Best Shark vacuums: From cordless to robot models, these are our top picks

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Shark is one of the first brands we think of when it comes to the best vacuums, especially the best vacuums for pet hair. We've tested a number of Shark's products, which span a robust lineup of cordless stick, upright, robot, handheld, mops, steam cleaners, and more. After years of testing the brand, we think Shark products represent tremendous value, with a mid-range price tag, solid 5-year warranties, HEPA filtration, and self-cleaning brush rolls that greatly reduce hair wrap tangling.

We've closely examined the various models to help you determine which Shark vacuum will be best for your needs. From a lightweight cordless stick with suction power that rivals upright vacuums to robot cleaners with self-emptying bases, Shark has something for every household.

The best Shark cordless vacuum we tested is the Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum. It's lightweight and easy to maneuver, automatically adjusts suction, and is great at handling various debris, from pet hair to kibble. For an upright option, the Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum is another reliable and strong performer on carpets and hard floors, though the dust bin is not quite as large as one would expect for a full-size vacuum.

Our picks of the best Shark vacuums

Best overall: Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum - See at Amazon

Best upright: Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum - See at Amazon

Best budget: Shark Navigator NV360 with Liftaway Upright Vacuum- See at Amazon

Best robot: Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop - See at Amazon

Best auto-empty: Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty Cordless - See at Best Buy

Best handheld: Shark Cyclone Pet Handheld Vacuum- See at Amazon

Best vac-mop: Shark HydroVac Messmaster - See at Amazon

Best overall

We think the Shark Stratos cordless is one of the best cordless vacuums out there and the best Shark vacuum you can buy. Equipped with powerful suction, it easily picked up kibble, ground coffee, lentils, and dog hair in our standardized tests on hardwood and carpet, but was also just a joy to use for everyday cleaning. Perhaps the most convenient feature is the tangle-free brush roll that somehow resists accumulating strands of hair; a perk that makes it an ideal pick for households with prolific pet (or human) shedders. It did struggle with very fine particles like flour and required a few passes to suction it all up, but overall, it impressed us with its cleaning ability. Thanks to its bendable stick and swivel head design, it also easily slides underneath low spots like the bed or sofa and is very simple to maneuver overall.

The Shark Stratos has three cleaning modes, including Shark's CleanSense IQ, which uses an infrared sensor to automatically increase or decrease power depending on the amount of debris it's picking up. This also helps maximize battery life. The battery life lasts up to 60 minutes, but that number can vary depending on whether you're cleaning carpets or hard floors. The LED display screen has an indicator to tell you how much battery you have left.

The Stratos incorporates Shark's odor-neutralizing technology, which adds a scent to mask odors and leave floors smelling fresher. Two testers of Shark products with this feature were ambivalent toward it and did not express plans to purchase the replacement filters once the scent packs dissipated.

Read our full Shark Stratos cordless vacuum review.

Best upright

The upright version of Shark Stratos is a true powerhouse on hard floors and carpets. It shows no mercy when it comes to pet mess and hair, earning its place as the best upright vacuum. From its odor-neutralizing cartridge to a handy lift-away canister, this powerful vacuum is thoughtfully designed and built for daily use.

The Shark Stratos upright follows the same dual-brush roll design as its cordless counterpart, as well as our previous Shark favorite, the Shark Vertex. The front brush roll is a soft, fluffy material that captures fine particles and stops larger debris from being spit out, while the back brush roll has more rigid bristles to get deep into carpeting and pull up dirt. Working together, this design is truly effective at picking up all sorts of debris — both large and microscopic — on hard and carpeted floors.

The Stratos is on the heavier side compared to other upright vacuums, but it's well-balanced and ergonomic, so it's still easy to push around the floor and maneuver into tight corners and around obstacles. The controls are easily accessible on the handle, with a power button as well as a sliding toggle to switch among the settings for hard floors, low-pile carpet, and high-pile carpet. Shark's signature lift-away feature makes it easy to tote along to clean upholstery, stairs, and other above-floor cleaning tasks, giving added versatility. The 30-foot cord ensured we could clean continuously without pausing to unplug.

Again, the Shark Stratos incorporates the odor-neutralizing technology located in the floorhead, and while our reviewer found the smell to be pleasant, this extra didn't make or break her experience.

Read our full Shark Stratos upright review.

Best budget

I've found that upright vacuums are typically heavy and awkward to use, and the idea of lugging them around the house doesn't exactly inspire me to clean. But I was pleasantly surprised when I started using the Shark Navigator. It's one of the tried-and-true models in Shark's lineup and significantly less expensive than comparable upright models. Plus, it features the detachable bin design we've come to love from Shark, which gives added versatility for cleaning stairs or sofas without having to bear the weight of the entire machine.

I enjoyed vacuuming with the dust bin on its own or with one of the two handheld wand attachments. One is a standard crevice tool, but the other is a flat upholstery wand with textured edges ideal for cleaning hair stuck on fabric. A single run over my sofa with this attachment picked up all of my dog's black fur that was tangled in the fibers of my couch cushions. I've never had a vacuum accomplish that. You do have to remove hair from this attachment frequently to keep it working properly, but that was a small price to pay for a fur-free sofa.

While I loved the convenience and power of the detachable dust bin and its attachments, I was less impressed with the Navigator's swivel head. During testing, it failed to pick up large quantities of our test material — which included flour, sugar, and kibble — and streaks of flour were left on my carpet and hardwood. The vacuum eventually picked up everything, but only after multiple runs over the same dirty surface. I found that the Navigator did well for general vacuuming on floors and carpet and spot cleaning with the attachments. However, heavy-duty spills required the help of a broom or using the wand attachment for a more detailed clean-up.

Overall, it's an excellent budget-friendly addition for light household cleaning that can take care of most messes but may require some patience. — Sophia Carlisle, former Business Insider Reviews Fellow

Best robot

For an extra level of clean, combination wet and dry robot vacuums like the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 vacuum and mop simultaneously. It's a great tool for regularly cleaning floors to keep dirt and hair from building up, but like most robot vacuums, you'll get the best results if you set the robot to run daily or every other day. We haven't found a robot vacuum that truly does deep-scale cleaning well, and the Shark Matrix is no exception.

Like the Detect Pro, this robot works with the Shark app so you can create a cleaning map, adjust settings, mark no-go and carpeted areas, and schedule cleaning runs. It's available with or without the auto-emptying base, but we think auto-empty is worth the upgrade.

The Shark Matrix Plus cleans your space in a grid-like pattern and makes repeated passes to be precise in its floor coverage. It proved quite effective at suctioning up all the hair, both cat and human, but some long strands did wrap around the brush roll.

The transition from dry vacuuming to vac/mop is a little clunky in this model compared to other wet-dry robot vacuums from other brands we've tried. You need to manually change out the normal dustbin for the wet/dry attachment. Unlike models such as the Narwhal Freo x Ultra, you aren't able to clean carpets with the wet/dry attachment onboard, and the vacuum will not auto-empty in this mode. Since there's no integrated drying feature, you'll also want to be sure to clean up the mopping pads soon after to keep odors and mildew at bay.

The mopping pad sits behind the vacuum and behaves like a souped-up Swiffer. It uses sonic vibration to wiggle side to side, loosen up any stuck-on debris, and leave floors polished. It's not meant to scrub up deep set-in stains, but it's perfect for keeping floors looking and feeling fresh. It works with water or a cleaning solution of your choice.

Read our Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop review.

Best auto-empty

Shark has increasingly emphasized the growing popularity of auto-emptying bases for not only robot vacuums but cordless models too. Its latest and most advanced cordless vacuum, the PowerDetect Clean and Empty encompasses the best Shark features, with auto-adjusting suction power — the most powerful suction we've seen in a Shark cordless — a multi-flex arm to get into awkward spaces, dual brushrolls that dig deep into carpets, and a convenient auto-empty docking station that can hold up to 45 days worth of debris.

The PowerDetect is an upgrade from the original Detect cordless, which failed to impress me. That version had lackluster battery life, a comically small dust bin that had me going back and forth to the docking station far more often than I'd like, and a "quiet do not disturb" setting that was placed awkwardly and prevented auto-emptying on the dock. The PowerDetect has remedied all this.

Overall, the docking station keeps cleaning very hands-off and limits how often I come into contact with any allergens. The one docking complaint (from a fellow tester) is that the floorhead needs to be in place for the auto-emptying to activate; it won't empty if you have other accessories attached.

The Shark PowerDetect is also Shark's most powerful robot vacuum with 380 watts of suction. However, with the auto settings, it very rarely has to throttle to full power to clean effectively. It can automatically adjust suction based on the floor type, amount of debris, and even proximity to walls. (By comparison, the Stratos's "Clean Sense IQ" only adjusts suction when it detects dirt.) It wasted no time powering through everyday debris and picking up the flour and cereal bits we tossed down. It also kicks into high gear once near a wall edge, where extra dirt loves to collect along the crevices. Shark also highlights that the PowerDetect also cleans on the "reverse;" a feature we thought most vacuums would have already implemented as one pushes a vacuum back and forth, but alas they showcase it here. We didn't see a noticeable difference in this area, however.

While the vacuum advertises up to 70 minutes of battery life, we very rarely got close to that. To get that kind of result, the vacuum would have to stay on eco and work as a handheld. General cleaning on auto-modes yielded about 25 to 30 minutes of power on the auto PowerDetect setting.

Read how the top-of-the-line Shark PowerDetect cordless rates to Dyson's flagship Gen5Detect vacuum in our comparison of the Shark PowerDetect vs Dyson Gen5Detect.

Best handheld

I have tested dozens of vacuums, including 10 handhelds and various Shark models. I've developed several objective tests to determine how well handhelds pick up on various surfaces, as well as ease of use, noise, battery power, and more. Based on my testing, the Shark Cyclone Pet (CH701) is one of the best handheld vacuums you can buy.

On carpeting, hardwood, and in the car, the Shark Cyclone Pet came close to picking up all of the debris I laid out, including Cheerios, flour, coffee, cat litter, and pet hair. The only area where it struggled was picking up flour on carpeting, where it only sucked up about half.

The Shark Cyclone Pet is easy to use. It only weighs a pound and a half and has just two buttons: the on/off and dust bin release buttons. My arm never got tired of holding it during testing. The battery runtime is about average (12 minutes on a charge) and recharges faster than most, in just 2 hours. My biggest gripe is that you must remove — and thus, touch — the filter to empty the dustbin. Still, it outperforms other Shark handhelds, like the Shark WandVac line, which I've found consistently disappointing. — James Brains, senior reporter

Best vac mop

The Shark HydroVac MessMaster Hard Floor Cleaner is the next generation of the now discontinued HydroVac Pro XL, and has earned a place on our list of the best wet-dry vacuums for its maneuverability. It combines the best features of vacuuming and power mopping to streamline cleaning. The brush roll, which the brand claims has an antimicrobial finish, spins quickly to create a strong scrubbing action. It is perfect for cleaning up dirt and scuffs, watermarks, and small everyday messes, with a two-compartment system to separate the clean and dirty water tanks.

The HydroVac MessMaster did a good job getting dirt, grime, and spills off any type of hard flooring, and we were also impressed by the mop's ability to pick up small clumps of pet hair around the edges of the room. It did struggle, however, to clean thicker and stickier substances like barbecue sauce, syrup, and dried ketchup from hard floors.

The brand also claims it can be used on area rugs, which would make it unique among other wet-dry vacs we've tried, but our reviewer found that it didn't do much more than lightly deodorize them, as opposed to actually cleaning them like a true vacuum or carpet cleaner can accomplish. Maintenance and clean-up are also more involved and must be done promptly after use, which is typical of the category. The self-cleaning design helps flush out the machine and clean the brush roll, but you will likely have to use your fingers or a paper towel to cull out any collected debris from the dirty water tank.

Read our full review of the Shark HydroVac Pro XL.

What else we tested

• Shark Vertex Ultra Lightweight Cordless: This was a previous top pick of ours that was replaced by the automatic changing suction of the Stratos. The Vertex Lightweight performed wonderfully on carpets and hard floors, with settings to toggle between hardwood and carpets and up to 40 minutes of battery life. You can also upgrade to the Pro version, which has settings and suction power that match the Stratos, along with a digital screen with readouts on battery life.
• Shark Cordless Detect Pro Auto-Empty System: Shark has been emphasizing its ultra-lightweight and compact vacuums with auto-empty systems. While this one passed our debris tests, it didn't seem to collect nearly as much everyday dirt and dust as other Shark vacuums. It was also laggy in adjusting suction power between floor types, and the battery barely got me through cleaning my first floor despite advertising up to 60 minutes of runtime. It lasted 25 minutes, tops.
• Shark AV753 Ion Robot Vacuum: The Shark Ion Robot Vacuum is our pick of the best cheap robot vacuum and typically costs under $150. It lacks bells and whistles like room mapping and auto-emptying, but it aced our pick-up tests. If all you need is a basic robot vacuum, you really can't go wrong.
• Shark Wandvac Cordless Hand Vacuum: Though sleek in appearance, this hand vac's lackluster performance and miniscule dust bin don't justify the $100+ price tag. While it could be useful for cleaning up small messes of fine and medium-sized particles, I found that flour and coffee grounds quickly clogged the filter and caused the vac to malfunction.

What to look for in the best Shark vacuums

Type

Shark offers a range of vacuums including various upright, cordless, stick, robot, canister, handheld, and wet-dry vacuums. Consider how and where you will be using your vacuum and if you're after a corded, cordless, or robot model. You'll want to compare factors like weight, suction power, battery life, dust bin size, and filtration. For instance cordless and stick models will be more lightweight, though upright vacuums will perform the best on heavily carpeted homes and you won't run out of battery power.

Suction power

Shark's upright vacuums undoubtedly have the most suction power of the brand's offerings. For reference, the Shark Stratos upright has an impressive 1,416 watts of power, while its cordless counterpart is rated at 309 watts.

Special features

Shark offers several unique features across its vacuums including:

• Lift-Away technology: Seen on its upright models such as the Stratos, Vertex, Rotator, and Navigators, this feature lets you tote the dust bin along with you to clean upholstery, stairs, and other above-floor areas for added convenience and versatility.
• DuoClean dual brush roll system: Found on Stratos, PowerDetect, and Vertex models, these dual brush rolls incorporate both a soft and a silicone roller that has proven extremely effective in picking up pieces large and small on hard floors and carpets. The self-cleaning brush rolls also also resist hair wrap.
• CleanSenseIQ: This feature uses an infrared sensor to detect dirt and adjust suction power accordingly. Shark's Detect models also have a similar feature that automatically boost suction on carpets, edges, and when extra dirt is found.
• PowerDetect Intelligence: Found within the PowerDetect series, this tech uses sensors to automatically adjust suction according to detected floor type, edges, and extra dirt.
• Multi-Flex: This feature is found on Stratos, Detect, and Vertex models. Vacuums with this feature have a shaft that bends to reach low-reaching areas and provides a free-standing storage option as opposed to requiring docks.
• Anti-allergen seal: Denotes Shark models that have HEPA filters to trap 99.9% of dust and allergens inside the vacuum cleaner.
• Odor neutralizer technology: These lightly fragranced pods snap into the floorhead or self-emptying base to keep odors at bay.

Attachments

Attachments vary from vacuum to vacuum. Most come with a crevice tool and an upholstery tool. Some models also include a self-cleaning pet power brush and an odor-neutralizer cartridge. Often, you can purchase extra accessories.

How we tested the best Shark vacuums

The Business Insider team has been testing and reviewing Shark vacuum cleaners throughout the years and developing various tests to evaluate common features like battery power, ease of use, maintenance, and, of course, cleaning performance. To measure cleaning performance, we toss pre-measured amounts of substances like flour, sugar, coffee, cereal, and rice on the floor, vacuum it up, and weigh the dust bin to determine how much was picked up on carpets, hard floors, and upholstery. We make qualitative notes on maneuverability, dust bins, cleaning filters, and more. On cordless models, we run the battery to completion on its highest settings to monitor how long it lasts. On robot models, we also evaluate battery life, edge cleaning performance, how the machine handles obstacles, and how well it picks up various substances.

Shark vacuum cleaner FAQs

Which Shark vacuum is best for pet hair?

All Shark vacuums are designed to withstand strands of hair and fur. However, the dual self-cleaning brush roll design of the Shark Stratos and Shark Vertex collections gave them an edge in resisting hair wrap.

Do Shark vacuums have HEPA filters?

The majority of Shark's vacuums are HEPA-rated, meaning they trap 99.9% of dust and debris. The ones that are HEPA-rated feature a washable foam pre-filter and a HEPA post-motor filter. Shark often labels its vacuums as having an "Anti-Allergen Complete Seal," which is a marketing term that indicates the vacuum won't emit dust and allergens back into the air when vacuuming. Smaller vacuums, like handhelds and more basic robot vacuums are not HEPA-rated. Be sure to look at the product specs to confirm if the vacuum features HEPA filters.

Is Shark as good as Dyson?

Shark and Dyson are two of the most popular vacuum brands, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. While cleaning performance is on par for both, they differ in design elements, technology, and, of course, price. Shark offers a wider assortment of vacuum models and types, whereas Dyson emphasizes its cordless range.

Dyson vacuums tend to have higher-rated suction power, but that doesn't negate the cleaning ability of comparable Shark vacuums. In my experience, Dyson offers more sophisticated features like its dust-hunting laser illumination tech, advanced filtration, and longer-lasting batteries in its cordless models. Meanwhile, Shark's Lift-Away uprights are more maneuverable than Dyson uprights, and many feature LED headlights. Shark's dual-brush roll system has also won me over for its ability to pick up debris of all sizes and resist hair wrapping.

If you're curious about the best Dyson vacuums, I've reviewed the majority of the brand's lineup too.

Are Shark vacuums worth it?

With models for all budgets and cleaning needs, I think Shark offers tremendous value and a range of technologies that make its vacuums a great investment. Shark vacuums also include a five-year warranty, which is longer than most. Replacement parts are also readily available should you find you need to replace batteries, filters and brushrolls.