Chain Driven Openers

Chain drives are typically the most commonly used and are a very reliable type of opener. This drive runs the garage door on its track by using a metal chain. Chain drives are slightly cheaper than belt drives.

However, chain drive openers tend to be noisy, so if your garage is located below or adjacent to the main rooms in your home, you don't want this opener. We typically don't recommend these types of openers because the small savings aren’t worth it. LiftMaster® also does not warranty the chain for life like it does the belt on the belt drives, and the motor is much noisier.

Screw Driven Openers

Screw drive openers use a lifting device that runs on a threaded steel rod rather than a chain or a rubber belt. These openers typically only work well in locations where the weather and temperature are constant throughout the year. In areas with a wide range of temperature or weather patterns throughout the year, a screw drive opener is not recommended.

They also are the slowest moving and noisiest of all three openers, but are the least expensive. If you didn’t like how noisy or slow your current opener was, you won’t enjoy having a screw driven opener in your garage. Check out our video showing you the differences between openers below.