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The 5 Best Cordless Vacuums - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Cordless Vacuums

A good cordless vacuum is a helpful addition to any household cleaning arsenal. When you don't need to worry about staying in range of an outlet, it's easy to clean small, out-of-the-way areas inside your home and in tighter spaces like car interiors. You also don't have to worry about a power cord getting snagged on a piece of furniture and bringing a frustrating pause to your cleaning session. However, despite recent strides in extending overall battery life, a cordless vacuum still can't offer the worry-free indefinite runtime of a corded vacuum. For many, however, this trade-off is worth these appliances' near-infinite range.

We've tested over 135 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuum cleaners with a cordless design. We selected these picks based on their performance on different surface types and their feature set, battery life, and price. For more options, look at our lists of the best vacuums, our best cordless stick vacuums, and the best vacuums for high-pile carpet.


  1. Best Cordless Vacuum

    The Dyson V15 Detect is the best cordless vacuum we've tested. This vacuum has a 230AW suction motor, which is remarkably powerful for a cordless stick vacuum and allows it to clear away a wide range of debris on different surfaces. Its built-in piezo sensor measures and counts debris being sucked into the vacuum so that you can keep an eye on allergen levels inside your home. Also, it features an automatic power adjustment system that allows it to change its suction setting depending on the floor type you're on. At about six and a half pounds, it's reasonably lightweight and fairly easy to pick up, carry, or maneuver around obstacles. Unfortunately, its strong suction force can cause it to get stuck on thick, shag-pile rugs.

    If you're looking for a cordless vacuum that's even better suited for those with allergies, the Samsung Bespoke Jet is a solid option. It comes with a charging rack that doubles as a self-emptying station; with the press of a button, debris is sucked from the vacuum's dustbin through an airtight seal into a dirtbag. However, the Samsung vacuum lacks Dyson's automatic power adjustment feature, and its twin roller floorhead is bulkier, making it less maneuverable. Alternatively, if you want a better-built cordless stick vacuum with an automatic power adjustment feature, consider the Miele Triflex HX2. Just be aware that it has a smaller dustbin and a more limited selection of attachments than the Dyson.

    See our review

  2. Best Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum

    The Shark Stratos Cordless is among the best cordless vacuums we've tested if you're shopping at a mid-range price. Its bulkier twin-roller floorhead and relatively heavy body make it less portable than the Dyson V15 Detect, and its suction motor isn't quite as powerful. That said, it has its fair share of advantages beyond its cheaper price tag. Like the Dyson, it has an automatic power adjustment system; its Clean Sense IQ function allows the vacuum to increase its suction power automatically when passing over an area with a significant concentration of debris. It also has an odor-neutralization system in the form of a replaceable cartridge mounted in its floorhead that emits a laundry detergent-like scent as you clean. However, this can quickly become overwhelming if you use the vacuum often. Its max battery life of about an hour is fairly long as far as these types of vacuums go, but note that this vacuum takes a very long time to recharge, which is inconvenient during longer cleaning sessions.

    This vacuum's hinged wand makes cleaning under most tables and chairs simple without you having to bend too much. Unfortunately, its floorhead can easily get bogged down in thick-pile rugs. If that's a problem, the Miele Triflex HX1 is a good alternative that's easier to maneuver on plush carpeting, though it has a shorter battery life and a much smaller dustbin that'll need frequent emptying.

    See our review

  3. Best Lower Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum

    Check out the Tineco PURE ONE S11 if you want to save some money. It's less sturdily built than the Shark Stratos Cordless, doesn't perform as well on carpeted floors, and has a shorter max runtime of around 40 minutes, but it is still very well-equipped for the price. Like the pricier Shark, it has an automatic power adjustment feature that enables it to increase its suction power setting when passing over an area with a large amount of debris. It also features a HEPA filter that's fairly effective in trapping allergens as you clean, though emptying its dustbin can still release a cloud of dust and debris.

    This variant of the S11 comes with a combination crevice tool/dusting brush and a miniature turbo brush that's pretty effective in handling pet hair on upholstered furniture. It weighs a little under six pounds, which makes it very easy to pick up and carry, though its floorhead doesn't pivot very smoothly, which makes it a little bit challenging to quickly maneuver around furniture or other obstacles. Its vertically-oriented dustbin also has a smaller capacity than the Shark's horizontal dustbin, so you'll need to empty it more often.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Cordless Vacuum

    The Wyze Cordless Vacuum is the best cordless vacuum we've tested in the budget category. Unlike the pricier Tineco PURE ONE S11, this budget-friendly cordless stick vacuum has no automatic power adjustment feature. If you're okay with missing out on that, it's worth a look. The Wyze still delivers good debris-pickup performance on bare floors and carpeting. It also does a good job of clearing away pet hair, though its brushroll has stiff bristles that collect a lot of pet hair. Thankfully, you can easily remove the roller to clear out anything stuck.

    Battery life tops out at almost an hour, which is not only on the longer end of the scale for a cordless model in this price range but also manages to exceed the pricier Tineco's runtime. The Wyze also comes with an upholstery nozzle, a slide-on dusting brush, and a crevice tool, but you'll need to buy a miniature turbo brush separately. Unfortunately, the Wyze's plastic chassis feels rather cheaply built, being made mainly from thin, scratch-prone plastic.

    See our review

  5. Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum

    If you're looking for a cordless stick vacuum that's lightweight and easy to carry around, the Dyson Omn-Glide is worth a look. This compact vacuum weighs just over four pounds, which is noticeably less than lightweight conventional cordless stick models like the Wyze Cordless Vacuum. Its twin-roller head can also pivot in almost any direction, making cleaning tight spots or around obstructions like furniture legs much easier. However, it's worth noting that these soft nylon rollers don't provide any surface agitation on carpets, so they won't dislodge any embedded debris. As such, the Omni-Glide is only suited for cleaning surfaces like hardwood or tile. Battery life is also on the shorter end of the spectrum; it'll run for almost half an hour in its default power mode or a bit less than 10 minutes in its higher-intensity 'MAX' mode.

    Its compact design has a few other downsides, like a relatively narrow suction inlet that can get clogged with bulkier debris and a tiny dirt compartment that needs frequent emptying. Thankfully, it does a good job of handling smaller debris, roughly the same size as grains of rice, as well as pet hair.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Dyson V12 Detect Slim: The Dyson V12 Detect Slim packages many of the Dyson V15 Detect's features into a smaller and lighter package, including its particle detection sensor and automatic power adjustment system. It's great for cleaning smaller spaces, but its dirt compartment is very small, and it can be a bit of a nuisance, having to empty it very often. See our review
  • Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute: The Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute replaces the Dyson V15 Detect as the brand's flagship cordless stick vacuum. Aside from minor updates like a revamped control scheme and brighter LED light for its fluffy-roller floorhead, it isn't all that different from its predecessor, and you're better off saving your money on the much cheaper V15. See our review
  • Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute : The Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute is effectively an enlarged version of the Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute. Like its smaller stablemate, it delivers impressive suction performance, but it's even pricier, and its bigger size makes it more of a hassle to maneuver than the Dyson V15 Detect. See our review
  • LG CordZero A9 [A916, A916BM]: The LG CordZero A9 is a fairly simple cordless stick vacuum. It executes pretty well on the fundamentals, with solid build quality, good maneuverability, and strong overall performance. That said, unlike newer models like the Shark Stratos Cordless, it can't adjust its suction power automatically. See our review
  • Samsung Jet 75: The Samsung Jet 75 is a good alternative to the Shark Stratos Cordless if you prioritize raw suction performance over convenience features like the Shark's automatic power adjustment system or self-cleaning floorhead. See our review
  • Shark Cordless Pro [IZ562H, UZ565H]: The Shark Cordless Pro is a mid-range cordless stick vacuum that's similarly equipped to the Shark Stratos Cordless, but it has a weaker suction motor and a lower-capacity battery. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 08, 2024: Removed the 'Best Cordless Upright Vacuum' category due to current product availability. Added Dyson Omni-Glide as the new 'Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum' category pick. Added Miele Triflex HX2 as an alternative to the Dyson V15 Detect.

  2. Feb 08, 2024: Slight in-text adjustments to further clarify product details.

  3. Jan 10, 2024: Added the Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute to Notable Mentions.

  4. Dec 07, 2023: Removed Samsung Jet 70 from Notable Mentions due to current availability.

  5. Nov 06, 2023: Replaced Shark Cordless Pro with Tineco PURE ONE S11 as 'Best Lower Mid-Range Cordless Vacuum' due to current pricing. Added Shark Cordless Pro to Notable Mentions.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best cordless vacuum cleaners. We don't just base our results on overall performance but also on factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our cordless vacuum reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is 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.