The 4 best robot vacuums for carpet to shop during Prime Day 2024

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UPDATE: May. 11, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT Two top picks in this story have shifted after senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart was able to hands-on test CES 2024 releases from Roborock and Eufy in her own home.

Nearly any robot vacuum can sufficiently clear a tile or hardwood floor of the hair and crumbs blowing across it like tumbleweeds. But for a robot vacuum to work on carpet, much more suction power and concentrated airflow is required to uproot the debris embedded in those fibers.

Do robot vacuums work on carpet?Yes, several robot vacuum cleaners do a pretty phenomenal job on carpet and rugs. In fact, the best robot vacuum brands like iRobot, Roborock, Eufy, and Shark have been mastering the art for several years, particularly honing in on pet hair pickup and combatting hair tangling in the brush.

For homes with varying floor types and a notable amount of foot traffic, buying the cheapest robot vacuum you can find will likely create more hassle than it’s worth. Every time that bot gets stuck on a rug corner or welcomes you home to pet hair still visibly clinging to the living room carpet, you’d probably rather just do the job yourself — but rest assured that that’s not an inevitable experience with every robot vacuum.

The best robot vacuums for carpet have powerful suction, of course, aided by brush roll systems designed to dig into multiple pile heights to pinch hair and large chunks while simultaneously inhaling fine debris that a weaker robot vac would pass right over. A majority of our top picks also use automatic suction adjustment to customize cleaning based on floor type, and all current picks either come with a self-emptying dock (or at least offer the option) to mitigate the frequency of trips to the trash bin.

And if a robot vacuum has mastered carpet — the hardest floor type to tackle — these models will undoubtedly ace the hard floors in your home. In 2024, most of the robot vacuums with market-leading carpet cleaning are just as advanced at mopping.

The Mashable team is on a continuous mission to narrow down those options for you. We’ve hands-on tested dozens of robot vacuums on several pile lengths of carpets, rugs, and bath mats in a variety of home layouts. Here are our favorites for every carpeted situation in 2024.

Who it’s for:With above-average suction power, small obstacle avoidance, self-washing and self-drying mopping pads, and a livestream pet camera, the S8 MaxV Ultra is not only one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair itself, but an exhaustive floor care and pet care suite for homes with multiple pets and multiple floor types.

Admittedly, the most expensive robot vacuum of CES 2024 will only be a serious contender to those with a disposable budget. But those down to pay for such a thorough hands-off experience probably won’t have to upgrade for a while — this advanced menu of features will likely keep the S8 MaxV Ultra a front-runner for years to come.

Why we picked this:Roborock’s latest flagship model clocks 10,000 Pa in suction (a five-digit feat that most competitors have yet to achieve) that proved itself in testing conducted by senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart. It revived a bright rug pattern that was previously tinted gray due to a perpetual layer of cat hair and left little to no remnants behind when sent after artificial messes of loose soil, cookie crumbs, and even super fine corn starch on low and mid-pile rugs. This was all completed in Max+ mode, which Roborock says achieves 99.5% hair pickup. Four other lighter modes are also options.

During vacuuming, a laptop charger and sock were accurately detected and avoided. A large hunk of soil was identified as pet waste — though that was originally intended to be sucked up, it was giving turd. Speaking of advanced technology on board, the S8 MaxV Ultra is one of few robot vacs to sport a livestream pet camera onboard. Users can see what the vacuum sees while it’s roaming and even send the S8 MaxV Ultra to look for their pet if it’s hiding.

Though carpets are the focus of this list, shoppers should take the S8 MaxV Ultra’s robust mopping system into account when trying to justify that price tag. Once water and detergent have been automatically dispensed from inside the dock, the mopping pad vibrates 4,000 times per minute to scrub at stains like paw prints or shoe marks. The bot will re-mop if necessary, then return to the dock to wash and dry its mopping pads.

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Who it’s for:Shoppers looking to squeeze the longest feature menu out of a sub-$1,000 budget should look to Eufy’s newest flagship model. With small obstacle avoidance and a fully self-sufficient mopping system, the X10 Pro Omni is way more autonomous than the similarly-priced Roomba Combo j7+ or Roborock Q8 Max+. The X10 Pro Omni has amazing battery life even when using its highest suction mode, making it ideal for tackling lots of square footage or multiple stories without needing to charge.

If your home is anything like senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart’s — where a chaotic underbed storage situation and rogue extension cords make it tricky to run many robot vacuums when you’re not home — you’ll want to prioritize AI-powered small obstacle avoidance, like Eufy has given the X10 Pro Omni.

Why we picked this:Eufy’s CES 2024 contribution should be more expensive than it is. Not to be confused with the (less impressive, more expensive) Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, the Eufy X10 Pro Omni is the brand’s first self-emptying hybrid model that also self-refills the water tank and self-washes and dries the mopping pads, all within that same self-empty dock. That fully self-sufficient mopping system is a feature we’ve seen before, but one we’ve never really seen before below $1,000.

While its dual spinning mopping pads are exceptional scrubbers, Eufy’s carpet cleaning deserves equal attention. On paper, 8,000 Pa of suction is beastly at any price point. During in-home testing, it successfully cleared a thick, purposefully-spilled heap of rice from a medium pile runner and soil from a flat weave rug. It only struggled on deep cleaning spilled flour, but a powdery spill shouldn’t be a common occurrence.

Stodart came across one quirk that hinders Eufy’s impressive suction power from cleaning to its full potential. Its obstacle avoidance camera was working so hard to not get stuck that it mistook a small fluffy bath mat for clothing and gave up on one section of the bathroom all together, leaving strewn kitty litter untouched. Unfortunately, Eufy’s app doesn’t let you dismiss a perceived obstacle as “incorrect,” so the bath mat needed to be moved.

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Who it’s for: Outdated Roomba owners looking to upgrade to something bigger and better will set themselves up for a smooth transition with the Roomba Combo j9+. All robot vacs in the iRobot ecosystem can transfer maps to each other in the app, so you can completely skip the days-long charade of your new robot vacuum learning and updating your home’s layout.

Compared to other Roombas, the Combo j9+ is the most thorough with both vacuuming and mopping. Those teetering between this and a lower j Series Roomba will have to be down to spend $1,000 (even if it’s on sale), prioritizing deep cleaning and the ability to freely switch between mopping and vacuuming modes even if you’re not home.

Why we picked this:As the number and letter mashup in the title suggests, the Combo j9+ finally combines the best features of the older high-end Roombas: the small obstacle detection and retractable mop of the Roomba Combo j7+ (which we tested and really liked), and even better suction power than the Roomba s9+, which was previously the most powerful Roomba. The Combo j9+ also beats the suction power of the aforementioned Combo j7+, which was noticeably worse at picking up chip crumbs and cat hair than the new Combo j9+ in our comparative tests in the same apartment.

Mopping-wise, the Combo j9+ attacks dried stains more persistently by scrubbing back and forth with force rather than staying stationary. The new dock is bigger than the previous docks from iRobot, but that’s because it’s holding a separate water tank that automatically refills the smaller tank on the vac itself for 30 days at a time. Any maintenance can be done without opening the wood lid on top of the dock, so you’ve basically got a new full-time side table.

Despite the steep price tag, iRobot omitted autonomous mopping pad washing and drying here, so you’d really need to value the chicness of this design to choose it over a hybrid with more features.

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Who it’s for:Shark’s most decked out robot vacuum is still one of the most modestly priced among its peers, making it a serious steal for shoppers drawing a hard line around the $400 or $500 mark. Though this model model retails for $699.99, we frequently see it on sale for under $500. If you forego the self-emptying dock, the standalone Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 can almost always be found for less than $350.

If you typically take the “and one for good measure” approach when it comes to cleaning, you’ll appreciate the extra effort the newest Shark vacuum puts in on dirty spots, even if it has already gone over them once. While the Shark Matrix 2-in-1 would be fine switching between fully hard-floored and fully carpeted rooms, it’s probably best for homes without a heavy rug situation, as the bot requires you to manually point out rugs or carpets in the app and can’t vacuum while the water tank is attached.

Why we picked this:Shark has been a big player in the robot vacuum game since forever, but didn’t have an option that particularly stood out — until the winter of 2022. The latest Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 (previously called the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1) surprisingly rocked our world with improvements over older Shark models — namely a mop that actually scrubs, plus a focus on thorough spot cleaning that makes it a front runner for the best cheap robot vacuum for carpet.

The new Matrix Clean system prompts the vac to take several passes to ensure that no spots are missed. During regular dry vacuuming, it delivers 30% better carpet cleaning (compared to the older RV Shark models) by digging deeper into carpet and cleaning in a crosshatch pattern to loosen and grab debris from multiple angles. When a corner is detected by “Matrix” also applies to the AI Ultra’s mopping, which vibrates 100 times per minute to scrub stains.

Read our full review of the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1.

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The Mashable shopping team has tested dozens of robot vacuums from smart home brands such as iRobot, Roborock, Shark, Eufy, Ecovacs, Narwal, and Yeedi, with the models tested most recently being the Roomba Combo j5+, Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, and Eufy X10 Pro Omni.

We’ve also directly compared these bots’ cleaning capabilities on multiple types of flooring (as well as how they stack up against popular cordless vacuums from brands like Dyson and Shark). And because each of the top brands releases new robot vacuums every year, we’re consistently testing new models on our own floors and comparing them to the current winners.

When conducting hands-on tests of robot vacuums, we consider how the product performs on carpets, area rugs, hardwood laminate, and tile. In searching for the best robot vacuum for carpets, we mainly considered how effectively these vacuums removed new messes like freshly-spilled food crumbs, as well as more stubborn debris like pet hair that has been embedded into the fibers over an extended amount of time.

In addition to analyzing a robot’s performance on carpet, we also took its overall cleaning abilities and recurring maintenance into account, including its accuracy with room-to-room smart mapping and zone cleaning, its thoroughness when it comes to mopping and keeping carpets dry, and the presence of a self-emptying dock to ensure the whole home can be cleaned without constantly clearing the dust bin. With all of these factors in mind, we handpicked the four best all-around robot vacuums for carpets and rugs at a variety of price points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both are great in their own ways, but much like the Instant Pot vs. Ninja Foodi debate, a general comparison between the two brands doesn’t work so well. (We’ll cover the basics of the rivalry below, but for the results of direct comparisons between multiple Roomba and Shark models, check out our Shark vs. Roomba deep dive.)

iRobot and Shark both have several options that offer all of the big three non-negotiable features that a robot vacuum should have in 2024 — smart room mapping, automatic emptying, and mopping — or some mix and match version of two from the trifecta. Roombas are generally more navigationally advanced, getting lost or stuck less often during our at-home testing than Shark models. All of its j Series models, available at varying price points, offer small obstacle avoidance technology, which is crucial in homes that probably have a phone charger, toddler socks, extension cord, feathery pet toy, or bath towel laying on the floor at any given moment. No Sharks offer this capability yet.

On the other hand, Shark’s whole lineup is generally more budget-friendly than its most direct counterpart from Roomba. Its lineup offers a more affordable path to those coveted features than Roombas and are on sale more often — the most expensive Shark will run you less than $700 even at full price, while the most expensive Roomba will run you $1,399 (or $999 on sale). Shark also shines at spot cleaning due to its Matrix cleaning system that cleans a designated area from multiple angles.

But don’t forget: iRobot and Shark are hardly the only players in this game. Other top robot vacuum brands like Roborock, Eufy, Narwal, and Ecovacs typically churn out more new models throughout the year than iRobot and Shark, posing serious competition with similarly-impressive performance, better auto-empty docks, and diverse pricing.

Any robot vacuum is unlikely to ruin your carpet. However, loose carpet strings and rugs with fringed ends are something to look out for. Bumbling bots with less accurate object sensors may gobble these right up and get stuck on them, potentially damaging your floor coverings. Folks who love a good frilly rug should consider a robot vacuum that follows virtual boundaries through smart mapping (rather than hit-or-miss no-go strips, which have been mostly phased out in the past two years).

People in homes with combination flooring may be considering a 2-in-1 model. To ensure that your carpets don’t get soggy, opt for a hybrid that stops mopping when soft floors are sensed, or for models that don’t have a built-in mop, avoids carpets when mopping and tackles them after a human removes the water tank.

Carpets and rugs are where pet hair, crumbs, and dust go to die, so beefy (yet methodical) suction is key for homes with a lot of stubborn floor coverings. But suction power shouldn’t be your only consideration.

As a general note, upright vacuum cleaners typically have more suction power than compact robot vacs. But if you’d still prefer to outsource the job, look for a robot vacuum with at least 2,000 Pa in suction to ensure that the carpet fibers are being efficiently combed. (iRobot doesn’t rate its vacuums’ suction power, but Mashable has tested high-end Roombas like the s9+ and j7+ on carpets and rugs.) Most modern vacuums have a boost mode that automatically kicks in when the vacuum senses carpet. The same sensors should be smart enough to facilitate a smooth transition to dark hardwood floors and *not* mistake them for a cliff.

Automatic emptying is huge for dealing with all of the gunk that will build up quickly if your robot vacuum is doing its job on your carpet. It’s especially clutch for large homes or those with pets that inherently need more cleanup, requiring more frequent dust bin emptying. Rather than you having to manually dump the bin into the garbage and wrestle wrapped hairs with your bare fingers, a self-emptying robot vacuum empties itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock after each cleaning session. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be emptied themselves.

Some rooms need to be tended to more often than others. A robot vacuum with LiDAR creates an internal map of your home’s layout and can be sent to specific rooms or zones in the house, like the carpeted living room where the pets hang out or to the entryway doormat that’s covered in dirt.

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she’s not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she’s almost definitely watching a horror movie, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” or “The Office.” You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [email protected].