Need to know
- Robot vacs can be a great help at home, but they do have limitations compared to stick and barrel vacuums
- Our latest review of robot vacuums tests 11 models from leading brands including Roborock, iRobot, Ecovacs, Eufy and more
- Join CHOICE to access full reviews of robot vacuums, stick vacuums and barrel vacuums to help you find the right one for you
We all dream of having someone else do our dirty work, so it's no wonder that robot vacuums have become so popular.
Who wouldn't love a machine that zooms around the house terminating dust and dirt while you put your feet up and have a cuppa?
Since hitting the market in the early 2000s, robot vacs have evolved from basic bots to highly-advanced units promising better cleaning technology and a load of impressive smart features. Newer, high-end models now even mop the floor and empty their own dust bins.
CHOICE expert Adrian in his element.
"CHOICE has been testing robot vacuums for years and their cleaning performance, smart features and battery life has developed a lot," says CHOICE vacuum expert Adrian Lini.
"At the same time, our tests regularly show they still have a number of issues and limitations, so it's vital to do your research and check our reviews."
Especially since robot vacs can also be very expensive, with many models now costing between $1500 and $3000, or even more.
So before you jump on the bot bandwagon, here's Adrian's vital pros and cons you need to know to decide if a robot vac's right for your home and budget.
On this page:
- Robot vacuums: The pros
- Robot vacuums: The cons
- Expert verdict: Can a robot vac replace a normal vacuum?
Robot vacuums: The pros
1. They clean for you!
This pro is so huge, it should be worth two, maybe even three.
Running on rechargeable batteries, these dust-busting droids use a combination of cameras, sensors and lasers to scan and clean your home so you don't have to. (Well, mostly – see the cons below.)
They can be controlled and scheduled with a smartphone app, which displays a map of your home, sends error alerts if your bot's in trouble and offers an array of options to customise your clean. Some even come with a webcam, so you can watch it clean (or chase your pets) remotely.
Robot vacs' sensors and mapping ability have improved a lot in the last few years
CHOICE tester Adrian Lini
"A robot vac can be a great help around the house," says Adrian. "With a few clicks in the app, you can schedule it to clean as many times a week as you need, and turn it on remotely when you're at work or on holidays."
"Importantly, robot vacs' sensors and mapping abilities have improved a lot in the last few years. They get less stuck because they'll detect hazards better and can recognise areas that they may have missed the first time."
Robots are great for hard-to-reach places.
2. They can clean where you can't
Due to their size, robot vacuums can be better than standard vacs at cleaning hard-to-reach spots such as under a bed or couch.
“This makes them really handy if you have mobility issues or just don't want to spend your time lifting or moving heavy furniture every time you want to clean,” says Adrian.
3. They come with handy features
Most robot vacs now boast a clever range of smart features that will make your standard vacuum feel prehistoric.
These include programming cleaning times and modes via an app and showing a virtual map of your home to track your bot's progress. You can also set up zones or 'virtual walls' to bar it from certain areas, which can be a godsend if your child never picks up their toys.
An app showing a bot's cleaning progress.
"Robot vacs are getting a lot smarter," says Adrian.
"Some can show you dust hotspots in your house and even sense how much dirt is on the ground, and if it's less dirty, they'll run at lower power to save the battery. Previous models had no way to test that, so they'd just run at full strength until they died."
More expensive models now come with self-emptying docks, mopping functions and even air fresheners. But before you splurge, consider whether you'll actually use these fancy features you're paying extra for.
Also, as handy as they are, some robot vac apps can be complicated and need a lot of time to customise your home info and cleaning preferences. That's why we now rate each model's app for connection and ease of use – check our full reviews to see the results.
Do robot vacuums really work and are they worth it?
4. They even do the mopping
The majority of robot vacuums that crawl their way through our product tests now feature mopping capabilities too. Most use microfibre pads, moistened by a small water tank at the base of the vac.
Some models only come with a small tank that you'll need to manually refill after every use, while others go back to their charging dock to draw clean water from a larger tank.
Higher-end models feature spinning, spring-loaded pads and will wash and even dry them in the dock, while emptying the dirty water into a different tank.
"It's not going to compare to a person using a mop and bucket and a bit of elbow grease, but we have been pleasantly surprised by some models' mopping ability," says Adrian.
We use espresso, jam and soy sauce to test robot vacs' mopping skills.
Just be careful if you have a mixture of rugs or carpet as well as hard floors – a model that spreads dirt on your carpet can cause more problems than it solves.
"Newer models can even detect carpet and they'll lift the mopping pad up when they go over it," says Adrian. "Still, if you've got an expensive rug, I'd be very careful to let the vac get anywhere near it with water and a dirty cleaning pad."
In our tests, we score each model on its mopping performance so see our reviews to see the top moppers.
5. They help keep pet hair under control
If it's raining cats' and dogs' fur on your floors, a good robot vac can be a saviour.
But be warned: our lab tests have also seen plenty of models that can't handle a hair ball at all, so check our robot vacuum reviews first.
"On hard floors, we've found most robot vacs do a good job picking up pet hair and it's easy to program them regularly to keep it at bay," says Adrian.
"However, on carpet, robots often perform badly because they don't have the force or agitation compared to a stick vac to suck up the hairs embedded in it."
Fur flying at your home? A robot vac can help.
Robot vacuums: The cons
1. They don't clean as well as other vacuum types
Now for the bad news: if you're counting on your bot to leave your floors spotless, you might be disappointed.
Our lab tests have continually found robot vacs don't clean as well as traditional vacuums. It's not surprising given they have smaller motors that can't generate as much suction, smaller bin receptacles and their brushes don't agitate surfaces like a hand-driven cleaning head might.
Of course, you're not the one doing the cleaning, so you might be fine with that – and you can always schedule your robot more often to compensate.
Our lab tests have continually found robot vacs generally don't clean as well as traditional vacuums
Test data from our recent reviews shows bots usually perform well on hard floors, but can really struggle with carpet, corners and pet hair.
| Cleaning test scores | Average score | Score range |
| Hard floor | 88% | 58–98% |
| Carpet | 26% | 9–49% |
| Pet hair | 54% | 20–80% |
| Corners and edges | 65% | 40–80% |
Alarmingly, the highest score for carpet cleaning was just 49% while four models scored under 20% and barely picked up anything on our lab's sample carpet. That's disappointing, especially when one of them cost more than $2500!
And while the average score range for hard floors is much higher, there's still a marked difference between the best and worst models, which is a worry when they can cost so much.
2. They can be very expensive
All this automation and functionality may sound fab and futuristic, but robot vacuums don't come cheap.
In our current test of 11 robot vacs, prices range from $169 for a basic Kmart Anko model to a $3999 Roborock, with a hefty median price of around $1799.
Whether a robot vac is worth it will depend on your budget, the size and layout of your home and how much you really, really hate cleaning.
3. They still get stuck – a lot
A robot vac might sound amazing, but sadly you can't 'set and forget' them just yet.
Despite all their sensors and smarts, robot vacs are famous for getting into strife and sending an SOS to their human owners to rescue them.
Appetite for obstruction: Bots will eat anything.
They frequently get caught under furniture, on door thresholds or thick rugs, or accidentally 'eat' things like shoelaces, phone chargers and pet toys, which usually stops them in their tracks and requires some tricky de-tangling.
To avoid hazards, it's vital you do a thorough floor check first, which can take some time. Admittedly, you'd have to do this if you were manually vacuuming, but it just shows that buying a robot vac doesn't completely excuse you from all vacuuming tasks.
4. Potential privacy and tech issues
While your robot vac is picking up the dirt on your floor, it could also be picking up dirt on you.
If you want to take advantage of all of your vac's functions such as scheduling, maps, viewing cleaning reports and setting power levels, you'll need to hand over your personal data.
Some of that data could be passed on to third parties. And if you have a super-fancy model with a camera, that could mean that images of your home could be shared, too.
If you want to take advantage of all of your vac's functions, you'll need to hand over your personal data
"Robot vacuums can collect a lot of data," says Adrian.
"They know your location when you create an account, they map your home and most have cameras. If you're concerned, it's best to adjust your permissions and opt out of sharing anything more than what is needed."
Want to know more? We explain what your robot vac knows about you and how to protect your data.
In addition to privacy, there's also the issue of app supports and updates to consider. You'll also need to keep your smartphone's operating system (Android or iOS) up to date, as app support may eventually be discontinued for older versions.
5. Reliability and limited warranties
With its computer brain, sensors and app integration, a robot vac is a much more complex machine than your standard stick or barrel vac.
Not only do they need more regular maintenance (cleaning out wheels and brushes, for example), they can be harder and more expensive to fix and you might need to replace the battery every couple of years.
Most concerning though is their very limited warranties. In our current test of 11 models, all but one came with just a one-year warranty (only the Dreame offered three years).
"Given some models cost well beyond $1000, you'd expect to get many years of life out of them," says Adrian.
"The fact that most brands only offer a one year-warranty is actually pretty insulting – after that, if it breaks, they're essentially saying 'sorry, you're out of luck'."
Thankfully, if you experience a major fault after the warranty has elapsed, you'll still be covered by Australian Consumer Law.
Expert verdict: Can a robot vac replace a normal vacuum?
Despite our futuristic hopes for hands-free housekeeping, our expert Adrian doesn't recommend a robot vac as your home's only vacuum, so don't put your old barrel vac on eBay just yet.
"Despite all their innovations and improvements, our testing still shows robot vacs generally don't clean as well as a good stick or barrel vac, especially on carpets and edges," he says.
"For this reason, we recommend robot vacs for your 'top-up' cleans while still using your stick or barrel model for a more thorough clean."
We recommend robot vacuums for your 'top-up' cleans while still using your stick or barrel model for a more thorough clean
Adrian, CHOICE expert
"It also really depends on your home's layout. If you have hard floors and pets that shed a lot of hair, a robot vac could be a great addition. But if you have carpets and lots of obstacles that regularly need moving before every clean, it might not be worth the steep price tag."
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
