iRobot Roomba 960 vs iRobot Roomba 981

Cleaning

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Cleaning typeDryDry
Suction power

900 Pa

n/a
Cleaning area

150 m²

185 m²

Number of side brushes

1 piece(s)

1 piece(s)

Overcoming the thresholds

up to 2 cm

up to 2 cm

Self cleaning basen/aNo
Noise level

58 dB

61 dB

Turbo brushYesYes
Usage AreaHard Floor+CarpetHard Floor+Carpet
Power

33 W

33 W

Keep Out ZonesVacuumVacuum
Cleaning zone limiterVirtual WallVirtual Wall
Climbing Threshold

20 mm

20 mm

Wet MoppingNoNo
Vibrating mopping padNoNo
Cleaning time calculationNoNo
3-Point Cleaning SystemYesYes
Edge CleaningYesYes
Bump PreventionYesYes
SPOT ModeYesYes

Technical specifications

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Product TypeRobot VacuumRobot Vacuum
Wi-fiYesYes
Weekly ScheduleYesYes
Voice AnnouncementsYesn/a
Modes

3 mode(s)

3 mode(s)

Time SchedulingYesYes

Navigation

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
MappingYesYes
Mapping TypeCameran/a
Smart NavigationYesYes
Manual robot control (from the app)NoYes
Selective Room CleaningNoNo
Setting the suction power and water level for each roomNoNo
Storing multiple cleaning maps in memory (cleaning multiple floors)NoNo

Control

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Voice promptsYesYes
Voice Assistant Support
  • Amazon Alexa
  • Google Home
  • Amazon Alexa
  • Google Home
Scheduled cleaningn/aYes
Manual control (from the button on the vacuum cleaner)YesYes
Control from smartphoneYesYes
Remote controlNoNo

Integration with cloud services

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Amazon AlexaYesYes
Google HomeYesYes
Samsung SmartThingsNoNo
Xiaomi Mi HomeNoNo

Sensors

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Number of Sensors

42 piece(s)

42 piece(s)

Carpet detectionNoNo
Dirt detectionYesYes
Cliff SensorYesYes

Battery

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Battery typeLi-ionLi-ion
Battery Capacity

2600 mAh

3300 mAh

Battery life up to

75 min

75 min

Charging time

2 Hours

3 Hours

Auto RechargeYesYes

Bin

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Dustbin Capacity

600 ml

600 ml

Bin StationNoNo
Dust collector filling indicatorYesYes

Filters

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
HEPA FilterYesn/a
Cyclone FilterNoNo
Other FiltersAeroForceAeroForce

Dimensions and equipment

iRobot Roomba 960iRobot Roomba 981
Width

351 mm

351 mm

Height

92 mm

92 mm

Depth

351 mm

351 mm

Weight

4 kg

4 kg

ColorGreyGrey
Included Equipment
  • charging station
  • line cord
  • extra filter
  • cleaning tool
  • owner’s guide
  • documentation package
  • dual-mode virtual wall
  • extra side brush
  • 1 Roomba® 981 Robot Vacuum
  • 1 Home Base® Charging Station
Additionally
  • VSLAM Navigation
  • Error Detection
  • iAdapt Navigation
  • Anti Tangle