Robot Vacuum Subscription Costs Explained: What Each Manufacturer States as Free or Paid

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"Subscription" is used for three different things in the robot vacuum market: a paid tier that unlocks app features, a plan that rents you the device plus consumables, and a protection plan that extends warranty coverage. This page documents which of those each major manufacturer states on its own official US pages as of 2026-08-18, so you know what is free before you buy. We checked manufacturer pages directly; we do not track prices over time, so every statement below carries a check date.

What counts as a robot vacuum subscription?

We use three categories because the monthly fee means different things in each:

1. App feature paywall. A recurring fee that unlocks software features — for example, advanced mapping or smart scheduling — that are otherwise locked. Without this type, the app is fully functional after purchase.
2. Device and consumables plan. A recurring fee that replaces (or supplements) the upfront purchase: you receive the robot on a rental basis plus scheduled deliveries of bags, filters, brushes, or mop pads.
3. Protection plan. A recurring or one-time fee for extended warranty, accidental damage coverage, and related services. The app is unaffected.

Which manufacturer app features are free vs paid?

The table below records what each manufacturer's official US pages state as of our check date. "No paid tier listed" means the page we reviewed presents the listed functions without a subscription requirement — it is an observation about the page, not a guarantee that no future tier will appear.

Secondary-source note: in November 2024, Roborock updated its app user agreement. A community thread quoting Roborock support states that "all current functionalities remain completely free" and that future value-added services might require payment (reddit.com/r/Roborock, checked 2026-08-18). We label this as a secondary source because it is not on Roborock's own domain in the form we retrieved.

Paid plans found across the six brands

The table below lists every paid plan we found on official pages during our check, separated from app features so you can see what each fee actually buys.

What is iRobot Select, and is it available?

iRobot Select was iRobot's subscription service that combined a Roomba with scheduled accessory deliveries under a membership. As of our check, its own site states: "Currently, we are not accepting new subscriptions" (select.irobot.com, checked 2026-08-18). Existing members can still access a membership portal on the same domain.

What is iRobot Protect+?

The iRobot Protect+ Plan is a protection plan, not an app subscription. On irobot.com (checked 2026-08-18), iRobot describes it as extended protection beyond the original manufacturer warranty plus coverage for accidental damage from drops, spills, and pets, with robot and battery replacement and free shipping and returns on covered robots. If you buy a Roomba without Protect+, your coverage is limited to the standard manufacturer warranty.

What is eufy Flex, and what does it cost?

eufy Flex is a device rental plan for robot vacuums. On eufy.com (checked 2026-08-18), the Omni S2 is offered at $55 per month with eufy Flex, described on the same page as cancel-and-return-anytime. By our calculation from those two stated numbers, 36 months of eufy Flex for the Omni S2 costs $1,980 in fees, versus a one-time purchase price of $1,399.99 that we observed in the US marketplace catalog on 2026-08-18 (Creators API, as of 2026-08-18). The rental therefore costs more over three years than buying outright at that date — before counting any included services.

eufy also runs an accessories subscription: its blog post "Robot Vacuum Parts: Simplifying Maintenance with Subscriptions" (updated November 13, 2025) describes scheduled deliveries of dust bags, mop cloths, side brushes, roller brushes, and washable filters (eufy.com, checked 2026-08-18).

How do subscription costs change total cost of ownership?

The three subscription types affect the budget differently. An app paywall adds a monthly fee on top of the purchase price for as long as you want the locked features. A device plan like eufy Flex replaces the purchase price with recurring fees — at $55 per month (eufy.com, checked 2026-08-18), that is $660 per year by our calculation — and may include consumables and coverage that would otherwise be separate purchases. A protection plan like iRobot Protect+ adds a fee for risk coverage beyond the standard warranty.

The practical question before buying is: which features do you actually need, and does the manufacturer charge for them? For the six brands in our table, core app functions were presented as included on the official pages we checked (checked 2026-08-18), so the recurring costs to budget for are consumables — bags, filters, brushes, mop pads — and any optional plan you choose.

How do we verify these claims?

We fetch each manufacturer's official US page directly and record what it states on a specific date. We treat "no paid tier listed" as an observation about the retrieved page, not a permanent guarantee — manufacturers can change app pricing without notice. We deliberately avoid price tracking: this page records point-in-time statements with check dates rather than historical price curves. The full method is on our page How CompareSmartDevice Compares Robot Vacuums.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Roborock app require a subscription?

No paid tier was listed on Roborock's official US app page when we checked it (us.roborock.com, checked 2026-08-18). A November 2024 user-agreement update quoted by Roborock support in a community thread states that all current functionalities remain completely free (secondary source: reddit.com/r/Roborock).

Is iRobot Select still available for new customers?

No. select.irobot.com stated "Currently, we are not accepting new subscriptions" when we checked it on 2026-08-18.

What does eufy Flex cost per month?

eufy lists the Omni S2 at $55 per month with eufy Flex (eufy.com, checked 2026-08-18). The plan is described on the same page as cancel-and-return-anytime.

Do I need a subscription to use no-go zones or mapping?

On the official pages we reviewed for all six brands (checked 2026-08-18), mapping and zone features were presented without a subscription requirement. Feature availability can vary by robot model, so check your specific model's page before purchase.

Will these free app features stay free?

We cannot guarantee that. Our table records what each manufacturer states on its official pages as of 2026-08-18; we recheck and update the dates when we revisit the pages.

Sources

• select.irobot.com — iRobot Select status statement, checked 2026-08-18.
• irobot.com — Roomba Plus 405 (G181) product page and Protect+ Plan page, checked 2026-08-18.
• us.roborock.com/pages/roborock-app — official app feature page, checked 2026-08-18.
• help.ecovacs.com/us/support/ecovacs-home-app and the ECOVACS HOME App Store listing, checked 2026-08-18.
• dreametech.com/pages/dreamehome-app-download — official Dreamehome app page, checked 2026-08-18.
• eufy.com/storefront-eufy-flex — eufy Flex plan at $55/month for the Omni S2, checked 2026-08-18; eufy.com blog post on robot vacuum accessories subscription (updated November 13, 2025), checked 2026-08-18.
• us.mova.tech/pages/download-movahome-app — official MOVAhome app page, checked 2026-08-18.
• reddit.com/r/Roborock — community thread quoting Roborock support on the November 2024 user-agreement update (secondary source), checked 2026-08-18.

Published: August 18, 2026. Updated: August 18, 2026 (initial draft).