Will this robot actually work in your house?

Robot vacuums and litter robots first, then robot mowers and pool robots, judged against your floors, your cats, your lawn and your pool from the limits the makers publish. Every figure cited. Nothing here is a hands-on test, and the page says whose test it is quoting.

Most asked: Can a Roomba work without WiFi? · Litter-Robot alternatives that cost less · Which Roomba to buy · Cordless pool robots with no recall · Is my robot recalled? · Is my robot vacuum affected by the FCC ban?

Robot vacuums

80 robot vacuums tracked, every limit read from the maker’s own page.

Pet hair, hardwood floors
The best robot vacuum for pet hair on hardwood and hard floors

For most pet homes with hardwood floors, get the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni.
Roborock vs Roomba
Roborock vs Roomba: Navigation, Mopping, Docks, Parts and Support

For hard floors with pets, the Roborock Qrevo CurvX.

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The best robot vacuum under $500
Four picks by home, and what you get and give up as the price goes up to $500.
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Roborock Saros vs Qrevo vs Q: the lineup by the numbers
Threshold climb, mop lift and height for each Roborock sold on Amazon, from Roborock's own pages.
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Roomba alternatives: the cheaper robot that matches each Roomba
For each Roomba on Amazon, the robots from other brands that have every feature iRobot lists and cost less.
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Which Roomba to buy: every model on Amazon, compared
Threshold, height, dock, mop and refill cost for every Roomba we track, from iRobot's own pages.
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Which Shark robot vacuum to buy: every model on Amazon, compared
Dock, mop and pet-hair brushroll for every Shark robot vacuum we track, from Shark's own pages.
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Which Narwal to buy: Freo and Flow models on Amazon, compared
Threshold, height, mop lift and dock days for every Narwal Freo and Flow we track, from Narwal's own pages.
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Which Dreame robot vacuum to buy: every model on Amazon, compared
Threshold, height, mop lift and dock days for every Dreame we track, from Dreame's own spec tables.
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Which eufy robot vacuum to buy: every model on Amazon, compared
Threshold, height, mop and dock days for every eufy robot vacuum we track, from eufy's own pages.
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Roborock Qrevo vs Saros
Qrevo CurvX or Saros 10R: price, height, mop, dock and obstacle avoidance, from Roborock's own pages.
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The best robot vacuum for carpet and hardwood
For a home with both carpet and hard floors: the cheapest robot that passes every check, from the makers' figures.
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The best robot vacuum for a small, cluttered apartment
For a small apartment with things on the floor: the cheapest robot that passes every check, from the makers' figures.
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Roomba 105X vs 115X Combo: which should you buy?
Every feature both makers publish, side by side, with a rule for who wins each.
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Roomba 415X vs 505X: which should you buy?
Every feature both makers publish, side by side, with a rule for who wins each.
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Roborock Qrevo 2 Pro vs Qrevo Edge 2: which should you buy?
Every feature both makers publish, side by side, with a rule for who wins each.
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Roomba replacement parts: genuine or compatible?
Which parts fit your Roomba, how often iRobot says to replace them, and when a cheaper compatible kit is fine.

Litter robots

24 automatic litter boxes tracked, every limit read from the maker’s own page.

Three cats
The best automatic litter box for multiple cats

For 3 cats between 6 and 16 pounds on clumping litter, the Whisker Litter-Robot 4 clears every limit Whisker publishes, with the widest weight range of the three picks.
Three brands, two cats
Litter-Robot 4 vs PETKIT vs Neakasa: which should you buy?

For a house with 2 cats on clumping litter, buy the Whisker Litter-Robot 4.

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Litter-Robot 5 vs Litter-Robot 4 (and the EVO)
Whisker's own specs for the 5, 4 and EVO, row by row: cats, weight range, drawer days, size and price.
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Which Litter-Robot to buy: EVO vs 4 vs 5 vs 5 Pro
Every Litter-Robot on Whisker's own specs, with the Amazon price and 3-year cost with refills.
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Litter-Robot alternatives on Amazon, judged on their limits
Every non-Whisker automatic litter box we track, judged for a 2-cat home, with refill cost a year.
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The best automatic litter box for your cats
One pick each for one cat, several cats, large cats, kittens and a budget, from the makers' own limits.
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Which PETKIT litter box to buy: PuraMax 2 vs Purobot Max 3 vs Max Pro 2 vs Ultra
Cat weight, entry, footprint and days between emptying for every PETKIT we track, from PETKIT's own pages.
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PETKIT Purobot Ultra vs Litter-Robot 4
Which to buy, by each maker's own limits: cats, cat weight, door size, days between emptying, camera and refill cost.
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Best litter for the Litter-Robot 4
The litter to buy, what Whisker says to avoid, and the cheapest drawer bags that work, with prices.
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Neakasa M1 Plus vs Litter-Robot 4: which should you buy?
Every feature both makers publish, side by side, with a rule for who wins each.
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PETKIT PuraMax 2 vs Litter-Robot 4: which should you buy?
Every feature both makers publish, side by side, with a rule for who wins each.

Robot mowers

Off-season. Spring picks coming.

17 robot lawn mowers tracked, every limit read from the maker’s own page.

Half acre, no wire
The best robot lawn mower with no perimeter wire, for a half-acre yard

For a half-acre lawn with a 20% slope and no buried wire, the WORX Landroid Vision Cloud WR320.
Small yard
The best robot lawn mower for a small yard

For a small lawn (3,000 sq ft) with a 15% slope, the Segway Navimow i105N is enough mower at the lowest list price on this page: Segway rates it for 5,445 sq ft and a 30% slope, both well past what this yard asks of it.
Luba 3 vs Navimow
Mammotion Luba 3 vs. Segway Navimow

For this yard, the Segway Navimow i110N.

Pool robots

Off-season. Spring picks coming.

13 robotic pool cleaners tracked, every limit read from the maker’s own page.

Inground pool
The best robotic pool cleaner for an inground pool

For an inground pool 35 feet long, walls included, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus is the pick: Maytronics builds it for a pool set in the ground, rates it for one up to 40 ft, and states that it scrubs floor and walls in a single cycle, so this pool sits inside every published limit with room left.
Above-ground pool
The best robotic pool cleaner for an above-ground pool

For an above-ground pool 24 feet across, the Dolphin E10 is the pick built for this pool and nothing else: Maytronics rates it for above-ground use to 30 ft, and Popular Mechanics named it Best for Above Ground Pools, saying its scrubbing is effective but gentle enough not to damage a softer liner.
Aiper vs Dolphin
Aiper Scuba S1 vs. Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus

On an inground pool 35 feet long with the walls included, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus and the Aiper Scuba S1 both clear the limits their makers publish, and the Dolphin is the pick on the weight of the tester record: three review outfits named it their best overall robotic pool cleaner, against two that tested it and came away critical, including a Pool Nerd Disapproved.
Wybot vs Aiper
Wybot vs Aiper: which pool robot should you buy?

For this pool, the Aiper Scuba S1.

Before you buy

GuideMeasure before you buy
Every home robot is sold against a limit, and every maker calls that limit something different on its spec page. Here is how to get your own numbers first.
GuideApps, subscriptions and what stops working offline
Every one of these machines still moves without the internet. What you lose is the map, the schedule, the history and, on some of them, the reason you paid extra.
GuideRobot battery safety: warning signs, what to do, and recalls
What to do when a robot battery overheats, and how to check if your robot vacuum, mower or pool cleaner is recalled.

How we judge fit.