A Handheld vacuum may not be the most essential household appliance, but it sure is convenient.
A Handheld vacuum may not be the most essential household appliance, but it sure is convenient. You don’t have to mess with heavy, cumbersome (and expensive) vacuums that plug in with 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 lighter.
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 option on this list is under 100 bucks. Well, except our top pick, the Dyson Car+Boat ($300) , because 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 July 2026: I've added the Tinkr Handheld Mini Vacuum, Hoto AutoCare Plus Air Duster & Vacuum, and Riccar Gem Handheld Vacuum with Tools, and updated prices and links throughout.
The newest addition to Dyson's handheld lineup, this little number was 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.
This is a powerful small vac that attaches to a rechargeable 18-volt Lithium-ion battery pack 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, untwists from each other for even more filtration and should be cleaned regularly.
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.
This lightweight, 3-pound hand vacuum is specially designed to target pet hair and does exactly that. A powerful motorized brush attachment 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 to easily lift out and clean.
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 it out to change attachments.
Though it's very similar to our other Ryobi pick, this model 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.
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. The battery life also promises only 10 to 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. — Nena Farrell
Basically a Swiss Army knife, this vac can deflate and inflate, and it has an air duster to tackle dust and debris (on top of its vacuuming power). The nearly dozen included attachments simply stick into the opening. The small vacuum is insanely light at 0.85 pounds, has two modes (eco and turbo) controlled by pressing a button, and comes in a compact carrying case for its attachments (including two different chargers and replacement filters). As another bonus, it was surprisingly simple to twist out the filter to empty and clean.
I liked the air dust feature, and the inflate/deflate would be very convenient for something like a camping trip because the device is so small and lightweight, but it generally was not super quick to inflate or deflate. For the vacuum, it has a wider floor and carpet attachment and a long suction crevice tool with an attachable brush. I didn't think the carpet attachment was as powerful as some on the list, but the longer attachment has become my go-to for sucking up cat litter in crevices and cleaning fur and dust from blinds, fan slits, and the like.
Made for pets, the Shark is great to use for all kinds of things in a household with 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
I'm generally not a fan of corded vacs due to distance constraints, but this is one of the most powerful vacuums on our list. If mobility is not an issue and you want powerful suction, look no further. This handheld vacuum is a bit heavier and louder than our other picks, but it comes with tons of attachments, including a 24-foot hose for a further reach and multiple brush heads that really help to pick up hair and debris. Because it has the power of constant corded electricity, it packs a punch and was able to suck up embedded fur in the carpet that others I've tested struggled to. It also has two filters: a washable dust cup filter for larger debris, and a foam exhaust filter for finer particulates. This compact vacuum can hold a lot of debris and tackles multiple types of messes with ease.
This lightweight (1.77-pound) portable handheld vacuum has a grippy, luxe matte finish and comes in two colorways, emerald green and dark blue. It comes in a convenient zipped carrying case with a handle for easier carrying, inside cutouts for each attachment to fit snugly, and a stretchy mesh enclosure on the inside of the lid. It uses a 47,000-rpm motor for 6,000-Pa suction power and comes with a long, narrow nozzle attachment for crevices and a shorter brush for dust and debris.
To use, you just need to place the mini, washable HEPA cup filter in the dust bin and twist to lock into place. It works with a press of the single button. I really appreciated how light this handheld vacuum is, and the carrying case makes it convenient to tote around. Another huge plus is that it uses a USB-C charger instead of a proprietary model, so it'd be super convenient to keep the zipped carrying case in your car for spills and be able to recharge with the same charger you use for your phone while in the car. It worked well for its size, although the small dust cup needs to be emptied quite often. It also runs for only 15 minutes on a charge and takes over two hours to charge after use.
A lot of handheld vacuums I test are marketed for the car, and it's no surprise—this lightweight vac (less than a pound) has a convenient carrying case with a handle that can easily slide under a car seat or in the trunk. It has various attachments for vacuuming, including a 2-in-1 grooming brush that's ideal for pet hair and crumbs on soft surfaces (like car seats), a pointed crevice nozzle to get into cup holders and between cushions, and an angled, short dust cup nozzle for flat surfaces like a dash or floorboard. Plus, it has an air nozzle to blow dust from vents and a swim ring nozzle to inflate while on the go—ideal for inflating air mattresses or pool floaties on a camping trip.
It uses a 10.8-volt lithium battery and has just a power button and a boost mode button. It charges using a USB-C adapter (a universal charger often used with phones, making it ideal for the car), and fully charged for me in a little over an hour. The waste canister has two dust cups; the outside one is metal mesh, and the inside one is a folded, high-density paper filter (it also comes with an extra filter). Each part screws in place, including the nozzle attachments. I found that the waste dust cup section was a little difficult to unscrew at times, and I often accidentally hit the power button while trying to disengage the parts. Overall, though, this is a solid choice if you want a convenient multi-tool vacuum that's ideal for taking on the go.
Riccar Gem Handheld Vacuum With Tools for $70 : This model is very similar to the Simplicity corded model above, and although it's portable and handheld, this big boy needs to be plugged in for power. I like how basic it is: It just has a top switch for on/off, and a button on top to release the dust canister, which is at the front of this model rather than behind. Once disengaged, you just need to pull up the semi-spherical fabric mesh filter and dump out debris. Unfortunately, lots of fur and dust get stuck to the filter, so you'll need to make sure you wipe it with a semi-damp cloth to clean. It comes with several attachments, including a bendy hose, long crevice nozzle with detachable brush, upholstery brush, and dusting brush. Instead of twisting or snapping, each attachment fits snugly into the opening, making it easier for those with fine-motor issues. I liked that the long, flexible hose reached easily into tight spaces like between my counter and fridge and behind my automatic litter box . The corded machine is loud and gets hot quickly due to its sheer power. While I don't think this is the best handheld vac for everyone, it's a solid option with lots of power.
Tineco Go Mini Cordless Hand Vacuum for $200 : A lightweight vacuum that's fairly straightforward and charges through the end of the handle, the Tineco Go must charge for five to six hours before use, 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.
Bissell AeroSlim Handheld Vacuum for $45 : Not the most powerful I've tested, but it’s lightweight and super easy to maneuver. 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-liter front of the vac twists off to empty, and a small dual filter can also be removed for cleaning/replacement. When testing, 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 light, simple, and easy to use—making it a great lightweight portable option (just don't expect it to handle bigger messes).
Hoto AutoCare Air Duster & Vacuum for $60 : Looking for a lightweight (0.78 pounds) vacuum that can also blow debris/dust, inflate and deflate, and vacuum-seal? The Hoto may be a fit. It has tons of attachments: a pointed crevice nozzle, dust brush, dust cup nozzle, air nozzle, and swim ring nozzle. It can hold a little over 3 ounces, has 20,000 Pa suction, and each attachment easily twists off and on. I found that the grooming brush head tended to push around fur/hair rather than sucking it up. Like many gadgets we test here at WIRED, this one fell into the pitfall of trying to do a lot of things, rather than doing any one thing really well. This is a great deal for a device with so many capabilities (if that's what you need), but if you're just looking for a really great handheld vacuum, there are others that are more effective.
Black and Decker Dustbuster Flex for $74 : WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell thought this cordless handheld vacuum was great for cars and hard-to-reach spots because of its 4-foot hose. It has a crevice tool and pet hair brush attachments for a variety of messes, and runs on a 20-volt lithium-ion battery that delivers high suction power. Plus, it has a handy charging mount that the accessories clip into. However, we aren't fans of the short 15-minute battery life.
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.
Definitely pay attention to specs like charge and usage time, as well as 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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