The best mopping robots for 2024

Which vacuuming and mopping robot works best?

Every robot mop has a few things in common. They usually have tanks that need to be filled with water or cleaning fluid, and microfiber cloths that scrub floors and pick up dirt. They also have sensors that help them navigate around furniture autonomously.

Robot mops usually come in two varieties: single-function or hybrid. Single-function mops, such as the iRobot Braava Jet m6, cannot vacuum floors. Some can, however, perform a dry sweep to clean the area before mopping.

As you might expect, hybrid models can mop AND vacuum cleaner. They usually have microfiber cloth attachments that wipe or scrub floors as the robot moves through the home. Some have replaceable dust and water tanks and don’t require any soaking before cleaning. iRobot, one of the biggest brands in robot vacuums and mops, stuck to single-function devices for a long time before finally entering the hybrid fray in 2022 with the Roomba Combo j7+.

Hybrid models are typically more expensive, but are more likely to offer features like app control with your phone, voice control with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and even interactivity with other smart home devices.

In our reviews, we note which models are hybrids and test their functionality accordingly. To easily see which models we have selected here are hybrids, check the table at the bottom of this page.

How we test mopping robots

We test robot mops in our real homes using the following criteria: battery life, navigation, ease of setup and use, and performance.

The whole point of robot cleaners is to let them do the work for you. Having to intervene defeats the purpose. To do this, we check whether the robot can handle different types of flooring, such as tile and wood, with equal ease. We also check whether it avoids textiles, such as carpets and rugs, or whether it has peripheral features, such as virtual walls (or app control), to make the task easier.

Battery life is also important; the size of your home will determine what’s long enough. The longer a robot mop can run on a single charge, the better it’ll be for larger homes. We find a battery life of 60 minutes is adequate for small homes and apartments, although ideally we’d like to see results in the 90-minute range. To test battery life, we fully charge the robot before running a cleaning cycle. Then we let it clean until it runs out of battery.

Setup is another factor we consider. Most of these involve charging the robot and filling the water tanks. Again, you want these processes to be as simple as possible. And while not every robot mop works with an app, hybrid models often do. In those cases, we look at how intuitive the app is and what benefits it brings.

Then we check how well the robot mop cleans in real-world conditions. We consider things like whether it uses cleaning solution or just water. We check how well it handles dry versus wet stains on different surfaces. We also check whether it scratches tiles or wood, and at the end of each cleaning session, we check how dirty the microfiber cloth gets.

Finally, we put the mop to the test of its durability. We applied 1/2 ounce of raspberry jelly to one spot on the floor in an enclosed space and saw what happened. Of course, we test whether the mop is strong enough to remove the stain, but we also report on whether it spreads sticky residue or seeds to other spots on the floor.

Are robot mops worth the price?

Like robot vacuums, robot mops do a decent job of keeping your floors clean, but they’re not a complete substitute for a little elbow grease. They’re great for maintenance and fresh spills. Deep-seated stains will probably still need a little manual scrubbing.

Robot mops are an ever-evolving category. Check out our reviews for a detailed breakdown of every model listed here, and check back soon as we review new models all the time. Once you’ve found the right one for you, check out our top picks for robot vacuums , many of which also apply to mops.