The 5 Quietest Garage Door Openers You Can Find

There are few devices in the house that are more easily overlooked than one’s garage door opener. After all, this isn’t exactly the kind of thing that you pay attention to when things are going correctly. In fact, one of the ways to know that you have a good garage door opener is whether or not you can notice it working when you’re not using the device. A good garage door opener should be as close to silent as possible so that you won’t have to worry about disturbing everyone in your home every time you open your garage.

Figuring out what type of quiet garage door opener can be tough, though, so creating a solid guide seemed like the right thing to do. In this guide, you’ll learn what makes a great quiet garage door opener, what brands you need to look at to get the most for your money, and the differences between models on the market.

#1 Quietest Garage Door Opener

If you don’t have time to look at all of the quiet garage door openers out there, you can start with the best on the market. At the moment, nothing is is really better than the LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series 8500 Jackshaft Operator. It’s much quieter than you might imagine, but still has all of the power you’ll need from a garage door opener This is simply the best fit for the average consumer, even if another garage door opener might be better for those who have extremely specific needs.

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What To Look For

If you aren’t sure exactly what separates a good, quiet garage door opener from a must-buy unit, it’s a good idea to look at the major factors that define such machines. Below are four factors at which you should look, each of which might be more important to some users than others when choosing a garage door opener. Once you know that at which you are looking, though, you’ll be able to make an informed choice and you’ll ultimately be able to find the garage door opener that really fits your needs.

Noise

Noise is the biggest issues when you’re looking for a garage door opener that is marketed specifically as a silent opener. The bad news is that there’s really no such thing as a truly silent garage door opener – after all, you’re moving a fairly massive amount of metal or wood when you open your garage door. Quiet can range from “barely audible” to “just quieter than average”, though, so you’ll want to read user reviews to figure this one out. It’s also a good idea to look at whether or not the garage door opener will put out a lot of vibration, as this will also impact how much the garage door opener bothers those inside your home.

Motor

The good news is that the vast majority of garage door opener systems are powerful enough to lift almost any garage door installed in the average home. Power does, however, tend to matter when you’re talking about speed. The more horsepower and torque behind a garage door opener, the faster it should be able to open your garage door. The speed difference can range from the major to the imperceptible, so don’t forget to look at the numbers when you’re doing your research for a new garage door opener.

Drive

One aspect that can have quite a large impact on noise level is the type of drive that the garage door opener uses. Belt drive systems are by far the quietest (of course with some exceptions, like my #1 choice which uses a specialized jack drive). The reason is that a belt drive mechanism uses rubber at the contact point, while most other designs use metal on metal. Belt drive systems do have their drawbacks, and they should be considered as well. However, if quiet is the name of the game then belt drive is the standard at a minimum, though

Power

While the motor might determine how much weight the garage door opener can pull, the power requirements will tell you a lot about the reliability of the unit. The vast majority of garage door opener units are just going to plug into a standard power outlet and won’t require any type of special electrical engineering to install. It is, however, important to figure out what you’ll need to do in order to make sure the garage door opener keeps working if the power goes out. The options here range from simply having a manual override switch to having battery back-ups, so make sure you do a little reading to determine if the options available fit your needs.

Extra Features

There are a fair number of extra features that ship alongside most garage door openers. In truth, most of them are nothing to write home about – they’re so common that you’ll be more surprised see them missing than you’ll be to see them included. There are, however, a few extra features that you might find packed in with a garage door opener that can make a difference. Whether you’re interested in extra security features, extra lighting, or other features, there’s a good chance you’ll find them when you’re looking at some of the higher-end garage door openers out there.

My Selection of the Quietest Garage Door Openers

1. LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series 8500 Jackshaft Operator

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This garage door opener is listed as my best of the best, and for good reason. It’s a fantastic example of how a well-engineered garage door opener will make a difference in your home, especially if it makes use of some of the latest and greatest technologies. While it’s definitely one of the more over-engineered garage door opener models you’re going to see out there, you’ll nonetheless have a great experience with this top-of-the-line unit if you bring it home.

One thing you’ll notice about the garage door opener is that it’s actually fairly sleek compared to most garage door openers. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t powerful. You shouldn’t notice any major slowdown, especially when you’re looking at this unit compared to other quiet garage door openers. The good news is that the unit really is very quiet, going out of its way to eliminating both noise and vibration as it moves your garage door. It also has a great security system attached to the unit, ensuring that no unauthorized users will be able to access your garage.

There are downsides, of course. It’s not compatible with all types of garage doors so certain garage owners aren’t going to be able to use this machine. There are also some fairly major issues that surround the software that accompanies the unit, which can change over time. If you’re looking for something that’s going to be incredibly quiet and powerful, though, this might be a great choice. Just make sure that you have a garage door that will be able to work with this machine and you’ll get one of the quietest experiences on the market today.

2. Chamberlain B970 Smartphone-Controlled Ultra-Quiet and Strong Belt Drive Garage Door Opener

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It seems like every device out there is slowly but surely becoming app-enabled. While you might not have seen them before, app-enabled garage door openers are actually becoming quite popular. These garage door openers no longer need a clunky remote but can instead be used with your cell phone. One of the better units on the market is the B970 from Chamberlain, which is also a very quiet garage door opener. If you’re looking for a high-tech garage door opener, this might be one of the best choices for you.

If you’re shopping for a quiet garage door opener, the first thing you’ll be happy to know is that this unit is really is quite quiet. It’s incredibly well-engineered even beyond its cool extra features, allowing you to consistently get your garage door up and down without bothering everyone in your home. One of the most amusing features, though, is definitely the ability to check the status of the door when you’re away from home. No more will you have to wonder if you closed the garage door since the answer to the questions is only a few clicks away.

Unfortunately, the garage door opener isn’t perfect. While well-liked by most who’ve purchased the unit, there are a few common complaints. The big issue is with the extra features – not that they don’t work, but rather that you’ve got to pay for them. Many owners don’t like having to pay a subscription fee for their garage door opener, which is understandable. If you don’t pay the fee, though, you’ll still get access to a fantastic garage door that really is very quiet and that works well. Choose this one for the ease of use, not for the features for which you will have to pay every month.

3. SOMMER Direct Drive 1042V001 3/4 HP Garage Door Opener

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Simplicity can go a very long way when you’re looking for a quiet garage door opener. While this well-engineered unit from SOMMER might not have all of the bells and whistles that are present in some of the other units on this list, it’s definitely one of the quietest garage door openers out there. It really feels like this is one garage door opener that was created to be quiet first, and then to do the rest as an afterthought. For some, though, that’s an ideal situation – especially if they’re trying to avoid bothering everyone else in their homes.

On first glance, this doesn’t necessarily look like a very impressive garage door opener. While many units have become a little more aesthetically pleasing, this one looks minimalistic at best. What that means, though, is that there’s a lot less to go wrong. Instead, it just moves your garage door up and down with a minimum amount of noise – exactly what most people want at the end of the day. It’s reliable and relatively easy to install on your own, helping to prove that you don’t need a lot of extras to create a great garage door opener.

The lack of extras may not be for everyone, though. It’s certainly one of the more stripped-down units, so those who want lights or extra locking features really do need to look somewhere else. There are plenty of complaints that the garage door opener isn’t quite as robust as some of the others on the market, but the comparisons fall flat when you’re talking about how dependable the garage door opener really is. This isn’t garage door opener for those who need the fanciest unit on the market, but it might be one of the best for those who just want something that will quietly get the job done.

4. Chamberlain B730 Ultra-Quiet and Strong Belt Drive Garage Door Opener

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By this point, seeing the Chamberlain name should already give the consumer a bit of extra confidence. After all, the company is known for making excellent garage door openers and this unit is definitely par for the course in that regard. Billed as ultra-quiet for a reason, this is a favorite among users and a great example of what a good company can do with a little time and effort. Consider this to be another contender for the best of the best.

While the lack of noise is probably one of the most important selling features here, it’s not the only one with which consumers should be familiar. This is also an incredibly powerful garage door opener – it moves even heavy doors quickly and without jerking them up and down. The garage door also has a great range boost feature that allows users to open and close the door at a distance of up to fifteen hundred feet, ensuring that your garage door will always be in the position it needs to be even before you can see your house.

The bad news about this device is that it’s not truly a smart garage door opener. If you want to enable the smart features, you’ll need to buy an extra hub. Even if you make that purchase, getting it up and running will require a monthly subscription. As you might imagine, most people don’t look highly upon paying a monthly fee for a few extra garage door features. Fortunately, you really do get a great experience even if you don’t pay extra to make sure that your garage door is internet-enabled.

5. Ryobi Ultra-Quiet Garage Door Opener Model GD 200

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Ryobi’s entry into the ultra-quiet market is quite interesting. On one hand, Ryobi is one of those names that’s successfully been a part of the garage door world for many years. On the other, though, it’s never really been one to embrace a lot of innovation. This unit, while considered by some to be on the cutting-edge, is notable not because of its innovative features but rather because it gets the basics right. This is simply a quiet garage door opener no matter what else it attempts to be. Fortunately, this good enough for many buyers.

What you’re looking at here is, for the most part, exactly what Ryobi advertises the garage door opener as being. It’s very quiet, thanks in large part to some very fantastic engineering. It doesn’t come with all of the extra web features that you might see in some other garage door openers, of course, but it does work with wi-fi. It’s a half-step between an old-school garage door opener and some of the newer models, though you’ll likely get more out of the old-school features than most of the new. Again, though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The problems with this garage door opener really aren’t that big. Most people will notice some problems with the wi-fi function, which won’t bother you if you’re mostly using the remote to open and close your garage door. The more pressing issue, though, is that this model is largely discontinued. That means it’s very hard to find replacement parts on the shelf and that you’ll have to pay a premium if you want to make sure you can get the unit fixed. Fortunately, you should get several years’ worth of operational utility before you have to worry about any type of repair work.

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Wrapping Up

While the LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series 8500 Jackshaft Operator is definitely the best of the best, all of the quiet garage door openers on this list work very well. If you’re more concerned with online utility, simplicity, or just brand names, you may find that one of the others works well for you. What’s important, though, is that every one of these units really is quiet and that they will all help you to open and close your garage doors easily.

Remember, what works best for one homeowner won’t necessarily work best for you. Check out the features on each of these units and figure out which one fits your needs. When you look closely, you might find that one of these five garage door openers will make your life much easier, at least insofar as garage door openers are concerned.

Interesting in reading more? Check out my homepage to see my pick for today’s best garage door opener!

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