Best Roomba Alternative | Comparison And Reviews

The Denkee Dk600 is an affordable alternative to the Roomba vacuum cleaners. It has a modern design and is the perfect sidekick to your standard vacuum. It works best on hardwood floors and can run for about 1 hour. It will, however, struggle when it comes to cleaning dirty rugs and carpets, especially those with long fibers.

Vacuum and mop

Aside from being a vacuum cleaner, the Dk600 also doubles up as a mop. It’s fitted with two side brushes and a brush roll underneath. The side brushes are used to sweep dirt and debris while the brush roll helps dislodge dirt from the fibers of your carpet.

Once you are done sweeping your floors, attach a microfiber cloth to its base, fill up the tank and set the vacuum on the floor. You will be amazed at how well the vacuum can clean your hard floors. It will mop any floor types from laminate, hardwood to tiles. The DK600 uses a mechanism that distributes water evenly on the cloth; thus it will clean your floor with fewer passes. It also doesn’t leave slippery floors.

Navigation

It has built-in infrared sensors that allow your vacuum cleaner to navigate the house without colliding with your furniture. The DK600 vacuum cleaner uses the sensors to detect changes in depth; thus, it will turn around every time it comes close to the staircase. 

Cleaning modes

Unlike most models which only have two cleaning modes, the DK600 has four cleaning modes. The first is the Auto Mode, which essentially gives the robot control on how it cleans your floor. The second mode is the single room mode, which means that the vacuum will only clean the specified room before returning to its charging dock. Thirdly, we have the Edge cleaning mode, which allows the vacuum to clean close to the edges and walls. Finally, there is the Schedule mode, which allows you to set times when you want the robot to commence cleaning. Even with all these modes the battery can last for close to 100 minutes.

The eufy Robovac looks similar to its predecessor the eufy Robovac 11 and the Robovac 30. It comes with a few extra features that make it one of the priciest eufy Robovac. It has better suction power than its predecessor and can be one of the best Roomba alternatives.

Setup

It takes less than 5 minutes to set up the Robovac 30C. It comes with a quick start guide, which should be sufficient to help assemble the vacuum. You start by slotting in the brush components and then plug the vacuum in the charger. Load the batteries in the remote and wait until the vacuum is fully charged.

Inside the box, you will find magnetic boundary strips which come in handy when planning a cleaning path. Before you set it free, take some time, and plan the route. Set up the boundary strips to demarcate the route and the areas you don’t want the vacuum cleaner to go. Read the app guide to understand how to set up the smartphone app. In total, this will take about 30 minutes.

Design

On the top, you will find U-shaped pencil-thin lines that begin from the center towards the edge. The Eufy logo is engraved right below the U-shaped lines. Below the logo is an oval power button and a Wi-Fi indicator. The Robovac vacuum is relatively short at 2.85 inches. This allows it to travel under furniture with ease, especially the low clearance-furniture. 

Underneath, it has two large rubber wheels plus a swiveling roller wheel. There is also a pair of tri-spoked brushes on either side. And at the center is a small roller brush that features a combination of bristles and rubber, which greatly improves the cleaning performance. This, however, has a downside as hair tends to cling tightly to the bristles and hairs, which makes it harder to clean the roller.

Performance

In terms of cleaning performance, the Robovac 30C is more powerful than the 11S. It may not be as methodical as premium models as it does not use laser scanning to map the surrounding. It uses both infrared and bumper sensors to get a general description of the house. 

Despite its shortcomings, the Robovac 30C was very thorough when cleaning. It can clean hardwood floors and tiles with ease. It also handled medium-pile carpets without getting stuck. At 1500 Pa, the Robovac is powerful than some of the midrange Roomba vacuums and can run for about 100 minutes.

The Deebot 500 is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that comes with advanced features such as smart-home compatibility and app control. Ecovacs robot vacuums have consistently offered good value for money, and the Deebot 500 is no different. It’s said to be an updated version of the Deebot N79s and like earlier mentioned it’s compatible with Alexa-and-Google Assistant. All you need to do is tell Alexa what needs to be done and the Deebot vacuum begins working.

If you have trouble cleaning pet hair every day or you simply don’t have the time, then this is perfect for you. Not only is the device self-charging, but it also has smart home capabilities and comes with heavy-duty wheels that can traverse any types of floors.

Setup and usage

Like many robotic vacuum cleaners, the Deebot 500 is easy to set up. The first step is always to charge the device and learn how to configure the cleaning modes as the vacuum is charging. It has three cleaning modes- Auto mode, Edge mode, and Spot mode. In Auto mode, the robotic vacuum will pick out a random path and keep moving in a straight line. It will clean any dirt in its path until the sensors detect an object or change in depth. The Deebot 500 will change direction and continue cleaning until it’s done with the whole room. This mode is ideal for cleaning carpets. In Edge mode, it will focus more on the edges and walls as opposed to the cleaning the entire room. In Spot mode, the vacuum cleaner will focus its attack on a specific area that’s messy. It will clean the small area by moving in a spiral pattern.

Alexa and Assistant

Compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant is an added advantage as it makes it possible to control the vacuum cleaner hands-free. You can control the vacuum cleaner using three commands. Start signals the vacuum cleaner to commence cleaning, stop signals it to halt while dock signals the vacuum cleaner to head back to its charging dock.

There is also the Auto mode, which is a hands-free cleaning that you can activate, especially when you have other chores. In between cleaning, you can command it to stop so that you can empty the trash bin. Once it’s done cleaning, you simply instruct it to go back to its charging dock.

Multiple Brushes

Second, to suction, the brush configuration has an immense impact on the vacuum’s lifting power. You see, the suction pulls in the dust, debris and pet hair but it needs the brushes to pull the dirt towards the suction inlet. The Deebot 500 is equipped with three brushes, two of which are fitted on the side. These side brushes are used for dusting the walls and pulling the dirt towards the inlet. The heavy lifting is done by the third brush, which has alternating rows of rubber sweepers, stiff and contoured bristles. This allows to thoroughly clean the carpets and hard floors.

Onboard Functions

The Deebot 500 is compatible with a smartphone app, smart assistant, and come with a remote. While all these features make it possible to enjoy a truly remarkable hands-free experience, nothing beats the hands-on experience. You see, there will be a few times when the Wi-Fi will be down and others when the remote is out of reach. What do you do? Simple, use the onboard functions.

The Deebot 500 has a start button which activates the Auto cleaning mode. Right next to it is an indicator light that will give you a status alert when the Wi-Fi connection is stable again.

Eufy vacuums are easy to use, affordable, and effective, which has made them a favorite for many. The Eufy Robovac 11S Max is upgrade version of the Robovac 11S. Instead of 1,300 Pa, the 11S Max comes with 2,000 Pa of suction. It’s also more expensive than the 11S and uses high-performance dust filters instead of using the 3-stage dust filters found in the Robovac 11S. Are these upgrades worth the higher price tag? Continue reading for more.

Set up

The Eufy Robovac 11S Max comes in a modest packaging that’s easy to get through. Inside, you will find a remote control, two corner brushes, a pack of zip ties, and a charging station. There is also a start guide that should help you set up in less than 3 minutes. Once you are set up and the batteries are in, allow it to charge for 3 hours.

Suction power

At 2,000 Pa, the Eufy 11S Max has an impressive suction power for a vacuum cleaner in its price range. It’s arguably the best Roomba alternative as most Roomba vacuum cleaners range between 600 Pa- 1700 Pa. The 11S Max is powerful enough to rival the premium models, but it’s nothing compared to the traditional vacuums which operate at 20,000 Pa. How good is the 11S Max?

It has three suction modes- Standard mode, High-powered mode, and BoostIQ mode. It’s configured to automatically adjust suction power to match the floor’s cleanliness or texture. The high-powered mode is quite powerful, but even the standard mode should be powerful enough to clean your house without a fuss. It will pick up pet hair, dust, and debris with ease.

And the interesting part is that even with the upgraded suction power, the Robovac 11s Max runs at 60 dB which is quieter compared to most Roomba models. You watch television even with the 11S Max running in the background. The noise is hardly any disturbance. However, keep in mind that the high-powered mode is very loud; luckily, your vacuum will rarely activate this mode.

Navigation

Newer models are high tech with all kinds of navigation technology, unlike the Robovac 11S Max, which runs blindly. It will run into anything in its path, which is quite frustrating. There are a few times when the 11S Max will miss a few spots, but it will come back and clean the remaining spots.

While the lack of a high-tech navigation system may seem like a downside, the 11S Max uses it to its advantage every time it bumps into something. For example, if it bumps into a chair, it will clean around the chair before moving on. The same applies if it bumps into a wall. It will clean along the wall before moving on.

Auto mode

Since the 11S Max does not have a navigation system, you might be wondering if it will fall down the stairs. Unlike most robotic vacuum cleaners, the 11S Max doesn’t have any boundary strips to guide it around the house. If the Robovac vacuum bumps into walls and furniture it will obviously do the same with the staircase, right? No. The device is configured to turn around every time it comes across a ledge.

At first glance, you can easily confuse this robotic vacuum for a Roomba vacuum cleaner as it has the same round design as the Roomba models. Aside from that, the Roborock E35 cleans efficiently and doesn’t wobble while traveling across the room. It is also a high-performance cleaner with a multitude of navigation sensors to guide it around the house.

Suction power

The Roborock e35 has an impressive suction power of about 2,000 Pa. This should be sufficient to clean your house, especially if you have several pets. It works well on low-profile carpeted floors and rugs. The Roborock vacuum will clean more than 98% of the dirt on hard floors. Anything you throw at it will clean, from rice, sugar, kitty litter to cereal. You will have about 1% of the dirt that will remain after the cleaning cycle, which is an above-average performance. On a low pile carpet, the Xiaowa e35 performs better than on hardwood floors. It will agitate debris several times and go over specific areas multiple times to ensure it sucks in all the dirt. This is very effective as it pulls out all the debris from your carpet and rugs. Here, you are assured of 100% cleaning of cereal, dirt, kitty litter, and rice.

Battery

The Roborock e35 comes with 5200 mAh lithium-ion battery, which when fully charged can run for close to 2 ½ hours. This is arguably one of the longest run time you can expect from a robot vacuum. In fact, some say that the Roborock e35 is better than Roomba vacuums. The long run time will come in handy when you are vacuuming a large area. Once depleted, it takes another 3 hours to charge the battery to full charge.

Mopping

Having a robotic vacuum clean your house is great, but having a robotic vacuum that cleans and mops your house is even better. The Roborock vacuum is fitted with a mopping pad and reservoir. However, before you begin cleaning be sure to block access to certain areas such as carpeted areas. If not you are likely to end up with a wet carpet or rug. The robot will perform a cursory vacuum and then drag its mopping pad over the floor. Interestingly, it doesn’t leave a wet streak behind it.

Navigation

The Roborock e35 has a total of 13 sensors plus a pair of gyroscopes. It uses the gyroscopes to navigate through your home. It also has cliff and collision sensors that help it avoid falling down your staircase or bumping into your furniture. The vacuum is also programmed to slow down each it comes across an avoidable obstacle, which helps minimize damage to the object, person, and vacuum.

Are you looking for cheap Roomba alternatives? The iLife V3s Pros is the best deal you can get for under $200. It might lack some of the fancy features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, but it cleans well without leaving a trace. It’s the best Roomba alternative for multi-pet households. Not only will you get a high-performer but you will also save enough money to spend on toys for your pets.

Design

The iLife V3s Pro takes on a design similar to that of the V5s Pro with a few upgrades. Instead of a gold plastic cover, the V3s Pro has a white plastic cover with bumpers on the sides. It stands tall at 3 inches, which allows it to venture into areas that are rarely cleaned. With such a height you are guaranteed that the vacuum cannot access areas that are too short and it might get stuck.

On the side, the vacuum has a pair of three-spoke brushes. These brushes come in handy when vacuuming as they loosen the debris and guide it towards the suction inlet. The V3s Pro doesn’t have a roller brush which makes cleaning easier; however, it seemed to struggle when vacuuming larger debris from a low-pile carpet.

Setup

Like most robot vacuum cleaners, you start by plugging in the base and leave it to charge. Once fully charged, you can set it loose. However, unlike most robotic vacuums, the power adapter can work without the base. This is in case your dog decides to keep the charging base for itself. If that happens you can still connect the power adapter directly to the robot.

Cleaning performance

The V3s Pro marvels at its cleaning prowess, especially on hardwood floors. It can pick up small and flaky pieces off the floor with ease. And like the V5s Pro it slows down when approaching obstacles such as walls. Its moving pattern is similar to that of the Roomba i7, but it does not have the same precision.

In real life performance, the V3s Pro is a top performer. It rivals the Roomba 690 and the Eufy Robovac 11s in terms of cleaning performance. It’s also better at cleaning dog hair and kitty litter. Overall, the V3s achieves near perfection when vacuuming hardwood floors. The only other vacuum in its price range that performed better was the Shark Ion R85.

The Roborock e25 looks similar to the Roborock S5 in almost all aspects except that the e25 offers less suction and a lower capacity battery. It’s a product of Xiaomi, a Chinese company that is committed to innovation and adopting advanced technology to make high-quality robot vacuum cleaners.

Advanced navigation

While suction and battery life are important components of a robotic vacuum, the navigation system is just as important. With this in mind, Roborock set out to make a robot vacuum cleaner that is methodical in its cleaning. Unlike other robotic vacuums that clean in a random manner, the e25 is methodical. This is attributed to its dual-gyroscope system and optical motion tracking sensors. It uses this navigation system to get around the room without bumping into any objects.

The gyroscope comes in handy when vacuuming the floor, especially areas where the floor is uneven. It uses the gyroscope to detect varying angles and adjusts its body accordingly to maintain balance. This means it will adjust its body when it comes across a rug or a carpet thus it’s able to climb over with ease. Another advantage is that it even with an angle distortion on the floor that would otherwise throw the robot off its path, the robot can adjust and continue with its established path.

In addition to this, the E25 is fitted with motion tracking sensors that help it maintain a steady course. The sensors work like your eyes to detect areas that have not been vacuumed. This ensures that it covers the entire floor without leaving even a speck of dirt. The robot can also detect the nature of its obstacle and gauge if it can be moved or not. For example, if it comes across your couch, it will slow down, but if your duvet hanging off the side of your bed, it will try to push through and get under the bed to finish cleaning.

Multiple floors cleaning

The Roborock E25 comes with a little motor that creates powerful airflow, which in turn pulls in the dirt, hair, and debris. It can also vary suction power depending on the floor type and mess. This allows it to clean different types of floors with ease. For example, it will automatically increase its suction every time it gets on your carpet to ensure it gets every piece of hair and dirt on the carpet.

Vacuums and mops

This is a feature that will mainly benefit those who have hard floors. The vacuum will also work well on carpeted floors but not with the mop feature activated. The E25 comes with a reservoir that can hold water. This allows it to mop your floor after it’s done cleaning. Interestingly, the dust bin and the reservoir are separate, which means that the vacuum can sweep and mop at same time.

As the vacuum pulls in the dirt, the mop wipes the floor leaving a polished surface. You can now retire your mop. After you are done cleaning, be sure to empty the water tank before charging the vacuum.

Smart App

So far, the E25 seems to have handy features, but perhaps the most interesting is the smart app that connects to the vacuum via Wi-Fi. This gives you a different level of control with you on the pilot’s seat. You get to control the robotic vacuum while seated on your couch. You can also schedule how and when you want the robot to commence cleaning. The app also gives you details on how much has been cleaned, the location of the vacuum, time spent cleaning, and the battery life.