Neither brand will tell you how much suction its budget machine has. So this comparison is about everything else, and that turns out to be enough.
By Scooter M., Enthusiast - published September 2, 2026
We have not tested these machines. Everything here comes from published specifications, manufacturer manuals and retailer listings, all cited below. Prices last verified September 2, 2026.
How this is funded: if you buy through a link here we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which machines we recommend or what we say about them. Full disclosure.
Buy the iRobot Roomba 105 Vac. At around $149 it has genuine LiDAR mapping, keep-out zones and the most mature app in the category, and it costs less than eufy's 11S MAX which has none of those. The only reason to choose the eufy is if you actively want a machine with no app at all - and that is a real requirement for some buyers.
This comparison has an odd feature: both brands decline to publish a Pascal suction rating for their budget machines. iRobot quotes a relative figure against its own decade-old 600 series; eufy states no number on the 11S MAX listing. So the comparison is decided on everything else.
#
Product
Best for
Score
Price
01
iRobot Roomba 105 VacThe lowest price at which you can buy genuine LiDAR mapping from a company that has been doing this for twenty years. It publishes no suction figure.
iRobot Roomba 105 Vac with AutoEmpty DockThe 105 Vac plus a sealed-bag dock that traps particles down to 0.7 microns. The only machine here that publishes a filtration figure that small.
Both machines scored on the published rubric from How We Pick: suction 25%, navigation 25%, pet hair 20%, running cost 20%, setup 10%. Editorial judgments about published specifications, not test results.
Buy Roomba if
You want a map for the least money. ClearView LiDAR at around $149 is the cheapest genuine mapping in the category, from anyone.
You want the app to still work in five years. iRobot has the longest track record and the largest installed base here - the risk of an orphaned machine is the lowest of any brand on this site.
You want to be able to buy a filter in 2031. Parts availability is a real cost that nobody prices in, and it is iRobot's quiet advantage.
Someone in the house has allergies. The AutoEmpty dock version publishes 99% of allergens trapped down to 0.7 microns, the finest figure on this site.
Buy eufy if
You want no app, no account and no cloud dependency. The 11S MAX has no Wi-Fi. It cannot be broken by an update or orphaned by a shutdown.
Your furniture clearance is under 3 inches. At 2.85 inches it is the slimmest machine on this site.
You are buying for someone who will never open an app. A remote control and two buttons is the entire interface, and for the right person that is the feature.
The published-figure problem, in both directions
iRobot describes the 105 Vac as having '70x more power-lifting suction' compared to its own 600 series, a product line more than a decade old. That is a comparison chosen by the company making it, against a baseline nobody else uses, and it cannot be checked against any competitor.
eufy simply states nothing. The 11S MAX listing describes BoostIQ raising suction within 1.5 seconds on carpet and never says from what, or to what.
We score both as unverified rather than assumed good, which costs both of them points against machines that publish a number. That is the honest treatment: a manufacturer that will not state a figure has not earned the benefit of the doubt, and on a site that ranks by published specification, silence has to have a consequence.
What each brand does state
Roomba 105 Vac
eufy 11S MAX
Published suction
Not published (relative claim only)
Not published
Navigation
ClearView LiDAR with keep-out zones
Infrared, no map
Height
Not published
2.85 in
Runtime
Not published
Up to 100 minutes
App
Full mapping, zones, Clean Map report
None - no Wi-Fi
Recharge and resume
Yes
No
Dock upgrade available
AutoEmpty, 75 days, 0.7 micron
No
All figures read from each manufacturer's own listing. Both brands decline to publish a suction rating for these models.
What neither of them does
Neither mops. Both machines here are vacuum-only, which we think is a virtue rather than a gap - see the vacuum-only page for why. But if you wanted a mop, neither brand offers one under $300 in the models that are actually in stock.
Neither publishes a body height for the mapping machine. iRobot does not state the 105 Vac's height, which matters because a LiDAR turret adds a meaningful amount. eufy publishes 2.85 inches and has no map. Again: you can have the measurement or the mapping.
Neither offers obstacle avoidance at this price. For that you are looking at the Roborock Q10 S5+, and it is the reason it wins the site's overall ranking.
Charging only - no self-emptyingSource: Manufacturer listing
Recharge and resume
YesSource: Manufacturer listing
Wi-Fi
2.4 GHz required for setup and operationSource: Manufacturer listing
What it gets right
Real LiDAR mapping at $149 - two years ago this feature started around $400
Keep-out zones you draw in the app, which is the single most useful thing a map buys you
The Roomba app is the most mature in the category and the least likely to lose your map
Recharges and resumes, so a large floor plan is one job rather than three
What it gives up
iRobot publishes no absolute suction number. '70x the 600 series' is a comparison to a fifteen-year-old machine, not a specification
No self-emptying dock at this price - you empty the bin yourself
iRobot consumables cost more than the generic parts the budget brands use
Vacuum only. No mop, no water tank, no pretending otherwise
Our scoring
Suction6.0
Navigation8.0
Pet hair6.0
Running cost6.5
Setup8.5
Weights and the arithmetic behind the total are published on How we pick so you can recompute this yourself.
Who it is for: Someone who wants a map, an app that works, and a brand that will still be selling filters in five years.
Skip it if: you want a suction figure you can compare against anything else. If specifications are how you shop, a machine that refuses to publish one is a machine you cannot rank.
The 105 Vac plus a sealed-bag dock that traps particles down to 0.7 microns. The only machine here that publishes a filtration figure that small.
Published specifications
Suction
Not published as PaSource: Manufacturer listing
Navigation
ClearView LiDAR mapping with keep-out zonesSource: Manufacturer listing
Self-emptying
AutoEmpty dock, manufacturer states up to 75 daysSource: Manufacturer listing
Dock filtration
Bag traps 99% of allergens as small as 0.7 microns (manufacturer-reported)Source: Manufacturer listing
Recharge and resume
YesSource: Manufacturer listing
What it gets right
0.7 microns is a finer published figure than the 'HEPA-style' language most of this field uses
A sealed bag means emptying never releases a dust cloud, which is the whole point for an allergy household
75 days between bag changes
Mature LiDAR mapping and the best app here
What it gives up
Still no published suction rating
iRobot dock bags cost more than the generic-brand equivalents
Vacuum only - no mop
About $100 more than the same robot without the dock
Our scoring
Suction6.0
Navigation8.0
Pet hair6.5
Running cost6.0
Setup8.5
Weights and the arithmetic behind the total are published on How we pick so you can recompute this yourself.
Who it is for: A household where somebody reacts to dust, and emptying a bin by hand is the problem rather than the chore.
Skip it if: nobody in the house has allergies. Without that, the sealed bag is the more expensive way to do what the Ecovacs N20 Plus does with no consumable at all.
No Wi-Fi, no app, no account. A remote control and two buttons. For a specific kind of buyer that is the feature, not the limitation.
Published specifications
Suction
Not published on this listingSource: eufy states BoostIQ adjustment but no Pa figure for this ASIN
Navigation
Infrared obstacle sensing and drop sensors, no mappingSource: Manufacturer listing
Runtime
Up to 100 minutes on hardwoodSource: Manufacturer listing
Height
2.85 inSource: Manufacturer listing
Connectivity
None. No Wi-Fi and no app supportSource: Manufacturer listing
Brush
Single side brushSource: Manufacturer listing
What it gets right
2.85 inches is the slimmest machine in this entire field - it goes under furniture nothing else here clears
No app means no account, no firmware update that breaks it, and no cloud service to be discontinued
BoostIQ raises suction within 1.5 seconds when it meets carpet, without you asking
Tempered glass top, which after two years of being kicked under a sofa is not nothing
What it gives up
eufy publishes no Pa rating on this listing, so its headline capability is unrankable
No app also means no scheduling from your phone, no map, no room selection, no history
100 minutes is the shortest runtime here
A single side brush covers edges more slowly than a dual-brush machine
Our scoring
Suction5.5
Navigation3.0
Pet hair6.0
Running cost8.5
Setup9.0
Weights and the arithmetic behind the total are published on How we pick so you can recompute this yourself.
Who it is for: A small hard-floor home, or anybody buying for someone who will never open an app.
Skip it if: you want to start a clean from work, or you want a cleaning history. This machine deliberately does not connect to anything, and no update will change that.
Questions people actually ask
+−Is a Roomba or a eufy better on a budget?
Roomba, clearly. The Roomba 105 Vac at around $149 has genuine LiDAR mapping, keep-out zones and the most mature app in the category, and costs less than the eufy 11S MAX which has none of those. Choose the eufy only if you specifically want a machine with no app.
+−Why do neither Roomba nor eufy publish a suction figure?
We do not know and will not speculate. iRobot quotes a relative claim against its own decade-old 600 series; eufy states no figure at all on the 11S MAX listing. On a specification-led ranking, both are scored as unverified rather than assumed good.
+−Is a Roomba worth the extra money?
For the app maturity and long-term parts availability, yes - iRobot will still be selling filters for these machines in five years, which is not certain for every brand here. For cleaning power it cannot be judged, because the company publishes no figure.
+−Which Roomba should I buy under $300?
The Roomba 105 Vac at around $149, or the same machine with the AutoEmpty dock at around $249 if anyone in the house has allergies. Avoid the Roomba Vac Essential, which costs about $100 more than the 105 Vac and has no mapping at all.
+−Is the eufy 11S MAX good for pet hair?
Adequately, on hard floors. It has a single side brush designed to reduce scattering and infrared obstacle sensing, but no anti-tangle brush geometry and no published suction figure. For a pet household there are better choices at this price.
Sources
Every specification quoted above was read off one of these documents on the date shown. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, this site says "Not published" rather than estimating it.
