In the past few years, no other gadget—headphones, electric bicycle, literally anything at all—has improved as dramatically as the humble robot vacuum. The hardware and software have improved beyond all imagining. There are self-emptying bins, multilevel mapping abilities, and all sorts of bells and whistles, like an automated robot arm! Prices on the entry-level models have dropped significantly, to the point where robot vacuums are now an accessible household tool instead of a statement of bougie affluence or a potential cat car.
And yes, we know that robot vacuums aren't perfect. But it's a device that goes into the darkest, murkiest corners of our houses regularly. Let's retain a little grace for the little robot that does what we don't ever want to do. If you're worried you're at risk of becoming the next Roomba “pooptastrophe,” here are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your new sidekick.
Updated July 2025: We updated our recommendations and updated the robot vacuum models.
How to Choose Your Robot Vacuum
Photograph: Wired Staff
The hardest part of writing a robot vacuum roundup is deciding which vacuum is the best one. All of us have different houses, lifestyles, and desires. A single person or a couple in a two-bedroom apartment, without kids and with hardwood floors, would be fine with a bare-bones model. A family of five living in a two-floor single-family home with multiple floor surfaces, with small children and several pets, would need a much higher-end model (that is, all the help they can get).
Here are a few factors to consider:
Navigation system: Robot vacuum manufacturers will try to convince you that pure suction power (which is measured in kilopascals, or kPa) is the most important factor. This is not true. The most important factor is whether or not it gets stuck under the same corner and dies every time you run it. The Matic robot vacuum (10/10, WIRED Recommends) has by far the best navigation system I've ever used; it uses six RGB cameras for a system called long-term SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) to create an absolute 3D map of your house. Basically, it navigates visually, like a human does; if someone visits your house and comes in through the back door, they don't get lost if they exit out the back door.
Other systems include lidar, which uses pulsed lasers to pinpoint where the vacuum is at eye level, a gyroscope, or simple bounce navigation, which uses sensors on the outside of the vacuum to ping-pong it around your house. The more complicated the navigation system, the more expensive your robot vacuum will be. If you have a simple layout and not much dirt, you will be fine with a cheap Tapo ($200). Barring the Matic, Roborock ($500) has a proprietary system that's basically lidar, which is the second most reliable I've ever used.