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The 3 Best Budget Robot Vacuums - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Budget Robot Vacuums

Until recently, robot vacuums were out of reach for the average consumer, especially compared to more affordable traditional models. However, the selection of budget-friendly options has grown substantially in the past few years, so there's no shortage of relatively affordable robot vacuums with differing feature sets and designs to better suit your cleaning needs. While many cheaper robot vacuums struggle with some cleaning tasks, especially when clearing bulky material or dealing with messes on carpets, some do at least an overall fair job.

We've tested over 50 robot vacuums, and below are our recommendations for the best cheap robot vacuums. These picks are selected based on their price, performance, and feature set. If you don't have a lot of carpeting or rugs, you can also try the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors. Otherwise, you'll find more options among the best robot vacuums we've tested, period. Or, if you're also considering a vacuum of the non-robot variety, try the best cheap vacuum cleaners overall.


  1. Best Budget Robot Vacuum

    The Eureka Groove is the best budget robot vacuum we've tested and is worth considering if you're looking for a hassle-free way to keep your floors clean but want to spend as little as possible. It has a rudimentary bump-navigation system that's far from the most efficient on the market; it's prone to getting stuck around obstacles like coat racks or chairs, and it tends to clean the same space more than once. While a smartphone app is available, the included remote control provides the same level of overall functionality; you can change cleaning modes, adjust suction power, command it to return to its charging dock, and even make directional inputs. This is great if your home internet coverage is unreliable.

    Battery performance is on the lower end of the scale; in its most powerful setting, it runs for a little over an hour, which might not be enough to clean large areas that need extra attention. Regarding raw debris pickup performance, it also lags behind the pricier alternatives, having an especially hard time with bulky debris on hard floors as well as material embedded within carpets. However, it does do a good job with pet hair.

    See our review

  2. Best Robot Vacuum Under $250

    The Shark Matrix Robot RV2310 is a good option if you're willing to stretch your budget a little more. Unlike the Eureka Groove, it boasts a LIDAR mapping sensor, allowing for a far more comprehensive overall capability. It stores a map of your home, which you can use to set up virtual boundary lines for areas you don't want it to enter or send it to specific rooms within your home. That said, it's worth noting that the SharkClean app isn't exactly the best; it has a clunky interface and slow input registration. It also features a hazard recognition system, which allows it to react to hazards and maneuver around them in real-time, as long as they're 4.5" tall or higher, as it can only use its top-mounted LIDAR sensor to 'see' obstacles.

    Unfortunately, this system is prone to false positives, frequently identifying benign items like table or chair legs as hazards not to approach and leading to inconsistent room coverage. On the upside, the Shark outperforms the Eureka on most surface types, delivering good overall debris pickup on hard floors and carpeting.

    See our review

  3. Best Robot Vacuum Under $300

    The Wyze Robot Vacuum is an excellent choice if you're looking to increase your budget. It may be pricier than the other robot vacuums on this list, but it has some notable advantages. Like the Shark Matrix Robot, it has a LIDAR mapping sensor, allowing for quick and precise room mapping, even in the dark. It does a considerably better job than the latter when making its way around obstacles like tables or chairs. It also has a long max battery life of over two hours, though recharging takes quite a while. You can use its companion app to set up virtual boundary lines and schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms using the coverage map.

    It delivers exceptional performance on bare floors and easily clears away pet hair on most surfaces. Unfortunately, its dirt compartment is also tiny and needs regular emptying, and it isn't compatible with a self-emptying dock. One feature it's missing compared to some pricier models is an automatic suction power adjustment feature, so you'll need to adjust that manually on some surfaces. However, it won't be too big a concern if you mostly have bare floors.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • iRobot Roomba 694 [690, 692]: The iRobot Roomba 694 is a robot vacuum that you can control without a smartphone app. However, unlike the Wyze Robot Vacuum, it lacks room-mapping capability. See our review
  • eufy RoboVac G30: The eufy RoboVac G30 is a fairly basic robot vacuum you can use without an internet connection. Compared to the Wyze Robot Vacuum, it offers inferior overall performance and doesn't maneuver itself quite as effectively. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 13, 2024: Replaced the ILIFE A4S with the Eureka Groove as the 'Best Budget Robot Vacuum' pick due to current availability. Added the Shark Matrix Robot as the new 'Best Robot Vacuum Under $250' category pick.

  2. Jan 19, 2024: Replaced Shark AI Robot with ILIFE A4S as 'Best Budget Robot Vacuum' pick due to current pricing. Added Eureka Groove as the 'Best Robot Vacuum Under $150' pick. Removed Roborock E4 from Notable Mentions due to current availability.

  3. Nov 22, 2023: Replaced Eureka Groove with ILIFE A4S as the 'Best Robot Vacuum Under $150' category pick.

  4. Sep 22, 2023: Reviewed article for accuracy and clarity.

  5. Jul 27, 2023: Due to current product availability and pricing, we replaced Neato D8 with Shark AI Robot as the 'Best Budget Robot Vacuum' and swapped Shark ION Robot AV753 Series for Eureka Groove as the 'Best Robot Vacuum Under $150' pick.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best cheap robovacs for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.

If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our robot vacuum reviews priced under $300. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.