The 5 Best Garage Door Openers 2023 Review

Top 5 Garage Door Openers

Best Kit: Chamberlain B970 Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener Best For Light Doors: Chamberlain B550 Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener Best Voice Assistance: Genie 7155-TKV StealthDrive Connect Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener Easiest Installation: beamUP The Workhorse BU100 Sectional Garage Door Opener Best Sensors: Skylink Atoms ATR-1611C Garage Door Opener

Best Kit: Chamberlain B970 Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes with a battery backup to keep opener working during a power outage✔ Has a remote range of up to 1,500 feet✔ Works in heat, humidity, and other extreme weather conditions ✘ The smartphone app requires a subscription to use some of its features✘ Has a somewhat older-looking design

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews highlighted that this garage door opener was easy to install and convenient and reliable to use. Many reviews noted that it was ultra-quiet and worked well in cold weather. Negative reviews criticized this product for requiring a subscription to use certain features on the smartphone app.

Best For Light Doors: Chamberlain B550 Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes with a wireless keypad✔ Remote-access accessories send an encrypted code to the opener to prevent hacking✔ Comes with online videos to make installation easier ✘ Does not come with a battery backup✘ Some customers found the installation instructions to be confusing

What Customers Are Saying

Satisfied customers pointed out that this smart garage door had excellent motion detection and a minimal noise level. Many noted that it was easy to install as well. However, other customers didn’t like that they had to purchase a subscription to use all of the functions in the included app. They also said that the installation instructions were difficult to understand.

Best Voice Assistance: Genie 7155-TKV StealthDrive Connect Smartphone-Controlled Garage Door Opener

Pros and Cons

✔ Includes five lithium batteries✔ Comes with two pre-programmed remotes✔ Motor has lifting power equivalent to 1.25 horsepower

What Customers Are Saying

Easiest Installation: beamUP The Workhorse BU100 Sectional Garage Door Opener

Pros and Cons

✔ Is strong enough to work on single- and double-garage doors✔ Comes in multiple styles✔ Has a sleek white design ✘ Some customers had issues connecting the device to HomeLink✘ Comes with fewer accessories than some other garage door openers in this review

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews raved about this garage door opener’s easy installation and quiet DC motor. Many also said that they were pleased with the company’s customer service. Unsatisfied customers noted that this garage door opener model wouldn’t connect to HomeLink. Some customers were also missing installation pieces and accessories.

Best Sensors: Skylink Atoms ATR-1611C Garage Door Opener

In addition to a one-button remote and keychain fob, this garage door opener comes with two infrared sensors. These sensors snap onto your garage door to ensure that there aren’t obstructions that would prevent the door from opening or closing. The opener also has an integrated LED light for better garage visibility.

Pros and Cons

✔ Is less expensive than some other, similar garage door openers✔ Includes a fab that attaches to your keychain✔ Works with in-car remotes without extra hardware ✘ The backup battery is sold separately ✘ Does not feature smart technology

What Customers Are Saying

Positive reviews raved about this opener’s minimal noise, sensitive motion detection, and easy installation. Other reviews believed that this garage door opener was high-quality considering its cost. In contrast, negative reviews said that their model stopped working after a short period of time.

Buyer’s Guide

In addition to choosing the two main components of your garage door opener—the drive and the motor—you’ll also want to consider power, control, and installation.

Drive Type

The drive is the mechanism that lifts your garage door. There are four drive types of garage door openers, but only the first three are used in homes.

Chain: Chain drive garage door openers are typically the least expensive type, but requires periodic maintenance to ensure the chain still works. Direct/screw: This type is slightly more expensive than a chain drive, but it doesn’t require maintenance and has quiet operation. Belt: Belt drive garage door openers often have a high price point, but they can be worth the extra cost because of their durability, lack of maintenance requirements, and smooth and silent operation. Jackshaft: This type of drive is used in commercial settings with heavy doors. They’re secure, but they are loud and require maintenance.

Motor Type

Garage door openers have two types of motors: AC and DC.

AC: AC motors have been used in garage openers for years. They’re cheap and reliable, but they can be large and noisy. DC: Newer garage door openers have DC motors that improve upon AC motors by being smaller and quieter.

Power

Garage door openers with AC motors measure their power in horsepower (HP). DC motors technically can’t be rated using HP, so they use horsepower similar (HPS) or horsepower comparable (HPC). These measurements allow you to compare AC motors to DC motors when looking at several models next to each other. Below, we break down power into categories and explain what types of garage doors these categories can handle.

¼ HP: These motors are only powerful enough to open light aluminum doors slowly. ½ HP: This type of motor works well with a variety of garage door materials except for solid wood. ¾ HP: This type of motor smoothly and quickly opens residential garage doors of every material. 1 HP: These are most often found in commercial settings, but you can find residential ones if you have a particularly heavy door.

Control

Installation

Garage door openers come with step-by-step instructions for easy installation. If you have trouble installing the opener, contact the manufacturer for help or get a professional to install it for you.

How To Replace a Garage Door Opener

Replacing a garage door opener once you’ve bought a newer model can be tricky if you’re looking to DIY. Thankfully, Scott Caron over at ThisOldHouse.com has you covered with detailed instructions about how you can swap out your garage door opener in no time.

The first thing you should do is to ensure the power to the garage is turned off at the circuit panel Next, unplug your existing garage door opener and loosen the brackets securing it. Gently lower it down from the ceiling. Using an open-ended adjustable wrench, loosen the bracket and remove the bracket on and above the door. Next, using a screw gun, install the bracket that comes with the opener over your garage door Slide the track into the bracket and secure it with a wrench Using your wrench, screw in the new motor into the existing brackets on your ceiling Following that, connect the lifting arm from the door to the track Next, wire the keypad inside of the garage Run the wire through a conduit to connect it to the garage door motor Using a screw gun, mount the wireless keypad outside of the garage About six inches from the floor in the inside of the garage, mount the electric eyes Finally, plug the motor into a power outlet and turn the power back on. Test it to make sure it’s working properly

If you’d like to see how it’s done, here is a video from This Old House showing how to replace your garage door opener.

Will my garage door opener work if the power is out?

Since garage door openers are connected to your home’s electrical system, they usually won’t work if the power is out. However, you can find some models that have a manual release for you to pull the door up or down yourself. Some also come with a battery backup to keep the system running until the power comes back on.

Do garage door openers have lights?

Yes. Almost all garage door openers have a built-in light that turns on while you’re operating them. These lights usually turn off automatically after a few minutes.

Do garage door openers have a reverse mechanism?

In 1993, a United States law was written to require all garage door openers to have a reverse mechanism. This reverse mechanism forces the door to go back up if it senses an object or person blocking the garage. This prevents anyone from getting injured and any item from getting damaged.

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