Many of today's best robot vacuums are pretty pricey, but if you're on a tighter budget, check out the Narwal Freo X Plus. Where it really shines is its vacuuming performance. It packs 7,800Pa of suction, which is more in line with what I'd expect in a much pricier model than one on the cusp between budget and mid-range.

One of the big benefits of a Roomba is that they're relatively slim in height, meaning they can venture places other bots can't. On test, we found this one was especially good at handling pet hair, with its grippy rubbery rollers.

iRobot’s Roomba j7+ is one of the best Roombas because of its obstacle avoidance technology. With this, it can essentially detect everyday objects, such as cables and socks and steer clear of them. The main benefit of this feature is the bot’s ability to avoid pet poop. In fact, iRobot is so confident in the Roomba j7+’s intelligence that it’s introduced the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.

We're constantly getting new samples in for testing, and as a member of ASTM International's F11 Vacuum Cleaner Committee, we meet twice yearly with engineers and technical representatives from all brands to help develop and shape the vacuum cleaner test standards we all use to assess performance, ease of use, durability and more.

This bot was previously our top pick for hard floors, thanks to hot water mopping that's more than a match for greasy spillages.

We look at whether there's any remnants left after a single pass from the robot vacuum, and if it catches them on a second run. We repeat these tests for both hard floor and carpet.

This is quite a common feature for robot vacuums. By connecting with your smartphone app, you can schedule when you want it to clean, be it daily, weekly or when you’re not at home.

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The best robot vacuums from Consumer Reports’ tests are great for regular touch-ups and spot-cleaning without you having to grab your trusty upright or canister vacuums (which are better cleaners, we’ve found).

On the navigation front, we'll also test the robot vacuum's edge cleaning abilities – does it get right up to the edges of rooms, or leave a margin that needs manual cleaning.

Why we love it: Its extra-large dust cup is super easy to remove and the HEPA filter minimizes allergens emitted while vacuuming.

I like the clear LCD screen that shows battery life and the number and sizes of the particles being picked up.

It earned a spot in our Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning & Organizing Awards in 2021 thanks to its innovative fluffy roller brush attachment that shines a laser on the floor to spotlight the tiniest bits of invisible, often overlooked debris.

✔️ Bag or bagless: Both types clean well in our Cleaning Lab tests. Bagless models come with a dust cup and filter that needs frequent emptying and cleaning. The advantage is that you don’t have to stock up on bags or ever worry about running out of them. They can be messy to clean and empty, Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners though, and may not be the best choice for those with dust allergies.