The BEST Robot Vacuum (that isn't a Roomba) Under $800

The convenience, practicality, and cuteness of a robot vacuum are plenty of reasons to buy one. Trust me, running it while you sleep or are away at work is a game-changer. 

However, the recent announcement that Amazon will acquire iRobot has many potential (and current) customers shying away from using a robotic vacuum from Roomba/iRobot. Everywhere you look, you will find experts telling you that Amazon acquiring iRobot could lead to massive data-privacy concerns. Like. Literally. Everywhere. You. Look. Not to mention, iRobot (the makers of Roomba) only has a 1.22/5 customer review score from the Better Business Bureau. 

While smart vacuums can be a life-changing purchase, and your carpets will thank you for getting one, you want to make sure you are getting one that will actually make your life easier - not just create additional headaches while selling your data to every tech giant. That's where we come in!

We have researched all of the best (and worst) robotic vacuums so you don't have to. We decided to keep this list to the "could probably afford it one day category," aka under $800. We've narrowed hundreds of robot vacuums down to our Good, Better, and Best picks. To be clear, you couldn't go wrong buying any of these three, but we still made your pick a little easier by ranking them. 

Good: Neato Robotics D9

Photo Credit: Neato

If cute is your goal, Neato D9 may be the winner of nearly any robotic vacuum out there. Although, we will acknowledge that there's a clear way to make nearly any circular robot vacuum a true eye-pleaser.... anyway, back to the Neato D9. Neato isn't new to the robotic vacuum game, and has had a lot of time to perfect their craft. The Neato D3 and D5 were some of the best selling robot vacuums a few years ago, and the D9 is still an improvement!

Pros:

• Unique shape allows it to fit places other robot vacuums may struggle to navigate
• Extremely long battery life makes the Neato D9 a great choice for large homes. Like seriously, the 200 minutes that the D9 can run for puts its runtime in the range of much more expensive options.
• LiDAR guidance allows for easy navigation of your home, and should considerably lower the number of times this little guy slams into your coffee table. 

Cons:

• No automatic emptying -- you will have to empty this little guy out after each run.
• The ECO mode seems to just underperform. We would suggest never running your D9 in ECO mode. The suction power you need to clean your home just isn't there.
• The software started with a few hiccups -- you may find a few older reviews claiming the Neato D9 was having troubles returning to home before he died. Thankfully, Neato has fixed this via a software update.

The Neato Robotics D9 is available directly from Neato or from Amazon, Best Buy, Lowes, and Target. At the time of writing this, Amazon had the best price. 

Better: ECOVACS Robotics DEEBOT N8+

Photo Credit: ECOVACS

Take all the cons we just mentioned for the Neato D9, remove them, and you have the ECOVACS DEEBOT N8+. This thing is seriously impressive. If you are looking to buy now and never think about vacuuming again, the N8+ has got your back. Bonus - this is the only robotic vacuum on our list that vacuums and mops.

Pros:

• The N8+ is known for its home mapping ability. They call it, "Advanced laser-based LiDAR navigation with aerospace-standard dToF detection sensors TrueMapping" - we call it space magic. After just a few uses, it should be able to present you with a beautiful map of your home right on the ECOVACS app. From there, you can send it off to clean your whole home, avoid the kids' rooms (because let's be honest, they didn't pick-up their toys off the floor), or even schedule specific cleaning days/times for individual rooms. 
• The Auto-empty station makes it so you only have to empty your robot vacuum once a month, not every use.
• Like we said earlier, vacuuming and mopping. In one device. You're welcome.

Cons: 

• All of these great features do come at the expense of battery life. The 110-minute runtime puts it at the lowest on this list. That means no last second cleaning the whole home when you forgot the in-laws are coming.
• At 26.4 pounds, the DEEBOT N8+ is also the heaviest vacuum on this list. You won't be taking him on walks very often. 
• Limited 1-year warranty

The ECOVACS DEEBOT N8+ is available directly from ECOVACS or from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sam's Club. At the time of writing this, Best Buy had the best price. 

Best: Shark RV2502AE

Photo Credit: Shark

We promise to always be honest with you, so we'll be honest right now. If you want a robot vacuum/mop 2-1, turn back to the DEEBOT N8+ right now. The Shark RV2502AE is "only" a vacuum after all. That said, if you want the best vacuum on this list and the only one with a HEPA filter (bye-bye, allergens), then the Shark RV2502AE is clearly the winner. It has the features you would expect by this point (think auto-empty station, app control, home mapping, etc.), but it also has so much more.

Pros:

• Nothing cleans like UltraClean mode. UltraClean mode on the RV2502AE is a dirt, litter, hair, and crumbs nightmare. If you have truly dirty carpet, we cannot recommend the RC2502AE enough based on this feature alone. 
• Speaking of reducing cleaning... as the only robot vacuum on this list with a self cleaning brush head, you'll be responsible for way less maintenance.
• True HEPA filtration means that you don't have to worry as much about dust and allergens. 
• SharkClean is probably the best app on this list. We think you will love to see its cute "robot-hand-drawn" recreation of your floor plan.
• 3-year manufacturer's warranty

Cons:

• 120 minute runtime does put it at less than what we want to see. Batteries are expensive, and often one of the number one sacrifices vs. more expensive robot vacuums. 
• It's pretty loud when emptying itself. But thankfully, this is only for about 15 seconds at the end of each run.
• A HEPA filter means it catches more dirt and dust. That also means it will have to be replaced more often. 

The Shark RV2502AE is available directly from Shark or from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. At the time of writing this, Target had the best price.

Are Robot Vacuums Worth it? We Think so.

We understand the struggles in picking the perfect robot vacuum. Going through endless boring manufacturer websites (looking at you, Shark), reading customer reviews, and understanding which features are truly important can be quite a task. 

Between Shark, Bissel, ECOVACS, iRobot, Neato, Roborock, b0bsweep, Samsung, LG, and more, there are an unlimited amount of robot vacuums for you to chose from. But only three of them have the Good, Better, Best approval from Help Me Pick. 

We hope that you have enjoyed our 3-in-1 review of the Neato D9, review of the ECOVACS DEEBOT N8+, and review of the Shark RV2502AE. If you would like to see another review or comparison of a different robot vacuum, please let us know. We intend to revisit this topic in the future to create a review of the best-robot-vacuum-that-is-not-a-Roomba above $800 as well. Stay tuned!