The best robot vacuums for 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

The Roomba j7+ is one of our favorite robot vacuums to use throughout a house, whether on carpet, tile, or rugs. After a few initial runs, the j7+ can map a home's layout. Next, you can use the iRobot app to choose your cleaning method. You can select which rooms you want cleaned, in what order, and how many times you want each room cleaned. 

There aren't many robot vacuums that we trust to remove ingrained pet hair from our carpets, but the j7+ is an exception to that rule. It gets a complete run of my house and does a great job on different floor surfaces. What sets Roomba vacuums apart from others is intelligence. The j7+ uses to recognize and avoid everyday household objects like socks, cords, shoes, and pet waste. 

Review: Roomba j7+

If you're a new pet owner, iRobot's P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee will make you feel comfortable enough to leave your Roomba j7+ and pet in the same area. We love knowing that, no matter what the house looks like, we can send the j7+ out to clean, and it won't suck up something that it shouldn't. The peace of mind is worth every single penny. Amazon customers also rave about this feature, one saying, "The object identification system is a wonderful addition for pet owners or anyone with loose wires. Having gone through three [poop apocalypses] with our dog and old Roomba over the past five years, the poop avoidance system is a welcome assurance!"

The Roomba j7+ doesn't have mopping capabilities, but it does pair beautifully with the Braava Jet m6. The two iRobot products use the same technology to tag team your vacuuming and mopping needs. I tested both of these robots out, so be sure to check out our full reviews.

Roomba j7+ features: PrecisionVision Navigation | P.O.O.P. guarantee | Easy robot integration | Price: $749

Whether vacuuming or mopping, the PowerDetect robot does the dirty work, so you don't have to. It deep-cleans and mops your floors, while the NeverTouch Pro base means you don't have to worry about cleanup or maintenance for weeks at a time. After every cleaning run, the robot will return to the base to empty debris, refill the water tank, and wash and dry the mopping pad so it's always ready for its next clean, giving you maintenance-free cleaning for up to a month. 

With Shark's NeverStuck Technology, the robot lifts itself over obstacles and across thresholds to avoid getting stuck. When mopping, it keeps the pad above carpets to prevent wet messes and deliver whole-home coverage. While the robot handles your cleaning chores for you, the bagless base with HEPA Anti-Allergen Complete Seal captures and traps 99.97% of dust and allergens (down to 0.3 microns, allergens refers to non-living matter). The base traps dust & allergens and keeps them inside, out of the air you breathe, while Odor Neutralizer Technology guards against bad odors in the base for a fresher smelling home. 

The Dreame X40 Ultra is an outstanding robot vacuum and mop with excellent mapping capabilities and the strongest suction power on the market. The problem? It's very expensive, at $1,900.

This robot vacuum and mop has it all, from intelligent navigation to magnetic detachable mop pads that the robot can leave behind at the station to vacuum and then return to put them on and mop. As moms and pet owners, we believe this is the best robot vacuum and mop combination money can buy for busy families with large cleaning areas. 

Review: Dreame X40 Ultra

The Dreame X40 Ultra vacuums thoroughly, mops superbly, has a hands-free self-cleaning station, and is great at avoiding obstacles. You don't have to worry about picking up everything from your floors before running it, so you can have it clean your home daily while you're out.

Though the app could be more user-friendly, the numerous customization options may overshadow that shortcoming. The Dreame X40 Ultra lets you customize cleaning areas and even choose to have the robot vacuum rugs first, do a thorough rug cleaning, and even whether you want it to take pictures of your pet when it spots them.

Amazon reviewers also feel overwhelmingly positive about the X40 Ultra, one saying, "The performance of this vacuum is where it truly shines. The suction power is incredible, tackling dust, dirt, and pet hair with ease. It even picks up crumbs and debris that my previous vacuum would have left behind. The Dream X40 Ultra glides effortlessly around furniture and obstacles, never getting stuck or confused, which was a constant issue with my old iRobot J9."

Dreame X40 Ultra features: MopExtend cleaning capability | 12,000Pa suction power | Multi-functional base station | Price: $1,900

The Narwal Freo X Plus is the best midrange robot vacuum we've tested. At $400, this robot vacuum and mop excels on hard floors, handling debris, crumbs, and hair without tangling. Though it doesn't have a self-emptying dustbin, the built-in dust compression feature lets you go up to seven weeks without emptying the Freo X Plus dustbin. 

The dustbin can hold up to one liter of debris, and its heat-drying mechanism ensures no odors or bacteria growth. I've had issues with odor from other self-emptying vacuums, but not once from the Narwal Freo X Plus during my time testing it. 

The Freo X Plus has strong LiDAR mapping and obstacle avoidance capabilities, ensuring swift and effective navigation across your home. It performs exceptionally well on hard floors, but its performance on carpet is less impressive, leaving a few crumbs on its trail. 

Review: Narwal Freo X Plus

That said, we've found this to be one of the best robot vacuums we've tested, and many buyers agree. One verified customer noted, "Having two cats and two litter boxes, I have to constantly vacuum the floor for litter and pet hair. This product does its job to clean the floor with minimum noise and I love the fact that it can detect carpet and adjust the height accordingly."

Narwal Freo X Plus features: Up to seven weeks without emptying | 7,800Pa suction power | Effective tangle-free technology | Price: $400

The Yeedi M12 Pro+ truly has no business being this cheap. A 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop with a self-emptying and self-washing system, the M12 Pro+ has 11,000Pa of suction power, a leader on the market. It features a specialized roller system to prevent hair tangles when vacuuming.

This new M12 Pro+ has minor issues, such as struggling to avoid obstacles and getting its brush stuck, though it performs better than other more expensive options. It also lifts its mop pads when going over carpet or rugs, and this feature performed pretty well with my short-pile rugs, but the 9-millimeter lift isn't enough to keep my medium-pile rugs dry. 

Review: Yeedi M12 Pro+

Despite these minor issues, the M12 Pro+'s robust cleaning features and compact all-in-one charging station make for a high-quality cleaning solution. 

"The Yeedi M12 Pro+ has not only met but surpassed my expectations," one reviewer said about the robot vacuum and mop. "It's a robust, efficient cleaning tool that has taken the chore out of vacuuming. If you're in the market for a robot vacuum that offers great performance and ease of use, look no further than the Yeedi M12 Pro+."

Yeedi M12 Pro+ features: TruEdge deep mopping | 11,000Pa suction power | Zero Tangle technology | Price: $899

If you're like us and have a lot of dog hair lying around, we promise you won't be disappointed if you invest in the Roomba s9+. This is Roomba's most powerful robot vacuum to date. It comes in a D-shaped design, allowing the robot to fit in the corners of your home. Once the s9+ gets going, the dual multi-surface brushes suck up everything in their paths. Even on our carpet, the ingrained dog hair and dirt get sucked away and into the robot. One Amazon customer says, "The Roomba not only works really well from a vacuuming perspective, but it has done a remarkable job learning the house."

As an iRobot vacuum, the AI inside the s9+ can recognize shoes, socks, cords, and more, so you don't have to worry. And Roomba does a great job keeping your devices up to date, so they're always learning and getting smarter through continued software updates. 

Also: How Roomba's $1,000 robot vacuum handled my house of children and pets

The s9+ comes with an auto-empty base that doubles as a charging station, so once the robot picks up all of your dirt and debris, it's sucked right into an enclosed bag so it stays trapped away. The s9+'s auto-empty base is much smaller than the j7+'s, making it easier to tuck away and blend in with your home decor. 

Because this is an iRobot device, the Roomba s9+ will pair with the Braava Jet m6 to clean your floors thoroughly.

Roomba s9+ features: 30% wider dual multi-surface rubber brushes | Delivers 40x power-lifting suction | Dirt Detect technology | Price: $813

If you're overwhelmed by the technology and features that come with several of the new robot vacuums, this Shark ION would be an excellent option for you. You don't need an app to get this robot vacuum going: Press the Clean button, and it's off. The tech inside is minimal -- this Shark doesn't map where it's been or have the AI capabilities to avoid cables or shoes, but it makes up for it with its suction power. 

Review: Shark ION AV751

You'll want to remember that by not having mapping capabilities, it just drives around, and may clean the same room repeatedly. From our experience, though, running the AV751 daily kept an entire house clean. One day, it may clean the kitchen and living room; the next, it may clean the laundry room and bathroom. The important thing was that the Shark could keep up with two dogs and cat, which is a massive task.

The Shark ION Av751 has no auto-empty base, so you must manually dump the dirt and debris into the trash can. But that means the charging station is significantly smaller than many other robot vacs on the market. Shark is a brand name most known and trusted in the cleaning industry, so you can rest assured that this budget-friendly option will be a safe one. Amazon reviewers love the price, one saying, "In my opinion, this is the BEST budget vacuum at the price point." 

Shark ION AV751 features: Tri-brush system | Stair/cliff edge detection | Alexa and Google Assistant integrated | Price: $225