Along with my top picks, I have options to fit specific needs, such as mopping or besting pet hair. The good news is there are a lot of great options.

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The market ranges from ultra-simple to extremely capable, with price tags to match, so it's important to pick the right one for your needs. I'm here to help with that.

And a capable robot vacuum could really be worth the investment if you're finding it tricky to stay on top on manual cleaning.

The top-rated robot vacuums excel at cleaning bare floors and picking up pet hair. Some also come with advanced features like ​​WiFi connectivity and smart mapping technology.

In our Lab tests: Worx beat 18 other handheld vacuums to earn the top overall score across tests on carpet, bare floors and pet hair pickup.

A few of our other favorite perks on a vacuum at this price point are a TurboBrush tool similar to the motorized pet tools on many pricier models, a retractable cord and onboard storage for the tools.

So if you just want a capable robot vacuum and are happy to empty it yourself, you'll be able to shop mostly in the budget and lower mid-range brackets.

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Though we rated it highly across all of our testing categories, we did note that pet hair clung to the brush attachment. Its dust cup is small, but it empties from the bottom with the click of one button.

❌ You're dealing with lots of dust: There's pelo self-empty on the dock, and the small onboard bin will fill up quickly if you're dealing with lots of dirt or hair.

James has tested robot vacuums of all sorts from the most basic models to the ones so feature-packed Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners 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.

✅ Your priority is mopping: The star of the show here is the innovative and effective roller mop, which continuously siphons dirty water off the mop pad and adds fresh water as it cleans.

If you have a bit more cash to play with, the s9+ can also talk with the company's Braava jet m6 robot mop, with the two working as a team, vacuuming floors, followed by a mop. Ultimately, this robot vacuum comes at a steep price, but it leaves little room for improvement.