Best Robotic Vacuum 2021 – Buyer’s Guide and Reviews

Investing in a robot vacuum cleaner is a great decision, especially if vacuuming isn’t exactly your favorite chore to do around the house. You’ll no longer have to take time out of your day to do this tedious task.

Just make sure all the clutter is off the floor, and you can go about your day and have the robot vacuum do it’s thing while you’re at work. On the other hand, you can program it to vacuum at night while everyone’s sleeping.

Either way, you get a nice, clean floor without lifting a finger or coping with even the slightest bit of inconvenience.

So without further ado,

let’s take a look at the best robotic vacuum to buy?

Top 10 Best Robot Vacuums For 2021

IMAGEROBOT NAMEDETAILS 
iRobot Roomba 614Battery Life: 60 min
Noise : Moderate
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OUR PICK
iRobot Roomba 675
Wi-Fi Connected
Battery Life: 90 min
Noise : Moderate
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ILIFE V5s ProBattery Life: 150 min
Noise : Quiet
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bObi ClassicBattery Life: 75 min
Noise : Moderate

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ECOVACS DN78Battery Life: 110 min
Noise : Quiet

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Neato Botvac D5
Connected
Pet & Allergy
Battery Life: 120 min
Noise : Moderate
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bObi Pet Robotic VacuumBattery Life: 90 min
Noise : Quiet
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iRobot Roomba 980Battery Life: 120 min
Noise : Loud
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1. Eufy RoboVac 11 – Best Affordable Robot Vacuum

Eufy’s Robovac 11 has great suction and brushes that clean both carpets and tile floors well. It has four distinct cleaning modes: auto, spot, edge, and small room. This will help it focus on exactly where the mess is and make sure it gets it all cleaned up, even under couches and hard to reach spaces. It’s powerful and works great on pet hair plus it’s able to navigate most obstacles and climb over uneven flooring.

It doesn’t come with any barriers or virtual walls, so there’s no technological way of keeping it from wandering into rooms of your house you might not want it to go. This is something to be careful of if there’s a lot of debris or clutter in one room because the design could easily get stuck somewhere it shouldn’t have been in the first place.

The dustbin is 30% larger so it won’t need emptying as much as some other options which is good because with a battery life of 90 minutes, it can do a lot of cleaning in one session. It can be scheduled to vacuum every day daily, but the schedule can’t be made ahead of time. You’ll have to set it every morning for whatever time you want it to work that day.

It has a glass cover so it’s sleek and well protected and is much quieter than a standard upright vacuum. There’s a remote control you can use to switch modes while it’s working if you need it to focus more on one area than another.

Pros
  • Large bin
  • Quiet
  • Powerful
  • Auto Recharging
Cons
  • Random cleaning pattern
  • Cannot set weekly schedule
  • No barriers

2. iRobot Roomba 650 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner


This is one of iRobot’s basic Roomba models. At only 3.6 inches tall, its designed to easily fit under most furniture. It can clean carpet as well as tile, hardwood, or laminate floors and has two brushes that create its three-stage cleaning technology – brushing, agitation, and suction.

It’s simple to use – just push the button marked “clean, ” and it’s on its way. It will automatically dock itself when it needs to be charged, so you don’t have to worry about that. To get around, it uses iRobot’s iAdapt Responsive Navigation to get around obstacles plus it has cliff detection sensors to it won’t go over stairs or ledges; however, some users report it does occasionally have some trouble navigating.

The battery will last about 60 minutes with normal use. If the vacuum gets stuck on something, it might be a little shorter. For lighter jobs, it will last a little longer. You can also set up a schedule of up to seven cleanings, one for every day of the week. Or, if you need to, you can send it off to spot clean by pushing a button.

It comes with a virtual wall, which is just an easy way of confining the Roomba 650 to a room and not letting it try to maneuver somewhere else. It gets consistent praise for how effective and durable it is. The Roomba 650 robot vacuum works great on pet hair, and its filter helps keep allergens out of the air. At the end of a cleaning, it’s easy to empty.

This is a relatively simple model that cleans well and gets the job done, so if you’re looking for something a little more basic, this is it. No wet/dry functions here, this is a straight up solid robot vacuum.

Pros
  • Powerful suction
  • Efficient
  • Filter
  • Easy to use
  • A less expensive Roomba option
Cons
  • Short battery life
  • Loud
  • Not a lot of features
  • Comparatively pricey

3. ILIFE A4 Robot Vacuum


There are a lot of reasons why the A4 is a good option for pet owners, but one of the major ones is the HEPA filter, which will help trap pet dander and other things that cause allergies. If you’re an allergy sufferer, a HEPA filter can really help prevent a reaction.

The ILIFE A4 has three brushes – one large rotating brush and two side brushes. What is unique about the side brushes is their length – they’re longer than what appears on most other models and are exceptionally effective at getting into corners and along baseboards.

This robot vacuum has an impressive battery life of up to 150 minutes and is self-charging. The manufacturer claims that the fade free battery won’t lose power over time, making it a great investment. It’s quieter than other models, which makes it a good option if you like to sleep when it’s vacuuming. Being quieter certainly doesn’t mean it’s not as strong as other models. In fact, it comes with the ability to turn on “MAX mode” if you need to crank the power into overdrive.

It’s short enough to get under couches and other furniture and its wheels are a little higher and springy so it can easily clear hurdles without stopping. It has a large collection bin so it shouldn’t have to be emptied as often as some others, which is good because emptying it can be a little messy.

It can be programmed by remote control but does not have any app or Bluetooth integration which helps keep the cost down. This option is great at transitioning between various surfaces, from rugs to hardwood floors to carpets.

Overall, this is a great little robot vacuum at an affordable price. It’s doesn’t have a lot of innovations, but it will get the job done.

Pros
  • Long battery life
  • Remote control
  • HEPA filter
  • Large collection bin
Cons
  • No app or Bluetooth compatibility
  • Minimal features

4. bObi Classic Robotic Vacuum Cleaner


The bObi Classic Robot Vacuum Cleaner as a wi-fi enabled remote that allows you to control the cleaning schedule and functions. The vacuum itself has an easy to use touchscreen control with three buttons – GO! to start cleaning the room, WAFFLE to focus on a ten square foot area, and JUICE to send it to the docking station to charge.

It has five in one cleaning, including modes for sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping, although a separate mopping attachment is needed to mop. One thing that sets the bObi Classic apart is it’s submersible dustbin so you can really keep it clean between vacuums. The battery life is about about 75 minutes and it will charge automatically when it goes below 15%.

bObi classic robot vacuum has multiple, parallel brushes and side brushes for complete cleaning, but it’s bin is a little on the small side and may need emptied frequently. It sweeps and mops but goes a little farther by using UV lights to sterilize the area and a HEPA filter to clean the air. It uses its  advanced dirt detection combined with its ability to sweep, mop, and vacuum to keep your house as clean as it can.

Pros
  • HEPA filter and UV sterilization
  • Wet/Dry
  • Three settings
Cons
  • Short battery life
  • Small collection bin

5. ECOVACS DN78, Robot Vacuum


The DN78 robot vacuum can sweep, vacuum, and mop your floors all at the same time. This high-tech option has a really strong, effective motor but is very quiet, putting out less noise than a regular conversation. It’s three cleaning modes are carried out with dual side brushes. You can choose whether you want it to auto clean for everyday messes, spot clean if it’s something particularly stubborn you’re trying to get out it the carpet, or edge cleaning for baseboards and corners.

The mop is optional and must be placed and removed every time you want to use it. It’s not actually “mopping” in the traditional sense of the term, it’s actually more like a wipe down with a damp cloth. Fluid wicks out of the reservoir onto the attached mopping cloth, which follows the vacuum and picks up any particles left behind. It’s not going to mop up muddy footprints or a glass of spilled milk, but it does help get the floor a bit cleaner. The reservoir for the cleaning solution must be emptied right after use as the vacuum cannot safely dock to charge if there is liquid left in it.

Object detection and safety detection mean it can work around furniture and stay clear of stairways. You can set, daily schedules and it’s battery will keep going to up to 110 minutes before it will automatically dock to charge.

Pros
  • Wet/dry
  • Quiet
  • Great Price
Cons
  • Easy to empty bin
  • “Mop” needs to be added and removed with each use
  • “Mop” not truly mopping, more like a damp cloth wiping the floor

6. Neato Botvac D5 Connected Navigating Robot Vacuum – Pet & Allergy


The Neato Botvac D5 robot vacuum comes with a lot of extra features, and it’s all connected to an app on your phone. Once you have the app, you can start, stop, schedule, and get notifications from your vacuum, right on your phone or smartwatch.

The flat side of the D shape gets close to walls and the side brushes and corner clever technology make sure it doesn’t miss a crumb. It can actually get within 14 mm of walls. It uses laser navigation to scan and create maps of your home – and the dirty areas – so it moves with a purpose and doesn’t just follow a standard pattern. It gets the job done up to four times faster than other robot vacuums.

It’s bin is extra large so it can go for a long time on all kinds of floors before it will need emptied. It’s powerful enough to pick up larger debris like crumbs and pet hair because of it’s SpinFlow Power Clean technology which uses a combo brush to pick up even the most stubborn pet hair.

It uses Neato’s LaserSmart Mapping & Navigation to scan your floor and figure out the best route to proceed with cleaning, making it more efficient, precise, and fast. The battery lasts up to two hours when in ECO mode, 90 minutes if you switch it over to TURBO. If it runs out of battery, it will automatically return to its dock to charge and then pick right back up where it left off to complete the job.

Pros
  • Navigation
  • Scans and creates maps to get the most dirt
  • Multi-room cleaning
  • Fast
  • App
Cons
  • Expensive

7. bObi Pet Robotic Vacuum Cleaner


If you have a pet, this robot vacuum was specially designed for your needs. It’s five in one cleaning is sure to tackle any mess your pet makes. It vacuums, mops, disinfects with UV light, sweeps, and has a HEPA filter to help keep allergens from re-circulating in the air. It’s even compact enough to get to what’s under beds and furniture.

It has two counter rotating bristle brushes that make it particularly good at getting pet hair out of the carpet. This model has a stronger engine and suction plus increased battery life so it’s ready to work. With 80 sensors, it can navigate very well and won’t leave any dirt behind.

It comes with a wireless remote to set the scheduled cleaning times or do on the spot clean ups. There is also a touchscreen on the unit itself. It will automatically return to the charging dock once its battery hits 15%, but it can get an hour and a half out of each charge. The collection bin is completely removable and easy to clean, which is important when it comes to pet messes.

Pros
  • HEPA filter
  • Effective against pet hair
  • Remote control
  • Wet/Dry
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Slightly weak vacuum

8. iRobot Roomba 980 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner


This is one of the most high tech robot vacuums out there. The Roomba 980 can automatically increase its suction by up to ten times to get increased cleaning power on carpets that need it the most. It’s great at edges and corners because it has spinning side brushes that easily reach the debris so it can be vacuumed up. It automatically adjusts to the floor it’s cleaning, from carpet to laminate to tile.

It has a high efficiency filter that makes it ideal for people with pets or allergies – it captures 99% of particles, helping you breath a little easier. It has special brushless extractors which also makes it great for getting up all that pet hair.

This robot vacuum connects to the iRobot HOME app, which let you set the daily schedule you want and choose some preferences. You can also track the Roomba 980 from the app to see it’s progress. It can run for up to two hours continuously and automatically returns to its docking station to charge between cleanings.

It’s localization technology enables it to clean an entire level of your home and navigate furniture and any clutter that might be in its way. It has a low profile so it can easily clean under most furniture without a problem.

Pros
  • Long battery life
  • Powerful
  • Filters allergens
  • Use with iRobot HOME app
Cons
  • Expensive

9. ILIFE V3s Robotic Vacuum Cleaner for Pets and Allergies Home


This robot vacuum is specially made for households with pets. At only three inches tall, this slim design makes sure it can get pet hair from every corner in your home. It has fourteen sensors to make sure it can maneuver around any obstacles and move seamlessly from carpet to tile, hardwood, or laminate.

It not only vacuums carpet and hard surfaces like tile or laminate, but it has a mopping feature that consists of attaching a moist towel to the underside of the robot and letting it wipe the floor behind the vacuum has it moves across the floor. It’s remarkably quiet compared to some of its competition so that you can run it when you’re home and still be able to watch TV or have a conversation.

It has a really long battery life of nearly two hours and will get itself back to its dock when it needs to recharge. And, it’s capable of climbing up slopes of up to 15 degrees and 10 mm.

Pros
  • Long Battery life
  • Made for pet hair
  • Fits until most furniture
  • Can “mop”, sweep, and vacuum
  • Good price
Cons
  • Small reservoir
  • Claims it can “mop” but actually just wipes floor with wet rag

10 . INLIFE Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Automatic Floor Cleaner with Self Charging and Wet /Dry Mop


This one has both a strong robot vacuum with dual brushes that easily picks up hair and other debris plus the ability to wet or dry mop to remove dirt, mud, and paw prints. It’s designed for hardwood, linoleum, laminate, tile, and low pile carpets and it will fit under furniture and easily maneuver around obstacles to get your whole house clean.

Inbuilt sensors can determine where the dirt is and when an area needs some extra care. You can also create virtual walls to keep the vacuum contained to a certain room or area in your home so it stays away from small children and pets that are present and might interfere with its cleaning.

You can program it from the display screen or using the remote control. There are five preset patterns to choose from for it to follow. Combined with its dual side brushes,  it can be equally effective on any floor in your home. It comes with a HEPA filter to keep allergens from reentering the air and runs for up to 80 minutes. Plus, it will automatically return to its dock to recharge.

Pros
  • HEPA filter
  • Good price
  • Remote control
Cons
  • “Mopping” isn’t really mopping, as with other models

How to Choose Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner?

As technology has advanced, so have robot vacuums. While a robot vacuum in and of itself might seem like a cutting edge appliance, the first one was produced in 1996. Things have changed a lot since then. Now, robot vacuums have multiple functions, can recharge themselves, and can even be synced with your smartphone.

Before you choose which robot vacuum is right for you, there are a few things to consider. Not everyone is going to need or want the same kind of robot vacuum. Some are pretty basic while others integrate a lot of new technology into their interfaces. The following are the criteria used when compiling a list of the most important characteristics of robot vacuums.

1. Suction Power and Brushes

First and foremost, a robot vacuum has to do the one thing it was initially designed to do – vacuum your floor. If it’s not doing that well, nothing else really matters. In order to clean well, you’ll not only want strong suction, but also effective brushes. These two work together to suck up dust and even larger pieces of debris, like crumbs or pet hair.

Generally, you should aim for a power level that sits at or above 30W, and brushes that suit the needs of your floors. The brushes will loosen anything that’s ground into the carpet and allow the suction to work as best as it can.

You’ll need to decide if you want one that just vacuums carpet or one that can wet mop as well. Some can easily transition from the living room carpet to the kitchen tile floor and get everything perfectly clean.

2. Pets and Allergies

If you have pets that shed, you already know how annoying pet hair can be. Sometimes, it probably seems like there’s more pet hair on the carpet than there is on your pet. If this sounds like you, you’ll need a robot vacuum that can suck up pet hair, and there are some that are specifically designed for this reason. Rotating brushes will work best to draw the fur out of the carpet. A large collection bin is a good thing to have, too, as pet hair will fill any bin quickly.

If you have allergies to pet dander or dust, you can get robot vacuums equipped with HEPA filters. Whether or not you’ll need a HEPA filter on your vacuum will depend on individual circumstances. HEPA filters will make breathing the air more pleasant for everyone, and there are some cases where they

can prevent serious problems, especially if you have allergies. A HEPA filter can remove 99.97% of particles from the air, helping asthmatics and allergy sufferers breathe a little easier.

3. Emptying

The collection bin should be big enough that you won’t have to empty it in the middle of a cleaning cycle and easy enough to get to so you won’t spill it when it is time to empty out the debris. Some people prefer to empty it directly into the garbage so they don’t need to fumble around with any vacuum bags. It’s also really useful if your robot vacuum comes with an indicator that lets you know when it needs to be emptied.

4. Noise

No vacuums are silent, but a robot vacuum should be as quiet as possible, especially if you’re going to have it clean overnight while you sleep. You don’t want it to be so annoyingly loud that you can’t watch television or have a conversation while it’s working.

5. Battery

Most robot vacuums can return themselves to a charging dock when they detect they have a low battery and pick right back up where they left off once they recharge. Still, it’s worth finding one with a long battery life so your robot vacuum can be as efficient as possible. Stopping to charge will take time out of its cleaning schedule.

One thing to remember about robot vacuums is that a minimal amount of prep work is needed to get the room ready for them to clean. For example, any rug with numerous tassels, bed skirts, or small cords like a phone charger that are in the room will need to be moved elsewhere or pulled off the floor.

Conclusion

As you can see, the kind of robot vacuum that is best for you will depend on your needs. Pet owners and people who suffer from dust allergies have a little more to consider as not all options come with a HEPA filter, but that might not be a necessity for everyone.

Robot vacuums have revolutionized housework by taking away one thing some people hate to do. Since they were invention more than twenty years ago, advancements have been made so that not only do these robots mop your floors in addition to vacuuming them, but also you can program them from your phone or smartwatch when you’re not even at home.

Vacuum robots can save you a lot of time and aggravation. Use the information provided in this guide to decide which of our best robot vacuum 2021 picks will fit best in your home.

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