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 latest rounds of robot vacuums finally make Shark a force to be reckoned with for iRobot and Roborock.
Having personally tested the best robot vacuums from Shark and iRobot plus the top robotic cleaners from the other big robot vacuum brands, I’ve become quite familiar with the pros and cons of getting a Shark robot vacuum.
Shark vacuums shine at spot cleaning, but have a big blind spot
Sometimes, there’s an unexpected mess that you want to clean without messing around with full room cleanings in the app. In my at-home testing, Shark robot vacuums are consistently reliable when it comes to spot cleaning. 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, and Shark’s Matrix cleaning system automatically goes over the spot multiple times from multiple angles. Many other similarly-priced robot vacuums won’t take a second look unless you remember to toggle the number of cleaning passes from one to two. Matrix cleaning automatically covers one of my tips for making your robot vacuum work better.
Is accurate smart mapping and black-and-white spot cleaning a Shark-only skill? Of course not. But Shark robot vacuums do it while staying firmly in the budget-friendly robot vacuum category, and they’re on sale frequently.
On the other hand, Shark’s one big blind spot — literally — is small obstacle avoidance technology, and that’s been the case for a few years now. Shark is forever being upstaged by new releases from the likes of iRobot, Roborock, and Eufy, who all have models at Shark prices that can steer clear of obstacles like cords and pet waste. Based on my experience, Shark hasn’t mastered this skill yet. But Shark is due for a major update to its lineup, and I feel like a totally new, highly-agile Shark robot vacuum is coming very soon.
Nonetheless, I still think a Shark robot vacuum is worth it if you’re on a budget. After sending more than five of Shark’s main robot vacuums (including several that mop) through an obstacle course in my own apartment, here are the three best Shark robot vacuums you can 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 the best Roombas? While Shark has way fewer options to choose from after iRobot randomly overhauled its Roomba lineup in March 2025, Sharks are more likely to be a bang for your buck than Roombas. Shark consistently puts out more budget-friendly robot vacuums, often without skimping on the most crucial features. If you were capping yourself at $300, the $300 Shark vacuum is going to be more competent than the $300 Roomba (unless you’re finding a premium Roomba on sale for that price).
Admittedly, Shark takes a little longer to roll out new features and doesn’t have product drops very often. (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’s typically at a much more digestible price 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.