Anyone know is a 20V cordless drill compatible with other 20V batteries from different brands?

Short answer is no. 20V across brands is not a universal standard. Most 20V lithium tools are nominally 18V and the 20V label is just marketing, but the battery rails, contact pins, and the battery management are brand specific. Packs rarely fit other brands and the chargers are not cross compatible. There are adapters out there, but they add extra resistance, can confuse the fuel gauge, may void warranties, and you still cannot charge cross brand.

If your packs are DeWalt 20V MAX, the DeWalt DCD771C2 will run on them because it is part of the 20V MAX platform and uses the same slide battery interface. If your packs are from another brand, your best move is to buy a drill only tool within that same line so you can keep using your existing batteries and charger.

Usually no... Different rails, pins, and communication mean cross brand batteries and chargers rarely work, and while adapters exist they can mess with the gauge and add resistance, so stick to one battery platform you already own.

Think about total cost over time. Two cheap kits can trap you into two sets of batteries and chargers that both need replacements later, which is how it gets expensive. A bare tool that uses the packs you already have keeps everything simple and you carry one charger in the bag.

If the packs you own are not the same platform as the drill you are eyeing, assume they will not fit. that model on the sticker does not mean universal.

All the major that model lines use their own battery interface, and Same voltage rating does not equal plug and play. The pack usually has more than two terminals because the tool and charger read temperature and state of charge and sometimes ID bits. Those extra pins are wired differently by each maker.

You can run a drill through an adapter in many cases but you may see earlier cutoffs under load and the level indicator becomes unreliable. Charging across brands is a no go. If avoiding another charger is the goal, match the tool to the platform of the batteries you already have.

Adapters are handy but they live in a gray area for warranty and liability... if a modified setup fails and damages a tool or a battery support will point to the adapter. On a job site some safety officers will not allow mixed systems at all.

Keeping it stock avoids those headaches. If you want one charger to rule them all, stick to one platform.

From a safety standpoint the voltage number is not the issue here, and Five lithium cells in series is common across these tools, so the chemistry aligns. blocking factor is the mechanical shoe and the electrical handshake. Packs carry a thermistor and sometimes communication lines that the tool expects to see.

Hard wiring or shaving plastic to make something fit can bypass protections and that is not worth it for a drill you will lean on. If you must use an adapter keep it to low current tasks and understand you are outside the intended design.

The chargers are the hard stop. Each charger is built to sense pack temperature and voltage through specific pins and to follow a charge profile that matches that brand. Cross charging can damage the pack or the charger even if the voltage seems right on paper.

Adapters only pass power for use on the tool. They do not make charging safe across brands. Match platform to reuse what you have or accept the extra charger and keep the ecosystems separate.

TOTALLY get it.

I tried mixing brands with a third party adapter. The drill would spin but it hiccuped when I pushed it with a spade bit then the battery tripped and I had to reset it. Worked for light duty though. Lesson learned.

The that model versus 18V thing adds confusion because they are the same cell count, but the interfaces are not standardized. If your packs are from a different ecosystem, look for a bare drill that belongs to that same ecosystem and skip the extra charger.

You like, can hack it if you like tinkering. People 3D print sleds and map the power and sense pins, then tape a temperature probe to spoof the line. It will spin a drill. Ask me how I know.

It also cuts out at the worst times and you lose thermal feedback that protects the pack. For lights or a fan it is fine. For a drill that you stall now and then you want the right pack under it.

There is no industry standard battery shoe for these :) Different countries label the same five cell packs as 18V or that model max which leads people to think they are interchangeable, but the mechanical and electrical bits do not match across brands.

Check the platform name printed on your packs and on the tool you are considering. If those match you are good. If they do not match, expect incompatibility.

Shared ownership does not mean shared batteries since rails and pinouts are intentionally different. To avoid another charger buy tools that use the same battery platform you already have, otherwise plan on a second charger or unload the extra packs.