The 4 best self-emptying robot vacuums for hands-off cleaning in 2025

The Eufy X10 Pro Omni is a seriously clutch find for shoppers who prioritize a "set it and forget it" robot vacuum experience and are willing to pay more than $500 — but not toe the $1,000 mark — for that peace of mind. The hands-off experience here includes automatic avoidance of small obstacles like cords and a self-washing and drying mopping pad system. The fanciest-ever Eufy vac offers both these features for as low as $679.99 on sale.

Between the large water tank and a battery life that outruns (sometimes even doubles) many pricier competitors, the X10 Pro Omni is a smart choice for large homes with multiple stories. You can squeeze hours of cleaning out of the X10 Pro without it returning to the dock to refill or recharge. A substantial chunk of that square footage would ideally be hard floors, as this Eufy's dual pressurized mopping pad system doesn't deserve to collect dust (cleaning pun definitely intended).

This is the first time any Eufy robot vacuum's self-emptying dock can also self-refill the bot's water tank and self-wash and dry the mop pads. The self-washing and drying aspect especially is a bullet point that's rarely seen in the sub-$1,000 price range — the other robot vacuums that debuted at CES 2024 are evidence of that. Even iRobot's $1,399 Roomba Combo j9+ doesn't do that.

As impressive as the all-in-one station is, the X10 Pro Omni's cleaning proficiency is also noteworthy. In terms of suction power, 8,000 Pa is quite high, not just in this price range but in general. The power proved itself in my testing, successfully removing matted-down cat hair from a low-pile rug and spilled rice from a medium-pile rug and surrounding hardwood flooring, including against the wall. During mopping, the spinning mopping pads were able to wipe up spilled wine that had been drying for several hours, as well as visibly remove dusty cat paw prints near the litter box.

The presence of small obstacle avoidance seals the X10 Pro Omni's bang for your buck status. It's another feature rarely seen at this price point. I cherish this feature a little extra, as there's bound to be a phone charger, catnip mouse, or blanket tufts on my floor at any given moment. Aside from a blip involving a bath mat mistaken for a towel (and an annoying quirk in the Eufy app that doesn't let you dismiss an incorrectly-pinged obstacle), the X10 Pro Omni accurately identified and avoided most cords and socks in my home.

Read my full review of the Eufy X10 Pro Omni.

First and foremost, the Shark Matrix RV2300S is obviously the best contender for folks who aren't trying to go all out spending-wise on a robot vacuum. Though this Shark model does vacuum more meticulously than many other basic bots, it'd probably be best in a low-traffic home where light daily upkeep is all that's needed — whether that's a home with no pets (maybe one, if shedding is light), a home with low foot traffic, or a small apartment.

Speaking of small spaces, this is the most compact dock on the list, making it ideal for apartments or other tight squeezes that may not have much floor space for one of those bigger full-fledged docks.

It's pretty rare to find LiDAR smart home mapping plus self-emptying near the $300 mark, even if that self-emptying only lasts for a month or so versus longer capacity on bigger docks. (Though in my experience, the RV23000S lasted much longer than a month before I had to empty it.)

Shark even goes past the satisfactory-at-best clean that you typically get when opting for a brand's cheapest robot vacuum. Shark's signature Matrix spot cleaning mode tackles debris in a crosshatch pattern to grab anything that was missed on the original pass. I was impressed by how thoroughly this base-tier Shark model kept up with my kitty litter-covered bathroom floor on a daily basis, even if it did miss some rogue pieces of debris along the walls.

If you've confirmed that you definitely want a Roomba, the next question is obviously which one. Your budget will have the most convincing power, and those hoping to stay under or near the $500 mark have two options: the Combo i5+ and Combo j5+. The first is cheaper, but the latter has small obstacle avoidance technology. Whether it's kids' toys, pet toys, strewn laundry, cords, or any other small items that might be hanging out on the floor, the Combo j5+ is the better choice for homes that aren't 100 percent tidy all of the time.

Alternatively, the Combo j5+ isn't the most thorough Roomba and isn't the most thorough robot vacuum in its price range. To pick it over the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 or the Eufy X9 Pro, you'd have to prioritize smooth navigation and staying in the iRobot ecosystem over deep cleaning of carpets or powerful scrubbing of hard floors.

Of the handful of self-emptying Roombas, the Combo j5+ is the best value if you can find it on sale for near or under $400 (which it often is). Almost no other self-emptying robot vacuums in the $400 price range add small obstacle avoidance to their list of features, making this Roomba less likely to need supervision than its peers. In my experience, iRobot's small obstacle avoidance has next to no slip-ups. Multiple j Series Roombas (including this one) consistently steer clear of various cords, shoes, and socks in my apartment, as well as correctly differentiate between a bath rug that needs to be cleaned and a towel that should be avoided.

One area where the Combo j5+ does require a bit of babysitting is the switch to mopping mode. Unlike the Combo j7+, the Combo j5+ doesn't have a built-in mop that knows to stop mopping on certain floors. Instead, you need to be around to manually attach the mopping pad and water tank to make it mop, or detach it to let the Combo j5+ vacuum carpet. Even though the Combo j5+'s mopping and suction power are a little basic, they're sufficient in most low-traffic homes. Plus, the presence of iRobot's best feature (small obstacle avoidance) and the same chic auto-empty dock as the pricier Combo j7+ make up for the middling cleaning.

I also noticed that the Combo j5+'s auto-empty bin went much longer without needing to be dumped than the advertised two-ish months, at least with usage about every other day.