Best Battery Powered Chainsaws: Top Picks for Every Kind of User

Introduction

Battery powered chainsaws have moved well beyond the novelty stage. Today you can pick from compact pruners, lightweight home saws, dedicated pole saws, and even full professional top-handle and farm-and-ranch class models that compete directly with gas.

This list covers picks across the whole spectrum: a best-in-class top-handle saw for arborists, a dedicated telescoping pole saw, a value-oriented 12-inch saw, a mini pruning saw with real power, the best overall value, a budget option, and a serious professional chainsaw for those ready to fully commit to battery.

Best Battery Top-Handle Chainsaw: Husqvarna T540i XP

For arborists who value a combination of power and compactness, the Husqvarna T540i XP is the standout. By any measure, it is the best cordless top-handle saw currently available. It is not quite as powerful as the Greenworks commercial 82 volt model, but it is stronger than Echo’s 56 volt offering, and the balance of power and weight is excellent.

You get 12 or 16 inch bar options, though most buyers will go with the 12 inch. It delivers roughly the equivalent of a 40cc gas engine, making it an excellent choice for tree work aloft. Battery top-handle saws also eliminate the pull start and the constant noise of idling, so you can actually talk to crew members on the ground between cuts.

Pricing runs $629 to $649 as a bare tool, with kits between $1,049 and $1,069 depending on bar length.

Best Battery Pole Saw: Milwaukee M18 Fuel Telescoping Pole Saw

Trimming up trees from the ground is one of the most common tasks in this category, and Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel telescoping pole saw, model 300, is an outstanding tool for the job. It is a dedicated tool rather than an attachment system, built on the wide M18 platform that gives you access to many other compatible tools.

The 10 inch bar delivers 2.35 horsepower of torque, around 1.9 Nm, with chain speeds up to 25 meters per second. That makes it both powerful and fast, and after extensive cutting it proved easy to use and lightweight enough that you may wonder why you did not switch to battery sooner.

The bare tool costs $599, or $799 for a kit with a 12 amp hour high output battery and charger.

Best Small Battery Chainsaw: Ryobi P2570

Small battery chainsaws generally fall into two camps: a shorter 12 inch saw for traditional handheld cutting, or something closer to a pruner. In the first camp, the Ryobi 18V HP Brushless Whisper Series 12 inch chainsaw, model P2570, delivers a lot of performance at a very low price.

At $229 for the bare tool, or $249 for a kit that includes a 6 amp hour battery and charger, it is an easy entry point into the category without giving up much in the way of cutting ability.

Best Battery Pruner: Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hatchet

For pruning duties, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hatchet, an 8 inch pruning saw and model 3004-20, is hard to beat. It is almost unfair to call it a pruner, because while it shares the general form factor of the popular mini chainsaws on the market, its performance is on another level.

Extensive use and plenty of cut wood have shown it is useful as a pruner, but it also goes further. Landscaping crews can use it for limbing on the ground or even working at height. In many ways it bridges the gap between pruners and something like a top-handle chainsaw.

Pricing is $279 as a bare tool, $528 with an 8 amp hour high output battery and charger, or $579 with a 12 amp hour high output battery and charger.

Best Battery Chainsaw for the Money: EGO CS1611

If you want maximum bang for your buck, the EGO 56V 16 inch battery powered chainsaw, model CS1611, is the one to get. EGO already had a solid 16 inch saw on the market, but the 2022 update raised performance to the point where it can compete with and even beat some gas saws in the 40cc class.

Kit options all sit under $300: $239 as a bare tool, $279 with a 2.2 amp hour battery and charger, or $299 with a 4 amp hour battery and charger, which gives you the most runtime.

Best Budget Battery Chainsaw: Skil CS4555-10

Nobody likes to call anything cheap, so consider this the best budget battery powered chainsaw on the market. The Skil Power Core 40, a 14 inch cordless chainsaw, model CS4555-10, delivers solid capability for the money.

It is available as a kit that includes a 2.5 amp hour battery, making it a straightforward choice for homeowners who want a capable saw without a big investment.

Best Battery Chainsaw for Professionals: Stihl MSA 300 C-O

For pros ready to bring battery into their system, the Stihl 36 volt brushless 20 inch chainsaw, the MSA 300 C-O, is the tool. The big deal here is that it finally hits the farm and ranch class with a brushless tool that has the power and performance professionals want. It is one of the three most powerful models currently available, a category that also includes DeWalt and Greenworks commercial-level models.

The MSA 300 has three cutting modes so you can prioritize performance or runtime, something not commonly seen on other cordless models. An LCD screen shows which mode you are in, along with power on/off, chain brake position, and low oil alert indicators.

Pricing is about $790 for the bare tool, and it is worth considering the AP 500S battery pack for extra capability. That pack is also compatible with other Stihl tools.

Buying Advice

A few quick pointers when choosing among these. Match bar length to your actual workload: 8 to 12 inches covers pruning and light cutting, 14 to 16 inches handles most home firewood and felling tasks, and 16 inches or more suits serious professional use. If you already own batteries from a given brand, staying on that platform saves real money. And for professionals, cutting modes and battery pack compatibility across a tool lineup matter as much as raw power.

Conclusion

Battery powered chainsaws now cover everything from one-handed pruning to full farm-and-ranch class professional work. The Husqvarna T540i XP leads the top-handle class, the Stihl MSA 300 C-O is the professional benchmark, the EGO CS1611 offers the best value, and the Skil CS4555-10 keeps things affordable. Pick the one that matches how you actually cut, and going battery will feel less like a compromise and more like an upgrade.