First category
Robot Vacuums & Mops
What to understand before you buy: the features that differ, the figures that are easy to misread, and the information we plan to track.
Status of this category. This page is an introduction. Our product database and price tracking are still in development, so we do not yet display product rankings, live prices or price history. Specifications discussed here are general; where we refer to manufacturer figures, they are claims made by manufacturers, not results we have measured. The technical points on this page are backed by the evidence notes at the end of our buying guides.
What a robot vacuum does
A robot vacuum is a battery-powered floor cleaner that moves around a home on its own, usually returning to a dock to recharge. Some models only vacuum. Others also mop, using a water tank and cloth or pads. Higher-priced models tend to add mapping, obstacle detection and docks that handle some of the upkeep, such as emptying the dust bin.
The range of features is wide, and terminology and measurement conventions vary between manufacturers, which can make listings hard to compare. That is the problem BuyMetric is trying to make easier to navigate.
What matters when buying a robot vacuum?
The table below summarises the main areas. Each row shows what a specification can tell you, and what it cannot. Our guide on choosing a robot vacuum goes into more detail.
| Area | What it can tell you | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | Whether the robot builds a map, and by what method (for example laser-based or camera-based). Maps make features such as route planning and, in some apps, no-go areas possible. | How well a given robot copes with your layout, lighting or clutter. |
| Suction (Pa) | A manufacturer-stated figure that can indicate tiers within one brand's range. | Real cleaning performance. Figures are not always measured or declared in the same way across brands, so we treat cross-brand comparisons with caution. |
| Mopping | Whether there is a water tank and what type of mop mechanism is used. | How effective it is on dried-on marks, and whether it suits your floors. Claims are manufacturer-stated and may not be directly comparable between brands. |
| Dock | Whether the dock only charges, empties the dust bin, and, where relevant, washes or dries mop pads or refills water. | Running costs, such as replacement bags, and the space and noise involved. |
| Battery and runtime | Stated battery capacity and a quoted runtime in a particular cleaning mode. | Runtime in the mode you will use, on your flooring. Some robots recharge and resume, which changes how much a single runtime figure matters. |
| Obstacle avoidance | The type of sensors and what the manufacturer says it detects. | How reliably it avoids the specific items in your home, such as cables or pet mess. |
| Size and clearance | Height and diameter, and stated threshold or carpet climbing ability. | Whether it fits under your furniture or crosses your particular thresholds, which you should measure. |
| App and smart home | Scheduling, maps, zone controls and supported voice assistants or smart-home standards. | App quality, reliability, and how long the manufacturer will keep supporting it. |
| Consumables and upkeep | Which parts wear (brushes, filters, pads, bags) and whether they are listed for sale. | How often you will actually need to replace them, or what they will cost over time. |
| Price | The amount asked today at one retailer. | Whether that is a good price. This needs context: the model's price over time, and total cost of ownership. |
Manufacturer specifications vs real-world performance
A specification sheet describes what a manufacturer says about a product. It is useful, especially for features that are either present or not, such as whether a dock empties the bin, or how tall the robot is. It is much less reliable for anything that depends on performance, such as how well a robot picks up fine dust from carpet.
BuyMetric does not currently test products and does not claim to know how any robot performs in a real home. Where performance matters to your decision, we encourage you to look at independent testing and to check retailer return terms before you buy.
Why price matters, and why a price alone is not enough
Robot vacuum prices vary widely, and a price shown today is a single point in time. Without knowing what a particular model has cost over recent weeks and months, it is hard to know whether a "deal" is genuinely good. Our value guide explains how to think about value in the meantime.
What BuyMetric intends to track
These are plans, not features that exist today:
- Manufacturer-stated specifications, recorded with their source and the date they were retrieved.
- Prices from authorised retailers, recorded over time, so a current price can be shown against its own history.
- Calculated comparisons, such as value for a given household type, using criteria we publish in advance.
- A clear separation between facts, calculations, editorial judgement and unknowns.
The principles behind this are set out on our methodology page.
Where to start
Our buying guides are the best place to begin: how to choose a robot vacuum, robot vacuum versus robot vacuum and mop, and what makes a robot vacuum good value.