5 Best Robot Vacuum Reviews: Autonomous Cleaning Machines

Robot vacuums is one of 21st century’s most innovative products.

Never in a million years I thought that having a Rosy in my home would be a reality.

But here we are and you’ll have literally hundreds of options.

If it’s your first time looking for a robot vacuum, I’ve done the leg work for you in researching and also testing robot vacuums.

After spending more than 20 hours in research and comparing with other robots, the Neato BotVac Connected I feel is the best robot vacuum available right now.

It isn’t the cheapest but this WiFi-Enabled robot is one of the most efficient and best performing robots out there.

The laser distance sensor and S.L.A.M algorithm combine to provide this with one of the most efficient and yet thorough cleaning performance.

With the release of the Botvac D7, the BotVac Connected’s price went further down.

At second place is the Roomba 980 thanks to its revamped navigation that’s now more efficient. It isn’t as powerful as the BotVac Connected but in terms of cleaning performance, it’s not far behind.

One reason it isn’t number one is the price. Right now, the Roomba 980 costs around $800, more than $100 more expensive than the BotVac Connected.

Spec comparison

Since prices in amazon change frequently because of promotions, availability, and various other reasons, we will not list the prices. Refer to these instead – $ = $300 and below, $$ = $301 – $400, $$$ = $401 to $500, $$$$ = $501 and up

Neato took has been working hard to keep up with iRobot in the quest for being the best robotic vacuum in the market. And the BotVac Connected represents their latest and perhaps best product to date.

Now with a side brush

When they unveiled the BotVac series a few years ago, they have a side brush to match Roomba’s side brush to help their product clean edges better.

Other improvements

In addition to the side brush, they also upgraded their navigation system. This variant also has a wider beater bar that’ll reach all the way to the edge.

While cleaning performance was not an issue, the lack of a remote was.

And with the Roomba 980 now adding an app to their product, Neato had to step up their game thus the BotVac Connected was born.

Control the robot remotely

The addition of the app changes the way we look at these appliances and what the future holds.

This app uses the WiFi signal of the robot and router that will allow you to control it remotely as long as you have internet connectivity.

New battery

Neato has also put in a new Lithium-Ion battery that is less prone to power fading. Older BotVacs use NiCad batteries that are heavy, have short run time and doesn’t hold its charge well.

This means less power fade and more cleaning but unfortunately, it does not translate to longer running times.

Why is it number 1?

The main reason is two-fold, first is the price.

The Roomba 980 is a very good product but it’s pretty darn expensive. Another competitor, the Dyson 360 Eye boasts of a more powerful motor, larger bin, and high tech navigation. But all that will set you back more than$1,000!!!

Second is the performance. Neato still uses the same brush roll that performs. And still one of the best in the market.

Here’s a video of it in action…

And the BotVac Connected is no different. Ryan Crist says that it is the best performing cleaning robot in the market right now and that includes the Roomba 980 and 880, though the 360 Eye was not part of the test.

Better navigation

One big improvement would be the navigation that’s more thorough.

Older Neato robots, particularly the XV series would only do a single pass. This new robot will do two passes in both directions – horizontal and vertical. So this is better in terms of thoroughness and you’ll have a cleaner home.

This lessens the chance of it missing anything because it goes in rows and columns – a more thorough approach to cleaning.

Potential issues

The brush roll design is still high maintenance, especially if you have a lot of pets at home. Make sure to clean it up after every 2 uses depending on how much hair gets in there.

App limitations

Also the app does not show you other details like how long it took the robot to clean or the battery status.

It doesn’t show details of the errors. For example if the robot stops in the middle of a cleaning cycle, it will only flash and error code. You’ll have to check the manual and decode the error code yourself.

As with all new technology, these types of quirks are normal and hopefully will be ironed out in future updates.

Bottom line:

For the price and features, it gives you, it is hard to beat the BotVac Connected. The addition of the WiFi-enabled app takes this to a whole new level. Neato did not change the brush roll design that performs. But it requires upkeep to keep it functioning well. If you have $650 or so to spend on a robot vacuum, it is hard to beat this.

In their previous generation robot vacuums, the Roomba used IR-sensors that pretty much resulted in a random cleaning pattern.

If you are curious, the biggest difference between the 880 and 650 was the motorized brush and how it navigates around furniture.

650 more aggressive

The 650 was pretty aggressive tackling edges and corners which resulted in a better cleaning performance.

But at the cost of scrapes and scratches on furniture. So when they did their R&D with the 880, they decided to dial it back.

Cleaning performance did suffer a bit but it resulted in less damage to furniture.

Sorry for the long intro but I had to share it so you can understand the evolution of this product.

The 980 totally scrapped the IR-based navigation and now uses a brand new system that combines infrared sensors and a camera on top to help map its location and the areas it has cleaned.

Why is it number 2?

Whereas previous Roomba robots wander aimlessly until battery is low, the 980 actually remembers areas it has cleaned thanks to the camera and avoids obstacles through the IR-sensors located up front the bumper.

This change enables this robot to have a much more efficient navigation compared to previous Roombas and allows this robot to clean a larger area (yes multiple rooms) without getting lost and trapped so there is less baby-sitting involved.

Here’s short video to show you the newfound efficiency of the 980…

All these features are brought together by the iAdapt 2.0 navigation system and visual localization software that keeps track of its location. And even when it goes to recharge it will go back exactly to the area where it last cleaned and continue from there.

More powerful motor

Another improvement would be the stronger motor that iRobot says is 10 times more powerful than the Roomba 650.

This is the only Roomba with a carpet boost feature that’s a fancy term that means variable suction. Turn this feature on if you’re cleaning carpet and turn it off on bare floor.

Turning on this feature however cuts the run time from 120 minutes in normal mode down to 90 minutes.

Longer run time

Neato was able to increase run time because of the Li-Ion batteries. Not only will this run longer, it’ll hold its charge better. Power will be more consistent throughout the cleaning cycle.

WiFi Connectivity

iRobot also ditched the traditional remote with the 980. In its place is an App compatible for both IoS and Android devices.

What does this mean?

It simply means more convenience and flexibility.

No longer will you need to be in the same vicinity as the robot to use the remote, as long as you have internet connection. You can turn on the robot just about anywhere. And you can also schedule it to clean on its own at different times each day of the week.

What are the potential issues?

As with any camera-based navigation system, it is highly dependent on light. In total pitch darkness, it may have issues navigating and may not function as it was designed to.

Expensive

The biggest issue for me would be the price, at close to $900 this robot is one of the more expensive in the market right now and around $200 more expensive than the Neato BotVac Connected.

If $900 is too much, you may want to have a look at the Roomba 960.

It has almost the same features as the 980. But with a weaker motor and smaller battery.

This means a shorter but it retains the same navigation and WiFi features.

Bottom line:

The Roomba 980 represents the latest and best Roomba has to offer in terms of features, navigation, and cleaning performance. This is the most efficient Roomba to date thanks to the camera and SLAM based system that is smarter than any Roomba around. It still uses the same bristle-less extractors as the 800 series which means fewer tangles and pretty good cleaning performance.

Even though the Roomba 770 was a bestselling robot cleaner in Amazon, iRobot wasn’t satisfied.

They set out to create a new robotic vacuum with brand new counter-rotating bristle-less rubber “extractors”. And a new XLife battery that according to iRobot will last twice as long.

Why is it number 3?

The biggest problem with bristles is that over time hair, dander and dirt get wrap around it.

You will need special cleaning tools to clean and untangle hair.

If you’ve ever used a vacuum with a motorized brush, you’ll understand this problem.

No more bristles

Roomba 860 solves this by completely removing the bristle from the brush. And instead used a specially designed “extractor” to agitate and pick up dirt and hair.

In terms of performance, it did not disappoint as it did well on CNet’s rice grain test.

It also got the best score in terms of picking up sawdust on the hardwood. But it did struggle though with pet hair compared to the BotVac.

So the later would be a better choice if you have a lot of pets at home. You can find the results of the test here.

What are the potential issues?

Even with the tangle-free extractors, long hair still tends to wrap around these extractors, just look at the photos below…

So there is still some maintenance involved here but not as much compared to the old style bristle brushes.

Still expensive

Another issue for me is the price. Even though this looks better, has more bells and whistles (virtual wall, remote, etc.) the price is a little bit too high for me.

The performance against Neato is virtually even. But the Roomba is less efficient and will take longer to clean a room.

Bottom line

This would be great for the modern homeowner who likes to fiddle with technology as the 880 has an IR remote and a couple of lighthouses that act as a wall or door depending on the settings. A bit pricey but it’ll still do the job.

If you’d tell me five years ago that a Chinese brand can complete with a big named brand like a Neato, I would have laughed at your face. But Xiaomi has stepped up its game with its product simply known as the MI robot vacuum.

Based on my tests and research this product copied a lot of its features from the Neato BotVac Connected which isn’t all bad because more competition means better things for us consumers.

At least they didn’t copy the D-shaped feature of Neato but everything else under the hood both of these robots are pretty much the same.

Same navigation as Neato

The biggest similarity would be navigation both Xiaomi and Neato use an LDS or Laser Distance Sensor that scans its surroundings 1,800 per second.

This sensor builds a 360-degree map of the environment it is the cleaning and basically helps it avoid colliding with furniture.

Along with the LDS it also uses the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping algorithm found in the Neato.

This basically helps the robot keep track of its position without needing a camera to do so.

This allows this robot to run even in pitch dark conditions – this is a huge advantage over the camera-based navigation used by other brands like Samsung and iRobot.

Why is it number 4?

One of the things I like most about this product is the navigation especially after downloading the firmware update.

It combines efficiency and thoroughness not found in random navigating robots like the Roomba 800 series or the ILIFE robot vacuums.

Watch this video to see what I mean…

You will notice that it goes through its cleaning cycle twice!

This increases the cleaning performance two-fold!

I also like that the robot remembers exactly where the charging station is without any guesswork – that’s the SLAM algorithm in action here.

Large capacity battery

To go with the efficient cleaning pattern Xiaomi also equipped this cleaning tool with a large 5,200 MaH lithium-ion battery that will run for around 2.5 hours!

That’s around half an hour longer than the Neato.

When you combine that with the efficient cleaning, this robot can clean up to 250 square meters in one charge.

When the battery runs low, it goes back to the charging base, refuels and then goes back where it left off and finish the job.

WiFi and App

Like the Neato BotVac Connected and Roomba 980, this robot also comes with an app that allows you to schedule cleaning, monitor, and turn on this robot remotely anywhere as long as you have internet connectivity.

As for the scheduling feature you can actually set it to clean at multiple times each day. You can ask it to clean once in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

The downside though is that the core functionality is only available in Chinese and it lacks a bit in terms of responsiveness but it is a very good first step for Xiaomi. Perhaps their future products will have an even better and faster app.

Potential issues

The biggest issue for me would be the size of the bin. Despite its size, the bin could have been a little bit bigger instead it has a capacity of roughly 0.45 liters with a narrow opening that can be a bit messy to empty.

The motorized brush also is a bit narrow compared to the full-width brush found in the BotVac Connected. This means it will be less efficient and compared to the Neato.

The last issue would be corner cleaning or a lack thereof. Make no mistake this robot does a good job on straight edges but when it comes to cleaning corners the round shape hurts it. It makes me wonder why they did not adopt the D-shape of Neato.

Bottom line:

This product is legit – a true budge version of the Neato that will give roughly the same performance at about half the cost. If you don’t mind the lack of corner cleaning and the Chinese app, this is a very good product, indeed a diamond in the rough. It does not come with the extras the Neato has but you can purchase those products separately at the GearBest store.

Currently, the Roomba 690 is the cheapest Roomba robot available to date at just under $300. Feature-wise, this robot is pretty basic but it does come with a WiFi and Alexa connectivity so if you value these features (who doesn’t), it is a great option. Cleaning performance is up to par with the 800 series since both have random navigation patterns but it won’t be as efficient as the Neato Botvac, Xiaomi, or the Roomba 900 series.

A cheaper alternative to the Roomba 900 series

This would be a cheaper but worthy alternative to the more expensive 900 series Roomba that costs as much as $800.

It has practically the same brush system and navigation that’ll perform up to par based on reviews.

If you look at the reviews, a lot of consumers who owned 700-series Roombas also bought and they said it performed as well as a 700-series!

This model is exactly the same as the 630. The difference is that the 630 does not have the scheduling feature.

What are the downsides?

It has a rather small dirt container that needs to be emptied often. The counter-rotating brushes need to be cleaned often to maintain performance because debris in particular hair tends to get stuck on the bristles of the brush, the side brush, and wheels. These 3 areas need frequent cleaning.

Bottom line

Overall this is a good product that isn’t as expensive as the newer 800 series models but will perform close to it. You just have to be mindful that it needs frequent TLC so it does not wear out too quickly.

How to you choose the right robotic vacuum?

Before I go to the list, you must know what a good robot vacuum should have. And here are 4 of the features it must have and why.

1. Cliff sensors

These sensors prevent robots from falling down stairs or any “cliff” points like stairs and damaging themselves permanently.

2. Self-docking

When the battery is low, it tells the robot to go back to the charging base to recharge and continue its task without your help.

3. Smart Navigation

This will dictate how efficient a robot is in cleaning a room, the less time it needs to clean the more efficient it is. There are two types of navigation – random and predictable.

Robots that use IR sensors will navigate in a random direction. These products are usually cheaper and more thorough but not efficient.

Newer robots that have a more efficient navigation system will either use a camera or laser sensor.

These will be more expensive because of the tech involved. But be careful some of the brands aren’t as thorough in cleaning which defeats the purpose of a robot vacuum.

4. Scheduling

The main point of having a robotic vacuum is automation, without this feature what’s the point in getting one?

Robots with WiFi and app will allow you more flexibility like scheduling different times with the option of cleaning on specific days only.

How did we select the finalists?

There are easily more than 50 variants available on Amazon right now. Maybe more than a 70 if you include those sold in Chinese stores like Ali Express and GearBest. And frankly, most brands are garbage to put frankly.

My job for this review is to narrow down those options for you. What I did was do a quick product search on Amazon to narrow down options. Everything with more than 170 reviews with a least a 4-star rating I put on the shortlist.

The most important metric we looked at is navigation and cleaning performance. Frankly, if a robot’s navigation is bad, it’s not worth buying.

So we put navigation at a premium and all of the variants here will navigate well enough to clean one room and go back to home base.

Full disclosure: nope I did not test every single one of these but I’ve read reviews and watch reviews online to see how these products perform. Not only did I write this close to 4,000-word review but also individual reviews of each of the 5 options if you need more information.

Is a robot vacuum a good option to clean my home?

First-generation robots suffered from reliability issues and couldn’t seem to hold up for more than a few months.

But as technology got better that is no longer the case.

New robots are better than ever

Newer robots are light years better in terms of reliability, navigation, and cleaning performance.

However, these machines will not replace a traditional vacuum in terms of deep cleaning performance and power.

More connectivity

Smartphones also play a huge part in technological advances.

The latest robots have WiFi connectivity and smartphone apps. These features allow you more control and access, even if you’re not physically present. All you need is a router to connect your phone and robot.

Some of the latest products that have these features are the Dyson 360 Eye, Neato BotVac Connected, Roomba 980, and the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum.

Autonomous helper

These robots will help busy folks with hectic schedules to outsource their cleaning task and prevent dirt from piling up.

Great as a maintenance type vacuum

But don’t rely on this to be your primary cleaner. These machines are at their best as maintenance tools that’ll dirt from piling up.

If you expect it to do more, you’re just setting up yourself for disappointment.

You’ll appreciate these robots because they don’t complain. And will even clean difficult areas such as areas under the bed.

Without further ado here’s the list, five of the best robotic cleaners that will help your home stay clean even if you are busy doing other things.

Before buying one set these expectations

Consumer reports say that types of vacuums will not replace a traditional upright vacuum.

Heck, it won’t replace a cordless vacuum. And while I agree with them, that’s not the main point of buying a robot vacuum.

Great for monotonous tasks

These machines are great because they will do a monotonous task over and over without getting tired.

With the proper setup, you will not even need to vacuum every day. If your home has carpet, autonomous cleaners will clean high traffic areas and prevent dirt from piling up.

Not a deep cleaner

Do not expect deep cleaning performance from a robot because it isn’t possible. Even the Dyson 360 Eye will not deep clean carpet. So let’s just set that expectation from the get go. You will still need a decent upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning tasks.

Don’t forget to check our review on the best carpet cleaners while you’re at it. These tools will go well together in keeping your carpet clean.

Yes these products are expensive but this guide will help you get the best bang for your buck.

To wrap up

The Neato BotVac sets the standard for robotic vacuums even that even the more high-tech and expensive Roomba 980 and Dyson 360 Eye cannot beat.

Why the Roomba 980?

It has a wider side brush than the 980 which translates to a wider cleaning path, the same predictable cleaning pattern that made it so popular with consumers, and here’s the clincher – it is cheaper than the Roomba.

In terms of cleaning performance, you can flip and coin between the two and there wouldn’t be much of a difference. Both have the same efficient pattern but goes about it differently.

How Neato and Roomba’s Navigation Differ

The Neato relies on a laser guided sensor while the Roomba does so with a camera. Both are good at what it does and you cannot go wrong with either of the two. But if you feel that spending close to $800 on a vacuum is too much then you can opt for their cheaper variants like the Roomba 960 or the BotVac D5.

Cheaper Alternative

A true budget option at least comparatively speaking to both the Roomba and Neato would be the Xiaomi or MI robot vacuum.

It has similar features as the Neato in terms of navigation but it has a round body and a narrower cleaning path and the price difference will make you pause and think. Check out the videos I recorded for the MI robot vacuum and see for yourself.

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