The Q7 is the cheapest robot on this site that publishes LiDAR, multi-floor maps, no-go zones and a noise rating together. The question is which of the two versions to buy.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty vacuums. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we do instead is read the manuals, compile the published specifications, and work out what each machine costs to run for three years — the method is written out in full.
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The verdict: buy the Q7 L5 unless you specifically want the dock. The two machines share the platform — 150 minutes of runtime, LiDAR, a mop, the same 2.4 GHz requirement. What the M5+ adds, on published figures, is a self-emptying dock with a 2.7-liter sealed bag rated 7 to 9 weeks, a suction claim raised from 8,000 to 10,000 Pa, and a noise rating five decibels higher. What the L5 keeps that the M5+ does not publish is multi-floor maps and no-go zones by name. At roughly half the price, the cheaper machine publishes the better feature list.
What Roborock publishes
Roborock's own published figures for the two Q7 models on this site.
Figure
Q7 L5
Q7 M5+
Stated suction
8,000 Pa HyperForce
10,000 Pa HyperForce
Rated runtime
150 minutes
150 minutes
Navigation
360-degree LiDAR with multi-floor maps and no-go zones
PreciSense LiDAR with real-time mapping
Dock
None
2.7 L sealed bag, rated 7-9 weeks hands-free
Dustbin
270 ml
Not published
Water tank
270 ml, three water levels
Three adjustable water levels
Brushes
Anti-tangle main plus zero-tangle side
JawScrapers main plus zero-tangle side
Weight
7.3 lb
10.6 lb
Rated noise
60 dB
65 dB
Wi-Fi
2.4 GHz only
Not stated on the listing
Warranty
Not published
Not published
Read from each model's own retail listing. Neither publishes a measurement method for its pascal figure, and neither publishes a warranty term or a battery cycle rating.
The three things the Q7 does better than its price
It publishes a noise rating. 60 dB on the L5 and 65 on the M5+. That sounds minor until you notice how few robots publish one at all — Roomba does not, Shark does not, Dreame does not. On a machine that runs while you are in the house, it is a figure you will actually notice.
The L5 names multi-floor maps and no-go zones. Not "smart mapping" — the specific capabilities, by name. Only two machines on this whole site publish both, and the cheaper Q7 is one of them.
7.3 lb on the L5. Light enough to carry upstairs without thinking about it, which is the practical half of multi-floor support that the map alone does not solve.
The three gaps
No warranty term on either model. On a machine with a sealed battery and a brush system, that blank is worth noticing. It is not unusual in this category — most robots here publish none — but it is not a point in Roborock's favor either.
No dustbin capacity on the M5+. The L5 publishes 270 ml. The dearer model publishes only its dock bag, which means you cannot tell how often the robot itself fills between dock visits.
Pascal suction with no method. 8,000 and 10,000 Pa are real published numbers from one brand, which makes them useful for comparing the two Q7s with each other — and useless for comparing either with a Dreame or a Shark.
#
Product
Best for
Score
Price
01
Roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum and Mop10,000 Pa published and a 2.7-liter sealed dock bag rated at seven to nine weeks: the pet-hair answer, at a real price.
Roborock Q7 L5 Robot Vacuum and Mop8,000 Pa, 360-degree LiDAR and dual anti-tangle brushes — the most specified sheet at this price, with a 270 ml tank that is the catch.
Dreame D20 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop (RLD35GD)A 5-liter dock bag rated 150 days, 180 minutes of runtime and editable multi-floor maps — the most complete published spec sheet of any robot on this site under $300.
The two Q7 models alongside the two machines they are cross-shopped against. Scores are our rubric applied to published specifications, not test results.
01 · Best self-empty for pet hair
Roborock Q7 M5+ Robot Vacuum and Mop
10,000 Pa published and a 2.7-liter sealed dock bag rated at seven to nine weeks: the pet-hair answer, at a real price.
JawScrapers main brush plus zero-tangle side brush
Mopping
Three adjustable water levels, simultaneous with vacuuming
Rated noise
65 dB
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+Highest published suction figure on the site, at 10,000 Pa
+2.7-liter dock bag is larger than the iRobot's and rated for a comparable interval
+Anti-tangle on both brushes, which is the pet-hair spec that matters
+150 minutes plus recharge-and-resume covers a large floor
Where it stops
−Dock bags are a permanent consumable
−The dock is large and 65 dB when emptying is genuinely startling the first time
−Pa figures remain incomparable between brands, however impressive 10,000 sounds
Who it is for
Pet households with real square footage, where the on-board bin is the daily annoyance.
Skip it if
You live in a studio. This is a whole-floor machine with a dock the size of a wastebasket and you will resent the footprint.
Our score: 8.5 out of 10
Published suction9.5
Navigation9.0
Runtime8.5
Bin and dock9.5
Running cost6.0
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
02 · Best published suction under $300
Roborock Q7 L5 Robot Vacuum and Mop
8,000 Pa, 360-degree LiDAR and dual anti-tangle brushes — the most specified sheet at this price, with a 270 ml tank that is the catch.
360-degree LiDAR with multi-floor maps and no-go zones
Brushes
Anti-tangle main brush plus zero-tangle side brush
Rated noise
60 dB
Wi-Fi
2.4 GHz only
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+Publishes a suction figure, unlike most of the field
+Dual anti-tangle brushes — both main and side, which most brands only claim for one
+Multi-floor mapping stored on the robot, so it works in a two-story house
+Vacuums and mops in the same pass
Where it stops
−270 ml dustbin is barely half the Lefant M210's, so it fills fast in a pet home
−Pa figures are not comparable across brands and Roborock does not publish their method
−No self-empty dock in this configuration
Who it is for
Multi-floor homes that want proper mapping and are willing to empty a small bin.
Skip it if
You have shedding pets and no self-empty dock. A 270 ml bin in a dog house is a daily chore, and the Q7 M5+ exists specifically to fix that.
Our score: 7.8 out of 10
Published suction8.5
Navigation9.0
Runtime8.5
Bin and dock5.0
Running cost7.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
03 · Best mapping under $300
iRobot Roomba 105 Vac
LiDAR mapping, keep-out zones and a 200-minute rating from the brand that will still be supporting the app in five years.
70x more power-lifting suction, compared by the manufacturer against the Roomba 600 series
Control
Roomba Home app, on-device buttons, voice assistants
Wi-Fi
2.4 GHz required for setup and operation
Suction in Pa
Not published
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+200 minutes rated, the longest published runtime of any robot on this site
+Real LiDAR mapping, keep-out zones and room targeting at a budget price
+Recharge-and-resume, so a large floor completes without you
+iRobot's app and parts supply are the most durable bet in the category
Where it stops
−The 70x suction claim is measured against iRobot's own decade-old 600 series, not against a competitor
−No self-empty dock in this configuration — you empty the on-board bin
−No published bin volume
Who it is for
Multi-room homes that want scheduled, mapped cleaning without a self-empty dock's price.
Skip it if
Nobody in the house will install an app. Half of what you are paying for is mapping, zones and scheduling, and none of that exists without the phone.
Our score: 8.0 out of 10
Published suction6.5
Navigation9.0
Runtime10.0
Bin and dock6.0
Running cost7.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
04 · Biggest dock bag here
Dreame D20 Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop (RLD35GD)
A 5-liter dock bag rated 150 days, 180 minutes of runtime and editable multi-floor maps — the most complete published spec sheet of any robot on this site under $300.
13,000 Pa Vormax, manufacturer-stated with no published method. The listing's own "maximum suction" field reads "13 meters", which is not a suction unit
Rated runtime
180 minutes
Dock bag
5 liters, rated up to 150 days hands-free
Dustbin
500 ml
Water tank
350 ml, with 32 water levels
Navigation
LDS LiDAR with Pathfinder path planning, editable maps, multi-floor maps and no-go zones
Brushes
Anti-tangle DuoBrush, published for long hair and pet fur
Filtration
Cartridge filter. No HEPA claim and no test standard published
Voice control
Alexa, Siri and Google Home
Wi-Fi
2.4 GHz only, and the listing states US use only
Rated noise
Not published
Weight
Not published
Warranty
Not published on the listing
Every figure above is the manufacturer's own published number. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the row says "Not published" rather than an estimate.
What the numbers say
+A 5-liter dock bag is the largest published on this site, and 150 days is roughly four times a Roborock Q7 M5+ dock interval
+180 minutes of rated runtime, beaten on this site only by the Roomba 105's 200
+A 500 ml dustbin and a 350 ml tank are both large for this price, and editable multi-floor maps are published rather than implied
Where it stops
−13,000 Pa is a pascal claim with no method, and the listing's own suction field prints a distance in meters
−No noise rating, no weight and no warranty term published anywhere on the listing
−Cartridge filtration with no HEPA claim, on a machine sold partly on pet hair
Who it is for
A multi-floor home with pets that wants the dock emptied as rarely as possible, and is content to judge suction on outcome rather than on a number nobody can verify.
Skip it if
You want a filtration figure. This is a bagged-dock robot with no published HEPA claim at all, and an allergy household is the one case where that gap actually decides the purchase.
Our score: 8.0 out of 10
Published suction6.0
Navigation9.0
Runtime9.5
Bin and dock9.0
Running cost6.5
Scored against the published rubric on How We Pick. These are judgments about spec sheets, not measurements.
How the Q7 compares with what people cross-shop it against
Against the Roomba 105: the Roomba publishes a longer runtime (200 minutes against 150) and a lighter body (6.2 lb against 7.3), and publishes no suction figure, no noise rating, no multi-floor maps and no no-go zones. The Q7 L5 publishes all four. What the Roomba has is a parts network measured in decades, which we weigh up here.
Against the Dreame D20 Plus: Dreame publishes a bigger bag (5 L against 2.7), a longer dock interval (150 days against 7-9 weeks), a longer runtime (180 minutes) and a published dustbin (500 ml). Roborock publishes a noise rating and consistent system naming across its models, which Dreame does not. The full head-to-head is here.
What neither Q7 will do
Neither avoids objects in the camera-recognition sense. Both map the room at wheel height with a laser, so both will drive into a sock — that distinction is set out on the obstacle-avoidance page. Neither publishes a filtration test standard. Neither publishes a battery cycle rating, which is true of every robot on this site. And neither mop replaces a wet/dry machine on a sticky kitchen floor: a damp pad is a damp pad at any price.
We have not used either machine. Everything above is read off Roborock's own published listings and compared with other manufacturers' published listings. A spec sheet cannot tell you how a map survives a rearranged room, how a dock behaves after a year, or whether the app is still supported in 2031. Our method page states exactly where our evidence stops and why we publish a score anyway.
Who should buy which
Q7 L5 — most houses. Multi-floor maps, no-go zones, 60 dB, 7.3 lb and a published bin, at the lowest price of any genuine LiDAR robot on this site.
Q7 M5+ — if you want the robot to empty itself and you are comparing it against other docked machines on this page, not against the L5.
Neither — if the parts network matters more than the spec sheet, or if you want a dock interval measured in months rather than weeks. Both of those point elsewhere.
Common questions
Is the Roborock Q7 worth it?+−
The Q7 L5 is the strongest value on this site among genuine LiDAR robots: it publishes multi-floor maps, no-go zones, a 60 dB noise rating, 150 minutes of runtime and a 270 ml bin, at the lowest price of the mapping machines here. The Q7 M5+ adds a self-emptying dock and a higher pascal claim for roughly double.
What is the difference between the Roborock Q7 L5 and Q7 M5+?+−
The M5+ adds a self-emptying dock with a 2.7-liter sealed bag rated 7 to 9 weeks, raises the stated suction from 8,000 to 10,000 Pa, and weighs 10.6 lb against 7.3. The L5 publishes multi-floor maps, no-go zones and a dustbin capacity that the M5+ listing does not. Runtime is 150 minutes on both.
How long does the Roborock Q7 dock last before emptying?+−
Roborock publishes 7 to 9 weeks for the M5+ dock with its 2.7-liter sealed bag. That is the shortest published dock interval of any docked robot on this site — Dreame publishes up to 150 days on a 5-liter bag, and Shark publishes 60 days on a bagless base with no bag to buy.
Does the Roborock Q7 have no-go zones?+−
The Q7 L5 publishes 360-degree LiDAR with multi-floor maps and no-go zones by name. The more expensive Q7 M5+ publishes PreciSense LiDAR with real-time mapping and does not name either capability on its listing. That is a disclosure gap rather than proof of a capability gap, and we rank on what is published.
How noisy is the Roborock Q7?+−
Roborock publishes 60 dB for the Q7 L5 and 65 dB for the Q7 M5+. That is worth knowing because very few robots publish a noise rating at all — not Roomba, not Shark, not Dreame on the machines ranked here — so the Q7 is one of the only ones you can check before buying.
Does the Roborock Q7 avoid obstacles?+−
It maps the room with a laser at wheel height, which plans an efficient route and lets you set no-go zones. It does not do camera-based object recognition, so it will still drive into a sock or a cable. Nothing at this price on this site publishes true obstacle avoidance.
Sources
Manufacturer-published specifications — Every runtime, wattage, capacity, weight, filtration and warranty figure quoted on this page is the manufacturer's own published number for that model, retrieved September 1, 2026. Where a manufacturer publishes no figure, the page says 'Not published' rather than estimating one.
Sweep & Suction — How We Pick — Our published method, including the scoring rubric, the three-year running-cost formula and an explicit statement of what published specifications cannot tell you.
