UPDATE: Nov. 29, 2021, 5:45 p.m. EST This story has been updated to reflect the current prices and availability of multiple robot vacuums ahead of Black Friday.
We’ve compiled the best early Black Friday robot vacuum deals from brands like iRobot, Shark, and Roborock. Here are the ones to grab as of Nov. 1.
-
BEST BUDGET DEAL: The iRobot Roomba j7 is a budget option in the sense that it brings home iRobot’s best obstacle avoidance for under $350 — $349
$599.99(save $250.99) -
BEST SELF-EMPTYING DEAL: The iRobot Roomba i1+ is already at Black Friday pricing, making it the cheapest self-emptying Roomba by far — $288
$529.99(save $241.99) -
BEST ROBOT VACUUM/MOP DEAL: The Roborock Q7 Max+ is a triple threat of LiDAR, self-emptying, and mopping at a digestible cost — $649.99
$869.99(save $220 with on-page coupon)
Make room, pastel appliances and 4K TVs: Robot vacuums are a pillar of Black Friday, too. And deals this good mean features like specific room mapping and automatic emptying aren’t reserved for the high-end Roomba budget anymore.
Despite the official date still being weeks away, the 2022 Black Friday season is already proving to be a great time to buy a new robot vacuum, including new all-time-low prices on flagship best sellers like the Roomba j7+ (and maybe even the new Combo j7+ that mops?) Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target have been dropping Black Friday deals as early as mid-October, with many robot vacuum models listed with an official « Black Friday price » stamp.
Any deal with a strikethrough is back to full price or sold out, but could reappear whenever. If that happens, we’ll bring it back. Any new deals with be marked with a ✨, and any robot vacs marked with a ⚡️ are already at their Black Friday price, as marked by select retailers’ early Black Friday sales.
Robot vacuums under $200
Why we like it
You’d be hard-pressed to find a LiDAR-equipped robot vacuum for less than $200, and even more so for one that can actually find the rooms it maps. On sale for $169, Shark’s model hits the mark, and administers 30% more effective carpet cleaning than its predecessor (according to Shark).
-
Room mapping and zone cleaning
-
120-minute battery life
-
Self-cleaning brush roll
More robot vacuums under $200
-
ILIFE V3s Pro — $119.99
$159.99(save $40) -
iRobot Roomba 694 — $179
$274(save $95) -
Ionvac SmartClean V4 with Self-Empty Dock — $179
$299(save $120) -
Neato Robotics D8 — $199
$399.99(save $200.99 with on-page coupon)
Robot vacuums under $500
Why we like it
Even without the mopping functionality of the new Combo version of the j7 or the automatic emptying of the j7+, the regular j7 is still a super solid investment — especially when it’s over 40% off for the first time. It was the first Roomba to introduce Genius Technology and PrecisionVision Navigation to avoid small obstacles like phone chargers or pet waste. In fact, P.O.O.P. (iRobot’s Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantees that your j7 will avoid pet waste or they’ll replace it for free.
-
Room mapping and zone cleaning
-
Small object avoidance cameras recognize cords and pet waste
-
75 minute battery life
More robot vacuums under $500
-
Samsung Jet Bot — $249.99
$599.99(save $350) -
Neato Robotics D8 — $249.99
$399.99(save $150) -
Shark EZ RV912S — $279.99
$549.99(save $270) -
iRobot Roomba i1+ — $288
$529.99(save $241.99) ⚡️ -
iRobot Roomba i3 Evo — $299
$349.99(save $50.99) -
Roborock Q5 — $329
$429(save $100 with on-page coupon) -
Neato Robotics D9 — $349
$499.99(save $150.99) -
eufy RoboVac X8 — $349.99
$499.99(save $150 with on-page coupon) -
Shark AI Ultra AV2501AE XL — $392
$649.99(save $257.99) -
iRobot Roomba i7+ — $499.99
$899.99(save $400)
Robot vacuums under $800
Why we like it
In the summer of 2022, Roborock debuted two mid-range self-emptying series (compared to its other self-emptiers, which start at $949.88.) Both use LiDAR to map your home and head to the rooms you specify, deploying hearty suction and emptying into a compact dock. The Q5+ is the one that skips mopping to stay the most affordable, but still self-empties.
-
Room mapping and zone cleaning
-
180 minute battery life
-
Self-empty dock holds almost seven weeks’ worth of debris
More robot vacuums under $800
-
iRobot Roomba j7+ — $599
$799.99(save $200.99) -
iRobot Roomba s9+ — $799
$999(save $200)
Robot vacuum and mop hybrids and dedicated robot mops
Why we like it:
Of those new 2022 Roborocks, the Q7 Max+ is the most elite of the hybrid series. It simultaneously vacuums with tenacious suction and scrubs — except on carpet, where it will lift its mopping pads to keep soft floors from getting wet. Its dock holds the debris it auto-empties for seven weeks (or more) at a time.
-
Room mapping and zone cleaning
-
180-minute battery life
-
Self-empty dock holds seven weeks’ worth of debris
More hybrids and robot mops on sale
-
Yeedi Vac Max — $249.99
$349.99(save $100 with on-page coupon) -
Roborock E5 — $219.99
$359.99(save $140 with on-page coupon) -
Bissell SpinWave Robot Pet — $247.49
$399.99(save $152.50) -
Dreametech L10 Pro — $349
$489.99(save $140.99) -
Yeedi Vac Station — $349.99
$499(save $149.01) -
iRobot Braava jet m6 — $369
$499.99(save $130) -
eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid — $379.99
$649.99(save $270 with on-page coupon) -
eufy RoboVac L35 Hybrid+ — $399.99
$549.99(save $150 with on-page coupon) -
Ecovacs N8+ — $399.99
$549.99(save $250) -
iRobot Roomba s9+ and Braava Jet m6 bundle — $949
$1,449(save $500)
Are robot vacuums worth it?
The control of an upright vacuum comes with its own type of satisfaction. But if you’re not one to classify cleaning as cathartic, a robot vacuum could erase that huge, agonizing task off of your chore list. (And did we mention the joy of having first-day-clean floors all the time?)
But whether robot vacuums are worth it or not comes with a caveat: It can’t be just any robot vacuum. A cheap robovac that doesn’t do the job right — scattering dust, bumping into walls, getting stuck on area rugs — is completely missing the point and will actually create more work for you.
What to consider when buying a robot vacuum
-
Suction power: A vacuum is the one purchase that you hope sucks a lot. Suction power is typically measured in Pascals (Pa), with most current vacs ranging between 1,500 Pa and 3,000 Pa. Stronger sucking will be needed to pick up heavier pieces of debris (be sure to set a no-go zone around Legos) and to pull matted-down pet hair from rugs.
-
Floor type: Carpeting and high pile rugs will probably require stronger suction than hard floors, as well as special features like an extra-wide or self-cleaning brush roll to prevent hair from wrapping and clogging. Folks in homes with multiple floor types might consider a bigger, sturdier robot vacuum that can hurl itself and its wheels over mats, rugs, and transitions from carpet to hard floors.
-
Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small — which means they frequently require emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be cleaned or dumped out.
-
Home layout: Every robot vacuum is equipped with sensors and drop detection. But if your home has lots of rooms, lots of turns, or lots of close-together furniture, you’ll have fewer navigation issues with an advanced model that uses intelligent mapping to remember exactly how your home is laid out, including labeling of specific rooms, mental notes of staircases, and ability to deploy zone cleaning.
-
Low-profile furniture: No one should have to be scared about what’s accumulated under their couch over the past year. A robot vacuum measuring three inches or less in height should be able to scoot under most low-hanging couches and beds.
-
Battery life and square footage: One of the main complaints people have about their robot vacuum is that it craps out in the middle of the floor. Larger spaces require more time to clean, and it all depends on how annoyed you’ll be if it only finishes a few rooms at a time. Average run times for the list below range between 90 and 200 minutes, which translates to about 500 and 2,800 square feet covered on one charge.
-
App control: WiFi-enabled robot vacuums can be synced with a smartphone app to control scheduling, manual start, and cleaning settings, as well as telling your vac to make its rounds when you’re not home. Low-end models that don’t connect to WiFi will usually come with a separate remote. If you’re used to asking Alexa or Google to turn off the lights or tell you the weather, a model with voice integration will blend in nicely.
