What’s the difference between Stiltz, Savaria and Harmar?
The three brands aren’t really competing to sell you the same product — each specializes in a different type of residential elevator, which is why the “best” brand depends entirely on your home. In short: Stiltz makes compact shaftless through-floor elevators built for retrofits, with no pit, shaft or machine room. Savaria is a North American brand known for traditional hydraulic and traction elevators that use a shaft and suit taller homes with configurable cabs and finishes. Harmar is an accessibility and mobility brand best known for vertical platform lifts that give full wheelchair access indoors and outdoors, and it also owns the shaftless Pollock elevator line.
Because they lead in different categories, comparing them head-to-head only makes sense once you know what your home actually needs. A three-story house that you want to keep clear of construction points toward a shaftless design; a new-build or major renovation with room for a hoistway opens the door to a traditional elevator; and a single-floor rise for a wheelchair is squarely platform-lift territory. The rest of this guide walks through each brand’s strengths, then pulls them together on cost and how to choose. If you’d like the wider picture first, the home elevator types guide and the full buyer’s guide cover every option in detail.
Stiltz (shaftless) — strengths & who it suits
Stiltz’s strength is retrofitting an elevator into an existing home with minimal disruption. The elevators are compact and shaftless: they travel through a small opening in the floor above and are self-supporting, so they need no separate hoistway, no pit and no machine room. That removes most of the structural work that makes traditional elevators expensive and slow to install, and it’s why a shaftless model is usually the place to start if avoiding building work is a priority.
In practical terms a Stiltz-style elevator fits neatly into the corner of a room, plugs into a standard household outlet, and can typically be installed in a few days rather than weeks. It suits homes of two to three floors and comes in both standard cabs and wider wheelchair-accessible cabs, so it can serve everyday convenience or genuine accessibility needs. Who it suits: homeowners who love their current house, don’t want the upheaval or cost of a shaft and pit, and want a fast, low-disruption route to getting between floors. Where it’s less of a fit: very tall homes, or projects where a large, fully custom cab with premium finishes is the main goal.
Savaria (hydraulic & traction) — strengths & who it suits
Savaria is a North American brand whose strength is the traditional, residence-scale elevator. It offers both hydraulic (ram-driven) and traction (cable-and-counterweight) systems in a wide range of cab sizes and finishes, giving a smooth, quiet ride that feels much like a commercial elevator scaled for the home. These elevators are well suited to taller houses of three to four floors, where a shaftless model would be working at the edge of its range.
The trade-off is construction. A hydraulic or traction elevator needs a shaft (hoistway) and usually a small pit at the base plus space for equipment, so there is more structural work and a higher cost than a shaftless retrofit. That makes Savaria a natural fit for new builds and major renovations, where the hoistway can be designed in from the start, and for homeowners who want to configure the cab, doors and finishes to match the interior. Who it suits: taller homes, projects with room and budget for a shaft, and buyers who value a fully finished, customizable elevator. Where it’s less of a fit: quick retrofits where you specifically want to avoid opening up the structure.
Harmar (platform lifts & accessibility) — strengths & who it suits
Harmar is an accessibility and mobility brand, and its strength is exactly that: solving access problems. It is best known for vertical platform lifts — an open or enclosed platform that raises a person, often in a wheelchair, over a single-floor rise — in both indoor and outdoor models. A platform lift is designed for full wheelchair access, with a level entrance and a platform large enough for a wheelchair or mobility scooter, and it is usually the most affordable way to solve porch, deck or split-level access.
Harmar also owns the shaftless Pollock elevator line, so the brand isn’t limited to single-rise lifts — there is a through-floor option for homes that genuinely need to travel between floors. But the reason most people arrive at Harmar is accessibility over a modest rise. Who it suits: households whose main goal is dependable wheelchair or mobility access, especially at an entrance, porch or split level, and anyone wanting the most cost-effective solution to a single-floor barrier. Where it’s less of a fit: multi-floor travel with a fully enclosed, furniture-style cab — that’s where shaftless or traditional elevators take over.
How they compare on cost
Cost tracks the type of elevator far more than the badge on it, so the fairest way to compare the three brands is by the category each one leads in. Vertical platform lifts, Harmar’s territory, are typically the most affordable. Compact shaftless elevators like Stiltz sit in the middle. Hydraulic and traction elevators like Savaria’s are usually the most expensive of the three because of the shaft and structural work involved. Most U.S. homeowners end up spending between $35,000 and $85,000 installed once everything is included.
Illustrative guide ranges only — your price depends on your home, floors, cab and finish. For a full breakdown of what drives the number and what’s included, read the home elevator cost guide.
It’s also worth remembering these three aren’t the only options. A pneumatic vacuum elevator — a self-supporting cab that rides inside a sealed cylindrical tube using air pressure — is a design-led alternative that needs no pit or machine room, and it’s a good fit where the panoramic tube is part of the appeal. If a distinctive, self-supporting look matters to you, it’s worth putting alongside the shaftless option.
How to choose the right brand for your home
Don’t start from the brand — start from your home and your needs, and the right brand tends to reveal itself. Answer four questions and you’ll have narrowed the field before you speak to anyone: how many floors do you need to serve, do you want to avoid a shaft and pit, does full wheelchair access matter, and what’s your working budget? Those answers point to a type of elevator first, and the brand follows from there.
- Two or three floors, no construction: a compact shaftless elevator (Stiltz territory) is usually the natural starting point.
- Three or four floors, room for a shaft: a traditional hydraulic or traction elevator (Savaria territory) gives configurable cabs and a smooth ride.
- Single-floor rise, full wheelchair access: a vertical platform lift (Harmar territory) is usually the most cost-effective answer.
- A design-led, self-supporting look: consider a pneumatic vacuum elevator alongside the shaftless option.
Whichever way you lean, the decision is easier once you can see real, comparable numbers for your own home rather than headline ranges. A free home survey confirms which models actually fit your layout and structure, and a quote turns your brief into a like-for-like comparison. That’s the point of shortlisting by type first: you compare the models that genuinely suit your home, not a catalog of everything on the market. When you’re ready, the buyer’s guide covers installation, safety and accessibility in more depth.
Ready to compare the models that fit your home?
The smartest way to choose between Stiltz, Savaria, Harmar or any other option isn’t to pick a brand and hope — it’s to start from your home and your needs, then compare the models that fit. Tell us how many floors, whether you want to avoid a shaft, and whether accessibility matters, and we’ll match you with licensed installers for free quotes so you can see real prices and timelines side by side.