Our top 4 robot vacuums for carpet and rugs, tested

Both are great in their own ways, but much like the Instant Pot vs. Ninja Foodi debate, a general comparison between the two brands doesn't work so well. (We'll cover the basics of the rivalry below, but for the results of direct comparisons between multiple Roomba and Shark models, check out our Shark vs. Roomba deep dive.)

iRobot and Shark both have several options that offer all of the big three non-negotiable features that a robot vacuum should have in 2024 — smart room mapping, automatic emptying, and mopping — or some mix and match version of two from the trifecta. Roombas are generally more navigationally advanced, getting lost or stuck less often during our at-home testing than Shark models. All of its j Series models, available at varying price points, offer small obstacle avoidance technology, which is crucial in homes that probably have a phone charger, toddler socks, extension cord, feathery pet toy, or bath towel laying on the floor at any given moment. No Sharks offer this capability yet.

On the other hand, Shark's whole lineup is generally more budget-friendly than its most direct counterpart from Roomba. Its lineup offers a more affordable path to those coveted features than Roombas and are on sale more often — the most expensive Shark will run you less than $700 even at full price, while the most expensive Roomba will run you $1,399 (or $999 on sale). Shark also shines at spot cleaning due to its Matrix cleaning system that cleans a designated area from multiple angles.

But don't forget: iRobot and Shark are hardly the only players in this game. Other top robot vacuum brands like Roborock, Eufy, Narwal, and Ecovacs typically churn out more new models throughout the year than iRobot and Shark, posing serious competition with similarly-impressive performance, better auto-empty docks, and diverse pricing.

Any robot vacuum is unlikely to ruin your carpet. However, loose carpet strings and rugs with fringed ends are something to look out for. Bumbling bots with less accurate object sensors may gobble these right up and get stuck on them, potentially damaging your floor coverings. Folks who love a good frilly rug should consider a robot vacuum that follows virtual boundaries through smart mapping (rather than hit-or-miss no-go strips, which have been mostly phased out in the past two years).

People in homes with combination flooring may be considering a 2-in-1 model. To ensure that your carpets don't get soggy, opt for a hybrid that stops mopping when soft floors are sensed, or for models that don't have a built-in mop, avoids carpets when mopping and tackles them after a human removes the water tank.

Carpets and rugs are where pet hair, crumbs, and dust go to die, so beefy (yet methodical) suction is key for homes with a lot of stubborn floor coverings. But suction power shouldn't be your only consideration.

As a general note, upright vacuum cleaners typically have more suction power than compact robot vacs. But if you'd still prefer to outsource the job, look for a robot vacuum with at least 2,000 Pa in suction to ensure that the carpet fibers are being efficiently combed. (iRobot doesn't rate its vacuums' suction power, but Mashable has tested high-end Roombas like the s9+ and j7+ on carpets and rugs.) Most modern vacuums have a boost mode that automatically kicks in when the vacuum senses carpet. The same sensors should be smart enough to facilitate a smooth transition to dark hardwood floors and *not* mistake them for a cliff.

Automatic emptying is huge for dealing with all of the gunk that will build up quickly if your robot vacuum is doing its job on your carpet. It's especially clutch for large homes or those with pets that inherently need more cleanup, requiring more frequent dust bin emptying. Rather than you having to manually dump the bin into the garbage and wrestle wrapped hairs with your bare fingers, a self-emptying robot vacuum empties itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock after each cleaning session. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be emptied themselves.

Some rooms need to be tended to more often than others. A robot vacuum with LiDAR creates an internal map of your home's layout and can be sent to specific rooms or zones in the house, like the carpeted living room where the pets hang out or to the entryway doormat that's covered in dirt.