How to Find the Best Budget Robot Vacuum

A bargain robot vacuum is a bargain. Beware of maintenance costs that might be higher than expected: tangles in brushes, clogged air inlets and emptied dust bins will quickly transform your dream of automated vacuum cleaner cleaning into a burden.

For a lot of people the most affordable robot is the iRobot Combo. It offers the same hands-free experience at a fraction of its price.

Suction Power

Certain models that are priced at this level have sufficient suction for basic vacuuming, while others may need a little assistance with a handheld nozzle in order to reach into the smallest crevices and cracks. A budget robot vacuum is likely to do the job well if you live in an apartment with primarily hard floors. If you have a mix of floors, carpets or pets who shed, you'll be able to get the best results with a more capable robot vacuum.

A few models that are budget-friendly include mopping and water tank capability, further increasing their versatility. The Dyson R7050C comes with an enormous 770ml bin as well as excellent navigation scores, however it is louder and doesn't have mopping capabilities. Eufy Roborock Q5 Pro is smaller, but it is quieter and comes with an automatic dock. It comes with a water reservoir with a suction capacity of 5,500-pascals and an enormous bin that you can fill with cleaning solutions to boost its effectiveness. You can control the Q5 Pro via the smart app to vac or mop in rooms, a sequence of rooms, or an area as well as create no-go zones and customize mopping and suction settings to suit different rooms.

The budget Shark ION is a great pick for those looking for something basic, affordable and reliable. It's not as well-equipped as the other models we've tested, with a no-frills application and basic mapping capabilities, but it does have good navigation and cleaning capabilities. It is also one of the few robots we've tested that can tell the difference between carpets and hard flooring and comes with a 300ml dust bin that needs to be empty every 30 days.

If you're looking for a more advanced model that can vacuum, mop and draw an outline of your home to help you avoid obstacles, consider some of the most expensive options within this price range. The iRobot Roomba 650/750 has a powerful suction, clever combs to remove pet hair and fine dirt and voice control through your smart robot vacuums home assistant. The Samsung Cleanbot SV8000 is another option that offers outstanding cleaning performance for the money.

Navigation Efficiency

A budget robot vacuum can be as effective as the more expensive models as long as it is able to navigate your home and avoid obstacles. Our lab technicians utilized an instrument for tracking in a multi-room test residence to assess the robot's capability to navigate and locate rooms it needed to clean within a specified time period, while keeping aware also able to detect stairs and other obstacles and alert you if the robot comes across them. However, the iLife uses random navigation rather than a method that is designed to keep objects from getting stuck against furniture legs, therefore it may not be able around a leg of a chair or other tight spot as well as a robot that has mapping capabilities.

Cleaning Performance

If you're looking for a robot vacuum it's important to balance cost with performance. Budget models may not include advanced features such as mapping but there are many that perform very well in cleaning your home. You should also pay attention to the dimensions of the dustbins on robots and the amount of dirt it can hold before needing to empty. You'll need to have enough space to hold all the garbage a robot collects including pet dander, dirt, and hair.

You'll also need a robot vacuum that is able to remove staining from carpets. We test each model in the ZDNET chart to see whether it is able to remove hair and dirt from carpet. The top models come with an exclusive brush that digs through the fibers to pull out dirt.

The budget models are great at cleaning small spills from flooring that is not covered with carpets but they struggle to remove larger debris and budget robot vacuum pet hairs from carpets with higher pile. These models typically have less suction power however they can be effective at cleaning up particles from tight spaces like corners and under furniture.

The iLife V3s Pro is the most affordable vacuuming model and has scored high marks in our testing because of its ability to remove hair and dirt from carpets. It's also one of the quieter models we test and is easy to use. It has a suction opening which collects debris instead of pushing it through the brush bar. It is also able to adjust the power to match the surface. It has a sidebrush that comes with three bristles to push hair and debris into the path of the robot. However, it's not as effective at picking dust particles.

If you're looking for mop and vacuum choose a model that can do both, such as the Combo j9 Plus. It is able to simultaneously vacuum and mop, and define specific vac/mop setting for each room. It's more expensive than the other budget robot vacuums on our list however, it has the advantages of a forward-facing camera, which allows for more precise mapping and better obstacles to avoid for things like power cords and cat Poop.

Maintenance

The ease of use robot vacuums provide is great, but the technology comes at cost. They require regular maintenance including emptying their bins to changing filters and cleaning the brush bar. They can also become tangled up in cords or fall off the stairs.

The best budget robot vacuums reduce these issues by requiring only minimal supervision from the user. The top models are equipped with navigation systems that enable them to avoid obstacles and stay clear of hazards such as electrical cords and food items that have been dropped. They use sensors to map rooms and create maps that tell them where they've cleaned.

Don't let the cost of the higher-end models deter you. They can still do a great job if given the chance. A majority of our top budget picks are from top OEMs, such as iRobot, Roborock and Dreame and you can be sure that they've been developed with attention to detail and built to last.

If you're willing to invest more, think about a mopping robot. They can use a moist cloth over floors to scrub them clean 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 included in our list, but the best budget model is the TP-Link Tapo RV30 Plus. It has a sleek, uncluttered appearance, but it also comes with all the features and performance of a top robovac. In our tests it was able to navigate without a hitch. RV30 was capable of navigating without crashing into furniture, and also create precise floorplan maps that it can use for future runs. This is the only robot in the budget that we have tested with this feature. iRobot Roomba also has mapping capabilities, however the app setup guides you through the entire procedure.

Make sure to keep your robot in good condition, whether you choose an expensive robovac or one that is less expensive. It's a good idea empty its dustbin after every cleaning job and to clean the filter if one is present (check the manual of your owner or the website of the manufacturer for more details). You should also replace the battery as required and keep track of its Wi-Fi connectivity as well as app updates.