Independent rankings
Robot vacuums with a recorded price under $500 on this edition, the bracket where self-emptying docks and mop washing begin.
Only machines with a price recorded for this market under the cap are listed. This is the bracket where the full dock arrives: self-emptying, and on the best of them mop washing and drying, with structured-light obstacle sensing as standard. Weighted across cleaning, automation and mopping with value still counting, because at this money the question is which dock features are worth paying for.
7 / 83 models evaluated · Updated
The cheapest way into a self-maintaining dock: 8,000 Pa, LiDAR mapping, twin 200 rpm spinning mops that lift, and a station that empties, washes, dries and refills.
The sensible Qrevo: 12,000 Pa, SGS-certified anti-tangle brushes, 200 rpm mops that extend and lift 10 mm, structured-light obstacle avoidance, four floors and a wash-and-dry dock with a 2.7 l bag.
The budget 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.
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.
Roborock's cheapest LiDAR robot with an obstacle sensor: 10,000 Pa, a comb-cleaned anti-tangle brush, a lifting mop, structured-light obstacle avoidance and 150 minutes a charge, with no dock.
Roborock's budget self-emptying robot: 8,000 Pa, a comb-cleaned anti-tangle brush, LiDAR with three maps, a static mop pad and a RockDock Plus holding seven weeks of dust, with no obstacle sensor.
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.