Our 7 Best Garage Door Opener Picks (2024)

Automatic garage door openers are convenient tools that allow you to open your garage doors with the push of a button. Typically, you can expect to spend anywhere from $125 to $175 for a budget-friendly opener, while heavy-duty models can run for as much as $500. Most garage door openers fall into the $200 to $400 range.

To help you narrow down your options and find the best garage door opener for your needs, I researched the top models available. Overall, my top choice is the Chamberlain B6753T Smart Garage Door Opener, which comes with a variety of useful accessories and has a a powerful lifting function. Read the guide below for more of my top picks.

Top 7 Garage Door Openers

• Best Overall: Chamberlain B6753T Smart 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 for Large Vehicles: LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series Jackshaft Operator
• Best Value: CRAFTSMAN Smart Garage Door Opener

Best Overall

What Are People Saying About the Chamberlain B6753T Smart Garage Door Opener?

I found that customers who gave this product a positive review liked that it was easy to install, ran quietly, and had a sturdy belt. Several were also impressed with the dual LED lighting’s brightness level. However, there were some complaints from customers that this opener was slow to open, and others said were disappointed by the extra cost associated with the camera and video storage.

“I installed this opener a year ago, and it has worked well. I love the remote open and close feature from the app. It’s literally a second delay and it opens. The camera view is helpful when needing to close the door and you’re not home (or laying in bed and don’t want to get up). The opener is belt driven and is pretty quiet. The controls are simple, and the LED light output is good. I especially like that the light comes on when someone walks through the safety beam at the base of the door opening.” — SRYAN via Amazon

“Door opener works great and quiet … Connecting to Internet is terrible. Keeps disconnecting. Price of camera video storage fee to cloud is ludicrous. Better off buying a separate camera and set alarm for motion in garage. … Would have been good if they provided a USB port for free video storage” — Kim Blair via Amazon

Best For Light Doors

What Are People Saying About the Chamberlain B550 Garage Door Opener?

In my research, I found that 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.

“Solid build quality and easily installed to replace a chain drive unit that failed. The opener came with 2 remote openers, and a wireless remote opener and paired easily with 3 cars using their Homelink system. The opener is really quiet compared to the failed chain opener, and everyone comments on the quietness. The app works well and is essentially another wireless opener that can be used anywhere in the world to open, close or check the status of the door position. So far, we are very happy with this opener.” — mrblase via Amazon

“I used to really like this garage door opener – I have recently bought four of them across several houses, mostly because of the Wi-Fi connectivity. However, their app is very poor. It often doesn’t work at all, it’s hard to manage or change anything once the door is set up, and it’s yet one more app to manage across my smart home ecosystem.” — CaseJ via Amazon

Best Voice Assistance

What Are People Saying About the Genie 7155-TKV Garage Door Opener?

Positive reviews I found highlighted how quiet this garage door opener’s motor was and how high-quality its materials were for the money. In addition, many said that it was easy to install. However, some customers had issues connecting it to or using it with Amazon Alexa, and others were disappointed by its lack of motion-sensing light.

“…The opener works great. The wireless exterior keypad works great. The included garage door openers for your car work great and from a greater distance than my old system. I have it connected to Wi-Fi and am able to control it through the app as well as through Siri voice commands, which is nice if your hands are full. I highly recommend this device.” — jsflaw via Amazon

“This is a very quiet garage door opener. I bought it to replace a 10-year-old Chamberlain, which had worked fine until it died recently…. This one, however, does not have a motion-sensing light. So if you open it, the light comes on but will turn off after a few minutes. Then you’re left in the dark. I’ve been so used to having garage openers with motion sensors for decades, so this was personally very frustrating to me.” — PT via Amazon

Easiest Installation

What Are People Saying About the beamUP BU100 Garage Door Opener?

I found that 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.

“Not only is this opener very powerful for its size, but it’s also quiet, and the instructions were extremely clear and easy to follow. The whole process only took about 45 minutes. I absolutely recommend this opener. It works flawlessly. The LED light in this is really bright!” — R Pangle via Amazon

“..Parts were missing (supposed to come with 6 nuts and bolts only came with 4 of each). We also got halfway through installation and found we needed some type of bar to mount the opener to the ceiling. At the beginning, it stated we may need a hack saw, but never said we may need anything else until halfway through, and even then, it didn’t clearly say we would need it. My husband had to try to install it to find we absolutely needed it. Also, the wireless portion would not work.” — Ashley Hendrickson via Amazon

Best Sensors

What Are People Saying About the Skylink Atoms ATR-1611C Garage Door Opener?

Positive reviews raved about this opener’s minimal noise, sensitive motion, 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, and others were frustrated by its sensitive motion sensor.

“I was a little skeptical about the power of the unit since it’s so small. But it made a believer out of me. It opens and closes my garage door with ease. And best of all, it’s super quiet. That’s what amazed me the most. I wouldn’t even know it was operating if I didn’t see the garage door going up. The installation takes a little bit of figuring out, but nothing more than another opener would entail. Putting together the track and figuring out where everything goes overall took me about 45 minutes to an hour, so not bad.” — Amazon Customer via Amazon

“I don’t like that when someone trips the sensor when the door is opening, the door automatically closes. It closed on my car when I tried to enter the garage because it must not have opened completely, so when I crossed that line, it just closed on my car. But other than that, it’s working fine.” — joshua sutton via Amazon

Best for Large Vehicles

Good for: Truck and van owners looking for a wall-mounted opener that frees up ceiling space.  

What Are People Saying About the LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series Jackshaft Operator?

I found that customers who were pleased with this product said that it ran quietly and that it had straightforward installation. Several others were impressed with its durable design and ability to work on heavy doors. However, there were some customers who were disappointed by the extra fees needed to get this opener to work on older car remotes. Others had issues with the emergency cord not functioning properly. 

“This is a great product. I was able to install in a few hours (most of the work was in hiding the wiring, not the installation itself.) I had a small space to install but it fit right in. Now I don’t have the ugly old garage door opener hanging from my ceiling. I now have a super quiet, clean installation opener and couldn’t be happier. I love the ability to have the door close itself after a predetermined time, as well as the internet connectivity (I also purchased the My-Q internet gateway). I set it up to message me each time the door opens and am able to customize times to allow this. The app is free, and no subscription is required. Another bonus is the auto-locking feature when the door is closed.” —Frederick Irvine via Amazon

“Chamberlain’s new interface is not compatible with older vehicle integrated garage door openers and require a $120 additional investment in MyQ Bridge and a repeater to make it work. Chamberlain documentation is poor and you have to find a knowledgeable tech to find out how to make this work. Shame on Chamberlain for not making this product backward compatible.” —Rocket Man via Amazon

Best Value

Good for: Homeowners looking for a straightforward garage door opener with smartphone compatibility. 

What Are People Saying About the CRAFTSMAN Smart Garage Door Opener?

I noted that several customers who gave this garage door opener a positive review were impressed with its easy assembly and that it ran quietly. Others appreciated how bright its lighting was. However, others felt this product was not durable and that it was made cheaply. Some found the remote finicky and said it didn’t always work properly. 

“Unit works great. Easy to install if you [are] swapping out an old unit. Easy to set up and adjust. Love that I can open it and get notifications with my smartphone. Have had a couple of months and no issues. Great quality.” — D. Porter via Amazon

“This unit seems to function ok, the (only issue) is that compared to the Craftsman opener I am replacing, which is around 20 years old, this one is made as cheap as possible. The old one is heavy duty compared.” — edwin via Amazon

What To Know Before Buying a Garage Door Opener

What are the types of drive types in garage door openers?

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: Direct drive is slightly more expensive than 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.

What are the various motor types in garage door openers?

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.

How do you determine the power level of a garage door opener?

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, I 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.

How are garage door openers controlled?

Keyless entry is the norm for residential garage door openers, so you’ll usually receive at least one remote control door controller and one keypad with your purchase. The remote goes inside of your garage, allowing you to open your garage from within your home. If you have more than one remote, you can leave the extra ones on your keychain, in your car, or in your bag. The keypad is usually placed right outside of the garage door. To use your keypad, you can lift its cover and type in the code. Newer garage door openers often have smart features and are sometimes compatible with Wi-Fi and can be controlled with a smartphone app or by smart devices like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

What’s the installation process like for a garage door opener?

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, master electrician for Ask This Old House, 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 Ask This Old House showing how to replace your garage door opener.

Frequently Asked Questions

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 are usually set on a timer and will automatically turn off after a set period of time, typically 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.

Our Methodology

This Old House has empowered homeowners and DIY-ers for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement advice in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content. Our team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content. To date, we’ve published over 1,600 reviews on products in the home space, including power tools, outdoor equipment, major appliances, kitchen gadgets, electronics, and more that focus on product quality and helpfulness to our readers.

To provide our readers with the best recommendations possible, we rely on several key sources of information to help guide our selection process.

Initial Research: Our research process began by generating a list of garage door openers with a significant number of verified buyer reviews and an average customer review rating of 4–5 stars. We looked at positive and negative reviews alike, focusing on information from both satisfied and critical buyers. 

Expert Insights: To complement our in-house expertise, our team looked at reviews and videos from trusted publications and independent testers, spoke with subject matter experts, and drew insights from reader contributions.

Final Product Selection: We then began fine-tuning our list by replacing older models with the latest versions and eliminating any discontinued models. From there, we compared each model’s feature set to create a final short list, selecting the best-in-class options for various buyers, budgets, and scenarios.

Once we conclude our research, we craft a comprehensive, user-friendly article of recommended products and additional information to help our readers make the right purchase.

Questions or Comments?

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.