The 4 Best Vacuums Under $100 - Summer 2024 Reviews

The best vacuum under $100 we've tested is the Eureka Mighty Mite. This bagged canister vacuum is lightweight and compact, making it easy to maneuver in tight spots or stow away when not in use. It's also remarkably easy to maintain, as you can quickly access its filter and dirtbag. Despite its affordable price point, it has a relatively potent 12-amp motor, so it has fantastic performance on bare floors and good debris pickup on low-pile carpets if you retract the bristles on its floorhead. Also, you can remove its extension wand and clean it with its hard-bristle brush or combination upholstery/crevice tool. Unfortunately, it isn't ideal for cleaning thicker carpets since it doesn't come with a motorized or turbobrush floorhead for improved surface agitation.

If you want to avoid the hassle of replacing the dirtbag, the Eureka Whirlwind Bagless Canister is a great alternative. However, shaking out a dustbin isn't as effortless or hygienic as simply removing and tossing a filled dustbag. It also has a shorter range than the Mighty Mite.

If you're looking for an upright model, the BISSELL PowerForce Helix is among the best vacuum cleaners under $100 we've tested. Although its upright form makes it less maneuverable in tight spaces than a canister vacuum like the Eureka Mighty Mite, its powered floorhead provides a lot more surface agitation, so it's a much better option if you have a lot of thick carpeting and rugs at home. Its floorhead has five levels of height adjustment, which is rare for a vacuum at this price point, and allows you to adapt to most carpet lengths. It can still get caught on thick shag-pile carpeting even at its highest setting. While it excels with pet hair and larger debris on most surface types, it has difficulty dealing with finer material embedded deep within carpet fibers. If you need to clear debris from hard-to-reach areas, it's best to clean them with the vacuum's hose and crevice tool with a slide-on soft-bristle dusting brush.

Unfortunately, there's no off switch for its brushroll, so be careful when cleaning around loose obstructions like rug tassels since they can get tangled in the floorhead. Unsurprisingly, given its price, its build quality is nothing special either, with a mainly plastic body that looks and feels cheap and somewhat toy-like. The dustbin is fairly large and won't need to be emptied often. If you want something with an even greater debris capacity, consider the Dirt Devil Endura Max, which has a larger 0.55-gallon dirt compartment but doesn't perform quite as well on carpet.

The BISSELL Featherweight Stick is worth a look if you're looking for a lightweight, all-purpose vacuum at a bargain price. It falls short of the Eureka Mighty Mite and BISSELL PowerForce Helix regarding debris pickup performance, especially in dealing with heavier material or messes on carpeted floors. However, weighing about three pounds, it's remarkably portable and is a good option for elderly users who don't want something too heavy or bulky to maneuver around. Its simple design also makes it straightforward to maintain, as the few parts that need regular cleaning are easily accessible. You can easily reconfigure it into a compact handheld vacuum to clean tight spots by removing its handle.

It does a fantastic job dealing with pet hair on different surface types and is impressively effective in dealing with small debris. However, it has trouble dealing with bulkier material, especially as its dustbin fills up and suction performance starts to degrade. Hazards like rug tassels can also get stuck in its floorhead, requiring you to turn off the vacuum and pull the tassels out. The power cord is very short, so you'll need to swap outlets when vacuuming from moderately far away or in large areas.

If you're shopping for a budget-friendly handheld, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is a great choice and is the best cordless vacuum under $100 that we've tested. It delivers superb debris pickup on bare surfaces like countertops and does an excellent job clearing messes on carpets and rugs. The CH951 variant comes with a miniature turbo brush with a self-cleaning brushroll for dealing with debris on upholstered surfaces. Unfortunately, this attachment is a little bulky and not all that effective for dealing with pet hair on furniture, and you're better off using the provided crevice tool or hard-bristle brush for cleaning this kind of surface.

This handheld does a terrible job of sealing fine particles, making it a poor choice if you suffer from serious allergies. Also, its battery life of just over 10 minutes is very short, even by the standards of other handheld vacuums, forcing you to work fast when dealing with bigger messes. Worse, the battery isn't removable or replaceable. If the Shark's short battery life and poor filtration performance are serious concerns, check out the Wyze Handheld Vacuum, which does a much better job of trapping allergens and fine debris and can run up to half an hour on a charge. However, it's quite hard to find in some markets.