Best Roomba Alternatives – Buying Advice & Complete Guide

Who wouldn’t want a robot vacuum? They can make your whole cleaning experience as easy & comfy as any vacuum, plus the main “Automatic” feature they use.

One of the most sophisticated robot vacuums is the Roomba, it provides sophisticated feels, alongside great performance, and intelligent devices.

But, despite the sophisticated feel it gives, it’s usually pricey and can make you spend more than you chew.

Does that mean you give up on the robot vacuums? Sure No.

In this article, I’ll talk about the best Roomba alternatives. Vacuums that can provide certain Roomba pros, without the pricey price tag it comes along with.

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Why You Should Trust Us?

Let’s say you face any issue in life, who do you go to? The Experts, that’s right!

As part of the CleanersAdvisor team, I conduct tens of hours of research on each device I review, and in this time, it’s not only the Roomba Brand I’m reviewing, it’s the Best Alternatives to Roomba, which means tens of other devices.

Multiply tens of devices with tens of hours of research for each device, you’ll figure out how much time I’ve put into researching for good Roomba alternatives.

Hop on, and enjoy the ride!

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Robot Vacuum Vs Traditional Vacuum

Although Robot vacuums can’t reach areas like curtains or upholstery, there is no doubt that there are good quality robot vacuums in the market that do an effective job of cleaning your floors.

Traditional vacuums can be heavy, using them may feel like a workout of sorts, cleaning them could feel like entering a beehive, but Robot Vacuums solved all those encounters.

Additionally, Robot vacuums can last a bit longer than traditional vacuums, depending on other factors of course, and you can check how long do vacuums last yourself.

Lightweight, efficient, time-saving, effortless, and using superb technology, those are the exceptional types of experiences that you’ll enjoy when obtaining a robot vacuum, in comparison to traditional vacuums.

Furthermore, a Detailed comparison between two budget-friendly Roomba models Roomba 675 Vs e5 can prove how those robot vacuums can provide so much to your house.

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What is Roomba?

Before I get deeper into the comparisons between the Roomba and its alternatives, what is Roomba exactly doing on the list of robot vacuums? How good is it?

Roomba is a vacuuming brand, specializing in developing Robot Vacuums. Robot vacuums are used mainly to clean for you, without the need to touch the dirt or the cleaning device at all.

Roomba is a famous worldwide powerful vacuum, that uses intelligent technologies, to improve users’ daily cleaning habits.

Furthermore, Roomba has a specific device for each type of floor you have, in addition to great overall options.

But, all of that comes at a price, that doesn’t come easy or affordable for many people.

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Why Search for Best Roomba Alternatives?

“With Great power, comes great responsibilities,” you’ve surely heard this quote like a hundred times in superhero movies, or read it in comic books, but it has a meaning close to ours as well.

Because, with great pros provided inside the Roomba, you have a responsibility to pay more for those ultimate features, if you don’t t then it’s a matter of priority ranking at best.

Do you need to pay around $900 for the Great iRobot Roomba S9+? You want to, but sometimes the priorities force you not to.

In this article, we’ll help you search for the Best Roomba Alternatives that come at a cheaper price while obtaining the features you seek in an advanced Roomba vacuum.

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List of Best Alternatives to Roomba

This is where you find the list of vacuums, that we found to be budget-friendly & efficient, compared to Roomba robot vacuums.

What we want in those Alternatives to Roomba, is to have strong suction power, accurate and intelligent sensors for detecting obstacles and walls, a lightweight shape that can navigate smoothly, and smart apps to schedule.

Moreover, if the robot vacuum can operate for 110-120 minutes before it needs to recharge, that’s more than optimal for our list.

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Affordable Roomba Alternative by Feature

To sum up the whole article, this is our list of the good Roomba alternatives, depending on its main feature that comes at an affordable price compared to Roomba.

Now, let’s dive deeper into each alternative separately.

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1. eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S

So, why is the eufy RoboVac 11S on our list?

Eufy RoboVac 11S Features

Powerful and effective

When you face cheap devices anywhere in your search for high-tech-based machines, it’s common to think that a cheaper machine means a less effective or powerful one, with RoboVac 11S, it’s not.

This device is powerful, it’s effective, and judging by tens of reviews of the vacuum, its price didn’t interfere with its capability to clean small rooms at all.

Cleaning bare floors and short-pile rugs is eufy’s 11S special, while moving to deep pile carpets, it’ll require working the highest power mode to achieve results, and it does.

Extremely Quiet

Take another look at the featured image of this device, it’ll literally operate beside a sleeping baby, that’s how quiet the eufy RoboVac 11S can be.

While surfing through tens of user reviews online, a handful of users who obtained the vacuum affirmed that you’ll barely notice it running even when you’re in the same room with it.

Despite the fact that this feature doesn’t come cheap, this affordable vacuum achieved it.

Affordable

I managed to revolve this list around the most affordable alternative to Roomba, and eufy’s 11S is as affordable as you’d like it to be.

Eufy RoboVac 11S comes at nearly a quarter of iRobot Roomba S9+’s price, that’s how low its price has reached.

Average dustbin size

Being an affordable robot vacuum means sacrificing some small parts of the device, not entirely, but partially, and the eufy sacrificed part of its dustbin size.

Normally, you’d want a dustbin that has more space, so it doesn’t get filled up so fast.

 However, eufy RoboVac 11S only has the size of 1.5 cups for its dustbin (0.6L), which is considered average at best.

Decent Power Time

By power time we mean, the duration of the cleaning session before the vacuum runs out of power.

For the eufy 11S, it can last up to 100 minutes at low power, and only 49 at high power.

This can only be considered decent, as you’d want it to operate for a longer time if you have bigger rooms.

Eufy RoboVac 11S Vs Roomba

As we set our eyes on the Roomba’s S9+, let’s make a small comparison to detect differences between them:

	Eufy RoboVac 11S	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	Effectively Powerful	Extremely Powerful
Noise	Quiet	Quiet
Price	Affordable	Expensive
Power Time	Decent	Long

Eufy RoboVac 11S Verdict

This table shows that despite the huge difference in price between both robot vacuums when you can’t afford the Roomba S9+, the RoboVac 11S can provide effective results with little money.

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2. Ecovacs Deebot 500

How did Ecovacs Deebot 500 enter this list of Best Roomba alternatives?

Ecovacs Deebot 500 Features

High Power Suction

Being an affordable vacuum is the main feature for joining this list, but the Ecovacs 500 made its way to this list by also being decently great, in many aspects, including the main aspect, the suction power.

Its valuable asset is being able to clean hard floors and carpets at power, despite the low price tag it has, and if your house is covered with shag carpets, make sure to check the best vacuum for shag carpets.

Moreover, there are way too many more powerful vacuums but rarely found at the budget-friendly price of the Ecovacs 500.

Intelligent connections

As I mentioned in the vacuum’s introduction, the Ecovacs 500 can be connected to both Google Assistant and Alexa, which is a huge plus in the world of smart devices.

This has improved the users’ experience immensely, as single commands and scheduling are usually done through such systems.

Furthermore, if you still like to manage it manually, the Ecovacs has a remote control as well.

Gentle and Quiet

One of the best features I found in the Ecovacs Deebot 500, is the gentle touches it provides to the walls and obstacles it faces.

Moreover, the vacuum’s trip throughout the room is really quiet, you rarely feel its presence, and the noise it makes can hardly reach 60db.

Average battery

Ecovacs’ user manual states that the vacuum – fully charged- can work up to 110 minutes, but is that what users really experienced?

User reviews said that the Ecovacs Deebot 500 can work for 90 minutes at low power, and sometimes only 10 minutes at high power, in contrast to the 50 minutes advertised.

Less than Average Dustbin Size

Managing the dustbin size may have been a hard task for the people behind the Ecovacs Deebot 500, as they have a really small dustbin size.

It has space for only 0.52L of collected dust, which can make the vacuums trip to the house’s main bin more often than needed.

Ecovacs Deebot 500 Vs Roomba

	Ecovacs Deebot 500	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	Decently Powerful	Extremely Powerful
Noise	Quiet	Quiet
Price	Affordable	Expensive
Battery	Average	Long
Dustbin Size	Too Small	Big

Ecovacs Deebot 500 Verdict

Ecovacs Deebot scores high in terms of power and noise, at a great price, with great intelligent connections to Alexa and Google Assistant.

However, it has sacrificed a portion of its battery life to be an affordable Roomba alternative, while the small dustbin size is also a downgrade.

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3. ILIFE V3s Pro

The following features will explain how the ILIFE V3s made its way through to our list.

ILIFE V3s Pro Features

Powerful Suction

Despite being at a real economic price, the ILIFE V3s Pro has a real powerful suction power.

It works best on hard floors, low-pile carpets, tile floors, stone floors, and laminate floors.

However, such suction power dissolves when cleaning medium- to high-pile carpets, so, if your house is mainly covered by hard floors, this is your robot vacuum that works as an alternative to Roomba.

Single Power Setting

Some find this a con to the vacuum, others say otherwise, but, it’s still considered a main feature of the vacuum.

The ILIFE V3s Pro works only at 1 power option, the high power setting, so there is no need to change powers for different reasons.

Moreover, the vacuum can operate for 100-110 minutes, before it automatically returns back to its dock to self-recharge.

Random Navigation

When you turn on the ILIFE V3s robot vacuum, it uses a random navigation system that doesn’t use a laser-guided navigation route, only a sensor guiding one that detects near objects.

You’ll notice that the vacuum will hit the obstacle before going back, more often than other laser-guided vacuums, but at this price, it’s considered rare to find any laser-guided vacuums at all.

Furthermore, the ILIFE V3s come with a remote control that can organize the directions of the vacuum, in addition to various scheduling commands.

Tiny Dustbin Size

Seems like a pattern, doesn’t it? Nearly all budget-friendly robot vacuums that can be considered good Roomba alternatives have a relatively small dustbin size.

However, the ILIFE V3s have a significantly tiny dustbin size, at only 0.3L.

This is considerably small and can lead to stopping multiple times to empty the dustbin, more often than you’d like to.

ILIFE V3s Pro Vs Roomba

	ILIFE V3s Pro	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	High Suction Power	Extremely Powerful
Price	Affordable	Expensive
Navigation	Random	Intelligent System
Dustbin Size	Too Tiny	Big

ILIFE V3s Pro Verdict

The ILIFE V3s Pro can compete with the Roomba in terms of Price and Suction power (relatively), but the affordability comes at another price.

Dustbin’s size is too tiny and can cause inconvenience, while random navigation systems can’t compete with Roomba’s intelligent navigation systems.

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4. Neato BotVac D5 Connected

What makes Neato BotVac D5 join the list of good Roomba alternatives?

Neato BotVac D5 Features

Powerful Suction

Imagine obtaining a robot vacuum that has great suction power similar to that of upright vacuums? That’s exactly the case with Neato BotVac D5.

It has relatively high suction power that works well on hard floors and carpets alike.

Affordable price

It comes at a higher cost than nearly all Roomba alternatives, but it’s still affordable and considered one of the Cheap Roomba Alternatives.

Furthermore, users’ reviews implied that replacement parts are also easy to come by and run lower than the industry average in price.

Decent Power Time

Although it takes the Neato BotVac D5 around 150 minutes to fully charge, it can only operate for nearly 90 minutes (+-10minutes) according to multiple users.

This is enough for a small house, while bigger houses require more than a single trip from the Neato BotVac D5 to completely clean the house.

Laser-guided navigation System

I told you it’s rare to find a robot vacuum at a $200 price powered by a laser-guided navigation system, but this Neato BotVac D5 doesn’t come at $200, yet it has an intelligent system of navigation.

Neato BotVac D5 is powered by a state-of-art laser-guided navigation system, that provides a more accurate and precise movement of the robot cleaner around the room.

This means, less time spent on random navigation, and more time on cleaning around the room.

Bigger dustbin Size

The Neato D5 has a bigger dustbin size than the previously reviewed best Roomba alternatives on this list.

It has a capacity of 0.7L, but users have complained about cleaning the bin for quite some time already.

They have faced hurdles in removing layers of attachments inside the dustbin, before being able to clean it out.

Neato BotVac D5 Vs Roomba

	ILIFE V3s Pro	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	Great Suction Power	Extremely Powerful
Price	Decent	Expensive
Power Time	Decent	Long
Navigation	Laser-Guided System	Intelligent System
Dustbin Size	Relatively Big	Big

Neato BotVac D5 Verdict

My verdict for the Neato D5 is that it comes with great suction power that can get the job done, but that has reduced the operation time of the battery.

Moreover, a laser-guided navigation system is ideal for such a device, making its laps around the house, smarter and more accurate.

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5. bObSweep PetHair Plus

Let’s dive deeper into this affordable Roomba alternative:

bObSweep PetHair Plus features

Multi-Tasking Vacuum

As I said in the introduction, the bObSweep PetHair Plus offers sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping services, at a really affordable price, making its weight in gold in terms of multi-tasking.

We have a list of the best vacuum mop combo for that multi-tasking type of vacuum.

Moreover, it’s able to clean hard floors and can do a decent job cleaning low-pile carpets.

UV light sterilization

Didn’t find such features in any other alternative to Roomba, right? bObSweep PetHair Plus has an internal UV Light sterilization system that adds a new layer of protection to your clean house.

This UV light can kill any bacteria on the floor, while the vacuum runs for its cleaning routine.

Allergies are also kept at bay, as the bObSweep PetHair Plus contains an advanced HEPA filtration system.

Large Dustbin

As the price of the bObSweep PetHair Plus isn’t as low as the first products reviewed on this list, it’s still not expensive too, which created room for improvement for the dustbin.

The dustbin comes at a 1.0L size, which is considerably more space than previously reviewed vacuum alternatives to Roomba.

bObSweep PetHair Plus Vs Roomba

	bObSweep PetHair Plus	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	High Suction Power	Extremely Powerful
Price	Decent	Expensive
Power Time	Less than Decent	Long
Navigation	Random	Intelligent System
Dustbin Size	Big	Big

bObSweep PetHair Plus Verdict

bObSweep PetHair Plus scores high compared to the Roomba, in terms of price and dustbin size, in addition to the allergies and bacteria treatments.

However, it still runs at lower power times, and the navigation system needs improvement, but still at an affordable price.

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6. Roborock S4 Max

How did it find its way to the Best Cheap Roomba Alternatives? Let’s find out.

Roborock S4 Max Features

Excellent cleaning

At a great suction power, the Roborock S4 Max provides an excellent cleaning experience, at the aforementioned affordable price.

It’s what you want from a vacuum, don’t you? And the Roborock provides.

It excels at cleaning hardwood floors, in addition to low-to-medium pile carpets.

Smart Home Compatibility

The more compatible the vacuum can be, the better for your experience.

The Roborock S4 Max is compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant systems.

This means easy scheduling & mapping all in one place.

LiDAR navigation

From Smart compatibility, we move on to smart navigation. The Roborock S4 Max has an internal advanced LiDAR navigation system.

This system allows the vacuum to operate accurately and quickly at the same time, without the need to compromise one for the other.

However, users reported that if the home isn’t divided inside the vacuum’s system using the app, it will not work as efficiently as you’d want it to be.

Long Battery Life

One of the main features of the Roborock S4 Max is its long battery life.

As I said earlier, the 90-110 minutes can sometimes be ideal or efficient enough, but the Roborock exceeded that entirely.

It has 180 minutes of battery life, enough to fully clean a couple of medium-large-sized rooms.

Small Dustbin Size

One of the downsides to the Roborock S4 Max is the teeny-tiny dustbin size.

It has a capacity of 0.46L only, which is less than ideal for a really smart and efficient vacuum.

This will normally mean you’ll have to stop multiple times through the operation, to empty the tiny dustbin.

Roborock S4 Max Vs Roomba

	Roborock S4 Max	iRobot Roomba S9+
Power	High Suction Power	Extremely Powerful
Price	Medium	Expensive
Compatibility	Alexa + Google Assistant	Alexa + Google Assistant
Power Time	Relatively Long	Long
Navigation	LiDAR System	Intelligent System
Dustbin Size	Tiny	Big

Roborock S4 Max Verdict

The comparison between Roborock S4 Max and Roomba S9+ may not come in favour of the first, but being an affordable vacuum, the S4 has its merits too.

With high suction power and relatively long power time, the Roborock S4 Max has some features to brag about.

However, its navigation system isn’t as smart as the S9+’s, in addition to the tiny dustbin size it has.

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To Wrap Up

Roomba is one of the finest Robot Vacuum Brands ever, but it’s a bit expensive despite the great features.

That’s when less expensive and more affordable brands come into play.

I gathered them in this article and planted a table of comparison at the end of each vacuum, so you can closely compare the pros & cons of those vacuums, compared to almighty Roomba.

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References