The Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuum Bagless Cleaners

Shoppers who adore this self-emptying robot vacuum say it's powerful enough to take care of pet hair, dirt, dust and other floor types. It comes with a three-stage cleaning system that can be controlled by a smart speaker or a mobile app.

This upgrade to the standard robot vacuum may be worth it for those who are able to afford it. It has a large bin that only needs to emptied every 30-60 days.

1. Roomba iRobot i3+ from iRobot EVO

The i3+ EVO comes with two rubber multi-surface brushrolls and is designed to clear most kinds of debris off bare floors. It performs very well on hard floors and is great for sweeping up dust and larger particles, but it struggles a bit with pet hair. It can also blow things like Kitty litter or kosher salt out of its path and requires another run to clean up.

It features a Clean/Power button located in the middle, and Home and Spot Clean buttons on either side. The light ring around the Clean/Power button glows white when the battery is charged, pulses red when the battery is depleted and shines blue when it's searching for its Clean Base in Dirt Detect mode (more about that below).

When the room's cleaning is done and the robot returns to its base, docking and automatically dumping the contents of its dust bin into the Clean Base for self-emptying. You can also manually empty the bin when it's filled, but that takes time and will require you to remove the dustbin and clean its filter.

This robot performed well on carpets and hard floors during our tests. Its mapping system for smart is superior to most systems, since it can store multiple maps and provide various functions, such as a customized and scheduled cleaning. However, it doesn't allow you to create Keep-Out Zones, or clean specific rooms on demand This is a must for spaces that span more than one level. For that feature, you may be interested in the Roborock Q5+ instead, which has a superior smart-mapping system and offers a lot more customization options in its user-friendly application.

2. Shark Matrix

Shark Robot, the robot vacuum division of SharkNinja (a conglomerate of home appliances), is a relative novice in this space. However the company has risen quickly in popularity thanks to its an array of low-cost robots with relatively premium-grade build quality. Their flagship model called the Matrix, is a powerful entire home cleaner with amazing suction power and smart features.

The Shark Matrix comes with a self-emptying station that automatically empties the bag after each clean, eliminating the hassle of changing it manually. Like all Shark robots that are available, the Matrix can be set to run on a schedule or remotely activated using voice commands to provide hands-free convenience. It also incorporates a the cliff sensor to ensure that it doesn't fall down the stairs and optical encoders to measure how far it has been cleaned.

Although it isn't equipped with the advanced vSLAM mapping system of the Roomba S9, the Matrix is still an excellent option for those looking for a mid-range robotic vacuum. Its cleaning route is effective on carpeted surfaces, and it is able to pick dirt from all surfaces. It also has a slightly stronger cleaning head than the S9, and a self-cleaning brush roll that's ideal for hair of pets.

Shark's app is frustratingly slow and unstable when used alongside the robot. The iRobot HOME application is, on the other hand, is unquestionably more intuitive and reliable.

3. iRobot Roomba i3

The Roomba i3 is our favorite robot vacuum model that is bagless robot vacuum and mop due to its remarkable performance on flooring that is bare and high-quality construction. It is sturdy, able to navigate around obstacles with ease and can charge quickly. It also has a large dustbin that is easily empty.

This Roomba model doesn't have a top-mounted camera that can recognize objects or look for distinctive features to keep in mind as some of its more premium siblings do. Instead, it employs downward-facing optical sensors to identify obstacles as they come up and creates a map of your floor plan as it goes through cleaning cycles, and is attentive to internal sensors such as gyroscopes and wheel odometers. The iRobot Genius update, which adds smart mapping without increasing the price of the robot -- lets you instruct it to clean specific areas by using the iRobot Home app or your voice assistant.

When this Roomba is full of dirt - and it can be instructed to do so by the app or its own docking station--it returns to its base and empties its internal dustbin into the larger external one. The docking station communicates with the bagless intelligent robot through beacons, making sure that they are within close proximity prior to cleaning.

You can also make use of the iRobot app to schedule cleanings or your voice assistant to conduct spot-cleaning of any area that needs quick fixes. Its dual rubber brushrolls are designed to eliminate dirt, pet hair and other hard-to-remove debris. Its sensor that is reactive means that you don't need to manually adjust the head height or suction power. If you're looking for an experience that is more customizable, though, check out the Shark iQ Plus or Roborock S6 MaxV.

Roomba from iRobot

This robotic vacuum is one of the best self-emptying models available. It has a dirt tank that automatically empties when full into the robot's base. It uses its own patent-pending Dirt Detect Technology to help it clean up dirtier areas of the room. The edgesweeping brush operates continuously and its dual multi-surface rubber brushes can flex to adjust to your floors to remove and loosen heavy dirt. This is combined with a powerful suction that draws up and holds dirt and dust, as well as mopping solution tank which releases liquid to completely clean your floors.

It's a great option for floors with no carpet and is even a great option in small amounts of carpet that is low-pile. However, it doesn't clean pet hair as well as other models and can struggle with large debris such as cereal as the dirt bin is filled. It also has a small amount of maneuverability and can get caught up in things like rug tassels and electrical cords. It has a decent battery life and can be charged quickly.

The iRobot Combo i5 takes things to the next level by adding the ability to mop. Simply plug in the Roomba Combo cleaning bin and the robot immediately transforms into mop and vacuum robots with multiple surfaces. It moves through rooms in neat rows and is guided by the iRobot app or by voice commands when paired with smart assistant devices.

It's better at cleaning low-pile or bare floors than the iRobot Roomba E5 because it has an HEPA filter that blocks allergens. However, it's not as smart as the Shark AI bagless robot vacuum mop and has more components that must be regularly cleaned. It feels more durable and has longer battery life, but costs more to run.

5. IRobot Roomba i7 Roomba

The Roomba i7 is unique in that it comes with an automatic dirt disposal system built into its base. When it is docked, a pipe on the Clean Base automatically suctions debris from the bin of the robot into a proprietary bag called Smart Maps by iRobot. It's a quick, easy method of emptying the robot vacuum's bin. It's not necessary to lift the old bin and let it move around (which can lead to a small dust explosion). This top-rated model comes with a minimal operating cost. You have to buy another bag every time your old one gets full and, while they're relatively inexpensive however, you'll be resentful about throwing them to waste.

Once you get your i7+ as well as its Clean Base together you can start it cleaning right away or ask it to perform a couple exploratory non-vacuuming training runs first to generate a floor map of the area. Once you have a map of the space, you can use iRobot's app to label rooms and create virtual barriers. You can also create specific cleaning times for certain rooms.

The i7+ robot vacuum is a high-end model. It's powerful and comes with all the features that you'd expect from a house automation system, but it's expensive and hard to justify. The competition is a lot less expensive and includes the likes of the Roborock S7, which feels more durable, has lower cost of operation and has a longer maximum runtime and is more effective on floors with no flooring than the i7+. We suggest that you consider a different option unless you are absolutely determined to have a map of your home that is up-to-date.