A stair lift - also known as chair lift or stair glider - is a device that lifts people and wheelchairs up and down stairs. Users typically sit on a chair that travels along an aluminium or steel rail attached to the treads of the stairs by metal brackets (cleats). Rails can also be fixed to walls if necessary; they can also cope with curved staircases and obstructions such as doors and posts. Hinges allow sections of the rail to be folded out of the way when not in use.

The stair lift commonly comprises a seat with arms and footrest, though some stair lifts have a stand-on platform. Cables, chains or rack and pinion systems pull the stair lift along the rail on small rollers. Conventional stair lifts have the seat at right angles to the rail but to enable the passenger to get off safely, the seat can swivel and lock on arrival at the landing.

Curved rail stairlifts for domestic premises are generally more expensive than the straight rail types, since they have to be individually manufactured to fit a certain staircase after careful measurement. They also take longer to install.

For outdoor purposes, there are weatherproof stair lift models that are otherwise similar to indoor stairlifts. Wheelchair platform lifts are usually to be found outside the home in public access buildings. These often incorporate ramps and are necessarily more robust than domestic models, being of sufficient size to transport a wheelchair and its occupant. Some stairlifts have a tray to transport goods instead of people and these are particularly useful on industrial and commercial premises.

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