One of the most important factors to consider is price. Automatic vacuum cleaners can be expensive, so you need to make sure that you are getting good value for your money. Make sure to compare prices and features before making a purchase.

When the robot returns to its dock at the end of a cleaning session, it empties its dustbin into a larger bag in the base and refills its water tank for mopping, offering a truly hands-free experience.

By default, the Florio vacuums and mops simultaneously, but you can adjust its settings in the app to perform either task independently. While mopping, we did notice it left occasional water droplets behind, so it’s important to allow floors to dry completely after cleaning.

The iRobot Combo Roomba j9+ receives solid performance scores across the board in CR’s tests, earning an excellent score for cleaning bare floors and a very good score for carpet. It has smart mapping technology as well as avoidance technology to help it move around household obstacles like cords.

The L10s Ultra functions as both a vacuum and a mop. On carpets, it automatically raises its mopping pads, allowing for seamless dry and wet cleaning in one session.

We noticed that it's better at picking up more granular materials like pet hair and kitty litter compared to Cheerios — this is usually the other way around. So it works better for collecting smaller debris.

【Slim Body & Quiet Clean】 Robot vacuum cleaner has a compact design with a height of only 2.89", plus 360 degree universal wheel, making it possible to effectively clean those hard-to-reach corners, like under the bed, sofa and cabinet. 60dB low noise in quiet mode will not disturb you, so you can do job rest assured.

❌ You have an open plan home: The Narwal app won't let you demarcate open plan spaces into 'rooms'.

We’ve listed our top picks alphabetically below. And check out Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners our picks of the best vacuums and our full ratings of vacuums, which also have reviews of canister, upright, stick, and handheld models from over 15 brands. Also see our vacuum buying guide for smart shopping tips.

This can help the robot vacuum cleaner detect probable stuck areas and adjust the cleaning path automatically. Anti-dropping sensors also prevent the robot vacuums from falling off the stairs.

Robot vacuums usually don't require much upkeep, but each model will have its own maintenance requirements. There are things you can do to keep your robot working in tip-top shape like removing tangled hair from the brush, emptying the dust bin after each cleaning session, cleaning or replacing the filter and wiping the sensors or cameras to make sure that your robot can see your home well for the next cleaning session.

It's super convenient not to have to dump out contents after every run especially if you're upgrading from a typical on-board dustbin. The Shark IQ excelled at all of our tests, even picking up kitty litter on the carpet which other models (like our previous pick for this category, the Roomba i3+) scored low marks in.

 If you have pets, consider a model with a rubber brush roller. We found that pet hair was less prone to sticking to them than a hard bristle brush, and the hair that did end up sticking was easier to remove.

Any special features such as app control, mopping functions, and self-emptying bases are factored in too. This all adds up to days of testing; it takes time, but helps ensure we're evaluating them all properly. After extensive testing, we’ve compiled several buying guides to showcase our results, including the best Roombas, the best cheap robot vacuums and the best robot mops. We can even tell you what it's like when you use a robot vacuum in your home for the first time. So if you want to know more about robot vacuums so you can decide if one is right for you, you’ve come to the right place.