No matter how much you love your pets, dealing with the hair they leave behind can feel like a full-time job. The best vacuums for pet hair deliver strong hair pickup, offer strong particle filtration, and come with a selection of tools and attachments that are easy to clean and still remove pet hair from hard-to-clean surfaces.
We've tested over 110 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair. Here's a quick rundown of what to consider, using our lab testing and scoring:
- Form Factor: Cordless stick vacuums are the easiest to grab for quick, frequent cleanups. Corded uprights and canisters trade that convenience for unlimited runtime and often stronger carpet performance. If cordless convenience is your top priority, check out our guide to the best cordless vacuums for pet hair for more options.
- Pet Hair Pickup: A score of 7.5+ for our Pet Hair Pickup test reflects good or better single-pass pet hair clearing performance.
- Floorhead Type: If your home has carpeted floors, a motorized powerhead is the most reliable option for lifting pet hair from thicker pile rugs. Air-driven (turbo) brushes are lighter and cheaper but can struggle on anything beyond low to medium-pile carpet. Straight-suction floorheads are best kept to bare floors.
- Brushroll: Bristled brushrolls are the strongest performers on carpet and pet hair, while soft rollers are better suited to bare floors. A removable or self-cleaning brushroll is worth prioritizing if pet hair tangles are a regular concern.
- Particle Filtration Performance: A score of 8.0+ for our Particle Filtration test indicates effective allergen control for pet dander.
- Bagged vs. Bagless: Bagged models trap pet hair much more effectively when you empty them, which matters if anyone in your home has allergies. Bagless models let you avoid the cost of replacement bags.
Check out our buyer's guide at the bottom of the article to help you pick the best vacuum for pet hair for your needs. If you're looking for something for quick spot cleaning, check out our articles on the best handheld vacuums for pet hair. If allergies are a concern, you might be interested in the best HEPA vacuums.
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Best Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance8.0Hard Floor Pickup8.0Particle Filtration9.9Air Quality During Emptying4.0Small Apartment8.7House7.4See all our test resultsVacuum TypeStick/HandheldThe Dyson V15 Detect is the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair we've tested. This high-end cordless vacuum features a motorized floorhead that lifts pet hair from carpets, thanks to stiff bristles that agitate fibers and dislodge even stubborn, embedded fur. The included hair screw tool effectively clears hair from furniture, which is helpful if your pets spend time on the couch. Its filtration performance is outstanding, capturing virtually all fine particles and dander while you clean, making it a great choice for allergy sufferers. It also has a built-in particle sensor that shows the size and amount of debris it picks up in real time, plus an auto mode that ramps up power when it detects heavier concentrations.
The biggest drawback for pet owners is the bagless design. When you empty the dirt compartment, you'll notice a cloud of dust, so it's best to empty it outside if possible. The dirt compartment is small, at a little under 0.5 L, so you'll need to empty it frequently if you're picking up a lot of hair. The build quality also feels somewhat fragile for the price, with thin plastic construction that doesn't inspire much confidence. On its most powerful setting, the vacuum runs out of charge in just under 10 minutes, which is quite limiting when tackling stubborn hair. Used more conservatively, you can expect more than an hour of runtime at its lowest power setting.
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Best Upright Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance9.0Hard Floor Pickup8.0Particle Filtration9.9Air Quality During Emptying4.0Small Apartment8.4House8.7See all our test resultsVacuum TypeUprightThe Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is the best pet hair vacuum for anyone who wants an upright model and doesn't want to worry about battery life, as you do with the Dyson V15 Detect. It also matches the V15 in pet hair pickup, clearing strands in a single pass and leaving only a tiny amount behind. Its HEPA filtration system traps fine particles effectively while cleaning, so you don't have to worry about dander cycling back into the air. That said, it's significantly heavier and louder than the V15, and its corded design limits your range to the length of the power cord, so you can't move around as freely, although you'll never run out of battery mid-clean. It even includes a dedicated pet-grooming tool and a stair tool that does a fantastic job clearing hair from upholstered furniture.
It also performs well on bare floors, with its bristled brushroll directing debris toward the suction inlet rather than scattering it around. Finally, there are no ongoing replacement costs as long as you maintain the washable filters. Carpet pickup is decent but falls behind the V15, and the floorhead's bulky design can make it struggle with debris along edges. Emptying the dustbin also releases dust into the air. Still, if you want strong pet hair performance, a dedicated grooming tool, and HEPA filtration without ongoing bag costs, it's a well-rounded pick.
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Best Canister Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance9.0Hard Floor Pickup5.0Particle Filtration9.9Air Quality During Emptying9.5Small Apartment8.7House8.9See all our test resultsVacuum TypeCanisterIf air quality is your top concern and you're focused more on carpets than bare floors, the Miele Guard S1 Electro is the best pet hair vacuum we've tested with a canister form factor. This model outperforms our top pick, the Dyson V15 Detect, at lifting pet hair from upholstery and matches both Dyson's performance on carpet thanks to its powered brushroll. It separates itself from the Dysons when it comes to air quality: its bagged design and near-perfect particle filtration keep dust and allergens sealed inside during both cleaning and emptying. Unlike with a bagless model, you won't release a cloud of dust every time you empty it. That said, you'll have ongoing costs for replacement dirt bags.
The trade-off is a bulkier canister form factor that's less convenient to store and carry between floors than the V15's compact cordless design. Hard floor performance is also a notable weak point; the straight-suction floorhead struggles with larger debris, and the Dysons handle bare floors significantly better. Build quality is a clear step up, though, with a sturdy body and metal wand that feel far more durable than the V15's thin plastic construction.
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Best Bagged Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup7.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance8.5Hard Floor Pickup8.0Particle Filtration9.9Air Quality During Emptying8.0Small Apartment8.6House8.6See all our test resultsVacuum TypeUpright/HandheldThe Kenmore Intuition Bagged is the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair if you'd prefer a bagged upright model. It pairs strong all-around cleaning with some of the best air quality on this list, making it a great pick for allergy sufferers. Its HEPA filter traps nearly all fine particles as it cleans, and its self-sealing dirt bags keep dust contained when you dispose of them, so you won't release a cloud of allergens the way you would when emptying the bagless Dyson V15 Detect or Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra. Where it falls short is that it doesn't actually lift pet hair from carpets as well as the options above. It clears most hair in a single pass, but a small portion tends to remain caught near the center of the floorhead. You'll also have to pay to replace the bags, adding to the total lifetime cost.
On the positive side, carpet performance is great, particularly on shaggier rugs, where it outperforms every other pick here. Its corded design means you'll never run out of power mid-clean, and the included pet tool effectively clears hair from upholstered furniture. The main trade-off for the budget price point is build quality; there are many user reports on Reddit about hose failures over time, and we found that the plastic internal clips and parts feel fragile in our testing. If pet hair pickup is your absolute top priority and budget allows, the picks above deliver more thorough results, but the Kenmore's combination of strong carpet cleaning, excellent air quality, and low price makes it a smart choice.
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Best Cheap Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup7.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance7.0Hard Floor Pickup3.0See all our test resultsVacuum TypeUprightIf you have shedding pets but want to spend as little as possible, the Eureka Airspeed is worth a look. Compared with other vacuums at this price point, it exceeds expectations in lifting stubborn pet hair from carpets. Its soft-bristled brush also picks up pet hair from furniture. There are some major trade-offs at this price point, though. Debris pickup on every surface is poor: you can't turn the powered brushroll off, so it launches small debris backward on bare floors, and it struggles to clear anything heavier than fine particles on carpet. There's no HEPA filter or allergen-sealing of any kind, so particulate matter escapes from the floorhead and exhaust during use.
The power cord is short, the hose barely reaches furniture, and it can snag on rug tassels badly enough to tear fibers. Every other pick on this list outperforms it significantly in overall cleaning, air quality, and build quality. That said, it's impressively lightweight for an upright, with virtually no ongoing expenses since there are no bags or filters to replace regularly.
Notable Mentions
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Shark Cordless Pet IX141:
The Shark Cordless Pet IX141 can lift pet hair as well as the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra, but it offers poor air quality control, so it's not a good choice if anyone in your household is sensitive to allergens.
See our review -
Dyson V8:
The Dyson V8 is a cordless alternative to the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra, offering exceptional particle filtration. It also offers much better pickup on thick carpets, but doesn't perform as well with pet hair on floors or furniture.
See our review -
SEBO Airbelt D4:
The SEBO Airbelt D4's Premium variant delivers nearly identical pet-hair pickup performance to the Dyson V15 Detect and offers mess-free emptying thanks to its bagged design. However, it's difficult to justify the steep price premium given the similar pet-hair performance.
See our review -
SEBO FELIX Premium:
The SEBO FELIX Premium is an upright alternative to the Dyson V15 Detect, offering the same level of pet hair pickup on both carpets and upholstery while delivering higher build quality. That said, it underperforms in overall cleaning performance.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 23, 2026:
We verified that all our product picks are still available and continue to represent the best choices for most readers.
Aug 20, 2026:
We checked to make sure all our picks were still the best options for most people and were still available.
Jul 08, 2026:
We made some edits to our buying guide to help readers make more informed shopping decisions.
May 14, 2026:
We've added a new Buyer's Guide section to the bottom of this article to facilitate the buying decision process for a new vacuum.
Mar 20, 2026:
We added the Miele Guard S1 Electro as our upper mid-range pick and moved the Shark Cordless Pet IX141 to the Notable Mentions due to its poor air quality performance. We also added the SEBO FELIX as an additional Notable Mention.
What To Consider When Choosing A Vacuum For Pet Hair
Pet Hair Pickup Performance
This is the first thing you should consider when it's time to buy a vacuum for pet hair. When looking over the results of the Pet Hair Pickup test in our reviews, keep the following in mind when looking at scores:
- 7.5-8.0: The vacuum clears away the majority of pet hair within a single back-and-forth pass, though finer strands remain visible; you'll need a second pass to remove all visible hair.
- 8.5-9.0: Barely any visible hair remains after a single back-and-forth sweep, with any remaining hairs being quite hard to see.
- 9.5+: Effectively no pet hair remains after a single back-and-forth sweep.
Floorhead
If you have carpeted floors and pets, a floorhead with an air-driven or motorized roller brush is a must-have. Straight-suction floorheads are better-suited to hard floors.
- Air-driven floorheads (often marketed as 'Turbo' brushes) are generally simpler, lighter, and cheaper, but can also jam on thicker carpets, and are mainly suited for dealing with pet hair on low to medium-pile rugs and carpets.
- Motorized powerheads are heavier but generally provide superior performance on thicker carpets, with a lower risk of thicker rugs stopping the roller's rotation. Some motorized heads also offer features like height adjustment, making it easier to maneuver on surfaces like shag-pile rugs, as well as automatic brushroll-off functions that prevent overheating or damage if pet hair, carpet fibers, or another obstruction completely jams the roller mechanism.
- Straight-suction floorheads can provide some level of surface agitation on very low-pile rugs, but are mainly suited for bare flooring. Their simple design makes them fairly easy to clean, and you won't have to worry about pet hair getting stuck inside and jamming a roller brush's rotation.
Brushroll
If you do spring for a vacuum with a motorized or air-driven floorhead, you'll also need to consider the type of brushroll they're equipped with.
- Bristled brushrolls have stiff bristles to lift away pet hair and fine debris from carpet, but can fling larger debris around on hard surfaces and cause micro-scratches on delicate surfaces.
- Soft rollers are better suited for removing debris from bare floors, but don't do much to lift it from carpet fibers.
- Dual rollers combine both soft and stiff bristles on a single floorhead, theoretically allowing for better debris pickup across multiple floor types without having to swap attachments. That said, they aren't found on many vacuums.
- Removable brushrolls make the process of clearing away tangled hair and stuck-on debris considerably easier.
- Self-cleaning brushrolls typically feature vanes or fins that press up against the roller to trap pet hair before it can completely jam the roller's rotation.
Filtration
If you or someone else in your household has serious pet allergies, you'll want to factor air quality into your buying decision. We measure air quality using two separate tests:
- Particle Filtration: How well the vacuum traps fine particles during cleaning. Many premium cordless vacuums use HEPA-rated filters within a sealed system, which keeps dust from leaking back into the air as you clean. Look for a Particle Filtration score of 8.0 or higher, especially if anyone in your home suffers from allergies.
- Air Quality During Emptying: Cordless vacuums are typically bagless, so emptying the dustbin releases dust into the air. Just keep in mind that even high-filtration cordless vacuums score poorly on emptying, so plan to empty the bin outdoors.
Additional Attachments
A broad attachment suite can also make it easier to deal with pet hair on a wide variety of other surfaces.
- Turbo brush tools are especially useful for dealing with pet hair on fabric surfaces, like armchairs or even automotive upholstery.
- Upholstery nozzles are also good for the same sort of situations; they're less bulky than turbo brush tools, but also provide less surface agitation.
- Crevice tools can be used to clear away pet hair on hard surfaces, but in hard-to-reach areas, like in between couch cushions or in tight nooks between furniture.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best pet hair vacuums to buy. We factor in a fairly wide range of factors, including availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our vacuum reviews, ranked by their pet-hair cleaning performance. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.