If you're looking for a cheap vacuum, you may be surprised by how well budget-friendly options can perform. Though you might have to sacrifice premium features or materials compared to more expensive models, the current vacuum landscape is chock-full of affordable options that are still more than capable of handling the basics, namely sucking up dirt and debris in your home.
We've bought and tested over 115 vacuum cleaners in our lab, and below you'll find our recommendations for the best cheap and the best budget vacuum cleaners. These recommendations are based on price, design, and performance. For the cheapest options available, check out our list of the best vacuums under $100. If you're looking for a grab-and-go option, see our roundups of the best lightweight vacuums and the best handheld vacuums.
-
Best Budget Vacuum
House8.6Small Apartment8.6Pet Hair Pickup7.9Build Quality6.5Portability6.8Bare Floor Pickup7.9Carpet Pickup8.0Vacuum TypeUpright/HandheldCordlessNoSee all our test resultsBaglessNoThe Kenmore Intuition Bagged is the best budget vacuum we've tested. It's a very strong performer for the price, offering great debris pickup on carpets. You can also turn off its roller brush, so it doesn't scatter debris around on hard floors. Beyond that, it does a great job of handling pet hair and has a HEPA-grade filtration system that's highly effective at keeping allergens like pet dander from being blown back into the air. If you have dust bunnies under couches and in corners, there's an LED headlight to illuminate those areas.
Its lift-away design allows you to unmount its main motor and dirtbag compartment unit from the floorhead, and clean hard-to-reach spots with the hose. It also offers plenty of accessories, including tools for cleaning furniture, stairs, and cars, though the accessories vary depending on which variant you purchase. The build quality takes a hit to keep the price down; this vacuum feels a little fragile in places, especially in its hose and dustbag release system. Also, its upright design makes it heavy and bulky, making it hard to maneuver in tight spaces.
-
Best Budget Cordless Vacuum
House6.7Small Apartment7.6Pet Hair Pickup6.7Build Quality6.5Portability8.5Bare Floor Pickup5.3Carpet Pickup6.5Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldCordlessYesSee all our test resultsBaglessYesIf you want the freedom and range of a cordless vacuum to clean everywhere in your house, on your stairs, or in your car, check out the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S. This vacuum doesn't have as powerful a motor as the Kenmore Intuition Bagged, so it isn't as well-suited to cleaning thicker carpets. However, its lightweight cordless design makes it much better suited for quick clean-ups or hard-to-reach areas. Its onboard HEPA filter does a surprisingly good job of containing fine dust and pet dander, though, like any bagless vacuum, you should empty its dustbin outside.
Performance is unfortunately a bit of a mixed bag: the Wyze struggles with bulky debris, particularly on hard floors, where its brushroll scatters it around, but performs decently well on carpets and rugs. It also does a satisfactory job of handling pet hair, and its removable brushroll makes it easy to clear away any tangled strands of hair. It can run for almost 45 minutes in its most power-efficient setting, which is good for a lower-end cordless model. The battery pack is removable, so you can replace it if it can no longer hold a charge due to degradation. Unfortunately, its build quality is nothing special, with its plastic chassis feeling a little cheap.
-
Best Cheap Upright Vacuum
House7.5Small Apartment6.3Pet Hair Pickup6.7Build Quality6.0Portability8.0Bare Floor Pickup6.1Carpet Pickup5.8Vacuum TypeUprightCordlessNoSee all our test resultsBaglessYesThe best cheap vacuum cleaner with an upright design we've tested is the BISSELL PowerForce Helix. This corded upright model is worth considering if you're looking for reasonable hard floor cleaning performance on the cheap. Unusual for a vacuum in this price bracket, you can adjust its powered floorhead to five heights, so you can easily adapt to a wide range of surfaces without the vacuum getting stuck. Its dustbin also has a very high capacity, and you won't have to empty it often. That's a good thing, since emptying it releases a large cloud of dust and fine debris. Unlike the pricier picks above, it doesn't have an effective filtration system, so it won't contain fine particles as you clean.
Despite the BISSELL's relatively lightweight plastic construction, maneuvering in cluttered areas can still be a hassle due to its bulky body and non-articulating floorhead. Although there's no handheld configuration like you find on more premium upright models, you can still clean hard-to-reach areas with its hose. It also comes with an extension wand for added reach, plus a soft-bristled brush and a crevice tool for tight corners. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel very well built, with a plastic structure that creaks and flexes in use, though that isn't much of a surprise at this price point.
-
Best Cheap Canister Vacuum
House7.6Small Apartment6.5Pet Hair Pickup5.4Build Quality6.0Portability8.4Bare Floor Pickup7.0Carpet Pickup6.8Vacuum TypeCanisterCordlessNoSee all our test resultsBaglessNoThe Eureka Mighty Mite is the best cheap canister vacuum we've tested. It's fairly compact and delivers strong performance across various surfaces, thanks to its relatively potent 12-amp motor. It performs decently on bare floors with its basic straight suction floorhead, and you can retract the head's bristles to clean low- and medium-pile carpets. Unsurprisingly, given its simple floorhead, it struggles with pet hair trapped in carpet fibers, so it isn't the best choice for pet owners unless you buy a third-party air-driven turbo head, though we haven't tested this vacuum with that kind of accessory.
The vacuum itself feels reasonably sturdy, if a little cheap, and its remarkably simple design makes it easy to maintain, and it's small enough to easily store in a closet. Its wand, made of two hollow plastic tubes, adds good reach, though it can fall apart if you don't wedge the tubes together tightly enough. You'll also have to manually roll up its power cord at the end of every cleaning session, which is annoying. Emptying the vacuum's bag is clean and hygienic, but it doesn't have much of a filtration system, and finer dust can bypass both its pre-motor filter and dirt bag. Thicker third-party HEPA bags are available, which should do a better job of locking in allergens, but they're also pricier.
Notable Mentions
-
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe [NV360, UV440]:
The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe is a budget upright model like the Kenmore Intuition Bagged that also has a HEPA filter, but it doesn't pick up debris as effectively and has a shorter power cord.
See our review -
Eureka Airspeed:
The Eureka Airspeed is a basic bagless upright vacuum. Compared to the BISSELL PowerForce Helix, it lacks a height-adjustable floorhead and consequently performs worse on bare floors and carpets.
See our review -
BISSELL Featherweight Stick:
The BISSELL Featherweight Stick is a very simple corded vacuum. It's best used for small, quick clean-ups around your home, but its low-powered motor and simple floorhead result in poor overall performance when compared to marginally pricier models like the Eureka Mighty Mite.
See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 06, 2026:
We removed the handheld category from this roundup and added the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe as a Notable Mention.
Aug 05, 2026:
We've ensured all our main recommendations are still available and represent the best fit for user needs.
May 07, 2026:
We've updated the text in this article to more clearly convey the impact of a pick's design and performance in the real world. We've also added the Eureka Airspeed, BISSELL Featherweight Stick, and BISSELL AeroSlim to the Notable Mentions section.
Feb 06, 2026:
We edited recommendations for conciseness and readability. We added the Kenmore Intuition Bagged as the 'Best Budget' pick and moved the Eureka Mighty Mite to the 'Best Cheap Vacuum' spot. We added new usage scores. We also deleted all Notable Mentions.
Nov 10, 2025:
We removed the discontinued alternative recommendation Dirt Devil Endura Max and the eufy HomeVac H11 from the Notable Mentions. We verified all remaining recommendations for availability and accuracy.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best budget and cheap vacuum cleaners to buy. We consider a wide range of factors, including availability, performance, and reader feedback.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews for vacuums priced under $200 USD. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While there is no single best cheap vacuum that's perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.