Roomba i7+ vs Botvac D7 - Which Robotic Vacuum is Best?

It’s no secret that when it comes to robot vacuums, Roomba and Botvac rank at or near the top. These manufacturers produce high-quality, reliable, and high-performing devices that will thoroughly clean your home. Two of these robot vacuums were released this year and immediately shot to the top of the robot vacuum list.

The Roomba i7+ and the Botvac D7 are top of the line robot vacuums that provide a wide array of features. You’ll get all the bells and whistles you can handle if you decide to purchase one of these units, but keep in mind that you’ll shell out quite a bit as well. That said, let’s take a look at these two devices, what they have to offer, and how they compare with one another.

Main Differences Between Roomba i7+ vs Botvac D7

The Main Differences Between Roomba i7+ vs Botvac D7 are:

Roomba i7+ uses an Hepa-Filter, whereas Botvac D7 has a high-performance filter.
Roomba i7+ empties its own dustbin, whereas Botvac D7 has the ability to charge in the middle of a cycle.
Roomba i7+ comes with a virtual wall, whereas Botvac D7 comes with a physical boundary strip you can place on the floor.
Roomba i7+ has Imprint Smart Mapping technology, whereas Botvac D7 has a digital memory mapping.

I7+

If you’re looking for arguably the most advanced robot vacuum on the market today, then look no further than the Roomba i7+. This device not only performs at a high level but also offers a smart base that automatically empties its own dustbin.

This is a game changer since you no longer have to worry about emptying the dustbin each time the robot cleans your home. The i7+ does this for you. With the i7+ you’re getting a robot vacuum that offers strong suction performance, great usability, and advanced navigation. With all these features, the i7+ is tough to beat.

Design

When it comes to design, Roomba doesn’t stray too far from its standard circular shape, however, there are a few additional features that give the i7+ a distinct look. On top of this robot vacuum, you’ll notice a built-in camera, one large button labeled “Clean” and two smaller buttons. The smaller buttons are for spot clean mode and the other is to tell the i7+ to return to its home.

On the bottom of the unit, you’ll notice many similarities to other iRobot vacuums. You’ll see a spinning brush, two rubberized multi-surface brushes, the dustbin, the battery, and three wheels. However, there is one significant change. Also on the bottom is a slot located in the dustbin. This allows the i7+ to empty its dustbin after vacuuming.

The rest of the device is nearly identical to its Roomba counterparts. Around its perimeter is a bumper ring used for protecting both the i7+ and your furniture as it cleans, as well as several sensors that allow it to create a map of your home as it navigates its way around.

Base Design

The new self-emptying feature offered by the Roomba i7+ makes it the most advanced vacuum available on the market. This technology put the i7+ ahead of all other robot vacuums. iRobot has drastically changed the design of the charging base, as it’s used to hold the discarded debris.

iRobot made the base taller and created a ramp-style dock. This station removes the debris from the dustbin where its kept in a bag stored within the base. The beauty of the base station design is that even while the dustbin is being emptied, it still charges the i7+.

Size and Dimensions

The i7+ robot vacuum has a lot in common with other Roomba vacuums, however, it also feels a little different. The size and dimensions are consistent with what you would expect to see with a Roomba, but the base station is significantly different. From a size perspective, the Roomba i7+ is 13.34” in diameter, 3.63” tall, and checks in at a svelte 7.44 pounds.

Charging Base

The most noticeable difference lies in the charging base. With previous iterations of Roomba robot vacuums, the charging base was small and maybe a little bigger than the robot vacuum itself. The base that is included with the i7+ is roughly five times the height of the device.

Of course, there’s a reason for that. The larger size is due to the self-emptying feature that the i7+ offers. When the unit docks back into its base, suction from the station pulls the debris from the i7+ dustbin and up into the bagged container held within. The bag can hold up to 30 loads of dirt before you need to change it.

Parts and Accessories

Included with your Roomba i7+ are a charging base with a built-in disposal, two disposal bags, a HEPA filter, an extra spinning brush, and a virtual wall. With the exception of the disposal bags and the built-in disposal charging base, these part and accessories come standard with the vast majority of iRobot robot vacuums.

The spinning brush on the i7+ is the same as other iRobot models. It helps to sweep debris and dirt from corners and edges, which provides a high-quality clean throughout your home. Additionally, the HEPA filter is an improvement over other Roombas. This new filter is part of the new AeroForce filtration system that comes with the i7+.

The virtual wall that comes with the i7+ is a device that creates an invisible barrier for the device. It blocks off certain spots or areas which you don’t want to be cleaned. With this virtual wall you can create a linear boundary of up to ten feet or a radial area that expands up to four feet in diameter.

Last, but certainly not least, are the charging base and the disposable bags. The charging base is the unit that sucks the debris from the dustbin and stores it in the disposable bag. Within the base is a compartment which holds the disposable bag. Two bags come with the i7+ and each one can hold up to 30 cleaning cycles worth of debris before needing to be changed.

Features

The Roomba i7+ has a variety of many great features and benefits. Here are some that provide this robot vacuum with the high-quality performance users have come to expect with Roomba devices.

Scheduling

Most of the robot vacuums in Roomba’s advanced line have the ability to set up and schedule cleanings. With the i7+, you can create a schedule that runs a single time, or you can make a schedule that runs at a specific time on specific days. All of your scheduling needs can be addressed via the iRobot mobile application.

Smart Mapping

Roomba’s new Imprint Smart Mapping technology is a marked improvement over its Smart Mapping navigation previously employed by its smart vacuums. With Imprint Smart Mapping, you can assign a specific name to each room in your home. For instance, if you want the i7+ to clean your living room, you can instruct it to go to only that room.

Imprint Smart Mapping is a great feature, especially if you only have certain areas of your home that need to be cleaned more often due to high traffic. You can also control your device with your voice if you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart assistant. Simply tell it to clean the living room, and watch as it heads off in that direction.

Self-Emptying

The ability to empty its own dustbin is a feature the i7+ offers that separate it from the rest of its Roomba counterparts. After the i7+ finishes a cleaning cycle, it heads back to the dock where the dirt and debris it collected is sucked up through the charging station and deposited into the disposable bag.

Performance

The cleaning performance of the i7+ is very impressive. It does a wonderful job cleaning hardwood floor, tile floors, and carpet. On all three surfaces, the robot vacuum gets into corners and crevices to clean up any stray dirt and has no trouble moving from one floor type to another.

On carpet, the i7+ is especially diligent. It will steadily work its away across the flooring, ensuring that it has picked up all the dirt and debris it can. However, after its initial pass, the device will make on more pass, just to be sure that no remaining contaminants are left.

Remember that a cleaning cycle for a robot vacuum might take a little longer than it would if you were doing it yourself with an upright. It might be worth it, though, considering the only finger you have to lift is the one that tells the i7+ to start cleaning.

Setup and Usability

The usability for the i7+ is much the same as you would expect from some of the more recent Roomba robot vacuum models. On top of the unit is a user interface that is simple and easy to use. The new smart base feature requires a little more learning, but it also makes things more hands-off than ever before.

Setup

To make things even more simple, there is little to no setup required when you start using the i7+. Essentially you remove the unit from the box, plug the charging base into an outlet, and then put your i7+ onto the charging base. That’s it.

Once you’ve completed these three steps, you’re pretty much ready to get started. Some robot vacuums require a few hours to charge up, but the Roomba i7+ arrives almost fully charged. That means once you put it on the dock, you can tell it to get started right away.

Roomba does recommend, however, that you let the unit sit on the device until it is completely charged. When it’s all charged up, let the i7+ clean for its entire battery runtime. When it gets low on juice, it’ll head back toward its charger.

Usability

As we stated, the i7+ is very easy to use. You can press the clean button on the unit itself, or you can use the mobile app to get the device started. If you don’t like either of those methods, you can always use Alexa or Google and just tell it to get to work.

Now all you have to do is sit back and relax. The i7+ will make its way around your home as it maps out every room and vacuums the floors. If the dustbin gets full before it finishes cleaning, the robot vacuum will head back to its charging dock, empty its dustbin, and pick up where it left off.

Mobile Application

The iRobot mobile app, which is available for both Android and iOS, is just like the device: easy to use. You’ll get a straightforward interface with plenty of features. Once you open the app, you can have the i7+ begin to clean by clicking the large “Clean” button. You can also set up your schedule and perform a variety of other tasks through the mobile app.

Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick look at some of the pros and cons for the iRobot Roomba i7+.

Pros

Mobile app for both iOS and Android
Strong and powerful cleaning performance
Imprint Mapping lets you name each room
Advanced navigation lets you tell the device to clean specific rooms
Work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home
Self-emptying dustbin

Cons

Disposal bags have to be replaced as they wear out
Very expensive

Verdict

The Roomba i7+ is the first robot vacuum to employ a self-emptying dustbin. The home base for the unit serves as both a place to recharge and to dump the contents of its dustbin. Additionally, the i7+ is easy to use, provides a strong cleaning performance on all flooring types, and offers advanced mapping and voice controls.

If you’re in the market for a high-quality robot vacuum that boasts all the newest features, then the Roomba i7+ is a device that should be given serious consideration.

Botvac D7

We’ve already discussed one of the best robot vacuums on the market with the Roomba i7+, but the Neato Botvac D7 is no slouch. The D7 is the most expensive, most advanced robot vacuum that Neato offers. This unit offers new features that have never before been available on any Neato robot.

Design and Features

Like most of the robot vacuums in the Neato lineup, the Botvac D7 has a D-shaped body. The D7 is the most advanced and smartest robot that Neato currently offers. It comes with digital memory mapping, scheduled cleanings, advanced navigation, a two-hour runtime, wireless connectivity, and the ability to charge in the middle of a cycle and then pick up where it left off.

One of the coolest and most advanced features available on the D7 is the “No Go” lines available in the mobile applications. You can draw these digital lines on your smartphone once the D7 has mapped out your floorplan. With the No Go lines, you can easily section off certain areas you don’t want the robot vacuum to clean.

The Botvac D7 has various methods with which you can schedule a cleaning, start the device, or stop it. You can press the button on top of the unit, use the provided remote control, use voice control via Google Home or Amazon Alexa, or use your smartphone app.

Cleaning Method and Performance

When it cleans, the D7 uses its full-width brush roll which is located at one end of the robot vacuum. This brush roll is what gives the unit the ability to clean a wider swath in front of the D7. On the side of the device, a small brush helps to collect dirt and debris that gathers in corners so the robot can suck them up.

On top of the D7 is a built-in camera that the device uses for digital memory mapping and navigation purposes. Thanks to its advanced technology, the D7 vacuums in straight lines, unlike the random ping pong action you see with other robot vacuums.

With its digital mapping capabilities, the D7 creates a map that you can see on your smartphone or tablet. You can view exactly where the unit has cleaned and identify any trouble spots it might encounter on its cycle.

Once your floorplan is created, you can then use the No Go lines to tell the D7 where it is and isn’t allowed to clean. All you have to do is drag your finger across the screen to makes the lines and mark off each area.