Which Robot Vacuum should I buy? Here are 10 models in all price ranges compared

The dream of a robot keeping your home clean has been in the minds of many since the Jetsons.

So when people see a Robot Vacuum they think “will it work?”.

Today, the answer is yes. Depending on what your needs are, and what you spend.

I think the key question about any robot vacuum is, does it Map? Does it Mop? How Smart is it? How well does it “clean”.

A couple of those are ticks or crosses. The others are a sliding scale. I’ll rate them all, but that’s not to say the cheapest and lowest rating aren’t for you. The fact is, for someone who keeps a tidy home, the most basic and probably cheaper models will keep the floors tidy.

Think of them doing the job of you doing a simple sweep or vacuum every day.

For those with a more complex life – a bit of mess, not tidy every day, and areas of the house where you don’t want the vacuum to go (like the kids playroom), you’re going to need a more advanced Robot.

Here are ten options, from under $200 to short of $2,000.

Kogan SmarterHome™ G20 Smart Robot Vacuum with Mopping Function

$159.99 (Kogan)

• Does it Mop? – Yes
• Does it Map? – No
• How Smart is it? – 6/10 – Simple, but there is scheduling available as well as Google and Alexa compatability
• How well does it “clean”? – 5/10 – set it daily, and you won’t think of sweeping or vacuuming yourself till the weekend.

Kogan SmarterHome™ G30 Smart Robot Vacuum with Mopping Function

$219 (Kogan)

• Does it Mop? – Yes
• Does it Map? – No
• How Smart is it? – 6/10 – Not amazing for App control, but Google and Alexa built in.
• How well does it “clean”? – 5/10

ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT N79T

$299 (eBay and Amazon)

• Does it Mop? -No
• Does it Map? – No
• How Smart is it? – 4/10 – This is your entry level, get it done sweeper, perfect for the tidy home with it set on a daily clean.
• How well does it “clean”? – 6/10

Kogan SmarterHome™ LX10 Robot Vacuum with Mopping Function

$479 (Kogan)

• Does it Mop? – Yes
• Does it Map? – Yes
• How Smart is it? – 8/10 – Google and Alexa Compatible, maps that allow you to edit go and no-go zones, it’s got all the mid to high end features at a value price
• How well does it “clean”? – 7.5/10 – It’s doing your daily sweep well, and has a wipe along mopping action like most.

ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT 900

$599 (Appliances Online and Bunnings)

• Does it Mop? – No.
• Does it Map? – Yes
• How Smart is it? – 7/10 – Does an amazing job mapping, and the app control is brilliant.
• How well does it “clean”? – 7.5/10 – set it daily and you’re dust free. Simple.

Voimi V2

$649 (Mi-Store)

• Does it Mop? – Yes
• Does it Map? – Yes
• How Smart is it? – 7/10 – Great mapping is the smarts you most need.
• How well does it “clean”? – 8/10 – Excellent suction, and option for a larger dust bin too. Strangely, just the one set of brushes flicking in from the corners?

Samsung VR7000

$649 (This is a discounted price, ring around retailers, there are new models coming)

• Does it Mop? – No.
• Does it Map? – Not quite. It stores a profile of where it cleaned, but it’s not mapping your home in the same way those with LiDar sensors do. That’s good, but not amazing.
• How Smart is it? – 5/10 – App control is about it’s best feature, compared to almost all others in this list, this guy is dumb, but that shouldn’t deter you.
• How well does it “clean”? – 8.5/10 – This is a serious vacuum. Great suction via the cyclonic action. A worthy contender for those with lots of carpeted areas.

ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT OZMO 950

$999 (JB Hi Fi and Appliances Online)

• Does it Mop? – Yes
• Does it Map? – Yes
• How Smart is it? – 8/10 – Google & Alexa Compatible, plus it can be moved to another floor to clean if you’ve got a multi-story home.
• How well does it “clean”? – 8/10 – Doing the job of a daily sweep or vacuum no question.

ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT OZMO T8 AIVI

$1299 (JB Hi-Fi)

• Does it Mop? – Yes, the best mopping Robot Vacuum on the market
• Does it Map? – Yes, arguably the best mapping technology available
• How Smart is it? – 9.5/10 – Damn smart, Google & Alexa compatible, knows it’s way around the home, can be instructed to clean areas or rooms, and can avoid objects like socks and shoes and let you know to tidy up!
• How well does it “clean”? – 8/10 – This is as good as you will get without the cyclonic power of the bigger units. Ideal for those with hard floors all round given it’s mopping capability.

LG R9 Master Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

$1,499 (Harvey Norman & The Good Guys)

• Does it Mop? – No
• Does it Map? – Yes
• How Smart is it? – 7.5/10 – This thing can see around it, you can see through the camera and the laser sensor helps it know where it is.
• How well does it “clean”? – 9/10 – exceptional sucking power because this is like a normal stick vacuum in the form of a robot. If you’re a carpet based home, this is a cracker for you.

Trev’s Picks:

You can’t go past the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 – it’s the latest and greatest. Not just an all-rounder but feature rich.

The LG and Samsung are exceptional “vacuums” for those with carpet heavy homes it’s hard to look past them.

Xioami’s Voimi V2 is great value for it’s features, as is the Deebot ECOVACS ROBOTICS DEEBOT 900 for those just needing a vacuum.

Don’t ignore what Kogan have to offer – I was stunned by the simple vacuum ability of the cheapest Kogan with coconut on the floor. Frankly, spending less leaves you less to complain about overall.

But if you have the coin, go to the higher end, you get what you pay for.