Roomba Plus 505 Combo
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →iRobot's mid-range vacuum and mop, with spinning pads that reach the edges and a dock that empties, washes and dries. It's a good mopper for mostly hard floors. It's weaker on deeper rugs, and its emptying is loud.
Updated
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
Where it sits in iRobot’s range
- Roomba Plus 405 ComboPads sit further in, so edges get less reach
- Roomba 205 DustCompactor ComboNo dock; compacts dirt inside the robot
- Roomba Plus 505 ComboThis model
- Roomba Plus 515 ComboSlimmer 8.35cm body and hot pad wash, but no camera
- Roomba Max 705 VacVacuum-only, with dual rubber brushes and a self-emptying dock
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What reviewers found
Two home tests with different verdicts. Tom's Guide used it daily for a few weeks in a house with a toddler, a pug and a low-pile rug, and loved it. Trusted Reviews tested it in an open-plan home and found a good mopper let down by carpet cleaning, noise and a flaky app. They agree on the mopping, the dock and obstacle avoidance, and both found emptying loud. Rugs split them: fine for Tom's Guide, damp and under-cleaned for Trusted Reviews.
Tom's Guide, hands-on, A few weeks at home, Oct 2025 · Trusted Reviews, hands-on, Apr 2026
Hard floors
Reviewers rate it highlyBoth testers found it good on hard floors. Trusted Reviews saw dust and crumbs picked up in one pass, calling it pretty impressive despite modest suction, and Tom's Guide found it reached deep into corners with edge-to-edge cleaning.
Carpet and rugs
Mixed resultsIt depends on the pile. Tom's Guide found its low-pile rug came up about as clean as with a stick vacuum, but Trusted Reviews says thicker carpet shows the limits of its suction, and its pads still dampened thick rugs.
Pet hair
Not enough evidenceOnly Tom's Guide tested it with pet hair, finding it handled a shedding pug well, with not a single hair wrapped round the brush after more than 20 runs.
Mopping
Reviewers rate it highlyTrusted Reviews found the mopping redeems it, lifting light spills, dried footprints and everyday grime, and Tom's Guide found it never left floors too wet or dry. It's a surface clean: dried-on food still needed scrubbing by hand.
Navigation and obstacles
Reviewers rate it highlyTrusted Reviews found its camera avoided cables, socks and most toys, and Tom's Guide saw it clean round toys and shoes, getting stuck only once on long curtains. Its spot-clean mode pushed a pile of oats around instead of picking it up.
Dock and upkeep
Mixed resultsTom's Guide found upkeep minimal over weeks of daily runs, but both Tom's Guide and Trusted Reviews found the dirty-water tank starts to smell unless rinsed, and Trusted Reviews notes the spare pads don't fit neatly in its storage.
App and software
Mixed resultsTom's Guide found the app easy to use, with only occasional map lag. Trusted Reviews saw it crash mid-clean, show the robot as disconnected when it wasn't, and fail to save custom routines.
Noise
Reviewers found problemsBoth testers found it loud. Tom's Guide measured 87dB while the dock emptied and won't run it while a toddler sleeps, and Trusted Reviews found it very loud on its highest setting, with intrusive emptying.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use has run it long-term or judged iRobot's support yet.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Trusted Reviews clearly judged value, finding it would be better value at a discount and that your money is better spent on stronger rivals for now.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
Mopping is the highlight
Trusted Reviews calls this where it redeems itself: the twin pads spin with downward pressure, and the pad that swings outwards made a noticeable difference in kitchens and hallways. Light spills, dried footprints and everyday grime came up well. Tom's Guide found it never left floors too wet or too dry, but calls it a surface clean: dried-on food under a highchair still needed scrubbing by hand. Expect clean everyday floors, not rescued old stains.
Hard floors fine, carpets divide testers
Both found it good on hard floors. Trusted Reviews saw dust and crumbs picked up in one pass, but says thicker carpet exposes the limits of its suction and of how high it lifts the pads, and it got thick rugs wet even with the pads raised. Tom's Guide only had a low-pile rug, which came up about as clean as with a stick vacuum, and it never got stuck on the rug's edges. If you have deep carpet, the Trusted Reviews result is the one to go by.
Dodges clutter, fumbles spot cleans
Trusted Reviews found its camera avoided cables, socks and most toys, though the odd small toy caught it out. Tom's Guide saw it clean round forgotten toys and shoes, and it only got stuck once, on long curtains. Spot-clean mode was less clever: faced with a pile of oats, it flagged them as a hazard and pushed them around instead of picking them up, and needed a second go on the rug. Neither review shows that a whole-room clean handles that mess any better.
Loud dock, glitchy app
Tom's Guide measured 87 dB while the dock emptied the bin, 68 to 70 dB during self-cleaning and about 65 dB while cleaning, and won't run it while a toddler sleeps. Trusted Reviews found it very loud on its highest vacuum setting and the emptying intrusive. The app annoyed both: Trusted Reviews saw it crash mid-clean, show the robot as disconnected when it wasn't, and fail to save custom routines, while Tom's Guide had occasional map lag.
Little upkeep, but a smelly tank
Tom's Guide found upkeep minimal: after more than 20 runs with a shedding pug there wasn't a single hair wrapped round the brush. Both testers found the dirty-water tank starts to smell, and Tom's Guide rinsed it every time. Trusted Reviews suggests a disinfectant, but that's its tip, not iRobot's, so stick to iRobot's cleaning instructions. It also notes the spare pads don't fit neatly in the dock's storage. Budget a minute for the tank each time you empty it.
Our take
Should you buy the Roomba Plus 505 Combo?
Best for: Homes with mostly hard floors and a few rugs. Skip it if: Most of your home has thick carpet.
The 505 may suit mostly hard floors if you value pad scrubbing and accept loud emptying, water-tank care and reported app faults. Deep rugs were dampened and under-cleaned in one test. Qrevo Edge 2 has a strong single-lab carpet result, but divided stain findings and weak avoidance; compare those trade-offs rather than assuming it improves every cleaning task.
The Plus 505 Combo sits above the Plus 405 Combo and adds a front camera for spotting things on the floor. One of its two spinning pads swings out towards skirting boards, both lift on carpet, and the dock empties the bin, then washes and heat-dries the pads. At 10.6cm tall it won't get under low sofas the way iRobot's newer slim Plus models can.
Both testers rated the mopping. Trusted Reviews found it lifted light spills, dried footprints and everyday grime, and Tom's Guide found it never left floors too wet or too dry, though dried-on food still needed scrubbing by hand. They split on carpet. Tom's Guide's low-pile rug came up about as clean as with a stick vacuum, but Trusted Reviews found thicker carpet showed the limits of its suction and the pads still dampened thick rugs. Both found the camera dodged cables, socks and most toys. Both found emptying very loud, at 87dB for Tom's Guide, and the dirty-water tank smells unless rinsed. Trusted Reviews saw the app crash mid-clean and lose routines, and says your money is better spent on stronger rivals for now.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
Mostly. Trusted Reviews found it avoided cables, socks and most toys, missing only the odd small toy, and Tom's Guide saw it clean round toys and shoes. Neither tested pet mess, so clear any accident before running it.
Does it fit under low furniture?
It's 10.6cm tall, per the specifications, and Trusted Reviews says it won't squeeze under low sofas or cabinets the way slimmer robots can. If that matters, iRobot's Plus 515 and Plus 575 are 8.35cm tall.
Can it leave the mops in the dock for carpet?
No. It lifts the pads when it senses carpet, per the specifications, but Trusted Reviews found thick-pile rugs still got wet and set a no-mop zone as well. Tom's Guide did the same over its rug. For deep rugs, set them as no-mop areas in the app, and don't count on the lifted pads alone to keep them dry.
How big is the dock, and is it loud?
It's 45cm deep, 34.4cm wide and 47cm tall, per the specifications. Tom's Guide measured 87 dB while it emptied the bin and notes iRobot asks for clear space either side. Trusted Reviews also found emptying intrusive, so don't put it next to a bedroom.
How often do I have to empty or refill anything?
iRobot claims up to 75 days of auto-emptying and four weeks of mopping and pad washing, per the specifications. Treat those as claims, not a cleaning schedule. Both testers found the dirty tank could smell, so empty and rinse it when it needs it rather than waiting for the headline figure.
Alternatives
Other robot vacuums to compare.
Qrevo Edge 2
Why consider it: A slim vacuum and mop with strong carpet pickup in one lab test.
The compromise: Dried-stain results differ between tests; avoidance is weak and single thresholds above about 2cm can stop it.
Qrevo S5V
Why consider it: Tests found excellent mopping and carpet cleaning for the money, with a dock that washes and dries the pads.
The compromise: Its obstacle avoidance is among the worst around, so tidy up first.
P10 Pro Ultra
Why consider it: Good on hard floors, with long battery life, strong edge cleaning and a full self-cleaning dock.
The compromise: All three tests found it weak on pet hair in carpet.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Roomba Plus 505 Combo?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
Sources
Videos
- Vacuum Chef: iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo: Better Than the 405… or Just More $$$? ↗
- frickhelm: iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo - cleaning performance review ↗
- Search YouTube for iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.