The 5 Most Affordable Cordless Drills You Can Buy In 2026 (So Far)

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As a DIYer, even if your most technical projects to date consist of assembling boxed furniture or hanging pictures and shelves, you've likely already encountered some unexpected ways to use a cordless drill. If you don't already have a cordless drill, you may be considering whether to save up for a top-of-the-line model or start out with something more affordable.

A cordless drill kit, complete with a low-amp-hour battery and charger, from one of the best-ranked major cordless drill brands can easily set you back $100 or more at a big-box home improvement store. Even the Hercules 20V brushless cordless ½-inch-capacity drill with a 2 amp-hour battery and charger is priced at $97.99 at Harbor Freight.

While $100 isn't an exorbitant amount to spend on a cordless drill with a brushless motor that's built to last, there are more affordable options that will perform adequately, especially for light-duty tasks. We'll look at five affordable cordless drills with retail prices ranging from around $20 to just over $50.

Priced at $19.99, this ⅜-inch capacity cordless drill is one of Harbor Freight's best Warrior power tools. The Warrior 12V cordless ⅜-inch drill kit comes with a 12V lithium-ion battery and matching battery charger. The included battery provides 1.3 amp-hours of capacity, and it, along with the battery charger, is compatible with the rest of the Warrior 12V power tool lineup. 

The cordless drill provides trigger-controlled variable speeds from 0 to 550 rpm and torque up to 132 inch-pounds. The drill's head measures 7.75 inches from front to back, with an overall width of 2.25 inches and an overall height of 7 inches. As shipped, the kit weighs 2.64 pounds, and the product has a listed weight of 2.6 pounds.

The Warrior cordless drill's chuck has a ⅜-inch capacity, capable of clamping onto ⅜-inch or smaller-diameter drill shanks, some larger drill bits with tri-flat shanks, and most hex-drive bits and accessories. The Warrior drill kit holds a 4.6-star rating based on 2,878 reviews to date, with 95% of buyers recommending it to others. The highest ratings mention its suitability for small jobs around the house and value for its price. While only about 8% of the reviews were below 4 stars, the most critical reviewers experienced near-immediate product failures.

The Avid Power 20V drill set ranks among the most-reviewed and highly rated lesser-known cordless drills on Amazon. Currently, the Avid Power 20V cordless drill set has 23,330 reviews and an average rating of 4.6 stars. While positive reviews praise the Avid Power's quality, functionality, and value, those posting 1-star ratings vent frustration with the inability to recharge the battery and the drill's low power.

The Avid Power drill's 1.5-amp-hour lithium-ion battery features a port for the included charging cable, although some reviewers report that the battery they received did not have an accessible charging port. The cordless drill measures 9.5 inches from front to back, 3 inches wide, and 8.5 inches tall, and provides up to 280 inch-pounds of torque with variable speeds up to 550 rpm. Avid Power says that's enough power to drill a 13/16-inch hole in wood or a ⅜-inch hole in steel, but it's not suitable for drilling concrete or masonry.

There are four color options to choose from: Red, Pink, Blue, and Black. Currently, the red option is the most expensive at $46.99, while the other three color choices are on sale for $39.99. All four options come with a 22-piece accessory kit that includes 10 twist drill bits (five each for wood and metal), 10 driver bits, a flexible shaft, and an extension bar.

Ryobi is one of those power tool brands that often divides people into two groups: those that love it and those that don't. One key factor in the brand's favor is the wide variety of tools that are compatible with its One+ 18-volt battery system. Even older Ryobi tools still work with current One+ batteries.

A good way to save money and clutter when building out or upgrading your DIY cordless power tool collection is to pick a battery system and stick with it. While other brands might offer a suitable selection of rugged contractor-grade power tools, they're more expensive, and many avid DIYers will see years of use from their Ryobi tools. For example, I built the desk I'm working at now last year using a set of Ryobi tools purchased nearly 10 years ago.

The Ryobi One+ cordless ⅜-inch drill kit, $49.97 at Home Depot, is an affordable way to dip your toes into the One+ battery ecosystem. With nearly 4,000 reviews on Home Depot's website, the affordable Ryobi cordless drill has a 4.7-star average rating and 91% of customers recommend it to others. While many reviewers find it suitable for general use around the house, others report its limited 135 inch-pounds of torque and 600 rpm top speed proved inadequate for heavy-duty tasks.

The Ryobi kit features a 1.5-amp-hour lithium-ion battery and a charger. The drill measures 8.38 inches front-to-back, 3.5 inches wide, and 8.25 inches tall, with a listed product weight of 2.8 pounds.

Black+Decker is likely a brand that you've heard of if you're into power tools. While these days it's a decent brand for light-duty power tools, there are some Black+Decker power tools users say you should steer clear of if you plan to push them to their limits regularly.

Fortunately, the Black+Decker 20V ⅜-inch cordless drill, available with battery and charger at Home Depot and other retailers like Lowe's for around $50, isn't on the list of tools to avoid. The combo kit holds a 4.6-star rating at Lowe's with just 42 reviews and a 4.5-star rating at Home Depot with 137 reviews, with around 90% of customers recommending it to others. Battery and drill chuck issues are the most common reasons for customer dissatisfaction with the drill.

The included 1.5-amp-hour battery is rated at up to 20 volts maximum when fully charged (18 volts nominal when in use). The drill delivers an average of 239 inch-pounds of torque, as tested by Black+Decker, at up to 600 rpm. It's one of the largest cordless drills in its class, standing 8.4 inches tall, 2.8 inches wide, and 10.9 inches long with an overall weight of 3.3 pounds.

The decision to shop at Home Depot or Lowe's for affordable, reliable power tools often comes down to convenience or to which store has the best sale price at the time of purchase. Other times, it's a matter of which big box store carries your preferred brand.

If you haven't heard of WEN power tools, it's an American company founded in 1951 and headquartered in West Dundee, Illinois. The company received notable recognition in 2026 with its $50 impact driver receiving a Consumer Reports recommendation.

The WEN 20V ⅜-inch keyless cordless drill, with a battery and charger included, is priced at $52.98 at Lowe's. While at this price point we're not finding contractor-grade or high-end DIY-grade cordless drills, the WEN model 20119 kit offers significant advantages over other models costing just a few dollars less.

First, you'll notice the lithium-ion battery included with the WEN cordless drill provides 2.0 amp-hours of capacity, about 33% more than the typical 1.5 Ah battery included with similar kits. The cordless drill also features two variable-speed ranges. The low speed range provides up to 400 rpm, while the higher range spins the chuck up to 1,500 rpm. The powerful drill also provides up to 354 inch-pounds of torque.

We started our search for the five most affordable cordless drills currently available by looking for the cheapest options. However, we could not recommend some of those based on their poor reviews or inflated shipping costs. The cordless drills presented here are models we've either used ourselves or wouldn't hesitate to buy with our own money.

Of course, it's important to frame our expectations for these budget-friendly cordless drills with a dose of reality. None of them are going to withstand rugged daily use in harsh jobsite environments. These cordless drills are meant for the occasional DIY project, and when used for light-duty tasks, should serve your needs for years to come.