Robot vacuums that can both mop and sweep your floors have improved significantly in recent years. While they are still not as effective as good ol’ manual labor, if you run them regularly, they will help keep your floors cleaner with much less effort on your part.
The difference is that newer “combo” robot vacuum-and-mop models are designed to actually scrub your floors. The first robot vacuums that could also “mop” simply slapped a thin, flat microfiber pad on the bot that kind of Swiffer-ed your floor. Basically, all this was good for was getting up fine dirt that the vacuum left behind.
A robot vacuum with a real mopping system will make your life easier
Today’s models come with vibrating or oscillating mop pads or roller mops. Most have onboard water tanks to keep the mops wet while in use, and many can wash and dry their mops in their charging docks, which also automatically empty and refill their water tanks, meaning less work for you.
While most robot vacuums today have some sort of mopping feature, this guide focuses on those that excel at mopping. If you’re more interested in the best vacuum, check out my guide to floor-sweeping bots.
The downside to these combo bots with serious mopping chops is that they tend to be bigger and heavier and need more frequent intervention than regular vacuum bots. Water equals gunk, and cleaning their giant multifunction docks, even the self-cleaning ones, can be an icky job. You also have to empty and refill their tanks about once a week.
Mopping bots also need to return to their docks more frequently than robot vacuums in order to refill their onboard water tanks. This means they’ll take longer to clean your floors than a dedicated vacuuming model, but they are doing two jobs at once. Robot mops with roller mops will self-clean as they work, negating this issue, but these models are also the biggest and bulkiest, as they carry a larger water tank.
Combo bots can mop and vacuum simultaneously, but for especially dirty floors, it’s best to have the option to vacuum first and then mop. A mop-only mode is also good, as you can send the bot to clean up a wet spill without it sucking up water — something they’re not designed to do yet.
If you have a lot of hardwood or tile floors and constantly struggle with muddy paw prints or the general dirtiness of life with multiple pets, people, and kids, a good robot vacuum-and-mop combo will definitely make your life easier.
Best mopping robot vacuum
Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow
Score: 9
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 20,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Single, rubber / Mop style: Roller mop / Mop lift: Yes, 15mm, with a shield / Mop washing: Yes, with hot water and warm air drying / Edge cleaning: Mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Matter
My top picks for the best robot vacuum — the Matic and Roborock Saros 10 — are both excellent mopping bots as well as vacuums. But, if you are looking for a robot vacuum that excels at mopping, then Roborock’s new Qrevo Curv 2 Flow is my top recommendation.
Roborock’s first robot vacuum with a roller mop, the Curv 2 Flow’s features a new “SpiraFlow” cleaning system that demolished all my mopping tests. Roborock may be a bit late to the roller-mop game, but it brought the goods. The Flow is also a terrific vacuum with 20,000Pa of suction, and you get all of this for $999 — most top bots in this category cost well over $1,000.
Roborock’s VibraRise system (a flat mopping pad that vibrates to simulate scrubbing) has long been its signature wet-floor cleaning solution, and it’s one I think works very well. But it is slow. The new roller mop on the Flow gives you a much faster deep clean than the flat pad method (which is on the Saros 10).
At almost 11 inches, the mop is also one of the longest I’ve tested, plus it extends outward to reach along baseboards and edges of furniture. It self-cleans as it works, and a built-in scraper squeegees away the dirty water. It uses an impressive 15 newtons (about 3.3 pounds) of downward pressure that made quick work of my dried-on ketchup test.
The Flow did a great job of automatically detecting carpets and deploying its retracting mop cover, and it can also identify both hardwood and tile, as well as adjust cleaning strategies. When it spotted my spilled OJ test, it automatically switched to mop-only mode to avoid sucking the sticky juice into its bin.
Its single DuoDivide brush does a good job on carpet and hardwood floors, and the unique design prevents hair tangles by funneling hair into the center, where it is sucked into the bin.
I’m a big fan of the Qrevo Curv dock, which, as the name implies, features a curved design that looks more attractive in an open-plan space than the boxy docks that come with most robot vacs. It’s compact yet still has enough room for large water tanks and a disposable dust bag. The dock also features removable parts for easy cleaning, which is key to keeping these docks from getting grungy.
The lidar-based navigation on the Curv 2 Flow is very good, although, as with all roller mop bots I’ve tested, it struggled to get into and out of tighter spaces. This is because they’re heavier and bulkier than non-roller mop bots, as they have to carry a larger onboard water tank and make room for that big mop. It was able to lift itself up slightly to navigate my high-pile, large-tassel living room carpet, something other roller-mop bots have struggled with.
Obstacle avoidance is on par with that of a midrange vacuum. It has Roborock’s Reactive AI, which uses a camera and structured light to detect and avoid up to 200 obstacles as small as 3cm high and 5cm wide, according to the company. It did a good job dodging socks, shoes, and pet toys, but it did get tripped up by the occasional cable. If you want top-notch detection, you’ll need to bump up to the Saros 10.
Best robot vacuum and mop for a mix of hard floors and rugs
Dreame X50 Ultra
Score: 7
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 20,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Dual rubber / Mop style: Dual spinning / Mop lift: Yes, 20mm, plus automatic removal / Mop washing: Yes / Edge cleaning: Mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Matter
If you have a lot of fluffy rugs or carpets as well as hard floors, the Dreame X50 Ultra is the best robot vacuum and mop for you. It’s not quite as good at mopping as my top pick, but it’s better suited for high-pile carpet and rugs because it can automatically drop and reattach its spinning mopping pads during vacuuming. This means it becomes a vacuum-only bot when tackling carpets, without the hindrance of carrying a large roller mop or water tank. It’s also more agile and better at handling fluffy rugs and carpets.
The big upgrade on the X50 compared to the X40 Ultra (a previous pick) is the addition of a “motorized swing arm” that functions like a leg, which allows it to maneuver over higher thresholds (up to 6cm). This new mechanism means it can get into more spaces — like over the high transition from my bedroom into my bathroom — and more easily tackle obstacles such as high-pile rugs.
It also has higher suction power and a much-improved brush system that uses dual rubber rollers. It did an excellent job in my oatmeal-on-carpet tests, sucking up every last flake.
The X50 maintains the X40’s excellent mopping capabilities, including the ability to automatically extend its mop pads and swing them to reach under your cabinets and consoles, letting it get further than even the longest extendable roller mop. Its new, retractable lidar tower also helps it reach under lower furniture.
Obstacle detection is powered by a camera and structured light, and did okay in testing, although it did suck up the occasional sock. The downside of Dreame vacuums is the app, which frequently crashes and can take a while to load. When it works, however, it offers plenty of features and customization options to tailor your cleaning to your home.
Best robot vacuum and mop for hard floors
Narwal Flow
Score: 8
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mop style: Roller mop / Mop washing: Yes, hot water and hot air drying / Mop lift: Yes, 12mm / Edge cleaning: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 22,000Pa / Vacuum brush style: Single, conical rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Narwal has consistently had the best mopping bots in my testing, though most have sacrificed vacuuming for mopping prowess. The Flow is one of the first bots from Narwal that does both really well, even if the mop is still the star.
The company’s first model with a self-cleaning roller mop, the Flow’s flat, wide-track-style mop has more surface area than any of the other bots I tested and passed all my mopping tests with flying colors. Wider than Roborock’s Curv 2 Flow mop and as long, it can also extend to reach into corners and along baseboards. It did very well in my mopping tests, even getting up the dried ketchup from tile grout.
I like that the Flow can recognize various floor materials (tile, hardwood, marble, etc.), clean in the direction of the flooring, and automatically adjust its pressure and “mopping humidity” based on the floor type. It uses higher humidity on tile floors than on wood floors, which can be impacted by excessive moisture.
As mentioned, vacuuming is much improved over some of Narwal’s previous models, with 22,000Pa of suction power and an excellent cone-style anti-tangle brush roll that rarely gets wrapped in hair. Its obstacle detection is great, too, and relies on a dual-camera system to identify and avoid obstacles. It also has a handy dirt detection feature that makes the bot go back and forth over a stain or dirty area to ensure it’s cleaned.
However, navigation on Narwal’s previous robots has been spotty, and the new tower-less lidar here hasn’t improved things. While it means the bot is slimmer and can get under lower furniture, it did get confused and stuck a few times during testing.
The Narwal also doesn’t handle high-pile rugs well, as there’s still only a 12mm mop lift and no mop cover, but you can set it to skip carpets entirely.
My biggest problem with the Flow is one that plagued prior models: the Narwal app. It’s not easy to navigate, gets hung up between screens, and frequently disconnects from the robot.
I love that Narwal also offers the option to use a dock that connects to your plumbing, which eliminates the chore of emptying and refilling the robot’s water tanks.
Best budget robot vacuum and mop
Roborock Q10 S5 Plus
Score: 8
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Where to Buy:
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only / Mop style: Vibrating flat pad / Mop washing: No / Mop lift: Yes, 8mm / Edge cleaning: No / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 10,000Pa / Brush style: Single bristle / rubber hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus is a budget robot with flagship features, including AI-powered obstacle avoidance, automatic carpet detection, and support for Roborock’s fantastic app.
It uses Roborock’s excellent VibraRise vibrating mopping system that actually scrubs your floors, and it can lift its mop up to 8mm to pass over low-pile carpets. All this can be had for under $400, at least when it’s on sale.
There’s no multifunction dock, so you need to manually fill its onboard water tank (which is integrated with its bin), but it does come with a compact auto-empty dock. If you can handle emptying its large onboard bin yourself, you can ditch the dock and pick up the Q10 S5 for even less.
Its lidar-based mapping and navigation system did a good job. Plus, using the excellent Roborock app, you can set specific rooms to clean, create no-go zones, and customize cleaning methods — including how it mops — features few bots in this price range offer.
Other robot vacuum / mops to consider
- My previous top pick in this guide, the $1,099.99 Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni, is an excellent robot mop with an extendable mop that can lift slightly over carpets. It has 18,000Pa suction and uses lidar and cameras for navigation and obstacle detection. Its multifunction dock is attractive and easy to use, but it doesn’t have a retractable mop cover, and its roller is much shorter than the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow’s.
- Another previous pick, Narwal’s $1,499.99 Freo Z Ultra, is a mopping bot with dual spinning pads and a fluffy side brush to polish your baseboards. Its triangular spinning mop pads are particularly effective on tile grout, making this a good option for tile floors. It has 12,000Pa of suction power and a sleek-looking multifunction dock.
- The $899.99 Eufy X10 Pro Omni, a previous pick, is a terrific budget option that features a multifunction dock that can wash its mop and drain and refill its water tank. It features 8,000Pa of suction power and has good obstacle detection for this price range.
- The $1,499.99 Ecovacs X11 OmniCyclone is a bagless robot vac that features a roller mop and an impressive 19,500Pa of suction. It comes with a multifunction dock, and its mop can reach into corners. It handles floor transitions well, thanks to mechanical climbing levers. It also features a bagless auto-empty dock.
- SharkNinja’s $999.99 PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 robot vacuum mop can lift itself up as high as 20mm to get over rugs and transitions. Its automatic empty /wash / dry cleaning station doesn’t require bags, either.
What we’re testing next
- The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot comes with a multifunctional dock, along with a self-cleaning roller mop, lidar navigation, and onboard cameras that can detect stains and clean accordingly. The company has yet to announce a price or release date, though you can read our hands-on for more details.
- The $1,599.99 Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete features a roller-style mopping system that continuously cleans itself in real time. Its companion model, the Aqua10 Ultra Track Complete, adds hot-water mopping and automatically adds cleaning solution as it moves, so you don’t have to stop and refill anything.
- The $1,799.99 Dreame Matrix 10 Ultra comes with a multi-mop switching dock, one that lets it automatically swap between nylon scrub pads, sponge pads, and thermal mop pads based on where it’s cleaning. Its three-solution compartment also holds separate cleaners aimed at tackling pet odors, wood floors, and general messes, which the robovac will dispense on its own depending on the situation.
Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, January 30th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added several new picks, including Roborock’s new Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the Dreame X50 Ultra, the Narwal Flow, and Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus. Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.