An iRobot robot vacuum has been on my wishlist ever since the day I set foot in my first apartment. The thought of a little machine effortlessly whirring around my floor picking up dog hair and dust was too good to be true. Despite my desire for cleaner carpets, it took 10 years of daydreaming about how clean my house could be before I actually got my hands on one. That’s mostly because they’re expensive, but it’s also because my floor is almost always cluttered. I couldn’t see how a robot would be smart enough to avoid cords, shoes, and laundry without getting tangled in a mess, overheating, and giving up. After a bit of research and too much time spent bent over my stick vacuum, I accepted this assignment for a Roomba 694 review, putting the gadget to the test using common messes found in my home.

The Roomba 694 is iRobot's most affordable option, and it's great for routine cleaning.

As the mom of a 11-month-old baby girl and a 3-year-old German Shepherd mix, there’s no shortage of messes in my house, so I wanted to see if Roomba’s most affordable robot vacuum was up to basic, everyday cleaning tasks. I put this vacuum cleaner to work over the course of three weeks and observed how it cleaned carpets, wood floors, and tile. Though the Roomba 694 isn’t the smartest or most advanced option from iRobot, it is the most affordable, and it’s a great way to stay on top of routine vacuuming. I now rely on it to keep all my surfaces free of what used to be ubiquitous piles of dog hair. It’s an efficient and easy-to-use gadget, and it’s a hands-off way to maintain a cleaner house.

Self-Emptying: No | Programmable: Yes | Warranty: Limited 2-year | Voice Assistant Compatible: Yes

The iRobot Roomba 694 is an efficient robot vacuum that can independently clean large, open spaces, but it won’t find and pick up specific messes. It did a fantastic job navigating through door frames and was able to transition easily from hardwood to carpet to tile, even though it didn’t have some of the more advanced features like the ability to learn and map my home or self-empty.

Unboxing and set-up is easy thanks to simple instructions—just plug in the charging station, download the app and let it charge. Everything is controlled using the iRobot app, so you can tell Roomba when to begin, how long to clean for, and when to return “home” to its charging station.

To test the suction power of the Roomba 694, I scattered broken potato chips and dirt on three ... [+] surfaces—hardwood, carpet, and shag carpet.

Unlike some other Roomba models, the 694 model doesn’t have the ability to map your home and learn specific spaces. That means you can’t give it instructions like “clean under the dining room table,” which makes targeting specific messes difficult. I like that it independently maneuvers through the home for daily upkeep, and it’s particularly useful if you have a dog who sheds (like mine does). I still needed to use my handheld vacuum when cleaning specific messes like piles of crumbs or spilled cereal.

Throughout testing I found the suction to be powerful—it lifted dog hair out of carpeting and easily picked up dirt from hardwood and tile. The Roomba 694 uses WiFi and Roomba’s patented “DirtDetect” technology to detect dirtier areas of the home and clean them more thoroughly. I found this to be true in my tests—I noticed that when Roomba did stumble upon some dirt, it spent more time cleaning that specific spot. Through a three-stage cleaning system it uses dual multi-surface brushes to loosen, lift, and suck, which helps grab dirt and pet hair from carpets and hardwood flooring.

A spinning corner brush aims to sweep up corners and edges. However, I didn’t find the brush to be effective. In fact, when the robot came upon the pile of chips in my test, the corner brush scattered the chips across the floor, which actually made it more messy.

The Roomba easily transitions from hardwoods to smooth carpets, but snags on thicker, fluffier rugs.

The Roomba 694 is designed to easily transition from hardwood floor to carpet to tile, and I was surprised to find that it did so seamlessly. In fact, it even climbed over thresholds and easily made its way through the many doorframes of my home, easily maneuvering through different rooms throughout the cleaning process. Though this model doesn’t have the “Cliff Detect” feature that the Roomba s9+ does, I found that it avoided staircases and steps either way. Keep in mind that this model is not compatible with extra-plush carpeting. It wasn’t able to effectively climb over the edge of my sheepskin rug, and each time it came in contact with the surface of the rug it stopped and reported an error message.

The Roomba 694 easily maneuvered through my old, Colonial-style, two-story house that has original wood floor boards, twists and turns, and slightly raised thresholds between each door frame. It had no problem navigating through the different rooms and never fell down steps or got tripped up on ledges. Though it worked perfectly in my complicated house, this would be a better option for someone with an open floor plan looking to maintain clean floors every day.

This model is not ideal for cluttered homes that might be scattered with cords, shoes, and kids’ toys. I found that it worked most efficiently when I picked up any clutter beforehand. During the test runs that I didn’t clean up beforehand, it got tangled on shoelaces and phone chargers, which meant I had to stop and untangle it.

Lastly, I loved how easy it is to empty. Some of the more advanced Roomba models have a self-emptying feature, which means the Roomba will empty any dirt and debris into a bin each time it returns to the charging station, and the bin can hold debris for up to 60 days. However, the 694 is so easy to empty manually it doesn’t feel like a necessary feature. Simply press down on the empty button, slide out the bin, dump into the trash, and slide it back on.

Overall, this is an efficient, versatile robot vacuum that has a strong pick-up and can handle different surfaces. Though there are Roomba models that boast more bells and whistles—like smart mapping and hazard detection—this is a simple and affordable option that did a fantastic job at keeping my floors clean.

I’m a food and lifestyle writer who has written thoughtful, analytical product reviews for Food & Wine, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, and other reputable outlets known for product testing. I have written articles about vacuums and iRobot Roombas specifically, including a deeply researched piece for Forbes Vetted that identifies which Roomba is the best for different needs. With a degree in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education and years of professional culinary experience, I’m an expert at testing and reviewing kitchen and home products to help readers make informed purchasing decisions.

For this piece, I tested the ease of use, cleaning power and versatility of the Roomba 694 for use in the average home. Over three weeks, I assessed the machine’s ability to effectively clean carpet, hardwood floor, and shag carpeting.

Robot vacuums should make cleaning your floors easier, so I first looked at how convenient the Roomba 694 was to use. I considered how long the battery lasted between charges, and how easy it was to empty the vacuum when full. iRobot also has an app, and I evaluated how easy the smart technology was to use. I’m not a big tech person—I resist downloading extra apps if I don’t have to—so I will admit that I rolled my eyes when I realized I needed to download the iRobot app to control my Roomba. However, I was delighted to see how simple it was to use. I used it to schedule cleanings and nudge my robot to return “home” whenever cleaning was complete.

To test overall performance, I let the machine run through my house—it’s not easy to clean, so I made note of how the Roomba handled the complicated floor plan. To test versatility, I observed how easily the machine could transition between surfaces, and took note of whether or not it got tripped up when climbing from hardwood to carpet to kitchen tile. To test functionality, I scattered broken potato chips and dirt on three surfaces—hardwood, carpet, and shag carpet—I then recorded how effectively it could pick up particles on each surface.

The Roomba 692 is identical to the 694, it just doesn’t come with an extra filter—and it’s also often on sale for a lower price (right now, it’s 40% off for Amazon Prime Day). The 692 is only available on Amazon, too. If you’re willing to buy extra filters separately, you may be able to get the absolute best deal on a Roomba with the Roomba 692.

Yes, using the iRobot app you can set specific cleaning schedules. That means you can schedule the Roomba to start cleaning every Sunday at 6PM, and the app will suggest cleaning schedules based on your habits.

Though it’s not self-emptying, the Roomba 694 is very easy to empty. Just press the bin release tab, slide it out, and dump any debris in the trash. It comes with one replacement filter. You can get replacement filters and other parts from iRobot.

No, this unit cannot communicate with iRobot’s robot vacuum mop, the Braava Jet m6, and will not tell it when to begin mopping.