Anlin vs Milgard Windows: Services, Costs, and Quality Reviewed

Anlin Windows vs. Milgard Windows

When shopping for new windows for your home, you’ll want to find a company that offers the style of windows you want, is priced fairly, and offers high-quality products. Based on our research, Anlin Window Systems and Milgard Windows & Doors both seem to have good reputations and offer comparable products. Both are well-liked window manufacturers serving the western U.S., but for more details to help you make our decision, we have a full comparison of key factors in Anlin windows versus Milgard windows below.

Availability

When you’re buying windows, unless you want to go the DIY route, you need to buy them from a company that sells and installs its products in your region. Both Anlin and Milgard primarily serve the western U.S.

Anlin has dealers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Anlin dealers in Hawaii offer the company’s special Ali’i Extreme window style, built to withstand the island’s weather.

Milgard serves mostly the Pacific Northwest, but you can find Milgard locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Unlike Anlin, Milgard also sells windows in Canada, with certified dealer locations in Vancouver and Calgary.

As noted above, Anlin is more widely available, with locations in 12 states, while Milgard is available in seven U.S. states and two Canadian cities.

Inventory

When replacing windows, you’ll probably want to find the same style of window to save yourself the additional time and trouble of fitting a new size or style window into your wall. For new construction, you may want unique window styles or may use a variety of styles throughout the home. Anlin and Milgard both sell a wide range of window styles that should meet your needs, though their offerings vary slightly. We have all of the details below.

Anlin sells vinyl replacement windows and doors. It has four product lines for its windows, each with different functions and quality:

• Catalina: Designed for thermal performance and durability
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Del Mar: The best-quality, luxury line of windows
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Panoramic: Designed for style, with slim-profile framing
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Coronado: Companion windows that can be paired with any of the above lines to provide additional window depth
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, double-hung, double slider, and garden

Milgard sells windows in a wider range of materials than Anlin. In addition to vinyl, you can choose from wood, fiberglass, or aluminum for your window frames. Milgard also offers several additional window styles and has seven product lines:

• Aluminum: Designed for strength, durability, and value for new construction and replacement window projects
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Essence: Designed with a natural wood interior and fiberglass exterior for durability and insulation
  • Styles available: Awning, casement, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture, radius, radius casement
• Montecito: Vinyl frames designed specifically for new construction
  • Styles available: Awning, bay & bow, casement, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Quiet Line: Designed for noise protection in busy environments
  • Styles available: Awning, casement, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture
• Style Line: Vinyl frames designed with sleek, clean lines
  • Styles available:  Awning, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Tuscany: Top-quality frames made from Milgard’s signature vinyl formula
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, double horizontal slider, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Ultra: Long-lasting fiberglass frames resistant to rotting and warping
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung

While Milgard has a larger number of product lines, Anlin and Milgard offer a similar array of window frame styles. Milgard has the advantage in inventory if you want to consider frame materials other than vinyl.

Price

We were unable to get exact prices directly from Anlin or Milgard. Window project costs vary greatly and are based on too many factors for either company to give an estimate without a home consultation and project evaluation. We were, however, able to find information about how their prices are determined, plus some reported prices from dealers and previous customers.

Anlin’s prices vary by product line and window style. Customers report window prices of $800 to about $950 per window, including installation, for the top-quality Del Mar line. Single-hung vertical sliders are at the lower end of this range, with one customer reporting a quote of $2,400 ($800 each) for three replacement windows. A customer considering the Catalina line in 2018 reported a quote of $11,000 for 14 windows, or an average of $785 per window, including installation.

Milgard’s prices can range from about $300 to $350 per window for the affordable Style Line vinyl range, and up to $1,000 per window for the premium wood-and-fiberglass Essence series, including installation. At Lowe’s, the Style Line windows retail for about $170 for a single-hung vertical slider and $325 for a horizontal slider, without installation. Milgard’s prices are based on window size, the material used for the frame, additional color and finish options, accessories like decorative grids, and your choice of glass.

Anlin and Milgard have similar pricing, based on our findings, with their highest-quality models installed for around $1,000. Prices vary by project, however, and can also vary by state. You should call your local Anlin dealer or request a quote from Milgard for a better idea of what your project will cost.

Quality

Both Anlin and Milgard manufacture their windows in the U.S. and have received professional quality certifications. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) and American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) give both brands their stamps of approval.

The NFRC judges energy performance for window and door models. An NFRC evaluation covers the glazing systems, spacers, and frames. Anlin’s and Milgard’s casement windows, four-sided fixed windows, horizontal and vertical sliders, and projected awning windows are all certified. Details of certification for specific models and product lines can be found in the NFRC Directory Search.

Both Anlin and Milgard also have Gold Label certification from the AAMA. Certification is determined by testing for water penetration, air leakage, structural resistance, thermal performance, and forced entry resistance. Gold Label is the highest certification offered by the AAMA.

Sustainability

Anlin windows are Energy Star qualified and sustainably manufactured. Anlin states that it reclaims or reuses the majority of the glass, vinyl, and shipping materials that are byproducts of its manufacturing process. It recycles over 600,000 pounds of byproducts each year.

Milgard is also an Energy Star partner, so you can expect similar energy efficiency from Anlin and Milgard products. Milgard recycles all of its vinyl scrap, either reusing it to manufacture future window frames or recycling it into other products like garden hoses. They also take their commitment to the planet further than recycling. Milgard has decreased its fiberglass and glass waste, widened its distribution of service locations to reduce fuel use, and become LEED Green Building and Environments for Living certified.

If you value sustainability and want to make your home more green, Milgard seems to have an advantage over Anlin in this arena.

Warranties

When you’re considering any home improvement project, it’s helpful to look for products that come with warranties to protect your investment. Warranties can offer free or discounted repairs, which can extend the lifetime of your windows and help you save money. Both Anlin and Milgard offer warranties on their products.

Anlin offers the True Double Lifetime Warranty on residential Del Mar, Catalina, Panoramic, and Coronado windows purchased after January 1, 2017. This warranty covers parts and shipping, labor costs, and accidental glass breakage replacement. Your windows are covered for as long as you live in the home where they’re installed, and if you sell your home, the warranty can even be transferred one time to the subsequent owner.

Milgard also offers a lifetime warranty on its residential windows installed after January 1, 2012, in the U.S, or January 1, 2011, in Canada. Milgard will repair or replace any defect in your windows due to the material or the workmanship. It will also pay the costs for parts and labor on repairs and replacements, as long as the person who purchased the windows owns the home. The warranty applies to the Aluminum, Essence, Montecito, Style Line, Tuscany, and Ultra series windows. Additional glass breakage coverage is included for Essence, Tuscany, and Ultra series windows.

In Summary

Anlin and Milgard are comparable companies, so you should be able to satisfy your window replacement needs with either brand. Milgard does offer a wider variety of frame materials and should be considered before Anlin if you’re interested in aluminum, wood, or fiberglass. Milgard also goes the extra mile with its commitment to the environment. However, since Anlin and Milgard generally have similar inventories, quality certifications, reported prices, and warranties, you may want to call both companies for quotes and installation information before making a decision.

For more on window replacement, see our article comparing Champion Windows vs. Window World.