Vacuum cleaners

The best stick vacuums at every price 

We reveal the affordable aces, mid-priced marvels and pricey performers to help you buy the best for your budget. 
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Last updated: 6 Mar 2025
illustration of three different stick vacuums with ticks and dollar symbols

There’s a lot to love about stick vacuums. They’re great for quick clean-ups, there’s no annoying cord to trip over, and their slim design means you can stash them in your kitchen or wherever you’re likely to use them most.

With prices ranging from less than $100 to more than $1500, it can be hard to know where the sweet spot between price and performance is. Should you spring for a fancy Dyson, or can you get away with a cheaper brand?

With prices ranging from less than $100 to more than $1500, it can be hard to know where the sweet spot between price and performance is

 We’ll explain what to expect in terms of pricing, plus for CHOICE members only, we’ll reveal the highest-ranking stick vacs from the top, middle and bottom of the price spectrum.

If you want to find out which are the best stick vacuums for your budget, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.

If you’re already a member and you just want to see the best products, you can jump straight to the results now.

How much should you spend on a stick vacuum?

We’ve tested stick vacuums that cost as little as $79 for a budget Kmart model and as much as $1500+ for high-end LG and Dyson models.

The median price of all the stick vacs in our review is $599. Prices have increased due to improvements in technology: just seven years ago, the median price was only $299.

Unfortunately, you’ll be hard pressed to find a high-performing stick vacuum on the cheap. Almost all of the stick vacs that our experts recommend cost upwards of $800.

Some cheaper stick vacs perform reasonably well and will do a good-enough job, especially if you’re only using them on hard floors

If that sounds too far out of your reach, don’t give up on your dreams of stick vac ownership just yet. Some cheaper stick vacs perform reasonably well and will do a good-enough job, especially if you’re only using them on hard floors.

We’ve compiled a list of the best stick vacuums under $250 exclusively for CHOICE members.

If you’re on a tight budget, your money will go much further if you buy a traditional barrel vacuum: you can pick up a great performer for around $300–$500. 

Yes, it’s more effort than a stick vac, but if you’re constantly having to clean up after your cheap stick vac, you’re already doing the extra work anyway.

The best stick vacs at every price: Budget, mid-range and premium

We independently test and review dozens of new vacuums each year in our onsite labs, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.

Our detailed stick vacuum testing data is available exclusively for CHOICE members.

If you’re not yet a member, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews, from fridges and freezers, toasters and TVs, kettles and cots, and more. 

Or log in to unlock this article and find out which stick vacuums deliver the best bang for your budget.

Alice

I'm a content creator and marketer here at CHOICE – which basically just means that I write stuff. CHOICE's testing is so comprehensive that we publish vast amounts of data on all the products we test. We know that not everyone likes to wade through numbers to find the best product, so my job is to take the data and translate it into something more easily digestible for readers who are time-poor or just want to know the best products to buy – and which to avoid. I also get to dream up fun ways of taste-testing products, like the Tim Tam challenge and the Democracy Sausage taste test. I write about all kinds of things, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, so each day is different and I'm lucky that I get to learn about all the different things CHOICE does to help consumers.

I'm a content creator and marketer here at CHOICE – which basically just means that I write stuff. CHOICE's testing is so comprehensive that we publish vast amounts of data on all the products we test. We know that not everyone likes to wade through numbers to find the best product, so my job is to take the data and translate it into something more easily digestible for readers who are time-poor or just want to know the best products to buy – and which to avoid. I also get to dream up fun ways of taste-testing products, like the Tim Tam challenge and the Democracy Sausage taste test. I write about all kinds of things, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, so each day is different and I'm lucky that I get to learn about all the different things CHOICE does to help consumers.

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