The 5 best roach killers of 2026, according to pest control experts

Cockroaches are resilient, fast-breeding pests. Once they invade, they're hard to eliminate without the right products. The best roach killers can quickly reduce visible bugs while targeting hidden nests to stop infestations at the source. Whether you're dealing with a few sightings in your kitchen or a larger problem in your home or business, the proper treatment makes all the difference.

To find the most effective solutions, we consulted experts at the National Pest Management Association about which active ingredients work best, when to use bait versus spray, and when it's time to call a professional exterminator. In most cases, eliminating cockroaches requires a combination approach, since these pests are notoriously durable and adaptable.

Below are our picks for the best roach killers and traps. Some of our picks kill roaches on contact, while others use slow-acting bait that allows insects to carry poison back to the nest, helping to eliminate the colony over time.

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Here are the best roach killers and traps

Best overall: Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer - See at Amazon

Best contact spray: Raid Ant & Roach Killer Insecticide Spray - See at Amazon

Best gel: Advion Cockroach Gel Bait - See at Amazon

Best trap: Black Flag Roach Motel Insect Trap - See at Amazon

Best bait: Combat Max 12-Month Roach-Killing Bait - See at Amazon

Best overall

A preventive spray, Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer is effective for about three months at keeping roaches and plenty of other six-legged creatures at bay.

Whether you're neck-deep in cockroaches or you're just preparing for or anticipating the worst, a perimeter spray is a great measure to take both inside and out. It also keeps far more than roaches out of your house and creates a buffer against an impressively diverse list of potentially more harmful critters.

Wearing a mask, use the electric spray gun (included with the gallon-size jug), slightly dampen a twelve-inch perimeter around your house and make sure to keep children and animals away from it until it's dry. For indoor application, spray a four-inch band on the edges of doors and windows, plus anywhere else bugs could get in.

The main thing you want to keep in mind is thoroughness. You're essentially building a fence, so lay the stuff on thick. Coat window and door frames, crawlspaces, garage doors, and all crevices. Fortunately, you'll only have to do this once a season.

One final note: because this product contains Bifenthrin, which is toxic to certain aquatic creatures, including fish, consider avoiding using it if your property borders a body of water.

Best contact spray

Kill-on-contact spray is important to have for visible infestations. Keep in mind that it contains a cocktail of Cypermethrin and Imiprothrin, among others, all of which are somewhat toxic to humans.

Raid's Ant & Roach Killer Insecticide Spray is also handy when you have a clear idea of where the roaches are traveling. It remains temporarily lethal enough that if you spray their trail before shutting out the lights and heading off to bed, it will still harm them.

Complete eradication requires a combination of approaches, and sprays like this won't kill the roaches you can't see and trace. A perimeter spray and bait stations will pick up most of your slack, though. Raid Ant & Roach Killer Insecticide Spray is great to have on hand for pretty much any bug infestation.

Best gel

When you have a serious infestation and can't pinpoint the source or the nest, a spreadable gel is a great option. You can smear it into any suspect cracks, corners, and crevices. As hermetically sealed as your domicile may be, there are almost always cracks, and that is indeed how the roaches get in.

Advion's Cockroach Gel Bait, with Indoxacarb as its active ingredient, mercilessly attacks the pests' nervous systems and spreads throughout the nest. Before long, the whole colony is wiped out.

While application is more involved than opening a box and dispersing a few traps throughout the house, Advion's Cockroach Gel Bait comes with applicator tips so that it's not a horribly messy chore.

Squeeze it into cracks and create a bead or dots around baseboards, near trash cans, and anywhere else the vermin may be finding their way into your living space. However, it's not good for pets.

This formula is also approved for boats, planes, and other vehicles, including your car.

Best trap

A self-contained trap like Black Flag's Roach Motel is often the most practical and comfortable approach. Cleanup is much less involved: Just pick it up and toss it once it's full or too tattered to perform its job any longer. It also entices and contains spiders, scorpions, crickets, and other insects.

This is a great option for households with pets and small children. The active ingredient in these traps isn't a pesticide but merely sticky tape. Even if their fingers or paws do find their way in, it's nontoxic.

Roach Motels come two to a pack. The way they work is simple: Black Flag's sweet proprietary concoction lures in the roaches (and other pests). Once inside the trap, they find themselves attached to a sticky tape.

While this is arguably cruel, keep in mind that roaches probably aren't capable of experiencing pain like we are. However, smaller rodents might also find their way in, at which point they will be trapped and left to suffer (as they do in traps like these).

Best bait

The heavy sprays and gels aren't necessary for the common, small roach. An insecticide with Fipronil, like Combat's Max 12-Month Roach Killing Bait Stations, is more than adequate.

The beauty of these contraptions is threefold: They're affordable; they last for a whole year as the packaging suggests; and the domino effect they have on the nest, and potentially the entire local population, is underway the second one individual roach takes the bait.

We also particularly like how nondescript these bait stations are. Toss them under the fridge or in the back of the kitchen cabinet, and guests will never see them. Far and away, this is the easiest and cheapest solution to start with, but generally, you'll also have to take other measures.

How the best roach killers compare

How to choose the best roach killer for your situation

You will likely need to use a combination of solutions to keep your home roach-free: a product to kill existing bugs and another to keep new bugs from entering. Depending on the degree of your infestation and the amount of effort you are willing to do on your own (before you call an expert extermination service), any of our recommendations are applicable. But here's the basic run-down of application and effectiveness of each type of trap and poison:

Products that kill existing bugs

Spot-killing sprays: If you're coming face-to-face with roaches in your home, a spray will get the job done on the spot. You'll have to clean up afterward, though. Plus, depending on how much you spray, you can really foul the air in your house for a while.

Sticky traps: Sticky traps can be effective. While they're pesticide-free, they're a little cruel because whatever gets stuck in there will die of exhaustion or starvation. These traps also tend to be on the larger side, so they're harder to hide.

Products that prevent new bugs from entering

Preventative sprays: Preventative sprays are somewhat labor-intensive. You have to thoroughly and carefully spray around your house's inner and outer perimeters and let the solution dry (for about four hours) before going near the sprayed areas. In our experience and based on our experts' recommendations, this is the most effective option.

Gel baits: Gel baits are second only to preventative sprays because while they're thoroughly effective, they leave behind a trail of dead bugs. Still, this is a great way to stop roaches from developing regular trails through kitchen cabinets, cracks in the wall, and other tight crevices.

Bait stations: Bait stations lure roaches in for poisonous bait, which they'll then take back to the nest. Dead roaches will be scattered about, but application is as easy as dropping the little plastic discs here and there and replacing them every 12 months. This is about as easy as it gets, but there will be cleanup.

Ingredients to look for

Roach killers are toxic by nature, but plenty of chemicals will exterminate without being toxic to pets and humans. Here's more about the toxicity in the active ingredients found within the products we recommend:

Cypermethrin: A fast-acting neurotoxin in insects, Cypermethrin is generally only a mild irritant to humans and mammals, as it's 1,000 times more potent to insects. Still, it's best to avoid skin contact when handling it. (Note, Ortho's Home Defense Insect Killer includes Cypermethrin but also features a small concentration of Bifenthrin, which is harmful to aquatic insects and finfish, and it's best to avoid letting it leak into bodies of water.)

Fipronil: Also used for killing fleas and ticks on dogs, Fipronil affects the central nervous system of insects. While studies show that it's heavily toxic to rodents, it will only cause mild skin irritation in humans. If consumed, health effects become much more serious, though not necessarily life-threatening.

Imiprothrin: Categorized by the EPA as having a "low order of toxicity" in humans (and mammals), Imiprothrin exposure manifests as a mild skin and eye irritant and is considered suitable for indoor applications.

Indoxacarb: Classified by the United States EPA as a "not likely" human carcinogen, Indoxacarb is a pyrethroid also used to prevent the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from insects to humans and other animals. Still, it has caused neurotoxicity in several studies of both mice and rats, and you'll want to seek medical attention if ingested.

Read more about pesticide toxicity assessment at the EPA.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Owen Burke, writer: For this guide to the best roach killers, I consulted experts at the National Pest Management Association and reviewed guidance on active ingredients, treatment methods, and integrated pest management strategies. I tested and evaluated products based on effectiveness, ease of use, and safety considerations. I also considered suitability for different levels of infestation, focusing on solutions that target both visible roaches and hidden nests so readers can choose the right approach for their pest problem.

How we determine the best roach killers

We spoke with waste management professionals at Organic Pest Control NYC and Cindy Mannes, vice president of public affairs for the NPMA, to learn the most effective chemicals and approaches to cockroach management. We also found out the necessary concentrations of active ingredients to get the job done.

One rule to ridding a space of roaches supersedes all measures: Proper food storage and waste disposal are your first (and most effective) line of defense. Cindy Mannes, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), told Insider that the best way to control a cockroach problem is, essentially, not to let them in in the first place. That means removing anything that the insects find attractive — food, water, and clutter, which offers warmth and a place to hide.

"Cockroaches are some of the most resilient pests in the world, making getting rid of them a difficult task for consumers to do themselves," Mannes said. "People can take steps, however, to mitigate cockroach problems through barrier exclusion and cleanliness."

Other specific considerations were:

Ease of use: Is it something as simple as opening a cartridge and slipping it under the sink, or do you have to crawl around on your hands and knees with protective gear on? We offer recommendations across the spectrum, so choose what is most practical (and realistic) for you and your household.

Toxicity: We considered whether active ingredients were toxic to humans and pets. Essentially, everything is at the very least mildly toxic, but some options, like the Fipronil found in Raid's Bait Stations, were considerably less problematic for pets.

Effectiveness: Effectiveness is without a doubt the most important feature of a roach killer or trap. We considered the active chemicals, our experts' recommendations, and user reviews.

Roach killer FAQs

What are the most effective chemicals to look for in a roach killer?

Chemicals that affect the central nervous system of insects work best, especially because they're so effective with roaches but don't tend to affect mammals (specifically pets and humans) to the same degree. Cypermethrin, Imiprothrin, Fipronil, and Indoxacarb are the more common EPA-approved ones and the active ingredients found in the products we recommend above.

How long do roach killers stay effective?

How long a roach killer works depends on the type of product and the severity of the infestation. Bait stations can remain effective for several weeks to a few months, as long as they don't dry out, while sprays typically kill on contact for short-term control. Gels and powders can last for months if kept dry and undisturbed, and inset growth regulators disrupt the roach lifecycle but can take several weeks to deliver results.

Does bleach kill roaches?

Yes, but it's not as safe or as effective as specifically designed insecticides.

Does boric acid kill roaches?

Yes, boric acid can work very well, entering either through digestion or basic contact, but it's messy. It also tends to lose potency quickly and can be harmful to children and pets if ingested.

Does dichotomous earth kill roaches?

Yes. Diatomaceous earth is a potent but pet- and human-safe implement for killing cockroaches. It breaks down their exoskeletons, and roaches also bring it back to the nest, so the domino effect can work extremely well within a few weeks.

You'll just need to continuously spread a dusting of it in the problematic area, which, as with boric acid, can become messy.

How do I prevent roaches from returning?

No matter what type of poison you use, effectiveness is going to be relative to cleanliness. If your house is a sty, you'll just keep inviting in roaches (and other pests). Keep counters and floors clean; keep your sink free of dishes; store food in airtight containers; vacuum weekly; ventilate crawl spaces; and prevent moisture from building up, especially due to leaky pipes and faucets.

When should I call in a professional?

You may want to call in a licensed pest control professional if you're seeing roaches during the day—often a sign of a large infestation—if DIY treatments haven't reduced activity after several weeks, or if infestations keep returning despite repeated treatments. Professional help is also a good idea when roaches spread beyond one room, especially in apartment buildings where shared walls can allow pests to travel between spaces.

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