech require you to pay for all of the other bells and whistles. So even by skipping mopping and self-emptying to stay affordable, the Roomba j7 is still one of the best robot vacuums for most people.

Read our full review of the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+.

Who it's for:

The standalone Shark Matrix obviously forgoes the optional self-emptying dock to keep the price point low. The ideal buyer would be someone who cares more about spot cleaning and mapping than manually emptying the dust bin.

Why we picked this:

Shark made serious moves with its 2023 lineup of vacuums. The most affordable of those is the standalone Shark Matrix, which defies the outdated stereotype that cheap robot vacuums' navigation abilities are limited to blindly bumping around and hoping for the best.

This $299.99 vacuum (or $199.99 on sale) packs essentials like LiDAR-powered home mapping and virtual boundaries, plus Shark's newest claim to fame: its Matrix spot cleaning technique that vacuums in a crosshatch pattern to grab any debris missed during the first pass.

Who it's for:

If you're the proud owner of an outdated Roomba, you'll have the easiest time upgrading with another Roomba — and the most advanced Roomba is the Combo j9+. Home maps are stored across the general iRobot ecosystem and can be transferred from one model to another during setup in the app, avoiding the days-long charade of your new robot vacuum learning your home's layout from scratch.

To pick between this or a lower-tier j Series Roomba, consider your budget versus your home's foot traffic level and floor type. Because it'll run you $1,000 (even on sale), the ideal Combo j9+ candidate would prioritize deep cleaning of both carpets and hard floors and the ability to freely switch between mopping and vacuuming modes over staying under a certain budget.

This redesigned dock has a stylish wooden top that doesn't have to be opened for maintenance at all, allowing the Combo j9+ to blend in better with other home decor — new side table unlocked. Because iRobot omitted self-washing and drying of the mopping pads here, you'd have to really value this chicness to be OK with cleaning soggy mopping pads yourself — something that premium hybrids from other brands do automatically.

Why we picked this:

As the number and letter mashup in the title suggests, the Combo j9+ finally combines the best features of the older high-end Roombas: the small obstacle detection and retractable mop of the Roomba Combo j7+, which I also tested and liked aside from underwhelming carpet cleaning, and even better suction power than the Roomba s9+, which was previously the most powerful Roomba. Mopping wise, the Combo j9+ attacks dried stains more persistently by scrubbing back and forth with force rather than staying stationary.

But the real pulling power of the Combo j9+ is arguably its obstacle avoidance, because it's the best I've ever tested. While I've had satisfactory experiences with the small obstacle avoidance on models from Roborock, Narwal, and Eufy, each had a few instances of running over a charger or extension cord or mistaking a bath rug for a towel and refusing to vacuum it. I can't remember the Combo j9+ slipping up once.

The new auto-empty dock is bigger than previous docks from iRobot, but that's because it's holding a separate water tank that automatically refills the smaller tank on the vac itself for 30 days at a time. Again, tank refilling or dust bin emptying can be done without opening the chic wood lid on top of the dock.