A directory of robot vacuum brands. Compare robot specialists, appliance makers, floorcare names, smart home and value brands, with categories for mopping, self-emptying and self-washing docks, LiDAR navigation, pet hair, carpet, low-profile robots and price.

One entry per brand, not per model

Best Robot Vacuums lists the companies that make robot vacuums, one entry each. Roborock is one listing, and so is a regional brand that sells three robots in one country. The models you are comparing sit inside the brand's write-up, so the entry for a brand covers its range, its docks and its app together. A brand appears in every category its robots qualify for, with the same write-up behind it each time, so a maker that sells a self-emptying combo with LiDAR shows up under all three.

There are 16 categories. Six describe what kind of company the brand is, and ten describe what its robots do or what they cost.

Who makes the robot

Robot Vacuum Specialists are companies whose whole catalog is cleaning robots, such as Roborock, ECOVACS, Dreame, iRobot, Narwal and yeedi. Home Appliance Makers sell robots next to fridges and washing machines: Samsung, LG Electronics, Bosch, Philips, Haier and Midea among them. Floorcare Heritage Brands made uprights and cordless vacuums long before robots, from Shark, Dyson and Hoover to Kärcher and Nilfisk. Smart Home Ecosystem Brands come from cameras, plugs and hubs, like Anker eufy, EZVIZ, SwitchBot, Tapo and Xiaomi. Direct-to-Consumer Value Brands such as Lefant, Proscenic, Ultenic and Neatsvor sell mostly online. Regional and Emerging Brands are built around one market, like Schbot in Estonia, Milagrow in India or Tjilla in the Netherlands.

The kind of company matters more than it looks. It tells you who will answer when the dock breaks, how long filters and brushes stay on sale, and whether the app keeps getting updates two years after you buy.

What the robots do

Vacuum and Mop Combos is the largest category, because most brands now sell at least one robot that does both. Self-Emptying Docks and Self-Washing Mop Systems cover the base stations that empty the bin, or wash and dry the mop pad, so you touch the robot less often. LiDAR and AI Navigation collects brands that map rooms with a laser or recognize obstacles with a camera. Pet Hair Specialists design brushes and filters around shedding animals, Carpet and Deep Cleaning covers brands that make carpet a stated focus, and Compact and Low-Profile is for slim robots that fit under low sofas and beds. Window and Specialty Robots lists brands that also sell window cleaners, pool robots or robotic mowers.

What they cost

Budget Robot Vacuums and Mid-Range Robot Vacuums group brands by the price of the robots they sell. There is no premium category. Too few brands publish a price for their top models to fill one honestly, and a price band is only claimed where a price has actually been published.

Before you buy

Check the running costs as well as the sticker price: dock bags, mop pads, side brushes and filters are proprietary for most brands and add up over a year. Measure the spot where the dock will live, because the stations that wash and dry mop pads are large. And ask where the brand services robots in your country, since a robot sold mainly in one market can be hard to repair in another. Prices, models and availability change often and differ by region, so confirm the details on the brand's own site before you order.