Straight-line pickup tests on carpet are conducted in an enclosed area with a mix of potting soil, sand and rayon fibers designed to simulate pet hair. After a set cleaning time, the dustbin is weighed to measure the debris collected.

Beyond performance, we tested ease of use by examining how intuitive the controls were, the clarity of the initial setup, and how simple it was to remove and clean all components after use. We also rated the user manuals for their helpfulness and clarity.

Some others we think are very useful are automatic carpet recognition, setting up no-go zones through an app and recharge-and-resume capabilities. But, not everyone will need all of these, and deciding which ones are important to you is a big part of choosing a robot for your home.

It can be controlled through its own app, as well as through Alexa & Google Home voice commands, giving you complete control of your clean.

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5500Pa Extreme Suction - Keeps the Mess Away. The great suction helps the robot vacuum reach deeper and easily capture dust and dirt from hardwood floors to tiles, and even carpets.

Start, pause, or stop cleaning with voice commands or supervise your home using the video control in the app. The power is at the tip of your tongue and the ends of your fingers

✅ You want a hands-off dock: The dock will empty dust (into a larger than usual dock dustbin), refill water, dispense detergent and even wash and dry the mop pads, so there's minimal effort required from you.

Smart features elevate its usability: the app enables room mapping, no-go zones and scheduled cleaning. It also generates heat maps showing the dirtiest and cleanest areas of your floors, with the vacuum adjusting suction levels in real time to tackle tough spots.

The iLife V3s Pro is the best robot vacuum you can get for less than $200. Despite its low price, the V3s Pro consistently outperformed other robot vacuums that cost three times as much. It picked up nearly all of Fido's fur in our lab tests — making it one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair — and it performed well in everyday home usage.

It's also packed with handy features such as its upgraded AdaptLift chassis that allows easy access over tall thresholds (without getting stuck). The App was easy to set up, map and schedule routines. More importantly, the Orevo Curv excelled in the majority of our tests.

If your manufacturer recommends it, you can also periodically rinse your robot's filter, allowing it to dry before re-installing it. Replace it when you notice your robot's suction isn't as good as it used to be or however often is recommended.

Before you start shopping for a new robot vacuum, you should consider what you need from it and how much you’re happy to spend. Here are some of the most common features you can find in Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners robot vacuums.

A robot that doesn't map will just bump around the objects in your home as it cleans and may miss spots or even entire rooms. You won’t be able to view the robot’s cleaning route, send the robot to clean a specific room or spot (more on that below) or set up no-go zones.