Best Robot Vacuum For Thick Carpet and Pet Hair

If you own pets, a robotic vacuum is required to keep up with the fur shedding. Choose a model with a large trash bin that is able to easily empty itself.

You should consider a model with maps and virtual no-go lines to keep it from areas that are sensitive, such as pet bowls and beds. Find models with intelligent features, such as scheduling or a smartphone app.

1. Neato D7

The D7 is the most powerful model in Neato's robotic vacuum line. It has excellent navigation and is controlled by Alexa or the app. The D7, unlike many robots that struggle to navigate without a map, uses advanced sensors and lasers to create a digital map. This lets you create virtual "No-Go" lines with just a couple of clicks. The D7 is not able to be allowed to enter areas it shouldn't (without the use of barrier tape or towers).

The D7's ability to clean is impressive. It can pick up 99.8% of Cheerios that are scattered on the floor. This is slightly better than the Roomba i7+, which can only pick up 94.6 percent and the Shark Ion R85, which is able to only pick up 100 percent. The D7 can also maneuver well both on bare carpet and cheapest high-pile.

Another feature that is great is the ability to choose between two different cleaning intensities. There's an Eco mode that operates the vacuum in a quiet manner and extends the run time, while Turbo mode delivers a more powerful clean. Turbo mode is very loud and can be irritating when you use the D7 to watch television or work.

The D7 is among the few robots to create and store multiple floor plans, which is ideal for multi-level homes. It also has a rapid boost feature, which permits it to return to its base and recharge before continuing to clean. This is particularly helpful for cleaning areas that are difficult to clean. Neato's app is easy to use and is regularly updated with new features. It is among the cheapest robots on the market for thick carpets and pet hair.

2. Eufy RoboVac 11S

Like the Neato D7, the Eufy 11S is sleek and low-profile. This allows it to get under beds, couches, and coffee tables with ease than other robot vacuums. It also has some features that allow it to keep its clean and where you want it go, like no-go lines that you could draw on its virtual maps to stop the robot from cleaning delicate areas such as pet bowls or beds. It also has an auto-recharge feature and resume, in the event that it is unable to recharge its battery before it has finished cleaning, it will automatically return to its base and charge it, and then resume where it began.

The RoboVac 11S performs much better than its predecessor and the RoboVac 30C, which is more eufy and also better than the ILIFE A4s and the bObsweep Bob Pro in our tests. The dirt compartment is bigger and has a longer maximum battery life, and it removes more debris on everything from floors that are bare to carpets that are high and low-pile. It is also simpler to maintain, incurs fewer cost per year and is able to move itself.

It's not the best robot vacuum for floors that aren't clean, but it is a good option for those with carpets that are medium and pets. It makes use of random navigation and sensors in its underbelly and bumper to navigate through obstacles. It's not as sophisticated as the mapping technology in other robots, but it does the job well enough and gets into nooks and crannies other robots cannot reach. It comes with spin brushes to clean up walls, and a 0.6-liter dust bin. It has a physical control with a monochrome screen and a charging station. It also has four side brushes that can be plugged into, two extra filters and a cleaning tool.

3. iLife VS3 Pro

If you have pets, you'll need a vacuum sturdy enough to remove pet hair. Even the best robot vacuums can struggle with this hair, which clings to rugs and floors. I test how much cat and dog fur robots collect from the floor by taking a look at the amount of hair they can take in. I also test how the robot can maneuver through common terrain. This includes how it can travel over a standard threshold, around table legs and furniture, and even under the couch. Certain robots can map their homes, by using sensors to sense their way around during setup and build an image of the house. This allows them to better avoid obstacles during subsequent cleaning cycles.

The iLife V3s Pro excels at managing household terrain and is among the most affordable models we've tested. It also performed very well in my test for removing pet hair by removing the majority of hair from hardwood flooring and only slightly lower its score when it was tested on carpet.

The V3s Pro, unlike many other robot vacuums, does not make use of brushes. It instead relies on two side brushes rotating to move debris towards a 3-inch opening at its base. It's a less reliable carpet cleaner, however, it's still impressive given its cost.

The iLife V3s Pro's mopping capability is also pretty decent. It does a decent job on bare floors, and it took out fake Christmas tree needles and tinsel bits and mud-like pieces in my mopping tests. That said, it's not as effective as the best robot vacuum mop for pet hair robot mops.

4. Roborock S7

For a robotic vacuum with impressive technological capabilities, the Roborock S7 is a great value. The mid-priced model works similarly to a number of top-of-the-line models and is easy to operate and maintain. It is equipped with a variety of top-quality features that are similar to those found in models that cost twice as much. It is a great option for first-time buyers, those upgrading from an entry level model, or anyone who wants to cut down on time spent cleaning.

This robot is equally at in its element on floor surfaces that it is on carpet. Its suction strength of 2,000Pa is able to take on carpets with heavy-duty. It can even remove pet hair that has accumulated in crevices and cracks on plain floors. It's sturdy, moves smoothly and is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands to allow hands-free operation. Its battery is smaller than some of the other models we tested, however, it has plenty of juice to power most homes.

The s7 is also a great mopping robot. It comes with a 200ml reservoir of water and a mopping pad that can be easily attached to the robot's back. Simply add water and a microfiber cloth and the s7 will automatically begin mopping your floors. After the mopping is done, the s7 will return to its dock and will shut down automatically.

The companion app is simple to use and has a clean layout with lots of functions. You can draw a home-based map, set virtual boundaries that the s7 will not cross, create 'no go zones, or tell it to clean a particular room. You can also look at its maintenance history, its current status, and track its performance.

5. Neato Q5 Pro

The Neato Q5 Pro robot vacuum is a versatile machine that excels in cleaning floors that are not clean. It also removes lots of dirt from both low-pile and high pile carpet. It's built well and comes with an array of navigational features. It's also simple to maintain. It has a shorter battery life and more frequent costs than other models.

The Q5 is one of the slowest moving robots we've examined, but it does have an efficient layout algorithm that doesn't need babysitting beyond its first run through the space. It starts by tracing a perimeter and then fills the interior with parallel lines. When it's done the device returns to its charging station or the base from which it started away from the base.

It did a great job of cleaning hardwood floors and removing at least 88% dirt off every test. It was more difficult to clean carpets with a high and low pile, but still performed better than the average unit. It also comes with mopping attachments to tackle wet spills, but we didn't test this feature.

Its maneuverability is higher than average for a robot equipped with lidar, with it being able to softly bump into furniture and other obstacles. Its navigation system is able to detect stairs and multiple floors, allowing it to efficiently deal with multistory homes. It can also recognize individual room types when you select them within the app. It can also adjust the power level, set up no-go zones, and view a map showing the area that is currently being cleaned. The Q5 is controlled via the mobile app, or voice commands from Alexa Google Assistant and Apple Siri.