The Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner for Every Budget

The best robot vacuum cleaners with mopping function compared

The best robot vacuum cleaners with mopping function reviewed

Overall winner: Dreame X40 Ultra

The Dreame X40 Ultra is the best robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function that is currently available on the market in our opinion. There is more technology packed in this robot than any other rival can claim. The X40 Ultra has an extendable side brush, a swivel mop, and a hair shredder in the main brush. The fact that this Dreame robotic vacuum cleaner has a suction power of a whopping 12,000 Pa almost feels like an afterthought.

The docking station is no less sophisticated. In addition to hot water for washing and hot air for drying the mop pads, the all-in-one docking station has a self-emptying function. The highlight is located next to the dust bag in the docking station: a container to store the cleaning solution, which is included in the “Complete” version.

Best alternative: Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is the best alternative to our recommendation, the Dreame X40 Ultra. There are minor differences between the two appliances. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra uses a vibrating mopping plate to get the job done. To clean corners, there is an additional mini mop on the right in the direction of its travel. Speaking of cleaning corners: The extendable side brush also contributes to the outstanding suction result.

A striking feature of this model is the docking station, which is flat but extended in width. The all-in-one docking station features a self-emptying function, rinses the mopping utensils with hot water before drying them quietly with hot air. Navigation and obstacle detection work flawlessly. What's more, furniture is shown in the detailed Roborock app. Overall, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has no weaknesses and is by far the best robotic vacuum cleaner from Roborock for good reason.

Best robot vacuum cleaner for carpets: Ecovacs Deebot X5 Omni

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Omni is the best choice for households with lots of people and numerous carpets. The special feature of this robot vacuum cleaner is how it stops in front of carpets and lifts the mop pads before moving onto the carpet to begin cleaning. What's more, pet fur has no effect on the suction result of the X5 Omni.

In addition to the brilliant suction power, the mopping performance is also top-notch. The flat design helps the Ecovacs robot vacuum cleaner clean under flat furniture without any issue. The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Omni stands at 9.5 cm high, having installed the entire laser navigation technology in front of this robot.

Best robot vacuum cleaner for pet hair: Eureka J15 Pro Ultra

If you are primarily looking for a robot vacuum cleaner that has no problems picking up hair, we highly recommend the Eureka J15 Pro Ultra. The manufacturer installed blades in the main brush that shred hair after each cleaning session. In addition to these amazing tools, the mopping performance of the vacuum mop is also impressive. Even if your priority is the mopping result, the Eureka J15 Pro Ultra is the ideal choice.

We haven't even mentioned the suction power yet. Eureka specified it at a whopping 16,200 Pa and is almost perfect in reality. There is also a base station that makes the robot vacuum cleaner a low-maintenance model. The only thing you have to live without with this model is an automated cleaning agent refill. The price for this all-rounder vacuum cleaner is surprising. The Eureka J15 Pro Ultra costs $999 a pop, making it the best robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function and suction station for less than $1,000.

Best budget robot vacuum cleaner: Tapo RV30 Max Plus

Anyone looking for an affordable robot vacuum with a suction station will be delighted with the Tapo RV30 Max Plus. The robot vacuum cleaner has a suction power of 5,300 Pa and provides solid suction performance. It runs into minimal problems with hair, but that's negligible. The manufacturer also installed a mop plate, which can be optionally removed if the model is only meant to perform vacuuming duties.

There is also the base station, which takes over part of the maintenance of the robot vacuum cleaner. The app support provided by the Tapo app is also impressive, offering a surprising number of functions for the $299.99 household helper. The only major point of criticism is obstacle detection. The model needs a lot of help here. Make sure you clear away cables and place as few new obstacles as possible in front of the robot vacuum cleaner's lens before it gets to work.

Buying guide: How to find the best robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function

There are many things to keep an eye out for before purchasing such an expensive appliance. After all, the robot vacuum cleaner with the highest suction power on paper is not necessarily the best-performing model in the market. Let's take a look at what really matters in a robot vacuum cleaner with mopping function. nextpit summarized everything you need to know about suction power, mopping function, navigation, and available functions of the base station.

Suction power: Suction power (Pa) on paper is only half the battle

No robotic vacuum cleaner vacuums as well as a conventional vacuum cleaner. This is simply not possible because of the compact design of these appliances. In addition to the motor and the navigation technology, manufacturers also install dust and water containers in the household helpers, which measure 10 cm high on average. To ensure more thorough cleaning, it's worth taking a look at our tips and tricks on how to improve your cleaning results.

Think of robotic vacuum cleaners as extra help around the home. Even if they are somewhat expensive to own, the increase in built-in suction power in recent years has been remarkable. To illustrate this: The Dreame L10s Ultra (review), which topped our “Best Of” list for an extended period in 2023, boasts a suction power of 6,000 Pa. The market has now more than doubled this suction power as Eureka proved with the J15 Pro Ultra (review).

As a rule of thumb, robot vacuum cleaners have a side brush on the right in the direction of travel. Devices like the Narwal Freo (review) offer a secondary side brush. This does not make a big difference to the suction result. Manufacturers now install an extendable side brush for robot vacuum cleaners to clean more efficiently around corners. However, you have to expect a far higher price for models armed with such a swiveling side brush. Currently, the cheapest robot vacuum cleaner with an extendable side brush is the Roborock Qrevo Slim (test).

Carpets

Carpet cleaning is a rather difficult task for the majority of models. Lightweight short-pile carpets, in particular, are not suitable for robot vacuum cleaners. Moving over these carpets is the biggest challenge. The robotic vacuum cleaners drag light carpets along until they get stuck in them.

Suction results are generally weaker than on smooth surfaces such as parquet flooring and tiles. In the supporting apps, manufacturers offer the ability to increase suction power automatically as soon as robotic vacuum cleaners drive onto carpets. Dreame goes one step further with the Dreame L40 Ultra review and integrates the option of "more intensive carpet cleaning". In this case, the robotic vacuum cleaner reduces its speed to vacuum carpets more thoroughly.

Pet hair

Normally, manually untangling tangled pet fur in the main brush is a compromise users have made with robot vacuum cleaners. In 2024, robotic vacuum cleaners made a huge leap forward in terms of picking up pet fur. Manufacturers like Narwal and Ecovacs even installed so-called "anti-tangling brushes" in their appliances. Dreame and Eureka now includes hair shredders into the main brush of their robot vacuum cleaners.

Mopping function: The name says it all

The name sums it up. Mopping is just one function, not the core discipline of a robot vacuum cleaner. You should see it more as a practical addition. Models from $800 and above offer solid mopping results. Dried coffee or ketchup stains are usually not a problem for such robot vacuum cleaners. Manufacturers offer apps that can set the water flow rate, i.e. how much the mopping equipment should be moistened. 

There are now numerous appliances that have a retractable mop. The principle is similar to that of the swiveling side brush: the aim is to clean corners more efficiently. The good thing here is how numerous models that retail for less than $1,000 feature a swiveling mop. Examples include the Roborock Q Revo MaxV (review) or the Ecovacs T30 Pro Omni.

Size of the dust and water containers in the robot: The bigger, the better?

Don't be fooled here. Cheaper devices have dust and water containers with a sometimes significantly larger capacity than their more expensive counterparts. There is a very specific reason for this: the cheaper models only have a charging dock and no self-emptying or cleaning capability. To conceal the lack of a feature-rich docking station, manufacturers installed larger dust and water containers in the robots.

Navigation and obstacle detection: vacuum robots sing of "LiDAR"

LiDAR, or laser navigation, has become the standard for navigation. LiDAR stands for "Light Detection and Ranging". With this type of navigation, the robotic vacuum cleaner uses laser beams to measure distance. LiDAR is the most precise form of navigation and spatial measurement. Robot vacuum cleaners continuously scan their surroundings and obstacles regardless of lighting conditions.

Few models still rely on a camera as a means of navigation. Nevertheless, there are numerous robot vacuum cleaners that have an RGB camera installed as a monitoring function in addition to LiDAR navigation. This means you can always keep up to date with how well-behaved your cats were while you are away on vacation.

There are now some robot vacuum models that no longer rely on a navigation tower. Ecovacs began this trend with the Deebot X2 Omni (review). In addition, robot vacuum cleaners have bumpers in front to protect furniture and other objects that the appliance runs into, and vice versa.

Functions of the base station: Suction function, mop washing and drying

The base station is more than just the charging station for the robot vacuum cleaner. Larger docking stations normally contain fresh and dirty water tanks. Base stations also clean and dry the mopping equipment. Meanwhile, docking stations use hot water and hot air to clean the mopping equipment while preventing mold growth.

Models like the Narwal Freo X Ultra (review) have space in the base station to store some cleaning solution that is automatically added to the fresh water. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and the Dreame X40 Ultra offer a different solution. Here, an extra container lets you manually add cleaning solutions. Don't forget the self-emptying function as well. Base stations that empty dust from the robot vacuum cleaner's dust container without you getting your hands dirty. You can specify how often this should happen in the respective app.

App support and smart functions: Make the robot vacuum your own

Supporting software in the form of an app is available for every robot vacuum cleaner with a mopping function. You will need a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection to connect to it. In the app, you can choose between the suction power and the water flow rate. With more expensive models, you can also determine settings for navigation, i.e. how closely the robotic vacuum cleaner should navigate around its paths.

In the other settings, apps provide access to base station functions. For example, you can specify how often the dust should be emptied and how thoroughly the mopping equipment should be scrubbed and dried. There are also practical tips to maintain your robotic vacuum cleaner: The app shows you the remaining service life of all the appliance's components.