How do I choose a robot vacuum and mop?
Choose a robot vacuum and mop by your home, floors and pets: navigation, camera, station, running costs, app and updates, with a dated table of 28 models.
AI-generated image: Internet of Things News / OpenAI ChatGPT
After reading this article you will be able to:
- Match a robot vacuum to your home: floor area, rugs, door thresholds, cables, pets and stairs
- Tell lidar navigation from a camera, and a basic charging base from a station that washes mops
- Check running costs, the app, local control and the security update period before you pay
On this page
- Do you need a robot vacuum, a mop, or both?
- Will it work in your home?
- Lidar, camera or both: how does it find its way?
- Does it need a camera, and what does the camera see?
- What does the docking station do?
- What will it cost to run?
- App, local control and security updates
- Robot vacuums compared: what the makers state
- What independent tests say
- What to check before you buy
- Where to go next
- Common questions
Choose a robot vacuum by your home and your habits first: how big the floor is, whether there are rugs, raised door sills, cables and pets, and how much emptying and mop washing you are willing to do by hand. Then compare five things the makers do state: how the robot finds its way, whether it has a camera, what its docking station does, what spare parts cost, and whether the app works without the maker’s servers and for how long the maker promises updates.
This page explains those criteria in plain words, then shows a table of 28 models listed in the makers’ official Italian shops, with what each maker states on its own product page: 16 checked on 31 October 2026 and 12 from Roborock, Dreame, Narwal and Dyson checked on 1 November 2026. The site has not tried any of these robots, and the table is not a ranking: it is sorted by price, from the cheapest. A short section explains who does test robots side by side, and what they publish for free.
Do you need a robot vacuum, a mop, or both?
A robot vacuum sucks up dust, crumbs and hair. A robot mop wipes hard floors with damp pads or a roller. Most models sold today do both, and the name usually says so: “Combo” for iRobot, “Omni” for Ecovacs and eufy stations, “aspirapolvere e lavapavimenti” in Italian shops.
Mopping makes sense mainly on tiles, stone and sealed wooden floors. It adds work: someone has to fill the clean water tank, empty the dirty water and wash the pads, unless a station does it. On carpets the robot has to keep the wet pads off the pile. The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum S40 carries a 270 ml water tank and a cloth you rinse yourself. The Ecovacs Deebot T30C lifts its mops by 9 mm when it detects a rug.
If your floors are mostly carpet, a vacuum-only model with a self-emptying base, such as the eufy C10 or the Dyson R1 Nurovi Dry, avoids paying for water tanks you will not use.
Will it work in your home?
Measure before you shop. Four things decide more than the brand.
- Door sills and rugs. Every robot has a maximum height it can climb, and the makers state it in millimeters or centimeters. In the table it runs from 18 mm for the Ecovacs Deebot mini 2 to the Roborock Saros 20, whose page gives a double step of up to 4.5 + 4.3 cm, “up to 8.8 cm” in all. Dreame, Narwal and Dyson state 40 mm for some models. Read which figure you are looking at: some makers give one height for a single step and a higher one for a double step, two steps one after the other. Dreame says the Matrix10 Pro climbs 22 mm on a single step and 40 mm on a double step. Read the conditions too: Xiaomi says the S40 climbs 20 mm “when the mop cloth is dry”, Ecovacs gives its figures with the mop attached, and the iRobot Roomba Max 775 Combo page says 3.5 cm in its spec table and 3 cm in its FAQ. If one sill is too high, some makers sell a small ramp: Roborock’s Italian shop listed one at €29.99 on 1 November 2026.
- Low furniture. The robot’s height decides whether it gets under the sofa and the beds. Ecovacs says the Deebot T50 Pro Omni Gen3 is 81 mm tall because its laser is built into the body. Xiaomi’s Robot Vacuum 5 Pro lowers its laser turret to reach areas at least 9.5 cm high. Roborock says the Saros 20 navigates spaces as low as 7.95 cm, while its spec table gives a height of 79.8 mm; Narwal gives 95 mm for the Flow 2, and Dyson 96 mm for the R1 and R2 Nurovi and 110 mm for the Spot+Scrub Ai.
- Stairs and floors. No model in the table is described by its maker as climbing stairs. Drop sensors underneath stop the robot at the edge of a step; on a home with several floors you carry it, and many apps can store a map for each floor.
- Cables, socks, toys and pets. Simple robots find obstacles by bumping into them. Models with a front camera or a light-pattern sensor try to recognize objects and drive around them. iRobot says the Max 775 recognizes cables, shoes and pet mess; Dreame says the Matrix10 Pro recognizes “over 280 types of objects”, and Dyson says the Spot+Scrub Ai recognizes over 100. Pet hair wraps around brushes, which is why most makers advertise anti-tangle brushes, a claim no table can check.
Two models outside the table add an arm, for different jobs. The Roborock Saros Z70 has a folding arm that picks things up from the floor: Roborock says it cannot lift objects heavier than 300 g and that its functions are switched off by default. The Dreame X60 Pro Ultra Complete has a jointed cleaning arm that, Dreame says, extends up to 18 cm to reach edges, gaps and low spaces.
Floor area matters less than it seems, because robots return to charge and resume. What matters more is how many rooms the robot must cross and whether the doors between them are open.
Lidar, camera or both: how does it find its way?
A robot that knows where it is cleans in straight lines and comes back to its base. Most robots in the table use a lidar, a laser that spins, often in a small turret on top, and measures the distance to walls and furniture. Makers call it LDS (laser distance sensor), dToF or ToF (time of flight), or give it a brand name such as iRobot’s ClearView LiDAR. With those distances the robot draws a map and locates itself on it at the same time, a technique called SLAM. A lidar works in the dark.
Cameras do a different job. A front camera looks at the floor to recognize small obstacles, often helped by a “structured light” sensor that projects a pattern of light to measure depth. Ecovacs describes the Deebot X12S OmniCyclone as using dToF navigation plus an RGBD camera, a color camera that also measures depth, with extra lighting. Some cheaper robots rely only on the laser and their bumpers. More on how robot vacuums sense their way is in the robot vacuum glossary entry.
In the table, 23 of the 28 models state some form of laser navigation, including the eufy C10, whose page calls it “laser point and multi-infrared navigation”. Of the other five, Roborock describes the Saros 20’s StarSight 2.0 as 3D sensing that samples more often than an LDS laser; Dreame’s L50 Ultra AE page names “Pathfinder” technology without saying in its text which sensor it uses; the eufy Omni C20 and Narwal Freo X10 Pro pages do not name their navigation in the text; and Narwal describes the Flow 2 as finding its way with two 1080p HD cameras and an AI system it calls “OmniVision”, without naming a laser. Ten models state a camera.
Does it need a camera, and what does the camera see?
A camera is not needed to clean. It helps the robot avoid things on the floor, and on some models it also works as a home camera: Xiaomi’s UK page says the Robot Vacuum 5 Pro’s 5MP HD camera “supports remote-controlled cleaning while letting you view and capture your pet’s activities in real time”, and Ecovacs advertises live video calls and snapshots to check on your pet with the Deebot mini 2.
That is useful to some people and unwelcome to others. If you want a robot without a camera, the product page and the spec sheet are the place to check, and the table says which pages state one. What a camera records, where the map is kept and who can see it is explained in Does my robot vacuum have a camera, and who can see the map of my home?.
What does the docking station do?
The base is where most of the price difference sits. From simplest to most complete:
- Charging base only. The robot charges; you empty the small bin after almost every run and rinse the mop cloth. The Xiaomi S40 and the Roborock Q7 M5 work this way.
- Self-emptying base. The base sucks the dirt out of the robot into a bag. iRobot says the Roomba 115 Combo’s base holds a 2.5 L bag that lasts up to 90 days; eufy says the C10’s 3 L bag needs changing about every 60 days; Roborock says “up to 65 days” for the Qrevo S Pro, and Dreame “up to 120 days” for the 4 L bag of the D20 Air Plus. Those intervals are the makers’ estimates and depend on the home.
- Mop-washing station. It also washes the mop pads or roller with water from a clean tank, collects the dirty water in a second tank, and dries the pads with warm air so they do not smell. Some use hot water: Ecovacs states 75 °C for the T50 Pro Omni Gen3, iRobot 80 °C water and 55 °C air for the Roomba Max 775 Combo, and Roborock and Dreame up to 100 °C for some models. Read the footnotes: Roborock says the 75 °C of the Qrevo S Pro is measured where the water leaves the heater, not on the mop, and Dreame says the 100 °C of the L50 Ultra AE is the temperature in the washing tray.
- Extras. Automatic detergent dosing, refilling the robot’s small tank, and on the Ecovacs X12S a bagless station that separates dust with a cyclone instead of a bag. Dreame says the Matrix10 Pro station swaps between three types of mop by itself. Narwal says the Flow 2 cleans with a mop shaped like a track, heated to 60 °C while the robot works.
Stations take floor space. Ecovacs says the Deebot mini 2 station covers 0.13 m²; iRobot gives 350 × 484 × 475 mm for the Max 775 AutoWash dock; Dyson gives a height of 455 mm for the Spot+Scrub Ai base. Check the height under any shelf where you plan to put it, and that you can reach the water tanks to fill and empty them.
What will it cost to run?
The price on the box is not the whole cost. Brushes, filters, mop pads, dust bags and detergent wear out or run out. These are prices on the makers’ official Italian shops:
- Ecovacs, on the Deebot T30C page on 31 October 2026: a replacement kit for the T30C, T50 and T30e at €45 (offered for pre-order that day), a “six-month” accessory kit (kit accessori semestrale) for the same models at €79, antibacterial dust bags listed at €19 and detergent at €39 a liter. Two six-month kits a year would come to €158 before detergent.
- iRobot, on the Roomba 115 Combo page on 31 October 2026: a kit of 3 filters at €10, pads at €15, AllergenLock bags at €20 and floor detergent at €16. The Roomba Plus 415 page lists 6 DualClean mop pads at €35; the Max 775 page lists a PowerSpin mop roller at €28, labeled “for Roomba Max 705 Combo”.
- Xiaomi, on its Italian vacuum page on 31 October 2026: a mop pad for the S40, S40C and H40 at €9.99.
- Roborock, on its Italian shop on 1 November 2026: dust bags for Qrevo and Saros models at €32.99 for 6 (€18.99 for 3), 2 washable filters for the Saros 20, Saros 10R and Qrevo CurvX at €29.99, a main brush for the Saros 20 and Qrevo at €29.99, and 4 Saros 20 mop pads at €29.99. A Saros 20 accessory kit with 4 mop pads, 3 bags, 2 filters, a cover, a main brush and 2 side brushes cost €89.99. For the Q7: 2 filters at €19.99, 2 mop pads at €16.99, a main brush at €19.99 and 6 bags at €29.99. Detergent: €25.99 a liter.
Narwal shows a parts cost in a different way. On its Italian shop on 1 November 2026 it sold the same robot alone, with a kit of accessories for one year, or with a kit for two years. The difference in price was €300 for one year and €400 for two years on the Flow 2 (€999 alone, white version), €105.99 and €186.98 on the Freo Z10 Ultra (€474 alone), and €42.99 and €64.99 on the Freo X10 Pro (€299 alone). The kit versions of the two Freo models were sold out that day. For the Flow 2, the one-year kit includes two of its track-shaped mops and a roller brush, among other parts. These differences are what Narwal charged for the kits in that day’s offers, not a list price for the parts, and how long the parts last depends on how often the robot runs. Single parts on the same shop: 2 HEPA filters for the Freo 20 and Flow 2 at €13.99 and a track mop for the Flow and Flow 2 at €17.99.
How often each part needs replacing is in the manual, and it depends on how often the robot runs. Bagless stations save on bags; Ecovacs says the X12S station can save up to 25 dust bags in five years. None of the 16 product pages checked on 31 October states the robot’s yearly electricity use.
A note on suction. Most pages quote suction in pascals (Pa); on the 31 October pages it ran from 4,000 Pa for the eufy C10 to 30,000 Pa for the Ecovacs Deebot T90 Pro Omni and the Roomba Max 775 Combo. It is the maker’s own figure, measured in its own lab and in its own way: Xiaomi’s footnote for its Robot Vacuum 6 Max says the 35,000 Pa figure was measured on the fan, with its motor powered from an external source, using a vacuum gauge in its internal laboratory. It says nothing about how clean a carpet gets, which is why the table leaves it out.
App, local control and security updates
Almost every robot vacuum is set up and controlled through the maker’s app, which needs an account and usually talks to the robot through the maker’s servers. That is how you see the map, mark no-go zones and get software updates. Three questions are worth asking before you buy.
Does it work without the internet? None of the 16 product pages checked on 31 October says what the robot can do offline. Of the pages read on 1 November, Roborock’s Saros 20 page says its built-in voice assistant “listens and responds, even without WiFi”, without listing what else works without a connection. What happens when a maker stops its servers is not hypothetical: on 6 October 2025 Neato announced “We are now phasing out Neato cloud services”, adding that “Your Neato robot will continue to function manually”, with a button press for a full-house clean. The announcement describes only this manual use.
Does it work with other smart home systems? Matter, the shared smart home standard, added robot vacuums in Matter 1.2, so a compatible hub from another brand can start and stop a robot that supports it. On 31 October none of the 16 Ecovacs, iRobot, Xiaomi and eufy product pages in the table mentioned Matter. On 1 November Roborock and Dreame stated it on several models: in the table, the Roborock Saros 20 and the Dreame L50 Ultra AE and Matrix10 Pro. For some models it is still a promise. A footnote on Roborock’s Qrevo S Pro page says Matter will be “available with an upcoming OTA” update, and Dreame’s L60 Ultra page says “available with an upcoming OTA update”; OTA, over the air, means a software update the robot downloads by itself. The Narwal and Dyson pages read on 1 November do not mention Matter. If you need it, check the page of your exact model, or ask the maker.
For how long will it get security updates? A connected robot needs fixes when flaws are found. The security support period is the time the maker promises them. None of the 16 product pages checked on 31 October and none of the Roborock, Dreame, Narwal and Dyson pages read on 1 November states one. Roborock’s trust center, last updated in August 2026, describes secure boot (the robot starts only software signed by the maker), encrypted connections and third-party certifications, but no support period. Some makers say it elsewhere. iRobot’s European data security page says “We will notify customers at least 6 months before the end of software security support for a particular connected product.” Ecovacs’s Australian support page says security updates “will be maintained for at least 3 years from the launch day” of the models it lists, and that the Ecovacs Home app will offer update services “until at least December 31, 2034”. In the EU, the Cyber Resilience Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, will require makers of connected products to set a support period and deliver security updates once its product rules apply in December 2027.
Robot vacuums compared: what the makers state
Prices and specifications from the makers’ official Italian shops: 16 models checked on 31 October 2026, 12 models from Roborock, Dreame, Narwal and Dyson checked on 1 November 2026. The date of each check is in the price cell. Sorted by price, lowest first.
| Model (maker) | Price on the official shop, date of the check | Navigation stated | Camera stated | Mops floors | Station: what it does | Max threshold stated | Local control or Matter stated | Security updates stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q7 M5 (Roborock) | €139.99, promotion (list price €239.99); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR, PreciSense) | Not stated | Yes, cloth | Charging base only (the Q7 M5+ version has a base that empties into a bag) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Robot Vacuum S40 (Xiaomi) | €159.99; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS) | No | Yes, cloth and 270 ml tank | Charging base only | 20 mm, mop cloth dry | Not stated | Over-the-air updates listed; no end date |
| D20 Air Plus (Dreame) | €179, promotion (list price €199); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR) | Not stated | Not stated in the page text | Empties into a 4 L bag, “up to 120 days” | Not stated | Not stated (works with Alexa, Google Home and Siri) | Not stated |
| Roomba 115 Combo + AutoEmpty Dock (iRobot) | €219, promotion (list price €349); 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (ClearView LiDAR) | No | Yes | Empties into a 2.5 L bag | Not stated | Not stated | Automatic updates; no end date |
| Freo X10 Pro (Narwal) | €299, the page says “save €290”; 1 Nov 2026 | Not stated in the page text | Not stated in the page text | Yes, sold as a vacuum and mop | Empties into a 2.5 L bag, “up to 120 days”, washes the mop, dries it at 45 °C | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Roomba Mini Combo + AutoEmpty Dock (iRobot) | €299, promotion (list price €399); 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (ClearView LiDAR) | No | Yes | Empties into a bag | Not stated | Not stated | Automatic updates; no end date |
| Robot Vacuum H50 (Xiaomi) | €329.99; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS) | No | Yes, two rotating mops | Empties, washes and dries the mops | 20 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Deebot T30C Gen2 (Ecovacs) | €349; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS), structured light for obstacles | No | Yes, two rotating mops | Empties, washes mops in hot water, dries with hot air, doses detergent | 20 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Deebot T30e Omni (Ecovacs) | €349; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS), structured light for obstacles | No | Yes, two rotating mops | Empties, dries at 45 °C, refills the robot’s tank; no hot-water washing | 20 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| C10 (eufy) | €349; 31 Oct 2026 | “Laser point and multi-infrared” | No | No | Empties into a 3 L bag | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Roomba Plus 415 Combo + AutoWash Dock (iRobot) | €349, promotion (list price €419); 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (ClearView LiDAR) | No | Yes, DualClean pads | Empties, washes and dries the pads with heat | Not stated | Not stated | Automatic updates; no end date |
| Qrevo S Pro (Roborock) | €349.99 for the black version, promotion (list price €589.99; white €589.99); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR, PreciSense), structured light for obstacles | Not stated | Yes, two rotating mops that lift | Empties into a bag (“up to 65 days”), washes mops at 75 °C (at the heater outlet), dries at 45 °C | Not stated | Matter “available with an upcoming OTA” update | Not stated |
| Deebot mini 2 (Ecovacs) | €399; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS) and front laser | Yes: live video call and snapshots in the app | Yes, two rotating mops | Empties into a 1.8 L bag, washes mops (no hot water), dries at 63 °C | 18 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Deebot T50 Pro Omni Gen3 (Ecovacs) | €399; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (dToF, built in) | Yes, RGB camera | Yes | Empties, washes mops at 75 °C, dries at 45 °C, doses detergent | 20 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| R1 Nurovi Dry (Dyson) | €449, labeled Black Friday (previous price €549); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR) | Not stated in the page text | No | Bagless: the base empties the dust and holds “up to 90 days” of debris | 40 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Robot Vacuum H50 Pro (Xiaomi) | €449.99; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (LDS) and line laser for obstacles | No | Yes | Empties, washes mops, dries with hot air | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Freo Z10 Ultra (Narwal) | €474, the page says “save €750”; 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR 4.0) | Yes, two 136° cameras | Yes, sold as a vacuum and mop | Empties into a 2.5 L bag, dries the mops | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| L50 Ultra AE (Dreame) | €499, promotion (list price €599); 1 Nov 2026 | “Pathfinder technology”; sensor not named in the page text | Not stated in the page text | Yes, rotating mops that lift by 10.5 mm; a “Dual Flex Arm” extends the mop by 40 mm | Empties into a bag, washes mops with water up to 100 °C (in the tray), dries | 2 cm | Matter, with voice control | Not stated |
| Robot Vacuum 5 Pro (Xiaomi) | €529.99; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (retractable dToF) | Yes: HD camera with live view | Yes | Empties into a bag, washes mops in water up to 80 °C, dries with hot air | 20 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Deebot T90 Pro Omni (Ecovacs) | €549; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (mini-ToF) | No | Yes, roller mop washed while it cleans | Empties, dries with hot air | 24 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Matrix10 Pro (Dreame) | €569, promotion (list price €999); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LDS), 3D structured light for obstacles | Yes, RGB camera with AI | Yes; the station swaps between 3 types of mop | Empties into a bag, washes mops at 100 °C, detergent in 3 compartments | 22 mm single step, 40 mm double step | Matter | Not stated |
| Omni C20 (eufy) | €599; 31 Oct 2026 | Not stated in the page text | Not stated in the page text | Yes | Empties, washes, dries and refills | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry (Dyson) | €649, labeled Black Friday (previous price €849); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (LiDAR) | Not stated in the page text | Yes, pads shaped like a Reuleaux triangle, a rounded triangle | Empties the dust, washes the pads at 75 °C, dries at 45 °C | 40 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Roomba Max 775 Combo + AutoWash Dock (iRobot) | €699, promotion (list price €899); 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (ClearView Pro LiDAR) | Yes, PrecisionVision AI camera | Yes, roller mop | Empties, washes the roller at 80 °C, dries at 55 °C | 3.5 cm in the spec table, 3 cm in the FAQ | Not stated | Automatic updates; no end date |
| Spot+Scrub Ai (Dyson) | €849, labeled Black Friday (previous price €1,199); 1 Nov 2026 | Laser (dual-laser LiDAR) | Yes, HD camera with AI | Yes, roller washed with 60 °C water; lifts its brush by 10 mm on rugs | Bagless cyclone base, 455 mm tall | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Flow 2 (Narwal) | €999 for the white version (black €1,299); 1 Nov 2026 | Two 1080p HD cameras with AI (“OmniVision”); laser not stated | Yes, two HD cameras | Yes, track-shaped mop heated to 60 °C | Empties into a bag (“up to 120 days”), washes the mop at 100 °C, dries at 60 °C, doses detergent | 40 mm | Not stated | Not stated |
| Saros 20 (Roborock) | €999, promotion (list price €1,489); 1 Nov 2026 | StarSight 2.0 3D sensing | Yes, RGB camera | Yes | Empties the dust, washes the mop and the station with water up to 100 °C, dries at 55 °C | Double step up to 4.5 + 4.3 cm | Matter; voice assistant works “even without WiFi” | Not stated |
| Deebot X12S OmniCyclone (Ecovacs) | €1,049; 31 Oct 2026 | Laser (dToF) | Yes, RGBD camera | Yes, roller mop | Bagless cyclone emptying, washes the roller in hot water, dries at 63 °C | 25 mm; double steps up to 5 cm | Not stated | Not stated |
Method: price and specifications from each model’s product page on the maker’s official Italian shop. Ecovacs (ecovacs.com/it), iRobot (irobot.it), Xiaomi (mi.com/it) and eufy (eufy.com/eu-it): pages opened on 31 October 2026; Xiaomi prices from the product data of its Italian vacuum page. Roborock (it.roborock.com), Dreame (it.dreametech.com), Narwal (it.narwal.com) and Dyson (dyson.it): pages read in a web browser on 1 November 2026, because these shops refuse automated reading; Roborock and Dreame prices from each shop’s product data, checked against the product pages, and Roborock specifications from its model pages (linked in the text). The price is the one the shop asked on the day of the check, often a promotion; when the shop also showed a list price or a previous price, it is given in brackets. “Not stated” means the product page does not say it. irobot.it is iRobot’s Italian site (its footer and privacy notice name Nital S.p.A.). Narwal shows no list price, only a saving (“Risparmia”), given as it is. On 1 November Dyson already labeled its prices “Black Friday”, next to a “previous price”. The shops of SwitchBot, Lefant, Shark and Samsung did not let the pages be read, so their models are missing; the table is rechecked every month until January 2027. The site has not tried any of these robots.
What independent tests say
The table shows what makers claim. Whether a robot really picks up dust from a carpet, finds its way around a chair or wipes off a dried stain can only be measured by someone who buys several robots and tests them in the same way. A few organizations do that, and most keep the detailed results for paying members.
- Altroconsumo, the Italian consumer association, tests robot vacuums in its laboratory on carpets and hard floors. Its article of 19 October 2026 is free to read and comments on the models that did well; the test results for each model are for members, with a trial offered at €2 for two months. Its buying advice is free.
- Which?, the UK consumer organization, says on its robot vacuum page that it pays for every robot it tests and accepts no free samples. On 1 November 2026 the page said in one place that Which? had tested 14 robot vacuums and in another 15. The list of tests, the model names and their specifications are free; scores and ratings are for members.
- Stiftung Warentest, the German testing foundation, published a test of 44 robot vacuums and mops on 30 June 2026. The list of models with their average online price is free; the ratings cost €5.90 to unlock.
- RTINGS says its robot vacuum recommendations come from its “independent testing of more than 100 different models”, and that it buys every robot vacuum it tests. The site says it is supported by memberships and affiliate commissions.
- Vacuum Wars says it buys its robots itself, accepts no free samples or paid placements, and runs every robot through the same obstacle course. Its buying guide, updated on 29 October 2026, is free and earns commissions on links to shops.
Each tester uses its own dirt, floors and obstacles, so results from different testers do not always agree, and they can change over time: Which? says its 2026 scores cannot be compared directly with older ones because it changed its test materials. RTINGS and Vacuum Wars write in English and link mainly to shops outside Italy. Before relying on a result, check that the tested model is the same version sold in your country.
What to check before you buy
- The height of your door sills and rug edges, against the maximum threshold on the spec sheet, and whether that figure is for a single or a double step.
- The space under your sofa and beds, against the robot’s height.
- Whether you want a camera, and if so whether it can be switched off.
- What the station does, and where it will stand: footprint, height, access to the water tanks.
- The price of bags, filters, pads and detergent on the maker’s shop, and whether the station uses bags.
- What the robot can do without the internet, and whether you need Matter or another system.
- Whether the maker states a security update period for your model, and where.
- That the shop is the maker’s official one, and the return and warranty terms. On 1 November 2026, for example, Dreame’s Italian shop was it.dreametech.com, while dreame.it showed a domain-parking page, not a Dreame shop.
Where to go next
- Robots at home: the complete guide covers every robot you can have at home today, from vacuums and lawn mowers to the humanoids still on pre-order.
- Which robot vacuum is best? sums up what independent testers found in 2026, by price and by job.
- Does my robot vacuum have a camera, and who can see the map of my home? explains maps, cameras and the settings that limit what is collected.
- Home robots, cameras and remote operators covers who can see inside your home through a robot.
- The robot vacuum glossary entry explains sensors, mapping and Matter in more detail.
- Matter explained covers the smart home standard that robot vacuums can join.
Common questions
Is a robot vacuum worth it?
It depends on your home and on what you expect. A robot vacuum keeps floors tidy between deeper cleans if the floor is mostly clear, the door sills are lower than the height the maker states, and someone empties the bin or the bag and washes the mops when needed. It does not do stairs, and it struggles where cables, socks and toys cover the floor.
Lidar or camera: which is better for a robot vacuum?
They do different jobs, so there is no general winner. A lidar, a small spinning laser, measures distances and draws the map, and works in the dark. A front camera helps the robot recognize small objects such as cables or pet mess, and in some models also lets you watch a live video from your phone. Many mid-range and high-end models now combine the two.
Can a robot vacuum go over door thresholds and rugs?
Up to a height the maker states, which in the table on this page ranges from 18 mm to a double step of 4.5 + 4.3 cm for the Roborock Saros 20. Some makers give one figure for a single step and a higher one for a double step, two steps one after the other, so check which one you are comparing. Measure your door sills and the edge of your thickest rug. Many mopping robots lift their mop pads on carpet, or avoid carpet if you tell them to in the app.
Can a robot vacuum climb stairs?
No model in the table on this page is described by its maker as climbing stairs. Robot vacuums have drop sensors underneath that stop them at the top of a staircase. On a home with several floors you carry the robot, and many apps can store a map for each floor.
Do robot vacuums need Wi-Fi?
For the app, the map, room selection and software updates, usually yes, through your home Wi-Fi and the maker's servers. When Neato phased out its cloud services in October 2025, it said its robots would keep working manually, with a button press. Check in the manual what your model can do without the internet.
Do robot vacuums work with Matter?
Some do. Matter, the shared smart home standard, added robot vacuums in version 1.2. On 1 November 2026 Roborock and Dreame stated Matter support on several models in their Italian shops, in some cases only "with an upcoming OTA update", a software update still to come. On 31 October the Ecovacs, iRobot, Xiaomi and eufy product pages in the table did not mention it. Check the page of your exact model.
How much does a robot vacuum cost to run?
Mainly spare parts and detergent. On 31 October and 1 November 2026 the official Italian shops listed filters, pads, bags and detergent at about €10 to €45 each. Ecovacs sold a six-month accessory kit for some models at €79, and Narwal sold the same robot with a one-year parts kit for between €42.99 and €300 more, depending on the model. Robots with a self-emptying station need bags, unless the station is bagless.
- November 1, 2026: 12 models from Roborock, Dreame, Narwal and Dyson added to the table, read on the makers' Italian shops on 1 November 2026; text updated on door thresholds, Matter, cameras and robots with an arm; Roborock spare parts and Narwal's parts kits added to running costs; new section on independent tests; the €28 PowerSpin roller on the Roomba Max 775 page is now described as labeled for the Roomba Max 705 Combo
How corrections are handled: editorial policy.
Topics: robotics, robot vacuum, everyday questions, buying guide