The Best Affordable Upright Bagless Vacuums of 2026

We've evaluated more than 100 bagless vacuums in the Reviewed labs over the past six years, and expensive models have generally tested well. But, if you think it's crazy to drop $500a ton of money on a high-end Miele or Dyson, you can still get great carpet cleaning performance, powerful suction, and convenient features, like easy-to-empty bins and crevice tools, for a fraction of the cost.

We are focusing on affordable bagless upright vacuumsthat retail for between $50 and $200, because they're the most popular style of vacuum in the U.S.—instead of handheld vacuums, robot vacuums, or cordless stick vacuums. While bagless uprights may be a bit louder and heavier than their more expensive counterparts, they tend to come with all the essential attachments and features to clean your carpet.

We tested five of the best-selling and affordable upright bagless vacuums in our labs, and determined the best is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 (available at Amazon) .

We put each through the same rigorous tests that more expensive models also go through, and then evaluated the vacuum cleaners for overall dirt and debris pickup, ease of use, weight, and sound. We then analyzed the results to find out which are the best cheap vacuums you should buy to help keep your floors clean, and which ones you should skip.

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Other Affordable Bagless Uprights We Tested

How We Tested

The Tester

I’m Jon Chan, the Senior Lab Technician at Reviewed. It’s my job to test and write about products ranging from coolers to laundry detergents. Along with my colleague Kyle Hamilton, we tested all the vacuums in this guide.

The Tests

Even though vacuum cleaners aren’t the big metal boxes that we usually test in our appliance lab—such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, or ranges—we still test them in such a way so that we can have both reproducible performance data and information that will be useful to our readers. We assess on the performance, features, and usability of each vacuum cleaner.

Performance

A good vacuum cleaner should be able to remove both fine dirt/dust and larger debris from your floor surfaces. We push each vacuum cleaner to its limit by making it clean up four types of messes: our homemade “dirt” made from sieved sand and baby powder; piles of pet hair; rice grains; and raw macaroni.

To get a feel for how each vacuum performs on different floor surfaces, we test these vacuums out on two swaths of carpet (high pile carpet and low pile carpet) and on a linoleum floor surface.

We also think it’s important to see how a vacuum cleaner performs in circumstances that are more difficult than a bare floor. For edge cleaning, we place a 2” x 4” piece of wood along the edge of our test carpet area, sprinkle baby powder on the carpet, and run the vacuum cleaner with one side of the vacuum head pressed against the wood. Ideally, the vacuum should pick up all of the baby powder without leaving a strip of white dust next to the wood.

Additionally, we also test how easy it is for the vacuum cleaner to clean dirt or dust bunnies that have collected under furniture. Using a wooden dowel suspended at different heights, we push the vacuum forward until the top of the vacuum hits the dowel to determine how far a given vacuum can extend under a piece of furniture.

With these performance tests, we can determine how well a vacuum cleaner will perform when it comes to cleaning all of the surfaces, nooks, and crannies in your home.

Features and Usability

If you’ve ever used a vacuum cleaner, you know that the overall experience of vacuuming is more than just how much dirt it removes. When we score these vacuum cleaners, we also consider the vacuum’s noise level, attachments, cord length, weight, dirt capacity, warranty, mobility, battery life (if it’s a cordless or hand vacuum), and overall user experience. If a vacuum can both clean up a lot of dirt/debris and make the cleaning process easy and hassle-free, it will make its way towards the top of our ranking system.

What You Need to Know About Upright Vacuum Cleaners

Should I Get A Bagged or Bagless Vacuum Cleaner?

Bagged vacuums often offer better filtration and dust management. When you empty a dirt cup from a bagless vacuum, a percentage of the dirt gets back into the air. However, bagged vacuums get emptied less and can develop a bad odor.

What Type Of Floor Does An Upright Vacuum Do Best?

Carpeting is divided into low-pile, high-pile, and ultra-plush categories. Most vacuums can deal with high and low-pile carpets, but only a select few are designed to deal with ultra-plush (shag). This special type of carpet feels super-soft, because it’s so dense, causing some vacuums to get stuck on it.

For bare floors, cordless vacuums with soft rollers are your best bet. Pine and other softwoods can get scratched and dinged by heavy vacuum use. When in doubt, use a broom and dustpan.

What Does Paying More For A Vacuum Get Me?

Considering our experience, we have an understanding of what you get for your money. In the sub-$100 category, every extra dollar you spend usually goes towards more power. Of the models we tested at this price range, all of them carry the same bare-minimum array of attachments.

When you spend a bit more, around $100 to $300, you start to see stratification in usability and features. We’re talking about more attachments, better joints so the vacuum moves with you, and better warranties.

Anything above the $300 range is showing for a premium market. When we test these vacuums, we’re looking for brush heads that won’t scratch delicate flooring, designs that won’t tip over, and motors with enough power to tackle the thickest of carpets.

Your cleaning style should also match your lifestyle. For example, if you live in a small apartment and spend lots of time in your car, you should shift your budget toward a cordless vacuum. Do you have a multi-level home with mostly hardwood floors? A canister vacuum is going to serve you the best.

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