The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaners 2021 – Reviews & Comparison
The Cleanup Expert reviews the highest-rated models on the market to discover the best robot vacuum cleaner of 2021. Robot vacuum cleaners, also known as automatic vacuums, are cleaning robots designed to autonomously keep your home spotless — and we’re here to help you choose the best in this robot vacuum comparison.

Do Robotic Vacuums Actually Work
Yes! While not a complete home-cleaning replacement, robot vacuums offer impressive cleaning capability given their small size and autonomous nature. They are able to tackle a variety of lighter cleanup projects throughout the home, all on their own.
What Are Robot Vacuums Capable Of, And What Are Their Limitations

Vacuum robots are best equipped to handle dust, debris, pet hair, and food crumbs on hard floors and short-pile rugs. While some can handle carpeting, a thick pile may rapidly exhaust the robovac’s battery before it’s cleaning cycle is complete.
Robot floor cleaners are not effective at cleaning larger debris, and may become stuck and on items such as power cords or loose socks. It is important to manually remove large debris before beginning a cleaning cycle.
Which Robotic Vacuum Works Best For Tackling Pet Hair

While most of the robot vacuums we’ve reviewed are readily able to tackle long pet hair, some stand out ahead of others.
If you’re looking for peak pet performance, look no further than the iRobot Roomba s9+ or the Neato BotVac D7.
Both options deliver superior suction and improved cleaning over competing offerings.
Which Robotic Vacuum Works Best On Hardwood

Similarly to pet hair, most of the models we’ve reviewed are readily able to clean your hardwood floors. Yet again, there are some models that are simply superior at the job than others
We readily recommend the Roborock S6 MaxV, given it’s low profile, superior AI, and hybrid mopping capability. It’s not only the most effective model at keeping your hardwood pristine, but one of the finest models we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing.
Is A Robot Vacuum Right For Me
Would you rather vacuum yourself? Everybody wants a clean floor — but let’s face it, nobody wants to vacuum. Robotic vacuums are a great addition to any cleaning arsenal, thanks to their autonomous cleaning capability and compact nature that allows them to easily clean around your home.

Robot vacuums have come a long way from when they first hit the market, greatly reducing in cost and exploding with an array of innovative smart features. Take advantage of our helpful buying guide and reviews to help you choose the best model for your home cleaning needs!
MoreRating The Best Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Of 2021 – Reviews & Comparison
Cleaning performance is important, but not as much as you may think.
As many manufacturers will tell you, robot vacuum cleaners are meant to compliment your cleaning, and aren’t designed to be a complete replacement for traditional vacuuming. They free you up to enjoy your life rather or to tackle other tasks, reducing your overall need to manually clean.

There are several things to consider when purchasing one of your own, such as your budget, the features offered, and even reviews from real customers.
How do robotic vacuum cleaners work
Robotic vacuum cleaners, also known as roombas or robovacs, are vacuum cleaners that are powered by robotics to autonomously clean your home. Every robotic vacuum cleaner features basic navigation capabilities, utilizes an agitator with suction to collect debris, and are completely battery powered.

Robot vacuums use sensors to navigate your home, with more premium models even mapping as it cleans. They typically feature at least one spinning or rolling brush, although many are dual-brush options. These work in conjunction with a powerful suction force to collect dust and debris off of your floor, just like your traditional vacuum. This gets stored in a removable dustbin which you will have to empty when full, although there are several modern models that empty themselves into a canister on the charging station.
How do they compare to conventional canister and upright vacuums
The basic way they clean is actually similar, using an agitator in conjunction with suction to collect debris into a container. However, robotic vacuum cleaners are autonomous and can even be intelligent, unlike conventional canister and upright options. They can boast an array of options and features traditional offerings could only dream of delivering, such as internet connectivity and even app support.

As mentioned, they are meant to supplement your cleaning routine, and aren’t meant to serve as a complete replacement. Traditional vacuums are simply more powerful and effective at cleaning than their autonomous counterparts. Many are also unable to clean carpeting with any sort of depth, and may easily become stuck.
How do I maintain and take care of my robot vacuum
While robot vacuums can host an myriad of sophisticated features, they tend to be made out of a few common components that are generally easy to clean. Be sure that you check and clean the brushes and wheels frequently so you can prevent them potentially becoming clogged. Ensure there aren’t any hairs or thread trapped or wrapped in the brushes, and that there is nothing stuck on the wheels or in any crevices of the machine.

- Cleaning Modes – Robot vacuums frequently feature various cleaning modes for handling different tasks around your home. While they can vary between models and manufacturers, there are a few options that tend to be shared among devices. They include an automatic mode for general cleanup tasks, a scheduled mode that allows you to program cleaning cycles for specific times, and a turbo mode for those tougher tasks. There are also different options available to clean a specific spot or area, but as mention these vary between vacuums.
- Control Options – One of the biggest perks of having a robot vacuum is their autonomous nature, directing itself through your house and cleaning up on its own. While this is the most common and preferred form of operation, there are also often manual control options available. These are most commonly accessed through an included remote control, or even by using a supported app, and are great at spot-cleaning or hitting hard-to-reach spaces.
- Navigating – Earlier and cheaper robotic vacuum cleaners used random navigation, which would often result in uncleaned areas or having trouble getting around. Nowadays, robovacs feature an array of sensors to “see” the world and navigate your home, helping them avoid obstacles or fall off of ledges. Premium options are often capable of not only docking themselves when their battery is low, but will pick up exactly where they left off once charged. There are some that are capable of identifying different types of debris and adjusting power to clean as needed.
- Mapping – Modern, advanced robot vacuums are capable of actively mapping your home as it cleans. This is a concept in robotics known as simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM for short. These devices use an array of sensors including gyroscopes, cameras, radar, LiDAR, and even laser-guided systems to create floor plans for your home and update them as needed. This not only helps your robot clean effectively, but can help keep track of which areas have and have not yet been cleaned.
- Boundaries – There may be certain objects, areas, or rooms that you don’t want your robot vacuum to go near. While you could physically block them with some kind of barrier, manufacturers offer a better way to section off areas from your robot. Most commonly, companies utilize magnetic strips known as boundary blockers that you can apply to the floor for your robot to avoid. More premium options feature virtual boundaries you can establish in an app that your robot will respect as it cleans and navigates.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! Although they’re not meant to be a total replacement for continental cleaning, more to supplement it. While rapidly advancing, robot vacuum cleaners aren’t quite yet capable of tackling large debris and tougher messes so you will still need to take care of these yourself. They are however, an amazing addition to any home or cleaning arsenal. They help pick up dust, dirt, and debris — reducing your need to frequently clean. There are even hybrid models capable of mopping, although these tend to be on the higher-end of the market.
It all really depends on the model of vacuum and the height of the carpet. There are premium powerhouse models on the high-end of the market capable of tackling thicker carpeting like shag, where less powerful budget options may struggle even moving across a rug. Most models should be able to handle rugs and low-pile carpeting, but it’s important to research this before making a purchase.

While there are a few models capable of tackling thick carpeting, some are better than others. We readily recommend the iRobot Roomba s9+, which excels at cleaning even deep carpeting.
Absolutely! They may even perform better than conventional sweeping when it comes to cleaning them. This is because your robot vacuum is capable of cleaning and removing dirt trapped between boards, whereas conventional sweeping may only exacerbate this issue.

It is situational and depends on several factors including the size of the dustbin, how frequently you run cleaning cycles, the size of your home, and the type of debris the machine is cleaning. If you live by yourself in a smaller space and use it less frequently, you’ll need to empty it less often. Conversely, if you live in a large home with small children and pets running multiple cycles daily, you may need to frequently empty it throughout the day.
When robot vacuums first hit the market this was a feature that consumers could only dream of, but today it’s an actual reality. Not only are there multiple models that empty their dustbins on their own when docked, but there are several we’ve reviewed in this guide alone. Some great options with this feature include the iRobot Roomba s9+, the Roomba i7+, and the Shark IQ Robot XL.

Robot Tips & Tricks




Between the ilife v5s pro and the ilife v8s, which would you go with? The v8s is on sake now for $169.99 and the v5s pro is on sale for $179.99. I feel like I should automatically go with the newer model – v8s – but the v5s pro seems to cover more area in one charge than the v8s. And another thing I’m not sure about is the dust bin on the v8s – it says you can’t get it wet when you clean it out because it now houses an electronic part. Is that the same for the v5s? Thank you for your help.
Hello Maria, thank you for reaching out with your question! While the iLife V5s Pro does have a slightly longer operating time than the V8s, the V8s actually navigates more quickly than its predecessor, meaning you’re able to clean more space in less time using the newer model. The dustbin on the V5s does not house an electronic component and is able to get wet when cleaning. I wish you all the best with your purchasing decision and future 2-in-1 robot!
We’re considering buying a Roborock, but can’t decide whether the Roborock S6 or Roborock S5 is the better deal. What’s your take on it?
Thanks for your question. There isn’t a ton of difference between the two, especially the mopping function, but the S6 will cost you more. It’s still quite a bit cheaper than the top Roomba models. Both have great navigation with LIDAR (laser) navigation that makes them very accurate.
With the S6, you get the added advantage of Alexa and Google Assistant voice control plus a longer battery life (up to 150 minutes), and it’s 50% quieter than the S5. The main advantage, however, is that you can name rooms and set custom cleaning schedules and routes in the app. Plus, the added 32-bit quad core processor makes navigation 20% more efficient than the S5.
If you want quicker, quieter, and more control over cleaning cycles, we’d suggest the S6. The cost difference is worth it.
I’m looking for a small robot vacuum that will sweep up my wood floors in my kitchen… Requirements:
– Small so it can get around baby high chair.
– Good at crevices under cabinets.
– Doesn’t try and go into my other rooms (where it will certiaintly get stuck on all the baby toys laying around in the family room)
– Capable of getting to a dock that would be under the table with obstacles nearby -OR- a vacuum smart enough to leave my dining room travel into the kitchen and clean only the kitchen and then return.
I’m highly skeptical in a vacuum properly performing this task without getting stuck so i’d like a lower cost to entry to try it…
Any recommendations?
Hi and thanks for your question. It’s hard to find any one robot vac that meets all of your criteria at a low price. The closest one we’d recommend would be the eufy RoboVac 30. It’s very affordable and a step up from the 11S, which we did a full review on here: https://cleanup.expert/eufy-boost-iq-robovac-11s/.
It’s only 2.85” high so it will fit under toe kicks and furniture that other vacs can’t reach. It also has a redocking feature so it will return to the dock when the battery is low. For all robot vacs, it’s best to place the charging dock in an uncluttered area, so under a table with chairs wouldn’t be ideal. If you can find a spot against the wall with good clearance, that would be best.
While navigation isn’t as advanced as the Roombas, it does come with boundary strips that you can lay in front of power cords or doorways to keep it out of unwanted areas.
It’s not perfect, but it might be a good one for you to start with.
I can’t believe the Shark robot vac didn’t make the list! I love mine. It did come with a strip. Virtual avoidable areas would be nice and a automatic bin emptier , But other than that I have no complaints! It picks up cat hair, dust, dirt easiely goes from my linoleum to thick carpet. It has a app I can control it from or set automatic cleanings weekly,daily ect. .It rarely gets stuck. I do vacuum every once in awhile with my large vacuum but honestly the floors are clean so i dont worry about it much!! I do however keep the cords,socks, toys up so they don’t get run over. It goes under my beds, maneuvers around dining room chair legs an always gets the whole house clean before it makes its own way back to charge! I have never owned a roomba but I think Im going to stick with works for my family of 6!! (plus 2 indoor cats!!)
We have various types of carpet from low pile to thick plush. Will a robot vacuum really work on all carpets?
Many robot vacuums will struggle with anything beyond a low pile. That is, unless they have added features that increase the suction power needed to clean thicker fibers. Your best bet is to go with a robot vacuum that has something like Carpet Boost such as the iRobot Roomba 980. It will automatically adjust the suction power when transitioning between flooring types so it cleans much more thoroughly than those that don’t have this ability.
Will a robot vacuum last as long as an upright, and is it worth the expense? How long do they usually last?
Like most everything, that depends. For one, with robot vacuums, you usually get what you pay for, meaning that a premium priced brand will likely outlast a bargain priced one. With good maintenance, many robot vacuums can last at least 4 – 6 years, longer for a high quality one. To keep it running well, you will need to replace various parts on it at different times.
Here’s a very general idea of replacement schedules:
It’s important to follow all the maintenance steps in the owner’s manual for keeping the dirt bin and brush rollers clean, etc. You can pre-purchase replacement filters and brush rollers ahead of time so they’ll be ready when it’s time to change.
I know a lot of these robot vacuums have schedule functions. With pets (2 dogs in particular) I’m wondering how often should I run the vacuum?
There is no set time to run your robot vacuum. It will depend on how dirty your floors tend to get and what type of robot vacuum you have. If your dogs shed a lot, many pet owners set their vacuums to run daily, like while they’re at work or overnight. Some pet owners find they only need to run theirs 3 – 4 times per week.
Try running it a few times per week and observe the results. If you find you need more hair pickup, then run it every day or every other day. Some brands will be more efficient on some types of floors and dirt types than others. The Neato Robotics D7, for instance, was rated best for pet hair in our reviews. So it may not require as many cycles to do the job well.