The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best budget
3. Best premium
4. Best lightweight
5. Best robot
6. Best corded
7. Best handheld
8. Best for messes
9. How to choose
10. How we tested
The best Shark vacuum cleaners come in all shapes and sizes. No matter what you’re looking for, there’s something from this brand that will fit the bill. And, since they’ve been around since 2007, you know this is not some fly-by-night operation but an established company that’s honed its craft over the years.
If you look at our best vacuum cleaners guide, you’ll find a few of the company’s models listed. And, even the ones that aren’t on there or ranked among the best robot vacuums and the best cordless vacuums are rated highly, and rightfully so.
With all the testing that we’ve done, we’ve applied our expertise and picked these vacuums from Shark as the best the company has to offer in different categories. While they all do a great job, they all do a different job. You might care about being able to do a deep clean. Or, maybe having something lightweight or even cordless is a priority for you.
Regardless, one of the best Shark Vacuums will be the right fit for you in terms of functions, features, and power. With that in mind, here are our top picks from the brand.
The quick list
Best Shark vacuum
With Shark’s patented technologies like Clean IQ that automatically adjusts cleaning power as needed, it reaches heights that most cordless vacuums just can’t reach.
Best budget Shark
This may not be the most feature-filled, but it has enough including being able to switch off the brushroll for gentler cleaning. And, it has enough power to tackle most jobs.
Best money no object
Two motorized brush rolls with anti-hair wrap technology and a wide floorhead are the stars of the show with this canister vacuum, providing excellent deep cleaning.
Best lightweight
Though not cordless, it’s incredibly lightweight, ideal for quickly cleaning up a mess. Plus, it converts into a handheld vacuum and comes with odor neutralizer.
Best robot vac
This robot vacuum and mop is easy to use, with an intuitive app for schedules and routines. The battery life could be better, but its cleaning capability makes up for it.
Best corded vacuum
It might be tethered and a bit heavy, but it's a powerful vacuum ideal for deeper cleaning. It’s versatile, and utilizes two brush rolls to pick up pet hair without any tangles.
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Best handheld
It might not be the quietest and its dustbin mechanism isn’t the smoothest, but this versatile handheld vacuum has enough battery and suction to clean a whole car.
Best for messes
We’re impressed with its ability to clean the uncleanable, aka wet messes. It also comes with a handful of accessories for versatile cleaning, despite being fairly affordable.
The best Shark vacuum overall
While we’re in the middle of testing the Shark Cordless Pro, we’re excited to see all that it has to offer. To start, this cordless vacuum employs Shark’s Clean IQ technology that automatically adjusts the strength of its suction when an area you’re cleaning is especially dirty. Plus, it has an odor neutralizer (think air freshener) in its floorhead to leave whatever you’re cleaning smelling fresh – of course, there’s only one scent available.
The brush roll is designed in a way to avoid tangling while still doing a great job at picking up pet hair, which is always a boon even for those who don’t have pets. Suction power can be a bit iffy on cordless vacuums so we’ll see if the Shark Cordless Pro is as powerful as it advertises. One area that we already wish was a bit more robust is the battery life, as this model only has 40 minutes of use before requiring a charge. At least, it has a decently-sized dust cup.
The best budget Shark vacuum
Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to go used or get something that’s substandard. The Shark NV352 Navigator Lift Away may not be as feature-filled or powerful as some of the other models listed here, but it has enough of both to get the job done for most people.
While we haven’t been able to spend time with this model, it’s appreciated for its decently powerful suction, good enough for most messes, and its very large capacity dustbin. While it comes with useful attachments, they can easily fall off, which is always frustrating in the middle of cleaning. But, at least it’s fairly lightweight.
Some of the features that on offer here included a HEPA filter to trap find particles, the ability to turn off the brushroll for gentler cleaning, and the ability to lift a portion of it off the base for a make-shift canister vacuum. All that for quite an accessible price.
The best premium Shark vacuum
Despite the fact that Shark has decided to give this a unique name for every single territory – it’s known as the Shark Vertex Bagless Corded Canister Vacuum with DuoClean Powerfins stateside – this canister vacuum is as straightforward to use as it is powerful. As a canister vacuum, you don’t have to worry about battery life or it being too heavy as the bulk of the unit stays on the floor.
In testing, we found this vacuum to be great for deep cleaning. It did more than just pick up surface debris. And, it worked well for us on both hard surfaces as well as carpeting. Some of its cleaning prowess could be attributed to its two motorized brushrolls and wide floorhead. And, thanks to its form factor, getting under furniture is much easier than with a typical vacuum cleaner. However, it is a bit tough to use with overhead cleaning even with the included wand.
Its edge cleaning could be a little better as well. But we did appreciate the large capacity dust cup and the fact the controls are conveniently on the handle for easy adjustments.
Read our full Shark DuoClean & Anti Hair Wrap Bagless Pet Vacuum review
Most lightweight Shark vacuum
The Shark Stratos UltraLight may still be corded, meaning you don’t have the flexibility of a cordless vacuum, but it makes up for it with its extremely light weight. This vacuum comes in at under three pounds, so you’ll have no trouble pushing it around wherever you need to clean up a mess.
Though this model is still under review for us, there’s plenty more to get excited about here. Shark’s odor neutralizer, anti-hair wrap technology, and dual brush rolls are all on hand to make cleaning easy and smelling great.
Shark does advertise this model as having 600 watts of suction power, but we’ll reserve an opinion on how well it does when it comes to deep cleaning. After all, lighter vacuums are better for day-to-day pickup as opposed to deep cleaning. That said, lightweight vacuums like this easily transform into handheld vacuums for different types of jobs and that’s certainly the case here. Plus, it comes with a couple of additional tools for when you need to clean upholstery, crevices, or other situations that a traditional vacuum can’t take care of.
The best Shark robot vacuum
This 2-in-1 robot vacuum may be pricey, but it’s worth it, especially when you look at how much other robot vacuums with a self-emptying base cost. Even just the fact that it can both vacuum and mop is pretty special. And, as we saw in our testing, this Shark robot vacuum does both well.
When tested, we were also impressed by the accuracy of its mapping as well as the intuitive layout of the app. Pulling it up to subdivide our space and have it clean just one or two rooms was incredibly simple, not to mention having it selectively mop just certain areas. We also took advantage of the ability to run it even when we weren’t home as well as create a schedule for even more hands-free operation.
Of course, the battery life is a bit underwhelming and the included starter solution won’t last very long adding to the long-term cost of this robot vacuum. Still, the pros vastly outweigh the cons, especially considering how well-rounded the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop is.
Read our full Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop review
The best corded Shark vacuum
While we would have liked a somewhat longer stretch hose, the Shark Stratos Upright is the kind of get-into-every-corner vacuum to really allow for the type of deep cleaning all our homes need from time to time. It does a fantastic job picking up hair thanks to its two brush-rolls and anti-Hair Wrap Plus tech, probably our favorite feature when testing as we don’t have to clear out any tangles halfway through cleaning. On top of that, its odor tech leaves carpets smelling fresh, though you’re only stuck with one scent.
Since it comes with a wand, it’s easy to clean under furniture or hard-to-reach places. And, though it's a bit on the heavy side, it can transform into a portable handheld as well. But, as it is a corded vacuum, it’s not as easy to take care of certain tasks as a cordless vacuum could – like stairs. But, considering this is more powerful than the typical cordless vacuum, it’s a trade worth making if you want a deep clean.
Read our full Shark Stratos Upright review
The best handheld Shark vacuum
The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, aka the CH950UKT, is compact and lightweight, just the way a handheld vacuum should be. It’s one of the best, if not the best, model in Shark’s rather large line-up for car cleanup duty.
While we wish the battery was hot-swappable, there’s enough battery to clean a whole car on one charge. While touted as having ten minutes of juice, we found it to actually last fifteen. And, just as importantly, it does a great job picking up small and large debris alike, though we did find that we had to do several passes on dirtier areas or areas with finer particles.
We were pleasantly surprised by its decent-sized dustbin, even if it’s a bit finicky to open. And, the three included tools make this vacuum particularly versatile so that cleaning hard-to-reach places isn’t quite so hard. To top it all off, the sub-$100 / £60 price tag is pretty nice as well.
Read our full Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus review
The best Shark vacuum for messes
While we’ve just started testing the Shark VS101 MessMaster Portable Vacuum, we’re already impressed. This wet/dry vacuum is the ideal candidate for those kinds of messes that a regular vacuum would get all gunked up trying to clean, essentially anything viscous or liquid. If you have pets, you know exactly how handy something like this is.
Not only does it not lose suction during cleaning no matter what you’re vacuuming up, but its bin can be lined with any bag so that you can easily dispose of the remnants without having to touch or handle them. And, when you’re done, just vacuum up a cup of water to clean out the hose and bin.
With the inclusion of three tools and an extension wand, the Shark VS101 MessMaster can handle various types of situations, including dreaded crevices. This is also a fairly lightweight unit with a long cord and hose.
How to choose the best Shark vacuum for you
The Shark Vacuum for you really depends on your needs. If you need power and are okay using a cord, the best corded ones here are going to be the most powerful options as tethered options typically are more robust.
If portability is a priority, one of the best cordless vacuums from Shark is going to be a better fit. Not only are you not limited by a cord, but these types are typically made to be lighter and more compact. You won’t have quite the same dustbin capacity or power, but you’ll find these types to be easier to use.
Of course, the ultimate in hands-free operation will be a robot vacuum. There will be more initial setup as you’ll have to download an app and run the unit to map out your space, but once that’s all done, you can vacuum and maybe mop your floors with just a couple of presses in an app. These are ideal for regular cleaning but aren’t as good for any deep cleaning situations.
Frequently asked questions about Shark vacuums
What's better: Shark or Dyson?
While you can read our Shark vs Dyson: which vacuum cleaner brand is better? for a deeper dive. Comparing these two brands comes down to what kind of vacuum cleaner you want as Dyson focuses a large part of their line-up on feature-fill-cordless models as well as some canister-style ones while Shark has a much larger stable of vacuum cleaners including robot vacuums.
Shark on the whole is a bit cheaper than Dyson so if you’re on a budget, you’ll probably want to consider Shark. Both brands are very good when it comes to suction power, but Dysons generally come out ahead with battery life and weight.
What are shark vacuums best at?
Since Shark’s lineup of vacuums, unlike Dyson’s, is so varied, there’s no one category that rises above the others. The cordless models are fully featured and do great work for day-to-day cleaning while corded canister models are great for deep cleaning. And, though not as extensive as iRobot, Shark robot vacuums are pretty adept for a more hands-free approach.
Basically, the company is very well-rounded in its offerings and the quality of those offerings.
Are shark vacuums good quality?
Shark has models at quite a few price points and the level of quality varies on how much you invest. The premium and mid-range models come with some great new features and some stellar performance. But, as you go cheaper, they get a little more barebones in terms of features and don’t have as much oomph. They can also suffer from reliability issues as some have reported online.
What does “Stratos” means?
You may have seen the word “Stratos” attached to some but not all of Shark’s models. This designation has been around 2022 for models equipped with stronger suction or cleaning power, anti-hair wrap technology to keep hair from tangling the brushrolls, and odor neutralizer technology to leave your floors smelling fresh.
How we tested these Shark vacuums
As with all the vacuum cleaners that we test, we put each review unit through its paces, seeing how it does with fine dust and dirt to larger debris. We check not only overall performance but specific circumstances, such as how a vacuum does with edges and corners, not to mention different types of surfaces such as hard flooring and carpets.
Additionally, we take a look at included features and how well they’re implemented – after all, a feature is not much of an addition if it isn’t well done. Where applicable, we also look at things like battery life and app support.
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