iRobot Roomba vs Shark: which robot vacuum is right for you?

iRobot Roomba vs Shark: which golem vacuum is correctly for you?

An iRobot Roomba i7 on a beige background next to a smartphone on the left with the Shark ION R75 robot vacuum with a smartphone on the right-hand side

(Figure of speech accredit: TechRadar)

Once the save of only the wealthiest of households, robotic vacuum cleaners are in real time a household virtual for anyone keen to hold on their homes dirt and dust-free, but not soh keen happening spending their time achieving this with the use of a traditional vacuum.

The best robot vacuums let you put your feet upbound, while they navigate your home unassisted cleanup your floors. Many offer the ability to put back a schedule for when they should be cleaning, so you can ensure they'Re only connected the move when you'ray non roughly, while others can even empty their own dust canister, meaning you really can outsource the chore of vacuuming completely.

So it's nobelium surprise that the figure of US households with a robot vacancy grew aside 11% to 14.2 million in 2022, reported to market research firm Statista. But with such a wide array of models connected the market, knowing which is best for you crapper allow you feeling a trifle befuddled.

iRobot's Roomba and Shark are among the biggest names dominating the golem vacuity securities industry right forthwith, and if you'Ra considering kitting your home out with a automaton vacuum, it makes gumption to fill out for ane of these brands.

iRobot is a hardy of the golem vacuum commercialise with its outset model being made available in 2002. They may be expensive but they're crocked with cutting-edge applied science that ensures their smart cleaning devices that need very little input from you. In fact, Roomba's are so touristy, the brand claims that 20% of whol robot vacuums sold are iRobot models.

Shark, meanwhile, has made waves in the upright and conductor vacuum marketplace with powerful floor cleansing appliances that can give the like Dyson a run their money, at a more than affordable price. Now it has turned its attention to automaton vacuums, although its designs are currently only available in the U.S.A. So which one should you pick out?

It really depends on what you're looking for in a robot emptiness every bit to which one of these robot vacuum brands you choose. Do you want to fork out the chore of vacuum completely to an appliance and money is no object, operating theatre do you want a more affordable option that means you still deliver to get your hands dirty connected occasions?

Record-breaking iRobot Roomba and Eufy deals

Read connected to discover whether a Shark or Roomba robotic vacuum is the far-right ready for your interior (and wallet) – or, if you've already distinct which of the two you wish to buy, check out the best prices right now:

Range

iRobot offers seven robot vacuum cleaners, all of which are available worldwide. They differ in power and smarts with the top-of-the-range model, the iRobot S9, offering 40x more suction than its entry-level robovac, the Roomba 694, which is known as the Roomba 698 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelan. iRobot's near affordable vacuum takes a random route when cleaning your home, while its more pricy models utilise a more than logical route.

The middle- and top-of-the-range models; iRobot Roomba i3, i7, J7 (information technology's newest golem vacuum), and the S9 hail in standard or self-emptying versions, which have a + in the name. These will depositary the table of contents of the dust canister into a disposable bag in a base station, which comes bundled with the robot vacuum, and according to iRobot, can hold around 30 days' worth of dirt.

Each innovation offers different smarts as well, for instance, some come with voice ascendency, spell others can also map your home ensuring you hind end docket cleans for specific rooms likewise as the entirely floors, and even produce no-lead areas the robovac won't enter.

The J7 hind end flatbottomed identify and pilot around obstacles on the coldcock, such equally a charging cable or dog poop. In the US, iRobot also offers a robot vacuum that can mop your floors every bit well as vacuum them.

Shark has just three models of robot vacuum on offer and they're Thomas More simplistic (and affordable) than the Roombas - they're also available only in the US. The Shark Ion is the brand's entry-level golem vacancy and does exactly what we'd expect of a robot vacuum (in a nutshell, information technology sucks up grease using a no-frills tri-brushwood system and can be controlled using either voice control condition or an app) and not much else. The mid-range of mountains Shark IQ Automaton Vacuum builds connected this with row-aside-row cleansing rather than using a stochastic path, and also lets you mapping your home. It's also available in a self-emptying version that can hold either 15 or 30 days worth of dirt.

Finally, the Shark AI Golem Vacuum, which is its top-of-the-range mold, has aim detection and a LiDAR scanner thusly it can make its room around your domicile more efficiently. It's also available with a groundwork station where it will deposit 30 years' worth of debris, so you assume't have to empty the robot hoover yourself, or as a designing that can mop as well as vacuum floors.

Its clear Shark has made a concerted approach to design their more expensive models with big homes in mind – with other brands, the most expensive models often simply have more technical school crammed in.

The iRobot Roomba i3 cleaning a hard wood floor in a hallway — (Image credit: iRobot)

Price

Given that iRobot's Roombas have a price grasp which spirals from an affordable $274.99 (some £270 / AU$499 to an eye-watering $1,099.99 ( around £1,500 / AU$2,900), spell Shark's vacuums range from $249.99 (around £185 / AU$350) to $649 (around £485/AU$900), it's clear that Shark is targeting those happening a tighter budget.

Interestingly, with iRobot's Roombas, it appears you won't inevitably pay more just to get your hands on the stylish engineering science – their latest launch is the J series, which starts at $649.99 (around £700 / AU$900) is importantly less than their spinning top-of-the-range S Series. Although for the benefit of a self-evacuation automaton vacuum, you'ray looking at $599.99 (around £700 / AU$1,400) upwards as the i3 is the cheapest model that offers this.

If you want a Shark automaton vacuum that ass empty its own dust canister, it will set you backmost $449 (around £335 / AU$625) although that modelling fire only stand up to 15 days worth of dirt. The XL design, which matches the Roomba's on holding 30 days worth of dust, is priced at $599 (around £445 / Astronomical Unit$830).

A shark robot vacuum clearing up cereal from a carpet — (Ikon credit: Shark)

Features

Both iRobot and Shark's models are pretty evenly matched when it comes to the features you'd expect from a robot vacuum. Totally of the designs can navigate around your nursing home collecting mulct dust and rubble from carpets and hard floors, and some brands also offer models that can empty their own dust canisters too.

However, patc the Roomba's tend to increase in suction power as you move through the range, Shark's robot vacuums have the same level of power but the more expensive the model, the more smarts it features. For exemplar, its entry-level device takes a random route around your home, but the mid-range plan employs a more methodical approach, cleaning a way wrangle-by-row and mapping your home. Meanwhile, its top-of-the-pasture robot vacuum also offers object detection too.

iRobot's Roomba's on the other pass on, are undischarged with functions that ensure you really can outsourcing the vacuuming. For exemplar, all models have the Dirt Detection feature, which wish automatically spend more time cleansing a section if the robot vacuum identifies there's more detritus than usual.

Meanwhile, the i7 series and supra Army of the Pure you set virtual no-go areas, schedule cleans of fated rooms or areas, and even Be set to only clean when it has heard you've left home, using the geolocation from your phone, so it doesn't interrupt you.

the iRobot Roomba e5 cleaning a hard floor floor with a chair in the background — (See cite: roomba)

Finding of fact

Both iRobot and Shark offer automaton vacuums that can clean your home unaided and do a good job of collecting dust and debris from carpets and rocky floors. If you're looking to outsource the vacuuming completely, iRobot's models are loaded with smarts that can do this, taking care of everything from spotting patches that need a deeper clean and ensuring they ne'er vex in your path when they unqualified.

Meanwhile, Shark is a more affordable pick and is more simplistic to set skyward and role. Information technology's a great choice for those investment in a robot hoover first or those that don't want to customize a superfluity of settings.

Check over these great automaton vacuum deals

Tamara is a freelance technical school and go under author WHO specializes in house appliances and winter sports tech, but who also loves committal to writing astir wellness and good shape kit.

In her spare time, she enjoys scuba diving, snowboarding and stacks biking.