Is Roborock Chinese? Where Are Roborock Vacuums Made? The Full 2026 Guide

The short answer to "is Roborock Chinese?"

Yes. Roborock's full legal name is Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd., its Chinese name is 石头科技 (literally "Stone Technology"), and its headquarters is in Beijing. It is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market as 688169.SH. As of 2026 it has 3,452 employees, sells into 170+ countries, and serves more than 22 million households worldwide.

Where are Roborock vacuums actually made?

Roborock designs and engineers its products at its own R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, with an international office in Hong Kong coordinating global teams. Manufacturing is centered in China — Roborock does not operate its own factories in the United States, Germany, Japan or any other overseas market. Components (LiDAR, brushless motors, batteries, AI chips) come from the Chinese supply chain, and final assembly is done by Chinese contract manufacturing partners.

This is not unusual for the category: virtually every robot vacuum sold today — including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, and even most iRobot-branded units — is engineered and/or assembled in China. The "country of origin" on the box is China.

Who owns Roborock? The Xiaomi ecosystem story

Roborock was founded in July 2014 by Richard Chang (昌敬), a former Microsoft and Tencent product manager. In September 2014, just two months after founding, Roborock received investment from Xiaomi and became part of the Xiaomi ecosystem — a network of startups that design and sell products through Xiaomi's retail channels.

Its first product, launched in September 2016, was the Mi Home Robot Vacuum (米家扫地机器人), sold under the Xiaomi brand. It became China's best-selling robot vacuum, selling more than 2 million units by 2018.

But Roborock has never been a Xiaomi subsidiary. It launched its own Roborock-branded products in 2017 and listed independently on the STAR Market in February 2020. Xiaomi's ownership stake has been reduced over time through the IPO and follow-on sell-downs. Today Roborock is an independent public company; Xiaomi is a minority shareholder and a channel partner, not the owner.

Key financials: how big is Roborock in 2026?

Sources: Roborock 2025 Annual Report and Q1 2026 report (published April 22, 2026); company filing 688169.SH; Qichang company registry. Stock price around CN¥108 as of Oct 2026.

Roborock vs. iRobot vs. Ecovacs: the 2026 scoreboard

iRobot, the American company that invented the Roomba, was long the global category leader. That era is over. In March 2026, IDC named Roborock the world's #1 smart cleaning robot brand by shipments. Amazon's planned $1.7B acquisition of iRobot collapsed in 2024 under antitrust pressure, and iRobot has been shrinking ever since.

Read: The global robot vacuum category is now a duopoly between two Chinese companies — Roborock and Ecovacs — with iRobot relegated to a legacy brand. Dreame (追觅) is the fastest-growing challenger.

Where does Roborock sell?

Roborock is officially present in 170+ countries, with regional subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany and South Korea. Its biggest markets outside China are Germany, the United States, Japan, France, the UK and Southeast Asia. In Europe, Roborock has aggressively undercut iRobot on price while offering more advanced features (mops, auto-empty docks, LiDAR navigation).

Frequently asked questions

Is Roborock a Chinese company?

Yes. Roborock (石头科技, officially Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese company founded in July 2014 and headquartered in Beijing. It trades on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market under ticker 688169.SH.

Where are Roborock vacuums made?

Roborock vacuums are designed and engineered at the company's R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and manufactured in China. Roborock does not have its own factories in the United States, Europe or Japan; production is centered in China, with global sales across 170+ countries.

Who founded Roborock?

Roborock was founded in July 2014 by Richard Chang (昌敬, Chang Jing), a former Microsoft and Tencent product manager. The company received Xiaomi investment in September 2014 and became part of the Xiaomi ecosystem, launching its first product — the Mi Home Robot Vacuum — in September 2016.

Is Roborock owned by Xiaomi?

No. Xiaomi was an early investor in 2014 and Roborock began as a Xiaomi ecosystem company, but Roborock has been independently listed on the STAR Market since February 2020 (688169.SH). Xiaomi's stake has been reduced over time; Roborock designs, manufactures and sells its own Roborock-branded products independently.

How big is Roborock compared to iRobot?

By IDC's 2026 ranking, Roborock overtook iRobot to become the world's #1 smart cleaning robot brand. In 2025 Roborock posted RMB 18.7 billion in revenue (+56.5% YoY) and RMB 1.36 billion net profit. iRobot's planned Amazon acquisition collapsed in 2024 and the US company has since lost global market share to Chinese competitors including Roborock, Ecovacs and Dreame.