The best stick vacuums at every price

We reveal the affordable aces, mid-priced marvels and pricey performers to help you buy the best for your budget.

illustration of three different stick vacuums with ticks and dollar symbols

Alice Richard

Last updated: 06 March 2025

There's a lot to love about stick vacuums. They're great for quick clean-ups, there's no annoying cord to trip over, and their slim design means you can stash them in your kitchen or wherever you're likely to use them most.

With prices ranging from less than $100 to more than $1500, it can be hard to know where the sweet spot between price and performance is. Should you spring for a fancy Dyson, or can you get away with a cheaper brand?

With prices ranging from less than $100 to more than $1500, it can be hard to know where the sweet spot between price and performance is

We'll explain what to expect in terms of pricing, plus for CHOICE members only, we'll reveal the highest-ranking stick vacs from the top, middle and bottom of the price spectrum.

If you want to find out which are the best stick vacuums for your budget, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.

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How much should you spend on a stick vacuum?

We've tested stick vacuums that cost as little as $79 for a budget Kmart model and as much as $1500+ for high-end LG and Dyson models.

The median price of all the stick vacs in our review is $599. Prices have increased due to improvements in technology: just seven years ago, the median price was only $299.

Unfortunately, you'll be hard pressed to find a high-performing stick vacuum on the cheap. Almost all of the stick vacs that our experts recommend cost upwards of $800.

Some cheaper stick vacs perform reasonably well and will do a good-enough job, especially if you're only using them on hard floors

If that sounds too far out of your reach, don't give up on your dreams of stick vac ownership just yet. Some cheaper stick vacs perform reasonably well and will do a good-enough job, especially if you're only using them on hard floors.

We've compiled a list of the best stick vacuums under $250 exclusively for CHOICE members.

If you're on a tight budget, your money will go much further if you buy a traditional barrel vacuum: you can pick up a great performer for around $300–$500.

Yes, it's more effort than a stick vac, but if you're constantly having to clean up after your cheap stick vac, you're already doing the extra work anyway.

The best stick vacs at every price: Budget, mid-range and premium

We independently test and review dozens of new vacuums each year in our onsite labs, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.

Our detailed stick vacuum testing data is available exclusively for CHOICE members.

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The best stick vacuum on a budget

The Shark Clean & Empty stick vacuum.

Shark Clean & Empty

CHOICE Expert Rating: 81% (Recommended)
Price: $600

This is the cheapest of all the models recommended by our experts, and while $600 isn't exactly spare change, it's a very good price for a very good stick vac.

If your home has mostly hard floors, it'll do an excellent job of cleaning them, and it's also great for pet-friendly households.

Plus, it takes the convenience of a stick vac to the next level: the charging dock has an automatic emptying bin, so it'll empty itself while it's charging. You'll need to empty this bin, but it's larger so you won't need to do it as often as you would with stick vacs that only have an on-board dust canister.

It takes the convenience of a stick vac to the next level: the charging dock has an automatic emptying bin, so it'll empty itself while it's charging

It's not great at cleaning carpet, but that's a common issue with stick vacs anyway: even some of the highest scoring vacs in our review don't do a brilliant job on carpet. (Though this one does have the lowest score for quick carpet cleaning of all the stick vacs recommended by our experts.)

Read the full Shark Clean & Empty review.

Another affordable stick vac to consider

The Bosch Unlimited 7 BCS711WAU.

Bosch Unlimited 7 BCS711WAU

CHOICE Expert Rating: 80% (Recommended)
Price: $649

The best of the rest

These two sticks didn't quite meet the cut to be recommended by our experts, but they still received good scores. They're worth considering if your budget only stretches to around $500.

Shark Cordless Pro IR300ANZ

CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
Price: $500

Shark Cordless Detect Pro

CHOICE Expert Rating: 78%
Price: $549

The best mid-range stick vacuum

The Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro Vacuum with Clean Sense IQ.

Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro Vacuum with Clean Sense IQ

CHOICE Expert Rating: 83% (Recommended)
Price: $799

A step up from the Clean & Empty, the Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro Vacuum with Clean Sense IQ actually scores higher than some sticks costing twice as much.

You'll get plenty of bang for your buck with this: excellent performance on hard floors, a perfect score for removing pet hair from carpet, good cleaning of edges and corners, very good car cleaning capabilities and a respectable score for thoroughly cleaning carpet.

The next cheapest model that scores high enough to be recommended is the LG CordZero A9K-Ultra (see below for details). It's a full $500 more than the Shark but scores slightly lower, so you're definitely getting good value with the Shark.

With a purchase price this low, you could afford to buy a second battery to extend cleaning time

The Stratos Cordless Pet Pro's battery only lasts 10 minutes on full power, but that's not dissimilar to some high-end stick vacs that are far more expensive. Plus, with a purchase price this low you could afford to buy a second battery to extend your cleaning time – and still have spent less money than you would with many other stick vacs.

While we don't have recent brand reliability data for LG and Shark stick vacuums, we know that Shark's conventional corded vacuums have historically scored well for performance and satisfaction, and LG customers do rank the brand well when it comes to many of its other products.

Read the full Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro review.

Another mid-range stick vacuum to consider

The LG CordZero A9K-Ultra.

LG CordZero A9K-Ultra

CHOICE Expert Rating: 80% (Recommended)
Price: $1299

Okay, so $1299 isn't exactly cheap, but if you want quality without a $1500+ price tag, this LG is a good option, particularly if you have pets, as it does an excellent job of removing pet hair from carpet.

All the LGs in our current review are recommended, and our testing shows that LG stick vacs compare favourably with Dysons.

Our testing shows that LG stick vacs compare favourably with Dysons

And they often come with more accessories: this model has a second battery, which will enable you to cover more ground before you need to recharge. By comparison, you'll need to pay extra if you want a spare battery for your Dyson.

Other extra accessories, including the mop head, can also be stored on the self-emptying dock for extra convenience.

Read the full LG CordZero A9K-Ultra review.

The best premium-priced stick vacuum

The Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Stick Vacuum Cleaner.

Samsung Bespoke Jet AI

CHOICE Expert Rating: 88% (Recommended)
Price: $1599

The highest rated vacuum overall in our tests, this Samsung outshone several more expensive Dysons plus two LGs that have the same RRP.

It's far from cheap, but if you want top quality for top dollar, this stick vac should be on your list.

It has the longest running time of all the recommended stick vacs, a perfect pet hair removal score, excellent performance on hard floors and the highest score of every stick vac in our tests for thorough carpet cleaning.

It's far from cheap, but if you want top quality for top dollar, this stick vac should be on your list

Plus, its charging tower doubles as a second bin, so when you pop it on charge, it'll empty the dust canister for you – a feature that other high-priced stick vacs such as Dyson don't always have.

Samsung isn't as well known for its stick vacuums as Dyson, but considering that both Samsungs in our review scored highly enough to be recommended, perhaps it should be.

Read the full Samsung Bespoke Jet AI review.