Housekeeping House Cleaning The 7 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair, Tested and Reviewed Cleaning is a breeze with these clever machines. By Alida Nugent Alida Nugent Alida Nugent is a commerce writer with over 10 years of media experience, with six of those spent creating unique shopping content. She has also written 2 books. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on June 8, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews The Bottom Line Our Testing Process What to Know Before Shopping Others We Tested Your Questions, Answered Who We Are What Is BHG Recommends? We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek If you own a pet, you’ve likely dealt with all of the ways their hair can become the barrier between a clean home and a dander-covered one. It can feel like a losing battle against all that fur—unless you have the right tools. Enter the best robot vacuums for pet hair. These clever devices keep things in check between deep cleanings. You can program them to run as frequently as you’d like, and they’ll keep your home much cleaner than if you had to do it all manually, thanks to their ability to go deep into the carpet and travel underneath couches and sofas. “Pet hair [...] gets embedded in carpet, sneaks under furniture and appliances, and can be more difficult to pick up just due to the lightweight, feathery nature of it,” says Becky Rapinchuk from Clean Mama. A robot vacuum can help you avoid some of these typical pitfalls, with some models even including built-in mops to aid in cleaning up other kinds of pet messes. After testing over 30 vacuums and evaluating them based on performance, noise level, and features, among other criteria, we determined which are the best robot vacuums for pet hair. Our Top Picks Best Overall: iRobot Roomba J7 Robot Vacuum at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum at Amazon Jump to Review Best Splurge: Samsung Jet Bot Robot Vacuum at Amazon Jump to Review Best Self-Emptying: Yeedi Vac Station 3000Pa at Amazon Jump to Review Best on Carpet: Neato D9 Intelligent Robot Vacuum at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Hardwood: eufy by Anker G30 Edge at Amazon Jump to Review Best Vacuum and Mop Combo: Shark Robot Vacuum + Mop at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall iRobot Roomba J7 Robot Vacuum 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Wayfair Our Ratings Setup 4/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Noise Level 2/5 Maneuverability 5/5 Features 3/5 Why You Should Get It: This robot vacuum has a camera in the front to avoid encounters with furniture (or stray dog toys) lying in its path.Keep in Mind: It’s distracting while in use because it’s loud and features a bright light on the camera. Pet owners know that getting every object off the floor before a good clean tends to be a fool’s errand, but the Roomba j7 eliminates that problem. The best robot vacuum for pet hair comes equipped with a front-facing camera, which means you don’t have to clear loose odds and ends before running it. We found that it worked well to avoid things like cords, and also gently moved against furniture legs in order to clean the floor as thoroughly as possible. The app is essential to utilize some key benefits, like the smart mapping technology that memorizes the layout of your house, in addition to allowing you to schedule cleanings in specific rooms or avoid certain areas during a particular clean. It also makes personalized suggestions (i.e. nudging you to run it more often during allergy season). There’s no remote for this model, only a start/stop button and the ability to connect to your phone or tablet. As for its other cleaning powers, we noted how well it worked on corners, around furniture edges, and against the wall for a particularly thorough clean, likely because of the edge-sweeping brush built into the vacuum. It’s also excellent on both hard floors and rugs, working as effectively on vinyl or wood as it did on a carpet. It’s slightly louder than other models at around 68-70 decibels when in use. To understand that number, think of it as the equivalent of a washing machine or a loud conversation. The camera also has a bright light that we found a bit distracting. Other benefits include rubber brushes that won’t get tangled in pet hair (we found them easy to pop on and off should something get stuck), and self-charging and self-emptying capabilities. Price at time of publish: $536 Product Details: Dust Bin Capacity: N/A | Noise Level: 68-70 Decibels | Object Avoidance: Yes | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: Yes Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Best Budget iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Our Ratings Setup 5/5 Effectiveness 5/5 Noise Level 3.5/5 Maneuverability 5/5 Features 3/5 Why You Should Get It: This self-charging, fairly autonomous vacuum can run up to 90 minutes at a time.Keep in Mind: This model didn’t work as well around corners as some other picks. When comparing the price of the Roomba 694 to other options, it’s certainly more affordable. But it’s also one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair you can buy. It would be great for pet owners who’d like to do a thorough vacuum of their home more frequently, and aren’t as interested in the bells and whistles some of the other vacuums come equipped with, such as elaborate apps. We felt it did a great job of getting rid of hair and dirt, two of the biggest concerns when it comes to cleaning up after pets, and the dual-rubber bristles work well on both hard floors and carpets. Due to the price, you can expect to compromise on some features; it needs to be manually emptied, and the bin isn’t the most intuitive to open, although a quick look in the manual cleared up our confusion. Since it lacks object avoidance technology, it can get stuck on items like socks (it sucked up two of them during our test), so it’s best to prep the floor before turning the vacuum on. We also found it didn’t work as well around corners or walls. Still, it isn’t completely devoid of helpful smart features: There’s a sensor to prevent the Roomba from falling down stairs, and it performed extremely well clearing debris around smaller obstacles like chair legs during our tests. It’s also Wi-Fi-enabled and self-charging—once you set it up, the vacuum is fairly autonomous and can run for up to 90 minutes at a time. Price at time of publish: $249 Product Details: Dust Bin Capacity: N/A | Noise Level: 77 Decibels | Object Avoidance: No | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: No Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek Best Splurge Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum With Object Recognition 4.5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Lowe's View On Best Buy Our Ratings Setup 4/5 Effectiveness 4.5/5 Noise Level 4/5 Maneuverability 5/5 Features 5/5 Why You Should Get It: Fans of tech-forward products will be impressed by the auto-adjusting suction power, front-facing camera, and advanced sensors.Keep in Mind: The price reflects those tech upgrades rather than cleaning quality—which is great, but not vastly superior to cheaper models. We found the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ to be extremely high quality in every aspect. There are sensors to map out all the rooms you need to be cleaned and object avoidance that allows for minimal prep work before turning the vacuum on. It’s also great at getting underneath sofas and other cramped spaces. The vacuum adjusts its suction power based on the type of surface and how much dust and dirt it detects in the area. Perhaps one of the coolest features is the front-facing camera. You can download the app and view live footage of the cleaning progress in action, no matter where you are. While this feature alone doesn’t make it the best robot vacuum for pet hair, it’s certainly cool. With the app, you can also pull up a live map of where the vacuum is in your home and control it remotely, program no-clean zones, and even activate voice recognition. We found that it went around pet waste perfectly during testing, and the transition from carpet to hard floor was seamless, too. The vacuum is self-cleaning and self-emptying, and the magnetic lid makes opening up the dust bin super easy, which is great considering you can easily wash the dust bin out with water should you so choose. Additionally, the self-cleaning extractors on the brush avoid tangles, and the filtration system ensures that it’ll thoroughly remove all traces of dust. While we love all these tech features, and they do help make for a more advanced and seamless experience, it’s worth noting that they really drive up the price of this model. Though we were impressed with the cleaning capabilities, you can still get a great deep clean with a simpler, cheaper option. Price at time of publish: $1,000 Product Details: Dust Bin Capacity: Vacuum: 0.2 liters/Cleaning station: 2.5 liters | Noise Level: 63-68 Decibels | Object Avoidance: Yes | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: Yes Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock The 8 Best Vacuums of 2023, According To Our Testing Best Self-Emptying Yeedi Vac Station 3000Pa 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart Our Ratings Setup 4/5 Effectiveness 3.3/5 Noise Level 4/5 Maneuverability 5/5 Features 3/5 Why You Should Get It: Not only is this one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair, it’s also a smart mop—and it can switch seamlessly between both tasks.Keep in Mind: It takes a bit longer than others to pick up hair and debris. This vacuum from Yeedi performs the basic tasks that a robot vacuum should very well. Using the app you can map out the basic blueprint of your home, schedule cleanings, and create no-clean zones. It also performs more advanced tasks that not all robot vacuums have the capacity for: it’s self-charging and self-emptying, and its suction power changes when it moves from a hard floor to carpet. But perhaps its most distinctive feature is its ability to mop as well as vacuum floors—and it can perform both tasks during the same cleaning session, and when the mopping feature is engaged it will avoid carpeted areas. We found that it was equally effective at vacuuming and mopping, but it takes longer than we expected to complete (luckily it has a run-time of up to 240 minutes). The smart capability of this vacuum also means it won’t begin the mop function when it’s on the carpet, so no need to worry about it messing up your rugs. We liked how well it sucked up larger particles of debris such as cat litter in addition to pet hair, though it took longer than the allotted two minutes to get it all during our test. If your pet tracks in dirt and mud, consider this the perfect solution. It also works well under furniture and around chair legs, walls, and tables. Price at time of publish: $350 Product Details: Dust Bag Capacity: .42 Liters | Noise Level: 65 Decibels | Object Avoidance: No | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: Yes Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock The 7 Best Vacuum and Mop Combos of 2023, According to Our Tests Best on Carpet Neato D9 Intelligent Robot Vacuum 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Lowe's Our Ratings Setup 5/5 Effectiveness 4.5/5 Noise Level 4.5/5 Maneuverability 4.8/5 Ease of Emptying 5/5 Why You Should Get It: This vacuum has an extra-large dust bin (almost triple the size of other models), so you won’t need to empty it too often.Keep in Mind: Set-up was a little confusing as the instructions didn’t specify that the app is necessary for using the vacuum. This Neato model could have landed on our list of best robot vacuums for pet hair for its clever construction alone; the D-shape lets it get into 90-degree corners more thoroughly, while the curved edge works great around furniture. That shape also allows for a multi-surface brush up to 70% larger than on many round models, meaning it’ll make quick work of cleaning your floors. The brush isn’t the only thing that’s super-sized on this vacuum—the dust bin is almost three times larger than some of the other options on the list, which is especially useful because this vacuum is not self-emptying. But the biggest reason it’s on this list is its superior carpet-cleaning abilities. That’s thanks to a pleated filter that allows for greater surface area, trapping dust particles as small as 10 microns. It’s excellent at trapping allergens, too. We think that makes it especially useful for caked-in dirt hidden on carpets. It also has a Turbo Mode made for deeper cleans—and nothing can use a deeper clean than a carpet that’s covered in pet hair. Plus, the included app allows you to customize up to 16 zones for cleaning. We did find setup to be a bit confusing because the instructions didn’t tell us that we needed to download the app in order to operate the vacuum. Price at time of publish: $279 Product Details: Dust Bag Capacity: .7 Liters | Noise Level: N/A | Object Avoidance: No | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: No Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock The 11 Best Stick Vacuums of 2023 for Sucking Up Dirt, Hair, and Crumbs in Every Corner of Your Home Best for Hardwood eufy by Anker RoboVac G30 Edge 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Eufy.com Our Ratings Setup 5/5 Effectiveness 3.5/5 Noise Level 3/5 Maneuverability 3/5 Features 4/5 Why You Should Get It: This pick has the ability to detect nearby stairs, cutting down on potential mishaps during cleaning.Keep in Mind: We noted that it moved significantly slower on rugs. The best robot vacuums for pet hair should be able to work well on multiple surface types, and while this Eufy RoboVac G30 Edge does just that, it's an especially standout model for its ability to clean on hard floors. We were impressed with its ability to quickly and thoroughly navigate hardwood, as well as the corners and edges of walls that are notoriously difficult to clean—even using more expensive models. And while it does do a great job on carpets—especially with larger mess and bigger pieces of debris—it did take longer to clean it than other models during testing, since it needs a few passes to get everything. With that in mind, we think this would be the best pick for houses that primarily have hardwood floors, though you certainly don’t need to avoid using it on rugs or other small carpeted areas. As for other perks, it’s self-charging, comes with an app for scheduling cleaning, and has drop-proof technology (which translates to the ability to recognize stairs, and avoid tumbling down them). We thought the best part of the app was its ability to pin-point spot cleans for a smaller spill or mess. Price at time of publish: $269 Product Details: Dust Bag Capacity: .6 Liters | Noise Level: 77 Decibels | Object Avoidance: No | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: No Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock Best Vacuum and Mop Combo Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum + Mop 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Kohls.com View On Overstock Our Ratings Setup 4/5 Effectiveness 3.7/5 Noise Level 3/5 Maneuverability 3/5 Features 4/5 Why You Should Get It: The impressive ultra-clean mode digs 30 percent deeper into the carpet to get at embedded pet hairs. Keep in Mind: This vacuum left a lot to be desired when it came to object avoidance. This Shark model allows you to mop and vacuum your floors, although you’ll have to toggle between the two functions (you can’t do both at once). Still, that’s a small price to pay for such an effective product. As for its vacuum capabilities, we noted it handles dirt and debris quite well, as it utilizes a laser navigation system that cleans in a row-by-row formation. There’s even an ultra-clean mode that gets 30 percent deeper into the carpet, which is great for pet hair that’s buried deep in the rug. It also mops up liquid with ease. The dual capabilities make it a great choice for households with pets that shed a lot or have bathroom accidents more often than their owners would appreciate. Because there’s no object avoidance, the Shark won’t clean solid pet waste, but it also won’t avoid solid pet waste, so you could run into issues if you have the vacuum mode running when your pet has an accident—it made quite a mess for us when we tested its effectiveness in this regard, using chocolate pudding as a stand-in. Price at time of publish: $279 Product Details: Dust Bag Capacity: .16 Liters | Noise Level: 72 Decibels | Object Avoidance: No | Self-Emptying Dust Bin: No Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock The 8 Best Mops for Hardwood Floors for Scratch-Free Cleaning in 2023 The Bottom Line For its quick and efficient cleaning capabilities and impressive app-enabled features, the iRobot Roomba j7 is the overall best robot vacuum for pet hair. But if that price point is a little too high, the iRobot Roomba 694 Robot Vacuum is a solid, reliable budget pick—it makes up for its lack of fancy features in impressive cleaning ability. Our Testing Process We methodically recorded our experience with every aspect of the robot vacuums we tested over a period of six months, starting with timing the set-up. We recorded the decibel levels of each model with the vacuum placed in a walled room and tested its efficiency at picking up hair, sand, and Cheerios on hard floors and carpets. We also tested maneuverability on different surfaces using a dining chair, a couch, and a medium-pile rug. To check the object avoidance capabilities, we used USB cords and a pile of chocolate pudding (to substitute pet waste). If there was a mopping option, we used it to clean up a coffee spill. Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock What to Know About Robot Vacuums Before Shopping Size Consider the size of a robot vacuum for two reasons: to determine whether it can fit under your sofas and couches, and to ensure you have enough space to store it. You’ll want to take into account the size of the charging base as well as the vacuum itself. Also think about the size of the dust bin, which will impact how often the vacuum needs to be emptied. It’s especially important to look for an extra-large dust bin if your vacuum does not have the ability to empty itself, like the Neato D9 Intelligent Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Noise Level Most robot vacuums produce around 60 decibels of noise when in use— similar to the sound of a washing machine or a particularly loud conversation. The loudest of the vacuums we tried went up to 77 decibels, which was a bit more disruptive. If you have a self-emptying option, we noticed these tend to get louder when this feature is engaged. Features The top feature to consider when choosing the best robot vacuum for pet hair is object avoidance. This option eliminates the need to prep for cleaning by removing everything off the floor besides furniture; it typically utilizes cameras or sensors that raise the price of the vacuum a few hundred dollars. You may find it worth it for the amount of time it saves you. During our tests, models with object avoidance were typically better at avoiding the simulated pet messes than the ones without, which saved us a lot of secondary clean-up. The ability to self-empty its dustbin is also fairly common and may be worth paying a bit extra for due to convenience. Many robot vacuums also include apps that allow you to perform additional tasks such as scheduling cleans, mapping your home, pausing and restarting the vacuum, issuing voice commands, and spot-cleaning small areas. Other Robot Vacuums We Tested Eufy RoboVac 30C: A serviceable option at a decent price, this vacuum functions nicely on carpet and hardwood floors. It’s app-enabled, and it cleaned dirt and debris without significant issue during our tests. But nothing about this model really made it stand out amongst the other options that made the list, and we felt it would have been a more enticing option had it cost a little less money, especially considering the lack of object avoidance technology. We’d consider picking it up on sale. ILife V3s Pro Robot Vacuum: This is the most affordable option we tested, and the only one on the list that comes equipped with a remote control instead of an app. If you’re going to purchase a robot vacuum, we think it should come with the ability to schedule cleanings and map your house, but we thought it cleaned well and never got stuck anywhere. With that in mind, if you’re willing to sacrifice most of the tech-forward capabilities a robot vacuum is typically known for, this could be the best robot vacuum for pet hair under $200. Eufy RoboVac X8: This mop and robot vacuum hybrid did a fine job as a vacuum, but we noted some that coffee leaked from the device after it cleaned up a spill on the mop setting. For the price of this model (and the fact that our pick for the best robot vacuum/mop combo is almost $300 less at time of publication), it didn’t end up on our list. Your Questions, Answered Is a robot vacuum worth it? A robot vacuum makes cleaning easier, that’s for sure, but exactly how much easier depends on the model. The options with object avoidance, self-emptying abilities, and sophisticated apps with features like voice commands, made cleaning up messes almost completely effortless during our tests. However, you’ll pay for that luxury—the models that do even a few of these things can cost well over $400, and the most advanced ones will set you back over $1,000. If you’re looking to spend less, there are still major conveniences to be found. While it will take longer to get the job done since you’ll have to monitor the dust bin and take a few minutes of prep to clear your targeted space, any of the best robot vacuums for pet hair will make cleaning a fairly hands-off endeavor. Do robot vacuums work on pet hair? Robot vacuums are great for pet hair, since many of them have sensors that increase suction power based on the surface type and the amount of dirt and debris found in the area. That means it’s not just cleaning the dust and grime you can see—it’s getting at layers of hair that might be embedded in your rugs or carpet. Even if you don’t have carpets, a robot vacuum gets under furniture and into tricky corners, and it keeps track of where it's cleaning, so you can ensure every inch of your floor is covered. Plus, many models have bristles that ensure the hair won’t get tangled. We found many of these models to be just as effective, if not more so, at picking up pet hair than other styles of vacuum we’ve tried. Can a robot vacuum replace a regular vacuum? The best robot vacuums for pet hair can make cleaning a more regular occurrence for a busy household, and it can replace the need for a larger stick or upright vacuum if you live in a ranch-style home or an apartment. But any home with multiple floors will need a vacuum that can clean stairs, so a stick vacuum will still be good to have on hand. Plus, even if you live in a smaller space, you’ll probably need a handheld vacuum for upholstery or random spills. While a robot vacuum might not completely eliminate the need for one you can manually control, it will certainly decrease the amount of times you need to reach for it. Who We Are Alida Nugent is a commerce writer with over 6 years of experience; especially with vacuums, as she’s implemented tests on cordless, robot, and stick vacuums in the past. She also spoke with Becky Rapinchuk for Clean Mama, as well as did significant research for this article. What Is BHG Recommends? Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit