The 6 best robot vacuums for pet hair, tested and reviewed

Why we picked this:

As the number and letter mashup in the title suggests, the Combo j9+ finally combines the best features of the older high-end Roombas: the small obstacle detection of the j7+ (which we tested and really liked), the retractable mop of the Roomba Combo j7+, and suction power of the Roomba s9+.

What's more groundbreaking than iRobot bringing those features together, however, is the fact that the Combo j9+ beats both of its predecessors at their own game. Suction power wise, the Combo j9+ is stronger — therefore tougher on thick carpet and pet hair — than the s9+. Mopping wise, the Combo j9+ attacks dried stains more persistently by scrubbing back and forth with force rather than staying stationary.

The new auto-empty dock is bigger than previous docks from iRobot, but that's because it's holding a separate water tank that automatically refills the smaller tank on the vac itself for 30 days at a time. Any maintenance can be done without opening the chic wood lid on top of the dock, so you've basically got a free new full-time side table.

Who it's for:

Not everyone in the market for a robot vacuum is willing to pay $1,000 or more just to take a chore or two off of their plate. Those who would be down for that investment want a deep clean that goes past casual daily upkeep, and they want it to happen without babysitting required on their end. The Combo j9+ would be particularly worthwhile in large homes with several pets that have an even mix of hard floors and carpeting or rugs.

For homes with lots of pet floor and little hard flooring, the Roomba j9+ is the same vacuum minus the mop, and goes for $899.99 when not on sale.

Read our full review of the Roborock S8+.

Why we picked this:

Roborock recently updated its popular S7 line of robot vacuums with the S8, and after testing out the new S8+ hybrid vacuum and mop, we can definitely recommend it to pet parents. An extra-large dust bin can handle pet hair, dust, and debris for 60 days or more, and the vibrating mop pad does much more than drag a damp cloth across your floors (although the spot cleaning mode leaves a lot to be desired). If you want a robot vac that can provide an all-over clean on carpets and hard flooring, then you'll be happy with the S8+.

You might be less happy with the price tag: $999.99. You can usually find a coupon that knocks the price down to about $800, but it's still a pricey product. Even so, this vacuum justifies its cost by making it so much easier to clean up after your pets. It's so satisfying to hear the extra suction kick in as the S8+ rolls onto a carpeted area, and because of that floor detection, you don't have to worry about accidentally mopping your new area rug.

The S8+ also creates a very accurate map thanks to onboard LiDAR and smart mapping, although it can struggle when it comes across a stray charging cable.

Who it's for:

Unless your home was last renovated in the early '90s, then we're guessing it doesn't have wall-to-wall carpets. Most homes and apartments have a mix of hardwood (or, more likely, laminate), tile, carpets, and area rugs. No matter what combination of flooring you have, the new S8+ from Roborock can detect, clean, and mop as needed.

If you want the best robot vacuum and mop for pet hair, then this new hybrid is up to the task.

Why we picked this:

With an impressive 3,000 Pa of suction and a price point that's extremely reasonable, skepticism is valid when it comes to the Yeedi Vac Station. But after testing it out for ourselves, we can verify that the suction power on this budget vac is impressive — especially with the automatic carpet boost. Plus, mopping and automatic emptying makes it almost impossible to deny that this Yeedi will lighten pet owners' chore load.

The presence of room mapping is also impressive at such a practical price point, despite undercooked quirks like only having the capacity to hold a map of one story at a time. Shaky furniture avoidance isn't so annoying when you can still enjoy the convenience of virtual boundaries in the app.

Who it's for:

The best robot vacuums tend to be expensive — very expensive. As a result, animal lovers looking for the best robot vacuum for pet hair under $500 don't have a ton of options. However, the Yeedi Vac Station is an excellent choice for pet parents. This robot vac is often on sale for under $400, and it offers the two key features you need to stay on top of pet hair: effective carpet cleaning and self-emptying. Throw in mopping capabilities and it's easy to see why this hybrid vacuum impressed us so much.

Why we picked this:

Shark wasn't a competitive player in the hybrid game until a release in the winter of 2022. While the introduction of a mopping pad to Shark's smartest robot vacuum is huge in its own right, the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 also welcomes a new feature that's ideal for carpeted homes with pets.

The Matrix Clean system shines during both wet and dry cleaning. During regular vacuuming, it delivers 30% better carpet cleaning (compared to the older RV Shark models) by digging deeper into carpet and taking multiple passes in a crosshatch pattern to loosen and grab debris from multiple angles. "Matrix" also applies to the AI Ultra's mopping, which vibrates 100 times per minute to scrub stains.

This Shark robot vacuum also has one more stand-out feature: spot cleaning mode. If your pets have made an area of your home extra sticky, then send this hybrid vac to scrub the floors. Spot cleaning isn't unique in the robot vacuum world, but few vacuums do it better than Shark.

Who it's for:

Pet hair is stubborn and often requires the "and one for good measure" approach when it comes to cleaning. If you expect true thorough cleaning (past the super visible surface-level shedding) from a potential robot vacuum, you'll appreciate the extra effort that the newest Shark vacuums puts in on dirty spots, even if it has already gone over them once.

While the Shark Matrix 2-in-1 would be fine in fully carpeted rooms, it's probably best for homes without a heavy rug situation, as the bot requires you to manually point out rugs or carpets in the app and can't vacuum while the water tank is attached. If you want to save a little bit of money, you can skip the self-emptying and pay less than $300 if the vac is on sale, but the auto-emptying feature is particularly useful for pet hair and allergy sufferers.

Read our full review of the Shark Matrix 2-in-1.

Why we picked this:

When it was first released, the Roomba i3 was a fairly typical budget robovac. It would clean your home in a back-and-forth pattern that left a lot to be desired. There's nothing unusual about that in the budget category, as more advanced features such as LiDAR or camera mapping drastically increase the overall price point. But after a recent software update, the i3 can now create a map of your home, which has made it a much more impressive cleaning machine for the price.

For an affordable robot vacuum, the i3 does an admirable job of cleaning up pet hair and other types of dust and debris from your floors. This vacuum has sensors that automatically adjust the height and roll brushes to carpets, resulting in a deeper clean. In our tests, it did leave some debris along the edges, but that's to be expected at this price.

Previously, we selected the Roomba 694 as our top budget pick for pet owners who are tired of sweeping up pet hair. However, thanks to the new mapping capabilities, we're promoting the Roomba i3 to this spot.

Who it's for:

For pet owners who don't want to spend more than $300 to $400 on a robot vacuum, the Roomba i3 is a great starter vacuum. You'll have to live without self-emptying, but if you don't mind emptying the dustbin every so often, then that's a fair tradeoff for affordability. (And if you do have your heart set on self-emptying, you can get the Roomba i3+ with auto-emptying for $448.)