While robot vacuums were once a sci-fi dream, they're here now and they get the job done without you lifting a finger. To live this futuristic dream may cost an arm and a leg, but my team will help you find ways.
After testing and comparing the most popular budget robot vacuums, we narrowed it down to 5 of the best, with one robot slightly "outsmarting" the others.
Top 5 Cheap Robot Vacuum Cleaners in 2020
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum
This is our best pick for the best affordable price robot hoover.
It gives you all of the benefits of more expensive models, such as the iRobot Roomba, for a fraction of the cost. The mobile app is our favorite feature because it lets you manipulate everything from your smartphone.
You can set up cleaning schedules, track cleaning sessions, see the battery life, and receive error alerts. It also offers voice control through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
This means you can make a command to Alexa or Google to start vacuuming. If you don’t mind using the app, a remote clicker is included, and it works very well.
Tested run time is great at 110 minutes and charging period is good at 3 hours. What’s even better is that this affordable price robot vacuum has a base charging station. When the battery life gets low, it automatically returns to the station to recharge.
A HEPA filter is included for maximum cleaning performance, and it has three cleaning patterns: random, spiraling out from the center of the room, and edge cleaning (handy to clean pet hair).
Key Features:
- Smart motion technology
- Selective cleaning mode for various mess
- Three-stage cleaning system
- Google Home voice commands: Alexa and Google Assistant compatible
ILIFE V8S Robot Vacuum
ILIFE V8S is our second favorite robot vacuum cleaner.
This cheap robotic hoover offers one convenient feature that others on this list don’t: wet mopping on floors.
In addition to vacuuming your bare floors, this product can also mop them. You can now mop hard to reach areas under the furniture.
Other handy features you’ll enjoy are push-button controls, base charging station, hands-free vacuuming schedule, and five cleaning modes.
These are spot, auto, edge, path, and mop. With the five cleaning options, it can even clean pet hair that gets stuck.
Tested run time is on par at 90 minutes, and the charging period is standard at 3 hours. We were surprised that this product also includes a HEPA filter.
Key Features:
- Auto and programmed vacuuming
- Google Home voice commands: Alexa and Google Assistant compatible
- Corner, edge and deeper cleaning performance
- Tangle-free (even with pet hair)
ILIFE A4s Robot Vacuum
ILIFE A4s is our third best pick. Among the other best robot vacuum cleaners on this list. This has the longest running time, which is 140 minutes. Although it also has the longest charging period of four hours.
It’s good to know that it has a base charging station for it to return to when the battery life gets low.
The remote clicker lets you set a cleaning cycle schedule too, which makes it an excellent hands-free device.
The other robot vacuums on this list come with a HEPA filter for stripping fine dust and allergens on floors. The vacuuming pattern is random, yet works quite well for specific rooms.
A downside, however, is that you can’t schedule the robot to clean more than once per day. That could be annoying if you wanted to do several cleanings in a short period without having to touch it.
Hopefully, you can live with that given all of the other excellent features it has.
Key Features:
- Automatically docks and recharges
- Gen 3 CyclonPower vacuuming system for all floor types
- 120 minutes tested battery life
- Multiple smart sensors to avoid falling the stairs and hitting the walls
Eufy Robovac 11S Robot Vacuum Cleaner
If you’re looking for a thin and affordable price robovac that could fit into tight spaces, read up on Eufy Robovac 11s.
Eufy Robovac is 2.85″ thin, and you can use this robovac to clean under a piece of furniture.
Eufy Robovac 11s also has a special BoostIQ technology that automatically increases suction power when it’s needed to get the deepest clean.
Similar to the other good robot vacuums already mentioned on this list, the Eufy Robovac offers hands-free scheduling, multiple cleaning options, and a remote.
The only drawback to this machine is you have to charge it for up to 5 hours. That can be a problem for anyone with a large house and requires more than 100 minutes of run time to clean it.
If you live in a smaller space, then the charging period won’t matter that much since the vacuuming will get done before it runs out of juice.
All-in-all, this is a good choice of robotic vacuum that is tested and durable and takes the headache out of vacuuming. Plus, this is tested and proven by thousands of good reviews.
Key Features:
- BoostIQ Technology
- Quiet and powerful suction
- Anti-scratch tempered glass-top cover
- 100 minutes of cleaning time
PureClean PUCRC26B Robot Vacuum
Our final recommendation for the inexpensive and best robot vacuum cleaner is this device right here.
It’s a no-frills machine that provides simple cleaning without any fancy features.
It has a HEPA filter that is essential for getting rid of particles in the home that cause asthma and allergies. If anyone in your house has trouble with these conditions, you’ll want to choose the affordable price and best robot vacuum that has it.
It only cleans for about 55 minutes on one charge, and charging takes around 4 hours. That makes it best for smaller rooms and apartments.
You do get several cleaning options, however, which include automatic, random, spiral, and edge cleaning.
Key Features:
- Scheduled activation
- Automatic recharge dock
- Dual Rotating brushed (Has side brushes)
- Allergy and pet friendly (cleans pet hair)
Features to Look For
Run Time of Cheap Robot Vacuums
When you’re looking to get an inexpensive robot vacuum, make sure it’s tested and reliable. You’ll get very annoyed, really fast, if your vacuum robot cleaner only lasts 15-20 minutes before it has to be recharged and can never finish a room in a single pass.
To save you from that headache, the only robovac models you’ll find in our list of reviews have a run time of at least 50 minutes.
This is the bare minimum you’ll need for any vacuum that you’re considering.
Keep in mind that several of the cheap and best robot vacuum cleaners we recommend go above and beyond that spec and run for 90 minutes or more.
Affordable Robot Cleaner Charging Time
When looking for better robot vacuums, check the charging time and battery life of the device. A charging period of at least three hours for 100 minutes running time is something you want to look for.
A charging station or dock would also be a convenient feature. So it automatically returns to the charging base when the battery life is about to run-out. [2]
Some vacuum robots even have sensors, so it won’t keep hitting any furniture.
Three out of the five robovac models we recommend above still come with a convenient charging station.
Smartphone App or Remote Control
One of the biggest reasons why so many people are drawn to robot vacuums like the iRobot Roomba I7, which is twice the price, is because a mobile app can control them.
Why?
Because mobile apps give you the ability to control the robot vacuum from anywhere in the house and comes with useful features, some best robot vacuums are even compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This means you can tell Alexa or Google to start vacuuming.
Keep in mind, however, that lower-priced Roomba type robot vacuums do exist that offer mobile app control; you just have to find them. My recommended pick above is one of the best robot vacuums.
If apps aren’t your thing, you’ll be happy to know that some of the best robot vacuums come with a push-button control instead.
While this may not seem as fancy as a smartphone app, the result is the same—it lets you operate the robot vacuum from a distance and set up things like a cleaning schedule. In addition, you can control the vacuuming under the furniture.
Only two of the cheap best robot vacuums we reviewed above don’t include an app or clicker. You’ll have to decide on if this matters to you or not.
Robot Vacuum Scheduling
When robot vacuums first came out, only the most expensive models had a scheduling feature. One of which is the iRobot Roomba.
Well, that’s no longer true. The affordable price robot vacuums I mentioned above now have similar features as iRobot Roomba i7 (which is twice the price).
Many of the affordable and best robot vacuums now have this helpful feature built right in. This means you can set up a schedule for your vac to automatically clean your home each day and keep it less dirty.
What’s also nice about this function is that you don’t have to buy robot vacuums that use a mobile app to get this luxury. Still, many affordable robot vacuums use a clicker push-button control, which allows you to set up a schedule quickly.
Budget Vacuum Robots with HEPA Filter
HEPA is an acronym that stands for “High-Efficiency Particulate Air.” It’s a type of filter that can trap super-fine particles. [1]
This includes things like microscopic dust, bacteria, and other allergens that linger around your home and trigger allergies and asthma even on bare floors. It can even filter particles found on pet hair. Even pet hair can cause asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Vacuums that don’t have a HEPA filter are known for recirculating harmful particles back into the air during the cleaning process.
You’ll be surprised to know that not only iRobot Roomba vacuums have a HEPA filter. Some of the less expensive vacuums we mentioned above have a HEPA filter though some lower-priced robot vacuums cut costs by not including this type of filter.
When you’re comparing the best cheap robot vacuum cleaners, you’ll make sure you look for a HEPA filter because it leaves your home much cleaner. Most importantly, if you have pets, it can address issues on pet hair or debris that get stuck on carpets.
Flooring Type Capacity
If there’s one thing that’s become standard for all cheap robotic vacuums, it’s the type of flooring that these machines can handle.
Robotic vacuums work well on hard floors, bare floors, and low-pile carpets.
While doing this vacuums review guide, we specifically searched for one that could work well with thick carpets. Unfortunately, at the lower price levels, this feature just doesn’t exist.
The technology required for the device to transition from hard flooring to thick carpets is just too expensive. You’ll have to pay top dollar for this type of operation.
While that may sound disappointing, the truth is that for 90% of homeowners, this functionality isn’t a problem. The affordable and best robot vacuums I mentioned above can handle the standard carpets inside a home. It’s only the super thick, plush carpeting that these machines have trouble making their way up on to clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our tests, robovacs are worth the cost, there is less cleaning time every day so that you can do more household chores.
Plus, it’s efficient, especially the robot vacuums that have scheduling and smart home features. It’s good news for some that features of the expensive Roomba robovac are now featured by inexpensive ones.
A positive consumer review that caught our attention is the ability of robot vacs to clean under the furniture without the need to lift them.
Yes, you will not encounter any problem when using robot vacuums on a standard carpet. This is according to the reviews of most users of robovacs. Some of the recommended picks we mentioned above can even clean up pet hair or debris that gets stuck on a standard carpet.
However, the reviews claim that there is a difficulty when using robovac for super thick and plush carpets.
Our Top Pick for the Best Affordable Robot Vacuum Is…
With its smart motion system and versatile cleaning solution, we daresay that the ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S has outsmarted all other robot vacuums in our list.
This robot is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant so you can conveniently clean floors using your smart home system or ECOVACS app. There's a switch to adjust different cleaning options through its selective cleaning mode. You'll find something that works for all types of mess on any kind of flooring surface.
These impressive features make ECOVACS DEEBOT N795 the best budget robot vacuum in 2020.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum
Our #1 Recommendation
- Smart motion technology
- Selective cleaning mode for various mess
- Three-stage cleaning system
- Google Home voice commands: Alexa and Google Assistant compatible
