The 6 Best Robot Vacuums for Effortless Cleaning on Carpets, Hard Floors, and Rugs

Toni Sutton is a shopping writer at PEOPLE with four years of experience covering home products, including robot, cordless, and handheld vacuums. She has also thoroughly tested several vacuum cleaners and loves cleaning tools that save time and energy.

Keeping your home clean can feel like a full-time job, but what if you had a handy, quality tool to lighten the load?

Robot vacuums have evolved from futuristic luxuries to everyday essentials, and it’s easy to see why. These smart devices glide around your home, picking up dust, pet hair, crumbs, and more with minimal effort. With features like room mapping, obstacle avoidance, and self-emptying bins, today’s models make maintaining clean floors easier than ever.

Since no single robot vacuum excels at everything, we spent 30 days testing nine of the latest models in real homes to find the best options for every lifestyle and living space. From stylish designs to advanced navigation, these gadgets deliver serious cleaning power with very little effort. We evaluated how well they picked up everything from fine dust to larger debris like kitty litter and cereal, as well as how easily they maneuvered across carpets and hard floors, how thoroughly they cleaned, how loud they were during operation, and the size of their dustbins.

Ahead, the six robot vacuums PEOPLE found most impressive across every category.

Our Stars

Reviews

Best Overall: Eufy 11S Max Rotbot Vacuum 

The Eufy 11S Max robot vacuum proved to be a standout performer across a variety of surfaces, including linoleum, tile, carpet, and even bathroom rugs, transitioning between them with ease. Our tester noted that it tackled a pile of crumbs efficiently, sharing, “I feel the robot vacuum does a better job than a broom with small crumbs on kitchen floors.” She also appreciated the hands-off convenience, adding that she hasn’t reached for her regular vacuum since the testing period.

The slim design made it easy for the vacuum to move around, and its wheels handled different surfaces without trouble. We liked that the vacuum automatically returned to its base once the dustbin was full and, aside from getting stuck once under a desk, it operated smoothly

Best Overall, Runner-Up: SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ Pro  

The SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ Pro was another tester favorite thanks to its strong performance and compact design, but its higher price kept it from the top spot. This vacuum delivered powerful cleaning across carpets, hard floors, and area rugs, with our tester noting it “picked up everything in its path,” including dust bunnies and cat litter. It navigated well around furniture and tight spaces, and handled pet hair smoothly without getting tangled or jammed.

Our tester was impressed by its quiet operation, noting they could chat and watch TV without raising the volume. The mopping feature struggled to clean a jelly spill and smeared it a little, but overall, it’s still a solid choice for a robot vacuum.

Best Budget: iLife V3s Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner 

You don’t have to spend a fortune to simplify your cleaning routine. This more affordable robot vacuum became a team favorite for its efficient cleaning of both carpets and hard floors. It comes with a remote control for easily changing settings, and it moves smoothly between surfaces, avoiding most objects even without dedicated obstacle-avoidance technology.

Our tester noted how impressively quiet it was; they could carry on a clear conversation even with the vacuum nearby. They also praised its ability to pick up long hair, citing that feature alone as being worth the price. It fits under beds to tackle pet hair in hard-to-reach spots. And even without a mopping feature, our tester noticed the floor looked shiny after use. The vacuum does struggle with corners, so some debris may need to be swept out of its path.

Best for Allergies: Shark Ion Robot Vacuum 

Ideal for allergy-prone households, the Shark Ion Robot Vacuum picked up dust, fuzz, and pollen with ease, leaving surfaces visibly cleaner. It collected so much debris that our tester had to empty the canister after every use. While it handled loose debris and even crushed cereal, it struggled with stubborn clumps of cat hair and threads on carpet, even on the max setting — though performed well on hard floors. The robot’s design is geared toward effective cleaning, and the app allows for an easy remote start, which is great for quick cleanups.

Best Splurge: Dyson VisNav 360 

If you’re ready to invest in a top-tier robot vacuum, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a standout pick thanks to its smart mapping, powerful performance, and easy app control. The vacuum effectively picked up pet hair, although the rear fan occasionally blew stray fur aside while turning. Our tester found it ideal for quick, everyday cleaning, especially with dog hair piling up around the apartment. They also appreciated the smooth, hassle-free bin-emptying mechanism. 

The tester felt the Dyson cleaned just as well as a traditional upright. However, it helped keep their apartment consistently cleaner, thanks to the convenience of starting a session from their phone without having to get up and physically vacuum making their cleaning routine “quick, simple, and hassle-free.”

Best Vacuum/Mop Combo: Shark PowerDetect Robot Vacuum and Mop 

Like a wet-dry vacuum, this hybrid mop-and-vacuum combo provides a deeper, more thorough floor cleaning. We found the Shark PowerDetect Robot Vacuum and Mop performed adequately but not exceptionally. The mopping feature left the floors clean and quickly dried. It handled messes easily, though the tester still relied on a dust buster for corners and quick cleanups. 

While it navigated well and didn’t get stuck, the vacuum occasionally hesitated when encountering objects not included in its map. However, thanks to the self-emptying feature, our tester didn’t have to dump the dustbin. They found this robot vacuum louder than others they’ve used (it scared their dog), but given the time they set it to clean, it doubled as an alarm clock.

Other Robot Vacuums We Liked

Although these robot vacuums didn’t make our list, they still delivered solid performance and offered plenty of value. While they may not have excelled in every category, they handle everyday cleaning tasks well and include useful features like self-emptying docks, voice control, and smart navigation. If you’re looking for a reliable and capable robot vacuum that gets the job done, these models are well worth considering.

How We Tested

To find the best robot vacuums on the market, we spent nearly 158 hours over the course of 30 days rigorously testing nine different models. Each vacuum was put through a series of real-life challenges to evaluate how well it handled everyday messes and navigated around obstacles. We observed how smoothly each unit transitioned from hard flooring to rugs and carpets, how effectively it cleaned along walls and in tight corners, and whether it could move under or around furniture without getting stuck.

We also rated the ease of assembly, how intuitive the app or controls were (if applicable), and how well additional features like scheduled cleaning, spot cleaning, and smart mapping performed. We used each vacuum on a range of flooring types including wood, tile, low-pile rugs, and plush carpet to see how they handled different surfaces.

The top-performing models landed on our list based on their ease of setup, cleaning effectiveness, maneuverability, noise, and dustbin size. While each vacuum offers its own set of features, all of our top picks demonstrated one critical strength: dependable, consistent performance that significantly improved the cleaning experience.

Goes Well With

If you’re in the market for tools to make your home upkeep easier, we’ve tried some other standout cleaning gadgets worth checking out. From carpet cleaners to powerful electric scrubbers, these products will help take the stress out of everyday chores and keep your home looking fresh.