How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum

A bargain-priced robot vacuum is a great value. Beware of maintenance costs that might be higher than expected: tangles in brushes, blocked air inlets and empty dust bins can quickly transform your dream of automated cleaning into a chore.

The iRobot J7 Combo is the best value robot for many people. It delivers almost the same hands-off experience for only a fraction of the cost.

Suction Power

Some models in this range have enough suction to do basic vacuuming. Others might require a handheld nozzle for deep cleaning. If you live in a house with primarily hard flooring or carpet, a budget-friendly robot vacuum is likely to work. But if your floors have a mix of surfaces and you also have rug, or have pets who shed, a better model will provide the best results for your money.

Some budget models come with mopping and a water tank capabilities, which adds to their versatility. The Dyson R7050C features an oversized 770ml bin and excellent navigation scores, but it is louder and doesn't have mopping capabilities. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller and quieter and has an automatic dock. It also has an water tank, powerful suction capacity of 5,500pascal and a large bin you can fill with cleaning solution to make it a more efficient mopping machine. You can control 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 option for those who want something simple, affordable and reliable. It's not as sophisticated as other models, and comes with a basic app and minimal maps, but it has outstanding cleaning and navigation capabilities as well as cleaning. It is also one of the few robots we've tested that can differentiate between carpets and hard flooring and also has a 300ml trash bin that has to be emptied every 30 days.

If you're looking for an upgraded model that can vacuum, mop and draw a map of your home to avoid obstacles more effectively take a look at the more premium options within this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650 and 750 are extremely powerful suction power and combs that are clever for pet hair and other dirt, and in-app scheduling and voice control with your smart home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that provides outstanding cleaning performance for the money.

Navigation Efficiency

A low-cost robot vacuum can be as effective as the more expensive models as long as it is able to navigate your home and avoid obstacles. To measure the effectiveness of navigation our lab technicians set up a tracking device to observe a robot's move through a multiroom test house and assess its ability to find the areas it has to clean in a certain amount of time, avoiding pitfalls like rug cords, power cables, and furniture. We also look at the speed at which robots can traverse different terrains in the home, like stairs and floor transitions.

The most affordable robot vacuums come with navigation systems that allow them to clean a room efficiently without wasting time or running into obstacles. They're all equipped with mapping capabilities, which are essential for full-house cleaning. Even budget models without mapping can effectively cover a room. It's important to balance the cost of your machine with the features that you need.

We also consider how easily a robot can traverse thresholds within the home, for example the thresholds of a door sill or a sofa. A good budget robot will be able to pass through these obstacles and some come with settings that alter the suction power depending on the floor type. We also take a look at whether a budget robot is compatible with your smart home setup and can be controlled remotely via an app or via voice control.

One example of a top budget robot is the iLife V3s Pro, which comes with basic mapping capabilities and other smart features in a very affordable package. It can be controlled by the iRobot App and comes with an auto return feature that allows you to return the robot to its home base once the battery runs low, then continues where it left off.

The iLife V3s Pro does not include the advanced object-avoidance technology you find on a lot of top robots. However it does have live cameras that transmit a grainy feed to your smartphone so you can watch it work. The cameras can also detect obstacles like stairs and other steps and trigger an alert when the Robot vacuum Cleaner price encounters them. The iLife however, employs random navigation instead of a method designed to prevent objects from being that are stuck against furniture legs. It might not be able to navigate around a tight spot or a leg of a chair as a robotic system with mapping capabilities.

Cleaning Performance

When choosing a robotic vacuum, you should balance the cost and performance. Budget models may lack advanced features, such as mapping, but they'll still do a great job of cleaning your home. It is important to pay attention to the size of a robot's dustbin and the amount of dirt it can hold prior to needing to empty it. You'll need enough room to accommodate all the trash that robots collect including hair, dirt, and pet dander.

You'll also require a robotic vacuum that can remove staining from carpets. We test all models on the ZDNET robot vacuum chart to determine their ability to remove hair and dirt from carpet. The best ones have a special brush designed to dig into the carpet fibers and remove dirt.

Budget models are effective in getting rid of small messes on plain floors or low-pile floor coverings, but they aren't able to get rid of larger debris and pet hairs from carpets with higher pile. They typically have less powerful suction than more expensive models however they can do a an excellent job of cleaning up debris from tight spaces like corners and beneath furniture.

The iLife V3s Pro is the best budget model for vacuuming with high marks in our testing because of its ability to lift dirt and hair from carpets. It's also one of our quieter models and is easy to use. It has an opening for suction that scoops debris rather than pushing it through the brush bar, and it has the ability to adjust the power to match the surface. It also comes with a side-brush that has three bristles that push hair and debris into the direction of the robot, however it's not doing as good a job of picking up fine dust.

Choose a model that includes both vacuum and mop functions, such as the Combo j9 Plus. It can simultaneously vacuum and mop, and it is possible to 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 and cat poop.

Maintenance

The convenience that robot vacuums offer is fantastic, but the technology comes with the cost of. They require regular maintenance including emptying their bins to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also become tangled in cords or fall off the steps.

The most affordable robot vacuums minimize these hassles by requiring only minimal supervision from the user. The top picks have navigation systems that avoid objects and are free of dangers, like the tangled electrical cords or dropped food items. They use sensors to map rooms and create maps that inform them where they have already cleaned.

Even the cheapest robotic vacuums can give a decent clean If you try them and don't be put off by the high cost of better models. Our top budget choices are from top OEMs such as iRobot Roborock Dreame. You can be assured that they have been designed with care and built to last.

Think about a robotic mopping machine if you are willing to spend more. They can use a moist cloth across floors to scrub them and remove stubborn stains and can be used with a mop pad that is specifically designed to tackle tough jobs such as dried coffee.

There are several mopping robots in our roundup but the most affordable model is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has the sleek, fussless appearance of a home hub, but the performance and features of a top robovac, including LiDAR navigation. During our tests, the RV30 was able to navigate without bumping mindlessly into furniture and build detailed maps of its floorplan that it can reference on future runs. It's the only budget robot we've tested to include this feature, although the iRobot Roomba has similar mapping capabilities with an in-app configuration that walks you through the process step-by step.

No matter if you opt for a top-rated robot or a less expensive option, always remember to keep your robovac in good condition. It is a good idea to empty its trash bin after every cleaning task and to clean the filter if you have one (check your owner's manual or the website of the manufacturer for details). Replace the battery as required and test the Wi-Fi connection.