This is the most-compared pair in the category and the hardest to compare, because between them the two brands publish almost none of the figures a comparison needs.
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Shark publishes no suction figure and no climb height for any model we cover. iRobot publishes suction as a multiple of an unnamed baseline on most of its range. So this comparison cannot be run on numbers at all — it has to be run on the mechanisms each brand describes in words: brush construction, dock behavior and filtration.
Most comparisons of these two brands open by putting their suction figures side by side. We cannot, because between them there is essentially one real figure — the 30,000 Pa on the Roomba Max 715's listing — and Shark has none at all.
That is not a reason to skip the comparison. It is the comparison. If you are choosing between two of the best-known names in the category and neither will tell you how hard the fan pulls or how high the robot climbs, then the sensible response is to stop trying to rank them on specifications and rank them on the things they do describe.
What is actually missing
Published figures, Shark and iRobot, models we cover
Specification
Shark
iRobot
Suction in Pascals
Not published for any model
One model, on its Amazon listing only
Climb / threshold height
Not published for any model
Not published for any model
Mop lift height
Not published for any model
Retraction described, no figure
Main brush construction
Named, not described
Described clearly
Navigation system
Described clearly
Described clearly
Dock behavior and interval
Described clearly
Described clearly
Every cell above is what the maker publishes, not what we could find elsewhere. Where we print "not published", we mean we are not substituting a reviewer's measurement or an estimate.
Two full rows blank on both sides. For context, Roborock, Dreame and eufy publish a Pascal figure for every model they sell, and the threshold table is built almost entirely out of Roborock and Dreame figures because those are the makers who print them.
What Shark does describe
Shark is specific about docks and vague about robots. The PowerDetect's NeverTouch Pro base is stated to self-empty at 60 days, refill the tank, and wash and dry the mop pad — a full-function station described in concrete terms, and genuinely one of the better docks on this site.
The robot itself gets 360-degree LiDAR with a 3D sensor, which is a real navigation claim, and a self-cleaning brushroll, which is a name rather than a description. What makes it self-cleaning is not stated. Compare that with Roborock explaining that DuoDivide splits the roller in two with spiral blades between, or eufy describing a fixed comb held against the roller — those are mechanisms you could evaluate.
What iRobot does describe
iRobot is specific about brushes and filtration and vague about suction. It tells you exactly which brush is on which model — dual rubber anti-tangle on the Max range, Multi-Surface bristle on the 105 — and it is one of only two makers on this site that addresses the side brush as well as the roller.
Its filtration claim is the most concrete thing either brand publishes. The Max 715's AllergenLock bag is stated as sealed and rated to 0.7 microns, which is a number with a unit attached to a specific mechanism. Nothing Shark publishes for the models we cover is that precise.
How to choose between them anyway
Strip out everything neither will tell you and three real questions remain.
Do you need mopping? Shark's PowerDetect washes and dries its pad; the Roomba Max 715 does not mop at all and the Combo j9+ does it with a retracting pad. This is the clearest functional split between the two brands.
Does anyone in the house react to dust? Then iRobot's sealed 0.7-micron bag is the most concrete filtration claim available from either, and it decides the question on its own.
Does something shed? Then look at the specific model's brush, not the brand. iRobot ships both the best and the worst brush construction here depending on which Roomba you pick.
How we picked
Criteria first, products second. These are the things we ranked on, stated before anything is recommended.
Count the published figures first. On this pairing that is a short count, and it is the most important finding on the page.
Where a figure is missing from both, say so and move to something checkable rather than filling the gap with an estimate.
Compare the mechanisms each brand does describe — brush construction, dock behavior, filtration — because those are stated in words even where the numbers are absent.
Include one machine from outside both brands as a reference point, so the reader can see what a fully published spec sheet looks like at the same price.
Weight the dock heavily, since it is the component both brands describe most concretely.
What we did not do: test any of these machines. We do not own one, we do not have a lab, and nothing on this page is written as though we did. The full method.
Quick picks
Ranked on the published specifications below. Tap a row to jump to the full write-up.
#
Product
Best for
Suction
Price
1
iRobot Roomba Max 715 PetDual rubber anti-tangle brushes and a 90-day allergen-sealed dock — and the one place iRobot has printed an actual suction number instead of a multiple.
Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 (AV2800ZE)Shark markets NeverStuck technology specifically at the getting-stuck problem, and then publishes no climb height to back it up.
iRobot Roomba Combo j9+The mop arm retracts to the top of the robot rather than lifting a few millimeters, so it can mop and vacuum in one pass without routing around rugs.
Mopping without avoiding the carpet
Stated only as 100 percent stronger than the Roomba Combo i series
Every figure in this table is linked to the page it came from in the write-ups below. We have not tested any of these machines.
Top pick
iRobot Roomba Max 715 Pet
The only Roomba with a stated Pa figure
Dual rubber anti-tangle brushes and a 90-day allergen-sealed dock — and the one place iRobot has printed an actual suction number instead of a multiple.
If you are cross-shopping Shark and Roomba you are probably looking at pet hair, and this is the one machine in either brand's current line-up that is actively wrong for it. iRobot fits it a Multi-Surface bristle brush — the construction that winds hair into a collar — and makes no anti-tangle claim for it anywhere. It is a fine cheap mapping robot for a hard-floor home with nothing shedding in it, and the wrong purchase for the reason most people run this comparison.
The uncomfortable conclusion
If your priority is being able to check what you are buying, neither of these brands is the answer, and saying so is more useful than manufacturing a verdict out of two incomplete spec sheets. Both make capable machines. Both ask you to take the central performance claims on trust, and both are competing against makers who do not.
If you are willing to leave the two brands behind, Roborock vs Roomba runs the same tiers against a maker that publishes everything, and the suction power chart shows the whole field at once — including exactly how many cells Shark leaves empty.
Questions people actually ask
+ Is Shark better than Roomba?
Neither publishes enough for a specification answer. On mechanism, Shark's PowerDetect has the more complete dock — it washes and dries the mop pad — while iRobot describes its brushes far more clearly and offers a sealed allergen bag rated to 0.7 microns that Shark has no equivalent for. Choose on whether you need mopping or filtration.
+ What suction does the Shark PowerDetect have?
Shark does not publish a figure, for that model or any other we cover. We will not substitute a reviewer's measurement or an estimate, so our spec table shows it as not published. If a published suction figure matters to you, this brand cannot currently give you one.
+ Which is better for pet hair, Shark or Roomba?
The Roomba Max 715 Pet, on what is published: dual rubber anti-tangle brushes, an anti-tangle side brush, and a sealed bag rated to 0.7 microns. Shark names a self-cleaning brushroll but does not describe what makes it self-cleaning, so there is less to evaluate. Avoid the Roomba 105 for pet hair — it uses a bristle brush.
+ Does Shark or Roomba climb thresholds better?
Unknown. Neither brand publishes a climb height for any model on this site, which is why both are absent from our threshold table. Roborock and Dreame publish figures from 21mm to 60mm, so if tall sills are your problem, those are the ranges to look at.
+ Is Shark cheaper than Roomba?
Not reliably, and not at the models we cover — the Shark PowerDetect sits above the Roomba Max 715 Pet. Shark's reputation for value comes from its upright and stick vacuums more than its robots. Check the live prices on the buy buttons rather than assuming a brand is the cheap one.
+ Should I just buy a different brand?
If being able to verify the claims matters to you, that is the honest conclusion of this page. Roborock, Dreame and eufy publish a suction figure for every model, and two of them publish climb heights and mop lifts as well. Both brands here make capable machines; they just ask you to take the central claims on trust.
