Thanks to innovations in design and materials, vacuum cleaners have become much lighter over time. The best lightweight vacuums make cleaning feel noticeably easier, but a low number on the spec sheet only tells part of the story. What matters most is how the vacuum feels while you use it: how well it balances in your hand, how freely the floorhead moves around furniture legs, and whether it can actually clean the floors in your home.
We've tested over 110 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best lightweight vacuums you can buy. These picks were selected based on their weight, performance across different surface types, feature sets, battery life, and price. If you're looking for more vacuums, check out our recommendations for the best cordless vacuums, the best budget and cheap vacuums, the best stick vacuums, and the best cordless vacuums for pet hair.
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Best Lightweight Vacuum
House7.1Small Apartment8.3Portability8.3Maneuverability8.0Bare Floor Pickup8.0Carpet Pickup6.5Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup7.5Air Quality8.1Total Weight5.20 lbs (2.36 kg)See all our test resultsWeight In Hand3.09 lbs (1.40 kg)The Dyson V12 Detect Slim is the best lightweight vacuum we've tested, and it's the pick to get if you want near flagship-level cleaning performance in one of the lightest cordless designs available. At just over five pounds, carrying it between rooms or lifting it to clean stairs takes noticeably less effort than most cordless stick vacuums, and its rotating floorhead lets you change direction without repositioning the whole machine. Its performance on bare floors is impressive, and it handles debris on low- and high-pile carpets decently well. The battery lasts up to an hour, which is a longer runtime than most cordless vacuums at this weight.
It comes with two floorheads: a multi-surface head for general use and a soft roller head with a laser light that makes fine debris and pet hair on hard floors much easier to spot. It can also automatically increase cleaning power on carpets or when it detects a high concentration of debris. Unsurprisingly, given the vacuum's small size, its dirt compartment is tiny and needs frequent emptying. If that's a problem, consider the pricier and heavier Dyson V15 Detect; it has a larger dustbin, but at almost 6.5 pounds, it's noticeably heavier than the compact V12.
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Best Mid-Range Lightweight Vacuum
House6.9Small Apartment8.2Portability8.2Maneuverability7.5Bare Floor Pickup6.3Carpet Pickup7.0Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup8.2Air Quality8.2Total Weight5.58 lbs (2.53 kg)See all our test resultsWeight In Hand3.06 lbs (1.39 kg)The Dyson V8 is the best mid-range option on this list if you want a lightweight cordless vacuum without paying flagship prices. Compared to the considerably newer Dyson V12 Detect Slim, you're missing out on a lot of extra convenience features: there's no automatic power adjustment system, no user-replaceable battery, and it doesn't come with a laser-equipped floorhead to illuminate dirt on hard floors. It also weighs a little more, at a little over 5.5 pounds, though that's still pretty lightweight by vacuum standards. With all that being said, it's, in some ways, the more practical everyday option, with a bigger dustbin that doesn't need to be emptied anywhere near as often.
Its max runtime of about 40 minutes is shorter than the V12, but still enough to clean most apartments in a single charge. Debris pickup on hard floors is unspectacular, but it performs pretty well on rugs and carpets for a lightweight cordless vacuum. Like the V12, its filtration system does a fantastic job of keeping allergens out of the air, but you'll need to be careful when emptying it out, as doing so releases a cloud of dust and fine grit.
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Best Budget Lightweight Vacuum
House6.7Small Apartment7.6Portability8.5Maneuverability7.0Bare Floor Pickup5.3Carpet Pickup6.5Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup6.7Air Quality7.6Total Weight4.96 lbs (2.25 kg)See all our test resultsWeight In Hand2.49 lbs (1.13 kg)The Wyze Cordless Vacuum S is worth considering if you want a lightweight cordless vacuum without spending much. Weighing just over five pounds, it's just as easy to carry as the pricier Dyson V8, and its battery runtime nearly matches the Dyson vacuum's. For the price, it's a strong performer on hard floors, though it struggles with bulky debris and fine material that has been worked into carpet fibers.
It also includes a HEPA filter, which is rare at this price point and helps keep allergens from recirculating while you clean. Like any bagless vacuum, though, you'll want to empty the dustbin carefully to avoid releasing dust back into the air. Build quality is the main trade-off: the plastic chassis is flimsier than either of the Dyson models, and it scratches easily.
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Best Cheap Lightweight Vacuum
House6.9Small Apartment5.7Portability9.3Maneuverability6.5Bare Floor Pickup6.4Carpet Pickup3.5Vacuum TypeUpright/HandheldPet Hair Pickup3.4Air Quality3.4Total Weight3.00 lbs (1.36 kg)See all our test resultsWeight In Hand0.97 lbs (0.44 kg)The BISSELL Featherweight Stick is the cheapest pick on this list, and it's worth a look if you want an extremely lightweight vacuum for quick cleanups and don't need it to deep-clean. At just over three pounds, it's lighter than any other vacuum here, including the cordless models, making it a good fit for anyone with limited mobility or upper-body strength. Because it's corded, you also never have to think about battery life.
That said, it won't deliver a thorough clean. Its small motor and basic floorhead struggle on carpet, and performance drops off noticeably as its tiny dustbin fills up. It handles pet hair and lightweight debris on hard floors reasonably well, but even there, it's not especially strong. The short power cord is another limitation: you'll need to switch outlets frequently when cleaning larger areas.
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Best Lightweight Canister Vacuum
House7.6Small Apartment6.5Portability8.4Maneuverability7.5Bare Floor Pickup7.0Carpet Pickup6.8Vacuum TypeCanisterPet Hair Pickup5.4Air Quality4.9Total Weight9.04 lbs (4.10 kg)See all our test resultsWeight In Hand1.01 lbs (0.46 kg)Consider the Eureka Mighty Mite if a low weight in hand is your top priority. This compact corded canister weighs less in hand than any of our other picks, and it's considerably smaller and lighter than most canisters, making it relatively easy to pull from room to room or carry up stairs. Debris pickup is good for the price, and its simple design makes it easy to swap filters or install a new dirtbag.
The main trade-off is the short power cord, which means you'll need to switch outlets when cleaning larger areas. Parts of the build feel a little flimsy, particularly the wand, which is made of two plastic tubes that can separate if not pushed together firmly. Its filtration is also not particularly impressive, since some newer Mighty Mite models lack the clips needed to attach aftermarket HEPA filters. If you'd prefer to skip the dirtbag, the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a similarly performing alternative, though it has an even shorter power cord.
Notable Mentions
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eufy E20 (Stick):
The eufy E20 is effectively a bundle of vacuums, with a modular motor unit that can be mounted inside a robot vacuum chassis or a cordless stick/handheld vacuum. The stick vacuum is lightweight and portable, but less effective on carpeted and bare floors than the Dyson V8.
See our review -
Dyson V9 Motorbar:
The Dyson V9 Motorbar is an incredibly lightweight stick vacuum that represents a good alternative to the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, but it uses a less powerful motor, resulting in inferior debris pickup performance, particularly on bare floors.
See our review
Recent Updates
Sep 08, 2026:
We replaced the Samsung Jet 60 with the Dyson V8 as the 'Best Mid-Range Lightweight Vacuum' pick, and added the Dyson V9 Motorbar to the Notable Mentions section of the article.
Jul 07, 2026:
We made minor edits to the text to help shoppers make a more informed buying decision.
Apr 03, 2026:
We reworked this article and removed the BISSELL PowerForce Helix as well as the Notable Mention of the Dyson Digital Slim. We also added the Dyson V15 as an alternative to the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.
Nov 13, 2025:
We made minor tweaks to further explain product details and added the eufy E20 to the Notable Mentions.
Apr 17, 2025:
We removed the alternate Samsung Jet 90 Complete from the 'Best Lightweight Vacuum' due to availability. We replaced the discontinued Wyze Cordless Vacuum as the 'Best Lower Mid-Range Lightweight Vacuum' with the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S and revised the text. We removed the Notable Mention Shark WANDVAC due to availability and replaced it with the Dyson Digital Slim.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are based on what we think are currently the best lightweight vacuum cleaners. We don't just base our results on overall performance; we also consider factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all lightweight 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.