Stair lift brands compared
Seven companies sell most of the stair lifts fitted in US homes. Some sell direct, some through local dealers and one online.
| Brand | Models | Top weight limit | Price from | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Acorn | 2 | 350 lb | $3,000 | Sold and fitted by Acorn itself |
 Bruno | 3 | 400 lb | $3,000 | Sold through local Bruno dealers |
 Stannah | 2 | 352 lb | $4,700 | Sold and fitted by Stannah itself |
 Handicare | 3 | 440 lb | $3,299 | Sold through local dealers |
 Harmar | 4 | 600 lb | $3,640 | Sold through local dealers |
 AmeriGlide | 1 | 350 lb | $2,249 | Sold online at listed prices |
 Savaria | 1 | 350 lb | $3,790 | Sold through local dealers |
Seven stair lift manufacturers build most of the lifts compared here for US homes: Acorn, Bruno, and Harmar sit alongside Savaria, Handicare, Stannah, and AmeriGlide. What sets them apart is mostly how much weight a lift can take, how narrow a staircase it can handle, how long the warranty runs, and whether fitting is built into the price.
Who Sells Each Brand?
Acorn and Stannah both sell and install their own lifts. Bruno and Handicare work through local dealers. AmeriGlide sells direct online with prices listed up front. For Harmar and Savaria, the prices here are dealer prices.
Some quotes cover fitting and some cover just the lift. Only stack an installed price against another installed price.
| Brand | Models | Heaviest load allowed | Cheapest price seen | Is fitting included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn | 2 | 350 lb | $3,000 | Yes (a reviewer's guess) |
| Bruno | 3 | 400 lb | $3,000 | Not included |
| Harmar | 4 | 600 lb | $3,640 | Not included; one dealer adds $725 |
| Savaria | 1 | 350 lb | $3,790 | Not included; one dealer adds $345 to $445 |
| Handicare | 3 | 440 lb | $3,299 | Not included |
| Stannah | 2 | 352 lb | $4,700 | Included |
| AmeriGlide | 1 | 350 lb | $2,249 | Not included; you fit it yourself or hire an installer |
Matching the Brand to Your Needs
No one brand is right for every house. What matters is who rides it, the shape of the stairs, and what you can spend.
- Heavier rider: the Harmar Pinnacle SL600HD holds 600 lb at the top end, while the Bruno Elite manages 400 lb.
- Narrow stairs: the Acorn 130 suits stairs as narrow as 26 in, with the Stannah Siena 600 close behind at 27 in.
- Cheapest listed price: the AmeriGlide Rave 2 shows at $2,249 online, before any installer's fee.
- Warranty on the motor: the Harmar SL600 and both Stannah models back the motor or motor gearbox for life.
- Lower prices for curved stairs: an installed Acorn 180 should run roughly $8,000 to $15,000 or more, and one dealer asks $9,999 for the Handicare Freecurve.
Straight Stair Lifts Compared
A straight lift travels on a rail along stairs that go straight up, with no bends or landings. The fold width tells you how far the lift juts out from the wall once you fold up the seat, arms, and footrest. The smaller that number, the more room is left for people walking up.
| Model | Weight limit | Sticks out from wall | Narrowest stairs | What you pay | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn 130 | 280 lb (350 lb in the heavy-duty version) | 12.25 in | 26 in | Around $3,000–$5,000 with fitting (a reviewer's guess) | specs · price |
| Bruno Elan | Up to 300 lb | Folds to 12 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | Starting at $3,000, with fitting billed separately | specs · price |
| Bruno Elite | Up to 400 lb | Folds to 15.125 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | One dealer asks $4,999, fitting billed separately | specs · price |
| Harmar SL300 | Up to 300 lb | Folds to 11 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | $3,640, and one dealer charges $725 to fit | specs · price |
| Harmar SL600 | Up to 350 lb | Folds to 10.5 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | $4,655, with $725 to fit at one dealer | specs · price |
| Harmar SL600HD | Up to 600 lb | Folds to 16.5 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | $7,505, with $725 to fit at one dealer | specs · price |
| Savaria K2 | Up to 350 lb | Folds to 10.75 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | $3,790, plus $345–$445 to fit at one dealer | specs · price |
| Handicare 1000 | 350 lb (440 lb in the heavy-duty version) | 15.25 in | 28 in | $3,490 including a 16 ft track at one dealer, fitting billed separately | specs · price |
| Handicare 1100 | Up to 310 lb | Folds to 12.625 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | One dealer asks $3,299, fitting billed separately | specs · price |
| Stannah Siena 600 | Up to 350 lb | Folds to 14.5 in | Needs stairs 27 in or wider | From $4,700 with fitting | specs · price |
| AmeriGlide Rave 2 | Up to 350 lb | Folds to 11 in | Needs stairs 28 in or wider | $2,249 when bought online, fitting billed separately | specs · price |
Curved Stair Lifts Compared
A curved lift rides on a rail shaped to match the turns in your own staircase, so nobody can quote a price before the stairs are measured.
| Model | Weight limit | Sticks out from wall | Narrowest stairs | What you pay | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn 180 | Up to 265 lb | Folds to 13.25 in | Needs stairs 27.5 in or wider | Roughly $8,000–$15,000 or more with fitting (a reviewer's guess) | specs · price |
| Bruno Elite Curved | Up to 400 lb | Folds to 15 in | Needs stairs 30 in or wider | Roughly $12,000–$25,000 or more with fitting (dealer range) | specs · price |
| Harmar Helix | Up to 350 lb | Folds to 16 in | Needs stairs 30 in or wider | One dealer starts at $10,995 | specs · price |
| Handicare Freecurve | Up to 275 lb | Folds to 16.5 in | Needs stairs 30 in or wider | One dealer asks $9,999 | specs · price |
| Stannah Siena 260 | 300 lb (352 lb in the heavy-duty version) | 16 in | 30 in | From $10,800 with fitting | specs · price |
Do Stair Lifts Fit Narrow Stairs?
Start by measuring how wide the stairs are, because that narrows your options faster than anything else. If your stairs are 26 in wide, the Acorn 130 is your only option. At 27 in, the Stannah Siena 600 works too. Every straight model here fits once you get to 28 in.
For curved rails, the Acorn 180 is the only one that fits under 30 in. All five curved models fit stairs of 30 in or wider.
Cost by Number of Steps
Straight lifts ship with a standard rail of roughly 15.5 ft. A longer staircase means buying extra rail, and that pushes the price up.
| Steps (straight) | Length of rail | New lift, fitted |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Roughly 10 ft | Roughly $2,500–$5,000 |
| 13 | Roughly 16 ft | Roughly $2,575–$5,075 |
| 16 | Roughly 19 ft | Roughly $2,800–$5,300 |
| 20 | Roughly 23 ft | Roughly $3,100–$5,600 |
Warranties by Brand
Coverage varies a great deal, so read the fine print on what each part gets. The gear rack is the toothed strip fixed to the rail that the lift climbs up.
- Acorn: twelve months.
- Bruno: a limited lifetime deal on the Elan and Elite Curved; for the Elite straight, ask the dealer.
- Harmar: the SL300 covers parts for 2 years and the SL600HD for 3. The SL600 instead has a lifetime motor warranty, and the Helix has 2 years on parts plus a limited lifetime warranty on the drive system. The straight models also cover the gear rack for 10 years and the battery for 1.
- Savaria K2: 36 months of parts cover, via your dealer.
- Handicare: 24 months of parts cover, via your dealer.
- Stannah: a lifetime motor gearbox, with one year of parts and labor.
- AmeriGlide Rave 2: drive train and parts for two years, batteries for 30 days.