UPDATE: Feb. 5, 2025, 5:00 a.m. EST New flagship robot vacuums from Roborock, Eufy, and more were announced at CES 2025 at the beginning of January. I'm in the process of getting my hands on them for at-home testing, and will update this guide accordingly.
The 10 minutes it takes to manually vacuum a 700-square-foot apartment probably isn't enough to send someone over the edge as far as chores are concerned. While the time-saving factor may be a moot point here, it doesn't completely diminish the appeal of using a robot vacuum in a tight space.
It's actually totally plausible that spaces with less square footage get dirty faster because virtually every spot is a high-traffic spot. With that logic, a robot vacuum is absolutely worth it in a small space.
However, it is crucial to not automatically assume that less floor to cover means that the cheapest vacuum you can find will suffice. Cramped furniture arrangements and quick changes between floor types actually call for a vac that's relatively good at navigating, or you'll risk coming home not to a clean home, but to a vacuum that got stuck in kitchen chair legs during the first five minutes of cleaning. Before getting into my specific robovac recommendations, let's chat about the specs to keep in mind to make this robot vacuum a smart purchase.
Do robot vacuums work in small apartments?
While some heavy-duty robot vacuums with large do-everything docks would probably be overkill in a small space, there are several compact, quiet robot vacuums on the market that make a lot of sense in a small space.
One way to downsize the space a robot vac takes up is to forgo the self-empty dock. While forgoing automatic emptying to save room on the floor may not be ideal, having to empty manually may be a little less damning in a small space, as the vacuum wouldn't be sucking up as much dirt on each run as it would in a big house. However, finding a super compact auto-empty dock nowadays isn't hard.
If your small apartment has hard floors, a robot vacuum and mop combo is a genius way to downsize chores supplies. This'll save you not only the time it takes to mop manually but also the breath it takes to curse your Swiffer for hogging your scarce closet space. Smart mapping and zone-within-rooms labeling that comes with it are a crucial feature if your home has multiple floor types, despite the fact that your home may not have many specific rooms to select on a map in the first place.
Not sure which robot vacuum would be worth it in your small space? I've hands-on tested a ton of options in my own apartments over the years and have handpicked the three best robot vacuums for apartments, studios, and other one-story homes at the start of 2025. (While each vacuum's retail price is listed by default, I've also noted the most common sale price in "The Good" sections. And yes, robot vacuum deals can be found throughout the year — not just during a shopping holiday like Black Friday.)
