Get the self-emptying base if you can afford it.

Yes, if you have the budget. The main reason to buy a robot vacuum is convenience, and the self-emptying base is the single biggest upgrade to that convenience. Instead of emptying the bin every day or two, you empty the dock’s bag every few weeks. That’s the difference between “laundry folding chore” and “set it and forget it.”

The downsides are real: it’s louder when it empties (sometimes startlingly so), the base takes up more floor space, and you have to buy proprietary bags. But for most people, those trade-offs are minor. The separate bin model forces you to interact with the vacuum more often, which kind of defeats the point of a robot.

If you’re on a tight budget, a regular bin robot is still fine—just know you’ll be emptying it constantly. But if you can swing the extra hundred or so bucks, the self-emptying base is where the real “smart home” payoff lives.

Future you will thank you for not having to empty the bin every day.