The Roomba may be a giant in the robotic vacuum industry, but Neato is also a force to be reckoned with. The Neato D-Connected series has a number of mid-range and premium robots, with the D7 currently being the most advanced in the series.
Neato botvac D5 and D7 are both top-of-the-range robots with great features like multi-floor mapping for multi-storey houses, HEPA quality filters, voice control, etc. Apparently, these are two excellent botvacs with similar basic designs for accomplishing the same thing task, but which of the two will do a better job? Let’s find out… in this Neato D5 vs D7 showdown.
Complete Review of the Neato Botvac D5 vs D7
Neato Botvac D5
The Neato Botvac D5 is a mid-range robotic vacuum cleaner designed for large, multi-story homes. It features the patented Neato D-shape and LaserSmart technology to intelligently navigate and map your home. Instead of a random pattern, the Neato Botvac clears in a straight line.
It uses a large core brush, side brush, and strong suction to sweep up pet hair and dirt from various types of surfaces. With the D-shaped design and the side brush, this botvac perfectly cleans the edges and corners of walls. The D5 also has an ultra-performing filter that captures up to 99% of small dust mites and allergens. You can connect the robot to the Neto app to schedule daily cleanups every day, every other day, or on a schedule that works for you.
Neato Botvac D7
The Neato Botvac D7 is a premium robot vacuum for large homes with pets and allergy sufferers. This smart home gadget cleans a whole range of floor types beautifully, including carpets, hardwoods, tiles, and it cleans hard-to-reach areas like corners and edges, thanks to its D-shape and a side brush. With laser-guided mapping, D7 technology intelligently navigates and maps your home, so you clean in straight lines instead of a random pattern.
The D7 has an ultra-high performance filter that captures particles down to 0.3 microns, making it excellent for allergens and pollen. It also comes with an upgraded battery, a lithium-ion battery powers the robot for approximately 120 minutes. With a single charge, this robot can vacuum up to 5,000 square meters before returning to the charging station for recharging.
How does Neato D5 and D7 work
These two robotic vacuum cleaners belong to the Neato Botvac Connected D series and have very similar design features. They are built for the same purpose and have very similar mechanisms of action. Both robots are powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery and feature the same LaserSmart technology to create digital maps during a cleaning cycle that save time and energy while increasing cleaning efficiency. With smart navigation technology, the robots move systematically in straight lines from one corner to another, diligently sweeping every part of the room as they go.
They both use a primary cleaning brush and an additional side brush for better edge cleaning; while these brushes loosen dirt, a strong suction sucks it into a 700ml dust container. With the auto-charge and resume function, these robots automatically drive back to the charging base, charge their batteries and continue to complete cleaning. You can control them both with the Neato mobile app over a Wi-Fi connection, and they’re compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant.
▶ Design and aesthetics
At first glance you can see the unique D-shape of the Neato botvacs, they have very similar design features and are the same size, measuring 13.2″ wide and 3.9. high. With these dimensions, they both fit under furniture without any problems.
▶ Laser technology for smart navigation
These two Neato botvacs are equipped with the S.L.A.M algorithm and laser technology that emits signals to scan the room and create a map of the room, helping the robots move smartly while cleaning and dodge objects in their path.
▶ Filtration System
The D5 and D7 have the same high-performance filters that provide excellent air-filtering of allergens and pollen. These filters are not marked as HEPA filters but they are of the same quality and perform just as well.
▶ Virtual No-Go Lines
This is a feature in the mobile app that allows you to digitally mark parts of a room that you want the botvac to avoid. The D5 and D7 both have this feature and it helps keep them from wandering into places where they could get stuck. These two robots also come with a boundary marker ribbon, a magnetic strip to set boundaries and restrain the robot in a certain part of the room, it works just like the no-go lines but physically instead of virtually.
▶ Wi-Fi and App connectivity
Both robot vacuums can connect to the Neato app via Wi-Fi, enabling remote control. However, the D5 is only compatible with a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, while the D7 works with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. Neato has apps for iOS and Android.
▶ Auto charge and resume
Both the D5 and D7 can detect when their batteries are low during cleaning and drive back to the charging base for a power-up before returning to finish the cleaning job. When this happens, the robots with a fast charge boost calculate the exact amount of power they need to complete the clean, and charge only that amount before completing the clean.
▶ Side brushes
In addition to the main brush roll, the Neato D5 and D7 both have an additional side brush that efficiently sweeps up dirt and debris from around the edges and baseboards in a room. The D-shape of these robots aids edge cleaning, but the side brushes allow them to do a great job of sweeping up edges.
▶ Multiple floor plans
Neato botvacs D5 and D7 are built for large multi-story houses, they have the function of multiple floor plans, which allows you to store up to 3-floor plans. This helps the robot to clean large houses more efficiently, and coupled with an extra charging dock, these robots always remember their place in the house.
Most important features
Brush roll
These two robots have different sweeping brushes, the D5 uses the much older combo brush while the D7 has the advanced spiral brush which is more suitable for sweeping up strands of hair. This small difference in their brushes gives the D7 better cleaning performance on carpets, especially thick pile carpets. Although the D5 comes with a multi-purpose brush, it is also compatible with the spiral brush and you can buy one on Amazon. Both robots also have side brushes for better edge cleaning.
Battery life and runtime
Between these two botvacs, the Neato Botvac D7 has a larger Li-ion battery with a run time of 120 minutes, while the Neato Botvac D5 only runs for 90 minutes before recharging. However, both require 2 to 3 hours to be fully charged.
Zone cleaning
The zone cleaning function is intended to create zones so that the robot can only clean certain parts of the house. For example, you can turn the kitchen into a zone and instruct the robot to clean that particular zone, the kitchen. This is a great feature for really big houses, but only the D7 has this feature, the D5 doesn’t.
Price
The Neato D7 is the more advanced model and more expensive than the D5 model, which is to be expected. The price difference is about $200, and if it fits your budget nicely, the D7 is apparently a better buy.
How do they perform?
The D5 and D7 are two Neato robots that are relatively close to the iRobot Roomba 960 and 980 models in cleaning performance.
They are both great botvacs for homes with pets and allergy sufferers; their ultra-performance filters filter 99.5% of allergens and ultra-fine particles from the air. The navigation is smart and substandard: the robots barely miss any parts, and with the extra side sweeping brushes, they make the corners and baseboards shine like any other part of the room.
These robots almost flawlessly sweep up dirt particles from different floor types, including fine dirt particles from short-pile and thick-pile carpets. However, the D7 performs better on thick pile carpets, thanks to an advanced spiral brush roll and stronger suction. The D7 also cleans much faster than the D5, although they both follow the same systematic cleaning pattern the D7 does more work in less time, apparently, the D7 is the more advanced robot.
Setup and use
Getting each of these robots to work for the very first time is easy. Every vacuum cleaner only has a few buttons, including the on/off button, but most of the setup and programmable settings are in the Neato mobile app and you must have this app installed on your smartphone and connected to the robot to use it. programmed and tuned to your home. From the app, you can create multiple floor plans, cordon off certain areas with the virtual ‘no-go’ lines, create different zones, and schedule times for cleaning the robot. These gadgets have many smart functions that are mainly accessible via the app that also functions as a remote control, the robots can also be controlled by Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Maintenance
As you would expect, these machines require regular maintenance to stay in top shape for optimum performance. For both robots, it is recommended that the bins be emptied and reloaded as often as possible, and the filters should be cleaned regularly. To prevent the build-up of dirt and hair, the sweeping brushes should also be cleaned, and they should be removed and cleaned regularly.
For each robot, Neato recommends replacing the filters 6 times a year, the side brushes 4 times a year, the roller brush once a year, and the battery every other year. All replacement parts must be Neato brand and following Neato’s replacement schedule for these gadgets equates to between $100-$200 annual maintenance for these robots.
Neato Botvac D5 vs D7: Which One Should You Buy?
Between the Neato Botvac D5 and D7, the latter is the more advanced robot. The D5 is a mid-range robot vacuum, while the D7 is a premium robot and includes more advanced features.
The D7 is essentially an upgraded version of the D5, it has an advanced brush roller for better cleaning, a larger Li-ion battery for longer life, a more powerful motor, and cleans much faster than the D5.
The D7 also costs more than the D5, which is no surprise because it’s a better robot. The two robots are beautifully designed and both excel at cleaning hard floors and carpets. With better features, the D7 is clearly a better buy, but the D5 also works well and which robot you end up choosing will largely depend on your budget.
-Frequently Asked Questions-
Neato D5 vs D7: Which is Better for Large Homes?
Both botvacs are designed for large multi-story homes and they both work very well, delivering about the same cleaning power and very similar features; same bin size (700 ml), same suction power (2000 Pa), and same filters.
However, the biggest differences can be seen in their cleaning power and batteries, the D5 has a maximum run time of 90 minutes while the D7 runs for up to 120 minutes which is a big advantage.
Are these Neato Botvac Connected vacuum cleaners suitable for pets and allergy sufferers?
What determines the efficiency of a robot vacuum cleaner when vacuuming pet hair and allergens is the filtration system. The D5 and D7 both have Ultra Performance filters that are powerful enough to capture and filter out 99.5% of small dust particles, pollen, and allergens, making them suitable for allergy sufferers and homes with pets.
Do these Neato robot vacuums provide better edge cleaning than other robots?
Unlike most robot vacuums that are round, the Neato robots have a D-shape, which makes them easier to handle edge cleaning. And when combined with the side brushes, the D5 and D7 are really good at sweeping up dirt and debris around the corners and edges of rooms.
Final Thoughts
Apparently, the Neato Botvac D5 and D7 have very similar properties and cleaning capabilities on all floor types, and they also all have the same smart features. However, the D7 is the more advanced robot and outperforms the D5. It uses an advanced spiral brush and combined with an improved motor and battery it cleans faster than the D5.
The only downside to the D7 is its somewhat high price tag, it’s certainly not the most expensive you’ll find and given the features and performance it offers, the price seems reasonable. We absolutely recommend the D7 and if it fits your budget then go for it. But if you’re on a slim budget and want something under $600, the D5 is a good choice.
