11 Best Vacuum Cleaners, Tested by Experts

If you prefer bagless vacuums, but still want a model that filters out tiny particles, this sealed vacuum with a HEPA filter is a great option. While we haven't tested this model in our Lab, it has similar features to our previous pick for best overall, the APEX Upright Vacuum Cleaner, which has since been discontinued by Shark.

Its two brush roll system is able to dig deep into carpets as well as pick up dirt, debris and hair from hard floors. The vacuum also has a self-cleaning brush roll that prevents hair clogging. Odor Neutralizer Technology limits odors inside the vacuum, according to the manufacturer, and you can even turn the upright vacuum into a stick vacuum. This is ideal for cleaning furniture, windowsills and more — plus makes transporting the vacuum up and down flights of stairs less of a hassle.

Online reviews appreciate the vacuum's powerful suction, clean smell thanks to the odor technology and flexibility when it comes to the amount of surfaces it can tackle. Some customers do note that the vacuum can be heavy.

This affordable upright vacuum from Bissell is a fan favorite on Amazon with a 4.6-rating. We haven’t tested this exact model, but we’ve tested many others from Bissell, including older models with the same OnePass technology and included it in our list of the best vacuums from Bissell thanks to its powerful suction and features that make it great for cleaning hard floors and carpets.

While it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles more modern vacuums have like different suction options or a brush roll that can be turned off, it does have five height options ranging from bare floors to high pile carpets, a 6-foot hose for cleaning stairs and high places and an easy to empty, bottom-opening, large dust cup. This vacuum does not have a HEPA filter, but has a pre and post motor filter that must be replaced every three to six months.

A few of our other favorite features are a on/off button you can press with your foot, a TurboBrush tool similar to the motorized pet tools in many other models, a rewindable cord and on-board storage for all of the tools included.

This vacuum cleaner comes fully loaded with features that'll suck up every last bit of unwanted pet hair. A tangle-free brush roll keeps pet hair from clogging the bristles, and a hair spooling system inside the canister contains the mess so emptying is easier and cleaner.

Like many other of the best vacuums from Bissell, it comes with a great deal of tools like a 2-in-1 pet dusting brush and Pet TurboEraser Tool that can be used to pick up pet hairs. It did well in our Lab tests for its ease of use and powerful suction, but we didn’t love its lack of a retractable cord for easier storage.

Cleaning hardwood floors with vacuums that have hard bristles on the brush roll can be damaging, causing small scratches that can ruin the finish on sealed hardwood floors. The Pet Hair Eraser Turbo makes cleaning hardwood floors safer with a brush roll that can be turned off with the click of a button. Auto-height adjustment and two suction options for low and plush carpets make switching across cleaning surfaces easier too, though it is heavier than some reviewers would like.

This vacuum does not have a HEPA filter, but its sealed allergen system traps fine particles, and the filter uses Febreze technology to eliminate those stale odors that vacuuming up pet hair can generate.

RELATED: 8 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair, Tested & Reviewed

Consistently one of the best stick vacuums for its excellent performance and incredible features, the V15 Detect earned a Good Housekeeping Cleaning Award thanks to the bare floor brush that beamed a laser on the floor to spot and pick up even the tiniest bits of debris that were otherwise invisible to us.

It has a pretty high price tag and lacks a HEPA filter, but does automatically increase the suction and speed of the brush roll depending on the floor type and how much dust it senses during cleaning, plus includes an abundance of tools like a dusting brush, hair screw tool and digital motorbar.

It also has a clear LCD display that indicates battery life and real-time performance like the number and size of particles picked up and almost all of its reviews on Amazon are five stars with one reviewer notably saying, “This vacuum is the second thing I would grab if my house was on fire.” The V15 Detect can be easily turned into a hand vacuum, though at over six pounds, it might be a bit too heavy to use as one.

This canister vacuum was one of the winners of our 2022 Cleaning & Organizing Awards thanks to its powerful suction and notably small size.

This version of the model comes with a parquet floor brush specifically designed for hardwood floors, but can also be purchased with a universal floor brush for bare floors and carpets or a TurboBrush for picking up pet hair. In our tests, it left no debris behind on carpets, hardwood floors or tiles, was easy to maneuver and reached far enough to clean a long length of our Institute hallways without having to switch power outlets.

Its dust cup can be removed and reinstalled seamlessly without the need to even press a button and though some dust may escape during emptying because of its bagless design, it is equipped with a HEPA filter minimizing the amount of allergens that can be released into the air.

Our Cleaning Lab Reviews Analyst loved the sleek design, calling it “cute enough to keep out of the closet.” It has a retractable cord and a place on board to clip the wand, but one of our testers wished that it also had room to wrap the hose around the canister for even neater storage.

This Miele earned our GH Seal for its ability to effectively clean every type of flooring. In Lab tests, Miele vacuums do the best job of picking up and trapping dust and dirt.

This canister vacuum comes equipped with a parquet floor brush and a brush roll with five different settings that cleans everything from hard flooring to plush, high pile carpets. It is one of the most expensive canister vacuums we’ve tested, but is a favorite in our Lab and is the model our Cleaning Lab executive director uses in her home.

Allergy sufferers will love the high filtration bag and HEPA AirClean filter that prevents dust from being released back into the air. The power cord is retractable and all of the included tools can be stored in the canister. According to some reviewers online, its small wheels often get caught when pulling the vacuum along and it clocks in at over 20 pounds making lifting it up stairs difficult for some.

Floor-cleaning appliances from Dreametech, like its robots and stick vacuums, do very well in GH Cleaning Lab tests and this vacuum mop is no exception. Like all brands in this new category, it sucks up both dry and wet messes and washes your floors all during the same cleaning session. In our most recent Lab tests, we put 11 of these wet-dry vacuum mop devices through their paces, picking up dry debris like oats and wet messes like water and ketchup and testing their scrubbing ability with a soy sauce stain on vinyl flooring.

In our opinion, the Dreametech was a dream to use. Not only did it clean very well without streaking, but it earned a perfect score in six of our eight ease of use categories. Our expert found it easy to maneuver around furniture and into tight corners, but was really wowed by how it practically moved on its own. All she had to do was guide it.

Using a scraper on the brush roll cover, this model cleans the brush roll as the vacuum moves forward, ensuring that messes don't buildup and get re-deposited further along your cleaning path. The H11 Max automatically increases the suction as it detects more debris on the floor, is quiet and has a long run time and an LED screen that informs you of everything from debris detected to error alerts and battery levels. Its only hiccup was that a bit dirty water remains behind after cleaning and when you lift it off the floor.

Another winner from our 2022 Cleaning and Organizing Awards, this combo unit performed very well in our Lab tests, picking up dry oats across carpets, hard wood floors and tiles.

It has a high price tag, but comes packed with innovative features including a wet mopping head that easily clicks on to the wand and a base that both charges and automatically empties the vacuum's dust cup after cleaning. The Tower can hold more than three full dust cups worth of debris and has a spot for each tool, plus the extra battery that comes with the vacuum too. It isn’t ideal for small homes and apartments as it takes up a significant amount of floor space.

One of our testers noted that they were able to clean up hair in the nooks and crannies of their bathroom easily, but would not be able to justify the high cost of this vacuum. While we haven’t tried the wet mopping attachment for ourselves yet, we found that some reviewers online were not impressed, finding its scrubbing power lackluster. The CordZero has a five-step filtration system with a HEPA filter in the vacuum and the Tower.

In our Cleaning Lab tests, the Roomba S9+ picked up 99% of the uncooked oatmeal, sand, baking soda and small nuts and screws we spread on hard floors.

It can map and remember multiple rooms and floor plans and it beat all other robot vacuums for quickly and effectively spot cleaning a small area. This robot vac is pricey, but its carpet detection that automatically ramps up suction only when needed and its dual rubber roller brushes that don’t clog with pet hair like bristles have a tendency to do, make it well worth its price. Plus, when the battery is running low, the vacuum returns to its charging base and dirt is automatically transferred into a sealed large-capacity bag for mess-free disposal, then it picks up right where it left off before.

The charging base is very handy, but needs ample space for set up as it must remain connected to a power outlet with at least 1.5 ft of empty space on both sides and four feet in front. Through the app, you can set up cleaning schedules, no-go zones and tell the robot to clean just one room of the house at a time. Take note that while it can maneuver around large obstacles, the S9+ struggles with smaller items like cords and pet waste.

Robots that vacuum and mop are all the rage, but the Roborock S7 stood out for how thoroughly it covered our test areas — barely missing a speck of the debris we put down and navigating smoothly around obstacles we placed in its path.

It's fully featured and easy to use with a smartphone app that allows you to see the robot’s cleaning path, set up no-go zones, cleaning schedules and set separate cleaning modes for all of the rooms in your home. In mopping mode, the Roborock uses sound waves to scrub stuck-on stains from bare floors, and the pad automatically lifts when it senses carpet to keep from wetting it as it vacuums.

Though its filter is washable, it is not HEPA certified and must be replaced every 6 to 12 months. Some other robot vacuums our experts have tested struggled with their mapping capabilities, requiring frequent re-mapping and struggling to go around obstacles without bumping into them. The S7 impressed our experts with its multi-floor mapping and extra features like a child lock and super responsive voice controls, naming it a GH Cleaning Award winner.

Like other robot vacuums, to keep the device working in tip top shape, you must routinely clean all of its parts and remove any hair wrapped around the brushes or wheels. This robot does not come with a self-emptying charging base so the dust bin has to be manually emptied and the water tank has to be refilled before each cleaning session, but you can also purchase the Roborock with a self-cleaning charging base.

Make way for another GH Cleaning Awards winner. Not your typical handheld vac, the Worx model has a unique compact, boxy shape, removable battery that fits into other Worx tools and a top handle.

In our Lab tests, it beat 18 other handheld vacuums to earn the top overall score across tests for carpet, bare floor and pet hair pickup. Though we rated it highly across all of our testing categories, we did note that much of the pet hair we put down clung to the brush attachment. It has a very small dust cup so it’s not great for big messes, but it is bottom emptying with the click of one button.

The Worx cordless cube ran for 23 minutes on low speed in our Lab tests with a 2Ah battery, a decent run time for a hand vacuum of its size, but can also run for longer with a higher capacity battery from the brand. Although it's a little heavier than other handheld vacuums, you don't need to hold it up to use it and all of its tools store right on board. QuietMark gave this hand vac a 3-star rating for good and quietest performance and it was loved by our consumer testers who said, “I LOVED it and can see me bringing it in the trunk of the car if we are going somewhere that I know will be messy.”