Best Dyson alternatives: we've tested 48 alternatives that are $100s cheaper and these are the top 8 to consider

Enjoy Dyson-style features including strong suction power, pet hair pickup and dust detection at a fraction of the cost

Dyson alternatives - A Shark Stratos Vacuum cleaning a carpet
(Image credit: SharkNinja)

There’s a lot to love about Dyson vacuums – until it comes to the price tag. Dyson has been our go-to vacuum brand for years, making some of the best vacuums in the world with their patented, market-leading cyclone engineering, but there's no denying the cost, ranging from $400 to over $1,000.

Alternative vacuum brands often claim high-quality designs and premium, useful features – but without the steep cost. However, without testing them for yourself, it's tough to know which ones live up to their claims.

That's why after testing 60 of the best vacuums on the market, I called on my team of testing and in-house consumer experts to help me assemble the strongest alternatives to Dyson in this guide.

Altogether, we've fully tested almost the entire Dyson lineup of recent years, from their three flagship models to the more budget-friendly options, so we know what we're looking for in an alternative. Dust detection, easy pet hair pickup, boosted suction modes and lightweight builds are some of the key features, but the main one is immense suction power.

Right now, our favorite Dyson alternative is the Shark Vertex Pro and our favorite upright Dyson alternative is the Shark POWERDETECT. Shark have been making some of the best vacuums for a long time, and while Dyson are famous for offering the most powerful tech, Shark has crafted their own excellence with truly helpful features, multi-purpose floor heads and strong suction – all at a more affordable price.

To come to this conclusion, we try, test, and assess each vacuum to see how closely they can match the power of a Dyson vacuum. If you want a clean home at a lower price, or just want something a little different, these are your best options.

The quick list

If you're after the quick headlines for every Dyson alternative, here's a summary of what you need to know. There's lots more in-depth detail further down this article. If you see one you like, click 'Read more below' to take you to the right place.

The best Dyson alternatives in 2024

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The best Dyson alternative overall

1. Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum

Unrivalled suction power, but still compact and user-friendly

Specifications

Type: Cordless
Battery life: Up to 60 minutes
Dust bin: 1qt
Weight: 8.82lb
Power: 309W
Noise level: ~80 dBA

Reasons to buy

+
Great pick up
+
Quick set up
+
Easy to fold down for storage, and compacts down to less than 3 feet for closet storage
+
Super lightweight
+
Easy to remove dust cup
+
Does not require a charging hub
+
Charges through a removable battery
+
Anti-allergen seal traps dust and allergens
+
LED lights on floorhead

Reasons to avoid

-
Automatically sets to Deep Clean mode each time it turns on
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Smaller floorhead

The Shark Cordless is the perfect example that lower prices don’t always mean worse quality. With a DuoClean head and PowerFins technology, on test we found a deep clean of carpets and hard floors. With vast amounts of dust collected, the Shark Cordless needs a large dustbin capacity. At one quarter gallon, slightly bigger than Dyson V15 Detect’s relative 0.2 gallon capacity, this cordless needs emptying much less often, even though it's picking up lots of dust from the floor.

The nimble, lightweight body is a match for Dyson’s V15 and certainly much smoother to use than upright vacuums. The additional Multi-Flex head means that moving around and accessing those hard-to-reach areas is effortless with the Shark. Moreover, it features a HEPA filter and Anti-Allergen Seal, to offer pet owners and allergy sufferers more effective protection from rogue dust and dirt particles.

Due to the larger dust bin, the Shark weighs 2.02lbs more than Dyson’s V15 Detect, which is about a carton of milk or a bunch of banana's difference in weight. The Shark claims to have a 60-minute battery life, as opposed to the Dyson which can run for an extra 10 minutes (70 minutes in total). The Multi-Flex head makes for easy storage, but isn’t the easiest to handle, especially when unfurling the vacuum back up to full height.

Read more in our full Shark Vertex Pro review.

The best upright Dyson alternative

2. Shark POWERDETECT Upright Vacuum

A powerhouse for busy homes, pet fur, and every floor type

Specifications

Type: Upright
Cord length: 30 feet
Dust bin: 0.5 gallons
Weight: 17.57 lbs
Max power: 1416 watts
Noise level: ~73dB

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful cleaning performance on all surfaces
+
Odor neutralizer feature works well
+
All the tools for getting into nooks and crannies
+
Powered Lift-Away feature makes it easier to use
+
Exceptional on pet hair, even on carpet

Reasons to avoid

-
A bit on the heavy side
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Pretty expensive
-
Hose limited for getting into higher places

The POWERDETECT is Shark's latest upright vacuum, making the most out of Shark's most advanced motor tech and design features in this absolute powerhouse of a vacuum cleaner. Floor detection, odor-neutralization, pet hair performance and tight filtration are all on offer here.

The first (and best) thing our seasoned tester James Holland noted was the suction power. 'It’s able to suck everything up in its path efficiently and proficiently, no matter the debris. And, it’s equally capable regardless of the surface I used it on.'

This suction power works excellently on pet hair, too, as James learned on a carpet that required some deep vacuuming thanks to his shedding cat. 'With one pass, the Shark POWERDETECT had basically picked up every visible piece of hair (as well as litter near the litter box) from the carpet, filling the dust bin with an amount of hair equal to a second cat.'

It also matches Dyson's detection tech (as seen in the Dyson V12 Detect Slim), identifying floor type, dust volume and floor edges to adjust suction power (can boost up to 3x) whenever it's needed. It doesn't share Dyson's signature green laser however, but it does feature bright LED lights to better illuminate the floor. This is a significant difference as I can confirm, from my own hands-on experience, that the Dyson green laser does reveal dust that the naked eye can't see, whereas LED headlights such as these only illuminate the floor.

It's no surprise that this is one of, if not the most powerful upright vacuum cleaner we've ever tested. This power may come at a sacrifice in weight; at 17.57 lbs, it's slightly heavier than the 16-17 lbs we usually expect from an upright vacuum, but much heavier than the 6-7 lbs that Dyson's best cordless vacuums weigh. Nonetheless, the vacuum has Shark's famous Lift-Away feature that enables you to carry just the main component, leaving the heavier parts behind, so it's still a great choice for when you need more mobility (like on stairs or reaching above the head).

The hose offers more reach but unfortunately it's a little limited in length (it's only two feet long compared to the Dyson Ball Animal 3's 15 feet of hose stretch). This is also where you clip on any attachment tools – depending on whether you buy the vacuum alone or the TruePet upgrade, this could include a duster crevice tool, multi-angled dust brush, anti-allergen dust brush, pet multi tool, and HairPro self-cleaning pet power brush.

All in all, the POWERDETECT is a thorough, comprehensive vacuum cleaner – and perhaps even more capable than some of Dyson's best upright models, like the Dyson Animal Ball 3. Its 12-inch floorhead means you're covering a lot of ground with each pass, leaving your floors 'spotless and smelling ever-so-slightly fresh thanks to the odor neutralizer cartridge.' But don't forget: like any upright vacuum, it's loud.

Read more in our full Shark POWERDETECT review.

The best cordless Dyson alternative

Shark Detect Pro Cordless with cleaning station

(Image credit: Shark)

3. Shark Detect Pro Cordless

The closest Shark gets to Dyson's cordless Detect vacuums

Specifications

Type: Cordless
Battery life: Up to 60 minutes
Filter: HEPA + Anti-Allergen Seal
Dust bin: 0.11 gal / 0.4 liters
Weight: 6 lbs / 2.76 kg
Power: 240 watts
Noise level: ~80 dB

Reasons to buy

+
Great on carpets
+
Easy to glide on floors
+
Flexible
+
(Fairly) strong suction power
+
Attractive design

Reasons to avoid

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Can't handle large amounts of hair
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Struggles with debris in floor cracks
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Dust gets caught in the filter and dust cup

Dyson's latest cordless vacuums, the Dyson Gen5detect and the Dyson V15 Detect, are the best vacs we've ever tested. The Shark Detect Pro Cordless is Shark's entry into this 'detect' genre of vacuums, offering similar features at a much lower price.

Like the Dysons, the Shark Detect Pro Cordless can detect the dust volume on your floor and adjust suction power accordingly on auto mode, and you can manually switch between boost mode or eco mode. It also has lights on the floor head to reveal dust on the floor, which is a feature Shark have used for a while, but it doesn't work as effectively as Dyson's green laser that reveals dust invisible to the naked eye. Still, it's helpful at illuminating dimmer areas and under furniture.

But while it shares these similar features, the real compromise here is the suction power. I was excited to test the Detect Pro as it looked like a genuine alternative (and a stylish one) to Dyson's market-leading vacuums, but it still fell short. It cleans better than other cordless vacuums out there, but there's a noticeable difference compared with even the Dyson V12 Detect Slim – Dyson's entry-level detect vac. I found it excelled on carpets, the boost mode was great for hard floors, but it struggled with large clumps of hair.

Being able to accurately count picked-up particles (a feature that's present in Dyson's vacuums) isn't here but, in all honesty, this isn't essential. It's insightful to know how much exists on your floors and furniture but it doesn't do too much in the name of improving how you clean.

This is a great alternative to Dyson's best cordless vacuums, but it's worth considering that the lower price does in fact reflect a lesser feature set. But when compared to other vacuums (even the ones in this list), this is a strong choice.

A successor to the Detect Pro Cordless has since been released, the Shark Cordless PowerDetect which is one of our favorite cordless vacuums we've tested. I wouldn't necessarily label it a Dyson alternative due to the fact that no Dyson vacuum has a flexible wand, but in terms of cleaning power, this is much closer to Dyson's suction power than the Detect Pro Cordless.

Read more in our full Shark Detect Pro Cordless review.

The best budget Dyson alternative

4. Levoit VortexIQ 40 Cordless Stick Vacuum

A brilliant basic, which can take on simple taks like a luxury model

Specifications

Type: Cordless
Battery life: Up to 40 minutes
Dust bin: 0.63qt
Weight: 7.1lb
Power: 130 AW
Noise level: 80 dB

Reasons to buy

+
Trigger doesn’t have to be held in
+
Great price
+
Removable battery
+
Plenty of suction levels
+
Two HEPA filters

Reasons to avoid

-
Heavy when using as a handheld
-
Auto mode didn’t often increase suction

One of the most satisfying vacuum cleaners on the market, the Levoit VortexIQ 40 Cordless Stick Vacuum performs simple tasks with the thoroughness of vacuums four times the price. When we challenged it on more complex debris and suction settings, it struggled a little, but for $200, this is incredible as our experience has found that usually, cordless vacuums under $200 are not worth the spend.

If Levoit sounds familiar, it’s because they established themselves by making some of the best air purifiers on the market. This model is an extension of the thoroughness of their air purifiers, offering four-stage filtration which can trap at least 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns in size, which is great for allergy sufferers.

Offering considerable battery life, this is a robust investment that will impress even the most snobby vacuum cleaner enthusiasts. Whilst the 130 air watts of suction is less than most Dysons, it was still successful across a range of surfaces. Air watts are the most accurate unit of measurement for suction power in real-world conditions, and many of Dyson's cordless vacuums offer 200 or more.

We thought the user experience was better when we could manually adjust between the five suction levels. AUTO was just missing the mark where we would expect the power to ramp up, such as going from hard floor to carpet.

Read more at our Levoit VortexIQ 40 Cordless Stick Vacuum review.

The best smart Dyson alternative

5. Tineco Pure ONE S15 Pet

A smart touch for your cleaning routine, this powerhouse is close to perfect

Specifications

Type: Cordless
Battery life: Up to 40 minutes
Dust bin: 0.5qt
Weight: 6.8lb
Power: 500W
Noise level: <80 dBA