Is the Roomba Essential worth it?

It is a reasonable pick if you want basic daily cleaning on hard floors at the lowest iRobot price. If you have wall-to-wall carpet or pets that shed heavily, spend more on a model with stronger suction and a self-empty base.

Does it map rooms or clean in straight lines?

No. It has no camera or lidar, so it navigates randomly and covers a room over time rather than in neat rows. You cannot set no-go zones or send it to a single room.

How does it compare with the Roomba j7 or Combo models?

Those models add camera mapping, room-by-room cleaning, stronger suction and optional self-emptying. The Essential trades all of that for a much lower price and simpler operation.

What comes in the box?

You get the vacuum, one standard filter, a charging dock and a power cord. Extra filters and brushes are sold separately.

Does it work with Alexa and Google Assistant?

Yes. It supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, so you can start and stop cleaning by voice. Scheduling and advanced settings need the iRobot Home app.

Budget robot vacuums usually drop during Black Friday, Prime Day and back-to-school sales. Check the price history chart to see whether the current price is near its low.

iRobot Roomba Essential Robot Vacuum

Last price we saw

$312.44at Martexplore.com, last seen Oct 31

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Our take on the iRobot Roomba Essential Robot Vacuum

The iRobot Roomba Essential is a budget robot vacuum from the company that made the category mainstream. It runs on a tap or a voice command through Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, and at 7 lb it is light enough to move between floors. It lacks a self-empty base and camera-based mapping, so it cleans in random patterns rather than room by room. No current price was supplied with this listing, so check the live comparison before deciding.

Best forFirst-time robot vacuum buyersSmall apartments and single roomsHomes with mostly hard floors and low-pile rugs