Anlin vs. Milgard

When shopping for new home windows, you’ll want to find a window company that offers the material and style of windows you want, is priced fairly, and offers the highest quality products. If you are shopping for new windows in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, or anywhere in Southern California, you will likely come across Anlin Window Systems and Milgard Windows & Doors. Both companies are well-liked window manufacturers with good reputations and high-quality products.

To help you make your decision, it’s important to compare the key factors in Anlin versus Milgard to determine which manufacturer is best for your home window replacement needs.

Availability

Both Anlin and Milgard primarily serve the western United States.

Anlin has dealers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

You can find Milgard dealers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Unlike Anlin, Milgard also sells windows in Canada, with 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

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

• Catalina: Designed for durability, with excellent energy efficiency and ease of operation
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Panoramic: Designed for style, with slim-profile framing which allows maximum viewing area and lets more natural light into your home
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Del Mar: Anlin’s luxury line of windows
  • Styles available: Geometric, picture, single-hung, and single slider
• Coronado: Designed as companion products to be paired with any of the above collections to provide additional window depth
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, double-hung, double slider, and garden
• Monte Verde: Engineered for performance and energy efficiency for multi-family, apartments, condominiums, new construction, and remodeling projects
  • Styles available: Awning, casement, double active, geometric, picture, single hung, and single slider
• Bay View: Designed with a low-profile frame to maximize viewing area and create a sleek contemporary look
  • Styles available: Awning, casement, double active, geometric, picture, single hung, and single slider

Milgard offers windows in a wider range of materials than Anlin. In addition to vinyl, you can choose from fiberglass windows or aluminum windows. Milgard has six product lines:

• Tuscany: Top-quality vinyl frames with premium features and traditional styling
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, double horizontal slider, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung

• Trinsic: Contemporary vinyl windows with narrow frames and an expansive viewable glass area
  • Styles: Awning, casement, double horizontal slider, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single hung
• Style Line: Vinyl frames designed with slim stylings and clean lines
  • Styles available:  Awning, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Ultra: Long-lasting fiberglass frames with contemporary beauty
  • Styles available: Awning, bay and bow, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Aluminum: Designed for strength and durability for new construction and replacement window projects
  • Styles available: Awning, bay, casement, horizontal slider, picture, radius, and single-hung
• Quiet Line: Vinyl windows designed for noise protection in busy environments
  • Styles available: Awning, casement, double-hung, horizontal slider, picture

Anlin Malibu Series Sliding Patio Doors offer comfort, energy efficiency, and smooth operation.

Anlin and Milgard offer a similar variety of window styles. If you’re looking for vinyl windows, Anlin offers a much bigger selection and is generally considered the industry leader for vinyl windows. If you are considering alternative materials, Milgard has the upper hand with offerings of Aluminum and Fiberglass.

Price

Window project costs vary greatly and are based on too many factors to give an estimate without a home consultation and project evaluation. Pricing factors include brand, window size and style, quantity of windows, upgrades, and installation factors.

Anlin’s prices vary by product line, size, and window style. Del Mar windows are the most costly due to their more exclusive dealer network. Catalina and Panoramic are also high-end windows comparable to Del Mar in quality but at a mid-range price point. Monte Verde offers the least expensive windows in the Anlin collection.

Milgard’s prices are based on size, window style, and material used for the frame. Ultra windows are by far the most expensive with prices up to three times as much as their vinyl counterparts, while Style Line is the least expensive option. Tuscany windows are Milgard’s top-tier vinyl windows, with prices only slightly higher than Anlin’s Catalina and Panoramic lines.

Both Anlin and Milgard’s prices range greatly depending on the product line and project size. When evaluating comparable window styles and materials, Anlin typically offers more competitive pricing.

Prices vary by project, however, and can also vary by state. You should call your local Anlin or Milgard dealer for a better idea of what your project will cost.

Quality

Both Anlin and Milgard manufacture their windows in the United States 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.

Many windows manufactured by Milgard are entry-level or “builder grade” windows. “Builder grade” windows sometimes get negative reviews because their seals fail and they tend to start fogging in lesser quality windows. Milgard is more well-known than Anlin, but Anlin has a better market reputation in terms of their customer service and quality of their products.

Both companies make excellent products with manufacturing facilities right here in California. The materials and manufacturing process used by Anlin is a bit better than that of Milgard, which contributes to longevity, durability, and better reviews by homeowners and contractors who have used both products.

While both manufacturers offer high-quality windows, Anlin has a bit of an advantage in this category.

Energy Efficiency

Both Anlin and Milgard windows are Energy Star partners, so you can expect similar energy efficiency from both manufacturers. Each company designs and builds its windows for optimum performance and maximum savings using the latest energy-saving technology.

Anlin is an industry leader in manufacturing energy-efficient windows and provides exceptional U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) ratings. The Next Generation Glazing System with high-performance glass and spacer between the glass panes delivers unparalleled energy efficiency. Thick, durable vinyl window frames with inner chambers help reduce the flow of heat and cold through the frame. Triple-fin weatherstrip with four areas of plush filler provides a weather-tight seal and superior air infiltration ratings.

Milgard windows meet local codes and green building energy efficiency standards. They conduct thermal simulations to improve energy efficiency and performance in their windows and adhere to Energy Star requirements that meet or exceed U-Factor and SHGC criteria. EdgeGard window spacers provide superior insulating properties and help to reduce condensation.

Both Anlin and Milgard windows come standard with dual pane, argon-filled, Low-E3 glass. Each manufacturer offers additional upgrades which can further enhance the energy efficiency of their windows.

With lower U-Factor and SHGC ratings, Anlin has a slight edge over Milgard in the category.

Warranty

When you’re considering any home improvement project, it’s important to look for products that come with warranties to protect your investment. Warranties can offer free or discounted repairs, which can last the lifetime of your windows and even extend to the next owner if you ever sell your home.

Anlin offers the True Double Lifetime Warranty which covers parts and shipping, labor, and accidental glass breakage. The warranty is good for the life of the window and is fully transferable to the subsequent homeowner if you sell your home.

Milgard also offers a lifetime warranty and will repair or replace any defect in your windows due to the material or workmanship.  It will also pay the costs for part and labor. The warranty is good for the life of the window with the original purchaser, and ten years to a new owner from the original date of the warranty.

Anlin is the undisputed winner in this category with the best warranty in the industry.

In Summary

Both Anlin Window Systems and Milgard Windows & Doors are excellent window manufacturers with great market reputations and high-quality products. Milgard is a more widely-recognized name overall, while Anlin has dominated the window replacement industry in Southern California for years.

If you are looking for fiberglass windows or aluminum windows, Milgard is the only choice and they offer several high-quality options. If you want vinyl windows, Anlin has the advantage with a greater selection, better customer reviews, competitive pricing, and an industry-leading warranty.