The Best Robot Vacuums We’ve Tested for Pet Hair in 2026

The feature-rich Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni can vacuum, mop, empty its dustbin, wash and dry its mop, and refill its water tank. With an impressive 18,000Pa of suction, it’s one of the most powerful robot vacuums we’ve tested and a top option for homes with pets that shed. Its brush roll is specifically designed to eliminate tangles as it works. It also functions as a roving security camera with two-way audio, allowing you to see and speak to your pets from afar. Additionally, it features a built-in voice assistant and AI-powered obstacle avoidance capabilities.

Fastidious cleaners: The Deebot X8 Pro Omni performed well on our vacuum pickup tests over carpeting and hard flooring, and excelled on our mopping stress test. It’s a hybrid that excels at both tasks, vacuuming with strong suction power and mopping with downward pressure for effective scrubbing. Germophobes will appreciate its roller mop design, which continually refreshes itself to avoid cross-contamination.

Maintenance avoiders: The X8 Pro Omni washes and dries its own mop and empties its own dustbin. It can clean for months on its own with minimal intervention on your part, and it prevents its brush roll from getting tangled while doing so.

Pets with lots of toys: We get it, you can’t tidy up every single fuzzy chew toy you’ve tossed your pet before starting your robot vacuum. Using an AI camera, the X8 Pro Omni deftly avoids toys as it cleans, so you don’t have to worry about it getting stuck and not completing the job.

With its counter-rotating brush rolls, the Roomba j9+ excels at agitating carpets and capturing pet hair. In testing, it effectively cleaned up after two heavily shedding cats without clogging or leaving noticeable hairballs behind. Beyond its cleaning capabilities, the j9+ features advanced obstacle avoidance technology. It’s the best robot vacuum we’ve tested at navigating around toys, bowls, and knick-knacks of all shapes and sizes. If you have a pet prone to accidents, this should provide some extra peace of mind. Like others on this list, it also empties its own dustbin to reduce your exposure to the pet hair it picks up.

Young, old, or sick pets: If you have accident-prone pets, the iRobot Roomba j9+ is a top option. iRobot is so confident in the robot’s ability to avoid solid pet waste that it offers a POOP (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee: If the Roomba j9+ fails to avoid solid pet waste within a year of your purchase, the company will provide a new one at no additional cost. This same navigation technology also allows it to smartly reroute itself around everyday obstacles, such as pet toys, shoes, and cords, in real time to avoid getting stuck.

Heavy shedders: The Roomba j9+ features dual rubber brush rolls on the bottom that agitate dirt without bristles to avoid hair wrap. It effectively picked up two cats’ worth of fur without ever getting tangled or leaving behind dust bunnies in testing.

If you suffer from allergies, consider a robot vacuum with a self-emptying dustbin. Fortunately, that feature is making its way to increasingly affordable models, as represented by the budget-friendly TP-Link Tapo RV30 Max Plus. The RV30 even has advanced LiDAR navigation, another welcome feature for the price. It backs up its impressive list of features with capable performance as a vacuum that minimizes tangles and as a mop that can wipe away stains.

Budget shoppers: The Tap RV30 Max Plus goes well beyond what you normally get for the price, offering capable vacuum and mop performance, plus a self-emptying dustbin. The RV30 lacks some of the cleaning power and self-maintenance capabilities of high-end models, but it gets all the basics right.

Allergy sufferers: As one of the most affordable models with self-emptying capabilities, this is a top budget pick for those who are sensitive to dust. The RV30 Max Plus can hold about two months of debris in its dust bag, depending on use. When the included dust bag is full, you can buy a five-pack of replacements for $15.99.

First-time buyers: If you’ve never had a robot floor cleaner before, the RV30’s price and well-rounded capabilities make it an excellent starting model. It’ll vacuum well and take care of emptying the bin itself, so you can try out the technology without investing a bundle or needing to futz with it too much. In testing, the RV30 Max Plus kept a two-bedroom apartment looking spic and span, so it’ll be more than capable of skillfully navigating anything smaller. If you’re just moving out on your own, grab this model as an affordable way to alleviate some of your chores.

With an all-new intake system designed to optimize airflow and particle pickup, the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni can effectively remove pet hair and dirt from any surface, including embedded particles in carpet fibers. Its brush roll is designed to eliminate tangles as it works, and its roller mop refreshes itself while spinning to limit the cross-contamination from food spills. The base station washes and dries the mops and empties the dustbin. The robot also deftly avoids obstacles, such as pet toys, and features a built-in camera with two-way audio for communicating with your furry friends when you’re out and about.

Mostly carpeted homes: If you’re willing to pay top dollar for a robot vacuum that can effectively remove stubborn dirt and pet hair from your carpets, consider the Deebot X9. It’s one of the top performers in our suction power stress test, so it’s powerful enough to penetrate deeply between carpet fibers in a way that most other models can’t. Less expensive models on this list may perform just as well on hard floors, but grab this one for extra dander and fur removal on carpet.

One of the first robot vacuums we’ve tested that can climb, the Roborock Qrevo Curv has a self-lifting chassis that allows it to maneuver over small thresholds. That same technology enables it to avoid getting stuck on small objects and cords, as it simply lifts itself up and continues cleaning. In testing, it thoroughly cleaned up after two cats, without leaving any dust bunnies in its wake or getting its brush roll tangled. It even extends its side brush and mop arm to scrape dirt and grime away from corners and walls.

Detail-oriented cleaners: Thanks to its extendable brushes, the Qrevo Curv performed exceptionally well at cleaning along wall edges and in corners in our tests. If your place has walls and corners that act like magnets for pet hair, grab this model to hunt that dirt down.

Homes with multi-tiered floors: Due to its unique wheels, the Qrevo Curv can navigate high thresholds and continue cleaning, even if a step separates rooms on a single floor. It can’t actually climb a staircase, but it’ll surmount thresholds as high as 1.6 inches tall.

The Shark AI Self-Empty XL features a convenient bagless auto-empty system with a 60-day capacity, plus a power-boosting UltraClean Mode that helps remove pet hair. In testing, the vacuum delivered strong suction power and effectively collected dust, debris, and pet hair from both hard flooring and carpet. With Evacuate and Resume enabled, the robot will return to its base to empty the dustbin after 30 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t become overly clogged with pet hair, and then resume cleaning where it left off. The brush roll features a combination of fins and bristles to prevent hair tangles, a common problem with other robot vacuums.

Homes with multiple pets: Thanks to its UltraClean Mode, the Shark AI Self-Empty XL easily tackles clumps of pet hair and prevents itself from getting clogged by returning to the base to empty its bin mid-run.

Budget-conscious buyers: If you want a self-emptying dustbin but don’t want to pay for replacement bags for the base station, the Shark AI Self-Empty XL lets you avoid that expensive with a canister in the base instead of a bag. While models with bags might be preferable if you have a dust allergy, the canister lets you dump the dirt as little as every couple of months without needing to stay stocked on replacement bags.

The Switchbot Mini K10+ is a few inches smaller in diameter than most other robot vacuums, but it aced our pickup tests on both carpet and hardwood, easily keeping up with bigger and more expensive models. This compact model deftly navigates through tight spaces and cleans open floor plans in orderly rows. It can vacuum and mop, though it’s better at the former.

Tiny homes: Due to its petite size, the Switchbot Mini K10+ is a good fit for small homes and those with pets that like to nap in corners, as it can fit in after them to keep the spot clean.

Allergy sufferers: The Switchbot Mini K10+ can remove dirt from tight spaces where it tends to collect, and it empties its own dustbin, helping to keep your home free from dander and dust while minimizing allergen contact when you maintain the machine.

The TP-Link Tapo RV20 Max boasts an impressive 5,300Pa of suction for an affordable price, thoroughly cleaning up after two house cats with minimal tangles during testing. It navigates with an embedded LiDAR sensor, so it’s only 3.2 inches tall and can fit under many low-profile pieces of furniture. It connects to Wi-Fi, supports targeted cleaning and scheduling via app, and works with both Alexa and Google Assistant.

Homes with low-profile furniture: The Tapo RV20 Max features a compact design, allowing it to clean under couches, beds, and tables where other robot vacuums cannot fit. At 3.2 inches tall, it’s one of the shortest robot vacuums we’ve tested, so it’s a good fit if your pet tends to nap under the bed and that hard-to-reach area collects fur.

First-time robot vacuum buyers: As the most affordable model on this list, the Tapo RV20 Max is a great choice that gets all the basics right. It can show you what the category is capable of without requiring a big investment on your part.