# Home Elevator Brands Compared: Makers, Models and Drive Types A plain comparison of the main home lift makers, including Savaria, Stiltz, PVE, Inclinator, Cibes, Aritco, Garaventa, Lifton, Stannah, Terry, Acorn and Handicare, with their models and drive types. Updated 2026-10-29. Also on the [web page](https://privateelevators.fyi/guides/home-elevator-brands-compared). The brand matters less than the lift type and the dealer who installs it. But each maker has a clear focus. This guide lists what each brand says it makes, using its own website or trade press. It does not rank them. ## Quick comparison | Brand | Main home products | Drive or type | |---|---|---| | Savaria | Eclipse, Infinity, Zenith, Vuelift, Telecab, Luma | Chain, hydraulic, MRL, winding drum | | Inclinator | Elevette | Cable drum, hydraulic, MRL overhead drum | | PVE | PVE30, PVE37, PVE52 | Air (vacuum) | | Stiltz | Duo, Trio | Through-floor, dual rail | | Lifton | LiftonDUO, LiftonTRIO | Through-floor | | Cibes | A4000, Air, Cloud Plus | Screw and nut | | Aritco | HomeLift | Screw and nut | | Garaventa Lift | Home elevators, platform lifts | Elevator and platform lifts | | Stannah | Stairlifts, Uplifts S2 and S3 | Stairlift, through-floor | | Terry Lifts | Affinity, Lifestyle, Harmony, Melody | Home and platform lifts | | Acorn | Straight, curved, outdoor stairlifts | Stairlift | | Handicare | Stairlifts | Stairlift | ## Shafted elevators **Savaria.** Savaria makes three hoistway elevators. The Eclipse is its most popular model. It uses a geared chain drive and needs no machine room. The Infinity is hydraulic and needs a 4 ft by 5 ft room for its tank and controller. The Zenith is its top model. It is machine-roomless but needs more width, a deeper pit and more overhead. Standard capacity is 950 lb, with up to 1,400 lb on the Zenith or Infinity HD. Savaria also makes the Vuelift panoramic elevator, which uses a winding drum drive. In 2021 Savaria bought Handicare Group, a stairlift maker. THIIS Magazine reported that Handicare makes over 45,000 stairlifts a year. **Inclinator.** Inclinator traces its origin to 1923 and calls its Elevette the first electric residential elevator. It offers three drives: | Drive | Max travel | Landings | Capacity | |---|---|---|---| | Cable drum | 50 ft | 6 | up to 1,000 lb | | Hydraulic (HydraRide) | 50 ft | 6 | up to 1,000 lb | | MRL overhead cable drum | 40 ft | 6 | up to 1,000 lb | Inclinator says a 500 lb elevator can be no larger than 12 sq ft. **Garaventa Lift.** Garaventa makes home elevators and vertical and inclined platform lifts. It says its roots go back to 1928, when the founders built a cable car in the Swiss Alps. It says its lifts are in over 100,000 homes and public buildings. ## Vacuum elevators **PVE (Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators).** PVE moves the cab with air. It needs no pit, shaft or machine room, and PVE says installation takes two to three days. Its lifts travel up to 50 ft (15 m) over up to five stops. PVE assembles them in Miami. | Model | Outside diameter | Capacity | Use | |---|---|---|---| | PVE30 | 30 in (750 mm) | 350 lb | One person | | PVE37 | 37 in (933 mm) | 450 lb | Two people | | PVE52 | 52-11/16 in (1,316 mm) | 525 lb | Wheelchair | ## Through-floor lifts **Stiltz.** Stiltz makes the Duo (two people) and the Trio (three people or a wheelchair). The lifts run on dual rails and need no shaft. Stiltz says about 80% of its installs need only a hole cut through the floor. Its UK site gives the Duo footprint as 0.55 m² and says a typical install takes one day. **Lifton.** Lifton makes the LiftonDUO for one or two people and the LiftonTRIO for a full-size wheelchair or up to three people. It says the lifts need no load-bearing walls. **Stannah.** Stannah was founded in London in 1867 and began making stairlifts in 1975. It says it has made over 750,000 stairlifts. Elevator World reports that its Uplifts brand shipped its first through-floor lift in September 2024. The S2 carries one or two people. The S3 carries three people or a wheelchair. ## Platform lifts **Cibes.** Cibes began in Sweden in 1947. It says its founder invented the screw-driven lift principle it still uses. It says a lift can be built in two to three days and that the A4000 needs 1 m² of floor. **Aritco.** Aritco is a Swedish platform lift maker. It has installed more than 48,000 lifts since 1995. The Aritco HomeLift needs no separate machine room. It carries a 10-year warranty on the screw and nut drive. **Terry Lifts.** Terry makes home lifts and platform lifts in Cheshire, UK. It has worked in lifts for more than 70 years. ## Stairlift makers **Acorn** makes only stairlifts: straight, curved and outdoor. Its US site offers a lifetime warranty on the motor and gearbox. **Handicare** sells stairlifts in the US and other markets, and is now part of Savaria. ## Published UK starting prices UK Homelifts gathered these "from" prices from brand websites in August 2026: | Brand | Published price | |---|---| | Stiltz | from £17,000 ex VAT | | Lifton | from £18,000 plus VAT | | Cibes A4000 | from £18,000 ex VAT | | Cibes Air | from £19,000 ex VAT | | Stannah | from £15,000 incl. building works | | Aritco | £22,000, smallest model | ## How to choose 1. Pick the lift type first. Base it on floors served, wheelchair use and space. 2. Shortlist two or three brands that make that type. 3. Compare local dealers on service response time and parts stock. You can compare dealers and installers for these brands in this directory. ## Sources - [Ultimate Guide to Home Elevators](https://www.savaria.com/home-elevators), Savaria, updated 2026-10-20. - [BREAKING: Savaria officially acquires Handicare](https://thiis.co.uk/breaking-savaria-officially-acquires-handicare-as-it-confirms-mobility-industry-mega-merger/), THIIS Magazine, 2021-03-10. - [Home Elevators and Residential Elevators](https://www.inclinator.com/home-elevators/), Inclinator, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Garaventa Lift](https://www.garaventalift.com/), Garaventa Lift, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators](https://www.vacuumelevators.com/), PVE, accessed 2026-10-29; model pages [PVE30](https://www.vacuumelevators.com/home-elevators/pve30/), [PVE37](https://www.vacuumelevators.com/home-elevators/pve37/), [PVE52](https://www.vacuumelevators.com/home-elevators/pve52/), accessed 2026-10-29. - [Stiltz Lifts USA](https://www.stiltz.com/) and [Stiltz Homelifts UK](https://www.stiltz.co.uk/), Stiltz, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Domestic Lifts UK by Lifton](https://www.lifton.co.uk/), Lifton, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Stannah Lifts History](https://corporate.stannah.com/about-us/our-history/), Stannah, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Stannah Lifts](https://elevatorworld.com/article/stannah-lifts/), Elevator World, 2025, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Cibes Lifts](https://www.cibeslift.com/) and [About Cibes](https://www.cibeslift.com/about-us), Cibes, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Aritco](https://www.aritco.com/) and [Aritco HomeLift](https://www.aritco.com/lifts-for-homes/aritco-homelift/), Aritco, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Terry Lifts](https://www.terrylifts.co.uk/), Terry Lifts, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Acorn Stairlifts USA](https://www.acornstairlifts.com/), Acorn, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Handicare USA](https://www.handicare.com/us/), Handicare, accessed 2026-10-29. - [Home Lift Prices: 2026 UK Cost Guide](https://ukhomelifts.co.uk/prices/), UK Homelifts, prices checked 2026-10-12. ## Questions ### Which home elevators need no pit or shaft? Through-floor lifts such as Stiltz, Lifton and Uplifts by Stannah need only a hole in the floor. PVE vacuum elevators sit on the finished floor. Savaria's Vuelift comes with its own clear hoistway. ### Which makers sell elevators that serve more than two floors? Shafted elevators from Savaria and Inclinator serve many floors. Inclinator says its cable drum and hydraulic drives reach up to six landings. PVE says its lifts serve up to five stops. ### Do these brands sell direct? Most sell through local dealers who survey, install and service the lift. Savaria and Inclinator both point buyers to authorised dealers.