Top 4 robot vacuums for small spaces to shop on October Prime Day

Who it's for:

Robot vacuums that require you to tidy up the floor before they can safely complete a cleaning run miss the point automatic cleaning completely. In a small space, where the chance of rogue clutter being on the floor is high, a robot vacuum with reliable small obstacle avoidance will be game-changing.

Why we picked this:

Senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart thinks iRobot's small obstacle avoidance is the best on the market, and the Roomba j7 is the most affordable way to bring that home in standalone form if you don't have a free corner to house a self-empty dock. (If you stumble across it on sale at Amazon, you'll be able to snag it for 50% off.) The j7 successfully avoided every charging cord, slipper, and laundry pile in Stodart's home, all of which have been blind spots for other robot vacs (like all of the Shark models).

The j7's broader navigation in terms of maneuvering around furniture and accurately mapping rooms (or non-walled areas like the entryway) are similarly reliable. Its cleaning prowess is enough for light daily upkeep, but you would probably want to opt for one of the other vacs in this list (or the Roomba Combo j9+) to keep up with pet hair from multiple animals.

Read my full review of the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+, which is just the self-emptying, mopping version of the j7.

Who it's for:

Budget shoppers sticking to a strict cap of $200 still don't have to settle for a botvac that's perpetually disoriented. (That's how much the non self-emptying version of the Shark Matrix RV2300 is usually on sale for at Walmart.) The LiDAR-equipped Shark Matrix RV2300 maps incredibly accurately for the price and, in senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart's experience, is an extremely reliable spot cleaner in terms of navigating to the selected area on the map as well as the vacuuming itself.

Because this ultra-compact version doesn't self-empty (that one is usually on sale for $299), the ideal buyer won't mind manually emptying as long as navigation is seamless.

Why we picked this:

The standalone version of the base tier Shark Matrix goes further than most robot vacuums in the under-$200-on-sale price range. Like the similarly-priced Eufy L60, the Shark Matrix RV2300 packs essential features like LiDAR-guided smart mapping used to send the robovac to specific spots or rooms, plus set virtual boundaries around cluttered areas that you want the bot to go around. In those targeted areas, though, the RV2300 goes further with optional Matrix cleaning: a back-and-forth crosshatch technique that give the vacuum more opportunites to grab debris it may have missed on the first pass.

Who it's for:

If your budget isn't as limited as your square footage, the $799.99 (or under $700 on sale) Eufy X10 Pro Omni should be a strong contender if you have an even split of carpet and hard floors. While senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart would also recommend the X10 Pro Omni for large spaces due to its long battery life, it's the most compact yet packed self-cleaning dock she's used in her home.

Why we picked this:

Eufy's most premium robot vacuum cleaner clocks potent suction power for this price range, an effective double mopping pad system, small object avoidance, and a self-emptying dock that also washes and dries the mopping pads. You typically won't see a robot vacuum and mop combo that checks off all of those boxes for less than $1,000, so Eufy deserves some serious credit for squeezing it all in at such a digestible price point. If your cleaning closet is overflowing, ditching your mop for a hybrid model that can store all of its own mopping gear (unlike a hybrid robot vacuum that requires a separate water tank to be clicked on and off) could free up some storage space.

What's equally as impressive is that Eufy didn't cut corners on the performance of any of those features just to get them all on the list. It's one of the few hybrids armed with dual spinning mopping pads for more robust scrubbing than that of a single stationary pad, complete with an up-and-down mechanism that applies pressure during mopping and accurately lifts the pads completely above the surface when rugs or carpet are sensed. The 8,000 Pa suction power successfully aced multiple cleaning tests in senior shopping reporter Leah Stodart's home, from spilled dry rice and light layers of cat fur on rugs to various types of crumbs on hard floors, including those pushed up against the kitchen cabinets.

In a small or crowded space, the X10 Pro Omni won't constantly get stuck. Stodart had next to no issues when sending the X10 Pro Omni to specific rooms or zones for spot cleaning on the app, and Eufy's small obstacle avoidance was about 90% accurate when avoiding things like phone chargers and shoes. She'd still recommend removing bath rugs before mopping the tile bathroom floor, though.

Read my full review of the Eufy X10 Pro Omni.

Who it's for:

If you're set on a robot vacuum that can mop, but don't necessarily need that mopping to be hardcore enough to justify the whole self-washing and drying mopping pad situation, the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 is the best budget-friendly hybrid I can suggest.

Why we like it:

Compared to any of the low-end mopping Roombas, the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 is smarter and more meticulous. "Matrix" in the title refers to Shark's Matrix Clean feature, which sends the vac back and forth over the spot you've designated multiple times from multiple angles — a true "one (or two) for good measure" approach. In Matrix mode during regular vacuuming, these Shark models dish out 30% better carpet cleaning than the older RV Shark models. And in Matrix mode during mopping, the sonic mopping pad vibrates 100 times per minute to scrub at stains with more elbow grease than the most basic robotic moppers.

Getting the Matrix Plus 2-in-1 to get where it needs to go is also pretty painless for a vacuum in this price range. Its smart mapping proved to be quite accurate when navigating my home, both when creating the map on its first cleaning run and also when making its way to the various very specific zones I dragged and dropped on a case-by-case basis.

Read Mashable contributor Timothy Beck Werth's full review of the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 (previously called the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1).