Ultimate flex: The best vacuum cleaner for 2025 make cleaning less of a chore by saving you time, energy and stress. (Shark, Freo X Ultra, Dyson)
A good vacuum cleaner should be powerful, nimble and easy to tote around. The best vacuums for 2025 take it up a notch with innovative features and hardworking accessories. Think: automatic gear-shifting, fluorescent lights that illuminate the tiniest dust particles and savvy tools that enable you to get into every crevice.
To find these machines, our team of home and tech writers — who have decades of experience covering and evaluating appliances — tested more than 80, including cordless stick vacuums, upright models, robot vacuums and handheld car options. We used them on different surfaces (from hardwood to high-pile carpets) and materials (Cheerios and kitty litter were involved). We set up obstacle courses to see how well these vacuum models could swivel, and we even piled fur on car mats to see how they'd fare for people with pets. Here, you'll find all of our expert reviews, including hands-on test results and buying tips to help you choose the best vacuum for your home.
A quick note before we dive in: When we mention height, we’re referring to the assembled height of the vacuum. Length and width refer to the cleaner head’s dimensions, or what’s called the cleaning path — the area covered in one pass.
Update, July 12, 2025: We’ve confirmed current pricing and availability for all products. Our top picks for the best vacuums remain unchanged.
Size: 12.01"L x 15.12"W x 46.18"H | Weight: 17.08 pounds | Bin capacity: 1.9 liters | Vacuum type: Corded upright | Filter: Yes, HEPA | Power: 1,416 watts
Topping our list of best upright vacuums is the Shark PowerDetect, which looks almost intergalactic and leverages a network of sensors to adapt to different environments and zap everything in sight.
How it works: The Shark PowerDetect includes a detangling cleaner head with two brush rolls and an odor-neutralizing pod, a HEPA filter, a large 1.9-liter dust cup, a long hose and a wand with a handle and controls. The wand clips into the cleaner head base, and the cup clips to the front of the wand.
There are buttons along the canister for detaching the dust cup for emptying or, separately, lifting it away (with the motor intact) for detailing corners, stairs and upholsteries.
Power settings are located along the top portion of the handle for easy reach. They let you select your floor type or put the vacuum in "Detect" mode, which automatically adjusts its suction.
Why it's great: For being on the heavier side (a common feature among vacuums with strong motors and sizable dust cups), the Shark PowerDetect is incredibly agile, with swivel steering for optimal maneuverability and a shallow cleaner head that allowed us to get under and around furniture. The two-brush system meant more traction, additional coverage and shorter passes (less time and energy!), while LED lights helped with visibility. The cord length is also 30 feet, on the longer side for a vacuum in the upright category.
The PowerDetect proved a match for a variety of messes, sucking up Cheerios, rice, kitty litter, sand and stubborn pet fur, including against the edges of cabinets. The anti-wrap-style brush cleaner head worked well, with no issues of hair getting caught or tangling.
When we put this Shark vacuum into automatic "Detect" mode, we were able to harness its powerful pickup to navigate multi-surface homes with abandon, cruising from bare floors to low-pile and plush carpets smoothly. This feature was particularly helpful when it came to smaller areas of carpet, like kitchen mats, because it used just enough suction to vacuum effectively without getting stuck or pulling up corners. Based on our experience, that's not an easy feat!
Read more in our guides to the best canister and upright vacuums and the best Shark vacuums.
Size: 13"L x 14"W x 46"H | Weight: 15 pounds | Bin capacity: 1 liter | Vacuum type: Corded upright | Filter: Yes | Power: 1,800 watts
For a budget-friendly upright — also designed with pets in mind — Bissell's CleanView Swivel is top of the line.
How it works: The CleanView Swivel consists of a cleaner head, a bagless canister, an extendable hose and a wand with a handle.
To operate it, you plug in the cord and choose one of five surface settings. There are two foot pedals in the back of the vacuum, one for releasing the wand and one for turning the vacuum off and on.
Why it's great: This well-rounded warrior aced both our "carpet course" and "kitchen sink" tests (read more about them below), sucking up every speck in its path right up to the edges of furniture and cabinets. It also picked up most of the fur in our pet-hair test.
The swivel steering makes maneuvering it a breeze. The adjustable settings allowed us to optimize for various floor types and carpet thicknesses. But where the Bissell CleanView Swivel really stood out is with its thoughtful attachments, which clip onto the vacuum so they're always handy.
The two-in-one dusting brush and crevice tool helped us access hard-to-reach spots, while the real hero — the TurboEraser tool — is one of the few attachments we've ever tested that could remove deeply matted cat fur from an embroidered sofa. It left it looking like new!
If you have pets and/or an extra $30ish to spend, there's also a pet-friendly version of this vacuum with an extra "corner" attachment, plus automatic cord rewind. (Read more in our guide to the best budget vacuums.)
Size: 10.5"L x 9.8"W x 49.6"H | Weight: 7.6 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.8 liters | Run time: 70 minutes | Vacuum type: Cordless stick | Filter: Yes | Power: 280 watts
Topping our list for best cordless stick vacuum is the Dyson Gen5detect, which has the strongest suction and longest running time of almost any stick vac we tried.
How it works: Like most Dysons, the Gen5detect is made up of three main parts — a cleaner brush head, a long tube and an upper — that click into place in a matter of seconds.
The upper doubles as a handheld vacuum when used with any of the included accessories. For easy emptying, the dust cup has a lever that pops it open and forcibly removes the contents.
Why it's great: The Gen5detect comes with a digital "Motorbar" (aka "de-tangling" or "vane") brush that can be adjusted for different surfaces and materials. It also includes a special "Fluffy Optic" brush, designed specifically for hard surfaces, that highlights anything in its path fluorescent green for peak visibility. We felt like real-life Ghostbusters powering this thing!
Because both brushes are so narrow and shallow, they got right up against baseboards and didn't miss finer materials (such as rice and sand) in our testing. And because the "Fluffy Optic" brush is so soft, we didn’t have to worry about scuffing up molding when using it to get into small crevices. Bonus: This brush is so nimble that we rarely needed to break out the Dyson accessory tools when navigating tighter areas, such as around dining room chairs and toilets.
Additionally, the Gen5detect is the only Dyson, other than the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, to feature a power button you push on and off (other Dyson stick vacuums require you to hold down a button to keep them going).
The digital screen not only displays modes and remaining run times (down to the second) but also tells you how much debris is detected and cleared from an area. Our only gripe with the Gen5detect is that, as with all Dyson cordless stick vacuums, it doesn't have headlights. That said, the "Fluffy Optic" brush can also work on flat rugs in a pinch. (Read more in our guides to the best Dyson stick vacuums and best stick vacuums from other brands.)
Size: 15.5"L x 11.02"W x 42.2"H | Weight: 17.3 pounds | Bin capacity: 1.7 liters | Vacuum type: Corded upright | Filter: HEPA | Power: 290 watts
When it comes to upright vacuums designed specifically for pet hair, this "animal-style" vacuum from Dyson is a powerful force to be reckoned with.
How it works: The Dyson Ball Animal 3 comes (just about) ready to go: You just click the cleaner head, body and extendable hose/wand with handle into place to assemble.
Once you're ready to vacuum (we wasted no time), you plug in the cord, choose one of three surface settings on the cleaner head base and press the red power button to operate.
You can also release the hose and wand to tackle areas that are hard to reach.
Why it's great: This dynamo from Dyson means serious business. Like its name suggests, it devoured Cheerios, faux fur, kitty litter, rice and other materials in our testing. Most importantly, it made matted pet fur disappear from car mats. This vacuum was so powerful that we had to hold the mats down for the highest settings.
Here's where it gets really interesting: To put the Dyson Ball Animal 3 and other pet vacs to the ultimate test, I took them to my grandmother's house. Or, more precisely, I took them to her cat Caylee's nesting spot, an area of carpet with so much embedded fur that it had formed a furry veil most vacuums can barely touch. As my grandmother and I witnessed in awe, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 managed to get up every last hair.
As a bonus, this vac has one of the largest dust cups of the models for pet hair we tested and the longest cord at 50 feet. It features a washable HEPA filter for greater efficacy and easier maintenance.
The roller brush is anti-tangle, especially important for anyone who has a long-haired dog or cat, and the "Extra" version comes with additional attachments, including a tangle-free turbine tool for lifting pet hair and a grooming tool for getting right to the source of things.
Of note: While the cleaner head is fairly narrow, the large swivel ball on this vacuum makes it difficult to tackle shallow areas such as under a sofa. (Read more in our guide to the best vacuums for pet hair.)
Size: 18.2"L x 11"W x 8.7"H | Weight: 13 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.95 liters | Vacuum type: Corded canister | Filter: Yes, AirClean | Power: 1,200 watts
With a canister vacuum, the dust bin sits on wheels and trails behind the cleaner head; the benefit being that the wand is freed up and therefore more nimble. And the Classic C1 Turbo is among the most powerful and versatile models we tried.
It managed to suck up all of the dirt and debris in our testing for the best upright and canister vacuums, but where this vac really outpaced the competition was with pet hair — it picked up stubborn fur in just a few passes. We liked how we could customize the suction settings to optimize for not only different surfaces, but different types of dirt. And despite its fairly large capacity, the Classic C1 Turbo canister was easy to maneuver. It glided along floors behind us and has a handle for transporting it, which comes in handy if you have a lot of furniture.
Size: 16.3"L x 14.6"W x 17.1"H | Weight: 12.12 pounds | Bin capacity: 0.34 liters | Vacuum type: Robot with mop | Filter: Yes, sponge | Power: 150 watts | Suction rating: 8,200 Pa
Prefer to take more of a hands-off approach to cleaning? (Us, too.) A robot vac is the way to go, and this one mops your floors in addition to vacuuming them.
How it works: The Narwal Freo X Ultra consists of a robot vacuum/mop and a stationing dock. It relies on a pair of rotating brush heads to pull debris into its path and also employs dual spinning mop heads, which are dampened and treated with detergent during startup, then cleaned and dried (with heat!) afterward.
The dock serves as a one-stop shop with automatic mop washing, air drying, detergent dispensing and dust bag drying. It's designed to store up to seven weeks of dirt and is both hypoallergenic and SGS-certified.
Why it's great: Though not perfect, but the Narwal Freo X Ultra is the best robot house cleaner we've tested. It vacuums and mops most reliably and is least likely to require intervention. Plus, it looks really slick, its glossy all-white dock reminiscent of something you'd find in an Apple Store.
We were particularly impressed by this vacuum's tangle-free brush, which remained completely clean following months of testing. It's also very clever about the way it self-empties its dustbin: It doesn't, instead compacting all the debris it collects. The result is a dock with room for larger water tanks, and therefore fewer trips to the sink to empty/refill.
In terms of cons, the Freo X Ultra struggles to avoid cords on the floor, and its mop pads don't raise high enough to avoid dragging on medium-pile carpet. Even so, it was our favorite robo-butler to date. (Read more in our guide to the best robot vacuums.)
Size: 14.88"L x 10.68"W x 6.5"H | Weight: 3.2 pounds | Bin capacity: 17 ounces | Vacuum type: Cordless hand vac | Filter: Yes | Power: 20 watts
How it works: The vacuum comes with a charging base, plus a crevice tool, a nozzle with a flip-down brush and a pet hair tool. You toggle a switch to turn it on (it has just one cleaning mode).
Why it's great: This little gadget has the power of some of the bulkier car vacuums we tested, but in a more compact body. Pebbles, crushed leaves, crumbs of all sizes and larger clumps of dirt proved no match for its powerful suction. It even picked up the Milk-Bone treats our tester's dog was secretly hoarding under the floor mat!
What makes this cordless vacuum stand out among the ones we tested is its reach: It has a flexible 4-foot hose with a curved nozzle that helps you access the tightest, most awkward spaces, like under the front seats of a car, without having to strain your back or crouch down. If you have any mobility issues, this is a huge plus.
At a little over 3 pounds, the Flex Vac isn't the lightest car vac we tested, but if you hold the body by the handle in one hand and the hose in the other — or better yet, set the body down on the seat — you can maneuver it easily. The weight is also forgivable because the dust cup is so large.
Expect about 15 minutes of runtime off a single charge. Of note: The battery is built into the machine (and therefore irreplaceable), so if it stops holding a charge, you're out of luck. It remains to be seen how long the battery will last (some reviews warn it's only a year or two), but we'll update this story once we do longer-term testing. (Read more in our guide to the best car vacuums.)
Size: Bigger vacuums generally have larger dust cups and cleaner heads. Longer hoses, wands and cords equate to greater reach. Longer brush rolls mean fewer passes. Wider and dual brush rolls mean shorter passes.
Weight: The lighter the vacuum, the easier the lift (and steer). Lightweight designs glide across hardwood floors seamlessly but can mean less grip on thick carpets. Lighter models are often also associated with smaller dust cups and fewer tech components (like LCD screens and the respective engineering that makes a vacuum top-heavy), though not always. Swivel cleaner heads can help with maneuvering, especially with heavier vacuums.
Bin capacity: Larger cups house more dirt so you don’t have to take as many trips to the trash can. Aside from capacity, look for a dust cup that releases forcefully with the help of a lever so you don't have to manually unclip the cup lid and pull out debris with your fingers.
Vacuum type:
Upright vacuums consist of a cleaner head, a dust cup, a hose and a wand. Dirt travels to the dust cup via the hose and the dust cup sits above the cleaner head, with the wand behind it and handle up top. Detachable hoses (and wands) can be paired with attachment tools, but canisters usually remain in place. If you don't want to have to carry an entire vacuum up the stairs, you may want a "lift-away"-style canister, which can be detached while cleaning. Also helpful: longer cords for greater reach, plus cord-rewind options so you don't have to wrap up the cord manually.
Stick vacuums consist of a cleaner head, a long tube (aka wand) which the dirt travels through and a vacuum head upper (or "brain") that features power controls and any LCD screens. The upper also houses the dust cup and can typically be detached and used as a handheld vacuum with attachments. Cordless stick options allow for more freedom and flexibility when vacuuming, but require charging and, in cases of non-freestanding options, docking.
Canister vacuums (also referred to as cylinder or barrel vacuums) have a body (motor and dust cup) that sits on the floor. That body trails behind the hose, attached to a wand (held by the user) and attachment tool or cleaner head.
Filters: Vacuum filters zap pollutants and improve air quality, with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters considered the gold standard. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), HEPA filters "theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns," with larger or smaller particles “trapped with even higher efficiency.” Follow instruction manuals for how and when to replace or clean filters for optimal results. Many brands like Dyson now use washable filters for cost efficiency.
Wattage: A higher wattage often correlates to greater suction power. When it comes to cordless vacuums, high-voltage batteries generally have a longer run time, so you can tackle more spaces or several jobs in one go without recharging.
Brushes and attachments: Most vacuums come with a detangling-style brush roller (in many cases, customizable or auto-adjusting) that can be used for multiple floor types. Brush cleaner headlights offer more visibility in low lighting and beneath furniture, while mini roller attachments help tackle tighter spaces (such as vacuuming inside your car; they’re also great for getting stubborn pet fur from sofas). Attachment tools aid in detailing and spot-treating cushions and curtains, and crevice tools are a must for navigating ceilings and wall corners.
App-based mapping and scheduling and smart obstacle-avoidance (for robot vacuums): Got pets? Cords? Curtains? Kids? Newer, smarter vacs can avoid toys, socks, pet accidents and other items that would trip up other models. Take note that this feature sometimes relies on a camera, one that may be able to stream a live feed to your phone through your WiFi. Modern machines will use smart mapping to scan your entire space, label individual rooms and allow you to create virtual "no-go" zones. Mapping capabilities happen in a companion app, which also allows for scheduling, spot-cleaning, smart-assistant integration and much more.
We set up several obstacle courses to test these vacuums against materials with varying shapes, textures and densities on different surfaces like carpet and hardwood. We also tested their respective attachments on upholstered furniture, curtains and hard-to-reach areas. Then we put the vacuums through their paces in real-life scenarios, prioritizing homes that needed a good cleaning and/or had pet inhabitants. The nitty gritty:
"Carpet course" test: We spaced out materials — faux fur, rice, Cheerios, kitty litter and sand — across a plush carpet to see if the vacuums managed to cut through the clutter.
"Kitchen sink" test: We poured rice and Cheerios on a hardwood kitchen floor to gauge how well the vacuums could get a grip — especially against trims and in cabinet crevices.
"Passenger pet" test: We asked family and friends to avoid vacuuming for a week, then used car mats to collect the fur their pet companions had shed and attempted to vacuumed it in pursuit of the best suction.
"Vacs gone wild" test: We didn’t stop there! We've clocked countless hours testing vacuums in different houses and settings to assess how they rise to different occasions.
For car vacuums, we scattered a mix of soil, sand, pet hair and crushed crackers all over the back seat and floor of a compact SUV. We weighed the mixture before dumping it, then weighed the amount of debris each vacuum picked up after a set amount of time. While cleaning, we noted how easy or hard the vacuum was to maneuver and how often we had to empty the dust bin.
What's the difference between a stick and an upright vacuum?
Stick vacuums typically consist of a handled vacuum head, complete with a battery, dust cup, control buttons, filter and sometimes a digital display screen (think of the head, or “upper,” as its central processing and operating unit). The vacuum head attaches to a thin tube, which then connects to a cleaner head with roller brush(es). The "upper" can be attached to various tools for handheld use.
Like many upright vacuums these days, stick vacuums are often bagless (thanks to their dust cups). They also are often cordless, whereas most upright vacuums have a cord. Given their svelte silhouettes and detachable parts, cordless stick vacuums tend to be more nimble and storage-friendly. But they may not pack as much power as an upright vacuum.
Are upright vacuums better than cylinder vacuums?
Cylinder (aka canister) vacuums are often lighter and more compact, and therefore easier to maneuver and store, than upright vacuums. As they typically have more room to support bigger motors, cylinder vacuums can also prove more powerful than uprights. The downside is that because a cylinder vacuum's body trails behind the cleaner head, it's more likely to bump into things.
How often should you vacuum?
It depends on how many people (and pets!) are in your home. As a general rule of thumb, cleaning services like Molly Maid suggest vacuuming carpeted floors twice per week, and hardwood and tile floors once. Pet owners should aim to do a quick maintenance vacuum daily to keep fur and dander at bay.
How do you clean a vacuum?
To ensure your vacuum remains in tip-top shape, many brands, such as Dyson, advise cleaning washable filters cleaning washable filters at least once a month with regular use. We recommend consulting your vacuum's manual for tips, including when to wash and/or replace filters and brush rollers. Look for dust cups that have levers for forcefully ejecting dirt into the trash can. And, because vacuums are often at the center of the action, wipe yours down regularly to reduce the amount of dust and dirt that can emanate.
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective and unbiased criteria.
