The short version
This question is really "which battery system should I marry," because once you own two batteries you'll buy every future tool in that brand. r/HomeImprovement's answer for a homeowner is Ryobi, and the reasoning is hard to argue with. Ryobi's ONE+ 18V batteries have fit every ONE+ tool since 1996 and still do. The catalog has over 300 tools, including the weird ones you'll want later: a glue gun, an inflator, a fan, a string trimmer. Batteries are the cheapest of any major brand. And Home Depot stocks all of it in every town.
The drill itself, around $100 as a kit with battery, charger, and bits, is plenty. One r/Tools poster who tested his Ryobi against a friend's DeWalt said "power wise it was very competitive." Shelves, furniture, deck screws, and a fence post or two don't come close to its limits.
The complaint about the winner
Ryobi is heavier and bulkier than DeWalt or Milwaukee for the same power, and the fit and finish is visibly cheaper. The brushed base models get hot on long jobs. Buy the HP brushless version if you can find it for a few dollars more.
If you want better, not cheaper
DeWalt's 20V Max DCD771C2 kit is also around $100 and includes two batteries. It's lighter, feels more solid, and DeWalt's 20V line is what most contractors carry, so parts and batteries will exist forever. The trade is a smaller and pricier ecosystem of homeowner-type tools, and DeWalt batteries have a reputation on r/Tools for shorter lifespan than Milwaukee's. For someone who wants one drill and maybe an impact driver, this is the better tool.
Why not the others
- Milwaukee M18 (around $180 to $250 for a drill kit): the best tools of the three, and everyone in these threads agrees a homeowner will never notice. You're paying tradesperson money for tradesperson durability.
- Black+Decker, Craftsman, Kobalt, Hart (around $60 to $90): all workable. None has Ryobi's catalog or DeWalt's build. Ryobi at $100 is the better version of the cheap choice.
- 12V drills of any brand as your only drill: fine for furniture, underpowered for deck screws and hole saws.
Which one for you
You'll buy more tools over the years and want them cheap: Ryobi ONE+. You want one excellent drill and maybe an impact driver, and weight matters: DeWalt DCD771C2. Skip Milwaukee unless you already own their batteries.