Best Vacuum Cleaner (2026): Cordless Vacuums, Robot Vacuums, Dysons | WIRED
Overview
Every kind of vacuum, from robot vacuums to cheap stick vacs, is sent to my doorstep to find the best vacuum cleaner. You can find me vacuuming near daily with powerful Dysons, automated robot vacuums, and even vacuums made for car cleaning as a toddler mom plagued by sand and snacks. And I'm not alone in this quest; you can find many of the WIRED staffers testing vacuums in their homes too, to help find the best of the best.
If you're looking for one place to find all of our vacuum cleaner recommendations, this is it. From my favorite stick vacuums from Shark and Dyson to a powerful budget robot vacuum from Eufy and even an adorable car vacuum from Worx, there's a ton of great models to consider for your home. There's a vacuum cleaner here for every kind of cleaning task, and you're sure to find one that works best for your home.
Details
Looking for our guides that dive into each category? Check out our guide to the Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Robot Vacuums, Best Cordless Vacuums, Best Handheld Vacuums, and Best Pet Hair Vacuums.
Updated May 2026: I've updated this story with our new robot vacuum picks, updated details about our hand vacuum and cordless picks, and ensured links and prices are up to date.
Best Cordless Stick Vacuum Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Shark Power Detect Cordless Stick Vacuum
In my latest round of cordless vacuum testing, Shark's Power Detect has risen to the top with a great mix of features at an accessible price. It has your classic range of three power levels and comes with only two accessories, but the stick of the vacuum actually has a bendable point, so you can click to bend it and easily vacuum underneath surfaces without getting down on the floor to do it. It has impressive power levels and did the best job vacuuming up debris like sand and cereal on carpet, and it did a solid job getting dust out of carpet-covered stairs.
I think this is especially a great cordless stick vacuum if you have a mix of hard floors, rugs, and carpet in your home. If your home is primarily carpet, I'd recommend a Dyson for a deeper clean, but otherwise this Shark model will do fantastic. There's a version with a self-emptying docking station, too.
Two-year parts warranty, five-year limited warranty
Best Dyson Stick Vacuum Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Courtesy of Dyson Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Dyson V15 Detect
There are a lot of Dyson vacuum models, but the V15 Detect is the best in Dyson's lineup with a reasonable price—for a Dyson, that is—and a good mix of features. Time and time again, though, the power of a Dyson vacuum can't be beat, especially with the V15 Detect's power and attachments.
It gets a deeper clean on my carpet than cheaper vacuums, and the sensor can tell you how many particles it's picking up if you want to dig into the data. There's a nice range of attachments, including the Fluffy Optic cleaner head that has a green laser to find dust and debris on hard floors. It has a trigger-style power button, so you'll have to hold it down the entire time you use it. That can be annoying if you know you'll be using it on a lot of carpet or hard floors, but it's handy for target-cleaning areas like staircases. It's an all-around great vacuum and noticeably more powerful than cheaper options if you have the budget to splurge.
Fluffy Optic cleaner head, Digital Motorbar cleaner head, hair screw tool, combination tool, and crevice tool
Best Affordable Cordless Vacuum Photograph: Kat Merck Courtesy of Bissell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Bissell Power Clean Cordless Stick Vacuum
If you're looking for a great affordable stick vacuum, my favorites have come from Bissell. You'll get everything you want in a good cordless: solid power, a HEPA-sealed filter, and a couple attachments. I've loved the Bissell's Fur Finder ($200) for my house, but the Bissell Power Clean is an even cheaper version that skips the Fur Finder attachment and leaves a few lights off of the headlight. WIRED reviewer Kat Merck found the headlight plenty bright enough to spot litter and dust on her floor. It has a 40-minute run time that she found to be just enough to clean all rugs, bare floors, and upholstery in a 3,000-square-foot house. It feels heavier than she expected, but it's a great cordless vacuum for the price, especially since it has a HEPA sealed allergen system to keep allergens from escaping the vacuum.
Best Robot Vacuum Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena FarrellVideo: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Shark Power Detect UV Reveal
Just about every product category has some promise of how artificial intelligence will make it better. It's not always true, and sometimes it's hard to tell when the AI is actually doing something. My favorite robot vacuum, the Shark Power Detect UV Reveal, makes it easy to tell when its intelligence is at work. The UV Reveal uses a UV light with a camera to spot stains on hard floors. It works a little funny: The robot vacuum will do its main cleaning of the floors, vacuuming and mopping to your preferences, and after it returns to the base, it'll analyze the footage and determine where it needs to return and scrub stains away. The base station will also announce this for you, telling you it's going back out to attack stains.
I was also impressed by this vacuum's corner cleaning abilities. The UV Reveal has both an extendable arm and can shoot out air to clean corners; I use a Cheerio test to see how well robot vacuums get into tricky corners around my home, and the Shark is the only one that's gotten a Cheerio out of the tight corner next to my fridge. It leaves my rugs and carpets feeling fluffy, too. The only downside is that this vacuum can't learn multiple floors. Shark also doesn't confirm the suction on this vacuum, but it left my home feeling plenty clean.
Best Affordable Robot Vacuum Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena FarrellVideo: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Eufy Omni C28
Robot vacuums have become expensive, especially ones that double as a mop. If you're looking to spend less but still get mopping and vacuuming abilities, plus multi-floor mapping (something the more expensive Shark can't do), then look no further than the Eufy Omni C28. This is Eufy's latest budget robot vacuum, packing similar features to the Eufy X10 Pro Omni we previously loved but with almost double the suction and some updated features.
The Omni C28 has a rolling mop pad instead of just rotating ones, making it better at self-cleaning so you don't spread grime around the house. I will say this vacuum didn't do an amazing job scrubbing stains or spills like the Shark did, but it still did a great job with overall cleaning. It didn't leave my rug or carpet wet like the older X10 Pro Omni did for WIRED reviewer Adrienne So, though I needed to make sure no cords were in reach of this vacuum's cleaning route. It uses a laser distance sensor and a laser line for its navigation.
Best Handheld Vacuum Photograph: Brenda Stolyar Courtesy of Dyson Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Dyson Car+Boat
Dyson's vacuums impress us again and again, and Dyson's handheld-only models are no exception. WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins previously loved the older Dyson Humdinger handheld, and the Dyson Car+Boat came out in early 2025 as a replacement. It feels similar to the design of the top of one of Dyson's stick vacuums, sans the stick, but still packing powerful suction. It has only two cleaning modes, though, and no screen. There's just a switch for the two modes and a trigger button for power. The Car+Boat also comes with a couple attachments, which is a nice bonus, and it’s a good price for Dyson power. It also has a decent battery life, which is rare in handheld vacuums, and it's one I would grab if I wanted something to deep-clean staircases and cars.
Mini motorized brush, crevice tool, and combination tool
Best Affordable Handheld Vacuum Photograph: Molly Higgins Courtesy of Ryobi Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum
For a cheaper handheld vacuum, the Ryobi 10V One+ is a powerful small hand vacuum that WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins says is the best one she has tried that’s under $100. This handheld is lightweight and powerful, and it comes with two attachments that work well on pet hair and car debris. It has a fine battery life of around 25 minutes, at least in Molly's testing.
Not specified (when Molly tested, it was around 25 minutes)
Two-year parts warranty, five-year limited warranty
Not specified (when Molly tested, it was around 25 minutes)
Bissell Power Clean Fur Finder for
Black and Decker Dustbuster Flex for $110: This is another cool handheld vacuum that's great for cars or even indoor areas like staircases. It has a 4-foot hose, longer than most compact vacuums, and a handy little charging mount that the accessories clip into. And thank goodness for the charging mount, since the battery only lasts 15 minutes.
Dyson Gen 5 Detect Cordless Vacuum for $800: This is Dyson's current top-of-the-line stick vacuum, and it's fantastic, especially for homes with a lot of pet hair. But it's expensive and rarely on sale, making it a hard upgrade when you'll still get a great experience with the Dyson V15 Detect. This vacuum does have a HEPA filter, while the V15 Detect does not.
Dyson Pencil Vac Fluffycones for $450: This is a unique take on a stick vacuum. It's an impressive feat with the motor and dustbin built into the slender handle. There's both a Fluffycones version, which I tested, that has four fluffy cone-shaped rollers in the head, and a cheaper Fluffy version. I was impressed with the maneuverability of the Pencil Vac Fluffycones and often find myself grabbing it between runs of my robot vacuum to keep debris and cat litter under control. It's also lightweight and easy to push, and it has a freestanding charging mount. But it's a little pricey for being meant only for hard floors.
Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone for $999: If you want a newer robot vacuum, the Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone has a unique design with no dust bag. Instead, it has a rounded canister like a Dyson or stick vacuum, circling the debris to keep it from tangling. It's a good design, and this is overall a great robot vacuum, especially if you don't want to buy dust bags over and over.
Eufy X10 Pro Omni for $480: This was our previous top pick for a robot vacuum. It's still a great choice and well-priced for a robot vac that can vacuum and mop, and has a solid 8,000 Pa of suction power. But Eufy does have a newer model that you can pick up for just a little more if you want a self-cleaning roller mop instead of roller pads, with almost double the suction power.
Roborock Saros 20 for $1,600: Roborock's latest robot vacuum is overall pretty good, but WIRED reviewer Adrienne So noticed it left debris behind on her hard floors, specifically on the divider when it moved from her carpet onto hard flooring. This could be a fault of the super-high suction, which hits 36,000 Pa. There are a few other features she hoped would work better, too, including the Adapti Lift and beta stain-detection feature. We're in touch with Roborock about these issues, but overall it's a solid robot vacuum.
Tineco Pure One Station 5 for $459: If you want a cordless stick vacuum but don't want to deal with emptying it all the time, this Tineco vacuum comes with a self-emptying docking station. You'll eventually have to empty the station, but it's a great bonus feature and keeps the vacuum from falling over around your home since it's stored safely in the docking station.
To help you choose which one to buy, here's what makes each vacuum style great.
Cordless Vacuums or Stick Vacuums: These vacuums look like the latter name suggests, with a long, sticklike arm that connects the vacuum head to the canister and controls. You'll need to hold this up in a way you wouldn't have to with an upright vacuum, but these are powerful and super mobile. They make for a great main vacuum, and are especially great if you have multiple floors to vacuum since it's easy to carry these up and down stairs.
Robot Vacuums: Robot vacuums are great for cleaning for you and are controlled with an app. There are several models that double as a mop, too. You'll have to spend time moving furniture for the best clean possible, and you usually still want a regular vacuum of some kind. But these are great for frequent cleans in homes with kids and pets.
Handheld Vacuums: Handheld vacuums are great for targeted cleans or for cleaning specific places like stairs and cars. Most stick vacuums can transform into a handheld vacuum, but true handhelds are much lighter and have a more compact design (but also sacrifice battery power and dustbin capacity).
An upright vacuum is the classic, original vacuum style that sits straight up on its own, is much heavier than a cordless stick vacuum, and requires an outlet connection to operate. We don't have an upright vacuum we recommend, since cordless stick vacuums have become the main focus for most shoppers (and as frequent vacuumers ourselves, we usually reach for cordless and robot vacuums anyway). We're considering upright vacuums to test in the future, however, so feel free to comment on this guide with models we should consider.
Do you need a handheld vacuum if you already have a cordless vacuum? Likely not, because most stick vacuums can transform into a handheld vacuum. Stick or cordless vacuums usually allow you to remove the stick part from between the vacuum head and canister base and instead connect those two pieces directly, making it into a handheld vacuum. It'll be much heavier than a handheld-only vacuum and might be irritating for some use cases, but you don't need both unless there's a specific reason. A handheld is a good add-on if you already have an upright vacuum you love that doesn't need replacing.
Vacuums last about five years, depending on the use frequency and build quality. Some cheaper stick vacuums might last only a year or two, though, so it's worth investing in a better vacuum rather than a cheap dupe. If you're curious what signs might indicate your vacuum needs replacing, check out our guide to how long vacuums can last.
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Key Takeaways
- Every kind of vacuum, from robot vacuums to cheap stick vacs, is sent to my doorstep to find the best vacuum cleaner
- If you're looking for one place to find all of our vacuum cleaner recommendations, this is it
- Looking for our guides that dive into each category
- Updated May 2026: I've updated this story with our new robot vacuum picks, updated details about our hand vacuum and cordless picks, and ensured links and prices are up to date
- Best Cordless Stick Vacuum Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Photograph: Nena Farrell Chevron Chevron Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Shark Power Detect Cordless Stick Vacuum300 (33% off) Amazon300 (33% off) Shark Ninja In my latest round of cordless vacuum testing, Shark's Power Detect has risen to the top with a great mix of features at an accessible price
