Look, we get it. Sometimes you come home from work and want to put your feet up, but you know you need to vacuum. Or you’re busy preparing for your friends and family to arrive in a few hours and realise you haven’t mopped. Or, maybe like me, you’re a little neurospicy and cleaning consistently is a daily battle.
These are just a few of the times that a robot vacuum cleaner can be an absolute godsend, and they’ve come a long way in a short time. What was once a futuristic concept is fast becoming a common household appliance, the kind of which we basically take for granted. There are a lot of shoddy ones out there, though. So what are the best robot vacuum cleaners? And while we’re at it, what even makes for a great robot vacuum in the first place? Let’s find out.
Best Robot Vacuum Cleaners
From trusted brands such as Ecovacs to more obscure offerings from around the globe, our team of editors have dug up the best dust-busting options for your home or apartment. Taking into consideration factors such as price, reliability and adaptive technology, this list of the best robot vacuum cleaners is designed to give you a comprehensive overview of the top products. Importantly, these robot vacuums are regularly available and means-tested by the team, meaning that while you may find other options on the market – these are the best-performing releases that we personally have seen.
1. Roborock Q5 Pro
- Price: AU$699
- Suction: 5,500pa
- Dustbin: 770ml
- Mopping: No
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple Siri
- App: Yes
The Roborock Q5 Pro is what we would consider a fantastic benchmark vacuum. It does all the most pressing things you need a robot vacuum cleaner to do, without breaking the bank, and does so admirably. Using a double-roller brush to help clean hard floors and carpet alike, the Q5 Pro is actually quite good at picking up hair: and is especially good at cleaning up stray sheddings from pets.
It even optimises cleaning routes in interesting ways, such as moving along hardwood floors in the same direction as the cracks between wood, ensuring it gets as much dust out of the gaps as possible. If you’re new to the world of robovacs and are looking for a good all-rounder, it’s hard to go wrong here.
2. Eufy X10 Pro Omni
- Price: AU$1,699
- Suction: 8,000pa
- Dustbin: 2.5L Dustbin in Base Station
- Mopping: Yes
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
- App: Yes
The Eufy X10 Pro Omni is a step up, for sure. The X10 is a fantastic vacuum-and-mop combo robot cleaner that can keep your place clean with minimal effort, and the nice big 2.5L dust bag kept within the base station only needs to be changed every two months. If your goal is to have something that largely operates independently, with only minimal upkeep from you, you might want to check this one out.
The X10 Pro also mops floors by way of its MopMaster 2.0 system, which is a fantastic feature for people with hardwood floors. And, if the robovac’s sensors detect it’s on carpet the dual mop pads will automatically lift by 12mm to ensure it doesn’t get wet. It’s a nice feature that means your carpets aren’t going to get mouldy due to a rogue robot.
3. Ecovacs Deebot T30 Pro Omni
- Price: AU$1,799
- Suction: 11,000pa
- Dustbin: 3L
- Mopping: Yes
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
- App: Yes
Ecovacs make some great products, and the Deebot T30 Pro is no different. The vacuum has a number of features to ensure that its brush doesn’t get tangled up in hair, effectively stopping the vacuum from suddenly stopping because some hair got caught around the axle.
And, with a staggering 11,000pa of suction, this little guy is the absolute king of suction, working incredibly well on areas of deep carpet. The T30 Pro also features the mopping ability of other vacuum cleaners in its price range, while also using ‘smart rework’ technology to judge how dirty a surface is and adapt its cleaning behaviour accordingly: a nice feature when you’ve left a nasty stain.
4. Eufy S1 Pro
- Price: AU$2,699
- Suction: 8,000pa
- Dustbin: 2.5L
- Mopping: Yes
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
- App: Yes
The Eufy S1 Pro is a brand new vacuum cleaner, but spent a week testing it out and it left us quite impressed. Able to easily map out the entirety of your home, judge where areas of complication will be (for example, where a number of power cables are), and avoid set ‘safe zones’.
It also features an impressive ‘turbowash’ feature, which allows it to clean itself while it cleans your floors, keeping it out and about for longer. Like Eufy’s other vacuums, the S1 Pro will recharge in the middle of a clean if it needs to, but will remember where it was and pick up where it left off. It’s a relatively hands off device, which is always nice.
5. iRobot Roomba Combo j9 Plus
- Price: AU$1,899
- Suction: Undisclosed
- Dustbin: 210ml onboard, base station is undisclosed
- Mopping: Yes
- Smart Home: No
- App: Yes
Probably the name most synonymous with robovacs, the Roomba Combo j9 Plus promises ‘barefoot-friendly floors’. In fact, this impressive machine undergoes a four-stage cleaning process, with advanced navigation and two cleaning passes to keep your place clean. Plus, with a feature called ‘Dirt Detective’, the j9 Plus can determine which room is dirtiest and start there.
Impressively, the j9 Plus’ base station can hold up to 60-days worth of dirt, and 30-days worth of water, to keep the robot cleaning longer without needing you to intervene.
6. iRobot Roomba 692
- Price: AU$499
- Suction: Undisclosed
- Dustbin: Undisclosed
- Mopping: No
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa and Google Home
- App: Yes
Compared to the j9 Plus, the Roomba 692 is much more basic, but it’s also less than a third of the price. In fact, this is probably the minimum we’d recommend spending on a robovac – any less, and it’s likely that whatever you’re buying is destined for the scrap heap, which is honestly just a waste of your money and the device.
There’s no mopping functionality, it’s pretty loud, and it’ll probably need to have its dustbin cleaned out after every cycle, but it will actually do a good job of keeping your floors clean – though obviously not to the same standard as some of the more expensive options on the market.
7. Dreame X40 Ultra
- Price: AU$2,799
- Suction: 12,000pa
- Dustbin: Undisclosed
- Mopping: Yes
- Smart Home: Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple Siri
- App: Yes
Another premium robovac, the Dreame X40 Ultra is a seriously impressive bit of kit. It features the highest suction on this list (and honestly, one of the highest we’ve seen on the market) at 12,000pa. If you’ve tried vacs with less oomph, the X40 Ultra might just be the upgrade you’re after.
Beyond that, the X40 comes with a ton of other features: smart mop and washboard functions, ‘OmniDirt’ detection technology, a removable mop head, and the ability to map how to clean each room in your home. Plus, the X40 Ultra can detect dirt and spills and clean accordingly, even if you didn’t realise you spilled your water.
8. Dyson 360 Vis Nav
- Price: AU$1,999
- Suction: 65AW (about 3,380pa, according to TechRadar)
- Dustbin: .57L
- Mopping: No
- Smart Home: No
- App: Yes
Despite recently moving into audio, Dyson is still the king of vacuums. All that tech seems to have been brought to bear here into what appears to be a fairly expensive unit with fewer features than the competition. However, the 360 Vis Nav is a fantastic device – as long as you only want it to vacuum, and only on dry surfaces.
If that’s your jam, and you’ve got a cool $2k to drop, Dyson won’t do you dirty. But if you’re after some more features, or want the occasional spill to be dealt with, this one ain’t gonna cut the mustard.
What to Look for in a Robot Vacuum
As you’re likely aware, not all high-powered gadgets are created equal. That’s why you should read all the necessary robot vacuum reviews before making any sort of purchase. Be sure to consider the following qualities:
- Budget – How much are you willing to spend?
- Scheduling – Is the robot vacuum easy to schedule?
- Volume – Does it make a lot of noise or is it sleek and quiet?
- Self-functioning capability – Can the robot vacuum complete a full cleaning cycle without getting stuck, tangled, or deterred?
- Design – Is it slim and agile or bulky?
- Upkeep – How easy is it to replace certain parts or clean out certain areas (dustbin, etc)?
- Performance – Does the robot vacuum work on carpets and hardwood floors alike? How does it handle tight corners and other hard-to-reach areas? How powerful is the suction?
- Battery life – How long does it run before needing to power up?
- Adjoining app – What kind of features are available on the app?
- WiFi connectivity – How reliable is the connection?
If you want some more detail around what to consider when buying a robovac, check out our buying guide.
Robot Vacuums vs. Upright Vacuums
As great as something like the iRobot Roomba 692 might be, it’s not necessarily for everyone. Along similar lines, upright counterparts still deliver certain advantages. When comparing the two, evaluate the following factors:
- Layout of your domestic space – Generally speaking, robot vacuums work best in open areas without too many obstacles in their way.
- Maintenance – While robot vacuums are convenient on principle, the cheaper ones fill up with dust more quickly, break down more easily, and require more maintenance than upright vacuums.
- Cost – A dependable robot vacuum will typically cost more than a dependable upright vacuum.
- Type of mess – Robot vacuums are good for maintaining consistent (i.e. baseline) levels of cleanliness, while upright vacuums can tackle harder jobs.
- Control – Do you like to have complete control over your cleaning? If so, you might be better off with an upright vacuum.
In our experience, you’ll still need an upright vacuum cleaner as a backup. Robovacs are great at doing the majority of the work, but they have a tendency to miss some hard to reach places, such as corners, under couches, and behind the toilet. Working together with a robovac, you can easily keep your home sparkling clean – just don’t expect it to do all of the work, regardless of how much you spend.
Why Trust Our List?
This list of the best robot vacuum cleaners was selected by our dedicated team of technology editors and journalists. Author Dean Blake curated the list based on personal experience, as well as the experience of Man of Many’s team, while also taking into account external reviews, device prices, and functionality. For more information on how we select these lists, view our editorial guidelines.
