The 4 Best Roombas And iRobot Vacuums of 2023 Reviews

Updates

• 01/05/2023 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
• 01/24/2022 iRobot Roomba i3 updated

Best iRobot Vacuums

1. Best iRobot Vacuum

   

   

   

   

   

   

   iRobot Roomba S9+ 1

   

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   Bare Floor

   N/A

   Low-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   High-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   Pets

   N/A

   Stairs

   N/A

   Cars

   N/A

   Workshop

   N/A
   Vacuum Type

   Robot

   Bagless

   Yes

   Cordless

   Yes

   Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)

   Yes

   Wet Compatible

   No

   See all our test results

   The best iRobot Roomba we've tested is the iRobot Roomba S9. This high-end robot vacuum has the most powerful suction motor in iRobot's lineup, and it delivers good debris-pickup performance on both bare floors and carpeting. Its twin rubber brushrolls are great for dealing with pet hair, and since they don't have any bristles that can trap debris, they're easy to clean. The S9+ variant comes bundled with a self-emptying base station, which transfers debris from its dustbin into an external dirtbag, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements. However, this is a pretty expensive accessory. While its vSLAM system 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 after it's mapped out your home. You can use its companion app to send it to specific rooms or create no-go zones where the vacuum won't enter.

   Unfortunately, battery performance isn't especially noteworthy, especially not for a robot vacuum of this caliber. In its most powerful suction mode, it can run out of charge in about 50 minutes, which might not be enough to clean large carpeted areas in a single go. That said, its relatively short battery life isn't that big a deal thanks to its recharge-and-resume functionality, which allows it to pick up a cleaning session from where it left off if it needs to return to its dock.

   See our review

2. Best Upper Mid-Range iRobot Vacuum

   

   

   

   

   

   

   iRobot Roomba j7+ 1

   

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   Bare Floor

   N/A

   Low-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   High-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   Pets

   N/A

   Stairs

   N/A

   Cars

   N/A

   Workshop

   N/A
   Vacuum Type

   Robot

   Bagless

   No

   Cordless

   Yes

   Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)

   Yes

   Wet Compatible

   No

   See all our test results

   If you're shopping for something slightly less expensive, the iRobot Roomba j7 is among the best Roomba vacuums we've tested. Compared to the iRobot Roomba S9, it has a less powerful suction motor, so it has a harder time lifting away heavy debris and material embedded deeply within carpet fibers. However, it does have one major advantage over the S9 in its hazard-recognition system, which uses a front-facing camera to spot and identify obstacles that would fall beneath the view of its top-mounted camera. This allows the j7 to identify and maneuver around hazards in real-time, so you don't have to make sure your floors are completely free of things like slippers or loose socks before letting it run. It also has a range of in-app automation features similar to the S9, like support for virtually-drawn no-go zones and the ability to direct it to a specific room in your home.

   The j7+ variant of this vacuum comes bundled with a self-emptying base station, so every time the vacuum docks, it transfers debris into a dirtbag inside the charging station. If you have an iRobot Braava Jet M-Series robot mop, the Imprint Link feature allows it to start mopping automatically after the j7 has vacuumed.

   See our review

3. Best Mid-Range iRobot Vacuum

   

   

   

   

   

   

   iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO 0

   

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   Bare Floor

   N/A

   Low-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   High-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   Pets

   N/A

   Stairs

   N/A

   Cars

   N/A

   Workshop

   N/A
   Vacuum Type

   Robot

   Bagless

   No

   Cordless

   Yes

   Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)

   Yes

   Wet Compatible

   No

   See all our test results

   The iRobot Roomba i3 is worth a look 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 bundled with iRobot's Clean Base self-emptying docking station, you'll have a self-emptying robot vacuum at a substantially lower price than either of those models. It has a pretty advanced suite of automation features. You can use the iRobot HOME companion app to label different areas of your home after it's finished mapping or set up boundary lines to prevent the vacuum from getting stuck in a difficult-to-clean area. It also has a recharge and resume feature, enabling it to pick up a cleaning session from where it left off if it needed to stop a previous job to return to its dock. It's fully compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices, enabling you to use voice commands to issue some 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. Build quality is also 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, where it'll need to make several passes to collect everything.

   See our review

4. Best Budget iRobot Vacuum

   

   

   

   

   

   

   iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692] 0

   

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   Bare Floor

   N/A

   Low-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   High-Pile Carpet

   N/A

   Pets

   N/A

   Stairs

   N/A

   Cars

   N/A

   Workshop

   N/A
   Vacuum Type

   Robot

   Bagless

   Yes

   Cordless

   Yes

   Anti-Allergy Filter (HEPA)

   No

   Wet Compatible

   No

   See all our test results

   The iRobot Roomba 694 is the best option if you're shopping for a budget-friendly Roomba. It's important to note that this is an incredibly bare-bones robot vacuum with few automation features when compared to mid-range models like the iRobot Roomba i3. There's no room mapping capability, with the 694 instead relying on random bump navigation to move around its cleaning area. As such, it isn't capable of recharging and resuming a cleaning session 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. Unique for a robot vacuum in this price range, it has a surface detection system that allows it to automatically ramp up its suction power on carpeted floors. This vacuum is sold as the iRobot Roomba 692 in some markets, with the only difference between the two being that the 694 comes with an extra post-motor filter, while the 692 bundle doesn't.

   While the 694 has no trouble dealing with debris on bare floors, it struggles on carpets. In addition, its brushroll is of an older design than the pricier iRobot models on this list; it uses an array of closely-packed bristles that get tangled with pet hair. Unlike the more expensive models in iRobot's lineup, it isn't compatible with a self-emptying base station, which would reduce hands-on maintenance requirements. Air filtration performance is also terrible, with fine particles spewing out the exhaust. Thankfully, it feels rather well-built, especially given its affordable price point.

   See our review

Compared To Other Brands