The 9 Best Vacuums for Carpets of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Shark Vertex IZ462H Ultra Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Noise Level
  4.5/5
• Value
  5/5

Confidently clean your carpeting with our top pick, the Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Cordless Stick Vacuum. In our search for the best vacuum for carpet, this lightweight yet capable model wins points for its effective cleaning, maneuverability, and easy emptying. As part of the Shark Vertex series, this is a cordless vac with enough battery juice to vacuum even high-pile carpet, without experiencing annoying battery fade. In fact, you can use it for up to an hour before it has to be charged, all while enjoying powerful suction and unhindered cleaning.

Speaking of its effectiveness, this vacuum cleaned up materials during testing with no problems. We tasked the Shark vacuum with particles large and small, and it grabbed everything in just a single pass, earning it a perfect rating for effectiveness. The dual PowerFins design ensures that the brush rolls have constant contact with your carpets for the ultimate clean, and says goodbye to any hair wrap. This vacuum will ultimately save you time and energy making repeated passes across the floor, trying to capture that one last bit of debris. In our opinion, the dust bin could be a bit larger, but it was still easy to empty, earning another perfect rating from us.

Some vacuum cleaners have plenty of suction power for carpet fibers, but become difficult to maneuver on high-pile carpeting or rugs. In The Lab, we didn’t experience any of these issues with the Shark IZ462H Vertex Stick Vacuum—in fact, “flawless” is how we'd describe this vacuum’s maneuverability. It glides across all surfaces, and the body of the vacuum features a hinge point that allows it to flex and reach underneath furniture like sofas and coffee tables. This folding feature also saves space when stowing the vacuum in a closet or corner.

This vacuum also filters 99.99 percent of particulates like dust, allergens, dander, and more, so you can breathe comfortably in your home. All in all, we wish that there was onboard storage for the included attachments, and it would be more convenient if the handheld portion of the vacuum wasn’t so heavy. However, these minor complaints have no effect on the value of this Shark vacuum. It's compact and powerful, and it makes an ideal choice as a vacuum for carpet. 

Price at time of publish: $430

_{Dimensions: 46.46 x 9.65 x 10.24 inches | Weight: 9.04 pounds | Cord Length: Cordless | Battery Life: 60 minutes | Bin Volume: 1.4 quarts | Cleaning Path Width: 10.63 inches | Bag Type: Bagless}

Best Budget

BISSELL CleanView Swivel Pet Rewind Upright Vacuum 2256

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  4/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Noise Level
  5/5
• Setup
  3/5

If you're looking for a vacuum that excels on carpets, the Bissell Cleanview Rewind Upright vacuum is a budget-friendly investment. We've tested multiple versions of this popular vacuum, and let's just say, we have the most confidence in the 2256 model. Why do we like it more than some of it's newer, shinier counterparts? Simply put, it works like a dream. Pet hair, goldfish crackers, and even Legos are no match for this machine (although try to avoid vacuuming up your Legos, if possible!). And thanks to the versatile attachments, which can be stored right on the machine, you can get right up to the baseboards in your home. We also like the swivel head that makes for easy steering, so you can get around corners and furniture and the convenient automatic cord wrap option.

We do want to make sure to highlight that this is a fairly sturdy machine, and it doesn't have the streamlined maneuverability of a lightweight stick vacuum. The design and the size of the canister also mean you're not going to be able to fully push it underneath couches or beds. It's also worth mentioning that we did notice that thicker, denser carpet can require more elbow grease when it comes to pushing this vacuum across it. In our eyes, these are minor inconveniences compared to is fantastic performance, though. Overall, we're big fans of the 2256.

Price at time of publish: $155

_{Dimensions: 13 x 14 x 46 inches | Weight: 13.65 pounds | Cord Length: 27 feet | Battery Life: N/A | Bin Volume: 1 quarts | Cleaning Path Width: 13.5 inches | Bag type: Bagless}

Best Lightweight

Tineco Pure One S11 Smart Stick/Handheld Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5
• Portability
  5/5
• Noise Level
  4/5

If you want the convenience of a cordless stick vacuum, but you don’t want to sacrifice suction power, the Tineco Pure One S11 Tango Smart Stick/Handheld Vacuum is an ideal option. It's incredibly lightweight, weighing just under 6 pounds, and a cinch to maneuver. It even felt like the suction adjusted when we tried it on different surfaces.

We also liked how the power felt steady throughout our testing, and that we didn't need to recharge it to complete our tasks (although, charging on the wall-mounted rack is super simple). Plus, unlike some other cordless stick vacuums that require you to hold down a trigger during your entire cleaning session, this Tineco vacuum has a lock so that you give your finger a break and still keep the vacuum running—until it runs out of power, after around 40 minutes of use. The dustbin proved easy to use, too, and short of some hair getting wrapped around the filter we had no issues emptying it. It's worth noting that, as simple as it was, the dustbin does take two hands to empty, so you'll need to set down the vacuum to do it.

Overall, the Tineco Pure One S11 Tango has turned out to be competitive in a number of categories here at The Spruce, so if you're after a reliable and efficient vacuum with some useful and dare we say, fun extra features (like a light that illuminates dust and debris and the ability to convert to a handheld model), it's a great choice.

Price at time of publish: $400

_{Dimensions: 43.5 x 8.3 x 11.4 inches | Weight: 5.96 pounds | Cord Length: Cordless | Battery Life: 40 minutes | Bin Volume: 0.63 quarts | Cleaning Path Width: Not listed | Bag type: Bagless}

Best for Pet Hair

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5
• Portability
  4.5/5
• Noise Level
  4/5

While there are many reasons to appreciate the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra, its thoughtful design—which keeps pet parents in mind—sets it apart from other models. It is, after all, the top-rated Dyson vacuum. We found its adjustable suction and roller brush height settings convenient, especially when moving from carpet to hard flooring. These height settings were essential for sucking up various debris sizes. It also easily sucked up hair from both high- and low-pile carpet, thanks to detangling technology on the roller brush, we didn't find any wrapped around the brush head.

The vacuum comes with four unique attachments, but the two that will really excite pet owners are the tangle-free turbine tool and the pet grooming tool. You can vacuum stubborn pet hair from your upholstery and pet beds with the turbine tool, and you can try grooming your pet during their shedding season with the grooming tool (that is, if your pet tolerates the noise of a vacuum).

While this vacuum is well-designed and overall impressive, it did have a few quirks. To start, it's heavier than average upright models because of the central ball joint, which creates the vacuum swivel. We could see it being quite tiring on stairs because of its weight, and the long extension hose and tool would probably only aid so much. The assembly process is also quite tricky. Due to the lack of written directions in the manual, we had a hard time deciphering how the vacuum's pieces clicked in place. And on a similar note, while the attachments are fairly intuitive, it would still be helpful for Dyson to explain the intended purpose of each one.

With its weight in mind, we don't recommend this model for users with limited mobility. However, its multi-surface cleaning power, unique attachments, and overall performance make it a great option for a busy household with pets (or kids!) that may produce a variety of messes on your carpets.

Price at time of publish: $500

_{Dimensions: 42.2 x 11.02 x 15.5 inches | Weight: 17.3 pounds | Cord Length: 35 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: 1.8 quarts | Cleaning Path Width: Not listed | Bag Type: Bagless}

Best Canister

Kenmore Pet Friendly Pop-N-Go Bagged Canister Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  5/5
• Noise Level
  5/5

This Kenmore Pet Friendly Pop-N-Go Bagged Canister Vacuum is the only canister model, to date, that's earned perfect scores across the board in our testing. It was overall impressive during our initial lab assessment, and continued to wow us in a home setting, too. It checks all the boxes you'd expect from a high-performance vacuum, such as strong suction power, maneuverability, and convenient bag access. We were especially pleased with how well it handled pet hair on carpet. We didn't even find any trapped on the brush or wheels.

Another perk we noticed is the 26-foot cord that's automatically retractable. So, not only does it give you plenty of length to handle most rooms, but you also don't have to fuss with winding it when you're done. We appreciated how the attachments can be stored on the vacuum itself, so you never have to go searching for them in the middle of cleaning. The telescoping wand also proved to be another convenient feature (especially if people of different heights share the vacuum in your home!).

Keep in mind that this is a bagged vacuum cleaner, which keeps dust and allergens sealed inside until the bag reaches capacity. You’ll have to buy replacement bags, but this model isn't unique for that. If you're in need of tried and true pick that impressed us in multiple settings, the Kenmore Pet Friendly Pop-N-Go is an excellent choice.

Price at time of publish: $329

_{Dimensions: 28 x 13.8 x 13 inches | Weight: 23 pounds | Cord Length: 26 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: Not listed | Cleaning Path Width: 14 inches | Bag Type: Bagged}

Best Corded Stick

Shark HV301 Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Stick Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Noise Level
  3/5
• Setup
  5/5

In our testing experience, we were pleased with how the Shark HV301 Rocket Ultra-Light Corded Stick Vacuum moved handled multiple types of flooring—although it was noticeably more efficient on carpet than it was on hardwood. The Cheerios, popcorn kernels, and hair that we used in our Lab were no match, and it took care of each type of debris in just a few passes. The lightweight design and slim footprint also contribute to its overall maneuverability (and make it easy to store, too). Not surprisingly, this model is still one of our favorite Shark vacuums.

Now, if you need a vacuum that can stand up to marathon cleaning sessions, the fact that this option is corded can be a plus, because you'll never have to take a break to recharge. One of our testers did report back that the cord eventually became a bit of a nuisance when compared to cordless models, but we're not docking points for that because it's a personal preference (although, it may be worth considering if you're trying to decide between the two types). The other area of note we discovered is that this is a top-heavy machine (potentially due in part to its dust bin), and it doesn't stand up on its own. Depending on your cleaning habits and storage situation, you may not be bothered by that, but we would have preferred to see it stand on its own. Still, no vacuum is perfect, and we were otherwise impressed by this Shark model.

Price at time of publish: $200

_{Dimensions: 46 x 9.8 x 10.5 inches | Weight: 8.2 pounds | Cord Length: 25 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: 0.31 quarts | Cleaning Path Width: 8.5 inches | Bag Type: Bagless}

Best Upright

Shark AZ2002 Vertex Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  4.8/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  4.3/5
• Noise Level
  3/5

The Shark Vertex Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum is like multiple vacuums in one. While we heartily recommend it for carpets—we saw it whisk away hair from the medium pile rug before the vacuum head even reached it or rolled over it. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how smoothly it transitions to a canister-style or handheld vacuum, too, with attachments suited for stairs, upholstery, and above-floor cleaning. It's a great choice if you want a trusted machine to use on your floors, but the capability to spot-clean other spots around your home, too.

By design, upright vacuums usually heftier than stick vacuum cleaner, and that's also true of this vacuum, which weighs over 16 pounds and feels like a hardy machine. The powerful roller also means that it's easier to push the machine forward than to pull it backward—it almost like it's self-propelled. But because you can adjust components, you have a bit of flexibility in how you use it. That means there are a variety of options available to users. Another thing you should know is that this vacuum has a large dust bin, at one quart. While it's easy to empty, the process does require two hands, so you'll want to plan accordingly.

Price at time of publish: $329

_{Dimensions: 12 x 15.09 x 46.25 inches | Weight: 16.38 pounds | Cord Length: 30 feet | Bin Volume: 1 quart | Cleaning Path Width: 12 inches | Bag type: Bagless}

Best Robot

Ecovacs Deebot N8 Pro+

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4/5
• Effectiveness
  4.7/5
• Noise Level
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5

Put your cleaning routine on autopilot with the help of the ECOVACS Deebot N8 Pro+. If, like us, you think the sound of automatically cleaned floors sounds a bit like a dream come true, then you might want to sit down for this one. This robot mop and vacuum is the most impressive model we've seen so far. In addition to its impressive performance on multiple types of floors, we were pleased with the simple start-up process, the automatic mapping, and the convenient self-emptying process. Once the dust bag is full, this robot vacuum empties it into the base and continues cleaning. You can even use your phone to scheduled manage its cleaning processes, freeing up your time for other things.

Now, this machine might have more bells and whistles than some homes need, especially if you don't have a need for both a vacuum and a mop. But if you do, you'll likely be as impressed as we were with the machine's ability to handle both functions in one fell swoop (one tester even said, "I hate to be dramatic, but his device has completely transformed my life. ...[it] does a great job of cleaning every inch of my floors."). It's perhaps worth mentioning that this same tester noticed a charging issue that she was able to troubleshoot on her own at home, and given how minor it was, we still won't hesitate to recommend this machine.

Price at time of publish: $700

_{Dimensions: 13.9 x 13.9 x 3.69 inches | Weight: 1 pound | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 110 minutes | Bin Volume: 0.42L | Cleaning Path Width: Not listed | Bag Type: Bagless}