Rev up your home cleaning with a powerful Roomba!
Have you ever wanted to own a smart vacuum that you can control by just using your voice? Well, now you can! Both iRobot Roomba i7 and Roomba 960 have the voice control feature available and can be used together with Alexa and Google home. Allowing you to dictate when your robot should turn on and off.
You can’t go wrong with a Roomba for your home. Using its unique 3-stage cleaning system, this powerful robot will work hard to get deep into the dirt and allergens that cover your carpets and floors, you definitely won’t miss your traditional vacuum.
And it doesn’t have to be expensive either. If you want something simpler and less pricey, then is a good way to go too. As it still offers a few amazing features of the more advanced models, such as scheduling and the recharge and resume function.
Let’s have a look at both models, so you can decide for yourself which suits your home best.
Feel free to use our navigation system to skip to any part you like.
iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960 — Things in Common
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iRobot Home App – Both iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 come with an iRobot Home app. Through which you are able to customize cleaning preferences, access set up instructions, monitor cleaning activities, and more.
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Recharge & Resume – With the recharge and resume function, you can rest assured that your robot won’t simply stop in the middle of your floor when its battery runs out. On the contrary, using its advanced technology, it will detect when its battery is low and zoom back to its base in order to charge up. After which, it will return to complete its task. This smart feature will save time and energy in having to look for your robot in order to bring it back to its base.
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Run Time – A run time of 75 minutes, seems pretty great, right? That should be enough time for your handy robot to complete its task. And if not, using its recharge and resume function, it will be back to finish its task in no time.
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Onboard Camera – Using the iAdapt Localization Camera, both iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 can map out your home, in order to ensure complete coverage. This will let your robot remember certain objects in its path and more.
However, keep in mind that it doesn’t record video or images, and it won’t be shared with iRobot or any third parties.
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Edge-sweeping Brush – Both iRobots have a very useful edge sweeping brush included. Which is great for cleaning up the dirt from edge and corners where it tends to get collected. Those kind of spots are very hard to get into with a traditional vacuum, but with the Roombas unique shape and handy brushes, you won’t have to worry about that anymore.
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Virtual Wall Barrier – Having wall barriers around is pretty useful, especially when you have specific locations where you don’t want your Roomba getting into. These handy small blocks can be placed around anywhere you like, and your Roomba will avoid those areas. So you can rest assured that it won’t disturb your plants!
You’d be pleased to know that both Roombas come with one wall barrier included, and you also can buy as many as needed if you wish to block off even more areas.
If you don’t like the idea of having physical barriers, it’s worth looking into the Neato D series, as they also provide virtual “No-Go” lines, which you can set up through the Neato app.
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Cleaning Schedules – You can also set up your own cleaning schedules so that you can have spotless floors at whatever time you wish! It could be early in the morning before everyone starts their day, or in the evening before bed.
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Voice Control – So now, you can not only schedule your Roomba but tell your Roomba to clean your floors by using your voice! iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 are both compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, offering even greater control over your home cleaning.
Tell your Roomba to clean your floors from absolutely anywhere in your home. Watching a movie and forgot to activate your Roomba today? All you need to do is tell your Roomba to switch on, and you don’t even have to lift a finger to do it.
Having the freedom to set your own daily schedules is great for a busy lifestyle. Forgot to activate your Roomba before you left home? No worries, with the useful scheduling system, you won’t have to!
iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960 — Differences
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Difference #1: 3-Stage Cleaning System – We are happy to say, both iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 offer a 3-stage cleaning system. That’s great for tackling dirt, dust and pet hair from all floor types. Yet Roomba i7 pulls ahead with its 10x suction power when compared to Roomba’s 960 5x. Greater suction power means a more intense cleaning for your carpets and floors. This feature is especially useful if you have pets at home, or if you have many carpeted areas, as they would require more intense cleaning.
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Difference #2: Carpet Boost Mode – Speaking of carpets, iRobot Roomba i7 also offers a handy carpet boost mode too, delivering enough power to tackle all that dirt that gets deeply embedded. Pair that with its 10x suction power, cleaning even deeper than your traditional vacuum did.
If you wish to have an even more powerful cleaning, check out the Roomba s9, which offers up to 40x suction power! For more information about the Roomba s9, check out our comparison of iRobot Roomba s9 vs. 960.
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Difference #3: Zone Control – By using zone control, you can tell your Roomba which specific rooms it should clean. For example, if you had an accidental spill in the kitchen while cooking, you can simply say: “ Roomba, clean my kitchen” and it will zoom over and take care of it for you.
This handy feature comes with Roomba i7, unfortunately, it is not available to Roomba 960.
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Difference #4: Compatible with an Automatic Bin Dispenser – This is perhaps the biggest difference when comparing the iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960. If you decide to splash out and buy an Automatic Bin Dispenser together with your Roomba i7, you won’t even have to empty out your Roomba’s bin anymore. The dispenser can hold up to 30 bins worth of dirt, dust, and hair. This type of addition is especially useful while you’re away, as you won’t have to worry about your Roomba getting overfilled, with no one to empty it out.
If you really like the idea of an Automatic Bin Dispenser, be sure to check out the Roomba i7+ and s9+, as both of those models come with one already included.
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Difference #5: Imprint ™ Smart Mapping – By using Imprint ™ Smart mapping, your iRobot Roomba i7 can easily learn and adapt to your home. It will understand your floor plan, and know which objects and other obstructions to avoid in the future.
iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960 — Comparison Chart
iRobot Roomba i7 | ||
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iAdapt | 2.0 | 3.0 |
iRobot Home App | Yes | Yes |
IR Remote Control | No | No |
Recharge & Resume | Yes | Yes |
Run Time | Up to 75 mins. | Up to 75 mins. |
On-board Camera | Yes | Yes |
Brushless mechanism | Yes | Yes |
Edge- sweeping brush | Yes | Yes |
3-Stage cleaning system | 5x Suction | 10x Suction |
Carpet Boost Mode | No | Yes |
Virtual Wall Barrier | Comes w/1 | Comes w/1 |
Avoids Stairs | Yes | Yes |
Cleaning Schedules | Yes | Yes |
Coverage Maps | Yes | Yes |
Voice Control | Alexa & Google Assistant | Alexa & Google Assitant |
Empties on its own with Automatic Bin Dispenser | No | Yes |
Comes with Automatic Bin Dispenser | No | No |
Clean or Schedule by Room | No | Yes |
Imprint ™ Smart Mapping | No | Yes |
Diameter | 13.8 inches | 13.3 inches |
Height | 3.6 inches | 3.6 inches |
Weight | 8.5 lbs. | 7.44 lbs. |
iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960 — Accessories
Both iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 offer some unique and handy features. Now, let’s take a look at some of the accessories you can get with your new Roomba.
If you get the iRobot® Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal together with your Roomba i7, you won’t have to worry about having to empty out its bin when full. This handy addition makes your robot even more self-sufficient than it already is.
As you already know, both iRobot Roomba i7 and 960 come with a virtual wall base already included. But if there are quite a few locations that you prefer to keep blocked off, make sure to take a look at the Dual Mode Virtual Wall® Barrier, 2-Pack. So now you can keep your pet food bowls and your floor ornaments safe and sound.
Keep both of your Roombas well maintained with the Cleaning Replenishment Kit for the Roomba® e and i Series for Roomba i7 and Roomba 800 and 900 Series Replenishment Kit for your Roomba 960. These kits included high-efficiency filters, side brushes and everything else that’s needed to ensure the good quality of your robot.
iRobot Roomba i7 vs. 960 — Our Thoughts
When it comes to the price, would be the budget-friendly option, when compared to Roomba i7.
And even with its cheaper price tag, it still comes with a few useful features that’ll benefit your home cleaning. Such as the 3-stage cleaning system, which will allow to keep your floors and carpets dirt-free. As well as scheduling, allowing you to set your own cleaning times.
Yet if you wish for something more, then iRobot Roomba i7 is for you. While it still has all the same features of the 960. However, when it comes down to it, it does give you a little more power and flexibility. Such as its carpet boost mode and zone control technology.
All those features put together, the Roomba i7 offers a cleaning that won’t leave you disappointed.
Also, its compatibility with the Automatic Bin Dispenser makes it an even better choice.
Last update on 2024-12-10 at 17:56 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API