Top iRobot Roomba Vacuuming Robots Comparison: 980 vs. 960 vs. 890 vs. 880 vs. 877 vs. 860 vs. 805
Author: Maurice Savaryego, M.Sc.Eng.
 Roomba 980 in Action (Photo Credits: iRobot)
If you've been considering to get an iRobot Roomba, the #1 vacuuming robot already bought by millions around the world, but you're not quite sure which Roomba to get, you have come to the right place. This article will compare the some of the top and most popular Roomba robots so you're able to choose the best Roomba for your home's vacuuming needs.
Roomba robots were first introduced by iRobot in 2002, and several millions of units have been sold around the world, and many updated and improved versions have been released. At the time of this writing, the most popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners belonged to the 900 and 800 series robots. More specifically, they are Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805. Even though you can still find on the market Roomba robots belonging to previous series, it is clearly more advantageous to consider the more recent 800 and 900 series robots to enjoy the latest features.
This article will compare the Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805 robots.
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Comparing Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805
The following pictures show the Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805 robots that will be compared below:
Roomba 980
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Roomba 960
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Roomba 890
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Roomba 880
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Roomba 877
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Roomba 805
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Roomba 860
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The following table compares the iRobot Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805 robots.
The (Note #) notation used in the table refers to the clarification notes provided following the table (please read these notes carefully in order to understand better the features that come with each Roomba):
Explanation of Notes 1 to 20 from Comparison Table:
Note 1:
The iAdapt responsive cleaning technology composed of sophisticated software and sensors allows Roomba robots to clean more thoroughly the room, making multiple passes, avoiding stairs, getting under and around furniture, and cleaning along wall edges and corners. The low profile design of these robots allows cleaning under most furniture. They also automatically adjust to all floor types - carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate and more.
Note that all Roomba robots, except for Roomba 980 and 960, are built with the original iRobot iAdapt technology, while Roomba 980 and 960 were designed with the more advanced iAdapt 2.0 technology. With Adapt 2.0, Roomba 980 and 960 feature a visual localization camera used to map out your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Roomba 960 and 980 use a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
An important aspect of Roomba robots is Dirt Detection: All 900 and 800 series Roomba robots are equipped with acoustic and optical sensors which allow them to find dirtier areas and then spend more time cleaning them.
Finally, note that Roomba robots use either Virtual Walls, Virtual Wall Lighthouses or Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers to be kept away from rooms and areas they are not supposed to enter. Please see the Roomba Navigation Control Section below for more detailed information on these stand alone little devices.
Note 2:
All 800 and 900 series Roomba robots use a 3-stage vacuuming system:
The AeroForce technology found in 800 and 900 series robots introduces the debris extractors not found in the previous series Roomba robots and delivers an ideal balance of vacuum suction and debris extraction: Tangle free extractors grab and break down debris eliminating hair tangles and jams, and an airflow accelerator creates a sealed channel that concentrates the airflow, sucking in more debris. Thanks to the high efficiency vacuum, the air power is increased 5 times in 800 and 900 series robots compared to the previous series robots. In addition, when the Carpet Boost feature found on Roomba 980 is activated, the air power is increased up to 10 times! Though all Roomba robots are designed to collect dirt and pet hair, the 900 and 800 series robots do it more efficiently and thoroughly than the previous 700 and 600 series robots.
Note 3:
Except for Roomba 980 and 960, all Roomba robots need to be restarted by pressing the CLEAN button after they recharge themselves at their Home Base (unless of course they had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Only Roomba 980 and 960 are able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the entire level of your home is cleaned!
Note however that Roomba 880 and 877, which come with the Virtual Wall Lighthouse beacon, can clean more than one room in a guided fashion without human interference, unless the robot needs to go back to Home Base to recharge, in which case it will need to be restarted to finish up the job.
Note 4:
When Roomba 980, 960 or 890 are connected via Wi-Fi to your smartphone, you can use the iRobot Home App for Android and iOS to invoke remotely operations (such as Cleaning, Scheduling, Sending to Home Base, etc.). When the App is used with Roomba 960 and 980, you can also see the status of cleaning jobs, and you can customize your cleaning preferences (such as setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc.).
Note: You may be asking the question: Can we use these 3 Roomba robots without WiFi?". The answer is "Yes!", you can use them, but if you don't have WiFi, you will have to control them by using the control buttons on the robot or by purchasing a compatible remote-control device (see the Amazon products section below for compaibe remote-control devices). Note however that certain operations on Roomba 960 and 980 are only available from the App on the smartphone which needs Wi-Fi.
Note 5:
All Roomba 900 and 800 series robots have AeroForce High Efficency filters that can capture 99% of allergens, pollen, and particles as small as 10 microns.
Note 6:
When on carpet, thanks to the Carpet Boost feature, Roomba 980 automatically increases its vacuum power to provide a deeper clean. Carpet Boost provides up to 10 times the air power by automatically increasing performance on carpet and rugs, where dust and dirt hide.
On hard surfaces, Roomba reduces its vacuum power to decrease battery consumption while still delivering excellent cleaning performance. Carpet Boost feature is turned on by default.
Note 7:
All Roomba robots are equipped with a side brush to clean wall edges. But Roomba 980 and 960 feature special final edge cleaning action to make sure that stubborn dirt and debris along wall edges are all removed. After these robots finish cleaning the open areas of your floor, they use the Final Edge Clean feature to ensure that it has cleaned along walls and around furniture legs. If you prefer a quicker clean, you can disable Final Edge Clean using the irRobot Home App. Note that this feature is turned on by default.
Note 8:
When the bin gets full, Roomba 980 and 960 provide you with two options regarding the action to be taken by the robot:
Note 9:
Roomba 980 and 960 are equipped with a visual localization camera used to map out more thoroughly your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Note that for the camera functionality to work properly some light in the room where the robot will be vacuuming may be needed.
Note 10:
The counter rotating dual multi-surface tangle-free brushes (also known as debris extractors) were introduced starting with 800 series Roomba robots, and they replaced the brushes found in the previous 600 and 700 series robots. They grab and break down debris, eliminating hair tangles and jams. Together with debris extractors, an airflow accelerator that creates a sealed channel that concentrates airflow, sucking in more debris was introduced.
Note 11:
Scheduling can be pre-set up to 7 times per week. The robot starts vacuuming as soon as the scheduled time is reached.
Note 12:
In most cases, Roomba will remove dirt and debris with just one pass over each area of your home. With Roomba 980 and 960, two-pass cleaning can be requested and can be particularly helpful in homes with pets or for periodic deep cleaning. The number of cleaning passes is one by default.
This feature is only available on Roomba 980 and 960 and can be invoked from the App.
Note 13:
When batteries run low, all Roomba robots return to their Home Base to dock and recharge.
Note that, except for Roomba 980 and 960, all other Roomba robots need to be restarted by pressing the CLEAN button after they recharge themselves at their Home Base (unless of course they had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Only the 980 and 960 robots are able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the whole level of your home is cleaned!
Note 14:
All Roomba robots are equipped with a Home button that can be pressed to send the robot to dock at its Home Base. Of course, the robot will also go automatically to its Home Base when battery runs low.
Note 15:
All Roomba robots can be asked to spot clean. When spot clean is invoked, the robot will spiral approximately 3 feet in diameter and then spiral back to where it started for an intense, localized clean.
Note 16:
Roomba 880 comes with a Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery, while Roomba 805, 860, 877, 890, 960 and 980 come with a Lithium-Ion battery.
Note that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions and last longer before needing to be replaced.
Battery Run Times:
iRobot has specified the run times for the 980 and 960 robots as 120 minutes and 75 minutes respectively.
For all the other Roomba robots compared above, the average time is about 60 minutes, but note that for all robots (including Roomba 980 and 960) run times can vary extensively depending on the amount of work the robot has to do to clean the floors. That is because different types of carpets, different floor plans and different amounts of dirt may require different amounts of effort from the robot and hence different amounts of ''juice'' from the battery. However, keep in mind that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions.
Note 17:
Note 18:
Wi‐Fi connected Roomba vacuuming robots (Roomba 980, 960 and 890) are all compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. Simply ask Alexa or the Google Assistant to start, stop, or dock your robot.
Note 19:
The "d" in the dimensions refers to the diameter, and "h" to the height of the unit. All measurements are in inches.
Note 20:
The 1-year limited warranty is on the robot. There is also a 6 month warranty on the battery.
Note 1:
The iAdapt responsive cleaning technology composed of sophisticated software and sensors allows Roomba robots to clean more thoroughly the room, making multiple passes, avoiding stairs, getting under and around furniture, and cleaning along wall edges and corners. The low profile design of these robots allows cleaning under most furniture. They also automatically adjust to all floor types - carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate and more.
Note that all Roomba robots, except for Roomba 980 and 960, are built with the original iRobot iAdapt technology, while Roomba 980 and 960 were designed with the more advanced iAdapt 2.0 technology. With Adapt 2.0, Roomba 980 and 960 feature a visual localization camera used to map out your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Roomba 960 and 980 use a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
An important aspect of Roomba robots is Dirt Detection: All 900 and 800 series Roomba robots are equipped with acoustic and optical sensors which allow them to find dirtier areas and then spend more time cleaning them.
Finally, note that Roomba robots use either Virtual Walls, Virtual Wall Lighthouses or Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers to be kept away from rooms and areas they are not supposed to enter. Please see the Roomba Navigation Control Section below for more detailed information on these stand alone little devices.
Note 2:
All 800 and 900 series Roomba robots use a 3-stage vacuuming system:
- Counter rotating dual multi-surface tangle-free brushes (also known as debris extractors) pick up dust, debris, dirt, pet hair from the floor.
- A spinning side brush cleans along wall edges.
- Finally, an efficient vacuum pulls dirt and hair off the brushes (or off the debris extractors) and directs it into the bin.
The AeroForce technology found in 800 and 900 series robots introduces the debris extractors not found in the previous series Roomba robots and delivers an ideal balance of vacuum suction and debris extraction: Tangle free extractors grab and break down debris eliminating hair tangles and jams, and an airflow accelerator creates a sealed channel that concentrates the airflow, sucking in more debris. Thanks to the high efficiency vacuum, the air power is increased 5 times in 800 and 900 series robots compared to the previous series robots. In addition, when the Carpet Boost feature found on Roomba 980 is activated, the air power is increased up to 10 times! Though all Roomba robots are designed to collect dirt and pet hair, the 900 and 800 series robots do it more efficiently and thoroughly than the previous 700 and 600 series robots.
Note 3:
Except for Roomba 980 and 960, all Roomba robots need to be restarted by pressing the CLEAN button after they recharge themselves at their Home Base (unless of course they had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Only Roomba 980 and 960 are able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the entire level of your home is cleaned!
Note however that Roomba 880 and 877, which come with the Virtual Wall Lighthouse beacon, can clean more than one room in a guided fashion without human interference, unless the robot needs to go back to Home Base to recharge, in which case it will need to be restarted to finish up the job.
Note 4:
When Roomba 980, 960 or 890 are connected via Wi-Fi to your smartphone, you can use the iRobot Home App for Android and iOS to invoke remotely operations (such as Cleaning, Scheduling, Sending to Home Base, etc.). When the App is used with Roomba 960 and 980, you can also see the status of cleaning jobs, and you can customize your cleaning preferences (such as setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc.).
Note: You may be asking the question: Can we use these 3 Roomba robots without WiFi?". The answer is "Yes!", you can use them, but if you don't have WiFi, you will have to control them by using the control buttons on the robot or by purchasing a compatible remote-control device (see the Amazon products section below for compaibe remote-control devices). Note however that certain operations on Roomba 960 and 980 are only available from the App on the smartphone which needs Wi-Fi.
Note 5:
All Roomba 900 and 800 series robots have AeroForce High Efficency filters that can capture 99% of allergens, pollen, and particles as small as 10 microns.
Note 6:
When on carpet, thanks to the Carpet Boost feature, Roomba 980 automatically increases its vacuum power to provide a deeper clean. Carpet Boost provides up to 10 times the air power by automatically increasing performance on carpet and rugs, where dust and dirt hide.
On hard surfaces, Roomba reduces its vacuum power to decrease battery consumption while still delivering excellent cleaning performance. Carpet Boost feature is turned on by default.
Note 7:
All Roomba robots are equipped with a side brush to clean wall edges. But Roomba 980 and 960 feature special final edge cleaning action to make sure that stubborn dirt and debris along wall edges are all removed. After these robots finish cleaning the open areas of your floor, they use the Final Edge Clean feature to ensure that it has cleaned along walls and around furniture legs. If you prefer a quicker clean, you can disable Final Edge Clean using the irRobot Home App. Note that this feature is turned on by default.
Note 8:
When the bin gets full, Roomba 980 and 960 provide you with two options regarding the action to be taken by the robot:
- Finish Job: Even if the bin is full, Roomba will continue cleaning until it has covered the entire space. Once the bin is emptied, Roomba is ready for a new cleaning job. The full bin behavior is “Finish Job” by default.
- Pause Immediately: As soon as the bin is full, Roomba will return to where it started and pause the cleaning job. Once the bin is emptied, you just need to press CLEAN to resume.
Note 9:
Roomba 980 and 960 are equipped with a visual localization camera used to map out more thoroughly your home in order to ensure complete coverage. It allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location. Note that for the camera functionality to work properly some light in the room where the robot will be vacuuming may be needed.
Note 10:
The counter rotating dual multi-surface tangle-free brushes (also known as debris extractors) were introduced starting with 800 series Roomba robots, and they replaced the brushes found in the previous 600 and 700 series robots. They grab and break down debris, eliminating hair tangles and jams. Together with debris extractors, an airflow accelerator that creates a sealed channel that concentrates airflow, sucking in more debris was introduced.
Note 11:
Scheduling can be pre-set up to 7 times per week. The robot starts vacuuming as soon as the scheduled time is reached.
Note 12:
In most cases, Roomba will remove dirt and debris with just one pass over each area of your home. With Roomba 980 and 960, two-pass cleaning can be requested and can be particularly helpful in homes with pets or for periodic deep cleaning. The number of cleaning passes is one by default.
This feature is only available on Roomba 980 and 960 and can be invoked from the App.
Note 13:
When batteries run low, all Roomba robots return to their Home Base to dock and recharge.
Note that, except for Roomba 980 and 960, all other Roomba robots need to be restarted by pressing the CLEAN button after they recharge themselves at their Home Base (unless of course they had been previously scheduled to restart at a later time). Only the 980 and 960 robots are able to resume automatically the cleaning job where it was interrupted before going to Home Base to recharge. They continue this way until the job is done and the whole level of your home is cleaned!
Note 14:
All Roomba robots are equipped with a Home button that can be pressed to send the robot to dock at its Home Base. Of course, the robot will also go automatically to its Home Base when battery runs low.
Note 15:
All Roomba robots can be asked to spot clean. When spot clean is invoked, the robot will spiral approximately 3 feet in diameter and then spiral back to where it started for an intense, localized clean.
Note 16:
Roomba 880 comes with a Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery, while Roomba 805, 860, 877, 890, 960 and 980 come with a Lithium-Ion battery.
Note that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions and last longer before needing to be replaced.
Battery Run Times:
iRobot has specified the run times for the 980 and 960 robots as 120 minutes and 75 minutes respectively.
For all the other Roomba robots compared above, the average time is about 60 minutes, but note that for all robots (including Roomba 980 and 960) run times can vary extensively depending on the amount of work the robot has to do to clean the floors. That is because different types of carpets, different floor plans and different amounts of dirt may require different amounts of effort from the robot and hence different amounts of ''juice'' from the battery. However, keep in mind that Lithium-Ion batteries are designed to provide longer cleaning sessions.
Note 17:
- Roomba 980, 960 and 890 can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or tablet using the iRobot Home App. No explicit remote control device is provided. Note that these three robots are also compatible with Amazon Alexa, including Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap.
- Roomba 880 can be remotely controlled using the included remote-control device, but can not be controlled from your smartphone.
- Roomba 877, 860 and 805 do not come with a remote-control device and can not be controlled from your smartphone. However, a remote-control device compatible with these robots can be separately purchased (see Amazon products section below).
Note 18:
Wi‐Fi connected Roomba vacuuming robots (Roomba 980, 960 and 890) are all compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. Simply ask Alexa or the Google Assistant to start, stop, or dock your robot.
Note 19:
The "d" in the dimensions refers to the diameter, and "h" to the height of the unit. All measurements are in inches.
Note 20:
The 1-year limited warranty is on the robot. There is also a 6 month warranty on the battery.
Roomba Navigation Control Devices
Roomba robot comes with one or more of the following navigation control devices:
- Virtual Walls are tiny devices that emit an infra-red beam that the Roomba will not cross. It is used to stop the Roomba from entering areas not wanted to be cleaned. It can be set to block an area ranging from three to eight feet long.
- Virtual Wall Lighthouses are small devices that can be set to either Virtual Wall mode or to Lighthouse mode. In Lighthouse mode, the device keeps the robot cleaning in one room, then sends it off to tackle the next room for guided cleaning. They are included when you get the Roomba 880 and 877 robots.
- Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers, like Virtual Walls, can be used to block off an open doorway, but they can also be used as Virtual Wall Halos to protect some restricted area within the room (such as for instance the area around your dog's food bowl). They are included when you get the Roomba 980, 960, 890, 860 and 805 robots.
The following two pictures illustrate how the Virtual Wall and Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barrier devices protect the off-limit areas:
(Photo Credits: iRobot)
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(Photo Credits: iRobot)
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So which Roomba should you get?
Roomba robots are high quality products as shown by the average rating of at least 4.5 stars (out of 5 stars) each of the Roomba robots considered here had received from Amazon customers at the time this article was written.
As the above comparison table shows, different Roomba robots come with slightly different features. So, we suggest you carefully study the above table and clarification notes before you decide which Roomba will respond best to your needs. However, keep in mind the following important points before you make your selection:
You will find in the following section Amazon links for all the Roomba robots compared above which you can click for exact price information or to purchase:
As the above comparison table shows, different Roomba robots come with slightly different features. So, we suggest you carefully study the above table and clarification notes before you decide which Roomba will respond best to your needs. However, keep in mind the following important points before you make your selection:
- If you wish to be able to control your Roomba from your smartphone, you should consider either the 980, 960 or 890 which support Wi-Fi communications. Roomba 980 and 960 also come with some additional neat features:
- They use camera based visual localization which helps the robot seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location (note that for the camera functionality to work properly some light in the room where the robot will be vacuuming is needed).
- They use a high-efficiency cleaning pattern and a full suite of sensors to adapt to real world clutter and furniture for thorough coverage.
- They have the capability, after they recharge themselves at Home Base, to resume operation automatically where it had been interrupted. So, if you have large areas in your home that require the robot to recharge multiple times, and you don't want to bother with having to restart the robot after each recharge, you might want to consider either the 980 or 960, as they are both capable of completing the job without human interference, except for emptying the bin when it gets full. And even if the bin gets full, and for some reason you aren't available to empty it, the robot will continue vacuuming until the entire space is covered and the job is finished, unless you have requested from the App to stop vacuuming at full bin.
- Roomba 980 has also the ability to boost the vacuuming intensity up to 10 times when carpets and rugs are detected, a feature not available on the 960 or on any of the other Roomba robots. Note also that Roomba 980 can run for about 120 minutes before going back to Home Base to recharge, while Roomba 960 can run 75 minutes before recharging. All other Roomba robots can run about 60 minutes before going back to recharge. - The above listed Roomba 980 and 960 additional features can be quite useful in larger homes. But for smaller homes, if you need Wi-Fi support, you could also consider Roomba 890. And if you don't need to use your smartphone to control the robot, you would most probably be more than satisfied with the vacuuming results obtained by any of the other three 800 series robots which, like the 900 series robots, are all equipped with the powerful AeroForce vacuuming technology.
You will find in the following section Amazon links for all the Roomba robots compared above which you can click for exact price information or to purchase:
Roomba 980, 960, 890, 880, 877, 860 and 805 Robots on Amazon
Please click the Amazon link image below for the Roomba robot of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Roomba 980 |
Roomba 960 |
Roomba 890 |
Roomba 880 |
Roomba 877 |
Roomba 860 |
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800 & 900 Series Roomba Accessories on Amazon
Accessories and replacement parts manufactured by 3rd parties may have a negative impact on product performance and can cause damage to your robot. Always ensure that replacement parts such as batteries, filters, and brushes are Authentic iRobot Parts. Note also that the use of 3rd party replacement parts could void your robot's warranty.
Please click the images below to see price information or to purchase:
Please click the images below to see price information or to purchase:
Authentic Roomba
800/900 Series
Replenishment Kit
Virtual Wall, Virtual Wall Lighthouse and Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers on Amazon
Additional Virtual Walls, Virtual Wall Lighthouses and Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers can be purchased below.
Roomba
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Roomba
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Roomba Dual Mode
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Optional Roomba Remote Control Device
(for Roomba 800 and 900 series)
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