iRobot is an American manufacturer specializing in consumer robotics, best known for being a pioneer in the design of robot vacuums, with the introduction of the first Roomba model in 2002. Their vacuums are popular with buyers due to their easy-to-use design, and the best models also offer a dense feature set. The company also has a range of dedicated robot mops under the 'Braava' name.
We've tested over 70 robot vacuums, and 15 of those are by iRobot. Below are our recommendations for the best Roombas.
Updates
- 02/23/2024 iRobot Roomba j9+ reviewed
- 01/18/2024 iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] updated
- 12/09/2022 iRobot Roomba i1 reviewed
- 12/01/2022 iRobot Roomba 675 updated
- 11/02/2022 iRobot Roomba i8+ reviewed
Best iRobot Robot Vacuums
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Best iRobot Vacuum
Bare Floor7.4Low-Pile Carpet7.2High-Pile Carpet7.4Pets6.4The best Roomba vacuum we've tested is the iRobot Roomba S9. This high-end robot vacuum has the most powerful suction motor in iRobot's lineup, delivering good performance on both bare floors and carpeting. Its twin rubber brushrolls are great for dealing with pet hair, and they're easy to clean since they don't have any bristles that can trap debris. The S9+ variant comes with a self-emptying base station, which transfers debris from its dustbin into an external dirtbag, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements.
Its vSLAM navigation system is camera-based, so it doesn't map out a room as fast as a LIDAR sensor and struggles more with navigating in low light. It still does a good job of plotting out efficient cleaning routes and navigating around furniture once it has mapped out your home; still, it's best to enable the 'Careful Drive' setting to keep it from bumping into walls and furniture. You can also use its companion app to send it to specific rooms or create no-go zones. The iRobot Roomba j9+, which has a front-facing camera, is a great alternative if you want an alternative that can identify and react to hazards in real-time. However, this system is prone to false positives in practice.
Unfortunately, battery performance isn't particularly noteworthy for a robot vacuum at this high a price. A full charge lasts about 50 minutes, which might not be enough to clean large carpeted areas in a single go with the vacuum running in its most powerful suction mode. That said, its relatively short battery life isn't that big a deal thanks to its recharge-and-resume functionality, which allows it to resume a cleaning session from where it left off if it needs to return to its dock.
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Best Upper Mid-Range iRobot Vacuum
Bare Floor7.0Low-Pile Carpet6.9High-Pile Carpet6.9Pets6.0If you're shopping for something less expensive, consider the iRobot Roomba j7. In many ways, it's more of a side-grade than a downgrade compared to the best Roomba vacuum, the iRobot Roomba S9, which you can find on sale for a similar price to the j7. The j7 has a less powerful suction motor, so it has a harder time with heavy debris and material embedded deeply within carpet fibers. However, it's smarter because, unlike the S9, it has a hazard-recognition system that uses an additional front-facing camera to identify obstacles beneath the view of its top-mounted camera. This allows the j7 to react to hazards in real-time, so you don't have to ensure your floors are completely free of slippers or loose socks. It also has a broad range of in-app automation features, like support for virtually drawn no-go zones and multi-floor mapping and the ability to direct it to a specific room in your home. Plus, it's quieter than the S9.
The j7+ variant of this vacuum comes with a self-emptying base station, allowing the vacuum to transfer debris into a dirtbag inside the station every time it docks. If you have an iRobot Braava Jet M-Series robot mop, the Imprint Link feature allows it to start mopping hard surfaces like laminate or hardwood automatically after the j7 has finished its vacuuming session.
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Best Mid-Range iRobot Vacuum
Bare Floor6.5Low-Pile Carpet7.0High-Pile Carpet7.1Pets6.5The iRobot Roomba i3 is worth looking at if you're shopping at a mid-range price point. It doesn't have the iRobot Roomba j7's real-time hazard recognition system and has a less powerful suction motor than the iRobot Roomba S9. That said, if you go for the i3+ variant of this vacuum, which comes with iRobot's Clean Base self-emptying docking station, you'll have a self-emptying robot vacuum at a substantially lower price than either the S9+ or j7+.
The i3+ EVO isn't lacking in automation features. Its iRobot HOME companion app lets you label different areas of your home, preventing it from getting stuck in difficult-to-clean areas. The vacuum also has a recharge-and-resume feature that allows it to resume a cleaning session from where it left off if it had to stop a previous job to return to its dock. Its full compatibility with Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices means you can control the vacuum using voice commands.
Similar to the j7 and iRobot Roomba S9, this vacuum has a HEPA filter that does a great job of sealing in allergens like dust or pet dander. Its build quality is impressive, with durable rubber wheels and a plastic top cover with a textured finish resembling woven fabric. Unfortunately, debris pickup performance isn't particularly impressive, especially on carpets; it'll need to make several passes to collect everything embedded within carpet fibers.
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Best Budget iRobot Vacuum
Bare Floor6.7Low-Pile Carpet5.6High-Pile Carpet6.2Pets5.8Our best budget pick is the iRobot Roomba 694. It's important to note that this is an incredibly bare-bones robot vacuum with few automation features, even when compared to only slightly pricier mid-range models like the iRobot Roomba i3. There's no room mapping capability; instead, the 694 uses random bump navigation to move around its cleaning area. As a result, it might clean some areas more than once, but the overall room coverage is impressively thorough. It also lacks features like recharge and resume and doesn't support user-generated no-go zones or individual area cleaning.
That said, it's a worthy option if your Wi-Fi coverage at home is spotty since you can control all of the vacuum's major functions using the included remote control, with no need for a companion app on your smartphone. Unusual for a robot vacuum in this price range, it has a surface detection system that lets it automatically ramp up its suction power on carpets. The build feels solid, especially for a budget-friendly model, with a body made of thick, sturdy plastic.
While the 694 has no trouble dealing with debris on bare floors, it struggles on carpets. It also uses an older brushroll design with an array of closely packed bristles that get easily tangled up with pet hair, reducing its overall efficiency. Its air filtration performance is also terrible, with fine particles spewing out the exhaust. Finally, maintenance is more inconvenient, as it isn't compatible with a self-emptying base station. One last note: this vacuum is sold as the iRobot Roomba 692 in some markets; the only difference between the two is that the 694 comes with an extra post-motor filter, while the 692 bundle doesn't.
![iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] Design Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/XdyiI2Pq/irobot-roomba-694-690-692/design-small.jpg?format=auto)
![iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] In-Test Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/0sd4yLCJ/irobot-roomba-694-690-692/in-test-small.jpg?format=auto)
![iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] In The Box Picture](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/BldrYxyS/irobot-roomba-694-690-692/in-the-box-small.jpg?format=auto)
![iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] Picture Of Controls](https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/OnMHI1Pl/irobot-roomba-694-690-692/controls-small.jpg?format=auto)
Compared To Other Brands
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Superb pet hair pickup.
Newer iRobot models come equipped with twin rubber brushrolls that are very effective when collecting pet hair and are much easier to clean than comparable rollers that use fabric bristles. -
Great build quality.
Even budget-friendly iRobot vacuums have a premium look and feel. Panel gaps are tight enough to help prevent fine dust from escaping, with some models having an onboard HEPA filter, resulting in great filtration performance. -
Easy to use companion app.
While features might vary depending on your model, iRobot's HOME app is fairly snappy and intuitive. Even budget-friendly models offer support for voice commands, so you can control them using your Amazon Alexa or Google Home device.
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No models currently offer LIDAR mapping.
iRobot vacuums don't incorporate LIDAR mapping. Their optical sensors tend to map out rooms slower than alternatives with LIDAR sensors, and they also don't work as well in the dark. -
Few models offer both vacuuming and mopping capability.
Currently, only the iRobot Roomba j7 Robot Vacuum and Mop features both vacuuming and mopping capability in the same machine. The brand tends to rely on its Imprint Link feature for this kind of use, which pairs its Roomba robot vacuums with its Braava robot mops to have the latter run immediately after the former has finished cleaning.
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Weak debris-pickup performance on lower-end models.
Most of iRobot's mid-range and budget models have trouble dealing with debris embedded deep within carpet fibers and in cracks and crevices.
iRobot vs Roborock
Unlike iRobot vacuums, Roborock equips most of its product lineup with LIDAR sensors, resulting in quicker, more precise room mapping, even in the dark. Many of its models also feature onboard mopping modules, though most are passive systems that provide little surface agitation. That said, iRobots tend to feel sturdier, and their twin rubber brushroll system usually results in better pet hair pickup.
iRobot vs eufy
iRobot vacuums tend to target a higher price point than eufy models, reflected in their superior cleaning performance, wider array of features, and sturdier build quality.
iRobot currently has a relatively small range of robot vacuums. Unlike alternatives from Roborock, iRobot robot vacuums don't use LIDAR sensors, resulting in slower room mapping, though some newer models offer real-time hazard recognition. Another point in Roborock's favor is that many of their models have mopping attachments, which is rare for iRobot. The best Roomba vacuums are better built than similarly priced Roborock models and offerings from Shark or eufy.
Lineup
- Roomba S series: Robot vacuum series with VSLAM navigation and the most potent suction motor in the company's lineup. Models with the '+' suffix come bundled with a base station.
- Roomba J series: Robot vacuum series with VSLAM navigation and real-time hazard identification to spot and avoid obstacles in real-time. The j7+ Combo variant is the first iRobot with a swing-out mopping attachment for cleaning stains.
- Roomba I series: Robot vacuums with VSLAM navigation. Higher-numbered model designations indicate a greater array of automation features and overall cleaning performance, with some exceptions; the i4 and i8 are merely Costco-exclusive variants of the i3 and i7 models, respectively, with no major mechanical differences.
- Roomba 600 series: Entry-level random-pathing robot vacuums. Newer 690 models offer Wi-Fi connectivity.
Recent Updates
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Verified that all picks are valid and available. Small text changes for conciseness and clarity.
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Oct 07, 2024: We've verified that all our picks are available and represent the best options on the market. We've also made small edits for clarity.
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Aug 08, 2024: We've updated the article for clarity and verified that our recommendations are all available and represent the best choices.
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Jun 21, 2024: Minor text edits for conciseness and clarity. No change in recommendations.
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Mar 12, 2024: Added iRobot Roomba j9+ as an alternative to the iRobot Roomba S9.
Conclusion
iRobot is a manufacturer specializing almost exclusively in robot vacuums and mops. The best Roombas are well-built and easy to use. However, their reliance on optical sensors means they're generally slower to map out their coverage area compared to alternatives with LIDAR.