The 10 Best Robot Vacuums Under $100
Are you interested in buying a robot vacuum? If so, you probably noticed that these vacuums are somewhat costly.
Robots are revolutionary when it comes to floor maintenance, so don’t let the price talk you out of getting one, especially since many cost less than $100.
Need some help buying one? If so, read below to discover the best robots under $100 using our buyer’s guide to pick what suits you the best.
Short on time? Discover our top affordable robot picks:
- Best Robot with Mopping Cloth – Knox Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Mopping Cloth
- Best Affordable Option for Pet Hair – PURE CLEAN Vacuum Pet Hair Cleaner
- Best Low Profile Option – Pure Clean Robot Vacuum Cleaner
- Versatile Choice for All Floor Types – Golongele Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner
- Ideal for Bare Floors – FOONEE Robot Vacuum Cleaner
| Product Name | Profile | Weight | Run Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 2.9" | 1 lbs | 90 min |
| PURE CLEAN Vacuum Pet Hair Cleaner | 2.9" | 3.53 lbs | 55 min |
| Pure Clean Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 2.9" | 3.53 lbs | 55 min |
| Belovedkai Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 1.7 cm | Unknown | 120 min |
| Golongele Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 2.9" | 6.3 lbs | 90 min |
| ECOVACS DEEBOT N78 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner | 3.27" | 9.7 lbs | 110 min |
| OOOUSE Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 74 mm | 2.65 lbs | 100 min |
| FOONEE Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 2.6" | 2.43 lbs | 90 min |
| Evosummer Robot Vacuum Cleaner | 2.5" | 2.35 lbs | 90 min |
Top Rated Robot Vacuums Under 100
Knox Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Mopping Cloth
(Best Robot with Mopping Cloth)
Knox robot is a versatile cleaner that’s suitable for different surfaces. It picks up hairs, crumbs, dirt, and debris from hardwood, tile, vinyl, and other bare floors.
The one-touch power-up technology allows ease of use and minimal effort on your part. This is ideal for busy people who don’t have the time to maintain the floors as frequently.
The robot features dual filters that keep all the vacuumed particles inside the canister.
It’s equipped with anti-fall cliff sensors that automatically detect edges and gaps, preventing the robot vacuum from falling down the stairs or other areas. It also has a smart bumper sensor that helps it during contact with walls and other obstacles.
This one comes with a mopping cloth and pad to use with its mopping feature. Its battery lasts some 90 minutes, requiring an hour to recharge.
Pros
- Smart sensors
- Vacuums and mops
- 2.9” low profile
Cons
- Not for carpets
PURE CLEAN Vacuum Pet Hair Cleaner
(Best Affordable Option for Pet Hair)
If you’re looking for the best robot vacuum under $100 for pet hair, this might be your best option. This one features an upgraded battery that lasts for up to 90 minutes, providing continuous 1200pa suction.
It’s a wireless robot that works on tile, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, as well as area rugs and low-pile carpets. It features anti-fall cliff sensors that detect all the gaps and edges, preventing the robot from falling.
Thanks to its 2.9” thin low profile, the robot vacuum can easily fit under most furniture. This helps deliver more thorough cleaning, which is especially important if you have pets.
Pure Clean is allergy-friendly, featuring a dust filter that keeps all the fine dust trapped inside. The dust cup is easy to empty, although you’ll have to do that rather frequently.
Pros
- Dual rotating brushes
- Protective bumper housing
- Self-programmed cleaning path navigation
Cons
- It takes approx. 5 hours to recharge
Pure Clean Robot Vacuum Cleaner
(Best Low Profile Option)
This Pure Clean looks the same as the one we reviewed earlier, but the two aren’t the same. This one is better suited for people who don’t have pets as it cannot pick up hairs as efficiently.
However, it comes with air filters that trap tiny allergens and dust, expelling only clean air. Its powerful suction helps prevent clogging, picking up everything from small to large debris.
The robot vacuum features smart sensors that help it avoid cliffs and other similar obstacles. It has a bumper sensor that helps it go from one area to another without damaging anything on the way.
Its 2.9” thin low profile allows it to fit under furniture, cleaning the remote areas regardless of the floor surface. On top of that, the detachable dust bin is easy to empty and clean at any time.
It has two spinning auto side brushes that extend its reach, picking up all the dirt and dust from corners.
Pros
- 55 minutes of run time
- Rotating side brushes
- Low profile
Cons
- Somewhat loud
Belovedkai Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner
This automatic robot vacuum features several modes and mopping features that help you achieve clean and shiny floors. It cleans everything from hair, fur, dust, allergens, and other particles on hard floors.
It has a specific dual-core chip with several sensors and a motor control co-processor. It’s also equipped with SLAM technology, allowing you to adjust routes and speed.
It features smart mapping, detecting, and planning routes to clean the area in the most efficient way. It has several modes, allowing spot-cleaning, mopping, low-speed cleaning, and high-speed cleaning.
Its battery lasts approximately 120 minutes, requiring some 3 to 4 hours to recharge fully. Also, it’s important to note that it doesn’t work on thick carpets as it tends to get stuck in the long fibers.
Specifications
- Wattage: 20
- Charging Time: 200-300 min
- Run Time: 120 min
Pros
- High cleaning power
- Long battery life
- A few cleaning modes
Cons
- Not for carpets
Golongele Automatic Robot Vacuum Cleaner
(Versatile Choice for All Floor Types)
Golongele is a versatile and unique robot vacuum that’s ideal for hands-free floor maintenance. It’s designed to work on hard floors, although it can tackle area rugs and low-profile carpets as well.
It comes with remote control, allowing you to clean tiles, low-pile carpets and hardwood with ease. Its low profile housing and powerful suction ensure that every bit of dust ends up inside the dirt cup.
This one has four cleaning modes with side brushes that sweep away hiding debris. You can choose between auto, edge, powerful, and random modes, depending on your needs and preferences at the time.
Although this wireless robot vacuum is made to make cleaning simpler, it does lack a few things. Its biggest drawback is that it doesn’t go back to its charging base. Once it runs out of battery life, it will stay where it is.
Pros
- 2.9” low profile
- Four different cleaning modes
- Remote control
Cons
- It doesn’t go back to its dock
ECOVACS DEEBOT N78 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
Ecovacs Deebot N78 is one of the best for allergy-prone people and everyone who lives with pets. It is powerful enough to clean long hairs, dust, and particles, leaving clean floors behind.
Its high-efficiency filtration system ensures that none of the vacuumed debris and particles end up back into your breathing space. This is especially suitable for people who are sensitive to dust.
It’s also equipped with smart, infrared sensors that help the robot vacuum avoid furniture and stairs. It makes it easy for the vacuum to go from one room to another, crossing doorsteps with ease.
This one features automatic charging and scheduling, which allows you to set it up to your preferences and needs. Before it runs out of battery, the robot will go back to its charging base to recharge before picking up where it left off.
Pros
- Automatic recharging
- Infrared sensors
- Easy to empty
Cons
- It doesn’t clean corners
OOOUSE Robot Vacuum Cleaner
This is a versatile and easy-to-use robot vacuum cleaner that’s suitable for combined flooring. It works on hard floors as well as carpeted areas, although it might struggle with high-pile carpets.
It has strong suction, picking up everything from dust to debris. It features a few cleaning pattern modes, including auto and random, as well as spiral, and edge modes. This makes the robot vacuum quite versatile, ensuring that no dirt is left behind.
Another thing worth mentioning is its Smart Self-Program that maps the area. It serves to find the best and most efficient cleaning route.
It has filters that keep all the dust particles trapped inside, ensuring that they don’t return back into your space. Its rechargeable battery runs for about 100 minutes, needing some 120 minutes to recharge.
Specifications
- Profile: 74 mm
- Wattage: 3
- Run Time: 100 min
Pros
- Several cleaning modes
- Efficient filtration
- Fits under furniture
Cons
- Requires frequent emptying
FOONEE Robot Vacuum Cleaner
(Ideal for Bare Floors)
Foonee is a powerful 3-in-1 robot under $100 ideal for all kinds of bare floors. It’s meant for sweeping and wet/dry mopping, ensuring that your floors are clean and spotless.
It has two side brushes that extend its overall reach, picking up dust and debris from corners and edges as well. On top of that, its bottom rag design allows easy mopping and wiping.
The robot vacuum is thin and quiet. It’s only 2.6 inches, so it can easily fit under furniture without getting stuck. It makes minimal noise, and it won’t disturb your household while working.
It comes with a 1200 mah lithium-ion battery that lasts about 90 minutes. It takes about 150 minutes to recharge, which it does via the USB cable included in the package. Plus, this one has infrared sensors that help it avoid a collision.
Pros
- Vacuum and mopping
- Avoids dropping and colliding
- Low profile
Cons
- Not for high-pile carpets
Evosummer Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Evosummer is another 3-in-1 robot vacuum that costs less than 100 dollars, which is a great deal given its specifications and features. It has dual rotating brushes and 360° driving that extends its reach, helping to cover larger areas.
Its bottom rag design allows the vacuum to easily wipe water stains, mopping, and cleaning different hard surfaces. Its Smart Self-Program helps the vacuum to navigate around the area, covering all nooks and crannies.
It measures only 2.5 inches in height, so it easily fits under furniture, picking up dirt that’s always concentrated there. It comes equipped with cliff and obstacle detection sensors that help protect it from falling down the stairs.
This robot vacuum comes with a 1200 mah li-ion battery that lasts for 90 minutes before needing a recharge. It eliminates fur, dust, debris, and water stains with ease and without your assistance.
Specifications
- Profile: 2.5″
- Weight: 2.35 lbs
- Run Time: 90 min
Pros
- Quiet operation
- Low profile
- High suction
Cons
- For hard floors only
Buying Considerations
At this point, you’ve probably picked one of the robotic cleaners we reviewed. Finding robotic vacuums at an affordable price may seem impossible, but they do exist.
The key to picking the best one is in considering all the important buying factors. Take a moment to discover these factors as we discuss each.
Price Point
The most critical thing to mention is that robot vacuums typically cost much more than 100 dollars. These are the top of what the market has to offer, often featuring the most innovative high-end technology. For this reason, they tend to cost as much as $800 on average.
Robot vacuums under $100 are essentially the same, but they usually lack the high-end tech voice commands, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Google Assistant compatibility.
They are cordless, battery-operated, and can usually avoid collision and cliffs. In most cases, that’s pretty much all they can do while vacuuming and mopping.
If you’re on a budget, then you might want to consider something else than a robot vacuum as they tend to be a bit more expensive. And so if that’s the case, we recommend that you check out our best vacuums for under $100 guide.
Your Expectations
Right of the bat, it’s really important that you lower your expectations. Robot vacuums are fun and innovative, but more affordable models might not be as impressive, more expensive ones.
If you’re looking for a robot vacuum that connects to Wi-Fi and has every possible cleaning mode, you should be ready to pay far more than $100.
For this reason, you should understand the price and features ratio. Most of those highly innovative features come at a price that’s usually far higher.
Features
As we mentioned, robot vacuums under $100 lack some of the most innovative features. However, these features are often not as necessary anyway, and most robots can do a great job without them.
For this reason, you’ll find affordable robots that come with different sets of features. You should pick and choose among these controls and specifications based on your needs and preferences.
Affordable robots may have sensors, dual brushes, automatic recharging, and variable speed. However, they almost always lack Wi-Fi connectivity, suction power settings, a HEPA filter, and Alexa or app control.
Run Time
Most robot vacuums under $100 come with weaker batteries than what you’d find on more expensive models. However, in most cases, you’ll get at least 90 minutes of run time.
More powerful batteries are usually expensive, so this is a way for manufacturers to cut a bit on the overall price.
Charge Time
As you probably noticed, most robot vacuums need at least 150 minutes to recharge, although that time usually ranges from 3 to 4 hours.
This might seem like a lot, especially once you consider that these vacuums typically run for no longer than an hour and a half.
Flooring Type
Cheaper robots vacuums aren’t as versatile as more expensive ones, so make sure to consider the type of flooring you have. Most of these models can only clean hard floors as they tend to struggle with rugs and carpets.
Some can handle area rugs, but that’s about as versatile as they get when it comes to flooring type.
Read more: Top Automatic Cleaners for Thick Carpeting
Cleaning Tasks
As we mentioned, robots cannot replace your full-size vacuum. They’re meant for quick cleanups and spot-cleaning, especially those models that don’t have as many different features.
Cheaper robots are meant for simple maintenance, so don’t expect them to remove embedded dirt and dried stains regardless of the floor surface.
Suction Power
Most of these robots have sufficient suction power to tackle everyday dirt and debris on hard floors. However, they don’t have enough suction to extract embedded dirt from carpets or any other surface.
Also, their suction power depends on the battery as well. In other words, you’ll notice the suction reducing as the battery life comes to an end.
Dust Bin Capacity
Much like all robots, cheaper models are rather small. While this is perfect for tight areas, it also means that they have small dust bin capacity.
Some models have light indicators that tell you when you should empty the bin. How often you’ll have to do this depends on the particular model you go for.
Noise
All vacuums have to make some noise, although some are louder than others. Luckily, the price usually doesn’t indicate how loud or quiet the robot vacuum will be.
In other words, even some of the most expensive models are quite loud when compared to cheaper options.
Wheels
All robots have wheels regardless of their price. However, you have to be careful about whether the wheels are gentle enough not to damage your hard floors.
Cheaper models tend to have low-quality wheels, so make sure to double-check whether they could scratch your flooring.
Cleaning Pattern
Most robot vacuums under $100 don’t have smart navigation or pre-scheduled cleaning patterns. These models usually work in circles, cleaning randomly as they go.
This isn’t the most convenient way of cleaning, but it does get the job done eventually.
Related Post: Can Roomba Recognize & Memorize Room Layout?
Width & Height
Width and height are among the most important factors when it comes to convenience and versatility. Low profile and compact housing mean that the vacuum can fit under furniture, efficiently cleaning all the remote areas of your floors.
Still, make sure to double-check the dimensions as some robots are larger than others.
Ease of Use
These vacuums are the easiest to use, although their price indicates exactly how simple they are. Robots are made to work with minimal assistance on your part.
Robots under $100 might require a bit more assistance when it comes to recharging. Some also tend to get stuck in different areas, which means you’d have to help them out.
Brush Design & Quality
Look for a robot vacuum that has rotating brushes that extend its reach. These help pick up the dirt and dust that’s usually located in corners and edges.
Brush quality is another thing you want to pay attention to, especially if you have hardwood floors since you don’t want the brush to damage the surface.
Sensors
As you probably noticed from the robots we reviewed above, those under $100 typically don’t have as many sensors. Luckily, most of them will have cliff and collision sensors, and that’s pretty much all you need to keep the robot vacuum safe from falling and breaking.
Warranty
Warranty is always important regardless of the price you’re paying for your vacuum. Some manufacturers offer longer-lasting deals while others cut back on this.
Look for a reliable brand that stands behind its product by offering a long-lasting warranty and customer service.
Filtration
Although a HEPA filter is a popular choice, it’s something you’ll hardly ever find in robots under $100. However, most of these models still come with reliable filtration systems.
Choosing between these options depends on how sensitive you are to dust and whether or not you have pets.
Modes
Robot vacuums typically have at least one extra cleaning mode, allowing versatility and convenience based on the floor types you have.
More affordable models usually have spot-cleaning, low-power, and high-power suction modes, although many of these vacuums have no modes at all.
The Ultimate Robot Vacuum Guide
Do you know how robot vacuums work? Most people are impressed by these self-operating vacuums without understanding how they work without your assistance.
Take a look at our short guide below as we explain what robots are and how they operate.
What’s a robot vacuum, and how does it work?
Robots are self-operating, compact and cordless, working without or with minimal assistance on your part. They’re meant to supplement a standard, full-size vacuum, helping to keep your floors between two sessions of using one.
You can run a robot vacuum every day, depending on your needs and how dirty your floors get over a certain period of time. If your floors don’t get as dirty, running the robot vacuum every day will help keep your floors spotless.
iRobot Roomba is probably the most popular robot vacuum, and we’re sure that you’ve heard of it. Roomba 960 and Roomba i7 are the two best-selling robots, but they cost far more than $100.
Still, more affordable robots work in a similar way to deliver satisfactory results. Cheaper models often don’t have as many innovative features, but at the end of the day, they clean the floors just fine.
Although they don’t require much of your attention, every robot vacuum still requires you to empty its dust bin.
Preparing your house for a robot vacuum
Robots can get stuck in places regardless of how expensive or smart they are. More advanced (and expensive) models have sensors that help avoid obstacles, but they can still tangle in cables and curtains.
For this reason, it’s important that you prepare your house before you run your robot. The first thing to keep in mind is that its charging dock requires space. Your vacuum needs space so that it can line up with its base before docking properly, which is critical for successful recharging.
Remove all cables and hazards such as LEGO pieces, metal screws, and other similar items. These things can damage any robot vacuum, even the most expensive one. Cords can be especially annoying because a robot will inevitably damage any cord it comes across.
Also, unless your robot vacuum can mop as well, you want to avoid water and liquid of any sort.
Robot Vacuum Pros
Robots are usually compact and small, which allows them to fit under furniture. Most vacuums cannot fit there, so having a robot for that purpose is rather convenient.
Still, the most significant advantage of robot vacuums is their ease of use. These vacuums are usually easy to use and ideal for floor maintenance. They’re great for spot-cleaning, ensuring that your flooring is always spotless between using a full-size vacuum.
Another great thing is that robots can usually also work as mops. Even some of the more affordable models we reviewed have this feature.
Robot Vacuum Cons
Much like all vacuums, robots have drawbacks as well. One of the most significant setbacks is the fact that you have to prepare your home before running a robot vacuum. As we mentioned, you have to remove all the cables and possible hazards which can be quite annoying.
Also, these can get stuck in pretty much anything from curtains to carpets. Some models can clean area rugs, but most of them cannot handle high-pile carpets.
More affordable models either don’t come with a docking station or struggle to find it before the battery runs out.
Conclusion
Robots are probably the most popular innovations in the industry of vacuum cleaners. They’re convenient and quite fun to use regardless of the flooring you have.
However, they can cost up to $1800, which is quite pricey for most people to pay for a vacuum cleaner. Luckily, more affordable options exist. Hopefully, you found yourself the best robot vacuum that’s on a cheaper side.
We tried to keep our list versatile so that there’s something for everyone based on the different types of floors. Make sure to think about your preferences and needs as well as your budget before opting for any vacuum in particular.
If you struggle to find yourself a robot vacuum, we suggest you go back to our reviews and buyer’s guide. The information included can help you pick one among the many models we reviewed.
Sources and Resources
- Robot Vacuum Cleaner Personality and Behavior
– https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12369-010-0084-5
- Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market is Expected to Grow at the CAGR of 11.2% During 2018-2026: Credence Research
– https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/08/06/1547460/0/en/Robotic-Vacuum-Cleaners-Market-is-Expected-to-Grow-at-the-CAGR-of-11-2-During-2018-2026-Credence-Research.html
