But they're not just for people who are busy – they're also a great help to anyone with shedding pets, young children, the elderly or those with a physical restriction.

Many vacuums connect to apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions, and some even sync with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant and other digital voice aids for a truly hands-free experience. All robot vacuums will automatically return to their docks to recharge, and some can even pause a cleaning session, recharge and continue cleaning from where they left off.

Some cheaper vacuum models accomplish this by including boundary strips that you place on the floor to keep the robot where you want it. Even inexpensive models have fall-detection sensors that keep them from tumbling down stairs.

If you want to clean up smart (and never lift a finger!), the best robot vacuums are essential. And whether you're a newbie or want to upgrade your existing model, it can be tricky to find the right model for your home.

Although the RS20 Pro did a decent job at maintenance cleaning, has plenty of settings, and a great app, it fell short on several other things. It couldn't cope well with heavy-duty messes, particularly when tested on cat litter.

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The mopping is also a cut above average. On test, we found the rotating pads very effective – great news if you're regularly dealing with muddy pawprints. The does-it-all dock will take care of refilling the bot's water tank, dispensing cleaning fluid, and cleaning and drying its mop pads, too, meaning minimal hands-on time from you.

James has tested robot vacuums of all sorts from the most basic models to the ones so feature-packed that they can be used as a security camera. He appreciates models that can suck up all sorts of debris, clean the edges of rooms, and allow easy room partitioning in-app.

We’ve listed our top picks alphabetically below. And check out our picks of the best vacuums and our full ratings of vacuums, which also have reviews of canister, upright, stick, and handheld models from over 15 brands. Also see our vacuum buying guide for smart shopping tips.

Previously in this slot we had the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni, which offers hot water mopping that's great at tackling greasy spillages. There are some compromises you'll need to make Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners with this model, but it's often on sale and significantly cheaper than this Eureka model.

This isn't a cheap bot, and while I think the featureset and performance justify the price, it'll be out of budget for some. We have more affordable options in our roundup of the best robot vacuums for pet hair – although be aware that if you really want something up to the task, you will likely need to spend a bit more.

The LiDAR turret quickly scanned our home's main floor plan in a single passthrough. You can use Shark's app to name rooms, set pelo-go zones, and send the robot out to spot-clean a 5x5 area just by dropping a pin on the map.

All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.

Our testers like that it’s easy to remove hair from the iRobot’s signature dual green rubber brush rollers. iRobot vacuums have very good scores for data security, but like other models, its data privacy leaves a bit to be desired. iRobot Roomba Combo j5+