The Neato D8 is a mid-range robot vacuum. It boasts a LIDAR mapping sensor, and it delivers impressive overall debris-pickup performance on bare floors. It feels impressively well-built, has a broad suite of navigation features, and is decently easy to maintain. Unfortunately, it has somewhat high recurring costs and can struggle with sucking up fine debris on carpeted floors.
Our Verdict
The Neato D8 is an alright choice for cleaning bare floors. It easily clears away medium-sized and large debris like rice or cereal on this surface type, but it does tend to leave behind some material along walls and in corners. It also might require another cleaning cycle to deal with fine debris left on this surface type. On the upside, it's impressively well-built and not overly difficult to maintain. While its battery life is shorter than that of some other models, it'll still provide a long enough runtime to clean most spaces. Unfortunately, it incurs several recurring costs and can occasionally get stuck on obstructions like rug tassels.
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Impressive build quality.
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Great overall performance on bare floors.
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Decently easy to maintain.
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High recurring costs.
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Can get stuck on some low-lying obstructions.
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Struggles with debris along walls and in corners.
The Neato D8 is okay for cleaning low-pile carpet. The overall debris pickup performance on this surface type is only mediocre, with the vacuum struggling to deal with finer debris worked deep into carpet fibers. It leaves behind quite a bit of material along walls and corners. Thankfully, it's made of solid-feeling plastic and is decently easy to maintain. Depending on your choice of settings, battery life is excellent. It also does a satisfactory job of maneuvering itself, though it can get stuck on low-lying obstacles. It also incurs high recurring costs.
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Impressive build quality.
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Decently easy to maintain.
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High recurring costs.
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Can get stuck on some low-lying obstructions.
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Performance on carpets is unspectacular.
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Struggles with debris along walls and in corners.
The Neato D8 is a passable option for cleaning high-pile carpet. Its debris pickup performance on thicker carpeting is nothing special, as it struggles with clearing away larger debris along walls and in corners. However, it isn't too demanding in terms of regular maintenance and feels impressively solid, too, though there are a few parts that need regular replacing, so recurring costs are a little high.
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Impressive build quality.
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Decently easy to maintain.
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High recurring costs.
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Can get stuck on some low-lying obstructions.
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Performance on carpets is unspectacular.
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Struggles with debris along walls and in corners.
The Neato D8 is an excellent choice for cleaning up pet hair. It does a superb job of sucking up pet hair on hard floors but struggles a bit more on carpets. It has a removable brushroll with an included cleaning tool to help make clearing hair wraps a little easier. While the vacuum has an allergen-trapping exhaust filter, it does a terrible job of sealing in allergens.
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Impressive build quality.
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Decently easy to maintain.
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High recurring costs.
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Can get stuck on some low-lying obstructions.
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Performance on carpets is unspectacular.
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Poor filtration performance.
The Neato D8 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to clean staircases.
The Neato D8 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to clean the inside of your car.
The Neato D8 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed for workshop cleaning.
- 6.7 Bare Floor
- 6.7 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.3 High-Pile Carpet
- 4.6 Pets
- 5.7 Stairs
- 4.8 Cars
- 4.2 Workshop
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update builds on our previous 'Suction' test with a new 'Airflow' test that more accurately measures a vacuum's ability to generate air movement. If you'd like to see an in-depth look at the reasoning and methodology behind this change, you can see our full changelog here..
- Updated Oct 30, 2023: We've added a link to the Shark IQ 2-in-1 in the 'Stains' section of the review to provide an alternative with a mopping system.
- Updated Aug 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jul 29, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated May 19, 2021: Review published.
- Updated May 17, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated May 10, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 05, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 21, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Neato D8 is only available in one color variant, 'Indigo,' and you can see its label here.
Let us know in the discussions if you come across another variant, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Neato D8 is a reasonably well-rounded robot vacuum for something in this price range. It performs best on bare floors, where it easily sucks up pet hair and small debris like sand, but it has a hard time with debris in corners or along walls. It feels impressively well-built and isn't particularly demanding in terms of maintenance. However, it has a shorter runtime than the Neato Botvac D7 and doesn't perform especially well on carpet.
If you're looking for alternatives, look at our list of recommendations for the best robot vacuums, the best robot vacuums for pet hair, and the best robotic vacuums for hardwood floors.
The Neato D8 and Neato Botvac D7 each have their advantages, so one may suit you better depending on your needs. Both vacuums are similar in maneuverability, ease of maintenance, recurring costs, and overall dimensions, but there are a few small differences. The D8 delivers better performance on high-pile carpet and takes much less time to recharge, though its maximum battery life is significantly less than that of the D7. The D7 also delivers superior performance on low-pile carpet.
The iRobot Roomba S9 and Neato D8 each have their strengths, so one may suit you better depending on your needs. The iRobot feels better built, has a longer maximum runtime, delivers better performance on low-pile carpet, and maneuvers itself more effectively. That said, the Neato clears more debris on bare floors and high-pile carpet, is less demanding in maintenance, and is notably lighter in weight.
The Neato D8 is better than the Roborock S7. The Neato has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, has a bigger dustbin, and cleans more effectively on all surface types. It also takes much less time to recharge, though the Roborock has a much longer runtime. The Roborock also maneuvers around obstacles more easily, feels more sturdily built, and incurs fewer recurring costs.
The Neato D8 is better than the iRobot Roomba i7. The Neato is less demanding in maintenance, incurs fewer recurring costs, and delivers superior performance on bare floors and high-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the iRobot maneuvers itself with less difficulty, performs better on low-pile carpet, and has an automatic debris-disposal feature that dumps debris from its internal dustbin to an external dirt compartment attached to its recharging dock.
The Neato D8 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Neato has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, incurs lower recurring costs, and delivers better performance on bare floors and carpets. However, the iRobot does have an automatic surface adjustment feature and does a better job of climbing over rug tassels and power cords. This variant of the i3 also has a self-emptying feature, which allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment attached to its charging dock.
The Roborock S6 is slightly better than the Neato D8. The Roborock is better built, incurs fewer recurring costs, has a longer battery life, maneuvers itself around obstacles like electrical cords with less difficulty, and delivers better performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet. It also has a mopping attachment for dealing with sticky messes on bare floors. Meanwhile, the Neato is significantly more effective on high-pile carpet, has fewer parts that require regular cleaning, comes with a larger dustbin, and charges much faster.
The Neato D8 and Roborock S4 Max each have strengths and weaknesses, meaning one might suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The Neato has fewer parts that need regular cleaning, charges substantially faster, and delivers superior performance on low and high-pile carpet. The Roborock has a surface detection system that enables it to automatically increase its suction power on carpets. It also has a much longer battery life, incurs lower recurring costs, and gets stuck around obstacles less frequently than the Neato.
The Neato D8 is slightly better for most use cases than the Roborock S6 MaxV. The Neato is less demanding in terms of maintenance, is smaller and lighter, and delivers superior performance on bare floors and low and high-pile carpet. It also takes much less time to recharge, though its battery life is shorter than that of the Roborock. The Roborock also feels better built, incurs fewer recurring costs, and maneuvers itself more effectively. It also has a mopping attachment.
Test Results
The Neato D8 is impressively well-built. It's made of matte-finish hard plastic that looks and feels rather premium. There are a couple of control buttons on top of the vacuum, as well as its LIDAR navigation module. The rubber wheels are also quite dense, though its dustbin feels as though it could break if you drop it. If you're looking for a robot vacuum that feels even better built, consider the Narwal T10. The vacuum also provides audio cues when the dirt compartment is pulled out or when the vacuum is lifted into the air. Thankfully, the vacuum requires no assembly out of the box.
The Neato D8 is decently easy to maintain. It's easy to access the parts that require regular maintenance.
- Dirt compartment: You can access the dirt compartment by removing the vacuum's top cover. You can empty it over a trash bin once it gets full, which is indicated through its companion app, but make sure to remove the filter first.
- HEPA filter: The filter is inside the dirt compartment, and you can easily remove it from its mounting position. You can remove stuck-on debris by hand or with another vacuum, but the manufacturer states not to use soap or water to clean it.
- Brushroll: You can access the brushroll by removing the side brush and brush guard beforehand. The manufacturer recommends cleaning the brushroll and its bearings after each use.
- Side brush: You can pull off the side brush without the use of a screwdriver or any other tool. You should regularly clean any accumulated debris by hand.
The Neato D8 has many recurring costs. You can check the estimated replacement interval of each part by checking a sticker under the dirt compartment.
- HEPA filter: The filter has an estimated service life of one to two months.
- Brushroll: You should replace the brushroll every six to eight months.
- Battery: The battery, found under a cover held in place with screws, should be replaced every year.
The Neato D8 is fantastically easy to store. Its docking station has a slimmer profile than the Neato Botvac D7 and features a space for storing any excess power cable length.
The Neato D8 has an okay dirt compartment. It has roughly the same capacity as that of the Neato Botvac D7. Since you can't see how full it is from the outside, you need to pay attention to in-app notifications to let you know when it's time to empty it.
- Neato D8 robot vacuum
- Dirt compartment
- 3x HEPA filters
- Brushroll
- Brush guard
- Small brushroll tool
- Side brush
- Recharge station
- Charging cable
- Quick Start guide
The Neato D8's range is limited only by the remaining battery life and room left in its dirt compartment. That said, it can't climb or descend staircases.
The Neato D8 is portable. It doesn't weigh much, but it lacks a carrying handle to make it easier to pick up and move to another floor.
The Neato D8 delivers excellent battery performance. The 2100mAh battery has roughly half the capacity of the Neato Botvac D7, so it doesn't last as long overall. Using it in its most energy-efficient 'Eco' mode yields just over 70 minutes of runtime, while running it continuously in its 'Turbo' suction mode drops its battery life to about 40 minutes. However, this can vary drastically in the real world. Its battery indicator light turns from solid green to yellow when the charge drops below 35%, and the vacuum refuses to accept new cleaning tasks and begins searching for its recharge dock once the battery charge drops below 27%.
The Neato D8 has a couple of quality-of-life features. There are two power modes. 'Eco' reduces its suction power and makes the vacuum quieter, while turbo increases its suction force and spins the brushroll faster.
This vacuum has a couple of tools and brushes. The five-armed side brush directs debris from the vacuum's periphery toward its main brushroll. There's also a small cleaning tool to remove tangled hair wraps from the brushroll.
This vacuum does a good job of cleaning hard floors. Its D-shaped body isn't that big a help for cleaning closer to walls and corners compared to traditional robot vacuums with circular bodies; consider investing in a separate conventional handheld vacuum for dealing with debris in tight spots. Otherwise, the Neato does a good job of dealing with large and medium-sized debris like cereal or rice, though you'll need to have it run another cycle to fully clear away finer debris like sand on this surface type.
This vacuum delivers okay performance on high-pile carpet. It's fairly good at lifting away large and medium-sized debris like cereal or rice, but it leaves quite a bit of material along walls and corners. It'll also require another cleaning cycle to clear away finer debris like sand that's been embedded in carpet fibers.
Note:As with the Roborock Q5, we encountered some issues in testing on our black sample carpet; the Neato's cliff sensors would trigger, causing the vacuum to move only in intermittent, as seen here. To get around this issue, we covered the sensors with white gaffer tape. This isn't necessarily something that will impact most people, but it's worth noting that this vacuum can have trouble maneuvering on especially dark-colored surfaces.
Performance on low-pile carpet is only passable. The vacuum will need to make an extra pass or two to deal with finer debris worked deep into carpet fibers and leaves behind quite a bit of material along walls and in corners.
This vacuum does a mediocre job of handling pet hair on low-pile carpet. After a single cleaning cycle, there's still a noticeable amount of hair left behind, mostly shorter strands embedded deep within carpet fibers.
Real-world suction performance is poor. Like most robot vacuums, the Neato's floorhead sits too high above the ground to generate much of a tight seal.
The Neato D8's airflow performance is actually quite impressive for a robovac. It outperforms pricier models like the iRobot Roomba i7 in this regard and will have an easier time dealing with heavier material.
This vacuum is remarkably quiet. You'll hear what people nearby say even when it's running in its most powerful suction mode.
This vacuum has decent maneuverability. Its LIDAR navigation system develops fairly efficient cleaning routes, and the vacuum is small enough to easily clean under tables and couches. However, the vacuum can occasionally get stuck, requiring you to press the 'Play' button on its top surface for it to resume cleaning. It can struggle to negotiate obstacles like rugs, tassels, and electrical cords.
This is a robot vacuum that isn't designed for use on furniture.
This vacuum does a poor job of sealing in allergens. While the manufacturer advertises its standard filter as able to trap 99.5% of particles 0. 3 microns in diameter, fine particles are still blown free of its LIDAR sensor port.
This vacuum struggles with debris wedged within cracks and crevices, even in its 'Turbo' power setting. It doesn't provide enough suction from its cleaning head to even lift away debris in shallow cracks and crevices. Its side brush also tends to fling debris outwards instead of drawing it towards the vacuum's brushroll.
This vacuum has no impact on stains. If you're looking for a LIDAR-mapping robot vacuum that can mop away stains, check out the Shark IQ 2-in-1.
This vacuum doesn't have a mopping feature.
The Neato D8 has a limited set of physical automation features. It isn't compatible with a self-emptying base station, and it features only a single cleaning button to start and pause cleaning sessions.
Note: Some bugs did occur during testing in which the vacuum wouldn't move after pressing the clean button, even if the vacuum could be heard operating.
The MyNeato companion app is good. You can use the app to see a map of the vacuum's coverage area, set up no-go zones, check the cleaning session history, or change the vacuum's power setting. However, be aware that you need a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection to use the app to control the vacuum. Do note that the vacuum can be somewhat sluggish to respond to inputs made using the app.