The Dyson 360 vis nav stands out for its unique features and powerful cleaning performance despite some limitations and its high price. It’s on the heavy side but compensates with extremely strong suction, effectively picking up pet hair and embedded dirt. Instead of a conventional side brush, it uses an extending side duct to tackle edges and corners. It also has a large brush roll that spans the full size of the vacuum for effective cleaning, and though its dustbin is relatively small, it’s equipped with a convenient one-touch ejection system for easy emptying.

For our straight-line pickup tests on hard flooring, we spread large and small debris within a marked area proportional to the width of each robot vacuum’s nozzle. Each robot vacuum is given 10 minutes to clean and the debris collected is weighed to determine how much was picked up.

The iRobot Roomba j7+ stands out for its intelligent mess recognition. It learns from each object it encounters and offers excellent obstacle avoidance. Plus, it’s guaranteed to avoid pet waste. There’s a handy cleaning base as well.

We were particularly impressed by the effectiveness of its row-cleaning pattern — it thoroughly picked up fur and debris even if it blew or knocked them to the sides on an initial passthrough.

Though it’s an investment at $1,199, consider that you’re getting almost three cleaning devices in one package: a robot vacuum, robot mop, and a hand vacuum for reaching all the areas the robot misses.

Perfect for hard floors, carpet and pet hair.The vacuum automatically recharges so it’s always ready to clean. Unibody filter makes for easier cleaning and less maintenance.

While the robot does most of the work for you, there may still be areas that it misses, like under sofas or corners it can't reach. Just like this, there are other factors to consider before splashing the cash, so let’s take a look.

One of the downsides of automatic vacuum cleaners is that they can be a bit heavy. Make sure to choose a model that you will be able to easily maneuver around your home.

We’ve listed our top picks alphabetically below. And check out our picks of the best vacuums and our full ratings of vacuums, which also have reviews of canister, upright, stick, and handheld models from over 15 brands. Also see our vacuum buying guide for smart shopping tips.

Many models can automatically detect carpet and increase the suction to better pick up embedded dirt and debris. This isn’t a make-or-break feature if your home only has hard flooring or if you plan to set your carpeted areas as no-go zones, but it is especially important for robots that also mop.

The SharkClean app enhances the robot's functionality with a high level of customization. Through the app, you can select specific rooms Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners for cleaning, direct the robot to high-traffic areas or send it to handle emergency messes.

✅ You have pets: This bot tackled the hair in our reviewer's pet-filled home incredibly well – and better than any other robovac they'd tested .

Though there are options that cost under $cem, we have never found a high-quality robot model in that price range, though there are plenty of other good inexpensive vacuums.

A robot that doesn't map will just bump around the objects in your home as it cleans and may miss spots or even entire rooms. You won’t be able to view the robot’s cleaning route, send the robot to clean a specific room or spot (more on that below) or set up no-go zones.