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The 4 Best Robot Vacuums For Carpet - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Robot Vacuums For Carpet

When juggling work, family, or other priorities, cleaning can be the last thing on your mind. However, you can't ignore the mess piling up on your rugs or carpet forever, especially since removing debris from high-pile textiles can already be difficult. While a traditional upright or canister vacuum requires time and energy, a robot vacuum can automate the cleaning process and even operate when you're not at home, which can be a huge time-saver. Although many robot vacuums struggle to move on carpet, a few can do a decent job.

We've tested over 50 robot vacuums, and below are our recommendations for the best robot vacuums for carpet you can buy. These picks are selected based on their performance, feature set, design, and price. Check out our recommendations for the best robot vacuums, the best robotic vacuum for hardwood floors, and the best robot vacuums for pet hair. If you're only considering an iRobot model, you could check out our recommendations for the best Roombas and iRobot vacuums. If you're looking for a completely different type of vacuum for carpeting, check out the best vacuums for carpets.


  1. Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet

    The Roborock S8+ is the best robot vacuum for carpets we've tested. It sits near the top of Roborock's lineup and is jam-packed with convenience features. It uses a LIDAR sensor to map out its coverage area and a front-facing camera, allowing it to spot, identify, and avoid obstacles in real-time if necessary, so you don't have to worry about prepping its cleaning area before letting it run. Its twin rubber rollers and relatively potent suction motor perform fairly strongly on carpeted floors. Its surface detection system also helps with this, as it allows the vacuum to automatically adjust its power setting depending on the floor type it's cleaning. The S8+ variant comes with a self-emptying docking station, so you won't have to worry about emptying its dustbin at the end of every cleaning session.

    This vacuum is also a great choice for cleaning hard floors, partly thanks to its ultrasonic mopping system that vibrates to scrub away dried-on stains. The vacuum can also raise its mop pad when passing onto carpets, though this feature only works on carpets with a pile depth of up to 4mm.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Robot Vacuum For Carpet

    Check out the Roborock Q5+ if you want a robot vacuum for cleaning carpeting at an upper mid-range price point. Compared to the Roborock S8, it doesn't have a secondary set of camera sensors to spot and identify obstacles in real-time or a vibrating mop system. That said, even if you buy it with its self-emptying station, it's also considerably cheaper and still delivers relatively good performance on carpeted floors. However, it still struggles with fine material embedded deep within rug fibers. While build quality feels sturdy overall, it isn't the best option if you suffer from allergies, as fine particles can escape from panel gaps around its top cover.

    Like most of Roborock's other robot vacuums, it has a LIDAR sensor for quick and precise room mapping. It's capable of multi-floor mapping, and its 'Smart Recognition' feature lets it automatically determine which of its saved maps it's currently working in. The Mi Home companion app can set up virtual boundary lines, label different areas, and schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms. You can also view its coverage map in 2D or 3D.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Robot Vacuum For Carpet

    The Wyze Robot Vacuum is worth considering if you're looking for a slightly more affordable robot vacuum that performs well on carpets. While it isn't compatible with a self-emptying station like the Roborock Q5/Q5+ and lacks the Roborock S8's dual-sensor navigation and hazard-avoidance system, it's still a very good option if you have no need for those features and want to save some money. The Wyze's LIDAR mapping sensor allows it to generate a pretty accurate map of your home, which you can then access in its companion app to set up virtual boundary lines or direct the vacuum to clean specific rooms.

    The overall performance on carpeting is nothing special; the vacuum struggles with fine debris embedded deep within carpet fibers, though it doesn't have much trouble with pet hair. While it doesn't have any trouble maneuvering on low-pile carpeting, you'll want to use a full-size vacuum to clean any shag-pile rugs you might have at home, as the Wyze can get bogged down in plush carpeting.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Robot Vacuum For Carpet

    Consider the Shark ION Robot AV753 Series if you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum that's effective on carpets. It doesn't have the Wyze Robot Vacuum's LIDAR mapping sensor, instead relying on a more rudimentary random-pathing navigation system; it can miss some areas while cleaning others more than once, and since it doesn't map out its coverage area, you can't do things like send it to a specified area or set up virtual boundary lines for rooms you don't want it to enter. However, thankfully, it performs very similarly to the Wyze when it comes to actual debris pickup on carpeted floors, though it does struggle noticeably more with pet hair.

    Unfortunately, the SharkClean app is crash-prone and not especially intuitive. This vacuum also takes almost four hours to recharge, which is pretty long and leads to a lot of downtime in between cleaning sessions. However, it can run for almost three hours even in its most powerful 'Max' setting, which is more than sufficient even for cleaning larger carpeted rooms.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Shark AI Ultra Robot [AV2501AE, AV2501S, AV2511AE, RV2502AE]: The Shark AI Ultra Robot is a self-emptying robot vacuum with a LIDAR sensor. It delivers good overall performance on carpeted surfaces but has a very clunky companion app, making for a less user-friendly experience than the Roborock Q5/Q5+. See our review
  • Roborock S7: The Roborock S7 is a solid alternative to the Roborock S8+/S8 if you don't want to spend as much and don't require the newer model's hazard-avoidance capability. It has a less powerful suction motor and delivers inferior deep cleaning performance. See our review
  • Roborock S7 MaxV: The Roborock S7 MaxV is closely related to the Roborock S8+/S8, as it has the same hazard-avoidance capability and ultrasonic mopping system. However, its single-roller cleaning head leads to inferior debris pickup on carpets compared to the newer model's dual-roller head. See our review
  • Roborock Q7 Max+/Max: The Roborock Q7 Max shares a lot in common with the Roborock Q5/Q5+ but with the addition of a passive mopping system. If you don't need this feature, the Q5/Q5+ delivers all but identical performance at a cheaper price. See our review
  • Roborock Q Revo: The Roborock Q Revo is a good alternative to the Roborock S8+ if you aren't willing to spend as much. It comes with an advanced multifunction dock that empties its dustbin and refills its water tank for mopping and washes and dries its mop pads. It can also raise its mop pads higher than the S8. That said, it doesn't perform as well as the S8 on bare floors and has a less sophisticated hazard recognition system. See our review
  • iRobot Roomba S9+: The iRobot Roomba S9 is the best Roomba for carpet we've tested, thanks to its relatively powerful suction motor. If you go for the S9+ variant, you also get an auto-empty dock. Still, it has a less advanced suite of automation features than the Roborock S8+/S8, with no LIDAR mapping sensor and no secondary sensors that would allow for real-time hazard avoidance. Unsurprisingly, it tends to get stuck more often than the Roborock. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 08, 2024: Added the Roborock Q Revo to the Notable Mentions.

  2. Jan 11, 2024: Minor in-text adjustments to clarify product details.

  3. Nov 10, 2023: Replaced Shark AI Robot with Shark ION Robot AV753 Series (AV751) as 'Best Budget Robot Vacuum For Carpet' due to current pricing.

  4. Sep 11, 2023: Replaced yeedi vac station with Wyze Robot Vacuum as 'Best Mid-Range Robot Vacuum For Carpet' due to current availability.

  5. Jul 11, 2023: Replaced Ecovacs DEEBOT OZMO T8 AIVI with Roborock S8+ as 'Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet' pick. Replaced Reoborock Q5 with Roborock Q5+ as 'Best Upper Mid-Range Robot Vacuum For Carpet' pick. Replaced Neato D8 with Shark AI Robot as 'Best Budget Robot Vacuum For Carpet' pick. Removed the 'Best Robot Vacuum For Combination Flooring' category. Added iRobot Roomba S9, Roborock S7 MaxV, and Roborock Q7 Max to Notable Mentions.

All Reviews

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

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our robot vacuum reviews, ranked by their high-pile carpet performance. 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.