The Roomba 614 is the most basic option, and it doesn’t even have WIFI, so taper your expectations. The Roomba 692 and 694 differ in their dust bin capacities. The 692 boasts a larger capacity of 0.15 gallons (0.6 liters), while the 694 measures just 0.08 gallons (0.3 liters).

The rubber extractors will resist tangles better, and the dustbin holds close to 50% more dirt than the 675. Both the Roomba 692 and 694 use adaptive or bump-and-go navigation. They proceed in a certain direction until they run into an obstacle, which they attempt to edge around before swiveling and moving in another direction. This basic intelligence has proven effective at cleaning when repeated over time. However, in any given cleaning job, both models miss entire swathes of floor or carpet and go over other spots repeatedly, making them frustrating to watch.

The navigation of the 692 is likely its biggest disadvantage. The navigation is pretty basic, with a bump-and-continue approach to cleaning. It navigates in a sporadic cleaning pattern, gently bumping into obstacles, furniture, and walls before randomly continuing in a different direction.

The Roomba J7 and Combo J7 are the only robot vacuums I’ve reviewed capable of avoiding stretched wires.No iAdapt 3.0 navigation: This robot doesn’t have the onboard camera found in the I7 – users won’t have access to no-go zones or selective room cleaning.

Most Roomba products outside the J7 series won’t evade cords. So, I advise tidying up the cords to prevent them from tangling on any brushes. Other variants like the 675, 690, 890, E5, 960, 980, I3, I4, I6, I7, and S9 have WIFI and are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. All Roombas deploy a three-stage cleaning system that loosens and lifts dust and dirt from carpets while relying on a side-sweeping brush to push debris from edges and corners into the bot's cleaning path. Dirt Detect is an adaptive method even the most basic Roombas use to sniff out dirtier areas of your floor and work harder on them. Larger dust bin capacity at 0.15 gallons (0.6 L), compared to the 694’s 0.08 gallons (0.3 L), meaning it can collect more dust and debris before needing to be emptied We regularly update this shopping guide to ensure that our selection of the best Roombas remains current. This story was last updated in November 2023 by Forbes Vetted home writer Fran Sales.Side brush spins too fast: One big issue with the 675 and 690 is the fast-spinning side brush that spins too rapidly. In numerous tests, it scattered large piles of debris. Both models are perfect for pet hair removal and can clean hard floors and carpets. Furthermore, they are both Wi-Fi connected and compatible with smartphones and tablets for convenient control. Additionally, both models use IR sensors for navigation; their cliff sensors help them easily avoid stairs or other obstacles. Yes, Roombas are expensive relative to the features you’ll get from other brands. However, it has two features other robots don’t have, which I think is worth paying extra.