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Last updated: 21 March 2026

Roomba vs Roborock — Which Robot Vacuum Wins in 2026?

Roomba and Roborock are two of the most popular robot vacuum brands in the UK, but they take very different approaches. iRobot's Roomba dominated the market for over a decade with solid engineering and widespread retail presence. Roborock arrived later, offering more technology at lower prices, and in 2026, it has overtaken Roomba in most performance benchmarks.

We have tested flagship models from both brands in real UK homes over several weeks. In a 2025 Which? head-to-head test, Roborock scored 86% vs Roomba's 79% for overall cleaning. This comparison covers suction power, navigation, mopping, app quality, and value for money, covering everything you need to decide between them.

Head-to-Head: Roomba vs Roborock at a Glance

Category Roomba Roborock Winner
Suction Power 2,200 Pa (j9+) 10,000 Pa (S8 MaxV Ultra) Roborock
Navigation PrecisionVision + vSLAM LiDAR + ReactiveAI 3D Draw
Mopping Basic pad (Combo j9+) VibraRise 2.0 sonic mopping Roborock
App Quality Clean, simple interface Feature-rich, room customisation Roborock
Self-Emptying Dock Available on j7+ and j9+ Available on S8 Pro Ultra and above Draw
UK Retail Availability Currys, Argos, John Lewis, Amazon Amazon, Roborock website Roomba
Price (Flagship) ~£999 (Combo j9+) ~£1,299 (S8 MaxV Ultra) Varies
Subscription Required? Optional (iRobot Select) No Roborock

Category-by-Category Breakdown

Suction Power

This is where Roborock pulls ahead decisively. The S8 MaxV Ultra delivers 10,000 Pa of suction, nearly five times the power of the Roomba Combo j9+ at 2,200 Pa. In practice, this means Roborock picks up more fine dust from hard floors and extracts more debris from medium-pile carpet in a single pass. Roomba compensates with its rubber dual-brush system, which is genuinely effective at grabbing hair and large debris, but raw suction numbers tell the story clearly.

Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance

Both brands navigate well in 2026. Roborock uses LiDAR combined with a 3D structured-light sensor and RGB camera (ReactiveAI 3D). Roomba uses forward-facing camera-based PrecisionVision navigation. In our testing across three UK homes, both successfully avoided shoes, charging cables, pet bowls, and children's toys. Roborock maps rooms slightly faster thanks to LiDAR, but Roomba's camera-based system handles low-light conditions marginally better. We call this a draw.

Mopping Performance

Roborock wins this category convincingly. The S8 MaxV Ultra features VibraRise 2.0, a sonic mopping system that vibrates at 4,000 times per minute and automatically lifts the mop pad when it detects carpet. Roomba's Combo j9+ uses a simple retractable pad that dampens the floor but does not scrub. If mopping matters to you (and in UK homes with kitchen-diners and tiled hallways, it often does) Roborock is the clear choice.

App and Smart Features

The Roborock app offers more granular control: room-by-room suction and water flow settings, no-go zones drawn on the map, furniture labelling, and scheduled cleaning for individual rooms. The iRobot Home app is cleaner and simpler, which some users prefer, but it lacks the depth of customisation. Both support Alexa and Google Home. Neither requires a subscription for core features, though iRobot pushes its Select subscription for replacement parts.

Price and Value

Roborock offers more technology per pound. The S8 MaxV Ultra at £1,299 includes a self-emptying, self-washing, self-refilling dock with 10,000 Pa suction and sonic mopping. The Roomba Combo j9+ at around £999 includes self-emptying but with less suction, basic mopping, and no self-washing dock. For buyers on a tighter budget, Roborock's mid-range models (S8, Q Revo) offer far more than Roomba's equivalents at the same price.

Top Roborock Models Available on Amazon UK

Best Overall
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra — Best Overall robot vacuum
#1
Roborock

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

9.6/10 Our Score
£1299 £1499 Save £200

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is the best robot vacuum you can buy in the UK right now. 10,000 Pa suction, ReactiveAI 3D obstacle avoidance, and a self-washing mop dock that does everything automatically.

Pros

  • 10,000 Pa suction — strongest in its class
  • ReactiveAI 3D avoids shoes, cables, and pet waste
  • VibraRise 2.0 mopping lifts on carpet automatically
  • Self-emptying, self-washing, self-refilling dock
  • Excellent app with room-by-room customisation

Cons

  • Expensive at £1,299 — premium price tag
  • Dock is large and needs space near a drain or sink
  • Mop pads need replacing every 3-4 months
Suction Power 10,000 Pa
Battery Life 180 min
Dustbin 400 ml (+ 2.5L dock)
Water Tank 300 ml (+ 4L dock)
View on Amazon

The Verdict: Roborock Wins for Most UK Buyers

Our Verdict

Roborock is the better choice for most UK households in 2026. It offers stronger suction, superior mopping, a more capable app, and better value across every price bracket. Choose Roomba if you value UK high-street retail support, a simpler app experience, or if you already own iRobot products and want to stay in the ecosystem.

The one area where Roomba genuinely excels is retail availability. You can walk into Currys, Argos, or John Lewis and buy a Roomba today, get in-person advice, and return it easily if it does not suit your home. Roborock is primarily sold through Amazon UK and its own website. For buyers who prefer high-street shopping and face-to-face support, Roomba remains a solid option.

For everyone else, particularly those who want the best cleaning performance and the most features for their money, Roborock is the brand to buy in 2026.

Complete Buying Guide Top Picks 2026 Dreame vs Roborock

Frequently Asked Questions

For most UK buyers, yes. Roborock offers stronger suction, better mopping, and more features per pound. However, Roomba still has an edge in UK retail availability and after-sales support through stores like Currys and John Lewis.
Yes. All current Roborock models support both Amazon Alexa and Google Home, just like Roomba. You can start, stop, and dock the robot using voice commands through either platform.
Yes, Roomba has the widest availability of replacement parts in the UK. You can buy brushes, filters, and bags from Amazon, Currys, Argos, and directly from iRobot. Roborock parts are primarily available through Amazon UK and the Roborock website.
Both brands offer excellent obstacle avoidance on their premium models. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra uses ReactiveAI 3D with a structured light sensor and RGB camera. Roomba j7 and Combo j9+ use PrecisionVision navigation. In our testing, both avoided shoes, cables, and pet bowls reliably.
Both brands support multi-floor mapping. You can carry the robot between floors and it will recognise which map to use automatically. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra stores up to four floor maps, while premium Roomba models store up to 10.