The Best Robot Vacuums for 2021

Vacuums have come a long way. You no longer have to suffer the indignity of dragging around an unwieldy plastic hose connected to a clumsy, wheeled canister the size of a Galapagos tortoise. In fact, you don't even need to get off of the couch. There are many good robot vacuums available to help you dispose of dust, pet hair, and other debris in your home—without needing to lift a finger. Which is the right one for you? We've rounded up our highest-rated robot vacuums, and provided a few pointers to help you find just the bot you're looking for.

Robot Vacuums vs. Canister and Upright Vacuums

Unlike more traditional canister or stick models, robot vacuums are autonomous and (for the most part) intelligent. The vacuums we've tested are equipped with lasers, motherboards, sensors, and even Wi-Fi to navigate around your home without assistance. With a few exceptions, you barely have to interact with them at all.

Image of robot vacuum

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI

Just pick a robot-accessible spot for the charging dock, and the bot will return on its own before it runs out of juice. When it does, it will sit there until it has enough energy to go back out and continue to bust dust from where it left off. You can also set schedules for most bots to wake up and start a cleaning job, so it can take place while you're out of the house. That means you can potentially avoid all physical interaction until the vacuum needs to be emptied.

Unlike many traditional vacuums, most of the robots included here don't use bags to hold the dust, hair, and other debris they suck up. Instead, they use an easy-to-remove dustbin you can simply eject and empty into the nearest garbage can.