The best vacuums we've tested at home, from robots to Dyson stick vacs

Read my initial review of the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller.

The new Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller is a heavy-duty roller that's incredibly effective on large liquid spills and layers of dust like kitty litter. It would be a comforting sidekick in homes with multiple young children or multiple pets, or households that have frequent and intense scrubbing needs. Plus, if you have any rooms separated by a thick threshold in the doorway, a three-inch step, or a sliding door, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller is the rare option that can scale those barriers without scuffing or getting stuck.

Mark my words: All of the new robot vacuum and mop combos that debut at CES in January are going to have roller mops and at least 30,000 Pa of suction power. And right now, in fall 2025, I'm reminding you that the Dreame Aqua 10 Ultra Roller did it first. It's a beast of a robotic cleaner on several fronts, with the most spot-on small obstacle avoidance I've tried to aid every cleaning session. Not a single cat toy or white phone charger has been harmed yet, and most robot vacuums I test have at least one major incident with one of those items.

The paint roller-style mopping mechanism seems to be a direct response to the common complaint that a 2-in-1 robot vacuum's "mopping" wasn't much more than streaking water (or juice, or spaghetti sauce, or cat puke) across the rest of the floor. The fibers on the roller are demonstrably highly absorbent on thicker spills, so more mess is already being soaked up on the first pass — but on top of that, the roller also rinses itself as it's mopping. The roller's fluffiness also makes it great at picking up super fine dry debris, like kitty litter dust and powders. Two cleaning solutions are included: one traditional sanitizing liquid and one for neutralizing pet odors on hard floors.

With 30,000 Pa of suction power (the strongest mainstream robot vacuum available in late 2025), the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller is vigorous in vacuum-only mode, too. Its biggest feat in my apartment has been a 100 percent success rate on the pickup of large clumps of cat hair that I scattered and smushed into rugs of varying piles, making it the best robot vacuum for pet hair that I've ever tested. It was similarly effective on snack crumbs, whole Goldfish crackers, and spilled rice in the kitchen. I wish its edge cleaning when mopping or vacuuming was better, but that's my only gripe here.

Read my full review of the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.

If you're down to do the vacuuming yourself, so long as you get to do it with a Dyson, the V12 Detect Slim should be the main one you're considering. It's not the most basic or heavy-duty option. In fact, those hoping to spend $500 or less on their new vacuum should be able to find the V12 Detect Slim on sale for $499.99 or $449.99 at almost any time of the year.

With up to 60 minutes of runtime, it can tackle full multi-bedroom apartments or a single floor of a home a few times without needing to be charged, but homes larger than 2,000 square feet or with more than two pets might prefer a heavier-duty Dyson. As Dyson's most compact cordless vacuum, the V12 Detect Slim will fit better than most cordless competitors into homes with limited storage space, even if that's under a couch or in a sliver of the closet.

Crowning the V12 Detect Slim as a Mashable Choice Award winner was a no-brainer: It's Dyson's most affordable vacuum that's equipped with the game-changing laser. I almost never choose the Digital Motorbar (the other cleaning head in the box) over the Fluffy Optic laser head because the laser really is that helpful. With it, I'm able to sniff out kitty litter dust, rogue hairs, crumbs, and even invisible broken glass on my apartment's hard floors that I wouldn't have seen otherwise but definitely would have hated to step on with bare feet.

Though the laser alone could be enough to sway someone this way over the similarly-priced Dyson V10 or a model from another main brand, the V12 Detect Slim seals its "bang for your buck" status with totally sufficient suction power, a motorized handheld attachment that's essential for cleaning pet hair off furniture, and the best one-handed maneuverability I've experienced in a vacuum. Even with so many vacs in my house to choose from (including robots), the Dyson V12 Detect Slim is so efficient and easy to use that I find myself relying on it the most.

If much of the vacuuming your home requires involves deep cleaning carpet, the Shark PowerDetect is the heavy-duty pick I'd suggest over the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. In my experience, it's just as thorough (if not more thorough) on my pet hair-covered rugs as the most powerful Dysons that cost several hundred dollars more, but is able to balance its airflow in a way that mostly keeps it from getting stuck on carpet — an issue I've run into when a Dyson is just too powerful.

Because all Dysons require manual emptying, the fact that the Shark PowerDetect does self-empty could be your sole deciding factor. If you'd prefer to keep that harrowing gray dust bunny out of sight and out of mind, you'll appreciate not having to empty the PowerDetect into the trash on a daily basis — especially if you're keeping up with pet hair.

Not to be confused with the Shark PowerDetect robot vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect cordless stick vacuum doesn't get enough attention for the value it packs. The chance to combine the suction power and handheld control of a manual vacuum with the hands-free convenience of an auto-empty station is inherently huge because it's still pretty rare — automatic emptying isn't the norm for upright vacuums like it is for self-emptying robot vacuums.

As Shark's most powerful cordless vacuum, this thing sucks — I can literally feel the double brush rolls snatching up the cat hair and other gunk embedded in my rugs as it pulls my hand across the room. The suction actually gets so tenacious and loud that I often find myself switching to Eco mode over Boost or Detect mode. The evidence of how hard it's working lies in a quick glance at the dustbin just a few minutes into sweeping. Because it automatically empties each time it gets hung back on the dock, each cleaning session starts with an empty bin. Even if my floors didn't have much visible debris that time, I was always greeted with a giant gray ball of whatever was invisibly chilling on my rugs.

My only real complaint isn't regarding the cleaning itself, but the bulkiness of the cleaning head that does limit how far you can get into or under some spaces. The PowerDetect is also about two pounds heavier than Shark's Detect Pro cordless vacuum, which I also tried and really liked.

Read my review of the Eufy E20 3-in-1.

For the shoppers really struggling to choose between a robot vacuum or stick vacuum, the Eufy E20 3-in-1 is a relatively budget-friendly way to get both. The E20 would especially get daily use if your idea of a clean home goes past the floors to crevices like windowsills, car seats, staircases, or the pit of despair between couch cushions.

There's something so genius about a robot vacuum that can turn into a stick vacuum. It's not even that expensive, which makes it an inarguable staple in any list of vacuum cleaners. At $649.99, the Eufy E20 3-in-1 is a reasonable price for a self-emptying, smart mapping robot vacuum — let alone the whole bonus cordless vacuum and handheld vacuum features.

While the Eufy E20's true power lies in its widespread usability in any situation, its robotic and handheld cleaning power should definitely suffice for any casual cleaner. Its 8,000 Pa of suction power matches the Eufy X10 Pro Omni, which I tested in 2024 and really liked. While its pickup rate along wall edges and efficacy on long hairs on rugs could be better, the robot version of the E20 reliably took care of all visible crumbs and loose dust bunnies on all of the floor types in my apartment. I tended to switch to the upright cleaning head to tackle rugs with heavy layers of cat hair — its 30,000 Pa of suction power beats out all of the most powerful robot vacuums I've tested. For going after cat hair on the furniture, however (or messes on a windowsill or in the car), having the option to go handheld is something I could never give up. Switching between these modes involves pulling the motor out of the robot vacuum body and clicking it onto one of the included attachments.

For the price, I can live with not having small obstacle avoidance, especially because the E20 is a reliable navigator otherwise. Its map of my three-bedroom apartment was extremely accurate on the first try. After that, the Eufy correctly made it to the right rooms and spots on a daily basis — without getting stuck on a bath mat or under a bed.

Read my full review of the Roborock Saros 10R.

The Roborock Saros 10R would be a totally justifiable splurge for people whose strict cleaning expectations extend to the forgotten corners of the room and edges under the kitchen cabinets — the spots where dust, gray tumbleweeds, and cooking droppings love to hide. It's not the absolute most powerful robot vacuum you can buy, so its regular retail price is a little too steep. Still, it's the most precise mopping robot vacuum I've ever tested.

Measuring just over three inches tall, the Saros 10R is easily the slimmest robot vacuum with this level of advanced cleaning — ideal for homes with low-clearance furniture or expectations for cleaning under the refrigerator overhang.

The Saros 10R has completely mastered corning cleaning, especially corner mopping — and that's what makes the Saros 10R continue to stand out to me, even against more powerful robot vacs like the aforementioned Dreame model. This is true when dry vacuuming debris and when mopping, thanks to two extendable side brushes. The vacuuming one reaches out from underneath the vac several inches further than the average crappy robot vacuum side brush, sweeping directly in corners and along wall edges. The mopping one is a spinning pad that expands the mopping radius further than the vacuum's circumference, allowing it to scrub areas that most round robot mops miss, like under the lip of kitchen counters. It's not exactly the same level of detailed edge cleaning that I can achieve with my Dyson stick vac, but it's a world of difference over bots that just skim the edges and hope for the best.

The Saros 10R dishes out 20,000 Pa suction power, which still falls in the top percentile for all robot vacuums that came out in 2025. While the Saros 10R didn't have a perfect track record on large clumps of hair on rugs, it still did a standup job when it came to food-related debris on my kitchen rugs (lots of crunchy crumbs, rice, shredded cheese) and scattered cat litter in my bathroom.

Besides the attentive cleaning skills, there's one more cool feature that makes the Saros 10R such a good pick for people with pets: a livestream camera that gives you the POV of the vacuum as it's cleaning. It sounds super extra at first, but it's actually a really comforting tool for checking on pets when you're not home.

So you don't just want any robot vacuum — you want the street cred that comes with a Roomba. As the most powerful mopping Roomba of the 2025 models, the Roomba 505 provides an elevated yet straightforward cleaning experience that'd flourish in just about any household. iRobot's top-notch small obstacle avoidance would also make the Roomba 505 an awesome robot vacuum pick for homes with a high chance of random clutter being on the floor on any given day.

iRobot finally picked up on what people want in a robot vacuum that mops: spinning mopping pads. In my experience, the dual-spinning pad setup consistently scrubs more thoroughly and covers more ground than a singular flat mop pad could do. Sometimes, one of the spinning mopping pads sits on a hinge and can mop in corners — a spot that most basic round robot vacuums usually ignore. I've watched the Roomba Plus 505 Combo scoot right up against the sticky walls by my cats' food bowls, under my kitchen counter, and along my bathtub wall (iRobot estimates that it has 18% closer edge cleaning than former Roombas).

Of all robot vacuum brands I've tried, premium Roombas like this one have proven to be the best at dodging small obstacles like cords, laundry outside of the hamper, and pet waste. While the most advanced Roborock models have accidentally eaten a charger or sock in my testing, the Roomba Plus 505 Combo has yet to do so. It's this accuracy rate that could convince a robot vacuum non-believer that it's safe to leave running at home alone.

iRobot's room-to-room smart mapping is similarly accurate — allegedly even better than pre-2025 now that iRobot has made the switch to LiDAR. The new Roomba Home app looks surprisingly clunky despite being paired with new technology, but it's still user-friendly enough for most people. You can even name permanent clean zones within your home map to be swept on a more frequent schedule than the full room, like the area near the kitchen table or front door.

This vacuum recommendation and personal anecdote comes from Mashable Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino.

Robot vacuums and cordless stick vacuums bring convenience and ease to floor cleaning. Previously, vacuums were tied down by cords and bulky canisters, and while they’ve waned in popularity, they’re still undeniably powerful. The Miele Classic C1 Turbo is a return to the classic bagged vacuum, and it’s for someone with heavy-duty messes who wants a thorough but quick clean.

If you’ve been burned by weak suction on a cordless vacuum, the Miele Classic C1 Turbo goes back to vacuum basics with its canister design. It has incredibly strong suction for spotless floors. Sure, you have to be willing to deal with the heft of the canister, but that’s minor when it comes to pristine floors.

When our two-year-old vacuum started pushing around dust and debris rather than sucking it up, I began the hunt for a new vacuum. To avoid (or at least delay) the quick cycle of another vacuum dying after just a couple of years, I turned to the subreddit r/BuyItForLife, and the most common recommendation was the Miele C1 Turbo.

The suction on this vacuum is mind-blowing, especially after years of using just fine cordless vacuums. The Miele requires only one pass to thoroughly clean spaces. We have a white striped rug in our living room that our cat is an expert at making a mess on. But we only need to go over it with one pass to get it totally clean. The first time my wife used the vacuum on the rug, I asked them if they’d used our heavy-duty upholstery cleaner because it looked brand new.

It comes with several attachments that are neatly stored on the base of the vacuum, so they’re always within reach while in use. Plus, the built-in organization means you’re never losing track of where you put the brush head. Each attachment head caters to a different need, so you’re able to reach each nook and cranny. The cords can be a pain to navigate as the vacuum does have to be plugged in for use. That being said, the cord is so long, it has a nearly 30-foot cleaning radius.

At $499 (but often on sale for less), it’s one of the more affordable vacuums on this list, but there is an unseen cost that comes with owning the Miele. It requires bags within the canister. On one hand, the bags make emptying the vacuum rather tidy, but it does mean you need to repurchase bags when they get full.

This vacuum recommendation comes from Mashable Associate Editor Tim Marcin.

Budget shoppers who don't want to spend more than $200 on a vacuum will be thoroughly impressed with this Shark Pet cordless vacuum (it's almost always on sale for less than that). It doesn't come with a motorized tool for handheld mode like Dysons do, so the ideal purchaser would be someone who doesn't feel like keeping track of too many attachments — someone whose lint roller is perfectly fine for furniture, thank you.

While self-emptying storage docks and Dyson's dust-illuminating laser have set a new standard for cordless vacuums, but a cordless vacuum without those features isn't necessarily a dud. Mashable Associate Editor Tim Marcin knows from experience after buying this Shark Pet Cordless — it's his favorite vacuumed he's ever owned. "I have the world's single best dog, but my goodness does he shed fur," Marcin told me. "For years, I trudged a corded vacuum across my NYC apartment, thinking it was the only affordable tool that could effectively remove pet hair. Then I got the Shark cordless, and it did a better job without a cord, and at a much lighter weight."

More than 1,500 Amazon buyers have been wowed by this cheap vacuum's vigor as well. Five-star ratings frequently mention the Shark's ability to keep up with shedding in households with multiple pets. All the proof you need lies in the gray gunk spooling up in the dust cup. It's on the small side, but is much easier to point and dump directly into the trash than the dust bins of the Dyson V7 or V8.