Tool Battery PricesAre Tool Batteries Interchangeable Between Brands?
A DeWalt pack will not run your Milwaukee tool, and the same is true across these five brands. Check the platform first, then compare prices.
November 11, 2026
The short answer is no. The five platforms in the table are not interchangeable with each other. A pack that looks like the same 18-volt class will not slide into another brand’s tool. Buy the battery that matches the tools you already own, even if another brand looks cheaper that day.
Why they don’t mix
Each brand uses its own connector shape, so a Milwaukee pack typically will not even latch onto a DeWalt or Makita tool. The electronics are different too. The tool and the pack talk to each other about charge level, temperature, and whether it is safe to keep drawing current. That conversation is not shared across brands.
If a pack does not fit, that is the lucky outcome. You put it back and you have wasted a little time. Forcing a mismatch, or using a third-party adapter that claims to bridge brands, is a different risk: the pack may fail to run, or you may damage the tool or the battery. That is a more expensive mistake than paying a little more for the pack that belongs to your tools. Third-party adapters do exist. This site is not telling you to use them.
A bargain pack is not a bargain if it does not fit your tools. Confirm the platform first, then compare official packs on that platform by price per amp-hour.
What the names on the pack actually mean
All five current platforms in the table are 18 volts in ordinary use, even when the marketing name says 20V. That is why their amp-hours can be compared once you have stayed inside one platform, and why the labels can still confuse a first-time buyer.
| Brand | Platform name | What the number means |
|---|---|---|
| DeWalt | 20V MAX | Marketing name. Everyday voltage is 18V. |
| Milwaukee | M18 | The name matches the 18V rating. |
| Makita | 18V LXT | The name matches the 18V rating. |
| Ryobi | 18V ONE+ | The name matches the 18V rating. |
| Craftsman | V20 | Marketing name. Everyday voltage is 18V. |
DeWalt 20V MAX and Craftsman V20 are not a higher-voltage class than Milwaukee M18 or Makita 18V LXT. The “20V” figure is the higher reading you can see fresh off the charger. There is a full guide on DeWalt 20V versus 18V if that label is what brought you here. The practical point for compatibility is simpler: match the platform name, not the number that looks larger in the aisle.
Same brand usually works, if it is the same current platform
Within a current platform, packs usually interchange. A current DeWalt 20V MAX pack is meant to run in a current 20V MAX tool. Milwaukee M18 packs go in M18 tools, Makita 18V LXT packs in LXT tools, and the same pattern holds for Ryobi 18V ONE+ and Craftsman V20. If you already have one official pack that clicks in and charges normally, another current pack from that same line should as well.
That courtesy does not extend to every product the brand has ever made. Milwaukee M12 is a different, smaller system than M18. A 12V DeWalt pack is not a 20V MAX pack. 40V tools, where a brand has them, are separate again. DeWalt FlexVolt packs are designed to run on 20V MAX tools and on 60V FlexVolt tools, but FlexVolt tools will not run on an ordinary 20V MAX pack. FlexVolt is not in this table.
Older DeWalt tools marked simply “18V,” with the older stem-style connector, are not the same product as today’s 20V MAX slide packs, even though 20V MAX is 18 volts in ordinary use. If you are holding one of those older tools, do not assume a new 20V MAX battery will slide in.
How to tell which platform you already have
The easiest check is the pack already on the tool, or the name printed on the tool itself. Look for DeWalt 20V MAX, Milwaukee M18, Makita 18V LXT, Ryobi 18V ONE+, or Craftsman V20. The charger usually says it too. If you only have a bare tool and no pack, the label near the battery rails is the one to trust, not a memory of “it was some kind of 18-volt.”
If the tool says 12V, M12, 40V, or FlexVolt, you are not shopping in this table. Those are separate systems, and buying an 18-volt pack for them will not solve the problem.
Don’t buy a cheap pack for the wrong tools
Shopping across brands is useful for research, and it is a bad way to check out. A low price on a Milwaukee two-pack does not help you if the saw in the garage is a Ryobi. The same is true of a compact DeWalt pack that looks like a steal next to a Craftsman listing. Wrong-platform batteries do not become useful later unless you also buy a second set of tools.
If you are starting from scratch and do not own a platform yet, that is a bigger decision than a single battery, and this site is not trying to pick a brand for you. If you already have tools, stay on that platform. Open the price table, filter to your system, and then use price per amp-hour to compare the official packs that will actually click in.