Both move people between floors, but home lifts and passenger lifts are designed for very different buildings. Choosing the wrong one means paying for capacity you don't need — or living with a lift that can't keep up.
Side-by-side (Sakshi ranges)
| Aspect | Home lift | Passenger lift |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 2–6 passengers (200–450 kg) | 4–26 passengers (272–1,768 kg) |
| Speed | Up to 0.6 m/s | 1.0–2.5 m/s |
| Power | Single-phase domestic | 415 V three-phase |
| Drive | MRL traction or hydraulic | Gearless PMSM traction · MRL |
| Pit | From 200 mm or pitless | Per building design |
| Typical buildings | Villas, duplexes, bungalows | Apartments, offices, malls, towers |
When a home lift is right
A single-family home with a few floors, limited space and a domestic power supply is the classic home-lift case. Compact designs and low civil work make retrofits practical. See home lifts.
When you need a passenger lift
Apartment blocks, offices and any building used by many people need the higher capacity, speed and duty cycle of a passenger lift.
Usage and duty cycle
A home lift might make a few dozen trips a day for one family. A passenger lift in an apartment block or office can make hundreds, often in morning and evening peaks. That difference drives the choice of motor, controller, door operator and car size — and it is why a home lift should not be stretched to serve a multi-family building.
Space, structure and power
- Shaft and pit — home lifts are designed for compact shafts and shallow or no pits; passenger lifts are planned into the building's structure from the drawings stage.
- Machine room — both are available as machine-room-less (MRL) designs, which saves roof space.
- Power — home lifts run on single-phase domestic supply; passenger lifts need a three-phase connection, which affects electrical planning.
Grey areas
Some projects sit in between — a large villa used by an extended family and staff, or a small G+3 building with a few flats. Here, expected daily users, accessibility needs (wheelchairs, stretchers), the available shaft size and future use of the building decide the answer. A site survey removes the guesswork.
Questions to answer before you choose
- How many floors (stops) and how many people will use the lift each day?
- Does anyone need wheelchair or stretcher access?
- What shaft size, pit depth and headroom are available — or can be built?
- Is a three-phase power connection available?
- Is this a new building or a retrofit?
For the space side in detail, read home lift space requirements.
