The 4 Best Budget Robot Vacuums - Fall 2021 Reviews

The best budget robot vacuum for bare floors that we've tested is the Wyze Robot Vacuum. This budget-friendly robot vacuum delivers superb performance on bare floors, where it easily cleans pet hair and small and bulky debris like rice or cereal. It also has a HEPA filter to trap allergens as you clean.

Unlike many budget-friendly robot vacuums, it has a LIDAR navigation system that stores a map of its coverage area, allowing you to set up virtual boundary markers and schedule cleaning sessions for individual areas. It does a good job maneuvering itself, and its ability to navigate around obstacles improves over several cleaning sessions. It feels well-built and offers excellent overall battery performance, though its maximum runtime of over two hours still isn't quite as long as some alternatives.

Unfortunately, this vacuum has a very small internal dustbin that needs frequent emptying. Also, it has quite a few parts that need to be cleaned or replaced regularly, so recurring costs can add up over time. Still, its relatively affordable price, strong performance on bare floors, and advanced automation features make it one of the best robot vacuums that we've tested.

The best budget robot vacuum for carpets that we've tested is the Roborock E4. This budget-friendly robot vacuum does a fantastic job of sucking up pet hair on low and high-pile carpets. It also clears a decent amount of larger debris like sand from low-pile carpets, though it may need to make another pass to clean it all on high-pile carpet, and it can struggle with fine debris like baking soda on carpeted surfaces.

This vacuum's automatic surface detection feature enables it to change its suction power mode depending on the floor type that it's on. Its optical navigation system creates fairly efficient S-shaped cleaning patterns and allows it to maneuver around obstacles quite effectively. It also delivers fantastic overall battery performance, as you can expect roughly anywhere between two to over three hours of runtime on a single charge, which should be sufficient for cleaning most spaces.

Unfortunately, this vacuum takes a while to recharge. It also lacks some of the more advanced automation features found in some alternatives, as while it does output a coverage map following the end of a cleaning session, you can't use it to set up no-go zones or schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms. Like many robot vacuums, recurring costs are also rather high, and many parts need periodic maintenance. Otherwise, if you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum for carpet cleaning, this is a fair option.

The yeedi K650 is the best cheap robot vacuum cleaner that we've tested. This robot vacuum delivers fantastic performance on bare floors, where it easily cleans pet hair as well as bulky and small debris, like cereal or rice. There isn't a major loss in suction performance as its dirt compartment fills up too, which is good if the vacuum has a larger mess to clean.

Despite its budget-friendly price, it feels well-built, with a primarily dense matte-finish plastic body and wheels with rubber treads. Its compact size makes it easy to store and lets it maneuver under couches, tables, and other furniture. Depending on your choice of power setting, this vacuum can supply roughly anywhere between 50 to over 230 minutes of continuous runtime, which should be sufficient for cleaning most large areas.

Unfortunately, it struggles quite a bit with cleaning messes on low-pile carpet, particularly small, fine material like baking soda and pet hair. Its basic navigational system means that it often bumps into obstacles while maneuvering around a room. While you can't set up virtual boundary markers, you can buy magnetic boundary strips separately to prevent the vacuum from entering certain areas. Overall, this vacuum's good build quality and superb bare floor performance make it a solid choice if you're looking for cheap hands-free cleaning.