Roborock, at almost every price. Reviewers rate its robots higher for vacuuming, pet hair and dodging clutter, while Roomba's rebuilt range has a couple of strong moppers and several disappointments.
Updated
Start with the thing that matters most to you.
RTINGS found even Roborock's cheap Q7 M5 lifted most carpet pet hair in one pass, and TechRadar ran a Saros 10 for ten months with a cocker spaniel. Roomba's Plus 405 gave Vacuum Wars the worst deep-carpet result it had seen from a Roomba.
The Saros 10R scored a perfect obstacle result with Vacuum Wars and RTINGS found it great at avoiding pet waste. Roomba's Max 775 and Plus 575 dodge well too, but its cheaper models have no camera and ran over cables for Ideal Home and Just A Dad Approved.
This is Roomba's best area. Xataka calls the Max 775 Combo the best mopper it has tested, and connect saw the Plus 575 lift dried ketchup first time. On Roborock's side, the Saros 10R's spinning pads scored far better on dried stains than the Saros 10's single pad Vacuum Wars.
Both brands have slim models. Roborock's Saros 10 and 10R get down to 7.98cm, and the 10R slid under TechRadar's TV cabinet. Roomba's Plus 415 and Plus 575 are 8.35cm tall, and Netzwelt got the 575 under a shelf no other robot had reached.
Roborock's Q7 M5 vacuums well above its price for RTINGS and TechRadar. Roomba's cheapest mapping robot, the 105 Combo, scored 4.8 out of 10 with Just A Dad Approved, who said to skip it.
The closest match from each brand at three price levels, with today's prices.
RTINGS found Roborock's Q7 M5 cleared most carpet pet hair in one pass, while the Roomba 105 Combo scored 4.8 out of 10 with Just A Dad Approved and smeared sauce across the floor for Reviews.org. Roborock's Q10 X5+ hasn't been tested itself, and its sibling's carpet results split between Vacuum Wars and TechGearLab; neither brand's budget robot dodges cables.
Roborock's Qrevo S Pro washes its mops in hot water and T3 called it a bit of a steal, though it runs over socks and cables. Roomba's Plus 575 runs it close, with a camera and a slim body Netzwelt got under a shelf, but the Plus 415 can't see clutter at all and wraps hair round its brush Ideal Home.
The Saros 10R got a perfect obstacle score from Vacuum Wars, and TechRadar ran a Saros 10 for ten months with few problems. Roomba's Max 775 Combo mops superbly for Xataka but was loud and glitchy for Just A Dad Approved, and the Combo 10 Max's dock let down both TechRadar and Vacuum Wars.
Reviewers are fairly consistent about Roborock, from the cheap Q7 M5, which RTINGS found strong on carpet pet hair, up to the Saros 10R, which got a perfect obstacle score from Vacuum Wars. The same weak spots turn up in the cheaper models: no camera, so Deskmodder saw the Qrevo S Pro roll over cables, socks and flat toys, and both T3 and TechRadar hit app glitches early on. The Saros 10's single vibrating mop is weaker on dried stains than the 10R's spinning pads Vacuum Wars. Long-term evidence is thin for every brand, but TechRadar ran a Saros 10 every other night for ten months and it got stuck only a handful of times.
iRobot has rebuilt the Roomba range around laser mapping, and the reviews are mixed. The better models get real praise: Xataka calls the Max 775 Combo the best mopper it has tried, and connect and Netzwelt liked how the slim Plus 575 cleans under furniture. The cheaper ones disappoint more often, with Just A Dad Approved scoring the 105 Combo 4.8 out of 10 and Vacuum Wars measuring the worst deep-carpet result it had seen from a Roomba on the Plus 405. App and connection trouble keep coming up, from Wi-Fi dropouts on the Plus 575 Just A Dad Approved to a buggy app on the Combo 10 Max TechRadar. iRobot also went through bankruptcy and a takeover in late 2025, and its chief executive told TechRadar that the app, warranties and updates carry on.
Roborock's results on carpet hold up from the bottom of the range to the top. RTINGS found the budget Q7 M5 lifted the vast majority of carpet pet hair in one pass, and TechRadar saw a Saros 10 keep on top of a cocker spaniel for ten months. Roomba is patchier: Vacuum Wars recorded its worst-ever Roomba deep-carpet score on the Plus 405, Ideal Home found hair wrapped round the Plus 415's roller, and the Max 775 split its testers on hair tangles Just A Dad Approved. The Saros 10R is Roborock's soft spot here, needing several passes for embedded hair in RTINGS's lab.
At the top, Roborock leads: Vacuum Wars gave the Saros 10R the first perfect score on its obstacle course. Roomba's Max 775 and Plus 575 are good too, with Just A Dad Approved watching the 575 steer round a fake dog mess. Below that, neither brand fits a camera and both run things over. Deskmodder saw the Qrevo S Pro roll over cables and socks, and Ideal Home called the Plus 415's avoidance the worst it tested this year.
If you mostly want clean kitchen floors, Roomba's better docks hold their own. Xataka says the Max 775 Combo mops better than anything else it has tested, and connect saw the Plus 575 lift juice and dried ketchup on the first pass. Roborock's Saros 10R is excellent too, scoring far ahead of the Saros 10 on dried stains with Vacuum Wars, but the mid-range Qrevo S Pro only lightly wets the floor and left dried-on food for T3. Avoid Roomba's cheapest drag-pad models for spills: the 105 Combo smeared sauce and honey for Reviews.org.
Neither app is flawless, but Roomba's complaints are more serious. Just A Dad Approved had the Plus 575 drop off Wi-Fi two or three times a week, and TechRadar and Vacuum Wars both found the Combo 10 Max's app buggy and its dock unreliable. Roborock's problems were teething ones: T3 needed several tries to connect the Q7 M5, while T3 had the Qrevo S Pro running in under five minutes. The best long-term record belongs to the Saros 10, which TechRadar used for ten months with little fuss.
Both brands now make robots that slip under low sofas. Roborock's Saros 10 sinks its laser turret to reach 7.98cm, per Roborock, and the turret-free Saros 10R cleared TechRadar's TV cabinet by a millimetre. Roomba's slim Plus models are 8.35cm tall, per iRobot, and Netzwelt found the 575 fitted under a shelf no other robot had reached. The older, cheaper Roombas and the Q7 M5 are around 10cm, so measure first.
For most homes, yes. Across budget, mid-range and flagship models, reviewers rate Roborock higher for vacuuming, pet hair and avoiding clutter. Roomba's best case is mopping, where Xataka rates the Max 775 Combo above anything it has tested, and its slim Plus 575, which connect liked for getting under furniture.
Nobody has published failure rates for either brand, so there's no honest answer yet. The longest test we've seen is TechRadar's ten months with a Saros 10, which got stuck only a handful of times. On the Roomba side, Just A Dad Approved had repeated Wi-Fi dropouts over months with the Plus 575, and three months after launch Just A Dad Approved still couldn't buy official spare parts for the Plus 415.
iRobot went through bankruptcy and was taken over by its manufacturer, Picea, in late 2025. Its chief executive told TechRadar that the app would keep working, warranties would be honoured and firmware updates would continue.
Roborock. RTINGS found its budget Q7 M5 lifted most carpet pet hair in one pass, and a Saros 10 handled a cocker spaniel for ten months for TechRadar. Roomba's results vary by model: Vacuum Wars measured its lowest-ever flattened pet-hair score on the Plus 405, and hair wrapped the Plus 415's brush for Ideal Home.
Only the ones with a camera. Just A Dad Approved saw the Plus 575 avoid a fake dog mess, and the Max 775 dodged cords for Just A Dad Approved. The 105 Combo and Plus 415 have no camera and ran over cables for Just A Dad Approved and Ideal Home. The same goes for Roborock's cheaper models, so pick things up first either way.
