I wanted a brand new robotic vacuum — this is why I spent lower than $300

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Inflation has turn out to be a truth of life nowadays. Smartphone costs have steadily risen over the previous few years and the identical is true for many different electronics, from headphones to consoles. Nonetheless, there are a number of product classes like televisions which have managed to buck this development. And over the previous couple of weeks, I’ve came upon that robotic vacuums are one other exception.

Certain, you can spend 1000's on a cutting-edge robotic vacuum that may bodily carry socks and different particles, however most individuals don’t want that. At the same time as somebody who lives on the bleeding fringe of tech, I’m completely content material with a vacuum that simply retains my flooring clear. And the excellent news is that robotic vacuums have turn out to be shockingly accessible. However searching for one is complicated: you’ll discover a myriad of manufacturers, a few of which you may’ve by no means seen earlier than, and mannequin names that don’t make a lot sense.

I came upon about all of this the arduous approach after I moved into a brand new rental final month and began searching for a brand new robotic vacuum. It took hours to sift via the obtainable choices on Amazon starting from funds to mid-range, so right here’s all the pieces I discovered.

How a lot would you spend on a robotic vacuum in 2025? 0 votes

$200 or much less

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$200 to $400

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Robotic vacuums are a commodity, and that’s excellent news

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The final time I shopped for a robotic vacuum was in 2019, when solely a handful of fashions existed from manufacturers like Xiaomi and Roborock. American manufacturers like iRobot have technically been round for longer, and Roomba is certainly a family title, however the firm’s fashions lacked options like LIDAR mapping and mopping on the time. You wanted two totally different robots to hoover and mop your flooring individually, whereas Roborock supplied that performance in a single mannequin.

Quick ahead to at present, and it’s not stunning that Roborock’s vacuums occupy among the high spots on Amazon. Scroll a bit, although, and also you’ll uncover a sea of various fashions from different manufacturers like Dreame, MOVA, Narwal, and eufy. And in contrast to half a decade in the past, all of those robotic vacuums from totally different producers have aggressive specs. The one downside? They don’t actually talk what separates a $200 mannequin from a $600 one and even past.

As an example, I needed a vacuum with superior mopping options like pads that may spin for thorough cleansing and carry to keep away from carpets. However concurrently, I didn’t need a cumbersome docking station that will take up numerous house in my residence. That is an odd function combine, however the sheer selection available on the market in 2025 signifies that I may discover what I needed with relative ease.

I ended up shopping for the Dreame L10s Professional Gen 2, which was on sale for $260. I may rattle a listing of numbers and specs describing it, however that’s not the purpose. I’ve discovered that robotic vacuum specs don’t matter so long as you get the options you want, however extra on that within the subsequent part.

You may get an incredibly feature-rich robotic vacuum for simply a few hundred {dollars} on sale.

That’s to not say the vacuum I picked doesn’t have nice specs. For the value I paid, it’s arduous to argue with the sheer worth on supply. Certain, I needed to forego some comfort options like auto-emptying, however I obtained a compact footprint and saved tons of of {dollars} in return. The cleansing efficiency is almost similar to dearer fashions that use the very same mop mechanism. The one draw back is that I've to manually empty the dustbin and rinse the mop pads — however that’s rare for my small residence.

The takeaway? Robotic vacuums have reached commodity standing, just like televisions, and each residence may use one. In spite of everything, even essentially the most primary mannequin will clear extra completely and steadily than a mean individual would.

I solely want manufacturers did a greater job of naming their merchandise – Dreame has the L10s Professional Extremely, L10s Extremely, and L10s Professional that every one have little in frequent with one another and that’s solely a fraction of their full machine lineup. So if mannequin names don’t work, how do you have to decide which robotic vacuum to purchase from the ocean of choices? After hours of analysis, right here’s what I’ve discovered.

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<img class="e_Gg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge light@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge light@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png"/><img class="e_Gg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge dark@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge dark@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png"/> Robotic vacuum specs, and why they don’t at all times matter

<img class="e_Gg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Roborock Saros 10 dock vs Roborock Saros 10R" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Roborock Saros 10 dock vs Roborock Saros 10R" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Roborock-Saros-10-dock-vs-Roborock-Saros-10R.jpg"/> Jonathan Feist / Android Authority

Earlier than I speak about particular suggestions, listed here are the robotic vacuum specs that you simply’ll see most steadily and whether or not they need to impression your buying determination.

Suction energy: You may suppose that essentially the most essential facet of a robotic vacuum is its suction energy, and it's, however it’s not a giant deal both. Decrease-end fashions typically supply sub-10,000Pa of suction whereas the most costly ones double that determine. Nevertheless, the latter doesn’t imply your flooring can be twice as clear. Similar to show brightness, suction energy is an virtually meaningless spec past a sure level because of diminishing returns. My robotic vacuum has 7,000Pa of suction energy and it realistically cleans no higher than the Roborock S50 I owned half a decade in the past. That mannequin had simply 2,000Pa of suction on its spec sheet, for comparability. Mopping: All however essentially the most primary fashions now embrace mopping. Nevertheless, the effectiveness can fluctuate wildly. The most affordable fashions have the identical tech as from the 2010s — they merely drag a moist material round your ground. However newer robotic vacuums have twin spinning pads that may spin to really scrub the floor. The Dreame mannequin I ended up shopping for has this function, and it really works surprisingly properly. I didn’t suppose any robotic vacuum would exchange the necessity for handbook mopping, however I used to be clearly improper. Impediment avoidance: All robotic vacuums from the aforementioned manufacturers use LIDAR mapping at minimal, however some fashions additionally embrace a full colour digital camera to detect finer obstacles like cables and free clothes. The excellent news is that even essentially the most barebones vacuum shocked me with its mapping capabilities — it remembered my residence’s structure and I may even set no-go zones, digital partitions, and particular person room cleansing. Simply keep away from the sub-$100 fashions that don’t have LIDAR navigation. Docking stations: Robotic vacuums automate cleansing however who do you get to wash the vacuum? Docking stations have advanced from easy charging pads to large, outsized trash bins that may maintain weeks’ price of waste, and holding tanks for soiled and recent water. However you may also discover comparatively cheap fashions with easy auto-empty bins. Some fashions also can scrub and dry your robotic’s mop pads, which I’ve discovered to be a chore to manually do on my vacuum. That stated, additional dock performance does introduce extra failure factors, so I’m glad I saved the cash and potential headache down the road.

Lastly, there’s the value. My favourite half concerning the present market is that there’s a mannequin for everybody. You’ll discover a mannequin at each $50 to $100 interval beginning as little as $150. And whereas the most cost effective ones could seem barebones with a easy charging-only dock, it would nonetheless maintain your flooring cleaner than most people.

You may discover some vacuums from totally different manufacturers look comparable to one another. That’s as a result of Dreame, Roborock, and MOVA have distinct names and even apps, however they’re technically all of the end result of Xiaomi’s huge funding into robotic vacuum tech. Dreame and MOVA are nonetheless operated independently, for instance, however similar to we see with OPPO and OnePlus within the smartphone house, you’re benefiting from shared innovation.

Figuring out this shared heritage, I had no qualms switching from Roborock to Dreame for my newest buy. And upon opening the Dreame app, I discovered a well-recognized interface not too dissimilar from my Roborock. This isn’t stunning, although, as some Roborock and Dreame robotic vacuums may even be linked on to the Xiaomi Dwelling app. That stated, you can not go improper with different manufacturers like Narwal too that don’t sharethe similar roots.

Robotic vacuum manufacturers aren't as impartial as they look like.

If you happen to don’t wish to stick with a funds mannequin like I did, you can go together with one thing just like the Roborock Qrevo S5V ($500 at Amazon) that automates all the pieces and the kitchen sink for round $500 when it’s on sale. Or you can get a funds $200 mannequin from Narwal that sacrifices some mopping efficiency however impressively nonetheless delivers nice vacuuming efficiency and an auto-emptying dock. No matter your wants, there’s seemingly a mannequin for you and at a worth level you’re snug with. The tech virtually feels modular at this level, however you do need to hunt round to search out the appropriate mannequin to your wants.

Roborock Qrevo S5V Roborock Qrevo S5V Auto-empty • Auto-self-cleaning • Succesful cleansing • Reasonably priced

Surprisingly succesful mid-range bot

The Roborock Qrevo S5V is a well-equipped robotic vacuum, together with a self-cleaning base station, ample particles storage, and LiDAR-powered mapping and navigation. FlexiArm know-how ensures an intensive clear to the sting of your room, and even into the corners. 12,000 Pa of suction strain and two spinning mop heads guarantee it could possibly clear your arduous flooring and carpets alike.

All of that is to say, robotic vacuums have come a good distance in recent times and even low cost ones are properly price your consideration. I used to dismiss new options like Roborock’s foldable arm as gimmicks — these halo fashions price 1000's of {dollars}, in any case. However genuinely helpful tech like spinning mop pads and camera-based impediment avoidance has trickled right down to cheaper fashions proper underneath our noses. You possibly can spend about $300 like I did and get an excellent expertise or you possibly can spend double and get a near-flagship mannequin. There’s little cause to spend a thousand {dollars} or extra, and that’s a superb factor for the tech’s accessibility.

So in the event you’re on the fence about shopping for a robotic vacuum, I can wholeheartedly advocate making the bounce. With Black Friday on the horizon, I’ve seen that hottest fashions have already shed tons of of {dollars} off their common costs. Only a phrase of warning: with iRobot allegedly on the point of chapter, you may wish to contemplate one of many different in style manufacturers I discussed above.