Battery platforms

Nine battery platforms, and what actually separates them

They all say 18 volts. What separates them is elsewhere: how large the catalogue is, whether the platform belongs to a brand alliance, and how many neighbouring platforms the same maker sells alongside it without any compatibility between them.

Voltage is not the number to look at. All nine platforms on this page run at 18 nominal volts. Look at three other things instead: how many tools exist on the platform, whether it belongs to an alliance that opens up other brands' catalogues, and how many competing platforms the same maker sells next to it.

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9 of 9 machines

Figures taken from each manufacturer's own pages. Every number links to the page it came from.
PlatformVoltageClaimed catalogueAllianceNeighbouring platforms
Bosch Home and Garden Power for All Alliance18 V / 20 V max150 products bosch-diy.comYesBosch Home and Garden 12 V
Bosch Professional AMPShare18 V / 20 V max35 brands bosch-professional.comYesBosch Professional 12 V System, Bosch ProCORE 18 V
DeWalt 20V MAX (North America) / XR 18V (Europe)18 V / 20 V max300 products dewalt.comNoDeWalt FLEXVOLT 54 V / 60 V MAX, DeWalt PowerStack
Einhell Power X-Change18 V / 20 V max350 tools einhell.frNoEinhell Power X-Change 2x18 V (36 V)
Makita LXT18 V / 20 V max440 machines makita.frNoMakita XGT 40 V max, Makita CXT 12 V max
Metabo CAS (Cordless Alliance System)18 V / 20 V max50 brands cordless-alliance-system.comYesMetabo 12 V, Metabo LiHD
Milwaukee M1818 V / 20 V max250 tools milwaukeetool.comNoMilwaukee M12, Milwaukee MX FUEL
Parkside (Lidl) X20V Team18 V / 20 V max100 devices parkside-diy.comNoParkside X12V Team, Parkside Performance
Ryobi ONE+18 V / 20 V max520 products ryobitools.comNoRyobi ONE+ HP, Ryobi 40V (North America)

Why claimed catalogue sizes do not compare

Every maker counts differently. Ryobi shows the item count of its North American catalogue, which is not the European one. Bosch counts tools across the whole AMPShare alliance, so machines that do not carry the Bosch name. Makita states two different numbers on a single page. We quote these figures because they come from the maker, not because they can be set against each other.

The number that matters to you is smaller and simpler: how many tools on that platform you will actually buy over five years.