Liftmaster and Genie are two of the most successful garage door opener brands in the world. With years of innovation, they have made excellent openers that fit their customer’s needs and budgets. As a homeowner, you have probably heard great reviews on both of these companies, and you are still stuck deciding on which one to purchase. Fret not! In this post, I will walk you through the difference between Liftmaster and Genie garage door openers to help you make a purchase decision.
What is the main difference between Liftmaster and Genie? What sets Liftmaster apart from Genie garage door openers is their smart technology. Liftmaster uses myQ technology, which gives you a ton of features, including garage door control and monitoring, smart home, smart garage camera, and in-garage delivery. On the other hand, Genie uses Aladdin Connect, with features such as real-time garage door monitoring and control, as well as smart home integration.
We will compare both brands under different sections and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s start with the different types of garage door openers they make.
Garage Door Opener Types
Liftmaster offers Chain-drive, Belt-drive, and Jackshaft-type garage door openers. Unfortunately, the only Screw-drive garage door opener they manufactured, which is the 3240 ½ HP AC model garage door opener, is discontinued.
On the flip side, Genie still makes Screw-drive openers, and they have some of the best models on the market. They also provide Belt-drive and Chain-drive garage door opener options. Genie recently added to their line-up the Wall-Mount Pro Series. These are new models that are mounted on the wall instead of the ceiling. And these models are a direct competition to Liftmaster’s Jackshaft model garage door openers. The table below provides a summary.
| Garage Door Opener Type | Liftmaster | Genie |
|---|---|---|
| Belt-drive | Yes | Yes |
| Chain-drive | Yes | Yes |
| Screw-drive | Discontinued | Yes |
| Wall-mount | Yes | Yes |
Security
Let’s talk about the security features offered by Liftmaster and Genie garage door openers.
Security features of Liftmaster
All Liftmaster garage door openers are Security+ 2.0 enabled. This is a security system that changes the access code of your garage door opener after every use of your remote. This means your garage doesn’t have a fixed code which can be easily cracked. Also, the signal from the remote to your opener is sent through one of three radio frequencies randomly, anytime you open or close the door. This makes it impossible to code grabbers to sniff your access code.
With Liftmaster’s Timer-To-Close feature, you can have a peace of mind knowing your garage door is closed and secured. This is a feature that allows you to set a time for your garage door to close. For instance, you can program it to close 50 seconds after the garage door was opened. This is particularly useful if you return home with a handful.
You can also upgrade your garage’s security with Liftmaster’s automatic garage door lock (on Amazon). This device looks like any other door lock. What makes it unique is how it works. Whenever you close your garage door, with a remote, smartphone, Homelink, or any other way, this lock automatically closes, making it impossible to get access to the garage. It opens up when you activate your garage door opener to open the door. You can use this lock on a few models from Liftmaster. Specifically, the 8580W, 8587W, and 8360W models.
Security features of Genie
Genie calls its security technology Intellicode. With every use of your remote, your opener can generate a new access code, and billions of possible codes can be generated. Even if a hacker is able to sniff the code while you open or close your garage door, it will be useless. It works very much the same as Security+ 2.0 in Liftmaster openers.
Safety
In my opinion, there is no winner here. Liftmaster and Genie provide similar features in terms of safety. Let’s take a look at them.
Every Liftmaster garage door opener comes with a safety sensor. This is an infrared sensor which is installed at the bottom, on each side of the door. The primary purpose of these sensors is to prevent the door from accidentally closing down on someone. One of the sensors emits an infrared signal, and the other receives that signal. Any time there is an obstruction between the sensors, it will not permit the door to close.
Genie also offers infrared safety sensors they call Safe-T-Beam. This functions the same way as described above. One thing that makes the Safe-T-Beam better than Liftmaster’s safety sensor is that it is self-diagnostic. Whenever the sensors are misaligned, you will hear the sensors beeping repeatedly. This alone can save you a ton of time during troubleshooting. That’s because you will know when there is a problem with the sensors.
Another safety feature by both Liftmaster and Genie is their Motion Detection Light Activation feature. Any time you enter your garage, motion sensors installed in the openers detects your movement, and then turn on the lights. This is a handy feature from both companies because you don’t have to reach for a light switch whenever you enter the garage.
Features
What are the overall features provided by both Liftmaster and Genie? Let’s take a look at it.
Features of Liftmaster garage door openers
- All Liftmaster garage door openers are myQ compatible.
- Built-in Wi-Fi makes it easy to connect to the home network
- Three models from Liftmaster support a battery backup
- HomeLink and Car2U means you can control the opener from your vehicle
- Maintenance Alert system notifies homeowners to perform routine maintenance on openers
- Electronic Limit/Auto Force makes it easy to set the travel limit and force adjustments
Features of Genie Garage Door Openers
- All Genie garage door openers are compatible with Aladdin Connect.
- Most Genie garage door openers have built-in Wi-Fi for easy internet connection
- Battery backup available as an option for most of their garage door openers
- Their garage door openers work with HomeLink and Car2U
- Genie Sense™ Technology consistently monitors the operation of the opener and alerts you of any changes
Smart Technology
Let’s take a look at the smart features on Liftmaster and Genie. This is where the main difference is.
Smart technology of Liftmaster garage door openers
As we have already mentioned, Liftmaster garage door openers work with myQ technology. This technology has gained popularity over the years, and it keeps getting better with new features and upgrade. MyQ lets you control and monitor your garage door opener from your smartphone. You can open and close your garage door from your phone, get real-time alerts anytime someone activates the opener, and schedule the garage door to open or close at a specified time.
With myQ, you can integrate your Liftmaster garage door opener with a ton of home integration systems. It works with Google Assistant, IFTTT, Apple HomeKit, Clare Controls, Xfinity, Alarm.com, and more. This means you can automate your garage door just like any other device on those systems.
There is a new feature on myQ, exclusive to Liftmaster garage door openers, and it’s called in-garage delivery. When you purchase an item on Amazon, the delivery guy can open your garage door through an app and place your package safely in your garage. When this is happening, you receive an instant notification that your package is being delivered. You can choose to watch as this happens in real-time if Liftmaster’s smart garage camera is installed. This is an excellent fix for porch piracy.
Smart technology of Genie garage door openers
Genie garage door opener uses a smart technology called Aladdin Connect. It is their proprietary technology, and honestly, it’s great. This technology also allows you to control and monitor your Genie garage door from your smart devices. By installing and connecting their app to your garage door opener, you can open and close the door, check whether the door is opened or closed, and get a real-time notification on your phone when the opener is activated. It also keeps and shows you a history of the date and time the garage door was used.
Genie garage door openers also work with some home integration systems. You can integrate your opener with Google Assistant, Alexa, Yonomi, and Control4 home automation systems. You can incorporate your Genie garage door opener into your automation presets however you want.
Ease of Programming
Liftmaster garage door openers are one of the easiest to program. With their older models that used manual adjustments, getting both the travel limits and force adjustments was challenging. However, with the new generation garage door openers, it has become very straightforward to program your garage door opener.
Programming Liftmaster remotes is also very simple. Within two minutes or less, your remote should be successfully programmed to your opener. In fact, I have a guide on how to program Liftmaster remotes in a few simple steps. Check it out if you are interested.
Programming Genie garage door openers are also very simple. In fact, the process of programming Genie openers is identical to that of Liftmaster. You don’t need to be an expert to program the travel limits and force adjustment on their openers. You should be done with the entire process within two minutes or less.
An advantage Genie has over Liftmaster is that their remote controls come pre-programmed and ready to go. After installation and adjusting travel limits and force, just press a button on your remote, and your garage door opener will operate. Programming the other buttons on the remote to another garage door opener is also not a complicated process. Still, you have to be a bit technical to understand and follow the steps.
Warranty
When it comes to warranty, Liftmaster is the winner for a couple of reasons. First, all Liftmaster motors have a Lifetime warranty, Genie, however, gives a 15-year warranty or a Limited Lifetime warranty on their motors. Secondly, Liftmaster offers a five-year warranty on all of their parts, a year warranty for the battery backup, and a Lifetime warranty on their belts, if you purchased a Belt-drive garage door opener. Genie doesn’t offer all of that. So the table below summarizes the warranty provided by these two brands.
| Warranty | Liftmaster | Genie |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | Lifetime | 15 Years or Limited Lifetime |
| Parts | 5 Years | None |
| Accessories | 1 Year Battery, Lifetime Belt | None |
There are specific warranties for specific openers, but generally, this is the overall warranty provided by Liftmaster and Genie.
Support
To be honest, there is no winner when it comes to support. Both brands are excellent. Why do I say that?
Liftmaster’s YouTube channel has over 200 videos, with tutorials on how to program the garage door openers and remotes, troubleshooting tips, how to install openers and accessories, new products and features announcements, and more. This makes it easy for anyone to find information on their products. You will also find additional support on their website, where they answer frequently asked questions from their customers.
And because Liftmaster has become one of the most popular garage door opener companies in the United States alone, several third party content creators, like myself, provide helpful tips, as well as solutions for specific models. An example is our Liftmaster troubleshooting guide, which walks you through step by step how to fix your Liftmaster garage door opener problems.
Genie is no different. They also run a YouTube channel with over a hundred videos, which walks you through how to install, program, and troubleshoot your Genie garage door opener. The videos are regularly updated to keep up with the latest changes. Genie also provides technical support, which has answers on their frequently asked questions and contact information, where you can reach out to if you need any assistance.
You will find videos and articles by third party content creators helping you to fix your issues.
Recommendations
If you are not sure which specific model of Liftmaster of Genie garage door opener to pick, here are my top recommendations.
Liftmaster Elite Series 8550W
The Liftmaster Elite Series 8550W (on Amazon) remains my top pick for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this is a Belt-drive opener, so noise isn’t an issue at all. It runs very quietly as compared to Chain-drive or Screw-drive openers. Secondly, unlike the other models, this model supports a battery backup. The battery will keep the garage door opener running, as well as power the safety sensors and any other accessory connected. This unit also supports Liftmaster’s automatic garage door lock, which is excellent if you want to level up your security. Besides all these features, it comes with all other features which are already discussed in this article.
Liftmaster Elite Series 8500W Jackshaft
This is a beast of a device. Seriously. If your garage door is hefty, this is what you need. The Liftmaster Elite Series 8500W Jackshaft (also on Amazon) is designed for heavy residential garage doors and can lift up to 850 lbs. Also, because this is a wall-mount garage door opener, all that noise generated from the ceiling will be no more. That’s because there will be no vibration on the roof. Also, this opener is designed for garages with a small headroom. It has all the standard features of a Liftmaster opener that you will need.
Genie SilentMax 1200 Model 4042-TKH
The Genie SilentMax 1200 garage door opener (Amazon) is a Belt-drive opener designed to be extremely quiet. If you have a bedroom on top of your garage, this might be exactly what you need. It has all the features of Genie, as described, and comes with two remote controls that are already programmed and ready to use. This opener also supports a battery backup, which is essential if you live in a place where power cuts are frequent.
Genie ChainMax 1000 Model 3022-TKH
This is one of the best-selling Genie garage door openers on the market today. The Genie ChainMax 1000 (on Amazon) is a very reliable machine that you can use for years. As you may have already guessed from the name, this is a Chain-drive device. So it’s not as quiet as the SilentMax 1200. However, it’s cheaper than the SilentMax, so that’s the tradeoff. However, it has all the features as described already. This one also comes with two remotes pre-programmed.
Which Should You Buy? My Opinion
Genie makes excellent products with all the necessary features you will ever need in a garage door opener. Their Safe-T-Beam self-diagnostic feature is also a reason to consider Genie.
However, there are these little things about the Liftmaster, which makes it a better option. Features like Timer-To-Lock, automatic garage door lock, Key by Amazon’s in-garage delivery, and warranty are excellent enough reasons why you should choose Liftmaster over Genie.
Conclusion
I hope this post helped you know the difference between Liftmaster and Genie garage door openers. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, they all serve one main purpose – that is, to open and close your garage door and all garage door openers from both brands are capable of doing. However, the features provided separate one brand from the other. I hope this post helps you make a purchase decision.