Customers love the Roomba 960's cleaning performance, especially on carpets and hardwood floors, and appreciate its ease of use. Many find it effective for pet hair removal, and while some mention the noise level, others find it acceptable. However, customers frequently cite navigation issues and a small dustbin as drawbacks, along with concerns about battery life.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 3,422 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance, Noise level
Cons mentioned:
Dustbin size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
LOVE IT!
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
After seeing these for years and being skeptical, I finally bought this to replace a Dyson upright that died painfully in my front yard.
Backstory: We vacuumed the entire upper level of our home with the Dyson upright. When we lifted it by the handle, due to the way it's over-engineered, the weight of the vacuum made the frame flex, which ejected the canister at the top of our stairs. It then tumbled down and about 4 stairs from the bottom, it exploded in a cloud of dust and dog hair. At that point, I was at my wits end with Dyson products (useless attachments, dead batteries, inop functionality, etc). As the smoke settled and my blood temp reduced to slightly below a boil, I took the Dyson and sent it on it's way. 9 pieces later, it was in the trash. I used another Dyson to clean up the previous Dyson's death mess then began my vacuum search.
Onto the Roomba. I decided to just do it. So glad I did. I had no idea this thing was so awesome! We have 3 dogs (1 lab, 2 german short hairs) and some cat that hangs around for free food. 2 hours after I cleaned with my other Dyson, I turned the Roomba loose for the first time and WOW it picked up so much hair, dirt, and dust that I felt ashamed of my previous work. See attached pic. No, it didn't pick up the Sbux cup, that's just for reference, which is a "grande". If you're on the fence, just buy it. The waste bin doesn't hold much but enough to fill that cup! Quality is good, noise level isn't bad - I still work and take calls while it's running. If you have pets, don't schedule it to run in the middle of the night as the beeps and running noise will set off your dog alarms. I use it on hardwood floors, area rugs, and a cow hide. It does great on all the surfaces it's traversed thus far.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Happy with the cleaning results
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Roomba 960 has been cleaning the bottom floor of my house nearly daily since late July. So far I’m very satisfied with the job it’s doing. My wife was skeptical about the value of the robot, but once she saw how much dust and dirt it was picking up from a floor that appeared to be clean, she now uses it daily. We have a dog who sleeps inside the house in a crate and the Roomba has kept the pet dander to a minimum. This has helped a lot with my wife’s allergies as she is allergic to pet dander.
Couple of notes from my use
- Battery lasts just long enough to complete a cycle through my bottom floor (see picture)
- After each cycle I empty the dust bin, remove the filter, rollers, clean all sensors and blow off dust from the robot using a dataVac electronics blower. This takes me about 3-5 minutes as I’ve got my routine down. I usually do this after getting home from work since Roomba runs during the day
- I put my couch up on blocks to ensure the entire bottom floor is accessible by the bot. This was the dirtiest place in our house until we started using the Roomba.
- 42 completes cycles and the Roomba has found the base station every time
- Dust bin full sensor is very delicate regardless of my maintenance routine so I turned on the option to force the Roomba to finish a cleaning cycle regardless of the bin.
- After setup on WiFi I can’t seem to get the app to connect until I get off WiFi and onto the cell network then the app runs just fine. I imagine it’s an issue with my router but I haven’t taken the time to trouble shoot why the app is getting blocked
- I’ve ran the bot on carpet upstairs a few times and it did a great job, I may get a second bot to clean upstairs.
I’ve owned the BotVac connected before and I remember it had issues getting stuck and finding its base station. I don’t know if the new model is any better, but I don’t think I’ll find out because I’m happy with the Roomba. I’m pretty sure the Roomba 980 has the more powerful carpet mode so that will most likely be my next purchase so it can clean the upstairs.
The price is a lot considering vacuuming can be done by hand for a lot less, but this Roomba can clean places I can’t and it does the work while I focus on things I need to get done around the house. The extra time saved makes it worth it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Mapping
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing little vacuum.
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
So far so good. This thing far exceeded my expectations. The mapping is awesome. It did my entire first floor of a large home and didn't miss a spot. It goes in nice neat straight lines and really seems to know exactly where it is going. It is like a little autonomous vehicle running around my house. I bought this over the i3 since it supposedly has a larger dust bin (600ml vs i3's 300ml) and I did't want to spend the extra money on the automatic dirt disposal system and have to buy Roomba bags all the time. This one also includes the IR virtual wall, which the i3 doesn't ($50 item). If you want the option to pick and choose individual rooms, you have to upgrade to the i7 or higher end models. I have only had mine for a week, but very impressive. I just ordered a second one on sale to leave on my second floor. I love how it goes under the beds and dressers. I would have bought one for the basement too, but the wife looked at me like I was crazy. lol
The only bad thing about it is that it needs some light for the mapping, so either lights need to be on or use during the day. The i3 doesn't need light, but I still think this is a better value. It also gets stuck on our small bathroom rugs, so I just set them on the tub before vacuuming or use the IR sensor so it skips the bathroom. The i3 is supposed to have more suction, but there is not a lot of reviews since it was just released. The 960 is no longer going to be produced, since the i3 is the cheaper replacement.
I did a lot of research on this before purchasing. You can't argue with all the positive reviews. I hope my review helps :)
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance
Cons mentioned:
Navigation
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Cleaning Helpmate
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love my Roomba. I have white tile floors throughout the whole house and live in an area where the earth's element are bound to blow in through the windows, so my Roomba does its job everyday and keeps my floors spotless. The only problem I have is some of my furniture is low and the roomba gets stuck under the credenza or dresser, etc and has to call for help by alerting me thru the app, which is fine when I'm home but if I am gone, it just has to stay stuck until I get home. I also have large rugs throughout the house and Roomba has no problem rolling on top and cleaning them as well.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Exceeded our expecations
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
A family member got a less expensive, off-brand robot vacuum, which was tempting, but with two German Shepherds, we knew we needed something that could keep up. As they say, German Shepherds shed twice a year for six months.
This model of Roomba has exceeded our expectations. We set it up — with ease — just a couple of hours after the entire house was vacuumed with a Dyson Ball Animal vacuum. As the Roomba passed through the house, it passed under dog beds and brushed along baseboards, sweeping and sucking up dog hair, dust, and fluffy fuzz from who knows what. Our already-vacuumed 2204 sq ft house* filled up the Roomba bin three times on the first run. We were shocked — and thrilled! Check out the photo, attached.
*About 900 sq ft of carpet with the rest being hard surfaces, all of which we vacuum
The things its done that have pleasantly surprised us most:
-Incredible "cliff" edge detection has prevented it from falling into the one room that's sunken down in our house (about 4").
-It's 100% mindful of the boundary device that's included with the Roomba, which we placed in the kitchen to keep it away from our breakfast table and the dogs' bowls (and towels that catch water bowl dribbles).
-It gracefully crosses from carpet to luxury vinyl tile to throw rugs without getting stuck or just turning around.
-It picks up random pieces of Feline Pine (cat litter) that sometimes makes it way out of the litter box.
-It picked up a baffling amount of dog hair, and no doubt dust, from under beds and other places that don't get attention every time we vacuum.
There have been only a few mediocre moments. The Roomba didn't have enough charge to get back to home base twice in the past three weeks. One time it got caught up a drawstring to a small bag (it got wrapped around one of the wheels).
It's so nice to be able to have clean floors most of the time, instead of fretting every time a guest, neighbor, or family member come by on short notice. We're sure it's helped with allergies and whole-house freshness, too. It is definitely proving itself worth the investment.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance, Mapping
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Loving Jeeves
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Purchased Roomba (now known as Jeeves) on Black Friday. He has done a great job of cleaning. Had a problem with the side brush not working, but customer service immediately sent out a replacement unit and he's up and running again. I'm amazed at this technology, that he remembers where's he's been and leaves a map of where he's cleaned that can be viewed on my phone. He cleans wood floors, carpet, tile and area rugs. Doesn't tangle the fringes on area rugs. Glad it was on sale and I also had a birthday month discount making it a little more affordable.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance, Noise level
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly surprised
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Does a great job on all floors. Things to note: 1. Works flawlessly on hard floors - does very well on carpet, but still need to vacuum occasionally to loosen up pile. 2. Get the 900 series or higher so it remembers the layout of your home when it goes to charge 1/2 thru cleaning. 3. My cat is not afraid of it as it runs relatively quiet. 4. Does not bump furniture hard, but enough force to knock over a drink or light item. 6. It's smarter than you, just let it do its job.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great product
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Really good product. I have been using Roomba 680 or 690 for 2 years now. Needed a bit advance model for first floor given the extra use case and addition of a dog to the family. Works really great for most of the part. Cleans it really well. Only issue is it keeps getting stuck for no reason at all. No cliff or uneven surface but it will get stuck and error message keeps playing.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance, Mapping
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The 960 is awesome! It maps where it has been so no guessing, it goes back and forth creating beautiful lines on carpet and finds where it left off if it hits an uneven wall or edge/furniture. I love it!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Not impressed
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Posted . Owned for 5 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This vacuum works ok unattended if you have just one kind of surface it the room you want it to vacuum. If you have a mix or surfaces such as hardwood and rags, then most likely you won’t be able to use the schedule function or expect it to finish a job on its own as it gets stuck in the corners or the rags.
Also, if yoU have a large rug with geometrical shapes with contrasting colors, let’s say beige and dark brown, Rumba won’t cross the shape pattern from a light shade to a darker shade, thinking that the dark shade is a cliff. It will vacuum the light shaded area for 20-30 minutes but won’t cross into the dark shaded areas. So this product does not work for me on the first floor living room/kitchen/dining area which is all one open space. It works good for bedrooms upstairs where I have 100% wall to wall carpet.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Thorough cleaning
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was surprised how this robot can thoroughly clean all my +5,000 sq ft house.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Cleaning performance, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing help around the house!!!
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This vacuum robot is one of the biggest surprises I ever got from a product. The robot works wonders. It’s super easy to operate, so easy that the operation and cleaning is a new chore for my eight year old son! He is amazed every time he cleans the filter how much dirt is in there. I have friends with two them! So far the best investment I have ever done for the house. A bonus, it keeps our cat entertained!!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Noise level
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Amazing! Quiet! Never thought it would be so good
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I work from home doing call center work. This is so quiet, I could allow this to run while I'm at work without issue. That's how quiet it is.
I ran it for 16 minutes in my bedroom. I previously vacuumed it with a regular vacuum a week ago. This was able to get under my bed as well without issue and the sensors are superb. Here's a photo of a short run.
Side note, buy a little can of compressed air and blow it into the filter. It will prolong the filters life. It is estimated at about 3-4 months from what the guy at best buy said. It also came with an extra one. But clean the filter! You're doing a disservice if you dont. I cleaned it after the first use because it sucked up so much junk, one spot of the filter was clogged. That's a good vacuum.
I just bought it today and will update my review with a distinct edit marking, should anything change.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Purchase EVER!!!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I did a lot of research before deciding on buying the Roomba 960. iRobot sells parts for it's units so they are repairable if needed. The comparisons I read also gave it high marks on suction and pickup. While it isn't the quietest on the market it is no where near the noise a traditional upright vacuum makes! Then the WiFi connectivity, mapping, self-charging & resume, Google Assistant compatibility and grid pattern features all had me sold. I had to attempt to set up the WiFi feature 3 times, even moving it near the router, before it worked but no problems once it's done. I love my 'Little Honey' so much, I'm going to get him a friend to do the mopping!
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Dustbin size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love It - Entertaining and Effective
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I wanted a Roomba but didn't think I needed it. I was wrong - it does a much better job than I ever have or was interested in doing.
Our carpets and floors look like new now - even though they are far from being so.
The Roomba does a great job of navigating the entire house. It's interesting to see how it works out the solution to what it perceives as obstacle. There was one throw rug it couldn't get over so now it knows to shoot under a chair to get around it.
I wish the bin were a little bigger - but that's the only thing I would change.
The Swiffer was no match for the Roomba!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Productive, efficient and intelligent vacuum!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
For years I avoided becoming "one of those people" who has a robot vacuuming their home. I'm the guy who spent a pretty penny for a Ricar vacuum package just last year for our new-build home because I wanted to keep it clean. (I used to sell Kirby vacuums, so I appreciate high suction and reliability).
Roombas came up in a recent conversation with my neighbor so I started researching. Most of our home is hardwood with a few rugs. I was spending more than an hour vacuuming traffic areas with the Ricar, and that was getting old. Great vacuum, but requires some effort. I found the 960 was most appropriate for my needs (and budget). When Honey alerted me to a price drop well within my budget I jumped.
I.am.impressed. "The Maid" (as I labelled it) navigates most of the house just fine. A few smaller throw-rugs can cause it to get stuck, and I do move dining chairs out of the way each cleaning cycle - but that's nothing compared to the hour+ when I had to navigate the Ricar 1-2 times/week. Coverage is impressive, not completely random. Against walls/edges, under the couch, into and out of a half-bath and surprisingly tight quarters it navigates well. It takes a (recharge) break once before it completes downstairs. The bin is usually full after the job completes, which is easy enough to dump. I love the map! Like an employee coming to you at the end of the shift with metrics on their productivity. Brilliant!
I do have to carry it (and the small dock) upstairs as this model is not able to climb stairs. :-) Once positioned it figured out the floor plan and takes care of business just fine - avoiding a trip down the stairs/cliff.
Very helpful are the codes (on the phone app) so you know why it interrupted a job (bin full, charging, stuck, etc.) Very helpful is the audible communication from the Roomba when it does get stuck. (I lost it a few times under furniture or in an obscure corner - ignoring it for a few hours so I missed the initial alert. Once you open the app, the Roomba will call out what the problem is from its location which is super helpful in finding it again.)
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Noise level
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
One of the best purchases I’ve ever made
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made because it such a time-saver, and keeps my carpets and tile floors free of pet hair. I love that the app notifies me such as when the bin is full, or when Roomba gets trapped in a bathroom. The suction is great, and the motor is surprisingly quiet as compared to a conventional vacuum. It keeps my 2 cats entertained also!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Pet hair removal
Cons mentioned:
Navigation
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Get one now!
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Why did I not get this sooner. I named my roomba James. He gets all of the cat hair off of my wood floors. He gets stuck sometimes but overall does an amazing job.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
My favorite appliance.
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
We have had our iRobot, Bubbles, for about a month. I love it! We just got new carpet so wanting to be sure it stays nice. It’s just for my upstairs. I just close the doors of rooms I don’t want her in then use my phone to start her. We have a very large bonus room, office and hall up stairs. It takes her about an hour and 20 minutes to complete since she has to recharge in the process. The first time I used her I got an alert on my phone saying she needed assistance. She had gotten stuck on the rubber mats I have down for our work out space. Now I just use the virtual wall to keep her out of that space and have not had anymore issues. I do have to empty the canister once during the cleaning and she notifies me if it’s too full. Once she’s done the app shows me her route map. Pretty cool. We are thinking about getting one for our hard floors down stairs too. Makes my life so much easier.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Battery life, Dustbin size
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Expected Better!
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Purchased this thinking it would outperform the 805 I've had for three years. I had another Roomba before that I was happy with but gave away when I moved. The 805 cleans fine but is prone to get stuck from time to time in hard-to-find places. I've said "where's Roomba?" to myself once too often! Well, "where's Roomba?" is preferable to the statements I've made about the 960 (AKA Ethel) and all of its troubles.
It does crash into things more gently than the 805 but, for Ethel at least, that's the only benefit. It's only had one good cleaning day in the past month. The pictures show some of the issues, but here are the highlights:
It has one problem or another more days than not.
I've had to take it apart for cleaning twice already because error messages erroneously say the bin is full when it's empty.
The battery doesn't last. It ends up taking all day to clean the entire area (& charge in between), that is provided it doesn't have another problem before it finishes.
I ran the 805 weekdays and I run this one daily but the floor isn't as clean. I have cement floors and am always barefoot in the house. With the 805 I rarely felt anything on the floor, now I feel stuff left behind after cleaning frequently.
I still have time to return and probably will if they will take it back without the original box. Maybe I just got a bad one?