Best Canister Vacuums 2023

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While they don't get as much attention as upright, robot or stick vacuums, the best canister vacuums suck up dirt and gunk from your floors without creating a ton of noise, making them a good option for many families. But why choose a canister vacuum? These wheeled devices typically have a higher flow rate than their upright peers, which means you can get your floors spotless in less time. They’re also generally more lightweight to maneuver around your place. "Canister vacuums are known to have much more substantial suction power," says Mallory Micetich, home expert at Angi. "Canister vacuums are also quieter and can give users more control over the area they’re working on." Our top pick overall is the Dyson Big Ball Canister Vacuum, a powerful bagless vacuum that comes with a ton of attachments for cleaning various surfaces.

The best canister vacuums suck up dirt and gunk from your floors without creating a ton of noise.

But, of course, not all canister vacuums are created equal or even right for your home. It's important to consider elements like suction power, whether you want to deal with a dust bag and how heavy of a machine you feel comfortable pushing around. Some canister vacuums come with attachments that can be handy for tackling upholstery, curtains and other hard-to-reach spots. Ultimately, the best canister vacuum is one that meets your individual needs, but there are some models that rise above the competition. Consider these on your search for cleaner floors.

Best Buy

Weight: 18 pounds | Bagless: Yes | Power: 1,400 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 21 feet | Attachments: Stair tool, combination nozzle

Dyson is known for its powerful vacuums with smart designs, and this canister model is no exception. The Big Ball has a unique round shape that allows it to right itself and keep on rolling in case of accidental bumps. It's also bagless to help you save on replacement bags, and features a HEPA filter to trap particles. The 0.5 gallon dust cup offers plenty of space to contain dirt and dust from a trip around most homes. There's even a stair tool and combination nozzle to give you cleaning options. At $400, this vacuum isn't prohibitively expensive, either.

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Amazon

Weight: 18 pounds | Bagless: Yes | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: Unspecified | Attachments: Crevice tool, dust brush and more

Dealing with a vacuum bag can get messy—and costly. Black + Decker's multi-cyclonic vacuum ditches the bag and offers up a roomy three liter capacity for dirt and dust in the process. Enjoy different levels of suction power you can control with your fingertips, along with a washable HEPA filter to keep dust out of your air. This vacuum feature special cyclones that spin dirt and debris away from the filter to ensure your vacuum operates with maximum suction power. There are also three tools—a crevice tool, small brush and upholstery tool—to give you a variety of ways to clean.

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Amazon

Weight: 22 pounds | Bagless: No | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 26 feet | Attachments: Pet

Powermate, crevice tool and more

If you have furry pets, you need a vacuum that can tackle all that excess hair lurking around your home. The Kenmore Elite 81714 has special features to do just that, including an Ultra Plush nozzle that gives you a deeper clean and motorized Pet PowerMate attachment to really tackle stubborn pet hair. A HEPA filter helps trap up to 99.97% of pet dander (along with dust particles and pollen). Enjoy variable power to switch between various levels of carpet and hard floors, and performance indicator to tip you off when your bag is full. There's even a Stair Grip feature that lets the vacuum comfortable rest on on your stairs while you clean without fear of tumbles.

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Williams Sonoma

Weight: 19 pounds | Bagless: Yes | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 21 feet | Attachments: Dusting brush, crevice tool and more

Miele's Blizzard CX1 features special vortex technology to suck up and retain dust while you clean, preventing you from accidentally shooting it back onto your floors. It offers up four different suction levels to help you cruise over hardwood and low pile carpets. This vacuum has specialized Click2Open emptying, to prevent a cloud of dust from forming when you empty the bin, along with a telescopic handle to help you get that just-right height while you work. Enjoy accessories like a combination floor head, dusting brush, crevice tool and upholstery tool.

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The Home Depot

Weight: 6 pounds | Bagless: No | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 25 feet | Attachments: Dusting brush, crevice tool and more

Lugging a heavy vacuum around can be tough for people with dexterity issues or bad backs. The Prolux TerraVac is just six pounds, making it easy to tote around. This vacuum features sealed HEPA filtration to capture and keep dust contained, along with accessories like a crevice/upholstery tool, duster brush, hard floor surface tool and pet tool mini head. Flip between 400 watts for gentle dusting to 1,200 watts of serious suction power. A height-adjustable powerhead and telescoping wand lets you customize your clean to your flooring.

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Amazon

Weight: 23 pounds | Bagless: No | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 28 feet | Attachments: Pet Powermate, crevice tool and more

Carpets require some serious suction, and this Kenmore canister vacuum has plenty of it. It uses 1,200 watts, along with a two-motor system to really get into rug fibers. A swivel head allows you to seamlessly cruise along and get into those hard-to-reach spots, while a 14-inch cleaning width means you cover more ground in one swipe. There's also a triple HEPA filter system to help pull in and trap dirt that's in your carpets. Want to shift to clean hard flooring? A Pop-N-Go floor brush makes it easy. Enjoy a motorized Pet Powermate attachment to get out pet hair from surfaces that stores inside your vacuum. And, for cleaning spots up high, you’ll enjoy the adjustable wand that lengthens to 10 feet.

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Lowe's

Weight: 9 pounds | Bagless: Yes | Power: 20 volts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor | Cord length: Unspecified | Attachments: Wide nozzle, crevice tool and more

While you won't find a cordless version of a canister vacuum you can roll around your floors, there are cordless canister vacuums that are firmly in the shop vac category. This option from Craftsman has a two-gallon tank that can handle just about anything—spills, dirt, dust, debris, and more. It offers 35 CFMs of suction power to lift up even heavier items, along with a HEPA filter to trap 99.7% of dust and allergens. A seven-foot, eight-inch hose helps you get some serious reach during your cleaning. Overall, this is perfect for quick clean-ups—just not for cruising around your carpeting.

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Williams Sonoma

Weight: 19.4 pounds | Bagless: No | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 32 feet | Attachments: Upholstery tool, crevice tool and more

At $1,300, Miele's Complete C3 Marin is admittedly a splurge. But this is the Cadillac of canister vacuums, with a powerful Electro Premium brush head to pull up dirt that's even caked into your floors. This vacuum has a lot of tools to make your cleaning experience easier, including LED headlights to see the gunk in your path, and a special parquet floor for tackling wood, stone, tile and more. Flip between six power settings, along with step-down pedals to help you fine-tune your suction. A swivel neck makes it easy to navigate around furniture, while a low noise output won't disturb other family members while you get to work. An ergonomic handle and auto setting to adjust the suction to your surface height adds to the ease of use.

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Amazon

Weight: 8 pounds | Bagless: Yes | Power: 960 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floors, carpets | Cord length: 16 feet | Attachments: Crevice tool, brush

The Eureka WhirlWind isn't the largest or most powerful vacuum out there, but it has plenty of features to make it a quality choice for people on a budget. The vacuum features an airflow control at the handle to allow you to flip between settings for carpet, upholstery and hard floors, with a 2.5 liter dust cup that can handle at least a floor in your home without needing to be emptied. At just 8 pounds, this vacuum is lightweight and easy to roll around. It even has a telescoping wand to help you get to hard-to-reach spots. The vacuum is bagless, making clean-up a cinch.

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Oreck

Weight: 10 pounds | Bagless: No | Power: 1,200 watts | Compatible floor type: Hard floor, carpet | Cord length: 30 feet | Attachments: Canister, crevice tool

In the world of vacuums, there are uprights and there are canisters. While you can't find a machine that's both, Oreck has a combination bundle that gives you the best of both worlds. It features the brand's Elevate Command vacuum, along with its Compact Canister, to allow you to choose what type of suction you prefer in any given moment. (Oreck sells both as a bundle online, or you can pick them up separately at Amazon.) Oreck's Sani Seal technology grabs and retains 99% of allergens and even helps to lock in dirt when you pitch the bag after the work is done. The upright also features LED headlights so you can clearly see dirt and dust in your path. The canister is specially designed to help you reach spots up high, like blinds and crown molding—it even has a shoulder strap to make the process easier on you.

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Canister vacuums are distinctly different from their upright and cordless counterparts, and there are unique elements to consider. Keep these in mind on your search.

Are you OK with staying on top of having vacuum bags in the house or would you prefer to not even bother? Bagless vacuums have become more popular over the past decade, but there are pros and cons to each style of vacuum. Bagged models are usually more efficient than bagless versions because they essentially protect the filtration system. But, of course, you need to empty the bag regularly and purchase new bags for life of your vacuum. Bagless vacuums are more convenient when it comes to emptying—you simply dump the dust cup out in the trash—but they don't trap allergens as well as their bagged counterparts. If someone in your home has allergies, you also risk spreading dust and other triggers into the air when you empty the dust cup.

There are a few space elements to keep in mind when choosing a canister vacuum. If your vacuum is bagless, you’ll want to ensure you have enough space in the dust cup to handle your home before it needs to be emptied. (If you’re OK with the possibility of emptying a dust cup mid-cleaning, though, this isn't an issue.) It's also important to factor in the length of the cord as compared to the square footage of the rooms you’ll be cleaning. If you have a sizable room and long distances on your walls between outlets, you’ll need a vacuum with a longer cord—or to invest in an extension cord.

Not everyone needs or wants attachments, but they’re helpful to have. A crevice tool, for example, can help you get into hard-to-reach spots between couch cushions and car seats. An upholstery brush will enable you to clean various seating in your home. If the vacuum you’re interested in doesn't come with the attachments you’re after, you don't necessarily need to purchase an entirely different model. "If you need accessories, you're in luck—there is a large market for vacuum accessories and aftermarket parts and even replacement parts," says Aaron Wilson, home appliance expert from JustAnswer.

Every canister vacuum has unique features, and it's important to consider in advance what you need from your cleaning tool. Some offer buttons to help you flip between cleaning tailored to different types of flooring while you work, while others will automatically adjust the suction for you. LED headlights can help showcase dirt, pet hair and other gunk in your path, while an ergonomic handle will make longer cleaning sessions more comfortable. Some models also offer step-down pedals to help you fine-tune your suction. You may not need some—or any—of these features, but it doesn't hurt to think ahead of time if you’ll use them.

Deciding which type of vacuum to choose boils down to personal preferences and your specific set up at home. For instance, if you have pets or babies that are easily triggered by noise, canister vacuums are a good choice since they tend to be a lot quieter than other types of vacuums. Canister vacuums also tend to have better suction and flow rate, which means you can clean faster and more efficiently. They’re also are great if you enjoy the flexibility of a longer cleaning wand to access hard-to-reach spots. Lastly, canister vacuums are lightweight and easier to tote around the house and up and down the stairs than upright vacuums.

There are several trusted vacuum brands on the market these days, but brands like Dyson, Miele, Kenmore and Black + Decker have some solid canister vacuum options. When it comes to deciding which brand and vacuum model to choose, it's essential to look at specific cleaning features to see if they align with your needs. Since canister vacuums tend to take up more storage space than stick or robot vacuums, you’ll also want to choose a model based on the amount of storage space you have so it doesn't get in your way when it's not in use. Most importantly, your budget will play a crucial role in deciding which canister vacuum to opt for.

In general, canister vacuums have better suction than other types of vacuums. There's really no limit to the size of the engine, allowing engineers to create more powerful tools than an upright version, where the engine size is limited by weight. This extra suction makes canister vacuums particularly great for tackling hard floors, although they’re also fantastic options for carpets. The longer cleaning wand and hose of a canister vacuum allows you to reach spots up high, so you can suck out things like cobwebs and dust from curtains without straining your back.

It depends. "Typically canister vacuums have more power than upright vacuums," Wilson says. Again, it comes down to the ability to tote a more powerful engine that isn't hindered by the design of an upright or stick vacuum. If you want a lot of suction power, consider the Miele Complete C3 Marin. It features an especially powerful Electro Premium brush head that targets and sucks up even the most stubborn, caked-on dirt. But, in general, you’ll find a lot of power with any canister vacuum. Keep in mind, too, that there are a lot of powerful vacuums on the market today, regardless of type. If you prefer an upright, check out our list of the best vacuums to find one that's right for you.

Given their impressive suction power, most canister vacuums will work well to get pet hair off your floors. However, if pet hair is a big concern for you, look into the Kenmore Elite 81714. It features an Ultra Plus nozzle for deep cleaning, along with a motorized Pet PowerMate attachment to help you target particularly hairy spots. This vacuum boasts a HEPA filter to trap up to 99.97% of pet dander and other allergens, along with a specialized Stair Grip feature so you can suck up hair efficiently on your stairs without worrying about your vacuum taking a spill.