Are you struggling to keep up with the constant shedding of your furry friends such that you’re thinking of buying a robot vacuum but unsure which one to buy?
Today’s update highlights some of the highest-rated robot vacuums with one or a combination of the below specs/features.
- Powerful suction and airflow for effective pick-up.
- A D-shape design and low-profile for improved reach and coverage.
- Brushless/anti-tangle rollers for maintaining suction and for hassle-free upkeep.
- Bagged auto-dirt disposal base and high-grade filters for fresher, breathable air.
- Auto-dirt disposal base or large dustbin for uninterrupted cleaning and reduced emptying routines.
To help you make the right decision, each item has been linked to specific use cases/situations and reviewed as such–including but not limited to the best model for cat litter, best for pet hair and allergies, best for pet hair on thick carpets, or best for under $300, etc.
Without further ado, here are fifteen of the best robot vacuums for pet owners.
15 of the best robot vacuums for homes with pets/pet owners
Ozmo T8+: overall best robot vacuum for pets’ hair
Similar to the Roomba 960 and 980 the suction, airflow, and filter in the Deebot Ozmo t8 (the model without the front camera) prove sufficient for removing dander, allergens, hair, and other messes from low- and medium-pile carpets and hard surfaces. The side brush doesn’t disappoint either in corners and along walls. Not too tall as well, so it easily fits under most furniture to get escaping hair. And unlike the 900 series Roomba, you can save floor plans with the options to target, restrict, or select rooms for cleaning or avoidance.
Another thing worth mentioning is the auto-clean function of the Deebot t8+ which, similar to the Roomba s9, does such a good job emptying out the cat litter, dog hair, and other messes from its onboard dustbin all by itself, while keeping dust and dirt contained in an airtight bag estimated to hold about thirty runs.
There’s the mopping function too–with the option to add the vibrating mopping module, which makes sense if you’re grappling with dirty mud stains on hardwood floors.
As for the center brush–well, it doesn’t come close to the Roomba in resisting hair. De-hairing is quick and fairly easy, however, especially with that small tool it ships with.
Are you then still wondering why the Deebot t8 Plus is named as the best robot vacuum for pets?
Lest I forget, there’s a 3D sensor in the Ozmo t8+ intended for the avoidance of obstacles including socks, kids’ toys, shoes, etc. Ecovacs claimed the t8+ can also avoid poo; I’m yet to be able to establish this claim though since most tests (including Ecovacs demo) used fake poo. That, plus I encountered a couple of reviews on Amazon claiming the variant of this model, the t8 AIVI, failed the poo test. So, turd–no. Cat puke–no, as well.
Therefore if you have pets prone to accidents, while its obstacle avoidance function is still a little rough (after all it performed brilliantly with other obstacles which means it just needs a touch of perfection), the Deebot t8 Plus is still the one for keeps, particularly if you need full automation in a house with plenty pets and an endless supply of messes.
Proscenic M7 Pro: best robot vacuum for dog hair and allergies
Now a self floor cleaner can help with pet hair and allergy issues. The problem is in emptying the dustbin a couple of times during cleaning sessions–an activity that may cause a bit of discomfort, especially for people with allergies.
Enter: the auto-dirt emptying function of the Proscenic M7 Pro robot vacuum. With the total package at around $500 on Amazon, the clean base of the M7 Pro works reliably well, and more so a bagged system. Besides improved air quality, the M7 Pro’s dirtbags are also very convenient to manage, cheap, and readily available.
Related: Full review (includes pros & cons) of the Proscenic m7 Pro self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner
Roomba E5: best robot vacuum for pet hair and hardwood floor
Another thing worth mentioning is E5’s quietness at 65 decibels max.
The E5 compared to the high-end Roombas is a lot more hands-on and less efficient, though. For instance, it automatically recharges but can’t resume. When helped, the Roomba E5 floor cleaner can’t remember where it last cleaned before the charge break. Meaning the E5 lacks mapping, straight-line navigation, room divider, zone cleaning, and room selection. Also, the E5 has a 500ml dustbin. Well, not the best you can get from a non-self-emptying robot seeing the Neato D7 has a 700ml, for example. Consider getting a more advanced Roomba pet hair model (i7+ or s9+) if the ping pong movement and/or bin size of the Roomba E5 bothers you. Otherwise, it’s a reliable robot vacuum with stable performance.
Related: best automatic vacuum for hardwood floors
Roomba 960: best robot vacuum for pet hair and thick carpet
It turns out the Roomba 960 doesn’t remember the layout of a room or store floor maps. It lacks the zoned cleaning and no-go line functions too. As well, the Roomba 960 floor robot can’t schedule individual rooms for cleaning.
The 960 does, in fact, have sensors to detect dirt, and intelligence to navigate obstacles and optimize coverage. Brushless beater bars, too. That way, you can be sure of efficient vacuuming with less tangling of carpet fibers or rug fringes.
Also, the 960 has plenty of power to rid rugs of pet hair, dust, dirt, pollen, and other mess.
The average runtime on the iRobot 960 is 60 minutes. If battery life bothers you, the 960 automatically recharges and resumes. And while the Roomba 960 doesn’t have the auto-dirt emptying function, it does have a fairly larger dustbin of 600ml to reduce the frequency of emptying. That, plus the Roomba 960 has a full bin sensor to prevent overflow.
Related: robot carpet cleaner reviews
Roomba 980: best robot vacuum for pet hair on carpet and hard floors
Have a mix of carpet and hardwood floors? You can’t go wrong with the Roomba 980.
The iRobot 980 though lacks an auto-dirt disposal system, multi-floor support, individual room scheduling, room divider, and area cleaning.
There are two critical upgrades to the 980 if it helps to mention. There’s an improvement in runtime (120 minutes vs. 75 minutes) and suction (1700Pa vs. 900Pa) vis-a-vis the 960, so you don’t really have options if you live in a large house with a mix of hardwood, tile, marble, laminate, and carpets.
Take note that the iRobot 980, while pricey (typically selling $500+), has been discontinued. “Discontinued” doesn’t mean you won’t get support (product & customer) if you already own one; it simply means units are limited or may be exclusive to a few retailers.
If you don’t mind how long cleaning takes (it can automatically recharge and resume, after all), and live in a house ~1500 sqft, the iRobot 960 is an ideal choice considering it’s cheaper and very much readily available.
Related: best robot vacuum for carpet and hardwood
Roomba s9+: best robot vacuum for heavy pet hair
For the Roomba s9, it doesn’t matter whether it’s the hair of a lab or golden retriever that’s involved.
Being D-shaped, closer to the ground, with a front-loaded wider brushless roller design and tons of suction and airflow–the Roomba s9 can remove long, thick, heavy dog and cat hair from hardwood, tiles, laminate, carpets, corners, and along edges of walls with less tangling. Still, with the Roomba s9, there’s the auto-emptying base station keeping all the cruds contained, with the end goal of clean floors and fresh, breathable air.
Roborock S5 Max: best robot vacuum mop for pet hair
Not only that, the Roborock S5 max smart vacuum can run up to three hours on a single charge while returning to its home dock to juice up and resume cleaning when and where necessary.
Further, the S5 max has a 290 ml water tank that isn’t only ideal for large homes but also offers plenty of flexibility and customizations, including the ability to control/adapt water flow for different rooms through the App.
Similarly, through the App, users can select rooms for mopping while setting no-mop zones to prevent the S5 max from going over carpets or rugs. Also in vacuuming mode, users can take advantage of the room divider function to condone the s5 max from the pet’s play area.
Succinctly, if you’re looking to automate pet hair vacuuming in your house while wiping after the dog’s paw prints, the Roborock S5 max is the one to beat.
Related: best budget robot vacuum and mop
Roborock S6/Eufy 11s: best quiet robot vacuums for pet hair
Room cleaning robots such as the Shark IQ, Roomba s9, and Samsung 7260 are pretty loud at 70, 72, and 78 max decibels, respectively. The likes of the Eufy 30C and Roborock S6 are quiet alternatives, at around 58 decibels plus they clean well and reliably so.
Talking of hair tangling, both the Eufy 30C and Roborock S6 can tangle hair. Clearing hair out of the brush roll typically takes a couple of minutes assuming regular vacuuming plus this is a pretty simple task given the two machines ship with a small cutting tool that tucks neatly around the dustbin area.
Cheaper, the Eufy 30C is a limited version of the Roborock: random albeit less aggressive movements; no mapping/map saving; and no mop attachment, room divider, or room selection.
Either of the two models suffices if you’re looking for a cleaning tool that handles pet hair well WITHOUT disrupting sleep or conversations.
Get the Eufy if you’re on a budget, live in an apartment, or don’t mind some personalization or advanced tech.
Consider the Roborock s6 vacmop if you live in a large, multistory house and want a quiet automatic machine that cleans pet hair in a systematic, reliable, and efficient manner.
Neato D4: best robot vacuum for pet hair under 300
The center brush of the D4, which is wider and front-loaded, allows cleaning to be done with fewer passes. Plus, this design of the Neato’s brush plus its industry-standard height of 3.92 inches ensures its ability to get under couches and closer to corners and walls where a lot of the hair usually accumulates.
Not only that, the dustbin on the Neato Botvac D4 is larger (700ml), as such ensuring prolonged cleaning while helping to reduce the hassle and frequency of emptying.
The Neato D4 functionalities are limited though. As a result, it may not be ideal if you live in a huge/split-level house and want the freedom to select rooms or zones for cleaning.
Regardless, the Neato D4 makes perfect sense if you want a bot that cleans systematically and intensively without creating a mess of the center brush–and if, for any of these or more, don’t plan to part with more than $300.
Related: The best vacuuming robot under $300
Ecovacs Deebot 500: best robot vacuum for pet hair under 200
On the upside, the Deebot 500 doesn’t receive over-the-air updates that can break functionalities, so it just works right out of the box. Not to mention it handles pet hair really well–whether on thin rugs, hardwood floors, or in hard-to-reach spots like under furniture.
Truth is, the Deebot 500 robotic cleaner is one of the best you can get at this price range. Typically selling under $200, the Deebot 500 robot vacuum is very much ideal especially if you can’t afford or don’t want to deal with the complexities of the advanced models; have short hair dog or cat breed; have some time to spare to rescue or empty its onboard dustbin; and/or live in a house ~600 sq ft.
iLife V5S Pro: best iLife robot vacuum for pet hair
Care to know why the v5s Pro robot vacuum is the best iLife robot vacuum for pet hair?
So it turns out the suction inlet in the iLife v5 Pro isn’t only for removing that pesky hair from your floors but it’s also able to maintain peak performance, saving you money on replacement rollers and the time you’d have spent cutting out wrapped hair.
And assuming you’re wondering what “Pro” in the name means. Well, this iLife bot has a mop attachment that suffices for dust or dirty dog wet prints on hardwood floors.
The iLife v5s Pro featuring in the starter category means, similar to the Deebot 500, systematic cleaning, mapping, personalization, and the automatic resume functions are absent. Also, its no-brush design could cause it to struggle on carpets and rugs. Another thing you want to keep in mind is its dustbin size of 300 ml.
For the trade-offs of convenience and efficiency, the iLife v5s Pro is cheap, simple to use, plus the suction port makes it ideal for most pet hair vacuuming situations. It’s the right choice if you can’t afford or don’t want to deal with the complexities of the advanced models; have short hair dog or cat breed and some time to spare to rescue/empty its onboard dustbin; and/or if you live in a house ~600 sq ft.
R7260 Plus: best Samsung robot vacuum for pets
Right up there with the likes of Roborock and Roomba in terms of features and cleaning ability.
Now with 5160Pa suction and a self-cleaning brush roll added to a 90-minute run time, the Samsung R7260 smart robotic cleaner is godsent for pet owners of heavy-shedding dog breeds and/or people who live in a house with expansive deep-pile carpeted areas.
If you can run on a schedule (it’s loud at 78dB), have faith in the Samsung brand, and don’t mind splurging (over $700 at the time of this writing), the R7260 Plus model is worth checking out.
Eufy 30C: best Eufy robot vacuum for pet hair
So, unlike the iLife V5s Pro, the Eufy 30C robot vacuum doesn’t have a suction inlet or mop attachment. Instead, it has a bristle style brush, 1500Pa suction, and is only 2.85″ tall as such its ability to completely remove hair from deep in rugs and carpets, on tiles, hardwood floors and laminates, and under sofas, along walls, and in corners.
While hair may wrap around the roller after the cleaning session, de-clogging is quick and fairly easy. Perhaps it’s also worth mentioning that systematic, selective, restrictive, and targeted cleaning, mapping, personalization, and the automatic resume functions aren’t available in the Eufy 30C.
For the trade-offs of convenience and efficiency, the Eufy 30C robotic vacuum is cheaper, simple to use, and has plenty of power suitable to most vacuuming situations, including pets’ hair. It’s an ideal choice if you can’t afford or don’t want to deal with the complexities of the advanced models; have short hair dog or cat breed and some time to spare to rescue/empty its onboard dustbin; and/or if you live in a house ~600 sq ft.
IQ r1002ae: best Shark robot vacuum for pet hair
If you own large breed dogs that shed horribly, you probably already have an idea of the amount of work required to keep floors tidy and clean. Maybe you’re a believer in robot vacuums too, except you trust the Shark brand more (perhaps because their upright vacs served you well?).
Now while the Shark has quite a number of robot vacuum models, the IQ r1002ae model, in my opinion, is the best of them all, especially for pet hair vacuuming. It’s reasonably priced (under $500), has intelligent navigation, self-cleaning brush roll, dual side brushes, and, most importantly, a bagless auto-dirt emptying system.
Related: Full review of the Shark IQ r1002ae self-emptying smart home robotic cleaner
Botvac d7: best Neato robot vacuum for dog hair
If you own a Husky, Pyrenee, German Shepherd, or Border Collie, you probably already have an idea of the amount of work that’s required to keep floors tidy and clean. Maybe you’re a believer in robot vacuums too, except you trust the Neato brand more (maybe because they work well in corners, where a lot of the hair accumulates given their D shape…or the fact they’re Lidar-based?). Lucky for you, Neato has quite a few reputable pet-hair-eating models for which the d7 is one.
The center brush of the d7 botvac, which is wider and front-loaded, allows cleaning to be done with fewer passes. Plus, this design of the Neato’s brush, its D-shaped design, and industry-standard height of 3.92 inches ensure proper reach and coverage in under couches, corners, and along walls where a lot of the hair usually accumulates.
Not only that, the dustbin on the Neato botvac d7, larger (700ml) ensures uninterrupted cleaning while reducing the hassle/frequency of emptying.
Conclusion
There you have it: fifteen pet hair robot vacuums to keep floors perpetually hair-free and nice-looking.
To make the right choice, pay attention to the use cases/cleaning needs each item has been associated with. This will ensure you get the optimum value for your purchase.
That mentioned, if you have lots of dogs or cats, chances are the hopper will fill quickly, and every time this happens, vacuuming will stop. Manually emptying the bin can quickly become work. Also, units without the full bin indicator will continue vacuuming, leaving globs of hair behind.
To avoid the trouble of frequently emptying the dustbin of a robot vacuum and to ensure it knows when it’s full, consider units with the self-cleaning option. That means the Proscenic m7 Pro(#2 on the list), Roomba s9 Plus (#6 on the list), and Deebot t8+ (#1 on the list). As well, to maintain air quality and peak performance, the robot’s filter should be cleaned regularly and be of a high-grade quality (HEPA preferably).
Going for days without vacuuming or maybe it’s the first time in a long time, could mean that to get to a point where the robot will be able to keep up, you may have to empty a bunch upfront.
Similarly, you may have to pause in between runs to clean parts such as rollers, side bristles, or sensors. Usually, a cleaning tool comes with most automatic vacuum cleaners. Whether or not a cleaning tool is included/available, upkeep is quick and easy on most models.
Lastly, try to pick up stuff that can get tangled on the brushes and areas that the vac will get stuck like couches.