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If you’ve been thinking about getting a budget-friendly robot vacuum with mopping capabilities, you might want to check out the iRobot Roomba Combo Essential . This PCMag Editor’s Choice -winning robot vacuum is currently $149 (down from $274.99), its lowest price ever, according to price trackers .
It offers two cleaning modes: vacuum-only and vacuum-and-mop. Switching to the latter requires manually attaching the mop pad, which is then dragged along by the vacuum as it moves. If you’re hoping for some scrubbing power, this isn’t it—it won’t lift dried-on spills or heavy grime. That said, while it doesn’t have the suction power for a deep clean, it reportedly handles pet hair well, leaving no dust bunnies behind and avoiding major tangles in its brush roll.
The Combo Essential comes with wifi support (specifically for 2.4GHz networks), so you can control it not just with the physical buttons on the vacuum but also through the iRobot Home app or with voice commands if you have Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. Setting it up is simple: Download the iRobot Home app, create an account, and follow the step-by-step instructions. Once connected, the app lets you adjust suction power and water usage, set up a cleaning schedule (though keep in mind it doesn’t create a customizable map), put a time limit on cleaning sessions, check its run history, and enable voice controls.
Unlike many budget robot vacuums, the Combo Essential has a battery life of over 120 minutes and rarely gets stuck on common obstacles like chair legs or flooring thresholds (though it does bump into things as it tries to free itself from tight spots), notes this PCMag review . And since it costs a fraction of what high-end robot floor cleaners do, it lacks premium features like AI-powered obstacle avoidance or self-maintenance. Instead, it navigates using a combination of a gyroscope and infrared sensors. This allows it to clean in somewhat orderly rows, but it can occasionally get confused and re-cover the same area from a different angle. That said, it does a solid job of vacuuming and mopping small spaces.
