Shark, for most homes. Reviewers found Shark's robots stronger on carpet and its bagless docks easy to live with, while Roomba's best case is a small flat with low furniture, where its slim Plus models fit under more.
Updated
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Vacuum Wars measured about 90% of embedded sand lifted from carpet by the NeverTouch Pro, among the best it has seen. Roomba's Plus 405 gave Vacuum Wars its worst-ever Roomba deep-carpet result, and hair wrapped the Plus 415's brush for Ideal Home.
Roomba's slim Plus 415 and Plus 575 are 8.35cm tall, and Netzwelt got the 575 under a shelf no other robot had reached. The Shark robots testers measured are taller: Vacuum Wars put the UV Reveal at 10.4cm.
Shark's docks are bagless. After a month, Tech Advisor found the NeverTouch Pro's pad still looked new and the base smelled fresh. Most Roomba docks empty into bags, and Tom's Guide had to rinse the Plus 505's dirty-water tank every time to stop it smelling.
Shark's mops run wet: Vacuum Wars measured the ThermaCharged's water output as the second-highest it has recorded, and TechRadar found its old wood floors too wet with the NeverTouch Pro. Roomba isn't perfect either, as Vacuum Wars found the Plus 405 very wet, but Tom's Guide found the Plus 505 never left floors too wet.
Shark's app keeps only one map, as Vacuum Wars and TechRadar both found, so you remap if you carry it upstairs. Roomba's app has its own problems, with Just A Dad Approved seeing the Plus 575 drop off Wi-Fi two or three times a week. Neither brand's app is a reason to buy.
The closest match from each brand at three price levels, with today's prices.
Shark's Matrix Plus maps fast and climbed rugs and thresholds that stranded other robots for TechRadar, and the vacuum-only AI Ultra lifted almost all debris from hardwood for Modern Castle. Roomba's Plus 415 is slimmer and mops better, but Ideal Home called its obstacle avoidance the worst it tested this year.
Shark's NeverTouch Pro has the stronger carpet results and a bagless dock Tech Advisor barely had to touch, and the Matrix Plus mapped fast and handled spaniel hair for TechRadar. Roomba's Plus 575 runs them close for a small flat, with a camera and a slim body connect liked, but the Plus 405 was weak on carpet and left floors very wet for Vacuum Wars.
Shark's UV Reveal finds sticky spots and scored far above average on dried stains for Vacuum Wars, but TechRadar marked down its app. Roomba's Max 775 Combo mops just as convincingly for Xataka, though Just A Dad Approved found it loud and glitchy, and the older Combo 10 Max's dock let down TechRadar.
Reviewers like how Shark's robots vacuum. Vacuum Wars rated the NeverTouch Pro's pickup excellent on both floor types, and Tom's Guide found carpets felt fresh after a ThermaCharged run. The bagless docks are the other draw: Tech Advisor went a month without the NeverTouch Pro needing attention. The same complaints follow the range: floors left wet after mopping, a basic app that Vacuum Wars calls the weakest in the industry and that keeps one map only, and robots too tall for the lowest sofas, with Vacuum Wars measuring the UV Reveal at 10.4cm. Climbing is disputed too, with Vacuum Wars seeing the UV Reveal fail a 25mm threshold that TechRadar's home thresholds never troubled.
iRobot has rebuilt the Roomba range around laser mapping, and reviews are mixed. The slim Plus 575 is the standout, praised by Netzwelt and connect for reaching under furniture and for its mopping, and Xataka calls the Max 775 Combo the best mopper it has tried. Lower down, the Plus 405 disappointed Vacuum Wars on carpet and the Plus 415 can't see clutter, by Ideal Home's account. Software is a recurring worry, from Wi-Fi dropouts on the Plus 575 Just A Dad Approved to a buggy app and unreliable dock on the Combo 10 Max TechRadar. iRobot went through bankruptcy and a takeover in late 2025, and its chief executive told TechRadar the app, warranties and updates carry on.
Vacuum Wars measured about 90% of embedded sand removed from carpet by the NeverTouch Pro, with above-average pet-hair pickup, and Tom's Guide got nearly all the cereal and pet hair out of carpet with the UV Reveal. Shark isn't flawless, as TechGearLab saw the cheap Matrix Plus push debris into high pile. Roomba's results are weaker: Vacuum Wars recorded the worst deep-carpet score it had seen from a Roomba on the Plus 405, and connect found even the well-liked Plus 575 slower and less thorough on deep carpet.
Shark's mops lift stains, with Tech Advisor watching gravy, coffee and mud vanish, but they put down a lot of water. Vacuum Wars measured the UV Reveal leaving close to five times the average amount. Roomba's Max 775 and Plus 575 impressed Xataka and connect, though the Plus 405 was just as wet for Vacuum Wars. Edges favour Roomba's slim Plus models: Ideal Home saw the Plus 415's pads get right up to the skirting boards, where Trusted Reviews saw the NeverTouch Pro leave a line of dust along the plinth.
Shark's docks tip dirt into a bagless bin, and Tech Advisor found the NeverTouch Pro's base still smelled fresh after a month. You do rinse two filters in the base, Trusted Reviews notes, and TechRadar had to empty the Matrix Plus every two weeks with children and dogs. Roomba's docks use bags and are often loud: Tom's Guide measured 87dB as the Plus 505 emptied. The slim Plus 415 dock is the compact choice, about half the floor space of a rival's for Ideal Home.
Roomba's Plus 415 and Plus 575 are 8.35cm tall, per iRobot, and Netzwelt found the 575 fitted under a shelf no other robot had reached. The Shark robots testers measured are taller: Vacuum Wars measured the UV Reveal at 10.4cm and TechGearLab put the Matrix Plus at about 4 inches. Older and cheaper Roombas such as the Plus 405 are tall too, so this only applies to the slim Plus line.
Vacuum Wars calls Shark's app the weakest in the industry, with no manual suction or water settings and one map only, though TechRadar liked its simplicity. Roomba's app complaints are more about reliability: Just A Dad Approved had the Plus 575 drop off Wi-Fi two or three times a week, and Trusted Reviews saw the Plus 505's app crash mid-clean. If you want fine control, neither brand does it well.
For most homes, yes. Reviewers found Shark's robots stronger on carpet and liked its bagless, low-upkeep docks. Roomba is the better pick for a small flat with low furniture, where the slim Plus 575 earned good reviews from Netzwelt and connect, or if you want a strong mopper like the Max 775 Combo Xataka.
Nobody has published failure rates for either brand, so there's no reliable answer. The longest tests we've seen are a month or a few months. In that time Tech Advisor found the NeverTouch Pro's dock still fresh, while Just A Dad Approved had repeated Wi-Fi dropouts with the Plus 575 and Just A Dad Approved still couldn't buy official spare parts for the Plus 415 three months after launch.
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.
Often, yes. Vacuum Wars measured one of the highest water outputs it has recorded on the ThermaCharged, TechRadar saw streaks on glossy tiles with the UV Reveal, and TechRadar found the NeverTouch Pro too wet for old wood. If you have delicate floors, start on the lowest setting where the app offers one.
Shark, on balance. Vacuum Wars found above-average pet-hair pickup on the NeverTouch Pro, and TechRadar found even the cheap Matrix Plus handled two spaniels well. On Roomba, Vacuum Wars measured the Plus 405's lowest-ever flattened pet-hair score, and hair wrapped the Plus 415's brush for Ideal Home.
Not Shark's. Vacuum Wars and TechRadar both found its app keeps a single map, so you remap if you carry the robot upstairs. None of the Roomba reviews we use tested multi-floor mapping, so check before you buy if that matters.
