❌ You're on a budget: There are plenty of cheaper bots that'll do a good enough job for many people's needs.

❌ You're dealing with lots of dust: There's no self-empty on the dock, and the small onboard bin will fill up quickly if you're dealing with lots of dirt or hair.

If you’re looking for a robot vacuum on a budget that still offers robust cleaning power and smart connectivity features, the Lefant M210 is ideal for routine dust and pet hair control.

Some still use that method, but our favorite robot vacuums use smart mapping features to make a map of your home before the first cleaning so they can clean more methodically. Mapping also allows them to avoid running into permanent obstacles, such as couches or door frames. Your robot vacuum will likely learn your space a little better each time it cleans your home. too. You can also direct the robot vacuum from your smartphone to only vacuum your kitchen or bedroom, if you need it to do a quick clean before guests come over or after a messy meal. Most of our picks have smart mapping, including our best overall pick (the one exception is our best value pick).   Can Robot Vacuums Clean Around Clutter? One of the biggest pain points of using a robot vacuum is pre-cleaning your floor before running your device. The latest technology allows for object avoidance, so they require less work on your part. If your vacuum has this feature, it will have a camera on the front that can identify objects, like a sock or a pack of crayons on the floor, and coach the vacuum to go around it. Obstacle avoidance is an especially great feature for pet owners, especially if their pets like to nap in a common, yet unpredictable area or are accident-prone. We love it because it keeps the robot from getting plugged up with socks or running over other objects and possibly making a bigger mess. This feature is a work in progress for many robot vacuums and will likely get better (and more precise) in the years to come. It's currently offered on four of our picks, but we've found performance will vary from model to model and object to object.

Not all robovacs can handle the Em excesso challenge posed by lots of pet hair, but one that really impressed on this front was the Dreame L40 Ultra. This bot was put through its paces in a home filled with furry, four-legged friends, and really rose to the occasion.

AR Score is a scoring system developed by our experts. The score is from 0 to 10 based on the data collected by the Appliances Radar tool. This score doesn't impact from any manufacturer or sales agent websites. Learn more

It’s engineered for low noise, helping create a peaceful home atmosphere even during daily cleaning. The self-charging capability ensures the vacuum always returns to its dock after finishing a cleaning session or when the battery runs low.

That might not be an issue if you're cleaning on one floor as the bot will just return to its dock to recharge as required, but it becomes more annoying if you're using it on multiple floors.

She has been in consumer journalism since 2020, reviewing and writing about everything from outdoor kit to mattresses Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners and wellness gadgets, with stints on Tom's Guide and T3.

The pay-off of the small base station is that it can't self empty, so you'll need to take a trip to the trash every time the small onboard bin gets full. It'll be fine for smaller homes or light cleaning, but might be annoying if you're regularly dealing with lots of dirt or pet hair.

Plus, the addition of a side mop and flexi-arm brush that extends from the bot helped with cleaning edges and corners.

Users benefit from the vacuum’s smart detection, mode switching, and maintenance-free operation. If you desire the dual action of vacuuming and mopping, the Tipdiy G90 can help achieve spotless floors and fresher air, whether you’re cleaning hard surfaces or maintaining minimal carpeting.

This isn't a cheap bot, and while I think the featureset and performance justify the price, it'll be out of budget for some. We have more affordable options in our roundup of the best robot vacuums for pet hair – although be aware that if you really want something up to the task, you will likely need to spend a bit more.

AR Score is a scoring system developed by our experts. The score is from 0 to 10 based on the data collected by the Appliances Radar tool. This score doesn't impact from any manufacturer or sales agent websites. Learn more