How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum

A bargain robotic vacuum is a great deal. But beware that it may cost more than you expect in terms of maintenance: removing hair from brushes, clogging inlets and emptying small dust bins can quickly turn your dream of automating cleaning a chore.

The iRobot J7 Combo is the best automatic floor cleaner value robot for a variety of users. It offers the same hands-off experience for a fraction of the price.

Suction Power

Some models in this category have enough suction to do basic vacuuming. Others might require the use of a handheld nozzle for deeper cleaning. If you live in a house with primarily hard flooring or carpet, a budget-friendly robot vacuum should do the trick. If you have a mixture of floors, have rugs or pets who shed, you'll be able to get the best combo vacuum results with a more capable robot vacuum.

Certain models that are priced lower come with a mopping feature and a water tank, increasing their capabilities. The newer Dyson R7050C is a good example. It has very good navigation scores in CR's tests and a generous bin capacity of 770ml, best budget robot vacuum however it's louder than most of the other robots we've tested and does not have mopping capabilities. The smaller Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro, however, is surprisingly quiet and has an auto-empty dock. It has a water reservoir with a suction capacity of 5,500-pascals and an enormous bin that you can fill with cleaning solutions to make it more effective. You can operate the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vac in the room, or a series of rooms or an area, and you can create no-go zones and customize mopping and suction settings for different rooms.

The budget Shark ION is a great pick for those looking for something basic, affordable and reliable. It is not as sophisticated as other models, with an uncomplicated app and basic mapping capabilities, but it does have superior cleaning and navigation capabilities. It is also one of the few robots we've tested that can differentiate between hard flooring and carpets and also comes with a 300ml dust bin that only needs to be emptied every 30 days.

If you're looking for an upgraded model that can vacuum, mop and create a map of your home to help you avoid obstacles take a look at the top models in this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power and combs that are clever for pet hair and other fine dirt, as well as in-app scheduling and voice control with your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that offers excellent cleaning performance for the price.

Navigation Efficiency

A budget robot vacuum cleaner sale vacuum can be just as effective the more expensive models, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. To measure the effectiveness of navigation our lab technicians set up a tracker to observe a robot's move through a multiroom test house and test its ability to identify the rooms it must clean in a given time, avoiding pitfalls like rug power cords, power cords and furniture. We also examine how fast a robot can move through different terrains of a house, including stairways and floor transitions.

The best budget robot vacuums come with navigation systems that enable them to efficiently clean a space without wasting time or running into obstacles. Most robot vacuums have mapping capabilities that are necessary for a complete house cleaning. But even budget models without mapping can effectively cover a space and it's crucial to weigh the cost against the features you require for your home.

We also look at how easily a robot can cross over thresholds in the home, like the heights of a door's sill and the heights of a sofa. A good budget robot will be able to navigate these obstacles, and some come with settings that alter the suction power depending on the floor type. We also look at whether the robot is compatible with smart home technology and is able to be controlled remotely via an app or voice command.

The iLife V3s Pro is a fantastic example of a robot that is budget-friendly that comes with basic mapping capabilities and other intelligent features. It's also quite affordable. It is controlled by the iRobot app, and comes with an auto-return feature which returns it back to its base once the battery runs out and then picks up where it was when it left.

The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance features found on many of the top robots, but it does have live cameras that send a grainy video feed to your smartphone so that you can monitor it as it works. The cameras are also able to detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and trigger an alert when the robot encounters them. The iLife is a different model, however, it uses random navigation instead of a method specifically designed to avoid objects that are stuck to furniture legs. It may not be able to navigate around a tight spot or a chair leg as a robot system that has the ability to map.

Cleaning Performance

If you're looking for a robot vacuum it's crucial to balance cost with performance. Budget models may lack advanced features like mapping, but they can still do an excellent job of cleaning your home. You should also pay attention to the dimensions of the dustbins on robots and how much dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty. You'll need enough space to accommodate all the trash that a robot accumulates, including dirt, pet dander and hair.

You'll need a machine capable of removing dirt and stains from carpets too. We test all models in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart to determine their ability to remove dirt and hair off carpet, and the best models come with a brush that is designed to penetrate the fibers and pull out dirt.

The majority of budget models are effective in removing messes from bare floors and carpets with low piles however, they struggle to remove larger chunks of debris and pet hair from higher-pile carpets. They tend to have less powerful suction than models that are more expensive however, they still do a an excellent job of cleaning up obstructions from tight spaces like corners and beneath furniture.

The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable model for vacuuming, scoring high marks in our tests with its ability to lift hair and dirt from carpets. It's also among the quieter models we tested and is user-friendly. It has a small suction opening that scoops debris rather than pushing it through the bar, and it can adjust power to be in line with the surface. It has a sidebrush that comes with three bristles that push hair and debris into the path of the robot. However, it is not as effective at picking fine dust.

If you're looking for mopping and vacuum you should look for a product with both functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and you can define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's pricier than other robot vacuums we have in our list, but it has an in-front camera that allows for more precise mapping, and better obstacle avoidance for things like power cords or cat poop.

Maintenance

Robot vacuums are handy, but they come at a cost. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get caught up in cords or fall off the staircase.

The most affordable robot vacuums ease these problems by requiring minimal management from the user. The best models have navigation systems that avoid objects and keep themselves clear of dangers, including the tangled electrical cords or dropped food. They also use a combination of sensors to map rooms and build maps that show which areas they've cleaned previously so that they don't have to go over the same spots again.

Even the tiniest robotic vacuums can deliver a good clean if you try them Don't be deterred by the price of more expensive models. A majority of our top picks for budget are made by top OEMs like iRobot, Roborock and Dreame You can be confident that they've been designed with the utmost attention to detail and built to last.

If you're willing to invest more, consider mopping with a robot. These machines can be used to swish a damp cloth across floors to scrub them clean and help eliminate stubborn stains, and they can be used with a mop pad that is specifically designed for difficult jobs such as dried coffee.

The TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus is the most affordable mopping robot in our roundup. It has the sleek and uncluttered appearance of a home hub, but the performance and features of a top robovac that includes LiDAR navigation. During our tests, the RV30 was capable of navigating without bumping mindlessly into furniture and build detailed floor plans that it can use for future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to have this feature, though iRobot's Roomba also has similar capabilities in mapping and has an in-app configuration that walks you through the process step-by-step.

If you decide to go with an expensive robot vacuum or a cheaper alternative, you should always maintain your robot regularly. It is important to empty the dustbin and clean the filter after each cleaning session (refer to your owner's guide or the manufacturer's site for more information). It is also recommended to replace its battery as required and monitor its Wi-Fi connectivity as well as app updates.