Here are my picks for the best Prime Day deals on robot vacuums and mops

6 days ago

Our smart home reviewer found the best prices on the best bots for cleaning up after you this Prime Day.

By Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a smart home reporter who’s been testing connected gadgets since 2013. Previously a contributor to Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, and US News.

Oct 9, 2024, 4:34 PM UTC

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The excellent Roomba j7 is down to $400 this Prime Day.

Robot vacuums are some of the most useful smart home gadgets you can buy. Small, circular home helpers that clean areas you can’t reach and work hard so you don’t have to, these little suckers are life-changing.

As The Verge’s resident robot vacuum expert, I’ve tested dozens of different models over the last five years and have always highly recommended only buying robot vacuums when they’re on sale. This is because: (a) they’re expensive, and (b) they're almost always on sale — if not today, then likely tomorrow. And today, the last day of the October Prime Day event, is a very good day to pick one up. There are some excellent deals to be had — over 50 percent off in some cases.

Here are my picks based on price and prowess:

iRobot’s Roomba j7 Plus, my previous top pick for the best robot vacuum, is just $400 at Amazon. That’s 50 percent off for a self-emptying robot vac with superb cleaning power and the best obstacle recognition of any brand I’ve tested — meaning it won’t get tangled up in your shoelaces. Read my review of the j7.
My current pick for the best budget robot vacuum, the Roomba i3 Plus, is down to $250 from $420 at Amazon. This includes the self-empty dock, and while this bot lacks the obstacle recognition and mapping of the j7, it’s a true workhorse that will keep your carpets and hardwood floors spotless. Read my i3 review.
The Roborock S8 Plus is down to $549.99 from $999.99, a 45 percent savings. It’s a solid option for a robot vacuum that can mop well without requiring a huge hulking water refill station. It has a decent-sized water tank on board and uses Roborock’s sonic mopping to really scrub your floors. I like its dual rubber brushes, wide mop pad, slimline auto-empty station, and decent obstacle avoidance. There’s also no camera here, which is a plus for many people.
My pick for the best budget robot and mop — the Dreame D10 Plus — can also self-empty. It’s similar to the Roborock S8 in function but with a smaller water tank, less thorough mopping, and less effective obstacle avoidance. But at $260 at Amazon, down from $400, it’s much cheaper.

The high-end Dreame L20 Ultra in on sale for $650, more than 50 percent off. This is one of the least hands-on vacuum / mop you can buy. It can remove and reattach its oscillating mopping pads, wash and dry them, refill its water tank, and empty the bin. It can also do the splits with its mops to clean your baseboards better.

My pick for a simple budget robot vacuum for tackling pet hair, the Roborock Q5 Pro, is down to just $180 — a savings of $250. Its huge 770ml bin means less manual emptying. It also mops, and dual rubber brushes do a great job of getting up pet hair. Unlike the Roomba i3, it features mapping and keep-out zones to keep it away from pet bowls. The Q5 Pro Plus, which adds an auto empty station, is also on sale for $360, down from $700.
The excellent, if noisy, Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum is on sale for $249.99, 38 percent off, at Amazon. A previous pick in my best robot vacuum guide, this self-emptying vacuum is a solid bot. I particularly like that it doesn’t need bags; you can just rinse out the bin. If you want mopping, its butt-swinging mopping sibling, the Shark Matrix, is $100 more, on sale for $350, down from $450.

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop mops very well — doing a swingy, scrubbing movement with its rear end when in “Matrix mode.” However, you have to manually fill and attach the mop reservoir and empty the bin when it mops, as it only self-empties in vacuum mode and can only avoid larger objects.

The Eufy S1 Pro is $500 off, down to $999.99 at Amazon. This superb mopping robot vacuum can also self-empty, refill, and clean its long roller mop. Its square-ish design allows it to get into corners more easily, and its wide and long mop tackles hardwood floors quickly and efficiently.
My favorite midrange robot vacuum / mop hybrid, the Eufy X10 Pro Omni, can refill its mopping tank and clean its mop while also emptying its bin. It’s $250 off, down to $549.99 on Amazon. That’s a new all-time low price for a very good robot vacuum with obstacle avoidance that's as good as its more expensive competitors.
The new Yeedi M12 Pro is on sale for $619 at Amazon, down from $999.99. Another less expensive bot with a multifunction charging dock, the M12 is a budget version of the high-end Dreames. It can split its mops when cleaning and automatically refill, wash, and dry them. I’ve just started testing it, and while it can’t remove its own mops like the Dreame, it will lift them up while going over the carpet and is a good all-in-one for the price.
For a very good, basic budget bot, I recommend the Eufy 11S Max, on sale for just $130 at Amazon. That’s a savings of $120 for a newer version of one of my previous budget picks. It’s got a big 600ml bin, a slim body, and quiet operation, making it a great option for a home office or upstairs in your bedrooms.