Good news: both the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Roomba j9+ work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. You can tell either one to start cleaning, go back to the dock, or clean specific rooms. But there are some differences worth knowing.
Voice Control: Roomba Wins on Depth
iRobot has invested heavily in voice integration. The Roomba j9+ supposedly understands more voice commands than any other robot vacuum. You can ask detailed questions like "When did you last clean the kitchen?" or give specific tasks like "Clean under the dining table."
The S8 MaxV Ultra handles basic voice commands fine, but it's not as conversational. Start, stop, go home, clean this room. The essentials.
The Offline Trick
The Roborock has a built-in voice assistant. Say "Hello Rocky" and the vacuum responds directly, even if your WiFi is down.
Ever had your internet go out and realized you can't control any smart home devices? The S8 MaxV Ultra can still take voice commands. That's a nice backup.
Matter: The Future-Proofing Play
The S8 MaxV Ultra is the first robot vacuum certified for Matter. That's the new smart home standard designed to work across Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung ecosystems.
Does it matter right now? Not really. But in a few years when Matter is everywhere, the Roborock will be ready.
The Apps Are Where It's At
Both apps are solid. The Roborock app lets you draw custom cleaning zones and manage multi-floor maps. The iRobot app has nice Dirt Detective insights showing which rooms get dirtiest.
Which Should You Care About?
Voice control is your main thing? The Roomba j9+ has more commands and natural interaction.
Want future-proof smart home stuff? The S8 MaxV Ultra's Matter certification is a bonus.
Just want it to work? Both do. You can say "Alexa, start the vacuum" with either one.
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How we researched this
Where this comes from: this answer draws on the product's published specifications and the reviews ShopSavvy collected for it, alongside prices from ShopSavvy's price data.
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