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The Best Cordless VacuumShark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum

$450 $300 (33% off) Amazon

Best Dyson Cordless VacuumDyson V15 Detect

$750 $620 (17% off) Amazon (V15 Detect)

Best Budget VacuumBissell PowerClean Cordless Stick Vacuum

$200 Amazon

Best Cordless Vacuum for Pet HairDyson Gen5 Detect

$1,050 $869 (17% off) Amazon

A new vacuum might not sound life-changing. But the best cordless vacuums will not only give you freedom you didn't know you needed, but leave your home clean and tidy in a matter of minutes with no cord unraveling or heavy vacuum dragging required. They're especially handy for me, living in a three-story home—lugging a classic upright vacuum up and down the stairs leaves me unlikely to ever bother to vacuum, and I never seem to remember to take my robot vacuum onto different floors to clean the whole house. But a stick vacuum is light and mobile, making it easy to traverse all three floors and two staircases with only a little bit of sweat.

After testing nearly two dozen stick vacuums, ranging from hard-floor-only models to powerful Dysons, these are the best cordless vacuums I've tried. My current favorite is the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum ($450), which not only has impressive power but also bends to make it easier to vacuum under furniture and low surfaces. If you've got room to splurge, you can upgrade to the Dyson V15 Detect ($650) for the best power I've seen in a cordless vacuum.

Read on to find out which cordless vacuum cleaners the Reviews team and I have tried and which ones I keep reaching for. Looking for more cleaning gadgets? Don't miss our guides to the Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Robot Vacuums, Best Vacuums for Pet Hair, and Best Handheld Vacuums. Looking for more information about vacuums and how often to vacuum? Catch our stories about How Often You Should Vacuum and How Long Vacuums Really Last.

Updated April 2026: I've added a new intro to this guide and a section on the new Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones, moved some previous picks to Honorable Mentions, and ensured links and prices are up to date. We're currently testing Dyson's PencilWash and Clean+Wash Hygiene wet cleaners for the next update.

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- What About the Dyson PencilVac?

- Honorable Mentions

- FAQs

- The Best Cordless Vacuum

Photograph: Nena Farrell

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Shark

PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum

$450 $300 (33% off) Amazon

$450 SharkNinja

Shark's PowerDetect is honestly a fantastic vacuum, and you're getting a lot for the price. There are three cleaning modes, lights on both the front and back of the vacuum head to spot debris, detection technology to sense when you're edge cleaning or when an area is dirtier than the rest, 70 minutes of run time, and a HEPA filter, and the central stick can even bend so you can vacuum under furniture without crouching on the ground. It comes with two attachments, and you can upgrade to a model with a self-emptying docking station ($550).

For the price, you're getting a lot. It's also a powerful vacuum that actually beat the Dyson Gen5 Detect in some of my tests, specifically with rugs. This vacuum was actually better at getting debris like sand and cereal pieces off carpet than the Dyson. When it's vacuuming over carpet, it kicks into a mode that glides over carpet and almost pulls away from you, as if the vacuum were a puppy pulling on its leash. But I liked that it didn't just get stuck to my living room rug, which the Dyson tends to do. I do like the Dyson for getting cat hair out of my stairs and bedroom carpet, but if you're more of a rug household and don't have pets, this vacuum will be plenty for your needs.

Capacity0.70 literAdditional attachmentsCrevice tool and pet hair multi-toolPower380WRun timeUp to 70 minutesFilterHEPA FilterWarrantyTwo-year parts warranty, five-year limited warranty

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WIRED

- Powerful and responsive to floor types

- Can bend to reach underneath furniture

- Does an impressive job with debris on carpets and rugs compared to more expensive vacuums

TIRED

- Only comes with two additional attachments

- Best Dyson Cordless Vacuum

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Courtesy of Dyson

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Dyson

V15 Detect

$750 $620 (17% off) Amazon (V15 Detect)

$850 $650 (24% off) Best Buy

$828 Amazon (V15 Detect Plus)

$850 $650 (24% off) Dyson

Before Dyson was famous for its hair tools, it was (and still is!) famous for its vacuums. We've got an entire guide to the Best Dyson Vacuums, and my f

The Best Cordless Vacuums for Your Whole House (2026) | WIRED