Um Imparcial View of Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners

You can simply set and forget the Shark IQ robot vacuum for over a month thanks to its advanced scheduling capabilities and self-emptying dustbin.

Shark's IQ robot vacuum is stacked with smarts and collects then deposits debris into its docking station after each cleaning session. This bagless base system holds over a month's worth of dirt. You can use its advanced scheduling feature to set and forget it until it's time to empty out the dock.

Ease of use: This score is a combination of factors, such as the size of the dustbin, whether the vacuum has a handle for carrying it around your home, how easy it is to clean the brush roll, whether the vacuum scatters debris, and whether you can schedule it for routine cleaning.

There are some downsides, though. The suction power is low for the price bracket – in fact, generally, you're paying a premium for the small size here.

While upright and canister vacuums are better at deep-cleaning hardwood and carpets, a robot vacuum—often controlled by a smartphone app—can be useful for regular touch-ups.

For premium cleaning performance at an affordable price, the iLife V3s Pro vacuum provides excellent value. It picks up all kinds of debris and navigates with ease. It lacks smart home features, but the included remote control works well.

Although this does mean it will likely require more clearance space and will protrude further out from the wall as well. Make sure you have a space in mind for your robot vacuum’s dock before you make a purchase, otherwise you might have to move some furniture around.

Models that recharge and then resume cleaning where they left off are also a great option for larger spaces. Keep in mind that if your robot vacuum needs to recharge, it could seriously increase the duration of your cleaning session.

AR Score is a scoring system developed by our experts. The score is from 0 to 10 based on the data collected by the Appliances Radar tool. This score doesn't impact from any manufacturer or sales agent websites. Learn more

Great at vacuuming, and good at mopping although can sometimes spread wet spillages. Long battery life and fast charging.

Most robot vac apps allow you to set up virtual barriers to block off entire rooms or just small sections of a room. Homes with lots of areas to avoid (like kids’ playpens or dog beds and bowls) would benefit from no-go zone settings in the app.

How big is your home? If your robot vacuum will have a lot of ground to cover, look for a model with a long battery life and a large dust bin.

If your robot vacuum has a mopping function, some bases come with water tanks and scrubbing abilities as well, so it can keep the mop cloth clean. However, there are some drawbacks to self-emptying bases. Besides the additional cost, these take up a lot more floor space.

In our tests, it excelled at removing pet hair from carpets, with non-e of the Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners hair tangling in the brush roll or clogging the dustbin — it was all automatically emptied into the dock’s spacious 3-liter dust bag.