The 4 Best Cordless Vacuums For Easier Cleaning (2024)

It can be a hassle to pull out a full-size canister or upright vacuum cleaner just to suck up a small spill or a dusting of pet hair, which is why cordless vacuums are so appealing. Not only are these battery-powered, saving you from having to be tethered to a power outlet, they’re also lightweight and versatile, making them ideal for little messes around the house and light daily cleaning. Plus, cordless vacuum technology has significantly improved in the past several years and boast comparable suction to their full-size counterparts.

The Dyson V15 Detect is our top choice among today’s best cordless vacuums. It has a powerful and easy-to-use design that’s a breeze to maneuver around your home, and it comes with handy attachments for carpeting, hard floors, upholstery, dusting and more. We also recommend LG’s CordZero A9 Kompressor as a light option, Dyson’s Outsize+ for pet hair and Tineco’s Pure One S11 as a lower-price option.

If you’d like to read how we vetted and tested cordless vacuums and which experts we consulted, scroll down for more detail.

• Best overall cordless vacuum
• Best lightweight cordless vacuum
• Best cordless vacuum for pet hair
• Best lower-price cordless vacuum
• Others you should know about
• How we picked

Best overall cordless vacuum

Pros

• Performs well on a variety of surfaces
• Includes several useful attachments
• Laser dirt detection
• Easy to empty

Cons

• Trigger must be held down
• Only more expensive Absolute model includes HEPA filter

Specs

• Weight: 6.8 lbs.
• Maximum Runtime: 60 minutes
• Dust Bin Capacity: 0.75 liter
• Filter Type: Whole machine-filtration; V15 Absolute includes a HEPA filter

Dyson is arguably the best-known cordless vacuum brand out there today, and after testing two of its stick vacuums, we understand the hype. The Dyson V15 Detect was the top all-around performer in our testing, efficiently removing dirt, dust, pet hair and large debris from both hard and carpeted floors, as well as furniture. It comes with a whopping seven accessories—more than any other vacuum we tested—and we found that its tools and features were truly useful while cleaning, not just gimmicks.

In our testing, the V15 was able to pick up debris from any surface in just one or two passes, and its Auto setting provided plenty of suction for everyday cleaning tasks. The only time we needed the Boost setting was when we were vacuuming a pile of sand out of a tight corner. The vacuum has a countdown timer on its LCD screen that lets you know exactly how much battery life you have left—with the Slim Fluffy cleaner head, you get around 25 minutes of runtime on Auto, and with the Motorbar (aka the carpet cleaner), the vacuum can run for around 15 minutes on Auto. When we tested the vacuum on Boost mode, it ran for just under 10 minutes on a single charge—fairly standard among all the vacuums we tested. The V15 also has an Eco mode, which offers up to 60 minutes of operation, but it didn’t offer enough suction for anything but the smallest cleaning tasks, such as sucking up pet hair off hard floors.

Dyson’s vacuum comes with an attachment for virtually every application. The Motorhead is unbeatable for cleaning medium- and high-pile carpet, driving its bristles down into the carpet to pull up ground-in dirt and pet hair. Its no-tangle design was extremely effective thanks to plastic spikes, which the brand calls “hair removal vanes,” that comb through the bristles with every rotation of the brush, loosening any trapped hair so it can be sucked into the dustbin.

We also love the vacuum’s Slim Fluffy cleaner head, which has a green laser you can turn on that shines out in front, showing you exactly where you need to clean. The V15’s motorized hair-screw tool worked extremely well to pull pet hair off furniture, and the mini soft dusting brush was effective for dusting shelves and blinds. The vacuum also comes with a crevice tool, stubborn dust tool with stiff nylon bristles for dirt removal and a convenient wall-mounted charging dock. The dock automatically charges your vacuum when you put it away, and it has room to hold two of the vacuum’s accessories.

The Dyson V15 Detect also stands out from other vacuums thanks to its highly functional design. Compared with models from Greenworks and Eufy, the Dyson feels substantial yet it’s incredibly easy to drive and to navigate around obstacles and under furniture. When it’s time to empty the dust bin, you remove the vacuum’s wand and push down on the dustbin lever, which shoots debris into the trash can. We never had to pull out any debris with our hands, like we did with the Tineco Pure ONE S11.

The only things we don’t like about the V15’s design is that you have to hold down the trigger-style power button the whole time you’re cleaning—which can lead to finger fatigue during long cleaning sessions—and that the standard model doesn’t offer a HEPA filter. HEPA filters are able to capture finer particles than standard vacuum filters, which can be beneficial if you have allergies or pets. If you want this level of advanced filtration, you’ll have to upgrade to the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, which costs $50 more and includes a few additional cleaning accessories, such as a low-reach adapter.

Best lightweight cordless vacuum

Pros

• Lightweight and easy to maneuver
• Ergonomic design
• Two swappable batteries included
• Telescoping wand
• Dust bin compression lever

Cons

• Struggles with larger debris
• Upholstery tool ineffective on pet hair

Specs

• Weight: 5.95 lbs.
• Maximum Runtime: 120 minutes
• Dust Bin Capacity: 1 liter
• Filter Type: 5-stage HEPA filtration

Of all the vacuums we tested, the LG CordZero A9 Kompressor is the lightest, weighing just 5.95 pounds. While several of the other vacuums are only a pound or two more, the LG felt significantly lighter, likely due to its well-balanced design. In fact, this cordless vacuum is the only model we tested that’s certified by United States Ergonomics, a consulting group that offers product testing and certification. It also has a few features that no other vacuum offers, including a telescoping wand that lets you adjust the overall length—ideal for cleaning stairs—and a compression lever that lets you tamp down hair and other debris in the dustbin so you can vacuum for longer before emptying.

Despite just having one brushhead for both carpet and hard floors, the LG CordZero performed almost as well as our top overall pick, the Dyson D15 Detect. It was able to pick up dust, dirt and pet hair in just one or two passes, but it struggled to pick up larger debris, such as small rocks or clumps of stuffing from dog toys, often just pushing the pieces around the floor. The one area that this vacuum fell flat was cleaning pet hair off furniture. Its Power Punch nozzle, which is designed for upholstery, doesn’t have a spinning brush roll—instead, there’s a unique knobbed surface that vibrates, which the brand claims will uncover dust and dirt embedded in the fabric. Unfortunately, this tool mostly just pushed the hair around the fabric. We ended up using the floor tool to clean the chair seat instead.

We found that the standard setting was suitable for most tasks, but we needed to increase the suction to high for a particularly dirty carpet. At its highest Turbo speed, the vacuum is only able to run for around 8 minutes, but it comes with a second battery that can easily be swapped in, essentially doubling the runtime. This is ideal for pet owners, as it allows you to pack down hair in the dust bin, saving a premature trip to the trash can to empty out the canister. Plus, when you do need to empty the bin, the lever allows you to push all the debris out without ever having to touch the dirt and grime.

The LG CordZero A9 is the most flexible option in terms of storage. Its portable charging stand can either be mounted to the wall or used free-standing, and it’s able to charge both batteries at once. It also has two slots to stow accessories.

Best cordless vacuum for pet hair

Pros

• Extra-large dustbin
• Longer-than-average runtime on high
• No-tangle carpet cleaner
• Two swappable batteries included
• Laser dirt detection

Cons

• Bulky design
• Trigger must be held down
• No HEPA filter

Specs

• Weight: 7.98 lbs.
• Maximum Runtime: 120 minutes
• Dust Bin Capacity: 1.9 liters
• Filter Type: Whole-machine filtration

The Dyson Outsize+ is very similar in design to our top overall pick. The main difference is that the Outsize has a larger dustbin and carpet head. While the V15 has 0.75-liter dustbin, the Outsize can hold more than twice as much, allowing you to clean longer before stopping to empty the bin. This feature is particularly useful for pet hair, which fills up a vacuum’s dustbin quickly. Additionally, this high-end pick includes the Digital Motorbar XL, which is 25% wider than the V15’s carpet head, and it also comes with a second battery to double your cleaning time.

When it comes to performance, the Dyson Outsize+ delivers the same cleaning abilities as the V15, making quick work of all the debris in our testing—in particular, we were impressed with the oversize Motorbar, which seems to dig deep into carpeting to pull out dirt and dust. When we used it on a particularly dirty area rug, it removed a staggering amount of pet hair, yet not a single strand ended up wrapped around the brushroll. This is thanks to Dyson’s de-tangling hair removal vanes, which automatically remove long hair from the brush bar while you clean. Similarly, the hair-screw tool, which is designed for cleaning furniture, removed pet hair with just a few easy passes, and while it has the same no-tangle vanes inside the brushroll, we liked that the tool is easy to take apart in case that you do need to clean it.

This vacuum’s Auto setting is more than effective for the majority of cleaning tasks—we never felt the need to turn it up to the Boost setting during everyday cleaning. When we tested the vacuum’s battery life, we found that it can last for up to 15 minutes on Boost—the second longest runtime of all the vacuums on their highest setting, bested only by the Lupe Pure’s 18-minute runtime. On the Auto setting, the vacuum will generally last for 20 minutes using the Motorbrush attachment or 25 to 30 minutes using the Laser Slim Fluffy attachment, which offers the same dirt detection abilities as the V15. No matter what attachment you’re using, you’ll be able to monitor the remaining runtime via the countdown timer on the vacuum’s LCD screen.

Dyson’s Outsize+ is proof that bigger isn’t always better. This vacuum felt bulky and slightly off-balance compared with the V15. If you have mobility limitations, you might struggle with this vacuum’s 8-pound weight, and while it can certainly tackle any cleaning task, its extra-large size might be overkill for average households.

Best lower-price cordless vacuum

Pros

• Moderate price point
• Auto setting increases suction when it detects dirt
• Performs well on multiple surfaces

Cons

• Shorter runtime
• Not good with pet hair

Specs

• Weight: 7.05 lbs.
• Maximum Runtime: 40 minutes
• Dust Bin Capacity: 0.6 liters
• Filter Type: 4-stage HEPA filtration

High-end cordless vacuums often cost upward of $700. If you’re looking for something more modestly priced, the Tineco Pure One S11 is the best model we tested in that range. It has a shorter runtime than our other winners, maxing out at 40 minutes on its Eco mode, but it cleaned well on a variety of surfaces and features automatic suction adjustment that helps balance performance with battery life.

During our tests, the Tineco S11 was able to pick up dirt and dust in just one or two passes, though it had some slight issues picking up small rocks and larger debris. We were impressed by the vacuum’s automatic suction adjustment—when we drove it over large patches of dirt, the vacuum noticeably increased its suction power, and the iLoop display, an LED light that circles around the vacuum’s display screen, turned red to indicate that it sensed dirt. This feature seems to work better with larger dirt particles than fine dust, but it helped to extend the vacuum’s battery life, as suction was only increased when necessary. If you choose to run the vacuum on its Max setting, it has a runtime of around 10 minutes—about average in our testing. The vacuum comes with a wall-mounted charging dock, and we liked that this dock has storage spaces for all three accessories.

When compared side-by-side with vacuums like the Dyson V15 and LG CordFree A9, the Tineco S11 feels a little flimsier, as though it’s made from lower-quality plastic. Its brush roll doesn’t dig as far into carpets as the other models, and we also noticed that pet hair gets wrapped around both the full-size brushroll and the motorized carpet cleaner. When we emptied the dustbin, pet hair was stuck around the inner filter, forcing us to remove it by hand. Overall, this less-expensive cordless vacuum is best-suited for light supplemental cleaning, and it’s not the best choice for homes with an excess of pet hair.

Others you should know about

While technically a cordless vacuum, the Lupe Pure Cordless Vacuum more closely resembles an upright model. It’s the only vacuum we tested that stands up on its own, and it was a top-performer on carpeting, removing dust, dirt, hair and other debris in just a few passes. Plus, the Lupe boasts the longest runtime on high power, lasting 18 minutes on a single charge. However, the design lacks the versatility and ease of use you’d expect from a cordless vacuum. The vacuum is much bulkier than the others we tested, and its large brush head was harder to maneuver around obstacles and into tight corners. It’s not a bad choice if you’re looking for a tool to mostly clean carpeted floors, but it’s not ideal for areas like stairs and furniture.

Even though it’s the newest model from the brand, the Tineco Pure One S15 Pet didn’t seem to offer any noticeable improvements over the S11. We still experienced problems with pet hair wrapping around the brush roll (which is strange for a vacuum marketed toward pet owners), and while it comes with a handy charging stand, it isn’t worth the additional cost.

The Greenworks Deluxe Cordless Stick Vacuum needed more passes to remove dirt and pet hair from carpeting than many of the others we tested, and it has the shortest runtime on its high setting, lasting just 8 minutes. We like that it offers a countdown timer to show how much battery power you have left, but overall, it just didn’t stack up against our best value pick.

The Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity offers some nice features, including an extra battery and interchangeable brush rolls, but the construction feels less durable than its competitors and its performance was below average.

We wanted to test the Samsung Jet 75+ Cordless Vacuum, which has similar specs to our winners and was recommended by our experts, but we were unable to receive a sample in time for testing.

How we picked

Trust us

I have been a product tester for more than five years, and in that time, I’ve evaluated dozens of cleaning tools, including a variety of vacuums and mops. In addition to reviewing them for work, I also have ample personal experience using both standard and cordless vacuums, as there seems to be a never-ending supply of pet hair in my home from my two golden retrievers.

To get a better understanding of how to differentiate all the cordless vacuums available today, I spoke with several experts. Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of housecleaning service AspenClean, offered suggestions on the best ways to test vacuums, while George Jackson, co-owner of Advance Cleaning Equipment, which sells and repairs cleaning equipment, and Chris Doscher, content development manager at the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, a trade group for home appliances, provided insights on the more technical aspects of vacuum cleaners and what to look for (and avoid) when shopping for one.

We tested

Using insights from our experts, we came up with the following criteria, which we used to evaluate each cordless vacuum:

• Cleaning performance: The most important criteria for a cordless vacuum is its ability to clean up messes. We put each through a series of tests recommended by our experts, evaluating their ability to pick up debris of varying sizes from different surfaces. These tests included: cleaning 1/8 cup of dirt off both hardwood floors and a medium-pile carpet; cleaning up 1 tablespoon of flour ground into a medium-pile carpet (to simulate dust); and cleaning pet hair off an upholstered armchair. For each test, we evaluated how many passes of the vacuum—with one pass being a slow stroke back and forth—were needed to remove all traces of the material from the surface. We also used each vacuum for everyday cleaning, using them to clean hard floors, rugs, stairs, and more to get a sense of their overall performance, as well as any strengths and weaknesses.
• Battery life: One of the major selling points of cordless vacuums is that they run on rechargeable batteries, which means they don’t need to be plugged in during use. The runtime of today’s cordless vacuums ranges significantly—it can be anywhere between 30 to 120 minutes—and it’s important to note that brand’s typically advertise a vacuum’s maximum run time, which is based on the vacuum’s lowest setting. To get a better sense of each vacuum’s realistic battery life during use, we put each on its highest setting and let the suction run continuously until the battery died. We also noted which setting provided an adequate level of suction—some models can handle most messes on their standard or eco setting, while others needed to be on high to perform up to snuff.
• Ease of use: To test each vacuum’s ease of use, we noted its overall weight and balance, as well as features such as how you turn it on/off and how you adjust its settings. To get a better sense of each model’s maneuverability, we spread 1 tablespoon of sand in the corner of a room and tested how easy it was to drive the vacuum into the corner. We noted whether the sand could be cleaned up using a standard floor attachment or if a special tool was needed, as well as how many passes it took to vacuum up all the debris.
• Maintenance: Most cordless vacuums suck dirt and debris into a bagless dustbin, which needs to be emptied periodically during cleaning. We tested how easy it was to empty each vacuum’s dustbin, including how many steps it took and whether it was a hands-free process. We also evaluated the size of each dustbin, including the location of their “max fill” lines, which often cut down significantly on usable space and force you to empty the bin more often.
• Special features: Some features on the vacuums we tested included headlights or laser dirt detection, anti-tangle brushrolls, dust bin compressors and extra batteries. For each of these special features, we considered its practical application—is it actually useful? Or is it just a gimmick?—and if it’s worth paying extra for.

Our experts

• Chris Doscher, content development manager at the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
• George Jackson, co-owner of Advance Cleaning Equipment in Boise, Idaho
• Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of housecleaning service AspenClean, based in Vancouver, British Columbia