A bargain robotic vacuum is a great value. Beware of maintenance costs that could be more than you anticipated: tangles in brushes, air inlets that are blocked and emptied dust bins will quickly make your automatic cleaning dream into a burden.
For many, the best budget robot is the iRobot Combo. It offers the same hands-free experience, but at a fraction of its price.
Suction Power
Some models in this price range have sufficient suction for basic vacuuming, but others might require assistance from a handheld nozzle to get deep into crevices and cracks. If you live in a home with primarily hard flooring and a low-cost robot vacuum should work. If you have a variety of floors, have rugs or pets who shed, you'll get the best results with an advanced robot vacuum.
Some budget models come with mopping capabilities and water tanks, which increase their versatility. The Dyson R7050C features an enormous 770ml bin as well as excellent navigation scores, however it is louder and does not have mopping capabilities. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller and quieter and has an automated dock. It has a water reservoir, a powerful suction power of 5,500-pascals as well as a large bin that you can fill with cleaning solutions to boost its effectiveness. You can control the Q5 Pro via the smart app to mop or vac in a room, a sequence of rooms or an area, and you can set no-go zones and customise mopping and suction settings to suit different rooms.
The Shark ION is a good option for those seeking something affordable and simple to use. It is not as sophisticated as other models, with a basic app and minimal mapping capabilities, but it does have excellent navigation and cleaning abilities. It's also among a few robots that can discern between hard flooring and carpets. The 300ml dustbin only empty once every 30 days.
If you're looking for a more advanced model that can vacuum, mop and create a map of your home to avoid obstacles more effectively look at some of the more premium options within this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power as well as a comb that is cleverly designed for pet hair and other fine dirt, and in-app scheduling and voice control via your smart home assistant. Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 offers a great cleaning performance at a reasonable price.
Navigation Efficiency
A budget robot vacuum can be just as effective as the more expensive models, provided that it can navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians used a tracking device in a multi-room test house to evaluate the robot's ability to navigate and locate rooms it required to clean within a certain time frame, while avoiding obstacles like furniture, power cords, and carpets. We also examine the speed at which a robot is able to navigate through different terrains within the home, like the floor and stairways.
The best budget robot vacuums have efficient navigation systems that aid in helping them clean a room without wasting time, crashing through obstacles, or getting stuck. Most robot vacuums have the ability to map which is essential for a complete house cleaning. However, even models that do not have mapping have ways to efficiently cover a room and it's crucial to consider the cost and features you want for your home.
We also examine the ease with which robots can get over common thresholds in the home, such as the threshold of a door's sill or the height of a sofa. A budget-friendly robot should be able to move over these obstacles, and some provide settings to adjust suction power for different flooring types. We also look at whether a budget-friendly robot is compatible with your smart home setup and can be controlled remotely through an app or via voice control.
The iLife V3s Pro is a great example of a budget robot that provides basic mapping capabilities as well as clever features. It's also quite affordable. It is controlled via the iRobot App and comes with an automatic return feature that returns the robot to its base when the battery is exhausted, then continues where it began.
The iLife V3s Pro doesn't have the advanced object avoidance found on numerous premium robots, however it does have a live camera that transmits a grainy video feed to your phone so you can monitor the robot as it performs. The cameras can also detect stairs and other obstacles and alert you if the robot comes across them. The iLife is a different model, however, it uses random navigation instead of a method designed to prevent objects from being that are stuck against furniture legs. It may not be able to maneuver around a tight spot or a leg of a chair as a robot system that has mapping capabilities.
Cleaning Performance
If you're looking for a robot vacuum it's crucial to balance cost with performance. The cheapest models might not have advanced features such as mapping, but they'll still do an excellent job of cleaning your home. Also, be aware of the size of the dustbin and the amount of dirt it can hold before having to empty it. You'll need enough room to accommodate all the waste that a robot collects such as hair, dirt, and pet dander.
You'll also require a robotic vacuum that can remove stains from carpets. We test every model in the ZDNET robot vacuum chart for their ability to remove hair and dirt from carpet, and the best models come with a brush that can dig into the fibers and pull out dirt.
The budget models are great at cleaning small spills from plain floors or low-pile floor carpets but they aren't able to get rid of larger pet hairs and debris from higher-pile carpets. These models typically have less suction, but they can still be effective at cleaning up debris from tight areas like corners and underneath furniture.
The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable vacuuming model, scoring high marks in our testing with its ability to lift dirt and hair off carpets. It is also one of our quieter models and easy to use. It features a suction opening that collects debris instead of pushing it through the bar. It can also adjust the power to match the surface. It also has a side brush with three bristles that push debris and hair into the robot's path, but it's not doing as good a job of picking up fine dust.
If you're looking for mop and vacuum, look for a model that can do both such as the Combo j9 Plus. This robot can simultaneously vac and mop, and you can make specific vac/mop settings to each room. It's more expensive than the other budget robot vacuums on our chart, but it has the advantages of a forward-facing camera, which allows for more precise mapping and better protection against obstacles such as power cords and cat Poop.
Maintenance
The convenience robot vacuums offer is fantastic, but the technology comes with the cost of. They require regular maintenance that ranges from emptying their dust bin to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also get tangled in cords and drop off the stairs, which is why they must be watched attentively.
The best budget robot vacuums minimize these hassles through requiring minimal oversight from the user. The top picks have navigation systems that stay clear of objects and stay clear of hazards, such as strangling electrical cords and dropping food items. They also use a variety of sensors to map rooms, and then create maps that indicate the areas they've cleaned before to ensure they don't re-clean the same areas again.
Even the tiniest robotic vacuums can deliver a good clean If you give them a chance and don't be put off by the cost of more expensive models. Our top picks for budget-friendly models are from leading OEMs like iRobot Roborock Dreame. You can be assured that they've been designed with attention to detail and are built to last.
If you're willing to invest more, consider a mopping robot. These machines can be used to swish a damp cloth over floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains, and can be used with a specially designed mop pad to tackle tough jobs such as dried coffee.
There are several mopping robots featured in our roundup however the most affordable model is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a clean and uncluttered design, but it also has all the features and capabilities of a top robot vacuum. In our tests, the RV30 was capable of navigating without bumping mindlessly into furniture and build detailed maps of its floorplan that it can use for future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested that include this feature, although iRobot's Roomba offers similar mapping capabilities with an in-app setup that walks you through the process step-by-step.
Whether you choose an expensive robot vacuum or a cheaper option, always remember to maintain your robovac regularly. You should empty the dustbin and clean the filter after each cleaning session (refer to the owner's manual or the manufacturer's site for more details). Replace the battery if necessary and verify the Wi-Fi connection.
