The Best Vacuums on the Market Under $500

Newsflash: A good vacuum at an affordable price is not the most common of sightings! Factor in life expectancy and repairs, and you could be looking at an investment piece right alongside that new piece of art or sofa. To narrow down the sprawl of offerings and ease your hunt for a winning choice, we did some digging into reviews on Consumer Reports, CNET, and Amazon to come up with the best of the best for a wide variety of needs. Whether you're looking for a traditional upright with lots of add-ons, a cordless for your small space, a heavy-duty vacuum to clean up after your pets, or a bot that won't break the bank, this list has an option that’s right for you. Scroll to see them all!

Most Bang for Your Buck

Shark Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum $170

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If you're on a budget but still want a good clean, this Shark is great value. It won't clean as deeply or last as long as a more expensive, high-end option, but it's still great on carpets, bare floors, furniture, stairs, and ceilings alike, and should run well for a few years without much maintenance.

Best Low-Maintenance Value

Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner $130

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This highly nimble and surprisingly powerful cordless stick vacuum comes at an affordable price and promises to suck up just about anything.

Miele Compact C1 Pure Suction Canister Vacuum Cleaner $399

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The Compact is a good pick for an apartment with mostly bare floors and an area rug or two. Weighing just over 10 lbs., it's also a quiet and easy-to-maneuver pick.

Best Pet Clean-Up

Miele S2121 Delphi Canister Vacuum Cleaner $499

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Have lots of carpeting and pets? The Delphi comes with an electric hose and a power brush, which is better at sucking up debris from high-pile rugs.

Miele Dynamic U1 Maverick $499

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Serious cleaners, this one's for you. The Miele Dynamic U1 Maverick is the best vacuum for a heavy-duty job. Cleaning is excellent on any surface, steering is smooth, and you’ll barely have to think about upkeep.

Neato Botvac D3 Pro Connected $500 $300

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A fan of the "set it and forget it" approach? This Neato rings close to $125 less than the Roomba 880, and performance is still top-notch. Note that it doesn't come with extras like a remote control, but overall it's a great straight-forward pick.

Most Effortless

Dyson DC59 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner $299

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This Dyson has power without the bulk, and battery power is only used for cleaning. It allows 26 minutes of cleaning time (6 minutes on boost).

Most Versatility

Shark Rotator Lift-Away Professional Upright Vacuum $240

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Transition seamlessly from upright to canister vac with this versatile Shark, which also comes with a wand and multiple brush attachments and accessories to customize the cleaning job.

Biggest Shake-Up

Soniclean Galaxy Upright $180

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The first and only vacuum to use sonic cleaning technology, the Galaxy Upright functions like a sonic toothbrush, with a bar adjacent to the brush roll which vibrates 200 times per second. The vacuum itself is very lightweight and promises a deep clean and a plush finish to carpets.