The 7 Best Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Dyson Outsize+

$689 at Amazon $425 at Walmart $630 at QVC

After testing hundreds of vacuums, we're pretty hard to impress. However, Dyson's Outsize+ showed up in the lab, saw the competition, and promptly said, "Hold my dust cup." This vacuum promptly pulls up debris that it not only runs over, but that it gets near—in other words, just pushing it within a couple inches of dust and fur will be enough for it to suction it up in a flash. This, compared to a standard vacuum's performance, requiring one or two (or more!) passes over a pile of crumbs in order to pick it up, had us in awe.

It's also important to note that this powerful performance is easy to achieve. This is an advanced vacuum for sure (the LCD screen gives you a reading of its battery level and power mode, for example), but it's not overly complicated or difficult to use. The vacuum smoothly transitions from hard floor to carpeting without any extra effort from the user. We also like the laser light on the floor head that illuminates small particles and dust so you can get as thorough a clean as possible.

This vacuum also comes with two separate batteries, so when one runs out, the other is ready to go. This is unique among vacuums, and gives you a whopping 120 minutes of battery life to work with. This is truly sky-high for a cordless stick vacuum; the average battery life among our favorites was around 40 minutes.

The trade-offs with this vacuum are the tall shape, which may be a challenge for petite users, and price tag, which is the highest of our list. But rest assured, we think the Outsize+ is well worth the investment.

_{Weight: 7.98 pounds | Battery Life: 120 minutes (via two, 60-minute batteries) | Attachments: Crevice tool, combination tool, hair screw tool, mini soft dusting brush}

Best Budget

Eureka PowerSpeed Upright Vacuum

$95 at Amazon $100 at Home Depot $69 at Walmart

We were quite taken by the performance of the Eureka PowerSpeed Bagless Upright Vacuum when we tested it in the lab. It was surprisingly easy to maneuver for an upright vacuum—which is typically bulkier and heavier by design—and did well grabbing hair and kibble up from carpeting.

It comes with four attachments to help you with all of your cleaning needs: a turbo brush tool for removing that embedded pet hair and dirt, a dusting brush for dusting, an upholstery tool for use on your favorite chair as well as your pet's bed, and a crevice tool to get in between couch cushions and crevices with ease. While this pick is not cordless like our best overall pick—meaning it doesn't run on a rechargeable battery—the 25-foot cord adds convenience, because you won't have to change outlets to finish a room or hallway. You can also easily retract it with an automatic rewind button (one of our favorite features to see on a corded vacuum). The dust bin also has a single-button mechanism that makes it easy to remove and empty with one hand.

On its own, this vacuum is a great value. Though, if you're used to robust, sleeker machines with more bells and whistles, you might find it's not quite as smooth and powerful as products from certain higher-end brands. But, if you're looking to keep costs down, it's a solid choice. Just be careful if your home has lots of high-pile carpet, because we did notice some pulling on that floor type in particular.

_{Weight: 12.3 pounds | Cord Length: 25 feet | Attachments: Pet turbo brush, dusting brush, upholstery tool, crevice tool}

Best Upright

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

$500 at Wayfair $500 at Home Depot $500 at Target

With "Animal," in its name, it should come as no surprise that the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is not only one of the best Dyson vacuums, but a top vacuum for pet hair and anything else you put in its path. This beast of a vacuum delivers superior suction, whole-machine filtration, and a variety of settings to help you conquer pet hair on everything from bare floors to plush carpets. There's even a pet grooming tool included in the box to help you maintain your furry friend's coat.

It’s a pricey vacuum, but it backs up its cost with performance and durability, making it one of our favorites for pet-related (and really, any) messes. This vacuum went through general testing in our lab (sans real pet hair), but we still saw firsthand that it handles fur and fuzz just fine, thanks to its cleaning performance in one of our own homes.

The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is designed to maneuver smoothly with its swiveling ball mechanism, 35-foot power cord, and cleaner head that automatically clears hair as it goes. At 17.3 pounds, it’s not a lightweight vacuum cleaner, but we think it's a hardy cleaning machine you can rely on. It was a bit overwhelming at first with its hefty size and multiple attachments, but after months of testing it, we were only more and more impressed.

_{Weight: 17.3 pounds | Cord Length: 35 feet | Attachments: Turbine tool, combination tool, stair tool, pet groom tool}

Best for Hardwood

Shark Wandvac Self-Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum

$242 at Amazon $330 at Wayfair $330 at Home Depot

The Shark Wandvac Cordless Stick Vacuum is both reliable and consistent, like many of our favorite vacuums from Shark. It performed particularly well on hardwood, but definitely works like a charm over other surfaces too, like tile and rugs of varying textures and pile heights.

It excels at picking up both long and short hair, as well as kibble and other small bits of debris, and feels much lighter than nearly 14 pounds. It also features a self-emptying base that really sets it apart from other vacuums we've tested. This vacuum-within-your-vacuum mechanism allows you to empty the vacuum directly into the charging base, so you can go weeks without actually having to empty or deal with any debris by hand.

Another feature that impressed us was the smart design of the brush roll. Unlike the many bristled styles on the market that tend to get tangled up quickly with hair, this Shark vac features a rubber brush with fins and a built-in comb that loosens hair as you vacuum, cutting down on the need for cleaning and maintenance of a dirty brush roll.

Now, the pros definitely outweigh any cons with this vacuum, but if you were to twist our arm, we could admit that multiple settings would be nice, as well as a light for the floor head. All in all, the features of the vacuum work together for a smooth and practically seamless vacuuming experience, though—and the vacuum comes at a very reasonable, mid-range price.

_{Weight: 13.85 pounds | Battery Life: 17 minutes | Attachments: Crevice tool, pet multi-tool, charging base}

Best Canister

Kenmore Pet Friendly Pop-N-Go Canister Vacuum

$300 at Amazon $319 at Wayfair $300 at Home Depot

A convenient handle and wheels make the Kenmore Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go Bagged Canister Vacuum easy to tote around while you clean up your space. With four suction levels to choose from, this vacuum was able to pick up kibble and pet hair in the lab without too much effort on our part. The lowest suction level required a total of two passes to fully capture strands of hair from carpet; the highest level of suction, plus placement of the vacuum head directly over the pet hair, was needed on hard surfaces (tile and wood floors). However, the experience of using this canister vacuum was relatively seamless.

The power cord extends 26 feet and self-retracts back into the vacuum with the push of a button. There is an internal HEPA filter to remove pet dander and other dust particles from the air, and a disposable bag seals all of the contents the vacuum picks up. Notably, bagged vacuums like this one can be particularly great for a home with pets, since the hair and dust doesn't get released back into the air when it's time to empty the vacuum.

One downside of bagged vacuums, though, is the need for bag replacements. This vacuum is compatible with Kenmore Type Q bags, and we find that it's worth stocking up ahead of time so you're never left empty-handed in the middle of a cleaning session and can keep using your vacuum's functions properly.

At 22 pounds, this vacuum also isn't very lightweight. In other words, if you prefer a lightweight or a bagless vacuum, this wouldn't be for you. Still, for a tried-and-true pick that'll perform well across many surfaces, it's a great option.

_{Weight: 22.6 pounds | Cord Length: 26 feet | Attachments: Dusting brush, long crevice tool, and bare floor brush}

Best Handheld

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum

$80 at Amazon $90 at Wayfair $100 at Home Depot

It doesn't get much easier than a sleek and streamlined handheld vacuum, like this pick from Shark. If you find yourself with a small mess collected on the couch, such as scattered kitty litter or stray hairs, it'll do the trick—and then some. During testing, we were reaching for it more than our regular, full-sized vacuum. It proved to be easy, efficient, and—thanks to the motorized pet power brush attachment—an absolute game-changer when it comes to clearing fur off of upholstery. In fact, one member of our team noted that she'd never found anything better at getting cat fur off of her couch.

As impressive as this vacuum is on its own, it may not make sense for some buyers because so many full-sized vacuums offer handheld settings these days. While that's not necessarily this machine's fault per se, if you find yourself with limited storage space or on a tight budget, you could find a machine with more settings and that is suitable for cleaning entire rooms, too.

But if you're confident that you want or need just a small handheld vac for lighter messes and spot-cleaning, we think the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ is one of the best out there.

_{Weight: 2.8 pounds | Battery Life: 15 minutes | Attachments: Crevice tool, dusting brush, turbo brush}

We Also Like

Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Vacuum

$548 at Amazon $480 at Walmart View on Crate & Barrel

The Dyson V10 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner has continued to impress us after several months of testing. It's lightweight and incredibly efficient, and we found it's a breeze to pull out for cleaning at any time, thanks to its cordless design. Plus, with a roomy dust bin and a hearty battery that can last up to 60 minutes, you can zip through cleaning sessions without having to pause to empty or charge the vacuum.

This Dyson vacuum also comes with a crevice tool for getting around corners and into gaps, a combination tool that features a wide nozzle and brush, and a mini soft dusting brush for when you don't want to scrub quite so hard. A wall-mounted docking station also allows for streamlined storage and easy charging. This vacuum also has Dyson's whole-machine filtration system, capturing 99.99 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns.

A few other notable features include the tab mechanism found on the dust bin; you can push dust and debris straight into the trash instead of merely relying on gravity, or worse, your hands. The three power settings also set this vacuum apart, and you can convert the stick vacuum to a handheld vacuum, too (though, this feature isn't unique to this model or to Dyson).

We were hard-pressed to come up with any suggestions for changes or improvements, and only found the sound of some settings to be annoying.

_{Weight: 5.9 pounds | Battery Life: 60 minutes | Attachments: Hair screw tool, combination tool, dirt brush, crevice tool, mini soft dusting brush}