The 4 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Somewhere, there’s a joke to be made about the predatory nature of sharks (the animal), and how Sharks (the vacuums) prey on the messes our animals leave behind. All puns aside, this is an impressive vacuum-and-mop combo machine that has enough bells and whistles to make your life easier, while not being over-the-top with unnecessary extras that inflate the price. 

What makes it so great? I’m going to introduce a few features that are included with this robot vacuum that are going to come up again among our picks.

• Self-emptying: Since robot vacuums are fairly compact, they don’t hold a ton of dirt and grime (compare the size of an upright vacuum’s dust bin to that of a robot vacuum and you’ll see what I mean). So, after (or in some cases, during) a robot’s cleaning session, the dust that’s been collected needs a place to go. Older robot vacuums would require the user (you or me) to open up the vacuum, remove the container, and empty it into the trash manually. (But remember how small it is? It would need to be frequently emptied, a pain for users). However, many newer models, like the Shark Matrix Plus, have a larger container within the charging base, and an automated mechanism that transfers the dirt from the robot vacuum into, essentially, a larger holding chamber that needs to be emptied far less frequently (up to 60 days, according to Shark, but your mileage may vary depending on your home, cleaning habits, and how much your furry friends shed).
• Mapping: Remember how, when robot vacuums hit the scene in the early aughts, they were a bit awkward and bumped into things? They’ve come a long, long way since then. As you can probably guess by the term “mapping,” they’re now engineered to assess your space and create their own path—maps—around furniture and other obstacles. Depending on the model, this map may even be interactive via an app, and something you can use to set up cleaning areas. Now, the effectiveness of each robot’s mapping is going to vary, but in the case of Shark Matrix Plus, we were very pleased. There’s an app, and setting up the cleaning zones can feel tedious, but it’s a small part of ownership so we’re not sweating it too much.

Still with me? Great! These two functions—self-emptying and mapping—are what really make newer robot vacuums, including this one, feel like a game-changer in your cleaning routine. Along with these top-notch features, the Shark Matrix Plus also serves as a robot mop, with a small water dispenser designed inside the vacuum and a corresponding mop pad that cleans and scrubs when this setting is in use.

Now, as wonderful as it is to have a machine mop your floors for you, know that the mop setting does affect this robot’s ability to self-empty into the charging stand, so you’ll need to stay on top of that (the microfiber mop pads will need to be washed too; they are reusable). 

The other notable perk with this robot vacuum, though, is that it features a true HEPA filter to collect and contain microscopic dust and dander as small as 0.3 microns. All of our recommended robot vacs have effective filters, but certified HEPA filters aren’t a given among them (our runner-up is the only other pick on our list that offers it). This type of filter makes this pick a great choice for homes trying to curb allergens, too. 

^{Battery Life: 90 minutes | Mapping: Yes | Self-Emptying: Yes | Smart Capabilities: Programmable schedule, object avoidance, Matrix Clean Navigation, CleanEdge Technology, sonic mopping}

This is the very machine that’s in my house right now, and it’s turned me into someone who tries to work vacuums into casual conversations so I can talk about it (and yes, I am fun at parties, why do you ask?). It’s really the best of both worlds—or to be specific, the best of three worlds: a robot vacuum, a robot mop, and a cordless stick vacuum (that even converts to a handheld vacuum). And not only does the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo masterfully handle each one, but it also exceeded my expectations across the board. 

To illustrate how this machine has made a marked difference in the condition and appearance of my floors, I have a few stories about what life with this robot is like:

• One time, I thought I could outsmart it by putting it on the lower level of my home and “tricking” it into vacuuming there, but it could tell immediately that it was in a new space, and it automatically started mapping it. This “incident” is also how I figured out that it’ll map and then clean multiple spaces. I just needed to allow it to map the second level, and now I can toggle between maps on the app. Single-floor usage is a frequent pain point among robot vacuums that’s slowly but surely getting remedied by models like this one; and this element makes it a much better fit for my split-level house than expected.
• At any given time, there are multiple vacuums in my house (I write and test for The Spruce; it comes with the territory), but the cordless stick vacuum that comes with this set is one that I will go out of my way to use for spot-cleaning and on stairs. It’s not quite as strong as the upright Shark vacuum I also use regularly (that is the Shark AZ1002 Apex Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum, for the record), but this slimmer vac is downright efficient, has a HEPA filter, and handles stairs and baseboards better than similar cordless stick vacuums from other brands. 
• When I neglected to run this robot vacuum for a few days, all of a sudden, I started noticing small paw print-sized marks on our hard floor, a testament to how well it had been handling these subtle smudges. 

The robot itself (which is sold alone as the Deebot X2 Omni) does impressively well with self-emptying, and it self-cleans, too. On that note, the automatic mop pad washing is the sort of stuff that dreams are made of. I’ve used enough carpet and upholstery cleaning machines to understand (and sometimes dread) the real reality of maintaining a machine that has clean and dirty water tanks. This vacuum set makes that a non-issue. You have to refill the clean tank and empty the dirty tank, but I haven’t touched the mop pads at all—even after weeks of running this machine multiple times every week. The mop pads are both washed and dried after usage, and the robot even steers itself back to the base to wash them at regular intervals during cleaning sessions, so it’s not smearing dirt and grime while it runs.

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo is the priciest pick on our list, and it can feel like a luxury opposed to a cleaning necessity, which is why we’ve given it a “best overall, runner-up” designation. But, once the sticker shock has worn off, it’s important to note that what you’re getting is about as close to full-service floor cleaning as we’ve seen. It’s not perfect; I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re tech-averse. Relatedly, some features feel buried in the app, so you need to spend some time exploring to really take full advantage.

I have also had to unclog hair in the dust bin of the cordless vacuum, which isn’t ideal. But, if you’re in the mood to splurge and ready to turn into someone who works floor cleaning into your everyday chit-chat (like me), it’s the set for you. 

^{Battery Life: 210 minutes (robot) | Mapping: Yes (robot) | Self-Emptying: Yes (both robot and stick vacuum) | Smart Capabilities: Programmable schedule, 3D mapping, AI-powered obstacle avoidance, voice assistant}

I don’t know how the wizards at Ecovacs managed to make such a high-performing robot vacuum for less than $500, but I’m here for it. Since it’s from the same brand behind the best overall, runner-up combo set I gushed about above, you can expect some of the same perks and features, but in a more stripped-down package that requires a bit more hands-on effort from you. 

To start, the Ecovacs T9+ Robot Vacuum and Mop has all the basics covered. It has effective suction and smooth mopping that you can run simultaneously, and it maps rooms and maneuvers well (it has what the brand calls TrueDetect 3D technology which translates to “it steers around any temporary obstacles like a snoozing pet”). The programming is also reliable—during our months-long testing process, it updated us when the brush and filter needed replacing.

So, what warrants the price difference between this and other options from the brand that are two and three times the cost? The biggest difference users will experience is maintenance. You’ll install the disposable mop pads yourself and add water to the machine when it’s time to mop, and then you will also remove the disposable mop pads and toss them after cleaning, too. (This means you will want to be prepared to purchase more when it’s time to replace them, or swap them for this washable set, which will require cleaning, too.) These aren’t difficult steps, but they are steps nonetheless that are noticeably absent from more expensive models. 

Plus, when we tested this in a home with a Shiba Inu mix, it sometimes needed some extra attention to accommodate the copious amounts of fur, which meant more frequent checking and emptying of the dust bin (every other day or so). People with smaller animals or breeds that don’t shed as much will likely be able to go longer, though. 

There is one feature this option has that none of the others do, though; a built-in air freshener that you use by installing small capsules. Your usage of this option comes down to personal preference though, and full disclosure, it didn’t really prove to be a game-changer for us during testing. But we could see it being a huge plus for some households (not pointing fingers at any specific animals or breeds though!).

^{Battery Life: 180 minutes | Mapping: Yes | Self-Emptying: Yes | Smart Capabilities: Programmable schedule, object avoidance, flooring identification, 3D mapping, mobile fragrance}

Yes, you can still find robot vacuums that don’t have built-in mops, and Roomba j7+ is an excellent example. It’s just as technologically slick as other options, but the sum total of its awesomeness isn’t divided between both a vacuum and a mop—it’s all vacuum (from well-known brand iRobot Roomba, at that). 

In practice, that means great suction power on carpet and hard flooring, reliable mapping, and an intuitive app where you manage it all. For pet owners in particular, we didn’t really find a difference in its effectiveness based on the flooring type; whether it was on a hard surface or a rug, it zapped up pet hair and other dirt well. It has a side-sweeping brush (many robot vacuums do nowadays), and we noticed how, in particular, it does a nice job clearing fuzz from baseboards and other edges. 

It’s subtle and quiet in its operation, too—so if your pets (or any human members of your household) are very sensitive to noise, it’s unlikely to bother them too much. The one exception to this rule is when it self-empties into the charging base; that mechanism is louder than its standard operation (I’ve yet to meet a robot vacuum where this isn’t the case, though). 

The j7+ also promises to avoid obstacles, including temporary ones like pet toys that rolled in front of it or surprise messes like pet accidents. Roomba has given this feature the tongue-in-cheek name of P.O.O.P, which stands for Pet Owners Official Promise. The brand even promises to replace your j7+ if it doesn’t avoid certain cat or dog messes. 

If you’re considering this robot vacuum, you should know that after our months-long testing, we noticed a slight uptick in fur and hair getting caught in the rollers, and felt it necessary to revisit the map and reset its route—both of these are easy and minor fixes though, and we’re otherwise still raving about this vacuum-only pick. 

^{Battery Life: 90 minutes | Mapping: Yes | Self-Emptying: Yes | Smart Capabilities: Alexa and Google compatible, smart charge and resume, visual navigation, custom cleaning routine, on-demand cleaning, obstacle avoidance}