How to Choose a Robot Vacuum

Start with how you'll actually use it, not the spec sheet. Three questions narrow the field fast:

1. Vacuum only, or vacuum and mop? If you have mostly carpet, a mopping combo adds cost and maintenance you won't use. If you have a lot of hard flooring, a combo with automatic carpet-detection is worth the premium.
2. How much dock automation do you actually want? A dust-only auto-empty base is enough for many households. An all-in-one station (wash + dry + refill) matters most if you mop daily or have allergies and want to touch the machine as little as possible.
3. How cluttered is your floor? Homes with cords, shoes, and pet messes on the floor benefit the most from camera-based obstacle avoidance — a spec that's easy to skip past on a listing page but makes a real day-to-day difference.

From there, use our comparator to put your shortlist head to head on the specs that matter to you.