The earliest robot vacuums cleaned until they hit a wall, turned and started zooming in the opposite direction. But, as the technology advanced, the bots gained “sight” and the ability to clean in an organized pattern. That capability is finally trickling down to the budget-priced options with the iRobot Roomba Combo Essential.

At $275, the Combo Essential is one of the brand’s more affordable cleaning bots. But, not only does the new budget bot clean in neat orderly rows, but it also boasts 18x more suction than the company’s earlier affordable models. The Roomba Combo Essential both vacuums and mops, while the app connectivity powers features like the option to create a cleaning schedule, the ability to automatically start cleaning whenever you leave the house, and the option to work with voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google.

But, the Combo Essential is still a budget-friendly model — so just how clean can floors get for $275? I tested out iRobot’s latest affordable combo bot to find out.

Specs, price and availability

The Roomba Combo Essential launched in April of 2024 for a list price of $275. A vacuum-only Roomba Essential also launched at the same time for $250, with similar suction power but no built-in mop. The Essential offers 18x more suction power than iRobot’s earlier budget options and also cleans in neat orderly rows, a feature hard to find among less expensive models. The app is iOS and Android compatible, while it also works with Alexa, Siri and Google voice assistants.

What I like about the Roomba Combo Essential

The Essential offers impressive suction for the price

Setting up the Roomba Combo Essential was painless. Straight out of the box, I only needed to pop in the edge brush and mop, then place it on the charger. A QR code on the box leads you to the iRobot app, where connecting to Wi-Fi, creating an account, and walking through the rest of the set-up process was similarly simple. The app is straightforward and includes features like scheduling, geofencing to automatically clean when you leave home, and tools for monitoring when it’s time to clean the filter or replace the mop pad.

While most budget bots randomly bounce off furniture, the Roomba Combo Essential cleans in rows neat enough to please even the most Type A personalities. Occasionally, the lines will be more diagonal after bumping off some furniture, but the bot starts by finding a wall or other obstacle, which usually helps set it up for success. While the app doesn’t have mapping to send the bot to a specific room or resume cleaning after recharging, it managed to get most of my living room clean in one charge, leaving behind satisfactory rows. The privacy conscious will also appreciate that it uses an infrared sensor to navigate and won’t be taking photos of your house as there’s no built-in camera.

With 18x more suction power than iRobot’s previous budget bot, the Combo Essential did a surprisingly decent job at picking up dirt and dog hair from hardwood. The arm that extends outside the bot managed to grab the clumps of hair accumulating at the edges of furniture. It also did well picking up food crumbs and dirt. The built-in mop is more of a quick swipe. It doesn’t vibrate or spin, so it won’t get the stuck-on stains, but it does wipe up looser dirt and leave the floors with a bit of shine.

On the carpet, the Roomba Combo Essential was a bit less impressive, but offered a quick clean-up of some of the surface dirt and pet hair. When I tasked it with cleaning around the litter box, for example, it only managed to get maybe half of the scattered clay pieces. As I expected for a cleaning robot under $300, it didn’t get the deeply embedded hair that a stick vacuum will grab, but the Combo vacuumed much of the visible surface debris to go longer between manual chores.

The Combo Essential also has a spot-clean tool. Press this button, and the Roomba will make a few concentric circles to clean a small area. This is helpful for cleaning up a quick mess, but like the regular cleaning mode, didn’t get stuck on food like spilled jelly.

Understandably, the budget bot doesn’t have the hands-off features of pricier Roombas. You have to empty the dust bin, refill the mop tank, and wash the mop pad yourself. Thankfully, it’s not a terrible process. The dustbin easily pops off the back. There’s a door that opens to dump the contents in the trash and even a built-in brush to use for freeing any debris from the filter. The water reservoir is on the same part as the dust bin, so there’s no second piece to pull apart. You can just pop the tab after emptying the dust bin and refill the tank with water. The mop pad pops off easily. However, Roomba recommends washing the pad by hand rather than in the laundry and suggests replacing it every 30 washes.

What I didn’t like about the Roomba Combo Essential

The bot needs frequent rescuing

Much of what I didn’t like about the Roomba Combo Essential simply comes down to the features that are missing because this is a $275 bot and not $1,200. The biggest exception to that is the frequency to which the bot needs rescuing. I haven’t yet made it through a cleaning cycle where I didn’t have to get the vacuum unstuck. It got trapped under the edge of a recliner and wedged itself under a kitchen cabinet. It once refused to back itself out of a corner with only a small rug on the other side, making loud noises until I rescued it. It detects drops and staircases, but I’ve twice had to pick it up because it got too close to the edge and couldn’t drive itself off. It doesn’t feature obstacle detection, but even with picked up floors it pushes around a wicker basket of dog toys and even got stuck up on the cord to its own charging base.

This is all likely par for the course on a bot that doesn’t have obstacle detection or room mapping. You need to ensure the floor is picked up before the bot starts. If you miss small items like Nerf darts and wrappers, the bot will inevitably try to suck those up. While the Combo Essential has a scheduling option, I think these routine cleans work a bit better on bots that have obstacle detection in case you forgot to pick up the floor before the selected time.

Part of this is also picking up rugs from hard floors. That, or removing the mop pad and running a vacuum-only clean in rooms with both floor types. The mop pad on the Essential is always down, it doesn’t have the auto-lift feature that pricier bots use to avoid moisturizing the rugs. Picking up all the throw rugs is a big ask for a bot that cleans well but more delays rather than replaces a good manual scrubbing.

The Essential requires more hands-on maintenance than pricier bots that have auto mop refill, auto dustbin emptying, and even wash their own mops. Of course, these are all features that I wouldn’t expect to find on an option priced under $300. But, a machine-washable mop pad wouldn’t be too much to ask for. iRobot recommends hand washing the mop rather than tossing it in the washing machine and replacing it every 30 washes. Thankfully, the filter can be washed and doesn’t need to be replaced frequently.

The noise level coming from the bot is around mid-level. The pricier bots with more powerful suction are certainly louder. But it would also occasionally emit a sound a bit like a muffled semi horn, if that semi happened to be covered in pillows. The app does have a geofencing feature that will automatically start a clean when you leave your house if the noise is bothersome, though, of course, you won’t be home to rescue it when it inevitably becomes stuck.

Should you buy the Roomba Combo Essential?

Perhaps, but if you can, swing for one that’s more hands-off

The Roomba Combo Essential is one of the better robot vacuums for under $300. The upgraded suction picks up debris from hardwood quite well, and while it won’t deep clean carpets, it will keep them free from the visible clumps of pet hair and debris. While it lacks house mapping and obstacle detection, the IR-guided sensors help the bot clean in nice neat rows, covering more of the room than bots with a random bounce pattern.

My biggest issue with the Combo Essential is that the amount of maintenance it requires shortens the time I actually saved by using the bot instead of digging out a regular stick vacuum. It gets stuck on a regular basis, rugs need to be picked up before mopping, the mop pad is hand-wash only and you’ll need to empty the bin and refill the mop water every clean (or every other with smaller spaces).

Did I save a bit of time? Yes. Is my house cleaner than without the Combo Essential? Also, yes. But after using a range of bots from this $275 option to $1,200 choices, I’m more inclined to pick a mid-tier option. The budget bots need a lot of maintenance, but even the best vac-mop combos delay rather than replace a good manual clean, making it difficult to justify the high price of the luxury models. That’s why I personally would be more inclined to something with obstacle detection and self-emptying without going into the steep luxury bots.

If you can’t spend more than $275 and don’t mind rescuing a stuck bot or picking up rugs before a mopping, buy the Roomba Combo Essential. It cleans better than the budget bots I’ve used in the past. But, if your budget has more wiggle room, features like an auto-lift mop and obstacle detection go a long way in reducing the time you spend cleaning, which, after all, is the goal of a robot vacuum in the first place.