These are the best robot vacuums for carpet and rugs

Read our full review of the Roomba s9+.

In 2021, the Roomba j7+ overthrew the s9+ as the latest and greatest from iRobot. But the s9+ still does one thing better: clean thick carpets. iRobot's D-shaped botvac reaches deep into carpets with 40 times the suction of 600 Series Roombas (the j7+ offers 10 times the suction).

After skirting the walls and corners with its flat edge, the s9+ makes a lot of passes across a room to ensure thorough cleaning. It uses iRobot Imprint tech to make a map of each floor in your home and is able to target specific rooms or zones. It learns the more you use it, offering customized cleaning plans through the app.

Read our full review of the Roborock S7+.

Between strong suction, LiDAR, and mopping that doesn't soak carpets, the Roborock S7 is already major for folks dealing with both carpet and hard floors. With its self-empty dock (a wise bundle for people with shedding pets), the S7+ is triple threat under $1,000.

Roborock's obstacle recognition can't detect cords or pet poop. However, you shouldn't have to babysit otherwise. The S7+ can be trusted to find your selected zones, decipher between floor type, and get back to its dock (though its three-hour battery life should rarely die on you).

We would say that the newest Roomba goes where no Roomba has gone before, but it's more about where it doesn't go. The j7+ uses a new PrecisionVision Navigation camera that helps it to avoid small obstacles that are typically blind spots, like cords and pet waste.

The j7+ isn't the vac for high-pile carpets. But its performance on low-pile (and hard floors) is reliable, especially with Dirt Detection that triggers multiple passes across serious messes. Long hair doesn't tangle as easily in its long rubber brushrolls. It empties into a more compact auto-empty dock without sacrificing the 60-day capacity. 

3,000 Pa of suction is a bold claim that'd top Roomba's best, especially at a price point that's almost always under $400. But people seem to really like the way Yeedi's cyclone gets even stronger on carpeting. Plus, mopping, automatic emptying, and room mapping make it almost impossible to question whether this Yeedi deserves a top spot.

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. The shaky navigation isn't so annoying when you can still enjoy the convenience of custom room targeting and virtual boundaries in the app.

That vintage heirloom rug in the living room? A vac with a little less oomph may actually be best for corners or frills. Other bots with stronger suction might slurp them right up, while wimpier bots may be too mild to tackle hair.

The Roomba i3+ is powerful enough to work on most carpet thicknesses, using dual multi-surface rubber brushes that flex to stay in contact with the floor. Though it skimps in a few navigational areas to keep price down, iRobot's Reactive Sensor Technology typically keeps it from getting stuck under furniture. The "+" adds a self-emptying dock, but the vac can be purchased on its own.

The Wyze Robot Vacuum and its raised LiDAR scanner have a similar vibe to one of our pricier faves, the Roborock S7. The mere presence of that smart mapping tower is more than most Roombas can say. This is what unlocks the ability to send the vac to specific rooms and draw virtual boundaries — one of the most coveted features in the market as of late.

This Wyze vac doesn't automatically crank suction on carpet, but its high power mode in general proves to be quite successful on light debris like hair and heavy debris like cereal on low and medium pile. Hair will tangle in the brushroll, so be sure to snip it regularly.

If you can live without some of the bells and whistles if it means saving some money, this Eufy RoboVac is an efficient budget model.

While it sort of randomly bounces rather than planning via laser mapping, you'll still be able to control it through the app or your voice and set custom cleaning schedules. A three-stage system, BoostIQ (which activates when the bot senses carpet), and 2,000Pa of suction power is as tough on carpets as you could ask for from this price range.

This mid-range Shark checks the basic boxes and gets you off the hook from emptying a dustbin for 45 days at a time. It provides impressive, methodical coverage despite lacking laser mapping. 

The 2,000 Pa suction is typically powerful enough to really clean your carpets, and will pick up surface-level debris on the first run. A self-cleaning brushroll is particularly helpful for carpets topped with a layer of shedding. The multi-stage filtration system that traps dust and dander is another added bonus for pet parents or indoor allergy sufferers.