How we tested
All of the robot vacuums in this review have been tested by the Mashable Shopping team. Over the past few years, we’ve tested dozens of vacuums from brands that include Dyson, Shark, iRobot, Ecovacs, and Roborock. As of June 2024, senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart most recently tested the Eufy X10 Pro Omni, Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Roomba Combo j5+, Narwal Freo X Ultra, Shark RV 2300S, and Shark Detect Pro in her own 1,500 square foot apartment. The next models on the testing docket include the Eufy X8 Pro and Yeedi M12 Pro+.
When testing robot vacuums in a small space, we consider features such as:
Size: Think about size both in terms of the dimensions of the vacuum itself and how much space the vacuum takes up while it’s charging. The shortest robot vacuums are near or slightly under three inches tall while others are upwards of five inches, most of which are able to fit under a couch or a low-hanging bed frame. Most non-self-emptying docks aren’t bigger than a shoe and can be squeezed inconspicuously into a tight corner or under furniture to maximize your space (assuming that there’s sufficient space out front for the robot vac to return).
Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small and require frequent emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock that holds weeks of dirt without needing to be dumped. You’ll want to rule out those with a behemoth of a base, but some slim auto-empty docks don’t require much more space than the width and depth of the robot vac itself. Any self-emptying docks suggested in this list are on the more compact side, not taking up more than two feet by two feet.
Mopping: If the majority of your space is hard flooring, a robot vacuum that can also mop clears up the space you were using to store a manual mop or Swiffer.
Smart mapping and virtual boundaries: All robot vacuums, even cheap ones, are equipped with sensors and drop detection. But more advanced models take a more strategic route by using LiDAR scanners to map out your home. Through the app, the owner can send the vac to specific rooms or areas of the home, and draw virtual boundaries around areas the vac shouldn’t go, like near the pet’s food bowls or through the toy corner’s perpetual pile of Legos. If you’re eyeing a hybrid model to use on mixed flooring, the ideal robot vacuum would have automatic floor type sensors that tell it where it is and isn’t appropriate to use the water tank.
Noise: The drone of a vacuum feels a lot louder in close quarters. If you’re concerned with keeping kids, roommates, or neighbors on the other side of a thin wall undisturbed, you’ll want a robot vac that’s been hyped for its sound level. Keep in mind that auto-empty docks create the most noise of the whole process, though some have a shorter, quieter whoosh than others.
