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Best for Most People
Dyson Humdinger
Another Great Option
Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum
Best for Pet Hair
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser
Best for Cars
Worx 20V Cordless Cube Vac
A Handheld vacuum may not be the most essential household appliance, but they sure are convenient. You don’t have to mess with heavy, cumbersome (and expensive) vacuums that require a plug-in and hazardous cords. Sure, there are cordless vacs to mitigate this problem, but those are also large and can be expensive. The handheld vacuum—compact, lightweight, and inexpensive—has come a long way in recent years. As vac technology keeps improving, handhelds are becoming more powerful and lightweight.
Kid spilled her Cheerios on the floor? Pet hair on your favorite reading chair? Need to spot-clean your car seats? The handheld vacuum’s got you. Nearly every handheld vacuum cleaner comes with attachments for picking up hair or fur on carpets, brush and crevice tools, and smooth upholstery attachments. Plus, nearly every thing on this list is under 100 bucks (except our top Dyson pick because, well, it’s Dyson).
We tested some of our favorite hand vacuums for many types of messes, but we’re continually testing more, so check back often. Be sure to check out our related guides, like the Best Cordless Vacuums, Best Vacuums for Pet Hair, Best Dyson Vacuums, and Best Robot Vacuums.
Updated May 2025: We’ve added the Worx 20V Cordless Cube Vac and Dyson Car+Boat and updated prices throughout.
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Best for Most People
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
We at WIRED often review (and often love) Dyson’s well-made and innovative but pricey products. (Get discounts on Dyson handheld and cordless vacuums with our Dyson promo codes.) Dyson’s lightweight (just over 2 pounds) hand vacuum, the Humdinger, is super light while still packing a punch, and it comes with a crevice tool attachment with a movable brush, a worktop attachment, and a hair screw tool.
The combination crevice tool worked excellently in tight, awkward spaces, and I liked using the brush attachment to clean vents. The real star is the motorized conical brush bar, which rotates to quickly pick up hair and claims to have anti-tangle abilities, meaning that the hair gets sucked straight back into the bin rather than getting tangled in the wheel. It turns on with a button and has a Max mode for even more power. It takes about 3.5 hours to charge and uses a four-cell energy-dense lithium-ion battery for up to 25 minutes of cleaning. The HEPA filter is removable and washable and promises to last a lifetime. This lightweight, powerful vac is easy to use with many attachments for most vacuuming needs, and it feels well-made and durable.
Note: The Humdinger seems to be dwindling in availability as the Dyson Car+Boat below is a new handheld model intended to replace this. We still prefer this model, but will keep an eye out and update accordingly.
Capacity: 0.05 gallons Attachments: Hair screw tool, combination crevice tool, worktop tool Battery: 50 watts (14.4 volts) Run time: Up to 25 minutes Filter: HEPA filter Warranty: 2-year parts and labor warranty -
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Another Great Option
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
Ryobi
18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum
The Ryobi 10V One+ is a powerful small vac that attaches to a rechargeable 18-volt Lithium-ion battery pack for power, and comes with brush and crevice tool attachments. Although the vacuum is powerful on its own, the dust brush worked well for cleaning fabrics and effectively brushed up pet hair, and the crevice tool was small enough to fit between upholstery and hard-to-reach places in my car. For emptying, all you have to do is push the button to eject the dust cup. The vac has a dual filter system that, like many on the list, untwist from each other for even more filtration and should be cleaned regularly.
There’s a small adapter attachment that connects the dust bowl opening to the attachments, although the brush attachment was a little annoying to use sometimes because it would rotate off the carpet and point above. Besides that, I really have no major gripes with this small but super-powerful vac. It’s a steal at less than $100, it’s lightweight; I like that the battery pack on its own needs to be charged (helps conserve space) and easily snaps (and unsnaps) to the device with latches; and it’s compatible with other Ryobi tools.
Capacity: 2.8 cups Attachments: Crevice tool and dust brush Battery: 18-volt 2-Ah lithium-ion battery Run time: Not specified (when I used, it was around 25 minutes) Filter: HEPA and standard filters Warranty: 3-year manufacturer’s warranty -
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Best for Pet Hair
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
This lightweight, 3-pound hand vacuum is specially designed to target pet hair and does exactly that. It comes with three attachments. A powerful motorized brush lifts pet hair from a myriad of surfaces, including fur embedded in fabric and carpet; a super-skinny crevice tool sucks debris from in between cushions; and a flat, wide attachment works well for surface upholstery vacuuming.
Like most other handheld vacs, you press a button on the top to disconnect the bin, and the filter sits on top. You can easily lift out the filter and separate the layers to help maintain cleanliness. The rotating bristles work to suck up and move pet hair quickly and efficiently to the back bin, like a large vac does. In the first go, which lasted about 15 minutes before running out of juice, I was able to pick up over three canisters filled with just dust and hair. The only issue I have with this is that the crevice tool would often get stuck in the vacuum attachment connector, and it took a lot of muscle to pull out to change attachments.
Capacity: 0.7 L Attachments: Motorized brush, crevice tool, upholstery tool Battery: 14.4-volt lithium-ion battery Run time: Up to 17 minutes Filter: 3-stage filter: prefilter, H13 HEPA filter, motor filter Warranty: 1-year limited warranty -
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Best for Cars
Worx
20V Cordless Cube Vac
The Worx 20V Cordless Cube Vac is my favorite vacuum I’ve tried for cleaning the car. The handle and hose design make it easy to hold the body of the vacuum in one hand, with your thumb over the power button to control it, while using the hose in your other hand to reach all the tiny crevices in the car. For me, that’s every crevice around my son’s car seat and the ground of the seat in front of it. You could also easily place it inside the car and vacuum around with the hose, too, which can extend up to three feet. The base of the vacuum also has two spots for its two attachments, a crevice nozzle and brush attachment, so you can easily add on an attachment and then store it away without having to walk away from your car cleaning session.
While it has a fun square base, it doesn’t have a massive dustbin, though I found it plenty to vacuum a sedan car full of sand. It’s got a similar side dustbin to the Dyson Humdinger we recommend above. The battery life also promises only 10-25 minutes of range, depending on whether you’re using the high or low-speed setting, but again, I found this more than enough for two car vacuuming sessions in a sedan. You might need to charge it each time if you’re using it for something like a three-row minivan, but the design also makes it easy to switch it on and off, so you aren’t running the vacuum when you don’t need to. —Nena Farrell
Capacity: 0.05 gallons Attachments: Crevice tool, brush attachment Battery: 40 watts (20 volts) Run time: Up to 25 minutes (on low speed) Filter: HEPA filter Warranty: 3 year limited warranty
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Best for Interiors
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar liked this newest addition to the Dyson lineup (7/10, WIRED recommends), a handheld vacuum designed specifically for sucking up dirt and debris from your car and boat, plus bedding, furniture, and other awkward spaces. it’s small, but has a powerful suction, with a spin speed of 110,000 RPM (comparable to other bigger, more expensive Dyson models) and a crevice tool that made it easy to suck up crumbs in hard-to-reach places like in between seats and in upholstery crevices.
However, unlike Dyson’s standard vacuums, it only comes with two cleaning modes, and it doesn’t have a digital display or power button. Instead, flip the switch between the two modes—standard and max—and press the trigger. This handheld also has a long battery life to get you through multiple cleans without having to remove it from your car or wherever you mostly use it.
Capacity: 0.14 gallons Attachments: Mini motorized brush, crevice tool, and combination tool Battery: 21.6 Volts Run time: Up to 40 minutes Filter: Whole-machine filtration Warranty: 2-year parts and labor warranty -
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The Workhorse
Ryobi
18V One+ Powered Brush Hand Vacuum
This vacuum means business. It’s very similar to our other Ryobi pick, but has a mini motorized beater bar that’s excellent for hair, a crevice tool, a dust brush, and LEDs for increased visibility while cleaning. (See? Powerhorse.) Like the other Ryobi model, it sits on a rechargeable 18-volt battery with a charging indicator light and easily attaches and detaches to the end for less bulky charging. As an added bonus, the battery is compatible with other Ryobi tools.
The crevice tool worked great for hard-to-reach places and the brush was gentle enough to brush and vac debris (it worked excellently on my air vents). The mini motorized beater bar packs a lot of power and the head pivots to keep extra close to various surfaces and angles. The cover of the beater bar can be opened with a small slotted tool (I used a coin), and the brush slips out for even easier cleaning. I used the vacuum on concrete to suck up cat litter, fabrics with pet hair, carpet with pine needles, and even tough items like wood chips were sucked up without issue.
It’s probably the most powerful on the list, but I don’t think it’s the one best for most people, simply because it’s such a workhorse. It’s a bit heavier and bulkier than others on the list, and is pretty loud—and bright with an LED light that ensures you can clean in any condition.
Capacity: 2.7 cups Attachments: Mini motorized beater bar, crevice tool, dust brush Battery: 18-volt 2-Ah Lithium-ion battery Run time: Over 40 minutes Filter: Dual HEPA filter Warranty: 3-year manufacturer’s warranty
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Another Great Option for Pets and Kids Alike
Shark
UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus
This hand vacuum from Shark is made for pets, but it’s great to use for all kinds of things in a household of a cat and a toddler: spilled Cheerios or kibble, scattered litter, various dirt in the car, drywall dust after installing a new curtain rod, the list goes on. It’s powerful and works well for everything I’ve tried it for. The only downside is how short the battery life is, but I’ve still managed to vacuum small messes several times throughout the week before needing to charge it again. —Nena Farrell
Capacity: 0.45 quarts Attachments: Pet brush, scrubbing brush, and crevice tool Battery: 80 watts Run time: About 15 minutes Filter: Fabric filter Warranty: 2-year limited warranty -
Best to Take on the Go
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
Bissell
AeroSlim Handheld Vacuum
This sleek, super-light (1.37-pound) handheld vac may not be the most powerful on this list, but it’s definitely the easiest to maneuver. It sits in its changing port and takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours to fully charge for up to 12 minutes of use time. It comes with a multi-accessory tool that combines a long, slim crevice tool with a moveable brush (the brush moves up and down on the tool depending on need), but you can also just use the vac without the slim attachment for more general surface cleaning.
The tiny 0.1 L front of the vac twists off to empty, and a small dual filter can also be removed for cleaning/replacement. The filter has a mesh covering and a twist lock to protect the washable HEPA filter on the inside. I wasn’t able to successfully pick up bigger items like wood shards or litter, and only picked up a fraction of pet hair as some of the more powerful models with a roll brush, but I wasn’t expecting it to—that’s not this cutie’s job. It’s portable, light, simple, and easy to use. I started keeping it in my car for small messes here and there, like crumbs or debris from my shoes. It’s a great portable option for specific needs, but if you’re looking for a more powerful model I’d check out Ryobi or a good everyday vac like Dyson.
Capacity: 0.1 L Attachments: Crevice tool with moveable brush Battery: 7.4-volt Run time: Up to 12 minutes Filter: Double mesh and HEPA filters Warranty: 1-year limited warranty -
Others We Tested
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Tineco Go Mini Cordless Hand Vacuum for $90: This lightweight vacuum is fairly straightforward, and charges through the end of the handle that plugs straight into the wall. Before first use, you have to charge it for five to six hours, which gets you 10 to 20 minutes of use time. The main things I wanted to focus on cleaning in my everyday life were cat litter and pet hair. This vacuum spit out roughly 80 percent of the litter I tried sucking up, and the pet hair just sort of rolled around on the carpet rather than being sucked back into the vac. (I’m not sure if it was the angle or shape of the mouth that aided in both of those problems.) The suction wasn’t as powerful as others tested, and it tended to work best on hard surfaces. This vac wasn’t bad, per se, but others on this list at similar price points worked a lot more effectively on a lot more various surfaces (with multiple head attachments) than this was seemingly capable of.
I factored in charge and actual power time in overall value and ranking, considering some charge for four hours and last less than half an hour of run time—that just won’t be practical for certain people. Since most of these come with attachments for specific needs, I made sure to test each on a myriad of surfaces, like rugs, carpet, hardwood, stairs, counters, crevices, inside my car, on furniture, and even in between vents and blinds. I also tested on various types of messes (no liquids though), especially focusing on my personal major mess gripes—cat litter and pet hair. I also initially tested during the winter, so I sucked up plenty of dried, fallen pine needles from my Christmas tree.
Again, definitely pay attention to specs like charge and usage time, as well as its power (like voltage) and attachments provided. If you’re working construction and need a handheld vac for debris, I’d recommend something like a Ryobi, while if you’re looking for a portable lightweight travel vacuum, the AeroSlim might be better suited for you. It’s also important to factor in charging versus usage time. Some of these last less than 15 minutes and have very small waste capacities, so if you have a bigger project, you’ll need to take that into consideration.
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