You can save a bunch on some of our favorite models, including the Roomba Combo j7 Plus. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
We’re in an age where you can realistically delegate tasks to smart hunks of metal, whether it’s a self-driving car or a robot that can clean on your behalf. Most of us probably won’t be able to afford the helpful sentient humanoids being developed in our lifetimes, but robot vacuums are an affordable way to experience that promised utopia right now.
Today’s floor cleaners are also more advanced than ever. In addition to vacuuming, many of the best models can now mop, allowing you to tackle both carpet and hardwood flooring. Some can automatically dispense of their trash and dirty water, too, and clean their own components without intervention. Soon, we’ll even have models that can pick up dirty laundry and purify the air in your home, preventing you from having to lift a finger.
But if you need something relatively affordable for daily cleaning, you’d be surprised how little you have to pay for premium features. Below, we’ve listed the best deals currently available on a slate of Verge-approved robot vacuums, whether you prefer a budget entry-level model from Yeedi or top-of-the-line offerings from iRobot, Dreame, and more.
Best Roomba deals
iRobot’s Roomba Combo j7 Plus is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and iRobot for around $599 ($600 off), which is an all-time low. The j7 Plus was once our favorite Roomba robovac, and the Combo j7 Plus builds upon the base model with an auto-retractable mop. That means it can lift its mop pads and pick up dirt from your carpets without wetting them and then vacuum / mop hardwood with no mid-cycle management needed.
The mopping performance on the Combo j7 Plus isn’t the best we’ve seen, however, and you’ll need to frequently change its 210ml water tank and detach and clean the mop pads yourself. Thankfully, it can automatically dispose of dirt using the included auto-empty dock. The Combo j7 Plus isn’t easily tripped up thanks to AI-powered obstacle avoidance, which allows it to navigate toys and pet droppings. You can also direct it to clean specific areas in your home using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.
Read our Roomba Combo j7 Plus review.
Don’t need a robot vacuum with mopping capabilities? The base Roomba j7 has fallen to $299.99 (50 percent off) at Amazon, which is about $38 more than its lowest price to date.
The j7 used to be our favorite robot vacuum overall, but ultimately fell out of favor due to the release of newer models. That said, it remains one of the best robots at navigating thanks to its AI obstacle avoidance, which can identify and work around pet waste. It also cleans exceptionally well thanks to a hefty amount of suction, though you will need to empty it from time to time unless you manage to track down the optional auto-empty base.
You can get iRobot’s Roomba Combo j9 Plus from Amazon and iRobot for $799 ($600 off), which matches its lowest price to date. We think it’s the best Roomba overall thanks to its excellent feature set, which includes AI obstacle avoidance, great suction power, and a more reliable vSLAM mapping system. It also has self-lifting mop pads, though they’re smaller than most robot vacuums and require manual cleaning. It can at least refill its own water tank at the base station, however, which also has built-in storage for extra mop pads and accessories.
Best Dreame deals
The Dreame X40 Ultra is another mopping robot, and while it’s on the more expensive side, you can currently pick it up for $999.99 ($650 off) from Dreame. You’re paying a premium for 12,000Pa of suction power and a pair of removable, self-retracting mop pads, which it can automatically clean and dry on its own using the included base. It can also empty its own bin and refill its own water tank.
The Dreame X40 Ultra features an extendable side brush and mop pads, too, offering better coverage for baseboards, corners, and the underside of your furniture. It uses a combination of AI-powered cameras and “3D-structured light” (presumably based on lidar technology) to map and navigate rooms, with customizable keep-out zones and more functions available in the app. There’s also a dirt detection system that can identify messier spills and adjust its cleaning routine accordingly.
The Dream L20 Ultra is available for $649.99 ($350 off) from Dreame and Amazon, though you’ll need to clip the on-page coupon at the latter retailer to take advantage of the promo. The L20 Ultra is an excellent alternative to Dreame’s newer flagship robots, including the X40. It lacks a bit of power in comparison, though its 7,000Pa of suction power is still enough for most cleaning jobs. It also doesn’t have the L40’s tri-cut brush, which makes the step-up model more efficient at picking up pet hair. The only other real advantage the X40 holds over the L20 is its self-extending arms for vacuuming (though the dual mop pads can extend a bit for baseboard and corner coverage), nor does it have dirt detection.
The L20 Ultra’s base station is rather large, but it can take care of the entire cleaning process, including emptying the dustbin, emptying and refilling the water tanks, and washing and drying the mop pads. It doesn’t have a heated cleaning function for the mop pads, however. It uses a lidar-based AI-powered navigation system, and you can prompt it to start cleaning by voice using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.
Best SwitchBot deals
You can get the SwitchBot S10 for an all-time low of $612.99 ($587 off) at Amazon right now. The S10 is one of the most affordable robot vacuum / mop hybrids you can buy, one that can refill its own tank so long as you hook the battery-powered base station into your home’s plumbing. It can also dry its own mop pads and empty its own bin at a separate docking bay, and offers enough capacity to run for up to 90 days without intervention.
The S10’s self-cleaning roller mop is more effective than the typical pads we see in most other units, but it’s also limited to a smaller coverage area. It only has a single roller brush for vacuuming, but its respectable 6,500Pa suction can make up for it. And while it has lidar mapping and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, we found it still has a tendency to get stuck on laundry, bath mats, and other obstacles. The S10 is also one of the few robovacs with Matter support, however, which effectively enables native control through Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa (though said platforms don’t yet fully support robot vacuums).
Read our SwitchBot S10 review.
The SwitchBot K10 Plus has reached a new all-time low of $231.99 ($168 off) at Amazon. At 3.6 inches high and 9.8 inches wide, it’s a more petite option if you want something that can maneuver tighter spaces, which it does to decent success with a lidar-based mapping system that supports digital keep-out zones. It only has 2,500Pa suction, but that should be powerful enough to lift dirt in all but the deepest carpeting. You can also attach disposable mopping pads, though its mopping function doesn’t work well. The K10 Plus comes with a self-emptying dock that can hold a respectable four liters of dirt before it needs emptying.
Best Roborock deals
Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra — our pick for the best robot vacuum overall — is down to $1,099 ($700 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which matches its all-time low. The combination of a 10,000Pa suction power and dual rubber roller brushes makes it a terrific vacuum, one that can easily pick up pet hair and other debris. It can also mop with great efficiency thanks to a sonic mopping system that vibrates the mop pad 4,000 times a minute, allowing it to clean sticky juices, thick condiments, and other common spills. The mop arm can extend to cover corners and baseboard edges, too.
The S8 MaxV Ultra’s camera-equipped AI obstacle avoidance makes it the best navigator in Roborock’s lineup and one of the top models overall, though it’s not quite as strong as Roomba’s. The mobile app offers ample options to customize cleaning zones and schedules, and you can use its dedicated voice assistant to start and stop routines. That said, it’s also a Matter-ready robot that’s compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home.
The big-wheeled Roborock Q5 Pro is down to $159.99 ($270 off) at Roborock’s online storefront and Amazon with a coupon, which is only $20 more than its all-time low. Not only is it one of the most affordable robovacs you can buy, but thanks to its dual rubber roller brushes and 5,500Pa of suction power, the entry-level Roborock model remains one of the best we’ve found at dealing with unwanted pet hair.
The lidar-mapping Q5 Pro features voice controls, digital keep-out zones, and mopping pads with an onboard reservoir, but no self-cleaning functions. This particular SKU doesn’t include a self-emptying base, but the 770ml dust bin is one of the largest you’ll find, so you can go a few weeks without touching it. That being said, Roborock sells a version with a self-emptying dock, which is also on sale right now for $359.99 ($340 off).
More robot vacuum deals
The Yeedi Cube is currently down to an all-time low of $299.99 ($260 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon for $190 off. It’s not easy to find a self-emptying / self-cleaning vacuum at this price, as those features are typically only available on robots that cost upward of $600 or more.
With 5,100Pa of suction power, the Cube can tackle most common vacuuming scenarios, though its single hybrid rubber / bristle brush can get easily tangled with pet hair. It mops better than most models in its range, however, namely because its vibrating microfiber pads can actually scrub your floors. The Cube uses lasers for object avoidance, too, though it’s not as effective for navigation as those with lidar and AI smarts. It can avoid large furniture and other objects, but it might need your help rerouting around cables, toys, and laundry. Still, we found it navigates better than most other robots under $300.
