What to consider when buying a robot vacuum

Suction power: A vacuum is the one purchase that you hope sucks a lot. Suction power is typically measured in Pascals (Pa), with most current vacs ranging between 2,000 Pa and 4,000 Pa. Stronger sucking will be needed to pick up heavier pieces of debris (be sure to set a no-go zone around Legos) and to pull matted-down pet hair from rugs. Floor type: Carpeting and high pile rugs will probably require stronger suction than hard floors, as well as special features like an extra-wide or self-cleaning brush roll to prevent hair from wrapping and clogging. Folks in homes with multiple floor types might consider a bigger, sturdier robot vacuum that can hurl itself and its wheels over mats, rugs, and transitions from carpet to hard floors. Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small — which means they frequently require emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be cleaned or dumped out. Smart mapping and obstacle avoidance: Every robot vacuum is equipped with sensors and drop detection. But if your home has lots of rooms, lots of turns, or lots of close-together furniture, you'll have fewer navigation issues with LiDAR or vSLAM-powered smart mapping to remember exactly how your home is laid out, including labeling of specific rooms, mental notes of staircases, and ability to deploy zone cleaning. Particularly advanced models also bring a camera that perceives small objects on the floor ahead — small ones that would be blind spots for a robot vacuum without said camera, like phone chargers or pet waste. If you want to be able to spontaneously start a cleaning session without partaking in a pre-cleaning pickup session, look for terms like "3D obstacle detection" or "obstacle avoidance." Low-profile furniture: No one should have to be scared about what's accumulated under their couch over the past year. A robot vacuum measuring three inches or less in height should be able to scoot under most low-hanging couches and beds. Battery life and square footage: One of the main complaints people have about their robot vacuum is that it craps out in the middle of the floor. Larger spaces require more time to clean, and it all depends on how annoyed you'll be if it only finishes a few rooms at a time. Average run times for the list below range between 90 and 200 minutes, which translate to about 500 and 2,800 square feet covered on one charge.

Best early Prime Day robot vacuum deals: Several cheap or self-emptying options at Amazon and Walmart

Roborock robot vacuum cleaning hardwood floor with auto-empty dock in background

The Roborock Q7 Max+ also mops, unlike the Roomba near the same price. Credit: Roborock

Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Learn more about how we select deals.

> Life > House & Home

UPDATE: Jun. 28, 2023, 3:35 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to reflect the latest robot vacuum deals at Amazon during its Prime Early Access Sale, plus other concurrent offers from Walmart and other competitors.

Overview

Best budget deal

Eufy G40

$189.99 (save $89.99 with code)

Blue and black Eufy robot vacuum and smartphone with cleaning app on screen

Best self-emptying deal

iRobot Roomba i1+

$288 (save $241.99)

Roomba on dock and smartphone with green iRobot screen on white background

Best vacuum-mop combo

Roborock S8

$599.99 (save $150)

Robot vacuum deals have always been a pillar of Prime Day.

Now that Amazon owns iRobot, we expect an increased focus on Roomba deals — hopefully, unprecedented ones that beat the plateauing discounts we've been seeing since Black Friday-ish. The fact that the Roomba discounts that have been on and off for months are suddenly gone (as of the week of June 20) tells us that iRobot is preparing for something big.

If you're not set on a Roomba, however, you have several options to score a robot vacuum on sale ahead of Prime Day. Roborock, for instance, has almost all of its current models on sale, including a few S8 Series models that just came out in May 2023.

Below, we've rounded up the best robot vacuum deals that are live ahead of Prime Day at Amazon as well as retailers holding competing summer sales events. (Spoiler: Many markdowns got even better for day two of the event.)

Note: All newly added deals are marked with a ✨, while deals with a 🔥 have dropped to an all-time low price. Amazon's exclusive invite-only deals are marked with a 📨.

Robot vacuums under $200

Credit: Eufy

Our pick: Eufy G40

$189.99 at Amazon (save $89.99 with code)

Why we like it

You won't get smart mapping at this price point, but the Eufy Clean G40 provides thorough coverage through neat rows, which gives more cleaning accuracy than the bump-and-go approach through gyroscope guidance (hence the "G" in the title). It manages to squeeze out more than an hour of cleaning on Max mode and has suction more than strong enough for hard floors and light carpet upkeep.

More robot vacuums on sale under $200

iHome AutoVac Juno(opens in a new tab) — $99 ~~$199~~ (save $100)
Eufy G30 Verge(opens in a new tab) — $158 ~~$178~~ (save $20)
Eufy 25C(opens in a new tab) — $129 ~~$249.99~~ (save $120.99)✨

Robot vacuums under $500

Credit: iRobot

Our pick: iRobot Roomba i1+

$288 at Walmart (save $241.99)

Why we like it

Though it's been at this price for a while, this self-emptying Roomba for under $300 is easily our favorite pre-Prime Day Roomba deal. The i1 and i2 Series Roombas were skipped during iRobot's recent software update to lower-tier Roombas that added room mapping. However, this isn't a major deal for smaller spaces and will save you $100 (give or take) over the i3+(opens in a new tab). The i1+ still maintains wall-to-wall coverage by cleaning in neat rows and honing in on dirtier spots.

Dirt Detect cleans dirtier spots more thoroughly
90-minute battery life
Self-emptying dock holds 60 days' worth of debris

More robot vacuums on sale under $500

Eufy G40+(opens in a new tab) — $279.99 ~~$399.99~~ (save $120 with code)
Roborock Q5(opens in a new tab) — $299.99 ~~$429.99~~ (save $130 with coupon)🔥
iRobot Roomba i3+(opens in a new tab) — $499.99 ~~$549.99~~ (save $50)
Roborock Q5+(opens in a new tab) — $479.99 ~~$699.99~~ (save $220 with on-page coupon)🔥
Samsung JetBot+(opens in a new tab) — $449.99 ~~$799~~ (save $349.01)

Robot vacuums under $800

White Samsung robot vacuum and dock on white background

Credit: Samsung

Our pick: Samsung Jet Bot AI+

$739.64 at Amazon (save $559.36)

Why we like it

Full transparency: We weren't completely sure if the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ was worth the splurge at its full price of $1,299.99. (That's what it's going for at Samsung's website(opens in a new tab) right now.) But Amazon nearly halving that price could convince us.

Samsung's most expensive robovac combines the best features of the two most expensive Roombas. Like the j7+, the Jet Bot AI+ uses an array of 3D sensors to avoid small obstacles that other robot vacuums usually eat, like cords and pet toys. Like the s9+, the Jet Bot AI+ has one flat edge that offers detailed corner cleaning and wall trailing. The AI+ doesn't mop, but it does bring aboard a live-streaming pet camera that few competitors have.

Room mapping, zone cleaning, and small obstacle avoidance
90-minute battery life
Self-emptying dock holds at least two months' worth of debris

More robot vacuums on sale under $800

iRobot Roomba s9+(opens in a new tab) — $899.99 ~~$999.99~~ (save $100)

Robot mops and robot vacuum/mop hybrids

Credit: Roborock

Our pick: Roborock S8

$599.99 at Amazon (save $150)🔥

Why we like it:

Spring 2023 marked (another) new era for Roborock with the release of the S8 series — and two models are already on sale. Compared to one of our previous-favorite hybrids, the S7, the S8 introduces AI-powered obstacle avoidance, amped suction power, and dual roller brushes underneath. Roborock says that those last two improvements lead to a 30% increase in hair pickup.

More hybrids and robot mops on sale

Dreametech D9 Max(opens in a new tab) — $234.99 ~~$349.99~~ (save $115 with coupon)
Eufy G40 Hybrid+(opens in a new tab) — $299.99 ~~$429.99~~ (save $130)
Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1(opens in a new tab) — $299.40 ~~$449.40~~ (save $150 with code ROBOT150)
Yeedi Vac Station(opens in a new tab) — $279.99 ~~$499.99~~ (save $220 with on-page coupon)🔥
Roborock S7(opens in a new tab) — $399.99 ~~$649.99~~ (save $250 with on-page coupon)🔥
Roborock Q7 Max(opens in a new tab) — $399.99 ~~$599.99~~ (save $200 with on-page coupon)🔥
Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 with Self-Empty XL(opens in a new tab) — $499.60 ~~$699.60~~ (save $200 with code ROBOT200)
Yeedi Mop Station Pro(opens in a new tab) — $499.99 ~~$799.99~~ (save $300 with on-page coupon)🔥
Ecovacs Deebot N10+(opens in a new tab) — $549.99 ~~$649.99~~ (save $100 with coupon)
Roborock Q7 Max+(opens in a new tab) — $619.99 ~~$869.99~~ (save $250 with on-page coupon)
Roborock S7+(opens in a new tab) — $699.98 ~~$949.98~~ (save $250 with on-page coupon)
Roborock S8+(opens in a new tab) — $799.99 ~~$999.99~~ (save $200)🔥

Frequently Asked Questions

The control of an upright vacuum comes with its own type of satisfaction. But if you're not one to classify cleaning as cathartic, a robot vacuum could erase that huge, agonizing task from of your chore list. (And did we mention the joy of having "first day clean" floors all the time?)

But whether robot vacuums are worth it or not comes with a caveat: It can't be just any robot vacuum. A cheap robovac that doesn't do the job right — scattering dust, bumping into walls, getting stuck on area rugs — might actually create more work for you.

You're all but guaranteed to be able to find a few robot vacuums on sale at any given point in the year. When you would want to wait for shopping event like Prime Day or Black Friday, however, is if you're eyeing a flagship model from a big brand like iRobot, Shark, or Roborock. These brands are more likely to showcase a never-before-seen discount on their biggest and baddest vacuums during a major deals event rather than quietly drop prices during a random week.

Suction power: A vacuum is the one purchase that you hope sucks a lot. Suction power is typically measured in Pascals (Pa), with most current vacs ranging between 2,000 Pa and 4,000 Pa. Stronger sucking will be needed to pick up heavier pieces of debris (be sure to set a no-go zone around Legos) and to pull matted-down pet hair from rugs.
Floor type: Carpeting and high pile rugs will probably require stronger suction than hard floors, as well as special features like an extra-wide or self-cleaning brush roll to prevent hair from wrapping and clogging. Folks in homes with multiple floor types might consider a bigger, sturdier robot vacuum that can hurl itself and its wheels over mats, rugs, and transitions from carpet to hard floors.
Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small — which means they frequently require emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be cleaned or dumped out.
Smart mapping and obstacle avoidance: Every robot vacuum is equipped with sensors and drop detection. But if your home has lots of rooms, lots of turns, or lots of close-together furniture, you'll have fewer navigation issues with LiDAR or vSLAM-powered smart mapping to remember exactly how your home is laid out, including labeling of specific rooms, mental notes of staircases, and ability to deploy zone cleaning. Particularly advanced models also bring a camera that perceives small objects on the floor ahead — small ones that would be blind spots for a robot vacuum without said camera, like phone chargers or pet waste. If you want to be able to spontaneously start a cleaning session without partaking in a pre-cleaning pickup session, look for terms like "3D obstacle detection" or "obstacle avoidance."
Low-profile furniture: No one should have to be scared about what's accumulated under their couch over the past year. A robot vacuum measuring three inches or less in height should be able to scoot under most low-hanging couches and beds.
Battery life and square footage: One of the main complaints people have about their robot vacuum is that it craps out in the middle of the floor. Larger spaces require more time to clean, and it all depends on how annoyed you'll be if it only finishes a few rooms at a time. Average run times for the list below range between 90 and 200 minutes, which translate to about 500 and 2,800 square feet covered on one charge.

In an unspoken sort of way, Roomba has been crowned as "the best" on the sole basis that it’s the most established brand in the robot vacuum market. But Roombas are hardly the only players to consider.

Though iRobot, Shark, and Roborock routinely top our list, whether or not any one brand or model is the best at actual cleaning is pretty subjective. "Best" to someone with four dogs and lots of carpet may not mean "best" to someone with a huge house with stairs and 100% hardwood. At any rate, patience is required. Even the best robot vacuum can still be a bumbling idiot on occasion, especially when they’re still learning the blueprint of your home.

Leah Stodart

Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable. She covers shopping trends, gift ideas, and products that make life easier, specializing in vacuums, TVs, and sustainable swaps. She graduated from Penn State University in 2016 and is watching horror movies or "The Office" when she’s not shopping online herself. You can follow her on Twitter at @notleah(opens in a new tab).