Dozens of gutter guard brands claim to be the “best on the market.” While all gutter guards can help protect your gutter system and reduce how often you need to get on the ladder, each type has unique benefits and drawbacks.
In most cases, we recommend choosing a stainless steel micro-mesh system for your home due to its performance and durability. LeafFilter is our top pick for professional gutter guard installations, and we like Raptor for DIY projects.
DIY guards are less expensive, but professionally installed products are often of higher quality. Some guard types, such as reverse curve, block larger debris, whereas micro-mesh products can block the smallest of debris.
To help you find a quality gutter guard for your home, we on the Homefront team researched the top gutter guard providers, surveyed more than 1,500 customers, and tested all standard gutter guard types. This article is a deep dive into our top picks for both professional and DIY brands.
Our top choices for gutter guards
When assessing a gutter guard for your home, consider how effectively it filters out debris and handles heavy rain. That will help you determine whether it’s worth the price.
The most effective types of gutter guards are generally those that use a stainless steel micro-mesh screen. These guards filter out large and small debris, handle rain well and suit various climates. These guards are easy to clean and long-lasting.
Gutter guards are worth the money as long as you understand what you’re getting. Some companies say you will never need to clean your gutters again. This claim isn’t true.
No gutter guard can completely remove the need for regular cleaning. However, gutter guards can reduce how often you need to clean your gutters and make that cleaning much easier.
Some gutter guards work better in heavy rainfall than others. For example, mesh, micro-mesh, screen and brush guards can handle heavy downpours. Foam, reverse-curve and lower-quality guards are susceptible to overflows during heavy rain.
Provider | Our Rating | Average Cost | Get Started |
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$4,484 | Start quote | ||
$4,014 | Start quote | ||
$3,546 | Start quote |
Best professionally installed gutter guard options
From locally owned mom and pop shops to national providers, the gutter guard industry offers many options for professional gutter installation. We’ve reviewed gutter installation companies by analyzing their products, services and customer reviews. Here is a look at our top three recommended gutter guard companies for professional installations.
Best DIY-installation gutter guard options
Although professional gutter guard companies offer high-quality products, long-lasting warranties and additional services, they come at a premium price. You may prefer DIY gutter guards if you’re seeking a less expensive option.
The quality among DIY brands varies wildly. To help you avoid purchasing a subpar product, review our top-rated and personally tested DIY gutter guards.
How we tested gutter guards
The Homefront team tested the primary types of gutter guards, including every DIY brand featured in this article. We purchased DIY gutter guards and installed them on a roof and gutter system model. Additionally, LeafFilter provided us with a floor model of its gutter guard system so we could test its professionally installed guard.
We put each guard through a series of tests to determine its effectiveness and performance. Here is an overview of the tests we performed:
- Installation difficulty: This test determines how difficult it is to install a DIY guard on existing gutter systems. We affixed standard 5-inch, vinyl, K-style gutters with hidden hangers to our model roofing system. We installed the guards on these gutters by following the instructions as closely as possible.
- Debris filtration test: We applied an assortment of debris to the guard, including deciduous tree leaves, pine needles, pine cones, seedpods, twigs and shingle grit. We applied water to observe which materials passed through the filter.
- Durability and quality inspection: We thoroughly inspected each guard for structural weaknesses, material quality and other design factors that could impact performance. If we noticed any potential problems, we applied a stress test to check whether the guard could be easily damaged, warped or bent.
- Water flow test: We applied water at varying speeds and intensities to the roof and gutter system to simulate different levels of rainfall.
- Cleanability test: We applied water directly to the debris atop the guard to see how easily it was pushed off to the ground. If any debris remained, we used a brush or gloved hands to remove it and noted how difficult it was to dislodge.
Making an informed choice: A guide to gutter guards
Gutter guards can be a steep investment, and you have many brands and models to choose from. Below, we’ll outline the most important considerations for selecting a gutter guard and common questions you may have about this home improvement project.
What should you look for when buying gutter guards?
In addition to choosing between a DIY or professionally installed gutter guard, you’ll also want to carefully select the best material and design for your home.
Material
The material of a gutter guard determines its durability, how long it will last and what kind of climate conditions it will withstand. Gutter guards made from lower-quality materials, such as plastic, PVC or vinyl, will break down sooner and will not withstand harsh conditions.
Metals such as aluminum and stainless steel can be a great choice. Aluminum is corrosion-resistant and lightweight but is more fragile and susceptible to damage. Stainless steel is our top recommended gutter guard material. It’s long-lasting, corrosion-resistant, rust-resistant and durable.
Design
Gutter guards come in various designs, each with unique benefits and drawbacks. Consider your climate region and surrounding foliage to determine the right guard design for your home.
Here is an overview of the main gutter guard types, all of which we’ve tested:
- Brush gutter guards: These guards resemble large pipe cleaners with thick plastic bristles. Brush guards are inexpensive and easy to install, but because their design intentionally clogs with debris, they must be cleaned more often than other guards. We recommend these guards if you’re looking for an inexpensive, easy-to-install solution.
- Foam gutter guards: These guards resemble large, triangular foam blocks. Foam guards allow water to pass through and block almost all debris. They’re inexpensive and relatively effective but degrade in sunlight, which means they need to be replaced every few years. Foam guards are well-suited for short-term installations but become expensive as time passes and you continuously replace them.
- Screen gutter guards: Screen guards are thin metal sheets with perforated holes. They’re durable and easy to clean. However, the holes are too large to prevent small debris, such as pine needles or seedpods, from entering your gutters. These guards may be a good fit for your home if you have oak or other deciduous trees around your property but not pine trees.
- Mesh gutter guards: Mesh-style gutter guards use interwoven metal or plastic wires to create a mesh filter. These guards can handle heavy downpours and block large- to medium-size debris. However, pine needles, seedpods and shingle grit can get through. We recommend these guards if you live in a climate with heavy rainfall.
- Reverse-curve gutter guards: Reverse-curve gutter guards, also called gutter helmets, are large plastic or aluminum caps that attach to the top of your gutters. They use the scientific principle of liquid adhesion and surface tension to block debris, promote water flow and self-clean. These guards are the most durable because they act as a shield on your gutters. We recommend reverse-curve guards if you have trees directly over your homes or live in a high-wind area.
- Micro-mesh gutter guards: These guards are functionally similar to mesh guards but have a much finer filter. The fine mesh on these guards is the most effective at keeping out small debris, including pine needles and shingle grit. However, they’re the most expensive.
What maintenance is needed on gutter guards?
While some companies advertise that you’ll never need to clean your gutters again after installing their guards, this isn’t true. No matter how effective the product, gutter guards cannot completely replace the need for regular gutter cleaning and maintenance. However, they make cleaning easier and less frequent.
Without gutter guards, it’s recommended that you clean your gutters at least twice per year. With a good set of gutter guards, you can clean them once every year or two. Instead of grabbing a scoop and digging debris out of your gutter system, you can brush the debris off the top of the guard or spray it down with a hose.
How long do gutter guards usually last?
The life expectancy of gutter guards varies depending on their material and your home’s location. Lower-quality materials such as plastic or PVC last between five to 10 years. Metal gutter guards such as aluminum or stainless steel can last 10 to 20 years. Your climate, surrounding foliage and level of maintenance also impact how long they last.
What are some common problems with gutter guards?
You may experience numerous pitfalls when purchasing or maintaining your gutter guard system. These issues can range from untrustworthy providers to misconceptions about maintenance. Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter when installing a gutter guard:
Scammy or untrustworthy companies
Most companies in the gutter guard industry are reliable and trustworthy. But, as in all home improvement fields, bad actors exist. Be wary of the following signs that may indicate you’re working with an untrustworthy contractor:
- They avoid written contracts.
- They demonstrate little to no previous work history.
- They lack insurance or licensing.
- They require money upfront.
- They use aggressive or high-pressure sales tactics.
Ice dams
Some gutter guards, such as reverse-curve and micro-mesh guards, can contribute to the formation of ice dams, or ice that forms at your roof edge and prevents melting snow from draining. Most ice dams stem from improper attic ventilation.
We recommend ensuring your attic is properly ventilated to protect against ice dams. If you have reverse-curve or micro-mesh guards installed and are experiencing ice dams, you can use a product called heat tape to counteract the issue.
Pollen and salty air
Weather conditions can cause gutter guards to degrade more quickly than usual. The two biggest culprits are heavily pollinating trees and air with a higher salinity (salt).
Some types of pollen produce heavily acidic compounds when they build up and break down, which will cause your gutter guards to corrode more quickly. To prevent pollen buildup, trim overhanging trees and clean your gutters regularly.
If you live within a few miles of a coastline, the air is more saturated with sea salt, which also corrodes gutter guards. If you live in a coastal area, we recommend using PVC or plastic gutter guards over metal ones.
How much do gutter guards typically cost?
The cost of gutter guards will vary depending on numerous factors, including your home’s total length of guttering, your chosen brand, the type of gutter guard and your roof pitch.
According to our survey of 1,500 customers of major gutter guard companies, the average price to install a 200-linear-foot gutter guard system is between $3,500 and $4,500.
We also looked at the prices of each DIY brand on Amazon and noted they range from about $200 to $750 to buy enough materials to cover 200 linear feet of guttering.
Final take: Micro-mesh gutter guards are your best bet
Based on our research, survey results and firsthand testing, stainless steel micro-mesh gutter guards come out on top. This guard type blocked the most debris and promoted efficient water filtration during our testing. Micro-mesh guards typically receive the best customer reviews. We recommend LeafFilter and Gutter Guards America for professionally installed micro-mesh guards, and Raptor offers a quality DIY alternative.
While we recommend micro-mesh for most gutter protection needs, the best gutter guard for your home depends on factors including your climate and surrounding foliage. Other types of guards, such as the reverse-curve product offered by LeafGuard, also perform well.
To determine which company is the right fit for your gutter system, we recommend scheduling at-home inspections with a few providers. They will inspect your gutter system and provide personalized quotes for the cost of installing gutter guards on your home.
Our rating methodology for gutter guards
To connect consumers with the right gutter protection solutions, we research and rate both professional gutter guard providers and do-it-yourself (DIY) products. Our aim is to provide thorough yet digestible information you need before investing in gutter guards.
We synthesize this information into review standards that focus on key aspects of the gutter guard buying experience and score each company out of 100. This score translates to the 5-star rating you see in our reviews. Professional providers and DIY products require slightly different analyses, which you can read more about in our full methodology.
BBB and other third-party ratings are accurate as of December 2023.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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