Best Robotic Vacuums for $300 or Less
These autonomous cleaning machines are deals on wheels
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If youāre shopping for a reasonably priced robotic vacuum, Consumer Reportsā robotic vacuum ratings has a few shining stars for $300 or less. Thatās a welcome development in a category where you can easily spend two to three times that on a product that serves as a backup to your full-sized vacuum.
āRobotic vacuums are best at taking care of light debris and the daily dust pileup,ā says Sue Booth, who oversees Consumer Reportsā vacuum testing. āMany of these models can be scheduled to run every day, provided youāve set up your home to accommodate their movements.ā
Because robotic vacuums have become much better at cleaning, weāve upped our testing. Booth and her team built a multiroom lab to evaluate how well each robotic vacuum removes surface debris on medium-pile carpet and bare floors, whether it can get into tight corners, and how well it navigates and cleans multiple types of rooms. Our experts also evaluate the data privacy and security of each connected vacuum. (Data security assesses whether a robotic vacuum incorporates security measures such as encryption. Data privacy examines privacy setting options and publicly available documents, such as privacy policies and terms of service, to see how manufacturers collect and use your data.)
Looking for a specific model? Browse our ratings of more than 35 robotic vacuums from manufacturers such as Bissell, Ecovacs, iRobot, Samsung, Shark, and more.
Here, in alphabetical order, are the best models if youāre hunting for a robotic vacuum within a budget of $300.
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CRās take: Despite its name, the bObsweep PetHair earns only a Fair rating for picking up pet hair from medium-pile carpet within the first 10 minutes of making its rounds. Itās also not the cheapest option on this list, and its taller robotic vacuum profile of 4.75 inches means it will have more difficulty squeezing under furniture. But if you have enough clearance under your couch, you could consider this model, which earns an Excellent rating in our bare-floor cleaning test and is better than average on carpet. Itās also one of the quieter robotic vacuums weāve tested.
CRās take: Talk about a bargain. The Eufy 11S earns a Good rating in our carpet cleaning test and an Excellent rating on bare floors. While itās not the most efficient cleaner (testers noted that it sometimes scatters debris), it gets the job done, operates quietly, and has a cliff sensor to keep it from tumbling down stairs. This model isnāt WiFi-enabled, so you canāt control it remotely from a smartphone app, but that also means it canāt be hacked. Eufy robotic vacuums as a whole receive an Excellent rating for reliability in our members survey, as well as a Very Good owner satisfaction score.
CRās take: The Eufy 30C is an extremely quiet vacuum, making it a great choice for those who might need to run a robotic vac while theyāre at home. Although this is one of the cheaper models in our robotic vacuum ratings, it earns an Excellent score for cleaning bare floors. In addition, itās compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and you can program the robot through the manufacturerās app. But because Eufy discloses very little information about its data privacy policies, its robotic vacuums earn only a Fair rating in our privacy tests. And in terms of security, its robotic vacuums earn just a Good rating because the company hasnāt confirmed with CR that it has a security oversight panel, a vulnerability disclosure program, or security updates over timeāthree things other robotic vacuum companies do have.
CRās take: Another stellar Eufy vacuum, the 11S Max has a longer average run time than both the 11S and the 30C, at 95 minutes. (The other two run about an hour, on average.) Like those Eufy vacuums, this affordable machine earns an Excellent rating for cleaning bare floors. However, its pet-hair cleaning is not quite on parāin our tests it earns a Good score vs. a Very Good for the other two. Note: This model isnāt WiFi-enabled and canāt be used with a smartphone app.