The best vacuum cleaner setup is subjective, heavily hinging on how badly (or not) you want to do the vacuuming yourself, or if you’d rather a robot do it for you.
But there’s one universal factor that can make or break any type of vacuum’s usefulness in your home, and that’s how likely you are to use it. Hear me out.
Actual cleaning performance plays a huge role in how clean your floors will be, of course. But if that vacuum’s a pain to use, you won’t feel like using it — whether that’s an upright vacuum that’s too clunky to get out of the closet or a robot vacuum that gets stuck more often than not.
I’ve tested a ton of automatic vacuums and upright cordless vacuums, assessing from all of those angles along the way. And I have a handful of recommendations for both. But first, let’s unpack which kind overall might work better in your living arrangement.
Should I get an upright or robot vacuum?
I could argue for both sides, considering I think the true dream setup is to have both on hand for different situations. While there are definitely ways to shop strategically and split your budget between one of each, that won’t be the most practical choice for every household. If you’re only choosing one type of vacuum, consider your main priority when it comes to vacuuming. Is your ideal vacuum cleaner one that automates the most steps to give you as little work as possible, or is it one that does the absolute most meticulous job, even if you still have to do the work?
Drawbacks of each also have to be considered. Trusting a robot vacuum to do this chore comes with the fine print that the robot vacuum is probably going to piss you off sometimes. While I absolutely can’t knock the strides that have been made with smart mapping, AI small obstacle avoidance, automatic floor type recognition, and debris level sensors over the past few years, even the latest and greatest robot vacuums are still inanimate objects, not perceptive humans.
The downside of an upright vacuum is that you have to have free time, and spend some of that free time off the couch. Granted, the better the cordless vacuum, the less you’ll have to get it out, and the less of a pain it’ll be to whip around.
Do corded vacuums have better suction?
Typically, corded vacuums have better suction than cordless vacs, but at this point in the game, it’s not a noteworthy enough increase to cover the headache of digging that monstrosity out of the closet and wrestling with the cord. if you detest getting your vacuum out, you probably won’t vacuum too often — and that defeats the purpose of doing your research/spending your money on a nice, new vacuum in the first place.
With that in mind, no corded stick vacuums or corded canister vacuums will be recommended in this list.
Below, I’ve pulled my favorite cordless stick vacuums and robotic vacuums to create Mashable’s ultimate mashup of all of the best vacuum cleaners as of September 2024.
How we tested
25+ robot vacuums and cordless stick vacuums have come through the doors of my home since 2020 — the “home” in question actually consisting of several apartments of varying sizes as well as my family’s larger single family home. In 2024 so far, I’ve gotten my hands on a number of the top new robot vacuum releases of the last year or so including the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Eufy X10 Pro Omni, Roomba Combo j5+, and Narwal Freo X Ultra, with my most recently-tested models being the Robrock Qrevo Master and Yeedi M12 Pro+.
Because I have at least three vacuums to review under my roof at any given time (plus my ol’ reliable Dyson V12 Detect Slim), the ultimate test of a vacuum’s value often boils down to how likely I am to choose it for a certain situation over the other ones.
How I assess a vacuum’s value
Though reaching for one of said vacuums (or if it’s a robot, reaching for my phone to get on the app) often ends up being a subconscious reflex, I arrive to that conclusion by conducting a series of uniform cleaning tests with each. All of the vacuums in my home are put to the test on hardwood floors, tile floors, and several rugs of various piles. They’re all responsible for tackling a variety of debris that will probably pop up in someone’s house at some point or another:
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On-the-spot messes like giant piles of rice or chip crumbs that I’ve spilled on purpose, and if they mop, some sort of sauce, wine, or juice that I’ve spilled on purpose
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Messes that build up over time like litter box dust or hair that’s been pressed into the rug throughout months of being stepped on, and if they mop, shoe stains by the front door or water marks in the bathroom
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For cordless vacuums, various attachments that can be used in handheld mode also impact how extensive your cleaning can get. Personally, I heavily value the inclusion of the motorized brush attachment to deal with cat hair on my furniture. Dysons are expensive, but this attachment comes in the box, whereas a vacuum that’s cheaper on its face may require you to purchase this attachment separately.
Past technical cleaning performance itself, navigation and maneuverability play nearly just as big of a role.
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For robot vacuums: Any model needs to have smart mapping to get a pass from me. This means that the robot vacuum can map out your home and be sent to specific rooms or zones within those rooms, whether that’s on a regular cleaning schedule for rooms that get dirtier faster or for spontaneous spot cleaning. Small obstacle avoidance technology, a newer feature that’s becoming more normalized, can also impact a robot vacuum’s ability to navigate, as it ideally keeps the robot vacuum from getting stuck on things like chargers or pet toys. After all, cleaning performance can’t even come into play unless the robot vacuum makes it to the right spot in the first place.
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For cordless stick vacuums: Some upright vacuums are bulkier than others in both shape and size, making them less easy to push with one hand or maneuver around obstacles. I also consider the clunkiness factor during storage. Is this vacuum painless enough to get out and operate that the average person will have the motivation to use it?
Maintenance also matters. Does the vacuum require a lot of upkeep when it’s not cleaning?
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For robot vacuums: If you want a robot vacuum to do your cleaning for you, you’re likely attracted to the premise of doing as little work as possible. Many robot vacuums extend this hands-off cleaning experience to dust bin duty by coming with a self-emptying dock. Some 2-in-1 models that mop go as far as automatic mopping pad washing and drying, which I’ve found to heavily influence how likely I am to let a robot vacuum mop.
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For cordless vacuums: Though it’s getting more common, automatic emptying isn’t as much of a thing for upright vacuums as it is for robot vacuums. When I do try an upright vacuum that can empty itself (or at least offers the option to buy a self-emptying dock), I’m pretty excited. But in most cases, when I’m responsible for dumping the vacuum’s onboard dust bin myself, I consider how quickly it fills up and how hygeniec the process is to dump it into the trash can. While a larger dust bin requires emptying less frequently, I also consider how the size affects weight distribution. The larger the dust bin, the more tiresome to operate with one hand.
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Because they’re always charging when at rest, the battery life of a robot vacuum is less of a make or break factor than it is with cordless vacuums. Most cordless vacuums can be stored on a dock that also charges it, but those require extra space, and sometimes wall mounting. Otherwise, you’ll have to remember to plug your vacuum in if you don’t want it to die mid-use.
Finally, the overall bang for your buck has to be considered. Is each vacuum’s feature menu and actual cleaning competence worth the price tag, and how practical is that cost for the average household?
