A good vacuum doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. Life is expensive enough, and recent tariffs on home appliances and economic uncertainty aren’t helping. It seems every new cordless and robot vacuum costs upward of $500, with some of the most expensive Dyson models costing as much as $1,000. That’s why I spent hundreds of hours reviewing, testing, analyzing data and checking prices on more than 100 cordless and robot vacuums. My goal is to find you a list of the best vacuums at the best cost-to-value. Here’s my list of the eight best cheap and affordable vacuums for less than $300.
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What’s the best cheap vacuum?
After testing over 40 vacuum cleaners, our CNET experts have crowned Eureka ReactiSense 440 as the best cheap vacuum to get. At just $180, it offered the highest pickup on both hard flooring and carpet on any vacuum we tested, displacing our previous top choices, the Levoit LVAC-200 and Uninell UV5.
For those who prefer a more hands-off cleaning solution, we recommend the Eufy RoboVac 25C. It’s our top budget robot vacuum, with prices dropping as low as $115 during sales. Its consistent performance across different floor types has earned it a place on our best vacuum list, though you won’t get any premium features or advanced navigation.
Check out our complete list of budget-friendly vacuums and robot vacuums below. As new models become available, we’ll continue updating this list with fresh tested picks.
Best 8 cheap vacuum cleaners for 2025
Best overall
Eureka ReactiSense 440
Pros
- Excellent suction performance with 96% sand pickup average across floor types
- Comes with HEPA filter and LED headlights
- Has smart sensors that can detect flooring type to adjust brush speed
Cons
- Could use more attachments
- 33-minute battery life, shorter than some competitors
- 0.5 liter dustbin may require more frequent emptying
Best for:
The Eureka ReactiSense 440 is a great option for anyone, regardless of budget. At $180, it’s one of the most affordable cordless vacuums we recommend. The price also doesn’t require any compromise, with the highest test scores on both hard flooring and carpet that we’ve seen. It also comes with a HEPA filter, LED headlights, and has sensors that can detect flooring type to adjust brush roller speed and suction accordingly. This is a rare perk for a vacuum this cheap.
Why we recommend it:
The $180 price is obviously the big selling point here, but the ReactiSense 440 has a lot going for it beyond just the dollar signs. It earned the single highest scores in our lab testing across flooring types. It was able to pick up 97.53% of sand on hardwood, an even more impressive 98.53% of sand from low-pile carpet and 92.16% from mid-pile. This gives it an overall sand pickup average of 96% — the highest we’ve tested on any vacuum at any price.
This translates into strong pickup for pet hair as well, with an anti-tangle brush roll that’s designed to prevent hair from wrapping around the brush. In a rare addition for this price range, there are also smart sensors under the hood that can adjust the speed of the roller brush as it detects different flooring types, kicking up to higher suction for carpet and using normal for hard flooring.
Battery life is decent, though nothing special at 33 minutes, making it shorter than the Uninell UV5 (48.6 minutes) but longer than the Levoit LVAC-200 (25 minutes). The 0.5 liter dustbin is on the smaller side (the UV5 offers a much larger 1.6 liter one), but it does empty easily.
There’s a HEPA filter, an LED display that shows battery life, mode, and vacuum status, and LED headlights on the vacuum itself to help spot dust more easily. Accessories are somewhat limited with just a a crevice tool, upholstery brush, charger and wall mount, but that tends to be standard with more affordable vacuums.
Who shouldn’t get it:
The only reason not to buy the Eureka ReactiSense 440 is if you need a much longer battery runtime. The Uninell UV5 will give you 48.6 minutes, but with both vacuums having removable batteries, we don’t think there’s much reason to pass on the $180 ReactiSense 440. If you want to get significantly longer battery life, you’ll need to go for the Shark Statos which will cost nearly double the price.
Pros
- Usually costs less than $200
- Excellent performance across flooring types including hardwood (98.7% pickup) and both types of carpet (80.2% low-pile and 74% mid-pile)
- Five-stage filter and replaceable battery
Cons
- 25 minute runtime is on the shorter side
- Included attachments are limited
Best for:
The Levoit LVAC-200 is the best cheap vacuum. At just $200 at full price and $150 on sale, it offers excellent bang for the buck and easily earned a spot on our list thanks to its strong overall performance.
Why we recommend it:
The LVAC-200 is an extremely capable vacuum on hard flooring, sucking up 98.7% of sand, a score that put it at a narrow second only to the Dust Devil BD5700V. It also handled low-pile carpet with ease, suctioning 80.2% of sand. Mid-pile was a bit more of a challenge, with 74% of sand removed, but this is still very impressive (we consider anything above 50% to be good). It outperforms just about every cordless vacuum on this list in most categories with a few exception we’ve noted below.
A feature typically found on more expensive cordless vacs is LED lights on the front of the vacuum head to help ensure you don’t miss a speck of dust. The Levoit LVAC-200 also comes with a two-in-one crevice tool and a two-in-one pet tool to help clean up any mess, although it would have been nice to have some additional attachments for cleaning upholstery or digging deeper into carpet for pet hair.
This unit doesn’t have a HEPA filter but it does use a five-stage filtration system, capturing 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The battery is also user-replaceable and additional packs can be purchased from Levoit for $70.
Who shouldn’t buy it:
If you need a long-lasting battery life, the LVAC-200 may not be the best option. It lasted only 25 minutes during our testing, despite the claim of up to 50 minutes. We ran it continuously on medium settings and averaged the results of three scores. If you need a longer battery life, we like the Tineco Pure One S11, though it’ll cost you nearly double the price.
Largest dustbin
Uninell UV5
Pros
- Great hardwood suction with 93.83% pickup
- Strong carpet pickup with 77.45% on low-pile and 79.9% on mid-pile
- Comes with 7-stage HEPA filter
- Massive 1.6 liter dustbin capacity
Cons
- No self-empty dock
- Levoit LVAC-200 outperforms it on carpet for a similar price
Best for:
The Uninell UV5 is a newcomer to our list. This is the first model we’ve tested from the little-known brand, and it left us impressed by its performance on both hardwood and carpet. It also has the single biggest dustbin we’ve seen on a cordless vacuum that doesn’t include a self-emptying dock and has a long-lasting battery. If these are both features you prioritize, this earns it a top spot with CNET’s experts. Finally, at $200 full price and $170 on sale (with an additional $40 coupon bringing it down to as low as $130), it’s one of the most affordable cordless vacuums you can get. All this ties it for our best overall with Levoit LVAC-200.
Why we recommend it:
The UV5 came in a close second to the LVAC-200 in overall performance. It scored 93.83% on sand pickup for hardwood floors, just behind the 98.72% of the LVAC-200. It also did quite good for low-pile and mid-pile carpet, scoring 77.45% and 79.9%, respectively. This put it just shy of the LVAC-200 for low-pile carpet (80.21%), but higher than it was for mid-pile (73.96%). Pet hair didn’t prove to be any trouble. Like many brands, the UV5 has a V-shaped roller brush, which helps dig up pet hair from carpet and direct it toward the nozzle without tangling.
Battery life is also impressive for a budget vacuum. The UV5 lasted for 48.6 minutes. It lasts quite a bit longer than the LVAC-200, which lasted only around 25 minutes in our battery rundown test, though it’s less than the 65 minutes Uninell estimates. The company says a second optional battery can give you an additional 130 minutes of usage. The battery is also user-replaceable.
There are a lot of other selling points too. There’s a massive 1.6-liter dustbin, the largest of any cordless vacuum we’ve tested. It’s also self-standing and includes a display so you can see the battery charge and suction mode. It also comes with a seven-stage HEPA filter and green LED headlights similar to the Dyson V15 Detect to help identify dust in dark spaces.
Who shouldn’t get it:
If you need the best carpet performance possible on a budget, you’ll generally get better results with our best overall, the Levoit LVAC-200, which can usually be found for a similar price, ranging from $150 to $200. However, if you prioritize dustbin capacity and battery life, or you can find the UV5 for cheaper than $150, we recommend it over the LVAC-200.
Pros
- Budget-friendly at just $115
- Good on most flooring types with 78.9% hardwood pickup and above 50% for carpet
- Performs as well as much pricier models
Cons
- Extremely slow to clean a single room
- No real navigation system
Best for:
While «you get what you pay for» is frequently true, with the Anker Eufy RoboVac 25C, the low price doesn’t tell the entire story. In our testing of this device, we found it performs very well, putting up scores that aren’t too far off from more expensive models. What is the current asking price? Just $115 at Walmart
Why we recommend it:
You might not expect sufficient cleaning power from a budget-priced robot vacuum, but that’s precisely what the Anker Eufy RoboVac 25C delivers. For instance, its ability to scour sand from hardwood floors (78.9%) wasn’t too far below some of our midrange robot vacuums. On low- and mid-pile carpets as well, the RoboVac 25C managed to suck up averages of 54% and 52% of sand from them, respectively.
To keep costs down, it uses a simple bump-and-change direction navigation method, which extends cleaning time to about 91 minutes in testing to clean a single small room. Despite the longer time, the cleaning performance makes it a great value.
Who shouldn’t buy it:
Those who require a fast and efficient cleaning process. Due to its basic navigation, it bounces around rather than mapping the area, which leads to significantly longer cleaning times. If speed is a priority, this model may not be suitable.
Pros
- Usually cheaper than competitors
- Excellent hardwood performance at 99% pickup
- Removed pet hair from hard flooring easily
Cons
- Small dustbin at 0.48 liters
- Battery runtime on the shorter side at 23.5 minutes tested
- Battery not replaceable
Best for:
For households primarily featuring hardwood floors, the Dirt Devil BD5700V stands out, having achieved one of the highest removal rates observed during testing. It successfully cleared almost all of the sand from hardwood surfaces and is offered at a full retail price of only $150. The only point keeping it from claiming the top budget spot is its somewhat average performance on carpeting compared with the Levoit LVAC-200.
Why we recommend it:
The Dirt Devil BD5700V is easily recognizable by its classic bright red highlights and remarkably lightweight construction. Weighing a mere 7 pounds, it’s easy to move throughout the home while still providing strong suction power. Its efficiency was most evident in the test measuring a cordless vacuum’s ability to extract sand from hard floors, where it eliminated an impressive 99%. Pet hair removal on hardwood was also successful, leaving no traces. Performance on carpet was good, falling short of the Levoit LVAC-200. The BD5700V was able to remove 69% of sand from low-pile and 70% from mid-pile carpets. Pet hair performance isn’t as strong with pet fur remaining embedded in the carpet after several passes.
This Dirt Devil vacuum can stand upright and has LED lights on the main cleaning head, a feature not always included with more budget-friendly cordless models. While it lacks a HEPA filter, its filter is washable.
A significant advantage is its price. At $150 without any discounts, the Dirt Devil is $50 less expensive than the LVAC-200 when both are at their regular price.
Who shouldn’t buy it:
If your residence has a lot of carpeting, the BD5700V may not be the ideal choice. Although it performed reasonably well on carpet, managing 69% sand removal on low-pile and 70.1% on mid-pile carpets, there are better options in its price range. Spending an extra $50 at full price for the Levoit LVAC-200 delivers better results in both carpet categories, 80% and 74%, respectively, while still performing remarkably well on hardwood at 98.7%. The dustbin size is relatively small at 0.48 liters, necessitating more frequent emptying during cleaning. Also, the battery isn’t designed for easy user replacement.
Pros
- Powerful and compact with 95.6% hardwood floor pickup and above 50% carpet pickup
- Very affordable at $45 MSRP
Cons
- Noisy
- Short battery life
- Can’t use for cleaning floors
Best for:
Dirt Devil’s Grab & Go Plus is compact and has a comfortable design that makes it easy to hold while cleaning up small messes around the house, car, office or wherever else you need to make a quick clean-up. However, don’t let this handheld vacuum’s diminutive size and the low $45 (currently $40 on sale) price fool you. It is far more capable than either of those factors might lead you to believe.
Why we recommend it:
We put all 75 watts of cleaning power to work in our tests, with an overall average score of 68.3% picking up sand from our test surfaces (95.6% on hardwood, 53.6% on the low-pile carpet and 55.8% on the mid-pile carpet). The Dirt Devil Grab & Go Plus includes a two-in-one dusting brush and crevice tool to help you get into smaller spaces, as well as a charging stand to keep your vacuum charged and ready to go. The biggest drawback to the Grab & Go Plus is that it can be a bit on the noisy side. So keep that in mind when cleaning up a mess while others may be sleeping or watching a movie.
Who shouldn’t buy it:
If you need a cordless vacuum to clean your floors, the Grab & Go Plus isn’t for you. It’s designed for handheld use and for cleaning your car and upholstery.
Best $300 vacuum
Tineco Pure One S11
Pros
- Strong performance on hardwood and carpet (averaging 90% sand removal)
- 40-minute battery life
- Includes four-stage HEPA filter
- Has a smart sensor for dirt detection
Cons
- Expensive at $300
- No self-emptying
Best for:
The Tineco Pure One S11 is the most expensive cheap cordless vacuum we recommend, but for good reason. Priced at $300, it’s right at the edge of the line between cheap and midrange. It offers excellent performance on hardwood floors and carpet alike, and comes with some smart features that put it a step above many competitors.
Why we recommend it:
The Pure One S11 has performance that puts it on par with some of the best vacuums we’ve tested. It scores nearly 99% on sand removal from hardwood floors, similar to the Dirt Devil BD5700V. It did great on low-pile carpet, scoring 93.4% sand removal. More plush, mid-pile carpet proved to be more of a challenge, but it still did quite well, scoring 78.4% removal. For reference, we consider anything above 50% to be good.
Battery life is also quite good. We tested it to 42.5 minutes of cleaning time, which isn’t as long as you get on high-end vacuum models like the Dyson Gen 5 Detect (70 minutes) or Shark Stratos (60 minutes), but it’s still a longer battery life than both the Levoit LVAC-200 (25 minutes) and Dirt Devil BD5700V (23.5 minutes).
It comes with a four-stage HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of allergens to 0.3 microns, and is unique for cordless vacuums in this price range; it has a dust-detecting smart sensor that automatically adjusts suction power to bust dirt better. The dustbin is 0.6 liters, giving you some breathing room before needing to empty. It also comes with a variety of attachments, including an LED power brush, mini power brush, two-in-one dusting brush, crevice tool, pre-filter cleaning tool and hair cleaning tool. There’s also a wall-mounted dock.
Who shouldn’t get it:
At $300, the Pure One S11 is twice as expensive as the Dirt Devil BD5700V, which offers similar performance on hardwood. It’s also $100 more expensive than our best overall, the Levoit LVAC-200, which tested well on all surface types. Unless you’re keen on the smart features or Tineco has a sale, you’ll get similar performance from competitors.
Pros
- Very affordable, usually less than $100 on sale
- Excellent hardwood performance with 99% sand pickup
- Large 1.3 liter dustbin
- Lightweight, weighs just 3.3 pounds
- Includes washable HEPA filter
Cons
- Subpar carpet performance (41% low pile, 52% midpile)
- Five hour charging time
- Limited cleaning attachments
Best for:
If you’re on a very tight budget, the Moosoo XL-618A gives you solid performance for the price. At $170 full price and currently $79 on sale at Walmart, it’s one of the few good cordless vacuums you can get for less than $100. It offers excellent hardwood performance and decent carpet performance, making it more than sufficient to keep your place clean.
Why we recommend it:
The Moosoo XL-618A is one of our best performers on hardwood flooring, picking up 99% of sand during our lab testing. This matches the Dust Devil BD5700V for hardwood pickup, although carpet performance isn’t as strong. It struggles with low-pile carpet, picking up just 41% of the sand, but does quite a bit better with midpile, getting 52%. For reference, with carpet we consider anything above 50% to be good.
It has other features we like, including an LED headlight that makes spotting dust easier. The 1.3 liter dustbin is particularly impressive. It’s one of the biggest capacities we’ve seen on a cordless vacuum, meaning you should be able to go a couple sessions before needing to empty. It’s especially impressive considering the vacuum is just 3.3 pounds, making it the same weight as the LVAC-200. It also comes with a washable HEPA filter which is rare for this price range.
The battery runtime is middle of the pack at 30 to 35 minutes, depending on how much suction you’re using. That’s about average for cordless vacuums (higher end models can last an hour), but very good for one this affordable. Lastly, it stands upright on its own, which is a nice touch as you can leave it unattended if you need to take care of something else around your home.
Who shouldn’t get it:
If you have a lot of carpeting at home, you’ll want to pick something with higher carpet pickup, like our best overall, the Levoit LVAC-200. It has two cleaning attachments counting the main brush head, but it lacks a crevice cleaning tool which seems like a big oversight. The one-year warranty is standard for cheaper vacuums, but if you want more peace of mind you’ll need to spend more on a Shark that comes with a five-year warranty. Last, it takes five hours to charge to full, making the omission of a charging dock a bit harder to stomach.
Recent updates
April 2025: We eliminated our testing that evaluated the ability of a cordless vacuum to pick up black rice from hardwood and carpet because almost every vacuum was scoring near 100%. We removed the Tineco A11 Hero and Lubluelu 009 because they are out of stock from most retailers. We removed the IonVac SmartClean 2000 because it underperformed in testing compared with the Eufy Robovac 25C. We added the Levoit LVAC-200 as our new best overall pick and Editors’ Choice, replacing the Tineco A11. We added the Dirt Devil BD5700V as the best cheap vacuum for hardwood and the Tineco Pure One S11 as the best priced at $300.
May 2025: We added the Moosoo XL-618A cordless vacuum as the best lightweight, cheap vacuum. We fleshed out pros and cons for some entries and updated some of the product cards with additional information. We also added two charts showing the test results of cordless vacuums and robot vacuums.
June 2025: We added the Uninell UV5 as tied for best overall cordless vacuums, together with the Levoit LVAC-200. We updated the infographics with new test data. We removed some infographics from this article due to a bug.
August 2025: We added the Eureka ReactiSense 440 as our new best overall.
Cheap vacuums compared
Other cheap vacuums we’ve tested
Dyson
Dyson V8 Absolute: The V8 Absolute is one of the more affordable Dyson vacuums you can buy. Normally $520 at full price, it’s currently on sale for $350. That still makes it more expensive than most of the vacuums on this list. In testing, it did great on hardwood, removing nearly 98% of sand, but it didn’t do as hot on carpet. The Absolute was able to remove 68.3% of sand from low-pile and 52% from midpile, falling short of many competitors, including the Levoit LVAC-200 and Shark Stratos.
Shark
Shark Rocket Pet Pro: Typically retailing for less than $350, the Shark Rocket Pet Pro remains a solid budget option, provided you can find it in stock. It offers excellent cleaning performance with crumbs and other small bits of debris on hardwood floors and satisfactory pickup power on carpets and with dust. It features HEPA filtration and a self-cleaning, anti-tangle brush head (helpful for preventing pet hair clogs) and converts to a convenient handheld cleaner when needed.
Tineco
Tineco A11 Hero (Update: Out of stock): The Tineco A11 Hero is no longer available, but it was a solid and reasonably affordable cordless vacuum when we tested it, earning a spot as best overall on our list. It scores 98.5% removing sand from hardwood, 82.5% from low-pile and 72.5% from midpile. It’s traded shots with the Tineco Pure One S11 and S15 Pet in terms of performance and value. When cleaning up pet hair, barely a trace of the material remained after the machine vacuumed mid-pile carpeting and hardwood floors. Some strands were left visible when traveling across our low-pile test carpet. Mid-pile carpeting usually causes more problems for vacuums, but the Tineco A11’s solid battery life delivers up to 35 minutes of uninterrupted run time.The A11 series design looks nice and is functional, with a dustbin that’s easy to completely empty. There’s also a handy trigger lock lever to keep the vacuum running without constant finger pressure. The Tineco A11 ships with some helpful accessories, including a power brush, a mini power brush, a two-in-one dusting brush and a crevice tool for versatile cleaning.
Other brands
Moosoo XL-618: It wasn’t a strong performer in our toughest tests, but the Mooso XL-618 proved perfectly capable of basic cleaning, particularly with crumbs and on hardwood floors. It also converts to a handheld vacuum that you can use to clean your car or furniture. Frequently on sale for under $80, the XL-618 is about as inexpensive as cordless vacuums get. If you’re willing to sacrifice some cleaning power to save some cash, it’s worth a look.
Bissell IconPet Turbo: Designed for tackling pet hair, the Bissel IconPet Turbo offers solid overall performance for a reasonable $199. It did reasonably well in testing, scoring 89.7% in sand removal from hardwoood, 66% from low-pile carpet and 54% from midpile. However, despite the reasonable price and decent performance, it was outperformed by our value picks, the Levoit LVAC-200 and Dirt Devil BD5700V.
Eureka RapidClean Pro: The RapidClean Pro from Eureka is another affordable cordless stick vacuum that you can get for under $200. It offers generally solid performance, removing 94% sand from hardwood, 64.8% from low-pile and 60% from midpile. However, like many vacuums in this price range, it’s edged out in performance by other picks that earn a spot on our best list.
Aposen Cordless 4-in-1 H22SL:(Update: Out of Stock) This is another affordable cordless vacuum that’s no longer in stock. It’s also not one we recommended due to its subpar performance in most categories. It only scored 67% sand removal from hardwood and did even worse on carpet, with 28% from low-pile and 37.6% from midpile. You can do much better for the price.
Lubluelu 009 (Update: Currently Out of Stock): At a very budget-friendly $85, the Lubluelu 009 is an easy recommendation for those looking to save some cash and still get some cleaning done without dragging around a cord. The stick vac did a commendable job by picking up 96% (on average) of our test sand from hardwood. On low-pile carpets, that figure dropped to a very respectable 66.7%. The Lubluelu 009 even fared well cleaning up the thicker mid-pile carpet, earning a higher sand pickup average of 59.2%. For pet owners or those who share a home with a long-haired human, the V-shaped brush design does a good job of avoiding tangles. But the Lubluelu 009 did have some issues getting all the pet dander from the carpets.
Prosenic P11 Lite: The Prosenic P11 Lite was a cordless vacuum that would have earned a spot on our list if its performance for carpeted floors was as good as hardwood. In testing, it successfully removed 92.75% of sand from hardwood, but fell significantly short on carpeting, managing just 46% on low-pile carpet and 48% on mid-pile carpet. For reference, anything below 50% we don’t consider very good. Despite being an affordable $160 at full price, we can’t recommend the Prosenic when you can get better performance from the Levoit LVAC-200 and Dirt Devil BD5700V.
Cheap robot vacuums compared
Other cheap robot vacuums we’ve tested
- Eufy 11S Max: The Eufy 11S Max is a robot vacuum that might have earned our budget pick, if the performance held up. Unfortunately, while this slim robovac does well at sucking up sand from hardwood (71%) it struggled with both low-pile (21%) and midpile (27%) carpet. It’s $279 at full price, but currently has a $80 coupon, bringing it down to $200.
- iRobot Roomba i3 Plus: At $350 or less, this is an entry-level option among self-emptying Roombas, so if you just want something from iRobot that empties its own bin for as little cash as possible, give it a look. It was a middle-of-the-pack performer in all of our cleaning tests, never disappointing us but never really wowing us, either.
- IonVac Smart Clean 2000: The IonVac struggled to get sand out of the carpets, with only 25% getting sucked out of the low-pile and almost 33% from the mid-pile. Nothing about it stands out enough for us to recommend it. Ionvac’s SmartClean 2000 uses the same navigation style as the Eufy Robovac 25C by simply driving until it runs into an object and then redirecting itself to the next open area. Along with app control, the SmartClean 2000 also ships with a physical remote to control the device and choose from the different cleaning modes. Walmart is selling the Ionvac SmartClean 2000 for only $99, but we like the Eufy Robovac 25C for its superior performance at just $15 more.
Factors to consider when buying a vacuum cleaner
At CNET’s vacuum testing lab in Louisville, we’ve tested over 34 cordless vacuums and 67 robot vacuums and counting with the help of Jared Hannah, senior technical project manager and Schylar Breitenstein, associate lab technician. Below, you can read about the testing procedures our lab engineers use to evaluate the best cheap vacuums for your needs.
Vacuum type: Robot vs. cordless stick
Long gone are the days when there were only big, heavy corded vacuums to choose from when it came time to clean up the floors in your home. Now, there is a wide range of options with just as wide of a price range. Choosing which vacuum cleaner type is best for you can be narrowed down to two key points: How much physical effort do you want to put into cleaning? What kind of flooring does your home have?
If you want to take as much of the manual labor as possible out of the equation, you’d opt for a robot vacuum. However, if your home has stairs or narrow spaces, picking up an excellent cordless vacuum could be better for you. Sure, you’ll be required to maneuver it around your home — but these options are lightweight and provide the flexibility to reach those areas that a robot vacuum can’t. Plus, you won’t have to worry about it getting stuck or dealing with an app.
Depending on the type of flooring you have in your home, a device that can adapt to both hard flooring and carpets, like a robot vacuum, may offer a more complete cleaning experience. Regarding the type of carpet, there are times when using my cordless vacuum on one of my rugs that it will sort of skip across the carpet and not really suck up much of the debris due to the lightweight cleaning head.
Cost and value
Considering you’re looking at a list of the best cheap vacuum cleaners, this factor is likely very important to you. (And it’s something that is or should be considered, regardless of what you’re purchasing.) Nobody likes to waste their money, and getting the best bang for your buck is essential when you’re on a tight budget. What a good vacuum cleaner can do is save you time. By picking the correct tool for the job and getting one great at its purpose, you’ll spend less time cleaning and more time doing what you enjoy.
Generally speaking, a robot vacuum will typically cost you more money than a stick vac. This is largely due to the additional sensors and technologies within the robot in order for it to operate properly. However, if your home is set up to handle a great robot vacuum just as well as a stick vac and the price is similar, then the question turns to: Which will save you more time?
Here is where value comes into play. Something might cost you more, but providing the intangible things offsets the additional cost. So, at the same (or similar) prices, a robot vacuum can relieve you of the duty of physically sweeping your floors.
Floor type
You probably read many mentions of different floor types when you are considering either a robot or stick vacuum. Not all flooring is the same, and neither is the cleaning ability for each vacuum. If you have primarily hard surfaces throughout your home, you’ll likely be good to go with a stick or robot vacuum. The question you need to answer then is whether you want an automated cleaner or if you want to be hands-on with it.
Should your home have more carpets and rugs than hard floors, you’ll want to consider which kind of dirt your home may encounter more — finer debris or larger. Then also consider whether the soft surfaces are low-pile, mid-pile, or high-pile, as these come into play when it comes to vacuum style effectiveness. We include in our testing results all of these considerations when recommending vacuums.
How we test vacuum cleaners at CNET
How we test robot vacuums
Our method for evaluating robot vacuums is straightforward, yet grueling. There are two types of tests we run. The first trial is to figure out how well a robot covers the floor while it’s cleaning. We built an industry-standard testing room as specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission just for this purpose. The IEC is an international standards body responsible for managing robot vacuum testing procedures, among other things, for vacuum manufacturers.
Navigation testing
Inside this room are objects designed to simulate typical obstacles a robot vac encounters for navigation as it cleans. These obstacles include wall edges, table and chair legs, couches and other furniture, and so on, plus bare tile and hardwood floors, as well as carpet. We mount LED lights to the top of each vacuum cleaner. The dimensions of the lights correspond to the measured nozzle width of each particular robot vacuum we test.
As robots move through the room while cleaning, an overhead camera captures a long-exposure image of the entire room in low light. That photo will then have a light trail, created by the LEDs, that shows the exact areas where the robot traveled (and its nozzle position) during its runtime. We can also see areas of the floor where the vacuum may have missed or gotten stuck. You can see the navigation results of all the robot vacuums in our test group in the gallery below.
Cleaning performance testing
The second type of test reveals exactly how much physical debris a vacuum is able to pick up off of the floor. To mimic dirt of small particle size, we use a mixture of play sand and landscaping sand. Robots then run in straight line mode across three types of flooring (low-pile carpet, medium-pile carpet and hardwood bare floors).
We control for the specific nozzle width of each vacuum, too. We constructed an adjustable tool to soil our test floors. It lets us lay down a strip of a precise area of soil to match the nozzle dimensions for every robot. The mass of soil isn’t chosen at random either. We measure a proportional amount that’s related to the flooring material, type of debris, plus each vacuum’s nozzle width.
We conduct three cleaning runs (at minimum) on each floor type. We also perform cleaning tests with sand on different floor types including hardwood flooring, low-pile carpet and midpile carpet. That comes to at least 18 tests per robot vac. We weigh the robot’s dust bin both before and after each run. From there we can calculate the percentage of debris pickup for every cleaning run and the average amount of soil a machine manages to remove. Additionally, we run anecdotal (visual) pet hair tests for each robot, on all three floor types. We judged anecdotally for fur removal for pet owners, visually inspecting the amount of pet hair left on the three flooring types after a single pass.
How we test cordless vacuums
Putting cordless vacuums through their paces isn’t as complicated as testing a robot vacuum cleaner, but it still takes lots of time and careful effort to find the best cordless vacuum. We run each vacuum in a straight line across three different surfaces (hardwood, low-pile carpet, midpile carpet). On all three test beds, the test area is the same length (30.25 inches).
Just like in robot tests, the width of the test bed is proportional to the vacuum’s nozzle width. We measure this width ourselves. We also use nozzle width, plus the flooring type, to calculate the soil density for each test, per IEC guidelines. We use the same soil types here as well; sand and pet hair. We perform three runs (at minimum) on each floor type. We also test suction power with sand and pet hair separately, which each getting tested at least three types on each of the three surfaces. We weigh the vacuum’s dust bin both before and after each run.
From there we can calculate the percentage of dirt and debris pickup for every run and the average amount of soil a vacuum manages to remove. Additionally, we run anecdotal (visual) pet hair tests for each vacuum, on all three floor types to help us select the best cordless vacuum.
Cheap Vacuum FAQs
How much should you pay for a vacuum cleaner?
If you’re looking for a high-performance vacuum that will maintain its battery life and last for several years, you’ll have to pay around $400 for a robot vacuum and $300 for a cordless vacuum. That said, if you’re on a tighter budget there are serviceable options for much less. Many of the vacuums on this list performed well in one-off testing, but how long they’ll stay nice is another question. Cheaper vacuums may have a shorter overall life than a pricier model from the likes of Shark, which comes with a five-year warranty for its lineup. That said, going with a reputable brand like Levoit, Eufy or Dirt Devil is likely to get you better customer support.
Which vacuums have the strongest suction?
Suction power for robot vacuums and stick vacs is calculated differently, making it challenging to compare head-to-head. However, you can use different units to help inform you how much suction each style of vacuum offers. Robot vacuums use units of pascal or «Pa» to indicate the suction power for these devices, with the average being between 25010 and 3000 Pa.
For stick vacs, the standard unit of measurement is air watts, or «AW,» to give consumers an idea of the vacuum’s suction power. AW combines water lift and airflow methodologies and is recognized by the American Society of Testing and Materials.
What is the most reliable vacuum cleaner?
Each vacuum style can offer long-term cleaning ability should you properly maintain your machine. This includes removing clogs and periodically giving the vacuum a deep clean. Generally (especially for cheap stick vacs) fewer things can go wrong and cause the unit to become less reliable. Robot vacuums rely on sensors and more moving parts to properly clean your floors, and if one of these malfunctions this can create issues. Then there’s apps and other aspects of the software that can sometimes cause problems. This isn’t common, but it is something to be aware of.
Where should you not vacuum?
When using a vacuum cleaner, you should avoid water, wet foods, ash and fine dust as it can impede the suction mechanism.
Should you empty the vacuum after every use?
Yes, it is recommended to empty your vacuum after every use to help maintain optimal suction power, and to prevent dust from building up inside. Higher end vacuums come with self-emptying docks to do this for you automatically, but you won’t find that feature for less than $300.
Which vacuum types perform best on carpet versus hardwood floors?
If you have a lot of carpeting, you’ll want to look at cordless and upright vacuums for the best cleaning power. We’ve tested many cordless vacuums that returned excellent results in our testing, including our best overall pick, the Shark Stratos. However, if you’re on a budget, the Levoit LVAC-200 proved more than capable of tackling hardwood and carpet alike. For hardwood specifically, the Dirt Devil BD5700V is also no slouch. Finally, many robot vacuums are also quite capable of handling carpet, including the Eufy 25C on the budget end and the versatile Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo if price is no object.
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