How we pick
We compare robots on what their makers publish, and we show our working. Here is what we do, and what we don't.
We don't test robots
We haven't run these robots in a lab or in our own homes. Our comparisons come from the specs each brand publishes.
That limits what we can tell you. We can say which robot has the stronger suction figure, which one is lower, and what each dock does. We can't tell you how loud one sounds or how it copes with your rug.
Where each number comes from
We read each spec from the brand's own page where we can. Where the brand's page doesn't have it, we use the shop listing. Each robot's spec sheet shows which of the two a number came from.
The same rule covers the extra details listed under each spec sheet.
Open any row on a spec sheet and you'll see the words we read the number from. The sheet also shows the date we checked it. The specs on the site today were checked on 11 November 2026.
What "Not stated" means
If we can't find a number on the brand's page or the listing, we print "Not stated". We don't guess from a similar model.
We do record a "no" for a dock job in two cases. One is when the brand's own page or manual describes the dock and the job isn't part of it. The other is when the manual tells you to do the job by hand. We never record a "no" just because a shop listing doesn't mention the job.
The Matcher treats a blank as a no. If you ask for a robot that climbs a 2 cm door sill, a robot with no stated climbing height is left out, and the Matcher tells you that is why.
Door sills: one step only
Some brands advertise a climbing height that only applies to a sill with two steps. We list the single-step height, because that's the one that matches a normal door sill. If a brand gives only the two-step figure, we print "Not stated".
How the Matcher decides
The Robot Matcher doesn't score robots. A robot is on your list if it does everything you asked, and off it if it doesn't.
The list runs from the cheapest price band to the dearest. Inside a band, the robot with the stronger suction comes first. Every robot that was left out is shown underneath with the reason.
Price bands, not prices
Prices move too often for us to print them. We put each robot in one of four price bands, based on its price on the day we checked. Use the "Check price" button to see what it costs today.
Buying guides and ratings
Each buying guide picks three robots from our list. The first is our best overall pick for that guide. The other two each suit a named need, such as a small budget or tall door sills.
The star ratings are our own, out of five. They are our judgement of how well a robot's published specs suit the job the guide is about. They aren't customer review scores.
Money
We earn a commission when you buy through our links. Every robot in our list is sold by the same shop, so we earn in the same way whichever one you choose. How we make money