In an unspoken sort of way, Roomba has been crowned as "the best" on the sole basis that it's the most established brand in the robot vacuum market. But Shark has the automatic advantage of being a brand that's cemented in the vacuum market as a whole, from stick vacuums to handheld ones. Given the length of our Shark vs. Roomba deep dive, a general comparison of robot vacuums between the two brands doesn't work so well. Like the Instant Pot vs. Ninja Foodi debate, Roomba has significantly more models to choose from at a range of prices and features that can be tailored to your needs. Shark's whole lineup is generally more budget-friendly than its most direct counterpart from Roomba. Whether iRobot, Shark, Eufy, Roborock, or any other brand is the best at actual cleaning is pretty subjective. "Best" to someone with four dogs and lots of carpet may not mean "best" to someone with a huge house with stairs and 100% hardwood. iRobot has made huge moves when it comes to suction power over the last year, and both Shark and iRobot have expanded their lineup of mopping robot vacuums to hit several price points. If you prioritize thorough spot cleaning or staying within a strict budget, Shark would win. Its 2023 line of robot vacuums are equipped with Matrix mode, which goes over heavily-soiled areas multiple times to ensure the job is finished. However, your hot take may be that thorough cleaning doesn't matter if the vacuum can't even get to the right spot because it's stuck on something. iRobot's small object detection technology is currently the gold standard for a bot's ability to recognize and avoid pesky obstacles that are typically blind spots to other robot vacuums, like phone chargers and pet waste.