Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best robot vacuums for high-pile carpet

Certain homeowners may be skeptical of how easily a robot vacuum can handle their thicker, high-pile carpets. That’s a legitimate concern; robot vacuums pack a lot of power for their small size, but they can struggle to clean thick carpet as thoroughly as a traditional vacuum that sports a more powerful motor and larger cleaner head.

But there’s good news: Some robot vacs come with extra suction and other features that can do very well on carpets, even those with high piles. While their batteries may need to be replenished more often as they expend the necessary power, your carpets will stay clean. Here’s what to look for.

Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra Robot Vacuum with Empty Wash Fill Dock
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
Best overall robot vac for high-pile carpets
Jump to details
Roborock Q7 Max+
Roborock Q7 Max+
Best robovac for cleaning high-pile carpet and hard floors
Jump to details
iRobot Roomba s9+
iRobot Roomba s9+
Best robot vacuum for deep cleaning
Jump to details
yeedi vac 2 pro Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo, 3000Pa Suction with “Patented“ Oscillating Mopping, 3D Obstacle Avoidance, 240mins runtime, Perfect for Carpet and Hard Floor Cleaning and Pets Family
Yeedi Vac 2
Best robot vac that won't break the bank
Jump to details
eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 15C MAX, Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Super-Thin, 2000Pa Suction, Quiet, Self-Charging Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Cleans Hard Floors to Medium-Pile Carpets
Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 15C Max
Best robovac for mid-pile carpets
Jump to details
roborock s7 maxv ultra review 1
Nick Mokey/Digital Trends

Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

Best overall robot vac for high-pile carpets

Pros
  • Self-emptying, self-cleaning
  • Simple setup
  • Quiet
  • Great mopping performance
  • Decent obstacle avoidance
Cons
  • Lackluster pet hair pickup on carpet
  • Large dock

For deeper carpets, suction is especially important to get rid of dust, dander, mites, and anything else unpleasant that may be hiding below the surface. There’s no robot vacuum on the market that can produce suction quite like Roborock’s S7 MaxV Ultra, which tops out at an incredible 5100Pa of suction and is packed with useful smart features.

The vacuum can automatically empty and recharge at its station (an important feature for any modern robot vacuum), sense and avoid new obstacles like extra furniture, and has a set of app features that allow for full control of when and how the bot cleans. It also has a mopping feature for hard flooring, not to mention compatibility with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. The downside is that it’s also one of the most expensive robot vacs around, so you’ll have to decide if your carpet is worth it.

Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra Robot Vacuum with Empty Wash Fill Dock
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
Best overall robot vac for high-pile carpets
roborock q7 max plus review  black cleaning

Roborock Q7 Max+

Best robovac for cleaning high-pile carpet and hard floors

Pros
  • Mops and vacuums simultaneously
  • Powerful 4,200 pa suction
  • Lengthy battery life
  • Includes a self-emptying dock
  • Excellent mapping capabilities with lidar
  • No-go zones, virtual walls, and water-flow control
Cons
  • Minimal included accessories
  • No sonic mopping
  • The most expensive model in the Q-series

The Q7 Max+ offers a bit of compromise: It’s significantly more affordable that the S7 version and keeps many of the same smart features, but lowers the suction down to 4200Pa — still much more than any of the average robot vacs available. Otherwise, you’re getting many of the same benefits, including an alternative mop mode for cleaning hard floors, voice assistant compatibility, and auto-cleaning and recharging (with up to 180 minutes of run time).

The vac’s app allows you to set schedules, create blocked-off zones to avoid, and performs other useful robot vac abilities. The brush is also designed to avoid hair tangles and may be a good option if you need to routinely clean up pet hair from your carpet.

Roborock Q7 Max+
Roborock Q7 Max+
Best robovac for cleaning high-pile carpet and hard floors
irobot roomba s9 plus review 1
Terry Walsh / Digital Trends

iRobot Roomba s9+

Best robot vacuum for deep cleaning

Pros
  • Superb cleaning performance
  • Self-emptying dust bin
  • Multi-floor smart mapping
  • Precise object detection and navigation
Cons
  • High price

Roombas may not quite be able to reach the suction power of some Roborock models, but they have plenty of smarts and an excellent three-stage cleaning system that’s designed to get carpets as clean as they want. This Roomba can also sense when an area is dirtier or carpet is thicker and turn on a power boost mode for extra cleaning. The design is also good at taking care or corners and edges as it works.

In addition to being able to automatically empty its bin and recharge, the s9+ builds smart maps of every room to plot the best cleaning path, while allowing you to set spot cleaning, no-go zones, and more. Alexa compatibility allows you to issue voice commands to clean up a sudden mess, and the app will even make suggestions about what sort of cleaning schedules to set over time.

iRobot Roomba s9+
iRobot Roomba s9+
Best robot vacuum for deep cleaning
The Yeedi Vac 2 robot vacuum.

Yeedi Vac 2

Best robot vac that won't break the bank

Pros
  • Great features for a mid-range model
  • 3000Pa of suction
  • Oscillating mop included
  • Auto dustbin emptying
Cons
  • Lacks cleaning options found on more expensive models

Yeedi’s vac and mop bot combo is an excellent mid-range option that still manages to reach an impressive 3000Pa of suction to help give carpets the deeper cleaning they need. It also has an oscillating mop for hard flooring and can switch between the two when moving from carpet to flooring and back again. Smart mapping and object avoidance allow the vac to identify rooms and plan a cleaning strategy, too.

It’s also impressive that users get auto dustbin emptying at this price, as well as automatic recharging for the robust 240-minute battery. Voice assistant support is included, too. We wish this Yeedi has more options for power boosting and spot cleaning, but it’s still ready to handle thicker carpets.

yeedi vac 2 pro Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo, 3000Pa Suction with “Patented“ Oscillating Mopping, 3D Obstacle Avoidance, 240mins runtime, Perfect for Carpet and Hard Floor Cleaning and Pets Family
Yeedi Vac 2
Best robot vac that won't break the bank
Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 15C Max.

Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 15C Max

Best robovac for mid-pile carpets

Pros
  • Affordable
  • Boost mode for carpet
  • Voice assistant support
  • Object avoidance
Cons
  • No automatic emptying or charging modes
  • Not made for the highest pile carpets

This Eufy model isn’t exactly meant for the highest pile carpets; in fact, it directly says that it’s made for mid-pile carpet. But it’s the most affordable model you can find for tackling this job and could be a suitable option for carpets or rugs that are thick, but not too thick. The vac can generate up to 2000Pa of suction and features a useful BoostIQ system that can detect when extra vacuuming strength is needed and increase suction power, which helps save battery life when the bot isn’t on carpet.

The app isn’t packed with the same options of a Roomba, but it still includes important scheduling functions. The bot is smart enough to avoid obstacles or falls down the stairs. It also includes voice assistant support. However, at this price point, you’re not getting a station for automatic bin emptying or recharging, so you’ll have to manage these features yourself with what the 100-minute battery can accomplish.

eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 15C MAX, Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Super-Thin, 2000Pa Suction, Quiet, Self-Charging Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Cleans Hard Floors to Medium-Pile Carpets
Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 15C Max
Best robovac for mid-pile carpets

Editors' Recommendations

Tyler Lacoma
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
Killer deal knocks over $99 off Dyson’s best cordless vacuum
Dyson V15 Detect

If you've ever researched cordless vacuums, you know about Dyson. Dyson is the king of vacuums, and today their best cordless vacuum is on sale. Right now at Walmart you can get the Dyson V15 Detect for $650, a $99 price cut from its usual $750. If you've been waiting for an excuse to grab the best cordless vacuum around, this is your chance. Cordless vacuum deals like this don't pop up every day.

Why you should buy the Dyson V15 Detect
Dyson makes some of the best cordless vacuums around which instantly makes the Dyson V15 Detect cordless vacuum appealing. It's even more attractive when you consider that it's Dyson's most powerful and most intelligent cordless vacuum so far. Designed to help deep clean your entire home, it has a laser on its Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head so you can see invisible dust on hard floors. Place it in auto mode and the machine optimizes the power it uses as well as the run time based on your floor type. It's even smart enough to report it all back to you on an LCD screen while it picks up debris.

Read more
Ends tonight: Usually $430, this Shark robot vacuum is $160 today
shark av2001 ai robot vacuum deal woot february 2023

If you've always wanted to add a robot vacuum to your cleaning arsenal but the smart home devices have been beyond your budget, this may be what you've been waiting for -- the Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum for just $160, following a 63% discount from Amazon's Woot. That's $270 in savings on its sticker price of $430, but you'll need to hurry with purchase because time is running out for you to take advantage of one of the most attractive robot vacuum deals we've seen in a long time.

Why you should buy the Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum
The best robot vacuums can pick up dirt and debris from all kinds of surfaces, and the Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum can do the same thing with its powerful suction and PowerFins brushroll. The brushroll is also a self-cleaning one, so it's also great for cleaning up pet hair because they are removed immediately to prevent tangling. You can control the robot vacuum through the SharkClean app, where you can set schedules for cleaning sessions, give instructions on which rooms and high-traffic zones to target, and activate UltraClean mode when you need it. You also have the option of accessing these functions through voice commands with the help of Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant.

Read more
The best indoor security cameras of 2023
The Blink XT2 cam sitting on a table.

Indoor security cameras have a host of uses around a home or business. They can watch for intruders, keep an eye on pets, serve as baby monitors, help guide guests, and generally be on the lookout for anything unusual. If you’re interested in an indoor cam that can do it all, these are the top smart options from the best brands on the market!

Read more