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We know from experience that finding the best vacuum cleaner for your needs can be a mission. And the choice often comes down to one of two leading vacuum brands: Shark or Dyson.
They're both known for their cleaning prowess, leaving many shoppers torn. And that's before you have to decide whether you want an upright, cordless, cylinder or robot design. That’s where we can help.
Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, we’ve been testing products for over 100 years and vacuums are our, err, bread and butter. So, our experts have meticulously tested and evaluated both brands in the lab over the years, discovering their strengths and weaknesses.
We know how well each brand picks up dirt from carpet fibres, hard floors and along wall edges. We tested their prowess when it comes to pet hair and assessed how easy they are to set up, manoeuvre and maintain.
If you’re struggling to decide between a Shark and a Dyson, here are the key differences we've identified after years of testing – plus which models we recommend for every task.
Shark vs. Dyson: Key differences at a glance
If there’s one thing that unites Shark and Dyson, it’s that they usually perform highly in our tests. However, while they both offer innovative features and extended run times, they do take different approaches.
Brand USP
Shark prioritises convenience and flexibility. Its upright cleaners boast a “Lift-Away” feature that detaches the canister from the main body to quickly clean hard-to-reach areas like under furniture or up the stairs. Its latest stick vacuum is designed to pick up as much dirt moving backwards as it does going forward, and several designs feature air-freshening tech.
Dyson focuses heavily on 'best-in-class', technological innovation. Its vacuums feature advanced batteries and air filtration, along with a wide selection of attachments designed to avoid hair tangles. Dyson also pioneered the use of air cyclones to deliver superior suction and integrates intelligent sensors for measuring dust and debris, making it easier to eliminate them.
Price
Shark is the clear winner here, combining high-end features and performance with affordability. Below, you’ll find Shark vacuums ranging from £79.99 to £799.99 and we consider them to be a great value.
In contrast, Dyson’s innovations come at a premium. Its products can cost anywhere from £229.99 to £1249.99. If your heart is set on one, but your budget doesn’t quite stretch, we recommend waiting until sale events like Prime Day and Black Friday, as the brand often offers notable discounts.
Warranty
Shark offers guarantees from two to five years depending on the appliance. While not necessary, it recommends registering your guarantee after purchase – simply head to the website and fill in the form so your details are on hand should you need any help. Replacement parts, like filters and tools, are available for purchase on its website, too.
Dyson cordless and robot vacuums come with a two-year guarantee while its corded products have a five-year one. It also recommends registering your purchase and if anything goes wrong outside of normal wear and tear, the brand covers costs associated with repairing or replacing parts. Parts and accessories are available for purchase on the Dyson website.
We also love Dyson Renewed, which lets you purchase refurbished vacuums at cheaper prices. All repairs are done with original parts by authorised staff, so you still receive a premium product. A one-year guarantee is included and there’s a 35-day money-back returns policy.
If you’re replacing an existing vacuum, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.
Now we’ve got the technicalities out the way, we've compared our top Shark and Dyson upright, stick and robot vacuums to help you choose the best model for your home.
Test one: Upright vacuums
Full-size upright vacuums are best for cleaning larger homes with a lot of carpet or a mix of carpet and hard floors, as the corded design gives you unlimited power to tackle the whole home in one go.
Some automatically adjust the height of the nozzle to accommodate different flooring while others need to be manually adjusted. They usually come with a range of attachments (that you can store onboard) for cleaning under furniture or in tight spaces.
Shark
Pros
- All the parts fit together quickly and easily
- Clear instructions
- Has a great variety of tools for different floor types
Cons
- Hard to fully empty the cylinder bin without brushing out excess dust and debris
Key specifications
| Bagged or bagless | Bagless |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.3L |
| Indicator to clear dust canister | No (has a max line on outside) |
| Cord length | 8m |
| Hose length | 2m |
| Tools | Crevice tool, multi-surface tool and anti hair wrap pet tool |
| Variable power | Yes |
| Wattage | 750W |
| Weight | 6.7kg |
Score: 83/100
There are two brush rolls within the floorhead of this vacuum – one to deep clean your carpets, drawing out embedded dirt and hair, and another, softer one that gently cleans hard flooring. It worked a treat too, scoring full marks for its pet hair pick-up on every surface in our lab.
Testers liked that you can detach the canister from the main body to reach awkward spots with ease, and were fans of its unique, anti-odour cartridge system, which neutralise smells caused by pet hair and dust.
The wide floorhead made navigating corners tricky, though, and its suction was more powerful on the right side compared to the left, based on testers' dust measurements. But its LED lights should help spotlight missed dust, giving you a deeper clean.
This is slightly heavier than the Dyson below and has a shorter cord length. But our testers still found it a joy to use, noting how quiet it was in use – ideal if you have a nervous pet at home.
Dyson
Pros
- Reaches under furniture with ease
- No tangling of hair in the vacuum head
- Large capacity dust bin
Cons
- Low suction at the front of the vacuum head when cleaning along edges
- Struggled on long pile carpet
Key specifications
| Bagged or bagless | Bagless |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.15L |
| Indicator to clear dust canister | Yes |
| Cord length | 9.5m |
| Hose length | 4.4m |
| Tools | Detangling cleaner head, turbine tool, combination tool, stair tool |
| Variable power | Yes |
| Wattage | 90AW |
| Weight | 5.6kg |
Score: 86/100
Dyson first launched The Ball two decades ago, and while the brand now focuses solely on cordless models, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 upright vacuum is still a standout performer for its easy manoeuvrability and outstanding cleaning performance.
With a cord that’s over 10 metres long, it should reach into most rooms, saving you having to pause and change plug sockets mid-clean. Its ‘Radial Root Cyclone’ technology offers powerful suction and captures dirt and allergens in the vacuum's bin. The filters then trap particles and expel cleaner air into your home.
In action, the power of this tech is clear. In fact, the suction proved so mighty on short pile carpets, it even lifted stubborn dirt on top of what we'd laid, picking up 125 per cent of dust on average – seriously impressive.
We were less blown away by its ability to pick up larger debris on long pile carpet where it only managed to lift 79 per cent of biscuit crumbs, but its wide array of tools and good pet hair pick-up won it brownie points.
The winner: Dyson
Technically, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s winning upright vacuum is neither Dyson nor Shark – it's Hoover’s HL4 Pet Vacuum Cleaner, which you can read all about in our upright buying guide. But, in the battle of the brands, the Dyson Ball Animal Upright Vacuum scored three marks more. It hits the sweet spot for large households that need powerful suction and a good array of tools.
Shark’s uprights still boast excellent cleaning performance and clever features (like detachable canisters) though, offering plenty of cleaning bang for your buck.
Test two: Stick vacuums
The new darling of the vacuum cleaner world, cordless stick vacuums are lightweight and convenient. Something you can grab easily when you need to spruce up the kitchen floor before guests arrive or rid your rug of pet hair.
They’ve come along way – the latest models have multiple power levels, more powerful and longer-lasting batteries, and innovative attachments that might just convince you to wave goodbye to your upright forever.
Shark
Pros
- Intuitive to use
- Simple soft trigger to change the power setting
- Charges and empties after every use
Cons
- Could be better balanced; the brush head didn’t always move smoothly in the desired direction
Key specifications
| Bagged or bagless | Bagless |
|---|---|
| Capacity | Up to 45 days of dust and debris |
| Weight | 8.4kg (including docking station); 3.71kg vacuum alone |
| Running time | Up to 70 minutes |
| Charging time | Recharges in between use via docking station |
| Variable power | Yes |
| Tools | Crevice tool, upholstery tool, pet tool, accessory bag, battery, charger, motorised pet tool, docking station |
Score: 98/100
This is Shark’s priciest stick vacuum for good reason – it solves a problem you didn’t even know you had thanks to its Reverse Clean tech, which picks up debris when moving forwards and backwards for more efficient cleaning.
Sensors react and adapt the brushes to the surface you’re vacuuming too, resulting in excellent suction that collected 99.9 per cent of dust from all surfaces on test. Plus, our experts really noticed the difference when the automatic power boost kicked in, offering extra oomph when tackling particularly dirty areas. There’s also anti-hair wrap technology, which promises to keep the brush rolls tangle-free.
At 3.71kg, it’s relatively lightweight, but when used in handheld mode, testers found it top heavy, especially over long periods of use. Only boost mode achieved the desired deep clean on car carpets too, meaning the battery died after 15 minutes rather than the 60 minutes you get on eco mode.
Our testers tried the version with a docking station, and found it a straightforward, worry-free feature, praising how it automatically charged and emptied the vacuum, sealing away fine dust, allergens and odours. You can buy a version without it too, but it's worthwhile if you can find it a home.
Dyson
Dyson Gen5detect™ Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Purple
Pros
- HEPA filtration captures dust and seals in 99.99% of microscopic particles
- Single-button power control
- Dustbin is easy to empty and refit
Cons
- Heavy in handheld mode
- Eco setting is only ideal for hard floor types
Key specifications
| Bagged or bagless | Bagless |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 0.77L |
| Weight | 3.5kg |
| Running time | Up to 70 minutes |
| Charging time | 4.5 hours |
| Variable power | Yes |
| Tools | 'Fluffy Optic' cleaner head, 'Digital Motorbar' cleaner head, built in crevice tool, hair screw tool, low reach adaptor, combination tool, wall dock |
Score: 97/100
Dyson’s newest stick vacuum has the most powerful suction yet. Its motor spins at a rate of up to 135,000 revolutions per minute to offer fade-free suction. Unsurprisingly, then, it scored full marks for pick-up on every single floor type (only dropping points for our car cleaning test where we needed the boost mode to achieve the same results).
Even pet hair lifted in one sweep, helped by the Digital Motorbar head, which automatically adapts suction power and minimises any tangling of hair. Testers loved the fancy headlights that reveal hidden dust and the LCD screen that tells you about the particles you’re cleaning as you go.
Weighing 3.5kg, it’s slightly lighter than the Shark above and testers liked how it glided effortlessly across all surfaces. With Dyson’s longest running time yet of up to 70 minutes, you’ll have plenty of time to get around every nook and cranny. Just note, the battery life drops to 15 minutes when used in boost mode and it takes four and a half hours to recharge, which isn’t ideal if it runs out mid-clean. Plan ahead though, and there’s not much to fault.
The winner: Shark
Shark takes the crown here. It’s currently the highest scoring of all the stick vacuums we’ve tested. It's a real powerhouse in terms of both run time and cleaning performance, while the self-emptying docking station elevated it above its competition. Of course, the latter may not be ideal if you don’t have much space in your home or cupboard, but if you do, we think it’s a fantastic add-on that’s worth accommodating.
Note though, it only beat the Dyson by one point, making them both outstanding picks.
Test three: Robot vacuums
Robot vacuums have come a long way since we first tested them, and now offer greater pick-up power, larger dust canisters and better mopping functions. You can schedule automatic cleans when you aren’t at home, start them with a push of a button, or fire them up with your voice or smart speaker. Convenient and capable, they're an easy way to keep your floors looking their best with minimal effort. The dream.
Shark
Pros
- Useful diagrams in the instructions
- Reliable cleaning across the board
- Clear and intuitive app
Cons
- Battery drained quickly on maximum power
- Struggled to clean tight corners
- Some dirt lingered in the canister after emptying
Key specifications
| Number of cleaning modes | Mops and vacuums |
|---|---|
| Mapping technology | Yes |
| Charging time | Self-charges |
| Running time | Up to 110 minutes |
| Canister capacity | Up to 60 days of dirt and debris |
| Variable power | Yes |
Score: 84/100
2024 was the year Shark finally entered the robot vacuum market in the UK, and we were excited to see how its tech would translate to the world of robots.
As its name suggests, this uses a precise matrix grid to map and pass over dirt and debris. The PowerFin rollers are designed to dig deep into carpet fibres to lift dust, debris and embedded hair. Both features worked well in testing – within 15 minutes, the robot had easily picked up the Rice Krispies and dust laid. The odd strand of pet hair and a few small crumbs of biscuit were left behind, but given robot vacuums are best for keeping on top of mess rather than deep cleans, we don't see this as a big issue.
Plus, the mopping function was excellent. It scrubs at a rate of 100 times a minute, working hard to lift stains from hard floors. Most of the smeared ketchup was removed within one sweep, and it was all cleaned up after the second.
Using the SharkClean app, you can easily map your home, store routes and schedule cleans from your phone. It even lets you flag no-go zones and cleverly detects stairs to avoid falling down them.
The accompanying docking station holds up to 60 days' worth of dust and debris and the robot will self-empty and recharge each time it reaches the base too. All in all, we'd be happy to outsource some of the housework to it.
Dyson
Pros
- Generates a map on the app showing how much dirt it picked up after each clean
- Navigated easily around table and chair legs
- Extra instructions are available on the app and via YouTube
Cons
- Heavy to lift
- When emptying was required, the app reports a ‘fault’ which is slightly jarring at first
- Battery on boost mode wasn’t great
Key specifications
| Number of cleaning modes | Boost, quiet, quick and auto mode |
|---|---|
| Mapping technology | Yes |
| Charging time | 165 minutes |
| Running time | Up to 65 minutes |
| Canister capacity | 0.5L |
| Variable power | Yes |
Score: 95/100
Dyson claims the 360 Vis Nav is the world's most powerful robot vacuum, with six times the suction power of any other. It lived up to this punchy claim too, reliably collecting dust and debris to claim the top spot in our list of best buys.
It was simple to set up with testers mapping the room, creating no-go zones and scheduling cleans without a fuss. We liked the wider-than-average brush roll, which runs the entire width of the robot and the extending side duct that redirects suction to capture dust and debris against the wall, solving a problem that lots of robot vacuums struggle with.
It wasn’t perfect, leaving some crumbs in tight corners, but it learns to dust hot spots and prioritises cleaning them first, automatically increasing suction for a deeper clean.
You have to empty the onboard dustbin yourself, which generally isn’t required with other robot vacuums at this price point. However, it self-charges once it’s returned to its base, which takes up less space than a self-emptying docking station.
Overall, it’s a sleek addition to the robot vacuum market and its cleaning power justifies its premium price tag.
The winner: Dyson
As Shark has only just entered the robot market in the UK, and we’ve only tested its entry level model so far (there are more premium ones available), we’re calling this round for Dyson – for now. If your budget can stretch, the powerful suction and hotspot tech make it the market-leader.
The Shark’s performance certainly wasn’t poor though, and for the lower price, it’s a good alternative.
The bottom line: Is Shark or Dyson better?
Here comes the annoying answer: it depends. Both Shark and Dyson vacuums perform exceptionally well. But as always, it will come down to budget and which type of vacuum you're after.
In a nutshell, Shark provides very good cleaning and smart design features at great value. Whereas Dyson's strength is its cleaning prowess, filtration, wide attachment set and innovative tech.
Based off our current test results, we’d go for Dyson’s upright and robot vacuum and Shark’s stick vacuum.
If you’re looking for a handheld vacuum, Shark and its Classic Handheld Pet Vacuum is the brand you should turn too. It's the current joint winner in our roundup, scoring 94/100.
How we test Shark and Dyson vacuums
We test all types of vacuum cleaner at the Good Housekeeping Institute, putting them to work on four different floor types: laminate, floorboards and long- and short-pile carpet. Our team evaluate general pick-up using a formulation of dust that they create themselves. They lay down a set amount and weigh exactly how much the vacuums have collected after a set number of sweeps.
To assess each vacuum's pet hair pick-up, we source the real thing from our GH pets and tread it into the carpet to create a worst-case scenario. We also crumble biscuit over the floors and note down how effectively each vacuum picks up this smaller residue.
Where relevant, we run an interior car cleaning test to see how well each model lifts debris from between crevices. We also try them out on a set of stairs to check manoeuvrability.
For robot vacuums, we evaluate how well they clean a whole room, timing how long it takes and how well it cleans edges and navigates around furniture. We look at the vacuum’s accompanying apps and see how easy it is to schedule cleans and map out no-go zones. We also test the battery claims of handheld and stick models.
As performance is just one piece of the puzzle, our testers also consider the design, ease of use and instructions of every model, so we can provide valuable insights on what it’s really like to use and maintain them.
Why trust the Good Housekeeping Institute?
We’ve been testing household products at the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 100 years and have used all of this expertise to design protocols that push products to their limits.
Our homes testers, led by manager Blossom Boothroyd, have reviewed hundreds of vacuums in our dedicated floor cleaning room and consistently evaluate the newest features in vacuuming tech. They share all their feedback with homes editor, Hannah Mendelsohn, and homes writer, Megan Geall, who look after all Good Housekeeping’s vacuuming guides, and go through everything with a fine toothcomb to bring you thorough reviews, impartial you can trust.
Brandon Carte is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience covering technology, gadgets and appliances. His reporting has been featured on Best Products, Top Ten Revies, Good Housekeeping and USA Today. When he's not researching washing machines or testing robot vacuums, you can find him at concerts, swimming laps, or at the movies. He thinks smartphones are too big, prefers MP3s to Spotify and misses his iPhone’s headphone jack.
Carolyn Forté brings more than 40 years of experience as a consumer products expert to her role as executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab. Using deep analytical testing and writing expertise in appliances, cleaning, textiles and organizational products, she produces cleaning and home care advice for GH, has authored numerous books and bookazines for the brand and partners with the American Cleaning Institute to co-produce the Discover Cleaning Summits. She holds a bachelor's degree in family and consumer sciences from Queens College, City University of New York.
Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s senior homes and lifestyle writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market and has written hundreds of product reviews on everything from the best vacuum cleaners and coffee machines to the best ice cream makers and robot window cleaners.
When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her running every distance from 5km to 100km or relaxing at home with her cat – there really is no in between.
Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, Women's Health, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall.
Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
