Best Dyson alternatives: we've tested 52 alternatives that are $100s cheaper and these are the top 8 to consider

There’s a lot to love about Dyson vacuums – until you see 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 65 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 dedicated guide.

The one-minute verdict

We've fully tested almost the entire Dyson lineup in recent years, from the best Dyson vacuums to the more budget-friendly options, so we know what we're looking for in a brilliant and cheaper alternative.

Dust detection, easy pet hair pickup, boosted suction modes and lightweight builds are some of the key features we think make a vacuum one of the best Dyson alternatives, but the main one is immense suction power.

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 have crafted their own excellence with truly helpful features, multi-purpose floor heads and strong suction – all at a more affordable price.

Right now, our top Dyson alternative is the cordless Shark Vertex Pro, which we have reviewed. Our favorite upright Dyson alternative after testing is the Shark POWERDETECT.

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 on different floors and debris tests.

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 jump to the right place.

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The best Dyson alternatives

The best Dyson alternative overall

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The Shark Vertex Pro 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. It's not up to the same standard as our favorite Dyson V15 Detect, but considering it costs $300 less, it's an excellent alternative.

With vast amounts of dust collected, the Shark Vertex 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.

The nimble, lightweight body is a match for Dyson’s V15 Detect and certainly much smoother to use than upright vacuums. The Multi-Flex floorhead lets you bend the wand to access those hard-to-reach areas, and you can fold it down vertically to more easily hide your vacuum when storing it.

In our pantry test, 'it powered through the food debris with ease,' wrote tester Jaclyn Turner. Its performance was great across hard floors and carpets, and it did a stellar job of removing pet hair, too.

Pet owners will also love the HEPA filter and additional 'Anti-Allergen Seal' to keep allergens like dust, dander and pollen from escaping. This is why the best HEPA vacuums are so ideal for allergy sufferers and pet owners, as they prevent these triggering particles from re-entering our space.

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.

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The best upright Dyson alternative

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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 is why we love it as a multi-surface vacuum.

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.

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The best cordless Dyson alternative

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Dyson's latest cordless vacuums, the Dyson Gen5detect and the Dyson V15 Detect, are the best vacuums we've ever tested. The Shark Cordless PowerDetect is Shark's latest 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 some of these key features, there's a slight compromise in suction power. Even though it's one of the best Shark vacuums we've got our hands on, this is to be expected from a non-Dyson vacuum. It isn't as drastic of a difference compared to Shark's previous detect vacuum, the Shark Detect Pro which wasn't the most impressive. But while it isn't quite as powerful as a Dyson, on test the Cordless PowerDetect still performed strongly when vacuuming dust, large debris and pet hair on all floor types.

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 especially when deep cleaning carpet, but it doesn't do too much in the name of improving how you clean.

The reason the Cordless PowerDetect isn't our best overall Dyson alternative is because of its flexible wand. No Dyson vacuums have this feature so it isn't exactly a Dyson dupe, but instead, it's a more affordable alternative with similarly capable cleaning power and some unique features that can change how easy it is to clean. You also have the option of a Shark Clean & Empty System for an extra $100, which stores, charges and empties the vacuum between cleans, minimizing how often you have to empty it yourself and expose yourself to common household allergens.

Read more in our full Shark Cordless PowerDetect review.

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The best budget Dyson alternative

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The U16 Flex is a rare gem to find as it's one of the only vacuums under $200 that can actually do a decent job of cleaning your floors. It's not perfect and it falls short when vacuuming carpet, but it can be a great, lightweight option for those easier cleans.

The Ultenic U16 Flex has clearly taken design notes from Dyson vacuums like the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. It has a similar build (just in a different color scheme) and even has the dust-revealing laser that we couldn't praise more from Dyson's laser vacuums. In fact, the U16 Flex is the closest we've ever seen to the Dyson standard, as all other vacuums that have imitated just brighten up the floor, whereas the U16 Flex's GreenEye floorhead actually shows dust and hair that the naked eye can't see.

On hard floors, the U16 Flex had no issue vacuuming all types of mess during our tests. But on carpet, it took around 10 passes to fully clear flour and sugar, which represents how well the vacuum can handle fine particles like dust and dead skin.

This is the sacrifice when choosing a budget vacuum. It can be an incredible way of saving money if your home doesn't have any carpets, but if it does, I'd recommend one of the Shark cordless vacuums in this guide. The U16 Flex's materials also seem cheap so I can't vouch for their durability, but this also makes it one of the most lightweight vacuums we've ever tested.

I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex in a local pet shelter and found that it's anti-hair wrap works surprisingly well for this price. It wasn't always able to clear every strand of cat and dog hair but it vacuumed the majority of it, even removing pet hair from fabrics like upholstery and soft chair padding.

Like the Shark Cordless PowerDetect in this guide, the U16 Flex also has a flexible wand that can reach under furniture, making one of the hardest cleaning tasks easier on your back.

Read more in our full Ultenic U16 Flex review.

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The best smart Dyson alternative

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Designed for agility and repeatedly consistent vacuuming, the Tineco Pure One S15 is easily one of the most nimble vacuums we’ve tested. It transforms from a stick vacuum to a handheld model in seconds by simply removing the wand, which is perfect for efficient cleaning. We particularly love that there’s no need to constantly hold a trigger down, which you would on some Dyson models.

Our experts were skeptical about the smart features: the iLoop Dust Detection (Tineco's name for their dust sensor technology) and LCD screen are designed to provide practical feedback on your vacuuming results. On test, we found they genuinely help you clean by showing dirtier areas of the floor that would perhaps benefit from more frequent passes with your vacuum.

This feature is similar to the particle counter found in Dyson's vacuums. Dyson's is more exact, counting each individual particle down to different sizes, while the Tineco just shows you on a sliding scale how dirty the floor is (similarly to their vacuum-mops like the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro). Either way, you know when there's nothing left to vacuum.

If you’re looking for smart vacuum storage options, this vacuum and all of its accessories store neatly in a stand and floor dock. You won’t need to affix anything to a wall, so there’s no concerns for renters or those who just want to avoid one day patching up holes in your walls. It takes some careful maneuvering to insert it into the stand's crevice, but once it’s in, the vacuum cleaner will be secure.

Given that this is a vacuum for pets, we were surprised at how much it struggled with large pieces of debris, such as cereal and kibble. This is better on basic tasks, as a lightweight, casual cleaner.

Read more in our full Tineco Pure One S15 Pet review.

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The best Dyson alternative for pet hair

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No Dyson vacuum has a self-empty station, so the Tineco Pure One Station isn't a like-for-like alternative. It's instead a more affordable alternative that actually brings something you can't find in a Dyson: a self-cleaning station

There are a few variations of the Tineco Pure One Station, including the Tineco FurFree edition that comes with a pet grooming kit, but I found that the vacuum itself (without any pet attachments) did an outstanding job at vacuuming hair. Even when it came to large, dense clumps, the Tineco sucked them all up like it was nothing.

The different models range from around $450 to $550 which is close to some of the more affordable Dyson options. The Dyson V8 is available for around $460 at Dyson and the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, one of the best, sells for $650 at Dyson.

As evident from our tests, both of these Dysons have more powerful suction, even on pet hair. But for a similar price, you can get this Tineco vacuum cleaner that still performs well on pet hair, with the added bonus of a self-cleaning station. With a vacuum HEPA filter to trap all allergenic pet dander, the station brings a lot more convenience to your cleaning, and it has a three liter capacity so you can won't have to empty it for weeks or months at a time.

Plus, the Tineco still has features found across Dyson's best vacuums, like lights on the floor head, dust volume detection and automatic or manual power adjustment (boost mode). If you don't need the cleaning station however, I'd recommend either the Shark vertex or Shark Cordless PowerDetect above as they're more effective cleaners.

Read more in our full Tineco Pure One Station review.

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The best Dyson alternative for allergies

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Samsung have designed their cordless sticks as if they're seeing into the future of vacuum cleaners, with sleek aesthetics that blend seamlessly into modern interiors.

Like the Tineco above, the Bespoke Jet has a smart station that will empty, charge, and clean your vacuum, ensuring that it always performs at its best. Many of the smart features are reminiscent of the best robot vacuums. The digital display will track your vacuuming capabilities, notifying your phone of any and every important detail.

If you suffer with allergies, the self-emptying system and HEPA filter will make cleaning fun, rather than a tedious chore. HEPA filters are a must for anyone with allergies as the tight filtration can trap 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which allergens like dust, pollen and pet dander tend to be.

The telescopic wand excels at picking up even the finest stands of hair, helping those who are easily irritated by vacuuming. The wand is also useful if you’re particularly tall or short, because it adjusts to the height of the user.

However, we didn't want to put this too high in the list because of the high price. If you're looking for a Dyson alternative, chances are that you need something under $500. This isn't the choice if you want to save money, as it usually goes for around $600. That's especially true of the 'AI' version of this vacuum I tested, as it costs an extra $300 with few extras to show for it.

Read more in our full Samsung Bespoke Jet Vacuum review.

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The best robot Dyson alternative

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The Dyson 360 Vis Nav, the only robot vacuum currently available from Dyson, was a bit of a disappointment. It didn't live up to the expectations set by the level of cleaning set by Dyson vacuums. After testing, our reviewer Helen McCue actually ended reverting back to using her much-older and more affordable eufy X8 Pro as it cleaned more thoroughly and bashed into furniture less.

But our pick of the best alternative robot vacuum is the eufy X10 Pro Omni. It's not the best robot vacuum we've ever tested, that would be the eufy S1 Pro Omni and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+. But as both of these models cost more than the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, I can't recommend them as cheaper alternatives.

The eufy X10 Pro Omni can also mop your floors, which the 360 Vis Nav isn't able to. 'Regular mopping fared great with this eufy robot, leaving my floors clean and quickly dry,' wrote tester Punteha van Terheyden in our review.

'I brought mud, mixed with water, in from the back yard and spread 100 ml of it on the bathroom linoleum. The mop tackled my proxy-wet-and-muddy-paw-prints with ease on the first pass,' she added, which is why we love the X10 Pro Omni as one of our best robot vacuums for pets.

If you buy this separate eufy replacement roller for $19.99, the X10 Pro Omni can also pull up pet hair, even from carpets, without any tangling. Beforehand, the robot was able to pick up hair, but it all instantly tangled, creating a frequent task of manually removing it from the roller.

'Where this robot vacuum excels in my view is hard floors. It picked up absolutely everything in its path,' Punteha wrote, so if you're looking for a vacuum for hardwood floors, this could be a great way to take some chore time off your hands.

Read more in our full iRobot Roomba j7+ review.

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How to choose the best Dyson alternative

Choosing the best Dyson alternative is slightly different to simply knowing how to choose a vacuum. The best Dyson vacuums can detect what's on your floors, reveal invisible dust, completely avoid hair wrap and swiftly pick up all types of mess regardless of the surface. If you're after an alternative, these are the features to look out for.

Floor detection is becoming a common feature across different vacuum types now, as we've seen in the Shark Cordless PowerDetect and Shark POWERDETECT Upright in this guide that can sense floor type and dust volume automatically, just like the Dysons. It's a small touch but one that streamlines your cleaning, avoiding you having to manually change suction mode each time you change surface. It also preserves battery life in cordless vacuums while still being able to extract heavy amounts of dust when necessary.

Many newer vacuums have LED lights on the floorhead to better illuminate what's on your floors, but no model can do so as well as Dyson's vacuums like the Dyson V15 Detect that actually reveals invisible particles. The closest we've found is, surprisingly, the Ultenic U16 Flex (at Amazon), the most affordable vacuum in this list.

The best vacuums for pet hair manage to avoid hair wrap to varying success. Dyson's vacuums avoid it more than any others we've tested, but the Sharks in this guide come pretty close. Unfortunately, almost every vacuum will list 'anti-hair wrap' as one of their features, so the only way to know for certain is by reading reviews like ours.

And finally, Dyson's suction power is among the best in the market, and when shopping for a Dyson alternative, this is usually the sacrifice. That being said, if raw suction is most important for you, consider the best upright vacuums or the best Miele vacuums. Miele's cordless vacuums perform similarly to Dyson's but can cost just as much, if not more.

How we tested

At Homes & Gardens we only review those vacuums with which we have had personal, hands-on experience. We want to vouch for every product we feature, so that you can trust us to be truthful and critical, where necessary.

You can read about our full vacuum testing methodology in our guide on how we test vacuums. It gives the full low-down on where we test, for how long, and the individual cleaning tests we carry out.

But when testing to see if a vacuum is a worthy of being a Dyson alternative, we assess how comparable its features are to what we know and love about Dyson. Most importantly, they need to be considerably more affordable, as the one major drawback of Dyson vacuums is the price.

If we evaluate the vacuum's suction power, pet hair pickup, dust detection and smart features as strong, but the price isn't too far off a Dyson, we'll still recommend spending that little bit extra for the real deal. If these features aren't quite as good but the vacuum is much more affordable, we've found a winner.

Meet the team

Dan Fauzi

I am Dan Fauzi, Homes & Gardens' home tech editor covering vacuums on a daily basis. I've been testing and reviewing home products for four years now, including 19 vacuums for Homes & Gardens including four from Dyson and Shark. I've even visited Dyson's engineering labs and am well-versed in their product line.

Laura Honey

Laura is our former eCommerce editor and has previously worked for luxury retail brands, reinforcing the importance of quality and style over quantity and fads. She's spent 150+ hours testing 21 vacuums for Homes & Gardens.

Camryn Rabideau

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer who has tested more than 50 vacuum cleaners over the past five years, including many of the vacuums in this guide.

Jaclyn Turner

Jaclyn was the US eCommerce editor for Homes & Gardens. She's spent 200+ hours testing 16 vacuums, including Dyson and their competitors. She's well-placed for direct comparisons between Dyson, Shark, and the other names in this list.

FAQs

Who is Dyson's biggest competitor?

Dyson's main competitor is Shark. Both brands lead the vacuum cleaner market, offering vast ranges of vacuum cleaners built for different homes. Shark even produce similar beauty products to Dyson's hair care goods.

However, they're popular for different reasons. James Dyson is the inventor of cyclone vacuum engineering, so Dyson vacuums have this patented advantage leading to market-leading suction power. But Shark vacuums offer thoughtful features like flexible wands, odor-neutralization, Lift-Away upright vacuums for easier mobility, and self-clean stations – all while being priced more reasonably.

Shark offers better value for money; Dyson offers superior cleaning power.

What vacuum is equivalent to Dyson?

No vacuum cleaner is quite the same as a Dyson, but many in this guide have come close. The Shark Vertex Pro works similar to many of Dyson's cordless vacs but lacks the suction power or smart features. The Ultenic U16 Flex (at Amazon) is one of the only vacuums we've tested with a green floorhead laser akin to Dyson's detect models, but the cleaning power isn't quite there. And the Shark POWERDETECT offers the strong, relentless cleaning power of Dyson's upright vacuums, while combining the detection tech found in their cordless models.

Does a Dyson work better than others?

They're number one in a number of our guides for a reason. They produce market-leading vacuum cleaners that have been at the forefront of the industry for some time. Their patented cyclone engineering puts them ahead of competitors while their massive engineering HQ produces new, innovative features before others do, like particle detection and a dust-revealing green laser.

But we've collated this guide of the best alternatives as the best Dyson vacuums cost more than many of us can afford, at least for a vacuum cleaner. And, while Dyson's vacuums are the most powerful, vacuums from other brands can offer unique features that are perhaps better suited to your home.

Is Shark as good as Dyson?

It sounds noncommittal, but yes and no. We’ve compared Dyson vs Shark in more detail and felt Shark was better value, but Dyson was more powerful. If you’re looking to save money, work out your non-negotiables and there’s bound to be a Dyson alternative that can still deliver for a fraction of the price.

The reason we look for Dyson alternatives is because their vacuums tend to top all of our lists, whether it's the best cordless vacuums or the best vacuums for pet hair. Feel free to check out our guides to see what else is out there.