RS Recommends: 4 Great Robot Vacuums You Should Consider Before Getting a Roomba
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Robot vacuums are one of the few gadgets we can recommend to everyone: Who doesn’t want cleaner floors without having to break out a broom and dustpan?
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Roomba was the first company to make robot vacuums mainstream by making them compact, easy to use, and developing sensors that allowed the vacuums to “see” and avoid obstacles like walls, chairs, and stairs. The company has continued to innovate, making its vacuums more and more sophisticated, but it’s facing stronger competition than ever.
Startups have started to make robot vacuums with competitive features at a lower pricepoint. We found four Roomba alternatives that will clean your floors without you having to even push a button.
What Are The Best Roomba Alternatives?
Best Overall: Eufy RoboVac X8
Best Entry Level: Ecovacs DEEBOT 500
Luxury Pick: Neato Robotics D10
Best All-in-One: Yeedi vac Station
1. Eufy RoboVac X8
Eufy’s RoboVac X8 is smart, powerful, and small enough to fit under most furniture; this versatility makes it the best Roomba alternative we could find.
The X8’s 2000 PA suction force tightly packs in the dust box, which puts it near the top of the pack, and can last for up to 180 minutes on a single charge. It has multiple cleaning modes, so you can set it to focus on a single room, specific spot, or all around.
But what really sets this robot vacuum apart is its sensible smart features. Its sensors allow the X8 to navigate your room and quickly build a virtual map to follow for the most efficient cleaning route, without needing you to manually map it out. Once it’s done, you can check its “cleaning history” on the app to see its exact path, and how long it cleaned for.
The X8 can dynamically change the force of its suction if it reaches a place that requires deeper cleaning, or has a different surface (hardwood vs. carpeting for example). Eufy says this vacuum should have no problem climbing over slightly elevated surfaces, either.
You can connect the X8 to either an Amazon Echo or Google Home smart speaker to control it by using your voice instead of using a remote or app. You can start, stop, or pause a cleaning session, select your preferred cleaning mode, or ask the X8 to return to its charger using voice commands.
If you want a smart, compact robot vacuum cleaner with solid battery life Eufy’s X8 is the right choice.
Eufy RoboVac X8
2. Ecovacs DEEBOT 500
Ecovac’s DEEBOT 500 offers a lot of the same benefits as our other recommendations at a far lower price.
The robot vacuum’s dustbin is slightly smaller (520mL) than our other recommendations, but it gets up to 110 minutes (one hour 50 minutes) per charge, which is pretty great.
It only has two cleaning modes (normal and max) and can’t give you a cleaning report or map, so you’ll have to check your floor manually for any missed spots. It does have sensors that’ll help it avoid obstacles, though, so you don’t have to worry about it crashing into anything.
Ecovacs says this robot vacuum can clear obstacles up to 14mm (millimetres) tall, so it should have no problem getting over molding between rooms. At 3.07-inches tall it may have some trouble cleaning underneath furniture, though. You can connect the DEEBOT 500 to an Amazon Echo or Google Home smart speaker to start, stop, or pause cleanings.
It may not have all the bells and whistles of higher-end robot vacuums, but Ecovac’s DEEBOT 500 nails the basics.
Ecovacs DEEBOT 500
3. Neato Robotics D10
Neato’s Robotics D10 is a high-end robot vacuum, and it’s the right choice to get if you don’t mind spending some extra money for a premium experience.
The D10’s dustbin can hold 0.7-liters of debris, and its battery can last up to a whopping 300 minutes on a single charge. The robot vacuum’s sensors can map multiple floors of your home, so it won’t get lost wherever you start cleaning, and its flat side allows the D10 to clean the edges and corners of your rooms perfectly.
You can set up virtual “no go” lines will set boundaries so the vacuum doesn’t go to the wrong area. You can also designate a specific cleaning are, so the D10 will know to head there first. This level of specificity gives you a lot of flexibility when cleaning your home. Neato says it’s laser mapping technology allows it to map and clean rooms up to 30% faster than robot vacuums with camera-based navigation.
The D10’s HEPA filter can clean up to 99% of dust mites, and any particles up to .3 microns. It’s also made its brush 70% larger than the ones used by its competitors, so it can sweep up more dirt while it cleans. The only downside to this vacuum is that it’s 3.9-inches tall, which means it probably won’t fit under certain furniture. The D10 can be connected to an Amazon Echo, and you’ll have the option to start, stop, or pause a cleaning using your voice.
If you need an ultra powerful, sophisticated robot vacuum to clean your entire home, Neato’s D10 is a great pick.
Neato Robotics D10
4. Yeedi vac Station
If the thought of noise has put you off from getting a robot vacuum, we recommend Yeedi’s Vac.
It has 3000Pa of suction power and can run for up to 200 minutes per charge, which is pretty decent. The vacuum has multiple cleaning modes, and automatically increases the suction for a deeper clean when it detects carpet. Yeedi says the Vac will also return to the charging dock for recharge when the battery runs low, and pick up right where it left off cleaning later — we tested this and it’s true.
Since the robot vacuum has ultra-powerful suction it can easily get dirt out of carpeting and has no issues cleaning multiple rooms.
Yeedi uses visual mapping tech and a floor tracking sensor to map out your space without bumping around or even missing any spots even in the dark. Like most of the robot vacuums in our guide, this one can be controlled with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
We’ve tested this Yeedi model, and while this one doesn’t have a dedicated “quiet mode” like the others, it still moves pretty silently. Plus, it’s got mopping ability as well, just in case your floors need a more through cleaning,
If you need a long-lasting, all-in-one robot vacuum, Yeedi’s Vac Station is our top pick.
How to Choose a Roomba Alternative
There are many factors to consider when choosing the Roomba alternative you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Dust bin: All of the dirt, pet hair, dust, and grime that’s picked up by your Roomba alternative will be stored in its dust bin. Our picks can hold at least 500ml of dirt before their dust bin needs to be cleaned out, which means you shouldn’t have to empty it until the end of a cleaning session.
Size: The size of your new cleaning robot is important for two reasons. Firstly, smaller robot vacuums can squeeze under low couches for a more complete cleaning. Secondly, a large vacuum can also be burdensome in small apartments and might get in the way.
Smart Features: The Roomba alternatives can sometimes work with a remote, but almost all of them can be controlled by an app on your phone (iOS and Android). Many of them can also be connected to an Amazon Echo smart speaker, which allows you to ask the robot vacuum to start or stop cleaning.
Battery life: Every robot vacuum in this guide can last for at least 100 minutes (one hour and 40 minutes), so they’ll be able to clean multiple rooms on a single charge. They’re smart enough to return to their charging cradle when their battery is running low, so they won’t get stuck.
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