When it comes time to replace your garage door opener, you may be wondering which type of opener is best for you. There are a few factors to consider when making your decision, such as the size of your door, the horsepower and lifting capacity you need, and whether you want a battery backup.
You also need to decide if you want a smart garage door opener that can be controlled with your voice or smartphone. To help you make the best decision, we’ve put together a list of the best garage door openers, based on our findings.
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What to Consider When Choosing the Best Garage Door Opener
Modern garage door openers come with a variety of features and benefits. Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing the best garage door opener for your needs.
Types of Garage Door Openers
There are three different types of garage door openers: chain-driven, belt-driven, and direct-drive.
Chain-Driven Openers
A chain-driven opener is the most common type of opener. It uses a metal chain to move the trolley along the rail. Chain-driven openers are durable and reliable, but they can be noisy. They are also the most common.
Belt-Driven Openers
A belt-driven opener uses a rubber belt to move the trolley along the rail. Belt-driven openers are quieter than chain-driven openers, but they’re more expensive.
Direct-Drive Openers
A direct-drive opener has a motor that moves the trolley along the rail. Direct-drive openers are the quietest type of opener, but they’re also the most expensive.
How to Choose the Best Garage Door Opener
Now that you know the different types of garage door openers, here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the best one for your needs.
Size of the Door
The size of your garage door will determine the horsepower and lifting capacity you need in an opener. A heavyweight door requires a more powerful opener combined with powerful garage door springs.
Horsepower and Lifting Capacity
While horsepower is important, it’s the garage door springs that do most of the heavy lifting. For most residential garage doors, a 1/2 horsepower opener is sufficient. If you have a heavyweight door or you go in and out of the house several times a day you may need a 3/4 or 1 horsepower opener.
Battery Backup
If you live in an area with frequent power outages or wildfires you’ll want to consider a garage door opener with a battery backup. These units will keep your garage door working even when the power is out.
In fact, for many areas where wildfires are common, all new garage door openers must have a battery backup.
Smart Garage Door Opener
A smart garage door opener can be controlled with your voice or smartphone. These units are convenient and can add an extra layer of security to your home.
You can check to see if your garage door is open or closed, and you can even open or close the door remotely to let in friends and family.
Some smart garage door openers also come with features like a camera so you can see who’s at the door, and some will even automatically close the door after it’s been opened for a certain amount of time.
Safety and Security
When choosing a garage door opener, safety and security are important considerations. Look for an opener with an automatic reversal feature that will stop the door from closing if something is in the way.
You should also consider an opener with rolling code technology. This feature changes the code that is sent to the opener every time it’s used, so it can’t be copied by someone who is trying to break into your home.
Price
The price of a garage door opener can range from $100 to $1,000. The type of opener you choose, the features you want, and the size of your garage door will all affect the price.
How We Decided
To choose the best garage door openers, we looked at a variety of factors, including the type of opener, the features offered, the size of the door, and the price. We also read through hundreds of customer reviews to get feedback on how these units perform in real-world use.
The 4 Best Garage Door Openers
Here are our top picks for the best garage door openers:
Best for Single Doors – Genie Chain Drive 550 Garage Door Opener
The Genie Chain Drive 550 Garage Door Opener is a simple and reliable unit that gets the job done. It comes with two key fobs, a wall switch, and a keypad, so you can give your kids the code for easy access when they come home to visit. It’s easy to install, with clear and straightforward instructions, and it’s small and lightweight so it’s easy to hang from the ceiling when installing. However, it does not have a battery backup, so it cannot be used in the State of California. Additionally, Genie’s phone service for help can be slow (use their online chat for a faster response). Finally, while this opener is made to be economical and easy to ship, the materials are not as heavy and durable as the next unit discussed below.
Pros
- Very quiet door opener
- a simple, reliable unit that gets the job done
- comes with two key fobs, a wall switch, and a keypad – give your kids the code for easy access when they come home to visit
- easy to install, clear straightforward instructions
- small and lightweight so it’s easier to hang from the ceiling when installing
- Genie is quick to help out with any product issues through their online chat (note con about phone service below)
Cons
- No battery backup – cannot be used in the State of California
- Genie phone service for help can be slow (use online chat for faster response)
- made to be economical and easy to ship so the materials are not as heavy and durable as the next unit discussed below
Best for Heavy Doors – Genie 7155-TKV Smart Garage Door Opener
The Genie 7155-TKV Smart Garage Door Opener is a strong and durable unit that is perfect for heavier doors. It comes with a battery backup, so it can be used in the State of California, and it also has wifi options that let you remotely open or close the door for visiting friends and family even while at work or out of the country. The only downside is that many people find the app complicated to use and prefer to set it up to work with Google Home or Amazon Alexa instead.
Pros
- Strong, durable materials to last longer on heavier doors
- Whopping 1.25 HP motor that’s still ultra quiet! Strong enough for decorative wooden doors or heavily insulated panel doors.
- Includes battery backup to protect you from power outages, wildfires, and more (can be used in the State of California that requires battery backup) – Battery functions up to 50 openings/closings without power
- Doesn’t have monthly fees like other wifi models (e.g. some MyQ systems)
- Wifi options let you remotely open or close the door for visiting friends and family even while at work or out of the country.
Cons
- Many don’t like the app so they set it up to work with Google Home or Alex instead (see Apple Homekit option below)
- Programming to work with Alexa or Google Home can be complicated and requires a learning curve at first (e.g. passwords will be required but can be turned off for easier use).
Best for Google Home – Genie 7155-TKV Smart Garage Door Opener
The Genie 7155-TKV Smart Garage Door Opener is a great choice not just for heavier doors, but also for those who want to use Google Home. This opener has wifi options that let you connect it to your Google Home app so you can remotely open or close the door for visiting friends and family even while at work or out of the country.
We’ve already covered the pros and cons above but wanted to separate this here as our top pick for an opener for android lovers.
Now on to apple lovers!
Best for Apple Homekit – Meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote
While there are a handful of openers that can work directly with the Apple Homekit we recommend going with your existing garage door opener and using the Meross Smart Remote to connect it to your Apple Home Kit. This way you don’t have to replace your opener if it’s working fine and you’ll save some money.
The Meross Smart Garage Door Opener Remote is a great choice for those who want to use Apple Homekit. It’s compatible with more than 200 brands of garage door openers and includes an extra door sensor. It’s also easy to install and takes only 20 minutes to set up. The downside is that Meross support isn’t as responsive as some other brands and it’s not as easy to install as MyQ technology.
Pros
- Doesn’t have monthly fees like other wifi models (e.g. some MyQ systems)
- Takes 20 minutes to setup
- Compatible with more than 200 brands of garage door openers. See the full list here – https://www.meross.com/support/Compatibility_Check
- Includes an extra door sensor so it can independently tell if the door is closed or not separate from what your existing opener can detect
- Works with Siri for easy voice control
Cons
- Meross support isn’t as responsive as some other brands
- Not as easy to install as MyQ tech (but doesn’t come with the monthly fee so more economical)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the best garage door opener depends on your needs. If you want an opener that’s compatible with Apple Homekit, we recommend going with your existing garage door opener and using the Meross Smart Remote to connect it to your Apple Home Kit. If you want an opener that’s compatible with Google Home, we recommend the Genie 7155-TKV Smart Garage Door Opener. And if you want an opener that’s durable and has a battery backup, we recommend the Genie 7155-TKV again.
But if you just need a simple economical opener that doesn’t require any extras, we recommend the Genie Chain Drive 550 Garage Door Opener.
