Even the tiniest pet can produce mountains of hair around your home. Seriously, if you collected it all, you could probably make a second pet to keep your furry friend company. Which is why owning one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair can be the ultimate game-changer.
But in a market full of different robot vacuums, it can be a challenge knowing which one is best for your home, needs and budget. Do you need a robot vacuum to stay on top of everyday cleaning, or do you need a hybrid robot vacuum and mop that can tackle paw prints and other messes?
My top picks
We've tested over 40 robot vacuums in both lab settings and in real homes, with the help of our shedding cats and dogs, to find the best robot vacuums for pet hair. We also evaluated the brush roll efficiency, obstacle avoidance, and other handy features pet owners might consider.
One of the newest Roombas of the range, the Plus 505 Combo is an impressive all-rounder. Not only does it excel in pet hair pick-up and grime, but its 70x-more, powered mop scrubs pet messes in no time. It also comes with AI-advanced features, a great app and can go up to 75 days of auto-emptying.
If you don't want to splurge, this iLife robot vacuum scored high marks for picking up pet hair from both hard floors and carpet, thanks to its unique, open funnel design. Few others can compete in performance, and it comes in at a budget-friendly price at the cost of smart features.
If you're after an excellent hybrid vacuum and mop, the Roborock Saros 10 R does a great job. Its powerful suction exceeded our expectations, particularly for pet hair pick-up across hard floors and rugs. It also comes with handy features including a FlexiArm Riser Side Brush to sweep rogue furballs, and smart AI tech (to even take pictures of your pets).
Meet our testers
As the Homes Content Editor for Tom's Guide, I have made it my mission for us all to have cleaner homes (and air!), without the fuss. I have a wealth of experience testing various appliances, and cleaning hacks. From finding the best vacuums and robot vacs, to wet and dry mops, I probably have one of the most spotless homes around.
Currently a freelancer at Tom's Guide, I've been an Editor at various home magazines for 7 years — reviewing and writing about everything from cleaning products to air fryers and mattresses. Now, I spend my time putting the latest tech and robot vacuums to the test, cleaning up after a shedding Pug (and a messy toddler!).
With over a decade of experience writing and editing on various topics, including home improvement, personal finance, and pet ownership, I know the perils of cleaning pet hair. My work has been featured on BobVila.com, TIME Stamped, and more. In my spare time, you'll find me running, spending time with my kids and two dogs, and testing the latest smart gadgets.
The best robot vacuums for pet hair you can buy
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Best overall vacuum cleaner for pet hair
If you have a mixture of carpets and hard floors, why not opt for something that can handle it all? One of the newest models of the Roomba range, the Plus 505 Combo is an affordable, all-in-one vacuum and mop combo — and voted our overall winner.
Our tester, Annie, put this to good use in her busy family home that includes their shedding pug. After testing the Roomba for a month, she was impressed at how thorough its pet hair pick-up was from carpets, hard floors and notably her low-pile rug that usually requires daily vacuuming from all the hair.
Perhaps what impressed her the most (besides her rug looking brand new), was that the Roomba Plus 505 automatically detects when it climbs onto rugs, adjusts its suction power and ‘auto lifts’ to accommodate different floor types. Plus, its specially designed brush doesn't get tangled in pet hair, which was a major gripe. Result! Overall, the bot did a good job of tackling messes on her hard floors (particularly in corners), and managed to maneuver its way around doors and over thresholds without any problems.
What’s more, the mop function was extremely powerful for regular surface cleaning, getting rid of dust, pesky paw prints, and food spillages from a messy toddler.
Setting up was straightforward, the app easy to connect, and it comes with useful features, such as AI PrecisionVision that ensures it doesn’t run over the rogue sock, cords, or worse still — pet poop. In fact, Annie made good use of the no-mopping zones, self-cleaning function, and drying mop pads, which were particularly handy in a household with kids and pets.
Perhaps the only downsides were that the app was glitchy at times, and the 'spot clean' mode wasn't as thorough at cleaning large debris as we had hoped. However, considering that the Roomba Plus 505 tackles pet hair and general dirt with ease (Annie didn’t find a single strand of dog hair), that’s really all you need from a winning robot vacuum.
Read our full iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo review
Best budget vacuum cleaner for pet hair
Whether you're on a tight budget, or simply don't desire any fancy mod cons, I recommend the iLife V3s ProOne.
As one of the best cheap robot vacuums, it certainly didn't scrimp at sucking up pet hair. And it impressed us with its stellar results on both hardwood floors and carpet.
Compared to the Roomba Plus 505, this robot vacuum is incredibly low-tech. It lacks an app or any advanced features, and has a basic design. However, it is very easy to set up and comes with a remote control. You simply plug in the base, flip the power switch, and charge it so it's ready to roll.
But while it may not look the part, our tester, Meghan, was very impressed at how well it cleaned up pet hair and kitty litter in her multi-pet household. One of our favorite features is its 3-inch suction opening to replace the traditional brush roll for sucking in debris. Not only did it help in successfully picking up her dog's shedding hair, but it makes maintenance easier since you won’t need to spend time pulling hair out from a brush roll.
If you have hard floors, then you’ll definitely appreciate the iLife V3s Pro’s spotless results on hardwood and tile flooring. And it works well on carpets and thinner rugs, too. It even carefully wound itself around our baseboards in edge-cleaning mode, which is equally impressive for such a low-spec model.
The only thing we noted during tests is the inconsistent cleaning pattern of the V3s Pro, which often mixed a few spots or get stuck in a certain area — our tester couldn't keep it from going beneath the couch. But this was easily resolved with the arrow control buttons.
Granted, if your home has thick rugs, this is not the one for you. But if you have primarily hard floors with a few thin rugs, this is a certainly a worthwhile investment for under $200.
Read our full iLife V3s Pro review
Best for carpets
Pet hair is arguably one of the toughest types of debris to remove from carpets. And if you have plush carpets, there's nothing worse than seeing stubborn hair cling to the fibers after vacuuming. Out of the robot vacs on this list, we recommend the Shark IQ as the best option for removing pet hair on thick carpets.
Hunter put it through its paces around the home and was impressed by its power to quickly suck up hair and debris from thick shag carpet. While the longer fibers and rough texture didn't seem much of a challenge, neither was the task of picking up kitty litter and crushed cereal. Win-win! Similarly, its performance on hardwood was even more impressive, removing virtually all traces of pet fur and making quick work of messes.
Setting up was also a breeze, and we particularly liked the Shark IQ's low-profile size (3.35 inches tall) that easily fits under furniture and crevices. If you don't want to connect up to your Wi-Fi, you can manually press the "Clean" button on the vacuum's body to kick off a session and press the "Dock" to send the Shark back to its base.
Hunter felt the navigation was on point, and rather than move around in random patterns, the Shark IQ goes back and forth in a grid-like pattern that effectively picks up the smallest of debris. He also thought the App was straightforward to use, and allows you to easily set your schedules, and has accurate room mapping.
The only caveats are it lacks multi-floor mapping (which is fine if you only have one level to clean), and the base can be pretty loud when emptying the debris. However, he was sold by its sheer power to remove fur on both hardwood and carpet, and its self-emptying base that can hold dirt for up to 45 days, which isn't bad for its reasonable price tag.
Read our full Shark IQ review
Best vacuum and mop for pet hair
In a market full of high-spec, robot vacuum mop hybrids (we've seen them all), not all prove worthy of being the best for pet hair —but the Roborock Saros 10R is our exception.
Our U.S. Editor-in-Chief Mike Prospero let it loose in his household for a few months to see how it fared picking up after his dog and two cats. He was impressed by its superior cleaning performance, scoring it a high 100% for picking up both stubborn hair and kitty litter on hardwood, carpet, and even a tasseled rug. In addition, Mike liked its extendable, sweeper brush that got deep into corners, and edges, as well as the way it seamlessly lifted itself over thresholds, from room to room.
Besides its suction power and robust mopping system, the Saros 10R is one of the smartest and most thorough robot vacuums we've tested. Packed with smart features and an impressive App, we particularly liked the robot’s vision system and AI that recognized and navigated around various obstacles, including Mike's TV stand, couch and pet bowls, before it steered clear of them. Perhaps one of Mike's favorite features is the option to turn on the camera to take photos of your pets — why wouldn’t you?
Better still, we loved its attractive, low-profile design, with a sleek mirrored surface — bear in mind that it might attract stray pet fur, especially if you have a curious cat.
Note, this is one of the more pricier robot vacuums we've tested in this guide. However, if you do want a powerful yet user-friendly robot mop that has all the bells and whistles, the Saros 10R would be a worthwhile investment.
Read our full Roborock Saros 10 review
Best for hard floors
Hard floors are notoriously tricky to keep spotless and hair-free (especially if you have multiple pets), but the Narwal Freo Pro is a great fur-busting option.
Our reviewer, Catherine, tested this around her home which includes two short-haired dogs (and long-haired humans). After months of testing, the Freo Pro was a "true pro" at picking up stray hair, debris, kitty litter, and even random 'kid' things like glitter from hard floors (every parent's nightmare!).
What's more, the brushrolls remained tangle and clog-free during testing, which is always a huge bonus. This is thanks to its DualFlow Tangle-Free System that traps hair using the side brushes before transferring it to the main roller brush.
However, it did struggle to completely remove larger debris caught in transition areas between hardwood floors and rugs. In any case, the mop cycle did a splendid job at removing dog hair, muddy paw prints, dried drool, and more.
Additionally, maintenance is simple, with its self-emptying and cleaning functions. The water tanks are emptied after the machine completes a mopping cycle.
Perhaps the only downside is that she found the Freo Pro slightly confusing to set up. However, once it had managed to map all the rooms and set cleaning zones, it took Catherine less than 10 minutes to vacuum each room, which was quicker than expected.
If you want a powerful yet affordable machine that can easily handle everyday messes, the Narwal Freo Pro is well worth considering.
Read our full Narwal Freo Pro review
Also tested
Although we put plenty of robot vacuums designed for pet hair through extensive testing, not every model made the final selection, despite a great performance.
However, if you're still looking for an alternative to suit your needs or budget, check out our other options below.
How we tested
We spent hundreds of hours putting a variety of robot vacuums through first-hand testing in both lab and real-world settings.
In our lab testing, we replicated common household flooring surfaces and debris by sprinkling an area of flooring with about 20 grams each of pet hair on both hardwood and low-pile carpet. We then ran the robot vacuum in a specified 5x5 ft area, to measure how effective each vacuum is at picking up dog hair (primarily sourced from an English Cream Golden Retriever), 20 grams of kitty litter, and 20 grams of Cheerios cereal.
In evaluating the best robot vacuums for pet hair, we chose them based on their scores in our pet hair pick up lab tests, kitty little or cereal and tufts of pet hair on each. Additionally, we evaluated user experience, ease of setup, and smart features including ability to avoid objects, ease of emptying, noise level, and overall value.
While real-world testing isn’t as rigid as our lab tests, it is primarily based on user experience in real homes - and with real pets! Similarly, we narrowed down our top performers based on extensive criteria.
For instance, how powerful is it to get rid of pet hair and dander on different floor surfaces? Is it able to cross thresholds well? Does it navigate and avoid obstacles well? Is it easy to set up, and connect to the app? These are just some of the questions our team of reviewers answers when evaluating each robot vacuum and determining which is the best model for pet parents.
How to choose
Before buying a robot vacuum for you and your pets, there are a few factors to consider. How many pets are in your home and how much are they actually shedding? Is it long-haired or short fur and are they shedding on a regular basis?
Secondly, what type of floors do you have around the home? If you have mainly hard floors, having one of the best robot vacuum and mop hybrid models would be essential for both pick-up power and scrubbing pet messes or any other stains on floors. Plus, choose a robot vacuum that is user-friendly, and easy to operate.
In any case, here are the top features you should be looking for when buying a robot vacuum for pet hair.
Features to look out for
- Suction
It's important to consider suction power, as this will determine how thorough your cleaning results will be. Ideally, a model of 5,000 Pa range is adequate for pet hair. While more advanced models like the Roborock Saros 10 r has 22,000 Pa suction. - Specialized brush rolls
A good robot vacuum should be well equipped to handle plenty of hair. Look out for anti-tangle brush rolls to prevent any clogs or hair tangling. - Dust capacity
A smaller dustbin will need emptying more often, especially if you have multiple pets! Opt for models with large capacity dustbins to reduce the frequency of emptying out. - Self-emptying
You can find this feature on many premium models, and some can even hold up to 75 days worth of waste before needing emptying. Essentially, the robot vacuum will empty itself into a larger dustbin in the charging base once it’s full, saving you the trips to the trash can. If undecided, check out our guide on whether robot vacuums with self-emptying bases are worth it. - Smart features
Depending on your needs, find a robot vacuum that will have useful features to suit your home and lifestyle. Some of the most common features you'll need are mapping, scheduling, no-go zones, target rooms, and multiple floors. You can also find advanced models that come with an extendable sweeper arm, a flexi-lift chassis, or built-in cameras, should you wish to spy on your pets when you're not home. - Battery life
Another factor to consider is the battery life, especially if you'll be using it on a daily basis. If that's the case, it's worth buying a robovac that comes with a base, so it can charge itself between runs. This way it won't run out of charge mid- cleaning, and delay your session.
Additional factors to consider include noise levels, storage and maintenance, HEPA filters, and other AI abilities.
Robot vacuum FAQs
Is a robot vacuum worth it for pet hair?
Although regular vacuums can suck up surface dust, debris and hair, they may not be as effective in pet households, especially when dealing with heavy shedding. And while pet hair is easier to collect from hard floors because it can’t get embedded, it can still cause problems.
Specific robot vacuums are designed to handle these challenges by having specialized/tangle-free brush rolls or rubber bristles, that can easily lift and capture pet hair and dander more efficiently. Additionally, this will prevent any fur clogging the brush bar, which prevents the vacuum from picking up further debris.
What's more, you'll find more advanced filtration systems in pet vacuums, which is ideal for pet owners with allergies. So if you have a lot of fur to contend with from shedding friends, a robot vacuum for pet hair is a worthwhile investment.
How much should you spend on a robot vacuum?
While you need to find a robot vacuum which excels in this type of debris, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to splurge on an expensive model.
Our top budget performer, the Shark iLife V3s Pro, costs less than $200, yet proved to do a grand job. Generally, a decent robot vacuum can start from about $150 up to a whopping $1,700, so it’s essential that you have a budget in mind before you start browsing.
The best thing is to identify exactly what your needs are, and don’t be tempted by expensive or smart features unless you intend to use them.
