The 3 best Shark robot vacuums will make you say Roomba who?
Our favorite Shark robot vacuums are just as good as Roombas — and often a better value for your money. Find the best Shark robovac for your home.
In an unspoken sort of way, Roomba has been crowned "the best" robot vacuum simply because it's the most established brand in the market. But Shark has always had competitive street cred when it comes to vacuums, and its newest rounds of robot vacuums finally make Shark a force to be reckoned with among Roombas and Roborocks.
Having personally tested the top bots from Shark, iRobot, and the other big players, I picked the three best Shark robot vacuums to buy in 2025.
Are Shark robot vacuums as good as Roomba?
The short answer? It's complicated. That's not the definitive one-word answer you were hoping for, but making an unequivocal call between the two brands just wouldn't make sense. Both vacuum brands are constantly improving their product lineups and introducing new features. Both brands have several options with mopping, smart room mapping, and automatic emptying, including vacs that can do all three or offer some mix-and-match combo of those features.
So, where does Shark outperform iRobot's best Roombas? Shark has consistently put out more budget-friendly robot vacuums than iRobot, and often without skimping on the most crucial features.
Admittedly, Shark takes a little longer to roll out new features. (For instance, it was late to self-emptying, self-washing, and self-drying compared to iRobot — and everyone else, for that matter.) But when Shark does release a model with new in-demand features, it typically costs hundreds less than the competition. Even Shark's most premium robot vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 with NeverTouch Pro Base, debuted at around $400 less than the most premium Roomba, the Roomba Combo 10 Max + AutoWash Dock, despite them being nearly identical in capabilities.
Shark vacuums also go on sale throughout the year, even when it's not Black Friday or Prime Day. So, don't take the prices for the Shark vacuums below too seriously — I've noted the most common sale price for each vac in "The Good" section.
Shark really shines at spot cleaning, but has one major blind spot
Sometimes, there's an unexpected mess that you want to clean without messing around with a map on the app. In those cases, Shark Matrix robot vacuums make spot cleaning much easier than Roombas do. Setting a zone for a one-time clean in the Shark app is as easy as dragging a square in the designated spot cleaning tab, compared to having to create and name an official cleaning zone in the iRobot app. Most modern Shark robot vacuums also have a physical cleaning button if you want to pick the robot up and place it in the right area — an underrated feature that modern Roombas completely skip.
On the other hand, Shark's one big blind spot — literally — is small obstacle avoidance technology. While most Roombas can steer clear of phone chargers, cords, socks, and pet waste, Shark hasn't mastered this coveted skill yet.
After testing Shark robot vacuums in my own home — as well as comparing them to robot vacs from iRobot, Roborock, Eufy, and others that I've put through the same standardized obstacle course. Based on my home testing, here are the three best Shark robot vacuums you can buy in 2025:
