The Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960 are excellent vacuum cleaners. They come with powerful motors that can suck up stubborn dirt, come with scheduling capabilities and have advanced dirt detection technology. The Roomba 891 comes with auto recharge capabilities, supports the popular WiFi wireless communication protocol and comes with advanced acoustic and optical dirt detection technology while the Roomba 960 comes with auto resume capabilities, has advanced navigation technologies and comes with a virtual wall barrier. Which one of the two devices beats the other? We will compare the two smart vacuum robot cleaners head to head and give a judgment as to which best suits your unique needs.
Alternatively, just skip to either the roomba 891 or the roomba 960 on Amazon.
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison Table Roomba 891 vs Roomba 960
| iRobot Roomba 960 | iRobot Roomba 891 | |
|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |
| Navigation Technology | IAdapt 2.0 vSLAM | Iadapt 1.0 Intelligent |
| Entire level cleaning | Yes | No |
| Auto recharge | Yes | Yes |
| Battery type | Li-ion | Li-ion |
| WiFi | Yes | Yes |
| Voice assistant support | Yes | Yes |
| Remote control | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 8.6 pounds | 12.67 pounds |
| Carry handle | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Wall barrier | Yes | No |
| Auto resume | Yes | No |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Key Similarities between the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960:
- Auto recharge
- Scheduling
- WiFi
- Voice assistant support
- Remote control
- Carry handle
- Dirt detection technology
Key Differences between the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960 :
- Weight
- Auto resume
- Virtual wall barrier
- Entire level cleaning
- Navigation technology
A Comprehensive Comparison between the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960
Auto Recharge
Both the iRobot Roomba 891 and the iRobot Roomba 960 come with the auto recharge feature. In this feature, when the batteries run low, the Roomba robots return to their home base to dock and recharge. This means that you do not need tow worry about the robots running out of juice and having to manually search for them and plug them into the wall socket.
WiFi
Both the iRobot Roomba 891 and the iRobot Roomba 960 support the popular WiFi wireless communication protocol. This allows for you to connect these wireless robots to your home network. Through this wireless connection, you will be able to use the iRobot Home application on your mobile phone to start cleaning, send the robot to the home base, etc.
Scheduling
Scheduling is another important feature that is present in both the iRobot Roomba 891 and the iRobot Roomba 960. As the name suggests, scheduling allows for you to set dates and times for the smart vacuum cleaner to perform its cleaning operations. You can set the robots to clean every day, every two days and you specify at what time you want them to do the cleaning.
Mobile Application
The Roomba 960’s mobile application is packed with a lot more features than that of the Roomba 891. The Roomba 960’s iRobot Home App allows for you to not only clean, send to home base, and perform scheduling but it also allows you to perform additional tasks such as see the status of cleaning jobs, customize your cleaning preferences e.g. by setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc.
Voice Assistant Support
Both the Roomba 891 and the 960 support the use of voice assistants. You can control these smart vacuum cleaners by using Alexa as well as the Google Assistant. You can enter voice commands which make the robot start, stop or go to its docking station.
Carry Handle
Both of these smart vacuum cleaners come with a carry handle. This feature makes it easy for you to carry around the Roomba 891 or the Roomba 960. This means that if you decide to carry your robot with you when you go on vacation you will not have to dread the carrying it part as it has an easy to reach carry handle that is usually free from dirt.
Dirt Detection Technology
Both the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960 come with the same dirt detection technology. Dirt detection technology is a sophisticated feature of smart vacuum cleaners that allows them to detect the amount of dirt in an area and adjust the vacuuming power accordingly. Both the Roomba 960 and the 891 come with acoustic and optical sensors. These are powerful sensors that help the robots become extremely effective in finding areas with the most dirt and intelligently adjusting the vacuuming power to enable them to leave your house looking sparkling clean.
Weight
The Roomba 960 is much lighter than the Roomba 891. The Roomba 960 comes at a weight of 8.6 pounds while the Roomba 891 comes at a weight of 12.67 pounds. This lighter weight allows for the 960 to be able to move over more uneven surfaces than the 891. This means that if you have a bare floor then a thick carpet, the 960 will be better able to move across these different surfaces than the 891.
Auto Resume
The Roomba 960 is made to be more convenient to use than the 891. This is because it comes with Auto Resume capabilities. This means that if the battery gets low while the Roomba 960 is doing the cleaning job, it goes to the docking station, gets fully charged and it then resumes the cleaning job automatically. It continues this way until the entire job is done. Through this method the robot is able to clean the entire level of your home. If you have a big home then this means that the robot will be able to clean large portions of your home without the need for you to intervene. The Roomba 891 does not have this feature. You need to restart them after they recharge themselves.
Virtual Wall Barrier
The Roomba 960 is easier to control then the iRobot Roomba 891. This is because it comes with a virtual wall barrier. This allows for you to set areas where the robot is not supposed to enter. This allows for you to keep the robot from flying off the stairs or from accidentally finding its way out of the house. The Roomba 891 does not have this feature out of the box. In order to use a feature similar to this, you need to purchase a dual mode virtual mode barrier device separately.
The Roomba 960 is designed with a more sophisticated navigation technology. The 891 uses iAdapt 1.0 intelligent navigation technology. This technology is composed of sophisticated software and sensors that allow the robots to clean the room thoroughly, making multiple passes, avoiding stairs and ledges, getting under and around furniture as well as to clean along wall edges and corners. The 960 comes with the new and improved iAdapt 2.0 technology. This features vSLAM technology that is used to map out your home to ensure complete coverage. It actively captures thousands of precise measurements each millisecond to optimize coverage. The enhanced sensors constantly scan ahead at a rate of 25 times per second to detect obstacles in the cleaning path. This allows the robot to seamlessly and efficiently navigate an entire level of your home and keep track of its location.
Our Pick
We immediately fell in love with the Roomba 960. This is because it is jam packed with features that appeal to all sorts of home owners. It has the advanced navigation technology that allows it to get a map of your house and clean it super efficiently. It has the auto resume feature which allows it to continue to clean the house after recharging itself which makes it perfect for people with large homes and small homes that get really dirty. It comes with a virtual wall barrier that helps keep it from going places you do not want it to and it is lightweight which makes it easy to carry around with you.
Why Do You Need a Smart Vacuum Cleaner?
Autonomous
Smart vacuum cleaners operate autonomously. Unlike the traditional vacuum machines that you have to manually control, these smart vacuum cleaners are able to navigate your home by themselves. This means that you do not need to worry about monitoring them. All you need to do is switch them on and let them take care of the rest. Both the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960 support this feature.
Handy Assistant
Smart vacuum cleaners are the perfect assistant for those who are either busy or have health challenges. If you suffer from mobility issues, physical ailments or just feel under the weather, a smart vacuum cleaning device will be perfect for you. It does not put any extra strain on you or your situation. You just turn it on and let it clean. If you are a busy person and work a 9 to 5 job, you may not have time to clean your house. Smart vacuum cleaners are able to clean the home while you are away. Some smart vacuum cleaners such as the Roomba 960 allow for you to use the mobile application on your smart phone to customize your cleaning preferences e.g. by setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc. This makes them the perfect smart robot assistant.
Automatic Adjustments
Different rooms usually have different floors. The kitchen usually uses tiles, the living room may have a carpet and the bedroom may have a different type of carpet that is a bit thicker. This means that the vacuum cleaner will need to have different settings to deal with each type of floor surface. Smart vacuum cleaners such as the Roomba devices we just reviewed are able to automatically adjust their suction power to suit the floor surface present. They can also detect stair cases and walls, automatically steering away to prevent unintentional damage to both the unit and your home decor
Convenient
The smart vacuum cleaners come with a ton of benefits. They come with their own recharging stations and use batteries. This means that your house will not have several messy, tangled cords that make your house look like a server room. In addition, since they do not have power cords you do not need to worry about the proximity to a wall socket outlet. They also allow for you to use voice assistants, come with less maintenance than a typical manual vacuum cleaner would need and they have larger dust bags.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Between the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960
House Size
This is an important factor to consider when choosing between the two smart vacuum cleaners. The bigger your house it, the longer it will take to clean. The Roomba 960 allows for it to charge itself when the battery is low and then resume after the battery gets full. This will make it perfect for those with large homes. The Roomba 891 does not have this feature. This makes it suitable for the smaller apartments.
Virtual Wall Barrier
A virtual wall barrier allows the smart vacuum cleaner to only clean areas that it is allowed to clean. This prevents it from accidentally making its way down the stairs or finding its way outdoors. The Roomba 960 comes with this feature. This makes it better suited for houses with multiple stair cases as well as houses with pets. You would not want your robot to go and try to suck up all the food that is meant for your dog. If you do not have any of these then the Roomba 891 would work just as well.
Weight
The Roomba 960 comes at a much lower weight than the Roomba 891. This could be interpreted in different ways. One could say due to the larger weight, the Roomba 891 has more stability while another could say since the Roomba 960 comes at a lower weight, then it is able to move over different surfaces such as floors and carpets more easily than the 891.
Customization
The Roomba 960 allows you to carry out a lot more customization in the mobile app than the Roomba 891. This is because the Roomba 960 allows you to customize your cleaning preferences e.g. by setting the number of cleaning passes, choosing special edge cleaning action, etc. The Roomba 891 does not have this feature.
Roomba 891 vs 960 FAQs
Yes. It has a camera on top for navigation. If the camera is covered it will not work. Also it needs a small amount of light in order to “see” , it will not work well in totally dark rooms.
What if I have Socks on the Floor?
It will suck it up if it can. Try to keep your floors clear of objects and clothes.
Can you Schedule them to Clean Specific Rooms on Different Days?
No you cannot.
Is the Charging Base Included?
Yes it is.
Do You need to have WiFi to use them?
No. The iRobot works fine without it. The advantage of a WiFi connection is that it allows the iRobot to communicate with you on your smart mobile device. The iRobot will send you a text when it’s finished, stuck, heading back to its home base to recharge, or needs its dust bin emptied.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored the similarities and differences present between the Roomba 891 and the Roomba 960. We found the Roomba 960 to be the clear winner as it comes with auto resume capabilities, advanced navigation technology and entire level cleaning.
We included a list of features to look out for when choosing between the two smart vacuum cleaners. This will help you to choose which smart vacuum cleaner best suits your needs. Check out the best smart vacuum cleaner, the Roomba 960 on Amazon.
