The 9 best vacuum cleaners to buy in 2024 — robot, cordless, handheld, and more

Give your home a deep clean with one of the best vacuum cleaners for fab results. Real Homes has done the heavy lifting to determine the best model for you. We've tested these machines in our own homes to find the best bang for your buck.

If you live in a small space, a handheld vacuum might be all you need. But if you have furry friends at home, we've included vacs that can handle fur, dander, and other pet messes. 

Everything on this list (including the best cordless vacuums) has been thoroughly tested in our homes and rated four stars or higher. There's something for everyone, whether your budget is $300 or $1,000, with reviews to help you make an informed decision based on cleaning needs, price points, and durability.

Best vacuum cleaners 2024

The quick list

Here's a quick look at all of our favorite vacuum cleaners, and a summary of why we think they're worthy of a purchase.

The best vacuum cleaner you can buy

I've been using this vacuum to clean my home ever since it was released, and my pug has given this Shark vacuum a run for its money. It's a lot cheaper than our top-rated Dyson and built to last.

With very few buttons — this vacuum is so easy to use. I always pop it on auto mode which adjusts its suction based on how dirty or clean it detects your floors to be. Admittedly, it does try and eat thinner rugs, but works great on carpet and high-pile rugs.

It suctions up pet hair easily in one go, and its LED headlights are great for illuminating dirt you might not otherwise see. I can use it two to three times to clean my entire two-bedroom apartment before it needs charging.

This vacuum has a bendable stick to reach underneath furniture. This also makes it easy to store (at half its height) as it stands upright with its main unit folded and facing the floor. It works with recyclable pods to emit a nice smell as you clean, which is great for busting pet odor and preventing that awful vacuum cleaner smell. This model comes with two tools — a duster crevice tool and an anti-allergen dusting brush. You'll also get a bag for keeping all the tools together and one battery (though you can buy additional units separately).

Read our full Shark Stratos IZ420UKT review.

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The best vacuum cleaner for small homes

The Tineco Pure One S12 offers similar features to our top pick from Shark, though it has a slightly shorter battery life and a smaller dust cup. Although the 0.6-liter dustbin looked small, it was surprisingly roomy. However, the brush roll gets tangled with hair, so our reviewer had to get her scissors out to deal with this.

Tineco's signature iLoop Smart Sensor technology detects hidden dust and debris and auto-adjusts suction power. The LED ring changes from red to blue to indicate clean floors and guides you along. It's a true standout feature that gives a visual confirmation that your floors are getting cleaner. It's not necessary, but the onboard LED display can be connected to your phone via the Tineco app, to monitor cleaning progress, battery levels, and suction performance for additional insight into your cleaning experience.

It comes with a suite of tools that are thoughtfully designed. Included are a mini power brush, a 2-in-1 dusting brush, a soft dusting brush, and a crevice tool. It will fit inside a compact closet or docked on a wall (where it can also be charged). 

Read our full Tineco Pure One S12 review.

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The best wet and dry vacuum cleaner

If you're looking for a wet and dry vacuum to clean your floor of debris and simultaneously mop, then the Tineco Floor One S5 is your best buy.

Our reviewer, Alex, raved about this multifunctional model, saying that it's so easy to use and it managed to reach most corners of her 1,600 square-foot home. She enjoyed using its digital display, which detects and displays how much dirt, grime, and debris covers your floors by displaying a color-coded circular band. Optionally, you can connect the S5 to your phone via an app to see cleaning stats. Though this vacuum does have a self-cleaning button on its handle, which takes only five minutes to complete, it requires additional maintenance after each use.

Because this is a wet and dry vacuum, it doesn't come with handheld attachments and can't be used in a more compact form. It does, however, come with a small charging base that can hold an extra brush roller, HEPA filter, and a 3-in-1 cleaning brush. We also reviewed the Tineco Floor One S3 (its predecessor), but this model has a larger tank and new technology making it easier to use.

Read our full Tineco Floor One S5 review.

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The best robot vacuum cleaner

The iRobot Roomba S9+ is great at picking up dust and more around the house, and navigating corners, making it the best robot vacuum you can buy. You need to download the iRobot app and from there it will walk you through the process. It will first go around your entire house to capture a map so that it knows where it is at all times.

Our reviewer found that this iRobot vacuum was easy to use, with the app or manual controls on top of the unit. It managed to collect an incredible amount of dust and can get right into the corners, plus, it does pick up hair. However, it wraps hair around its brush roll, and she had to attack it with scissors a few times. 

She was amazed that when it's done cleaning, it returns to its station, to empty and charge. She noted it could empty itself around 30 times before she needed to change the bin. It can clean rugs, but it will get stuck on tasseled designs and can be tricky to navigate over long-pile mats.

It's pretty slim so it should be able to fit underneath most of your furniture for cleaning. It automatically adjusts its suction when cleaning carpets, ensuring it preserves battery power when gliding across hard floors.

Read our iRobot Roomba S9+ review.

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The best handheld vacuum

This handheld vacuum is rated our top model for smaller jobs, and it comes with tools included for less than $100. Our reviewer Millie found the two suction modes were plentiful for dealing with an array of messes, though choosing the lower power setting helped the vacuum run for much longer.

It has two modes — press the power button once for regular mode and again for boost mode. A third press will turn the machine off. In the box came a crevice nozzle (with a moveable brush) and a brush nozzle. The brush nozzle was excellent for cleaning upholstery, while the crevice nozzle was unrivaled for reaching corners in her high-ceiling home. It also comes with a charging stand if you have somewhere to place it.

It has a running time of 15–30 minutes depending on the mode that you're using it on. While this might not sound long enough, it is the longest of the handheld vacs that we've reviewed. When it comes to charging, the S1 can be housed on its charging dock or via its USB-C cable. Oddly, a strong gust of air emerges from either side of the handheld vacuum when in use.

Read our full Proscenic S1 handheld vacuum review.

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The best affordable vacuum cleaner

If you only have a couple of hundred dollars to spend on a vacuum, then consider this one from Levoit. Yes, it's ideal for smaller spaces but our reviewer Courtney tested it in a family home with no problem. It even managed to collect pet hair in the process.

Courtney rated its suction to be impressive on both carpets and hard floors, and the fact it automatically adjusts its suction based on how dirty your floors are was a game-changer for her. Courtney found it handy that the LED screen displays "max" when the dust bin is full but does admit this can be a little messy to empty.

For $299.99, this vacuum offers so many incredible features. It comes with an add-on for its stick which allows it to bend underneath furniture with ease, and with that, its headlights illuminate your path. It only comes with two attachments — a telescoping crevice tool and a 2-in-1 dusting brush — but for the price, you can't complain. If you have a large home, this would be a great secondary vacuum for spot cleaning. Its filter is washable and the vacuum is easy to detach for cleaning.

Read our full Levoit VortexIQ40 review.

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The best Dyson vacuum

As one of the best-rated Dyson vacuums, our reviewer loved the range of attachments it came with, and the fact it weighs under seven pounds made it so much easier to lug up her stairs. It has three power modes, but she recommends using the max power mode in short bursts as it quickly decreases the battery life.

The LCD screen lets you monitor your vac's stats and alerts you when the bin needs emptying or if an air channel is clogged. As you'd expect for the price, this vacuum comes with a huge range of tools, including a digital motor bar and a laser slim fluffy cleaner head. The former is designed so that it doesn't get clogged with pet hair, and the latter is what you need to use to see the beam.

Though the laser only works on hard floors, the Piezo sensor still collects dirt whether you're on carpet or hard floors, and assures you that your vacuum is still picking stuff up. Dyson DLS technology automatically senses a change in floor type if you move from hard floors to carpeted areas.

Read our full Dyson V15 Detect review.

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The best canister vacuum cleaner

Normally, you'd find that most cylinder vacuums are bagged, which can be annoying to some. But the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog PowerLine isn't, and it's so easy to empty. It's best for anyone with a large family home (ideally with pets) but it does come at a hefty weight and price. 

Our reviewer Sarah used this vacuum to clean tiled, carpeted, and parquet floors, and loved how changing from one type of surface to another just needed a flip of the foot control to adjust the floorhead brushes. Hard flooring was easy to clean, but carpets required slightly more effort and suction adjustment.

Sarah found the suction impressive, vacuuming everything from dried mud to large debris with relative ease. She did note that it wasn't the best for cleaning her staircase, because it's quite heavy and was difficult to maneuver around each step. 

The adjustable telescopic tube prevents the need for users to frequently bend down, and she noted that it was easy to empty. The mains cable retracts via a switch you operate with your foot, which is a handy back-saver. The vacuum has a self-cleaning function that can also be manually activated if you’ve tackled a storm of dust.

Read our Miele Blizzard CX1 review.

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The best upright vacuum cleaner

The Dyson Ball Animal 3 was an easy vacuum to use once you got the hang of it. This vacuum impressed our reviewer when cleaning carpets, as she said it removed hairs and embedded dirt she couldn't even see was there. On hard floors, it was much easier to use and she claimed it outperformed any other vacuum she has tested. Its suction was so strong it managed to get into crevices in her solid wood floors.

Its ball made cleaning easier as this vacuum was easy to maneuver around furniture. Although it doesn't bend or have a telescopic handle, Paige still managed to use it for cleaning underneath furniture. She did note it would only slide underneath things by about three inches. While the brush bar automatically rotates when the vacuum is reclined, there is a button to turn this bar off. The brush head also features three settings and a slider, so it’s easy to change the setting to reflect the surface type that you’re working on.

The Dyson Ball Animal 3 comes with two tools: a stair tool, and a combination tool. She didn't find the stair tool particularly helpful, but she used the combination tool for cleaning baseboards and removing cobwebs from ceiling corners. It doesn't have cord storage, although all accessories can be stored on the vacuum for ease. Its two filters require cleaning monthly and need to be left to dry before using again.

Read our Dyson Ball Animal 3 review.

Compare these vacuum cleaners

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What to consider when buying a new vacuum cleaner

• Weight — If you have stairs, bear this metric in mind. If not, then still choose something lightweight if you want to use it as a handheld model with its accessories.
• Capacity — The bigger your home, the bigger you want your dustbin capacity to be. Corded vacuums usually have the biggest capacities. Robot and handheld vacuums naturally have smaller dust bins. If you have a pet, go for a bigger dustbin.
• Size — If your storage closet is small, then this will inform the floor space required for your new vacuum. Some models fold to store and have onboard storage.
• Charge time — Only applicable for cordless vacuums. If you're someone who vacuums every day, then go for a vacuum cleaner with a short charge time. If you don't mind charging yours overnight or you vacuum just twice a week, charge time isn't a big deal.
• Battery life — Only applicable for cordless vacuums, but you should consider the size of your home and how often you'd be happy charging your vacuum.
• Cord length — Only applicable for corded vacuums, but check how many sockets you have and check the length of the cord will reach around your home.
• Price — You probably have a budget in mind already, so choose your vacuum and then patiently wait for Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday home deals in the hope that the price will drop.

Types of vacuum cleaner

If you're not sure where to start when choosing a vacuum cleaner, here are a few things that you'll need to look out for.

Upright vacuum cleaners are usually heavier, but lightweight models do exist. They tend to have a larger capacity, meaning you have to empty them less frequently than a cylinder or small handheld vac. Corded models are best for prolonged use in larger spaces as you can use them for as long as you require.

Stick vacuums are a lot more common these days, and are quite slimline, resembling a broom. Commonly they are cordless, but they usually can't stand upright on their own. They are known for being lightweight, easy to maneuver, and simple to store. They'll usually come with some sort of wall dock for easy hanging in between cleaning sessions and with lots of tools as the majority of them convert to be a handheld vacuum.

Canister vacuums (aka cylinder vacuums) tend to be less energy-efficient but are best for deep cleaning as they usually have large dust bins and are corded so that you can clean them for as long as you like. When it comes to storage, they can often be taken apart so they can squeeze into tight spaces. They are also usually bagged, so they're great for allergy sufferers. 

Handheld vacuum cleaners are great for picking up light messes, and many of today's stick and cordless models convert to easy handheld designs. A vacuum that's specifically only handheld will be a lot smaller than its 2-in-1 counterpart. They also usually come with a stand and they're quite affordable at around $100.

Bagless vacuum cleaners can be messy to empty depending on the size of their canister. However, the ongoing cost of bags for traditional bagged models will make them more expensive in the long run (not to mention this waste is not very good for the environment). Despite this, most people with allergies opt for a bagged vacuum cleaner as they seal the dust and allergens as soon as they are cleaned up.

Cordless vacuums are a good buy for small homes; they're often lighter and slimmer, so easier to store and navigate than bulkier models. Their battery life is much better than a decade ago and they make quick cleaning very convenient. Larger, more powerful vacuum cleaners tend to be corded, and these are what you want to choose for larger homes or if you need a really powerful vacuum cleaner. These (typically heavier) vacs are normally bagged and will take up more storage space.

How we test vacuum cleaners

All of the vacuums featured have been tested by one of our in-house or contributing editors for at least a fortnight. We've tested 60+ vacuums, but the nine models in this guide are our favorites. We use the following criteria to rank them and compare each vacuum with its competitors. 

1. How easy is it to set up? We assemble all of our vacuum cleaners by ourselves. If the vac needs to be connected to an app, we'll evaluate how easy it was to connect.

2. How easy is it to use? How many modes does it have? Sounds pretty straightforward, and for those vacuums with only one or two modes — it is. But for anything a little more technical (ie. the Dyson V15 Detect) we test every single feature and mode, comparing one to another and on different floor types. The ease of use test also includes how heavy it is to lift it upstairs and how easy it is to clean underneath furniture and maneuver around furniture legs. We also check if it has LED headlights for illuminating dark spaces.

3. What is its battery life like? How long is its cord? How big is its dust cup?  Manufacturers provide these specs, but we always verify these details, by timing how long each vacuum can be used, measuring the power cable, and vacuuming until the bin is full to check its capacity.

4. How easy is it to store and maintain? Some vacs are a lot easier to clean than others. Many have washable filters and we always note how easy it is to empty each vacuum cleaner's dust cup. When it comes to storage, this will be dependent on the type of vacuum it is. Stick vacuums are typically more compact, making them a good option for a small apartment.

5. What attachments are included? We test out all of the accessories that come included with our vacuum cleaners and explain what we used each one to clean. As a general rule, vacuums usually come with a crevice tool for reaching corners and a brush tool for cleaning baseboards and surfaces. Less is usually more, as you need to think about where you're going to keep these accessories when not in use. Many vacuums have onboard storage factored into the design.

We carry out pantry tests with each model, challenging these vacuums with cereal, rice, and sugar across different floor types. This is a great way of demonstrating a vacuum's capabilities in a domestic setting. But, if you want to know even more about how we test vacuum cleaners, we've got a transparent run-down of our process. You can rest assured that we are only showing you the best of the best.

Meet our freelancer vacuum reviewers:

Millie Fender

Millie is our former head of reviews across Future's Homes titles. She has tested many vacuums in her South London apartment, including the handheld Proscenic S1.

Jaclyn Turner

Jaclyn was previously ecommerce editor across Future homes titles, including Real Homes. In this guide, Jaclyn has reviewed the Dyson V15 Detect. Jaclyn's home features a mix of hardwood floors, carpets, and area rugs. A small non-shedding dog lives in the house but still manages to track in his fair share of dirt. 

Sarah Warwick

Sarah reviewed the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat&Dog PowerLine. She lives in the UK and in her home you can find all types of flooring, from parquet to tiles and carpet, making it the perfect vacuum testing space.

Linda Clayton

Linda tested the iRobot Roomba S9+ in her busy home in Devon to find out how well they perform across various floor types and how well they cope with busy family life and her three super-fluffy, world-class-molting dogs. 

Courtney Irwin

Courtney is a mom of three young kids and a dog, so reviewing the Tineco Pure One S12 and the Levoit VortexIQ40 Flex was right up her alley. She lives in a four-bedroom home with all types of flooring (carpet, hardwood, and tile), the ideal environment to test and challenge a cordless vacuum.

Alex Temblador

Alex is a contributing editor for Real Homes, and she reviewed the Tineco Floor One S5 for us in her Texan home.

Paige Cerulli

Paige tested the Dyson Ball Animal 3 in her home for two weeks. In which, thanks to her four cats (three longhaired), is filled with plenty of pet hair, it was given a good run for its money.

Up next: Don't miss our guide to how to vacuum like a pro (yes, there are techniques to get it done quicker and better).