Independent rankings
Robot vacuums with a recorded price under $350 on this edition, ranked on cleaning first and value second; converted list prices do not count.
Only machines with a price recorded for this market under the cap are listed; a converted list price from another country does not count. Weighted on cleaning first, because at this money the brush and the suction are what you are buying, and on value second. Mop-washing docks and camera obstacle recognition mostly start above this line, so the list is honest about what the money gets.
9 / 114 models evaluated · Updated
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A self-emptying sibling of the D20 Pro: LiDAR and a line laser, 13,000 Pa with a carpet boost, an extending side brush, a flat mop pad, 285 minutes a charge and a 5 l bag for 150 days.
A small self-emptying robot: 20,000 Pa with a carpet boost, anti-tangle brushes, LiDAR with four maps, a flat mop with a 280 ml tank, 150 minutes a charge and a 4 l bag that lasts 120 days.
The self-emptying Q10 X5: 10,000 Pa, structured-light obstacle sensing, LiDAR with four floor maps, a mop pad that lifts for carpet and a 2.7 l dust bag for over seven weeks.
An entry-level Roborock: LiDAR, structured-light obstacle avoidance, a vibrating mop that lifts for carpet, carpet boost and a self-emptying dock for seven weeks, 10,000 Pa and 150 minutes a charge.
Narwal's entry-level robot: 8,000 Pa, a pressed mop pad at 8 N with no washing dock, LiDAR mapping and structured light with no camera, 20 mm thresholds and a 3.5 l bag good for 180 days.
Roborock's entry-level robot: 10,000 Pa, LiDAR mapping of several floors, anti-tangle brushes with carpet boost, a dragged mop pad on an electric tank, and nothing under it but a charger.
A self-emptying D20 without the Pro's extras: 13,000 Pa, a tangle-free DuoBrush, a flat mop pad on a 350 ml tank, 285 minutes a charge and a 5 l bag for 150 days, no obstacle sensor named.
The dockless counterpart of the Q7 L5+: 8,000 Pa, a comb-cleaned anti-tangle brush, LiDAR with three maps, a flat mop pad on an electric tank with three levels, and no obstacle sensor.
The self-emptying Q7 M5: 10,000 Pa, LiDAR mapping of several floors, an anti-tangle comb brush, a dragged mop pad, 2 cm sills and a 2.7 l dust bag for up to seven weeks.
Lift the mop, leave it at the dock or steer round the rug: what each robot vacuum we list does at a carpet edge, and what the makers' millimetres measure.
The robot vacuums under $500 with a self-emptying dock, ranked by manufacturer specifications and American store prices, and what the next $100 adds.