The large interest in robot hands and active hand prostheses has in recent years been joined by that in active hand orthoses. Despite the differences in intended uses, these three categories of artificial hand devices share key characteristics. Examination of the commonalities could stimulate future design. Thus, in this article, we undertook a comparative review of publications describing robot hands, active prostheses, and active orthoses, with a focus on mechanical structure, actuation principle, and transmission. Out of a total of 510 papers identified through the literature search, 72 publications were included in a focused examination. We identified trends in the design of artificial hands and gaps in the literature. After comparing their mechanical aspects, we propose recommendations for future development.