The best Cyber ​​Monday 2021 robot vacuum deals: Shark, Roomba and more

The answer depends entirely on your needs and your budget.

Basic robot vacuums, which typically cost less than $ 200, will simply roam your house at random, picking up debris, then returning to its charging base. You’ll need to empty its dust bin between runs, and it will typically lack smartphone connectivity, but many will come with a remote.

Robot vacuums that cost over $ 200 will usually have additional features, such as the ability to control them from your smartphone or with a voice assistant like Alexa and Google Assistant.

Other features to look for include mapping and no-go areas, so you can tell them to vacuum specific rooms and stay away from other areas.

One of the newer – and more expensive – types of robot vacuums is a self-draining model with a large cleaning base. The robotic vacuum cleaner essentially senses when its dust bin is full and returns to its base to empty the load. In doing so, the vacuum can last 30 to 60 days before it needs to be emptied. This is a great feature if you have allergies as you are not exposed to so much dust particles, and it definitely adds to the convenience.

Other types of robot vacuums include robotic mops, which will independently mop your floors after you’re done vacuuming. If you already own a robot vacuum and want a robot mop to complement, remember that you will need to set both to clean in the correct order: vacuum then mop. Some can communicate with each other, so you don’t have to worry about that, like the Roomba s9 + and the Braava jet m6.

Then there are the hybrid robotic mops which can do both tasks, although in our experience they are not as efficient as freelance cleaners. The only exception to this rule is the Roborock S7, which performs well in both respects.