iRobot Roomba 694 vs Roomba 105 Vac
Quick take: The iRobot Roomba 694 costs $100 less.
Which one to buy
Pet hair is where these two Roombas stumble alike, so settle that question first. 694 owners say its single brush tangles with long hair and its suction can't handle heavy shedding. The Roomba 105 Vac does no better: testing found it removed only 29% of flattened pet hair against an 81% average, and long hair wrapped its brushroll at about twice the typical rate. If you have a long-haired dog or cat, look past both.
For everyone else the 105 Vac is the better choice, especially since the Roomba 694 is discontinued and iRobot names the 105 Vac as its successor. The 105 Vac maps with LiDAR, remembers up to three floors, and empties itself into an AutoEmpty dock whose bags are rated for about 75 days. Owners call it the cheapest way into a self-emptying Roomba with real mapping, and testing put its carpet pickup above average at 82% of embedded sand. The 694 bounces at random, which its owners say misses spots and frustrates past 800 sq ft, and its small bin needs emptying by hand.
The 105 Vac has other weak spots. It covers roughly 630 sq ft per charge against a 1,015 sq ft average, so larger homes may see a mid-clean recharge. At about 4.1 inches tall it won't fit under furniture the 3.5-inch 694 can reach. Owners also say it lacks true obstacle avoidance, so cables and socks must be cleared first. That's also true of the 694, which gets stuck on rug edges and under furniture.
The 694 still has a loyal base that credits it with easy setup, reliable app and voice control, and years of service. It only makes sense now as clearance stock for a small, low-furniture space. For mostly hard floors or short-haired pets, the 105 Vac is the better buy.
iRobot Roomba 694
Choose the iRobot Roomba 694 only as discounted leftover stock for a small space with low furniture, since it's discontinued and its random navigation is dated.
Roomba 105 Vac
Best if you want LiDAR mapping and a self-empty dock, and your home has mostly hard floors or short-haired pets.
| Spec | iRobot Roomba 694 | Roomba 105 Vac |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$180 | ~$280 |
| Type | Robot Vacuum | Robot Vacuum |
| Suction | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Battery | 90 min | — |
| Navigation | Gyroscope | LiDAR |
| Filtration | — | — |
| Cordless | Yes | Yes |
| Bagged | — | — |
| Noise | 65 dB | — |
| Dustbin | 300 ml | — |
| Water tank | — | — |
| Self-empty dock | No | Yes |
| Auto mop washing | No | No |
| Hot water washing | No | No |
| Obstacle avoidance | No | Yes |
| Carpet detection | Yes | No |
| Auto mop lifting | No | No |
| Multi-floor mapping | No | Yes |
| App control | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 13.3 x 13.3 x 3.5 in | 13.23 x 13.19 x 4.09 in |
| Weight | 6.8 lbs | 6.24 lbs |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
Pros & cons
iRobot Roomba 694
- ✓Under $200 makes it the most affordable way to start with robot vacuums
- ✓iRobot brand reliability backed by decades of experience
- ✓App and voice control work well despite the low price
- ✓Does a surprisingly good job on hard floors for daily maintenance
- ✓28000+ reviews confirm consistent performance over time
- ✗Random bounce navigation pattern misses spots and is inefficient
- ✗90-minute battery means multiple sessions for larger homes
- ✗No mapping — cleans randomly rather than in organized rows
- ✗Single brush and basic suction struggles with pet hair on carpet
Roomba 105 Vac
- ✓Real ClearView LiDAR mapping, not gyroscope
- ✓AutoEmpty dock rated for 75 days between bag changes
- ✓Remembers up to 3 floor maps
- ✓Maps a 1,000 sq ft space in about 10 minutes
- ✓Meaningfully cheaper than iRobot's j-series or Max-series self-empty vacuums
- ✗No carpet detection
- ✗Vacuum only - the 105 Combo is the mopping version at a higher price
- ✗iRobot doesn't publish suction power, noise level, or dustbin capacity
- ✗"70x more suction than the 600 series" is a marketing comparison, not a measurable spec
iRobot Roomba 694 vs Roomba 105 Vac: common questions
Is the Roomba 105 Vac a better buy than the Roomba 694?▾
For most homes, yes. It adds LiDAR mapping, multi-floor memory and an AutoEmpty dock with bags rated for about 75 days, and the 694 is discontinued. The exception is a long-haired pet household, where both struggle.
Will the Roomba 105 Vac fit under the same furniture as my 694?▾
Probably not everywhere. The 105 Vac is about 4.1 inches tall against the 694's 3.5, and owners note it can't reach under low furniture that slimmer robots clear.
Does the 105 Vac clean a whole house on one charge?▾
Testing found it covers roughly 630 sq ft per charge against a 1,015 sq ft average, so larger homes may need a mid-clean recharge. That's still an improvement on the 694, whose owners say its 90-minute battery needs multiple sessions past 800 sq ft.