The iRobot Roomba 981 is a well-built robot vacuum with outstanding performance on bare floors. It's also effective at cleaning pet hair from most surface types. It has excellent battery performance, good automation features, and cleans rooms in an organized, back-and-forth pattern. Unfortunately, it struggles with clearing debris from carpets, especially high-pile carpets. Also, like many other robot vacuums, it incurs high recurring costs and requires a lot of routine maintenance.
Our Verdict
The iRobot Roomba 981 is impressive on bare floors. It easily clears pet hair as well as debris like sand and cereal from bare surfaces, without losing suction as its dirt compartment fills up. Its maintenance needs are fairly demanding, but it feels sturdily-built and each part is easily accessible.
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Cleans pet hair from all surface types.
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Excellent battery performance.
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Difficult to maintain and incurs high recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is alright on low-pile carpets. It's well-built, excellent at maneuvering itself, and easily picks up pet hair and most large debris like sand. However, it struggles to clear smaller debris like baking soda. It also has fairly high recurring costs and several parts that require routine maintenance.
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Cleans pet hair from all surface types.
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Excellent battery performance.
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Difficult to maintain and incurs high recurring costs.
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Struggles with small debris like baking soda.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is okay on high-pile carpets. It clears a good amount of pet hair, but has more of an issue with debris like sand, and really struggles with fine material like baking soda. It feels very well-built but is a bit difficult to maintain, and has several parts that need to be replaced regularly.
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Cleans pet hair from all surface types.
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Excellent battery performance.
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Difficult to maintain and incurs high recurring costs.
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Struggles with large and small debris.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a great option for cleaning up pet hair. It has no issue clearing pet hair from bare floors and low-pile carpets and picks up a good amount from high-pile carpets as well. Unfortunately, it has several parts that require routine maintenance, but it's very well-built and has removable brushrolls, which makes it easier to remove any hair wraps.
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Cleans pet hair from all surface types.
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Equipped with allergen-trapping HEPA filter.
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Difficult to maintain and incurs high recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to be used on stairs.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed to clean the inside of your car.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a robot vacuum and isn't designed for workshop cleaning.
- 8.1 Bare Floor
- 7.3 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.8 High-Pile Carpet
- 5.5 Pets
- 6.1 Stairs
- 5.0 Cars
- 4.6 Workshop
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 0.5 and Test Bench 0.7.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.7.
- Updated Nov 23, 2022: We've updated the 'Differences Between Variants' section of this review to include the iRobot Roomba 980 model.
- Updated Aug 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.6.
- Updated Jul 07, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.5.
- Updated Jan 11, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 05, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Nov 30, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Nov 27, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Nov 23, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the iRobot Roomba 981 in Black. You can see its label here. It's also available in another color, Night Blue, or as a bundle with a replenishment kit, which includes extra brushrolls, side brushes, and HEPA filters. We expect our results to be valid for those variants as well. The similarly-named Roomba 980 variant is mechanically identical aside from the fact that its power adapter is only available with North American wall outlets.
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Model Name |
Available Colors | Notes | |
| Roomba 980 | Black | Adapter is only compatible with North American wall outlets | |
| Roomba 981 | Black, Night Blue | Adapter is compatible with North American and EU wall outlets |
If you come across a different variant of this vacuum, please let us know so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Robot Vacuums
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a versatile robot vacuum. It performs best on bare floors, where it does an outstanding job. On carpets, it cleans up pet hair effectively but struggles more with debris. It has good automation features, although its navigation system is less advanced than some other iRobot models, such as the iRobot Roomba S9. It has excellent battery life, but unfortunately requires a lot of routine maintenance and incurs high recurring costs, which isn't unusual for robot vacuums. For more options, check out our lists of best robot vacuums, the best robot vacuums for pet hair, and the best robotic vacuums for hardwood floors.
The iRobot Roomba 981 and the Wyze Robot Vacuum have different strengths, and you may prefer either one depending on your needs. The iRobot can automatically adjust its suction power depending on the surface type it's cleaning, and it delivers better performance on bare floors as well as low-pile carpets. On the other hand, the Wyze delivers much better performance on high-pile carpets, and its companion app allows you to set virtual boundaries to keep the vacuum out of certain areas.
The iRobot Roomba S9 is better than the iRobot Roomba 981. The S9 feels better-built, has a longer battery life, charges faster, delivers better performance on low and high-pile carpet, and has a more advanced mapping system that stores a permanent map of its coverage area, allowing you to set up virtual boundary lines or schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms. Meanwhile, the 981 incurs lower recurring costs.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 960. The 981 delivers better performance across all surface types. On the other hand, the 960 has a longer minimum battery life and recharges more quickly.
The iRobot Roomba i7 and the iRobot Roomba 981 have different strengths, but the 981 is better for most uses. The 981 has a much better performance on bare floors, longer battery life, and more automation features. On the other hand, the i7 delivers better performance on carpets and has the ability to automatically empty its dirt compartment into a larger container built into its charging dock.
The Neato Botvac D7 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 981 for most uses. The Neato performs better on carpets, has more automation features, and is much easier to maintain. Nevertheless, the iRobot has a much better performance on bare floors and better maneuverability.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better robot vacuum than the Shark AI Robot. The iRobot feels better built and is easier to maintain. It also performs better on all surface types and has superior maneuverability. However, the Shark has a longer battery life, and you can set boundary markers for it via its companion app.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba E5. The 981 delivers better performance on all surface types, especially bare floors. It also has fewer recurring costs, a bigger dirt compartment, and better automation features. On the other hand, the E5 is slightly smaller and lighter, making it a bit more portable and easy to store.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better-performing vacuum than the Roborock S5. The 981 clears more pet hair and debris from all surface types, and is better at maneuvering itself. On the other hand, the S5 has a longer battery life and more advanced automation features, including the ability to set virtual boundary markers for the vacuum.
The Roborock S6 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 981. The Roborock has a better performance on high-pile carpets, more advanced automation features, and longer battery life. On the other hand, the iRobot charges faster and has a slightly bigger dirt compartment.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is better than the iRobot Roomba i3. The 981 incurs lower recurring costs, maneuvers over obstacles like electrical cords more easily, and delivers superior cleaning performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, especially with pet hair. Meanwhile, the i3 has a more advanced set of automation features, most prominently its self-emptying function, which lets it dump any accumulated debris into an external dustbin mounted to its charging dock.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is a better vacuum than the iRobot Roomba 694. The 981 has a better cleaning performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, though it performs similarly on high-pile carpet. It also follows a more efficient cleaning route than the 694. That said, the 694 has longer battery life.
The iRobot Roomba 981 is better than the Shark IQ Robot AV992 Series for most purposes. The iRobot delivers much better performance on bare surfaces. It has a better build quality, incurs fewer recurring costs, and is easier to maintain. It's equipped with a HEPA filter and does a better job of maneuvering itself. On the other hand, the Shark has much more advanced automation features with the inclusion of room mapping.
The Roborock S6 MaxV and iRobot Roomba 981 each have advantages, meaning one might suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The Roborock feels better built, has a longer battery life, and comes with a mopping attachment for clearing messes on bare floors. It has more advanced automation capabilities, with a combination optical/LIDAR navigation and mapping system that enables it to identify and avoid obstacles. The Roborock stores a permanent map of its coverage area, which you can access through its companion app to set up virtual boundary lines or schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms. Conversely, the iRobot delivers better performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet, charges faster, and has an easier time climbing over obstacles like electrical cords, which the Roborock might identify as obstructions to avoid.
The iRobot Roomba 981 and Roborock S7 have different advantages; one may suit you better, depending on your needs. The iRobot has a dustbin with a much larger capacity, maneuvers over obstructions like electrical cords with less difficulty, and delivers superior performance on bare floors and low-pile carpet. It also charges much faster than the Roborock, though its maximum runtime is much shorter. The Roborock also delivers better performance on high-pile carpet, feels better built, and allows you to set up virtual boundary lines through its companion app. The Roborock also comes with a mopping attachment.
The iRobot Roomba 981 and eufy RoboVac X8 each have advantages, meaning one may suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The iRobot is better-built, has a larger dustbin, charges faster, maneuvers itself more effectively, and performs a little better on low-pile carpet. Meanwhile, the eufy clears more debris on high-pile carpet and lasts longer on a single charge. It also has more advanced automation capabilities, as you can use its companion app to set up virtual boundary markers or set up specific cleaning zones.
Test Results
The iRobot 981 has a great build quality. Its body is made of hard plastic, with a glossy top and rubber wheels. The two brushrolls are also made of rubber and rotate in opposite directions. The dirt compartment feels fairly sturdy and is partly made of see-through red plastic. There's a sensor inside that detects when it's full, which is indicated with a light on top of the vacuum. There are also indicator lights for the battery, Wi-Fi, dirt detection feature, and if there are any errors. The three buttons on top of the vacuum allow you to start and stop a cleaning cycle, have it spot clean a specific area, and send it back to its dock. The vacuum comes pre-assembled, so you only need to set up the charging dock.
The iRobot 981 has demanding maintenance needs, with several parts that should be serviced regularly. They're all fairly easy to access, however.
- Brushrolls: These are easily removed by unclipping and taking off the brushroll guard. The manufacturer recommends cleaning away and hair tangles or debris every four months, or every three months if you have pets. Markings show the correct placement of the brushrolls to help you put them back in.
- Dirt compartment: There's a button to release the dirt compartment. You should empty it after each use, and clean the dirt sensor on the dirt compartment door with a dry cloth every one to two weeks.
- Filter: The filter is located inside the dirt compartment. It can't be washed with water, so to clean it you can simply tap it on the side of your garbage bin to remove any debris. iRobot suggests doing this once a week, or twice a week if you have pets.
- Sidebrush: The sidebrush has to be removed with a screwdriver. You should clean off any debris or tangled hair once a month.
- Wheel: You can remove the swivel wheel by pulling it firmly, or you may need to use a tool. The manufacturer recommends cleaning it by removing any tangled hair every two weeks.
- Sensors: The sensors and charging contacts on the vacuum and dock should be wiped once a month with a dry cloth to remove dust and debris.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has quite a few parts that need to be replaced regularly.
- HEPA filter: The HEPA filter should be replaced every two months.
- Rubber brushrolls: The rubber brushrolls can be replaced every six to 12 months.
- Front caster wheel: The wheel should be replaced every 12 months.
You can buy each part separately, or purchase a "Replenishment Kit" from the manufacturer that includes brushrolls, three filters and two side brushes. While iRobot doesn't indicate how often the side brushes should be replaced, you should do so when they are visibly worn.
The iRobot 981 has excellent storage capabilities. It's slightly wider than the iRobot Roomba 960, but still doesn't take up much space and mounts to the compact charging dock by itself.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has a good-sized dirt compartment for a robot vacuum. Sensors detect when it's full and notify you with an indicator light on top of the vacuum or through the companion app. The dirt compartment cover won't close unless a HEPA filter is inserted.
- iRobot Roomba 981 robot vacuum
- Charging dock
- Charging cable
- HEPA filter
- 2x counter-rotating multi-surface brushrolls
- 1x side brush (already on the vacuum)
- User guide
The vacuum comes assembled, so you only need to set up the charging dock.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has an unlimited range as long as its battery is charged, but it can't go up or down stairs.
This vacuum has very good portability. It's slightly heavier than other robot vacuums such as the Shark AI Robot but it comes with a carrying handle for when you're carrying it from room to room or up a flight of stairs.
The iRobot 981's battery performance is excellent. Set to its most powerful suction mode, it provides about one hour of continuous cleaning time. In 'Eco-Mode', which is its most conservative mode, it lasts for roughly two hours. However, in its default 'Automatic' mode, it automatically adjusts its suction power depending on what surface it's cleaning and how dirty it is, so the actual battery life may vary. It takes a little more than two hours to recharge, which is longer than the iRobot Roomba 960. There's a battery indicator light on top of the vacuum that turns red or green depending on the remaining battery life, and you can also see the battery status in the app.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has a few different quality of life features. It automatically adjusts its suction power and brushroll height depending on what surface it's cleaning, and it uses a sensor to detect and focus on dirtier areas. In 'Automatic Mode', the vacuum will adjust its suction power as it cleans, or you can manually choose between two settings, 'Eco-Mode' or the more powerful 'Performance Mode.'
The iRobot Roomba 981 is equipped with two rubber brushrolls that rotate in opposite directions, as well as a three-armed side brush that's meant to push debris into the robot's path.
This vacuum doesn't have any alternative configurations.
The iRobot 981 has an exceptional performance on bare floors. It easily clears pet hair, small debris like sand, and large debris like cereal, and loses virtually no suction performance as its dirt compartment fills.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has an okay performance on low-pile carpets. It easily clears pet hair and picks up a good amount of large debris like sand, but struggles with finer material like baking soda.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has a mediocre performance on high-pile carpets. It picks up a good amount of pet hair but doesn't do as well with debris like sand and baking soda, and may need a few extra passes to clean these surfaces properly. If you're looking for a robot vacuum that does a better job of cleaning high-pile carpets, check out the Shark IQ Robot AV992 Series.
This vacuum does a fantastic job of dealing with pet hair on a variety of surface types, though some shorter strands of hair can be left behind on carpeting. Its brushroll is easy to remove and clean, though its bearings tend to collect a lot of hair.
Like many other robot vacuums, the iRobot Roomba 981 sits too high to maintain a tight seal with the ground, resulting in low real-world suction power measurements.
The iRobot 981's airflow is alright for a robot vacuum. It won't deal with heavier debris as effectively as some high-end models, but it still does better in this regard than some other iRobot models, such as the iRobot Roomba i7.
The iRobot 981 is fairly quiet overall, if a little on the louder side of the scale for a robot vacuum. It still isn't loud enough to completely mask the sound of nearby conversation, but it is noticeably louder than some premium models like the Roborock Q5/Q5+, especially when running in its higher-power 'Turbo' mode.
The iRobot 981 has amazing maneuverability. It cleans in an organized pattern, moving in horizontal and then vertical rows, finding paths around obstacles, and returning to spots it had trouble cleaning. Its auto adjustment feature helps it adapt to different surfaces as it cleans, and you can also set it to decide automatically if an area needs one, two, or three passes. It's small enough to fit under low couches and tables, and while it pushes electric cords around a bit, it doesn't get stuck on them. However, it has a bit of issue cleaning rugs with tassels, because they can get tangled with the side brush. It's also a very loud vacuum.
This vacuum does a poor job of sealing in fine particles. Its high-efficiency filter does little to seal in allergens, which can escape from its exhaust.
While the iRobot Roomba 981 leaves behind quite a bit of debris in cracks and crevices, its performance in this kind of situation is fairly decent as far as robot vacuums go. It sits too high above the ground and produces too little power to suck up debris in deeper cracks, but it can lift away debris in shallower crevices.
This vacuum isn't designed to clean liquid spills.
The iRobot Roomba 981 has good automation features. It has a camera on top to help it keep track of its location and move around obstacles, though there's no real-time hazard-avoidance capability.
The vacuum works with Google Home and Alexa. You can also use the buttons on the top to start and stop cleaning sessions without an internet connection.
The iRobot HOME app has a pretty broad range of features. You can use it to start a cleaning job, make a cleaning schedule, and pilot it remotely. There's also an edge clean setting, where the vacuum does another pass along walls and furniture at the end of a job. The app can notify you when the dirt compartment is full, and you can choose to have it return to its dock when that happens or just continue cleaning.
After a cleaning session, you see a map of the area it cleaned in the app, but unlike iRobot vacuums with more advanced navigation systems, like the iRobot Roomba S9, you can't use it to set virtual boundary markers.