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Writer's pictureRay Campbell

I Tested And Ranked The Best Robot Lawn Mowers In 2024

The best robotic lawn mowers are fully-automatic, easy to set up and program, and very quiet. However, they don’t come cheap. Here’s my personal ranking of the best options on Amazon.

best robot lawn mowers

FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.


1. Gardena SILENO Minimo - Mows up to 2700 Sq. Ft.


best robot lawn mowers

Highlight: Specialized sensors stop collisions before they happen.

Helpful review: My, oh my life, what an awesome little device to add such happiness and ease to your life. Soooo convenient. If you hate mowing as much as I do, then you’re going to adore this thing. Yeah, there is a bit of prep and set up, and you’re not going to get a fully manicured lawn, but honestly this is so worth it. I’d rather not spend regular money on a lawn guy, and I really don’t wanna spend the time doing it myself. Time is money after all. And you’re gonna get your money’s worth with this thing after a few times of use. Especially if you live in Florida like me. Non-stop rain here equals a lawn that grows faster than my toddler.
PREP AND SETUP:
Without a doubt you’re gonna watch YouTube. The manufacturer uploaded videos on how to use the setup, and I guess you can read the guide, but honestly it’s long and not worth it if you ask me. The videos make it a lot easier. When the package arrived, I was really happy with how it came. Everything had been labeled and was neatly packed up. The mower was super compact which actually kinda surprised me. But when it gets moving, you can tell it has power. Regardless, you’re gonna wanna make sure you clear away big branches or anything that the mower might get caught up on. It can definitely still get stuck on branches.
While the mower is pretty easy to use, you’re gonna find that right out the gate there’s a longer set up with the boundary and guide wire you need to use to create the space around your yard for your mower. You have to essentially outline the yard you wanted mowed with the provided wire. Those wires then go back to the main station and the power circles back. You’re gonna have to do some wire cutting and it can be tricky. But if you remember anything, you know that the wire needs to actually be in the ground and like deep in there. You can either use stakes or bury the wire. The stakes were easier, but just make sure you don’t make the mistake I made, and ensure that you’re keeping them close enough together so the mower doesn’t get wrapped up in the wire. Fortunately there’s a lot of stakes included so it’s not that difficult to accomplish.
RUNNING THE MOWER:
There’s a little install thing you’ll have to follow when you first power up the mower and with this you can assign the preferences and schedule of the machine. I do recommend watching it the first time you use it to make sure it’s actually doing what you want it to do.
SETTING UP THE APP:
All of the models of this thing come with bluetooth–ignore the reviews that say otherwise. If you’re having issues, just restart the app and then you can see it pop up in your bluetooth. This one popped up at P0.2 and then you can rename it with whatever name you wanna create. I named mine George 2.0 after my last yard guy (yes, he was named George). I like all the options it comes with, too. You can even program it to create a schedule and to mow specific spots. Really cool app.
CHARGING STATION COVER:
It always rains in Florida. I’m not kidding. So yeah, I definitely wanted to get the little garage cover station for Mr. George 2.0. Not everyone may feel like it’s necessary, but I’m sorry, if I’m dishing out money on this thing, I want to make sure it’s going to stay protected when it’s outside. I guess I should add that the guide says it can withstand all different kinds of weather, it’s still a machine, and I still think that this offers peace of mind. It only takes about five minutes to set up, too.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Oh, did I mention how quiet this little baby is? Only once I heard the blade cry out, and that was when it got caught on a branch. Other than moving away debris, I would also make sure you don’t run this when the grass is wet. The wetter the grass is, the wetter the soil is and if the soil is wet, it might have a little struggle with getting caught in the dirt. Overall, I usually do have to do a little touch up, but overall it covers so much more than I ever could on my own. It’s saved me so much time, and remember, folks, time is money. Highly recommend this baby. — Patrick Clark

Get it from Amazon now: $649.99 & FREE Returns

 

2. Worx Landroid - Mows up to 1/2 Acre


best robot lawn mowers

Highlight: Battery is compatible with a variety of tools and products.

Helpful review: I almost didn’t grab this baby, mainly because there’s so many negative reviews out there, but let me be one of the first positive reviews to announce–ignore the negative ones people! This Landroid robot mower is freakin worth it! Sure there’s some things it could improve upon, but ultimately it’s worth it, and definitely what I wanted in a machine.
I did invest in the accessories–because why not? Spending more money is easy when you’ve already purchased the big product. I’m in my seventies anyways, and I’ve learned the hard way in life that there are some things that are necessary to add–in this case, the garage of the mower, I think it’s super important to have.
I also wanted a robot mower because my vision just isn’t the same as it used to be, and partially because of that, I decided to bury the wire (mainly because I didn’t want to trip over it haha). You really don’t have to bury it that deep either, mine is about half an inch underground, and although I buried over eight hundred feet of wire, the five days it took me to do will ultimately be worth it in the long run. I don’t have to worry about it not working.
Now my yard is on a subtle slope and definitely has some bumps to it, but I found pretty quickly that the robot didn’t have too much difficulty maneuvering over it. I do have some obstacles–trees, bird feeder, water tank, and because of that I ended up adding on the anti-collision system to help my robot get around all this. It definitely works, too. Sometimes it starts to bump into it but never enough to know it over or anything like that. I do also recommend using the magnetic strips to stop the robot from leaving the zone you want it to stay in. They definitely get the job done in that regard.
It’s been a month since I’ve started using this thing and it hasn’t gotten stuck once or left the zone area! Proof that a little extra set up will pay off big time. And the great part is that this thing keeps my lawn at a set height of 2.7 inches–which you can program! It actually mows each area of my lawn for two hours at a time every day, lord willing there’s no rain.
So far, the battery seems solid. Over an hour and a half, it is only 35 percent, and my battery is the 6.0. Although I do think its life cycle shortens with each use.
The instructions can definitely be better if you ask me.
During the rain delays, I think it would be nicer if the zones were handled better. Essentially even when it's mowing things, once the machine is already mowing, it then returns back to its station. And then when the rain ended, instead of finishing the zone it was working on, it went to the other zone, almost like it completely forgot what it was doing. Essentially it mowed the other zone twice as long as the other one. Kinda annoying. The best solution I found was to set the mower to do each side of the zone once a day. That way it only focuses on one side at a time. That seemed to fix the issue.
For the most part, I’m really happy I invested in this. There’s a slight learning curve, but once you get it figured out, you’re going to enjoy it. I definitely do.
UPDATE:
I ended up getting a firmware update for this product and found that as a result, I don’t get notifications on my phone anymore. So that’s kind of annoying. You’d think an update is supposed to help that, but instead it didn’t. However, there are some things it did end up helping, mainly that the activity log works better now and the status updates come through better. The only other issue I’m really experiencing is that the mower is confusing the isolated section around its home as a boundary wire so it ends up just doing circles. Not sure how an update changed that. It still works, it just takes an extra sixty feet to get home lol. Oh, well. Hopefully the next update will help that even better! — Elaine Hansen

Get it from Amazon now: $749.99 & FREE Returns

 

3. Husqvarna Automower® - Mows up to 0.4 Acre


best robot lawn mowers

Highlight: Built in alarm system that deactivates with a custom PIN.

Helpful review: First off, no one paid for me to do this. I don’t do that. And I rarely write reviews. So recognize that this thing must be pretty good if I’m out here dishing my thoughts. No joke.
I got this thing mainly because the grass around my septic system won’t stop growing. I hurt my back last year, and mowing just irritates it, so I knew I needed a solution. I knew these robot mowers existed, but I couldn’t justify the price until I saw that Amazon had a cheaper one with a no interest credit card, so I ended up taking the leap and giving it a try. I will say that I did a lot of research first, including watching YouTube videos about the different options out there.
I ended up using the provided stakes to install the boundary wire and I’ll be frank–I ignored the instruction to mow before using this thing. After about 1700 feet of boundary wire, I also added the low voltage wire. This connects to the power supply and I guess it’s essentially the extension to the charger.
It was kind of a pain to install everything, but once I finished I was ready to see how it would do. There are some divots in my yard, specifically one deeper area that the old owners had used as a fire pit. I was kinda worried how my little mower would do, but I found that that wasn’t my first issue. I named my mower Hugo, and I was quick to figure out that Hugo did not like that I hadn’t mowed the overgrown area first. It also had rained the morning I used it, and I should have waited for it to dry. He kinda slipped on the milly area where the grass was slick. I ultimately had to weed whack some area because Hugo got stuck in the longer grass.
I was annoyed by all the work I put into this ahead of time, but by the second time I used it, I realized that maybe following the directions was important. On day two, Hugo had no issues. And I literally had to do nothing. The grass was almost perfect. Yeah, he definitely had some issues with the old fire pit, and didn’t like slipping into the hole.
I ultimately had to fill in the pit with some sand, but now I don’t worry at all. Hugo pretty much mows my yard unsupervised now, and I find that my back is actually hurting less because I don’t have to do the work that Hugo now does for me.
I do like the pin code he comes with. Mainly because he’s compact enough that when he mows the front yard, I worry that someone could robot-nap him. Fortunately the alarm is enough of a deterrent and you have to put in your own code to stop the alarm from screaming. Just make sure you don’t forget the code! If only this thing could clean my house, too! — Monica Delaney

Get it from Amazon now: $699.99 & FREE Returns

 

4. GARDENA SILENO City - Mows up to 5400 Sq. Ft.


best robot lawn mowers

Highlight: Can mow all types of lawns, including grass on a 35% slope.

Helpful review: This is my second robot mower, my first I got almost fifteen years ago, back when these things were not as advanced as they were now. When I decided to update it, I found one thing that was pretty cool. The underground boundary wire I used on my last wire actually works for this one, too!
INSTALLATION:
Although I didn’t do this for this current mower, I did it for my first: before you dig anything underground make sure you contact your local city ordinance to make sure you have clearance to dig in your yard. You don’t want to run into any underground utility lines. Especially if you’re installing this yourself. I also recommend filling in any divots or holes you have in your yard, and it’s probably wise to remove any dog or kid’s toys that might litter your yard, along with any larger debris like sticks and what not.
You’ll also want to take into consideration where the charging station is for the mower before you put in the wires. Trust me, it will make your life easier. The wires will connect back to the power station and it’s what helps tell the robot where to go and where not to go.
If you decide not to bury it, you can essentially staple the wire to the ground with the provided staples, but make sure you really get those deep in there, and the best way to do that is to make sure your grass is mowed first before you install it. (Eventually the grass will grow over the wire.) Even without doing it that way, it’s recommended to mow the grass before the first time you use it.
There’s a template that comes with the robot that gives you directions and recommendations on where to install the wiring from things like fences, or you know, your house. Trees and water tanks and what not, bigger things, the mower will just softly bump into and turn away from. It’s more the little stuff you need to be aware of.
After everything is installed, you’ll just need to charge up the mower before it’s first use. And that’s when you can put in the settings that you need, like the pin code and the time and stuff. Once all that is done, you’ll have to calibrate it so the robot can adjust to the wiring, and then you’re good to go!
FEATURES:
I love that you can set a daily schedule for this mower to tell it when to get out there and eat up some grass! The manual has a fair amount of information, so make sure you read it first. It does give you tips on how long the robot can mow each area based on the size. My yard is large so I have this thing running about ten hours a day, no lie haha. And the cool thing is that it's quiet enough that you can run it at night. I unusually start around 2 am. It avoids the heat, but also avoids people walking by my house who might consider taking the mower home for themselves.
You can set all these things from the menu or the app, but keep in mind that the app is only available with Bluetooth so it's kind of limited. But within the settings, you can play around with the schedule, you can turn on the sensor control, put a security level in there, and order how much lawn you want it to cover. I definitely recommend setting a personal pin too. Essentially if someone tries to steal it, they can’t use it unless they know the pin. Obviously there’s no guarantee you’ll get it back if that happens, but it’s still nice to know that the thieves can’t enjoy it haha.
The sensor control communicates to the mower how it should operate based on how quick the grass grows, which is pretty impressive if you ask me. Definitely better than my older model, that’s for sure.
Now, one thing you should know right out the gate: if you want your grass to be taller than two inches, this isn’t for you. The height is between .8 inches and 2 inches, so keep that in mind. I find two inches is perfect.
OPERATION:
I run this thing pretty much every day. Do I need to? Not necessarily, but it’s so easy to use and I really like that I can just program everything in and not have to worry about it. It says it can operate rain or shine, but I dunno, I don’t really trust technology that much yet. Not gonna risk that. Maybe during the next light sprinkle, I’ll stand in the yard and observe how it works, just to see. And I’ll update if it does okay for that. I like that it hasn’t left any tracks in the yard, and I really love how quiet it is. It definitely works better than my last model, and although I still have to weed whack a few areas near the fence and sidewalk, the amount of time I’ve saved is astronomical in comparison. I definitely think everyone should get one of these. Really worth it. — Hugh T. Carlson

Get it from Amazon now: $799.99 & FREE Returns

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