A robotic vacuum cleaner can save you a lot of work and is especially welcome during the holidays. Prices vary widely, with the cheapest robots costing around $100 and costing up to a few thousand dollars. It can be hard to know how much to spend, and with Black Friday sales offering all kinds of discounts, it can get even more confusing.
I am here to help you. I use NewForTech’s guide to the best robot vacuum cleaners and have tested robots from several brands in all price ranges. My take: Cheap robot vacuums are still worth considering, as long as you follow a few golden rules.
Read on to find out exactly what those rules are, and if you decide it’s time to invest in home automation, skip to the end of the article to see my picks for today’s best sales deals.
1. Stick to a good brand
For me, the most important thing is that I choose a good brand. That way, you can be sure that you have at least the essentials: good cleaning, reliable navigation and an easy-to-use app. These are the three most important points; If you don’t have them, the bot isn’t worth buying (at any price). It probably goes without saying, but avoid all those weird name brands on Amazon, regardless of price.
My favorite brands are Roborock and Dreame – their Robovacs always get high marks, regardless of price. I personally tested a cheap Roborock and a cheap Dreame robot vacuum and was very impressed with both. The Dreame is also still at my parents house cleaning the rooms.
Unfortunately, I have to say that I would avoid buying a Roomba again this year, even if the deals seem good at first glance. The brand recently replaced its entire fleet of robot vacuums, and the updated options failed to impress (here’s our review of the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo as an example). The parent company, iRobot, is in serious financial trouble and it doesn’t look like this will last much longer, which also affects the follow-up.
2. Make sure you can handle the maintenance
An important difference between cheaper and more expensive robot vacuum cleaners is the functions of the docking station and therefore the maintenance tasks that you have to perform yourself. The cheapest Robovacs have a base that only charges the robot and nothing else. Make sure you don’t punish yourself by choosing a Robovac that demands too much of you.
For example, if you are removing pets, I recommend spending a little more on a robot with a self-draining base. The bin on board the robot is small and you end up having to empty it with annoying regularity while the robot tries to keep up with pet hair.
If you have a lot of vinyl or tile floors and want your robot vacuum to do a lot of cleaning, consider installing a mop. Cheaper models require you to fill the water tank and manually attach (and then remove) the cloth before each use. If you spend a little more, you can get a robot that can lift the cleaning pads as it walks across the carpet and has a docking station to fill the built-in water tank. You can also invest in a model with a base on which you can wash clothes, although this may mean a significant increase in price.
3. Check the price of some more advanced options.
Before you hit the buy button, I would look for more advanced options, as in some cases you can get a much better robot for a little more money. The robot vacuum cleaner market is very competitive and brands regularly launch new models. As a result, it’s common to see deep discounts on “legacy” options that are still extremely capable. I’ve seen some particularly good deals during the Black Friday sale; I’ll list them below so you can see what you can get for a little more money.
Best cheap robot vacuum deals in the US
The best deals on cheap robot vacuum cleaners in the UK