UPDATE: iRobot filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 15, and has been acquired by Roomba manufacturer Picea. While Roombas are still available to buy like usual, I would recommend deprioritizing a Roomba in your robot vacuum search. There are robot vacuums with better features at better prices out there, and with iRobot’s rocky future now layered in, even the best Roomba vacuums aren’t worth it.
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If you’re set on getting a Roomba over any other robot vacuum brand, the Roomba Plus 505 Combo is the best Roomba value on the market right now. It’s the only mopping Roomba with spinning mopping pads and small obstacle avoidance, which is an ideal combination for edge-to-edge mopping without getting stuck on a phone charger or shoes near the door.
But given iRobot’s financial struggles across all of 2025, I’d advise against having tunnel vision for Roombas right now. If you like the idea of rotating mopping pads and the ability to avoid cords, laundry, or pet waste, consider the similarly priced Eufy X10 Pro Omni or Narwal Freo X10 Pro.
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This is the most well-rounded Roomba I’ve seen in years, with a surprisingly practical price tag to match. iRobot finally read the room and realized that people don’t care so much about the cool-looking lifting mop arm of the Roomba Combo j7 or Combo 10 Max — they just want legitimate scrubbing. iRobot estimates the spinning design helps the 505 reach 18 percent closer edge cleaning than that of former mopping Roombas, and I’ve seen it play out in real time as the 505 swung one of those pads right up against my kitchen counters, along the bathtub wall, and even the edge of the litter box.
If you’re not in a rush, iRobot’s SmartScrub feature also really shines with the double pad design. Here, the Roomba will do a double take over stickier messes that probably wouldn’t be sufficiently wiped up in one pass. I’ve also noticed that the 505 goes back to the dock to rinse its mops mid-cleaning session more often than other robot mops. I’d rather cleaning take longer than for ranch or wine to be accidentally dragged across my entire kitchen.
That all sounds promising, but there’s one major caveat: While I had a perfectly fine experience with the Roomba 505 Combo overall, I wouldn’t recommend it over other mid-range 2-in-1 robot vacuums from Roborock, Narwal, or Eufy. That’s partially because the 505 Combo’s 7,000 Pa of suction power is painfully mid compared to the 10,000 to 15,000 Pa force mustered up by other $400 to $700 robot vacuums nowadays. I’m also concerned about the longevity of the Roomba in general. iRobot has struggled to sell these 2025 Roombas for the past year, leading to a dead-end quest to find a buyer for the company. If bankruptcy awaits, Roomba owners might be stuck with a robot vacuum without a parent company — presumably meaning no app updates and no customer service.