Gutters are one of the most critical systems in your home. Gutters direct water away from your house’s walls, foundation, and windows, preventing erosion, water damage, and basement flooding. However, while gutters are invaluable, they can be challenging to maintain, and cleaning them is unpleasant.
But by using the best gutter guards available, like the ones offered by LeafFilter, you can keep your gutter system clean of debris and grime with much less maintenance.
Below I’ll provide a comprehensive overview of LeafFilter, details of my objective rating of its products and services, and some sample customer reviews.
4.1
Our Rating
What’s My Review of LeafFilter?
Compared to other top gutter guard companies, I find LeafFilter to be the best for professional installations and overall cost. LeafFilter provides high-quality service, has national experience in the industry, and its one-of-a-kind gutter guards offer superb protection.
LeafFilter’s customer service, product quality, and installation process are excellent. Its installers are knowledgeable, service-oriented, and professional, consistently receiving high customer reviews across multiple rating and review platforms.
I like how LeaFilter’s custom stainless steel micro-mesh and uPVC systems are highly effective at keeping even the smallest debris out of gutters while providing enough access to water flow. Furthermore, LeafFilter’s price is fair, only costing $15 to $45 per linear foot, a price in line with the industry standard for gutter guard installations.
Pros & Cons of LeafFilter
The tabs below offer high-level pros and cons of LeafFilter. Keep these points in mind as you read the rest of the full review.
Where Are LeafFilter Gutter Guards Available?
LeafFilter gutter guards are available in 45 states in the U.S. The only states that LeafFilter doesn’t operate in are Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont. Unfortunately, if you’re in one of these states, you must go with another gutter guard company.
What Is LeafFilter Gutter Protection?
LeafFilter gutter guards are protective gutter covers that use a three-part system to direct debris away from the inside of a gutter. When tested, I found LeafFilter gutter guards durable, long-lasting, and effective in repelling dirt, shingle granules, and plant matter. Once installed, these gutter guards require minimal maintenance, making seasonal cleaning a breeze.
Gutter Guard Product Details
- 275-Micron Stainless Steel Micro-mesh Screen: This filter allows water to flow into your gutters while keeping everything else out. It’s made from surgical-grade stainless steel, meaning it will never rust.
- Durable uPVC Frame: This structure supports the screen and is positioned at an angled pitch.
- Structural Hangers: LeafFilter installation specialists use custom, hidden structural hangers that attach directly to a roof’s fascia board.
How Do LeafFilter Gutter Guards Work?
LeafFilter gutter guards are a protective filter system installed on top of a gutter. They’re attached directly to a home’s fascia via structural hangers. The hangers hold up the uPVC frame, which supports the extra-fine mesh. This sealed system makes the gutter guards extremely durable and resistant to damage, allowing them to withstand pests, branches, and even loose shingles.
LeafFilter guards are installed with a built-in pitch, so as debris falls onto the guards, the surface tension carries materials right onto the ground. The screen is fine enough that even small objects like acorns, twigs, pollen, shingles granules, and pine needles are kept out of your gutters.
Watch the video below for a visual demonstration of how LeafFilter guards work to keep your gutter free of leaves, dirt, and debris.
Compare LeafFilter to Its Top Competitors
Comparing the best gutter guard companies is a great way to determine the best choice for your home. The table below shows how LeafFilter stacks up to its industry rivals:
Company | Logo | Product Image | Our Rating | BBB Rating | Link |
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A+ |
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A+ |
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B |
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A |
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A+ |
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A+ |
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F |
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NR |
Company | Our Rating | BBB Rating | Best For |
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GET QUOTE |
A+ |
Best Professional Installation & Cost |
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GET QUOTE |
A+ |
Most Durable |
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GET QUOTE |
B |
Best-Designed Gutter Guards |
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GET QUOTE |
A |
Best Performance Warranty |
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GET QUOTE |
A+ |
Best Customer Service |
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GET QUOTE |
A+ |
Best DIY Option |
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GET QUOTE |
F |
Best Mesh Gutter Guard |
|
GET QUOTE |
NR |
Best Brush Option |
Does LeafFilter Offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty?
According to a Today’s Homeowner survey of 1,002 homeowners, 76% found warranty length and depth to be major factors in choosing the right gutter guard. Thankfully, LeafFilter’s transferable warranty is one of its most impressive features. This warranty is guaranteed for the lifetime of the home and is transferable to new homeowners in the case of a sale. As such, this makes the guarantee a helpful selling point when putting your home up for sale, allowing you to recoup some of the installation costs.
With this lifetime warranty, if your LeafFilter guards allow your gutters to become clogged, resulting in an overflow, or if your home sustains water damage as a result of an overflow, LeafFilter will come and replace the system or refund you 100% of the material purchase price of the entire installation. Some caveats can result in this warranty becoming void, such as:
- The LeafFilter product receives damage from trees or plants, structural changes, or uncontrolled acts of nature (such as intense weather, storms, ice, hail, etc.)
- The LeafFilter product receives damage from modification or alteration of the original product.
- The LeafFilter product receives damage from overflow resulting from an insufficient number of downspouts.
Ultimately, LeafFilter’s warranty is well above the industry standard for gutter guards. Many gutter guard companies don’t offer warranties; for those that do, their warranties are typically much shorter and more restrictive. The fact that LeafFilter’s warranty lasts the lifetime of the home and offers to replace or refund the whole system speaks volumes. I find LeafFilter’s warranty an excellent proof point of the company’s genuine belief in its product and a powerful addition to an already reliable product.
4.1
What Other Services Does LeafFilter Offer?
When signing on with LeafFilter, its process includes multiple services alongside the standard installation. In addition to attaching your gutter guards, LeafFilter also provides:
- Free inspections: LeafFilter pros identify any issues with your gutters, like damage or misalignment.
- Gutter cleaning: Technicians remove debris, grime, and particles from your gutters.
- Repairs: LeafFilter will repair any broken areas of your gutters, along with standard maintenance like realignment.
- Applying sealant: If an installer finds any gaps or cracks, they will use a waterproof silicone sealant to repair them.
As compared to its competitors, LeafFilter’s service offerings are relatively standard. Most other gutter guard companies offer free inspections and cleaning during installation. However, some repair services LeafFilter offers, such as replacing broken sections and readjustments, are above what most other companies provide. Overall I find LeafFilter’s service to be, at worst, right alongside the industry standard, and at best, slightly above what you can expect from similar companies.
What Is LeafFilter’s Installation Process?
The first thing you need to know about the LeafFilter process is that it’s not a DIY project and requires a professional installer. To begin this process, you’ll need to contact a LeafFilter sales rep and schedule a time for a free inspection. Once an experienced representative is sent to your home, they’ll conduct a free inspection of your gutter system. This inspection includes measuring the lengths of your gutters and checking them for damage. With this information, they’ll generate an estimate based on the specific needs of your gutter system.
Once the quote has been accepted, you’ll schedule a time for an installation specialist to come to your home. Thankfully, the LeafFilter installation process is quick, and technicians typically can arrive a few days after the quote has been accepted.
Some customers have even claimed that technicians were available for next-day installations. Once there, the technicians will clean your gutters and repair or replace any damaged or worn sections. Afterward, they’ll install your LeafFilter gutter guards. This entire process typically takes anywhere from a few hours to a full workday, depending on the project size and level of damage in your gutters.
Here is a quick video going over more details on how LeafFilter conducts its inspections and generates its quotes:
How Much Do LeafFilter Gutter Guards Cost?
The exact cost of LeafFilter installation will vary depending on numerous factors, such as location, home size, gutter damage, roof pitch, and more. On average, LeafFilter costs between $15 to $45 per linear foot, totaling between $2,600 and $6,300. While this cost is higher than some industry competitors, remember that LeafFilter gutter guards can only be installed by a trained professional, so this price includes the cost of labor and materials for your project.
Like most service-oriented companies, LeafFilter doesn’t include direct pricing information on its website. Instead, it requires an in-person inspection before generating a personal quote. These initial estimates are negotiable, with online customer reviews crediting LeafFilter sales representatives for their flexibility. Furthermore, LeafFilter’s pricing model is designed to incorporate negotiation and discounts on the initial quote. Some of the more common discounts reported by customers include 10% off for military and senior homeowners.
What’s the LeafFilter Gutter Guard Estimate Process?
To get a free estimate from LeafFilter, fill out an online form. Once you connect with a representative, you’ll schedule a time for a technician to come out and provide a free, no-obligation estimate. Once the appointment is scheduled, the process proceeds as follows:
- Verify: The LeafFilter technician will verify the size and type of your gutters to ensure they’re compatible with LeafFilter gutter guards.
- Generate quote: The technician will then inspect your gutter system to determine the cost of your job, looking out for cost factors like:
- Gutter length
- Damage
- Debris
- Apply discounts: The technician will apply all available discounts to your quotes total, creating the best possible deal for your installation. Some quotes include 10% off for seniors and military personnel.
- Quote overview and payment plan selection: The technician will then review the quote with you, explaining the price, expected job completion time, and financing options while answering any questions.
4.1
Do LeafFilter Gutter Guards Save You Money?
While LeafFilter gutter guards have a moderate up-front cost, they’ll save you more money in the long run. LeafFilter gutter guards reduce the amount of debris that can enter your gutters while also protecting the top of the gutters from impacts.
With less debris entering the gutter system, you drastically reduce future cleaning time and costs. Additionally, with overall cleaner gutters, you lower the chance of pests entering your system, potentially decreasing pest control costs or unpleasant surprises when cleaning.
The biggest cost-saving factor of LeafFilter gutter guards is the money they save you on gutter repair and replacement. When debris like pine needles, shingle grit, leaves, and other plant matter make their way into your gutter system, they create clogs. Over time, these clogs add weight and pressure to your system, weakening connections and dragging down hangers. The cost to install a new gutter system can be quite high.
Additionally, some types of plant matter (specifically the pollen from certain trees) release acidic compounds, drastically accelerating erosion. LeafFilter gutter guards put a stop to all this, keeping this damaging material out, extending the life of your gutters, and saving on repair costs.
Will LeafFilter Gutter Guards Eliminate the Need for Gutter Cleaning?
LeafFilter, like all gutter protection systems, can never completely eliminate the need for gutter cleaning. Unfortunately, all systems will slowly collect small bits of debris over time that will need to be removed. Some gutter guards will collect more than others, like bristle or brush guards, which act like a filter, intentionally grabbing debris as it passes.
LeafFilter uses a micro-mesh, stainless steel barrier combined with the surface tension of flowing water to repel and redirect debris. This system keeps most debris from entering your gutter or collecting on top of the guards, greatly reducing how often you need to clean. Furthermore, cleaning debris becomes much easier since debris will be sitting on a sloped, flat surface instead of inside the gutters themselves.
I recommend checking your gutters once a year, typically at the end of the fall season. If you spot any debris on top of your gutter guards, you should be able to clean it off with a garden hose or leaf blower. If you experience a particularly heavy season, you may want to check an additional time at the end of spring as well.
Maintaining and Cleaning Gutters With LeafFilter
The LeafFilter gutter guard system is very low maintenance and requires minimal cleanup. You won’t have to clean any debris out of the gutters themselves, and instead, you can simply use a blower or your hand to occasionally clean off the top of the guard. The micro-mesh material used in the LeafFilter gutters does a great job of keeping out bigger particles. FEMA mitigation experts recommend installing leaf guards on your gutters to minimize debris buildup, which can protect your home’s structure against future disasters.
You should find that the rust and corrosion-free design also ensures that you don’t have any maintenance-related issues when it comes to the deterioration of the gutter guards themselves.
LeafFilter Customer Reviews
LeafFilter has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and full accreditation. Its customer score is 3.9 out of five stars, and it has a 100% response rate to complaints. In general, reviews are mixed. It’s built a strong reputation in the industry, but there are a number of negative reviews, with most stemming from misconceptions about the function of the filters.
Customers mistakenly think they’ll never need to clean their filters, but this is not the case. While LeafFilter products are great at keeping debris out of gutters, and most things slide off onto the ground, they still need regular cleaning every year or two.
There are also many positive reviews, most stemming from LeafFilter’s products functioning better than expected and the professionalism of employees. Here are a few examples of customer testimonials and criticism from the BBB reviews page:
Some of the more common complaints are:
So, Are LeafFilter Gutter Guards Worth It?
LeafFilter has shown to be an effective way to keep gunk and debris out of a gutter system. Its micro-mesh filter, when combined with the uPVC frame, creates a sturdy, long-lasting barrier of protection that keeps everything from branches, leaves, and pests to pollen, twigs, and shingle granules out of gutters.
Overall, I find LeafFilter offers a great product that helps prevent the buildup of nasty gutter-clogging material. While its products have a slightly higher cost than other companies, LeafFilter’s proven quality of service and strong performance more than compensate for it.
FAQs About LeafFilter
What is the price of LeafFilter?
The price of your LeafFilter system will vary depending on the size of your home, how many levels your home has, and a host of other factors. On average, you can expect to pay between $15 to $45 per linear foot and expect a total bill around $2,600 to $4,500.
Can I install LeafFilter gutter guards myself?
No, LeafFilter gutter guards can only be installed by a trained professional.
Does LeafFilter install gutters?
Yes. If your existing gutters are incompatible with the LeafFilter, its team will install new gutters.
Does LeafFilter do gutter cleaning?
Yes, LeafFilter cleans and aligns all gutters before installation.
Where is LeaFilter’s headquarters located?
LeaFilter’s headquarters is in Hudson, Ohio.
Methodology: How I Ranked LeafFilter Among Gutter Guard Companies
At Today’s Homeowner, we strive to bring you the most transparent, accurate information for your home improvement projects. Our gutter guard ratings emphasize what matters most to you — keeping your gutters debris-free for years to come.
Our ratings are based on publicly available information about each company, secret shopping online and over the phone, customer-review analysis, and interviews with former and current home improvement experts.
A company can earn a maximum of 100 points across six categories, converted to a five-star scale. We researched and analyzed over 50 gutter guards and developed the following formula:
- Product Overview (15 points): Micro-mesh gutter guards are the best on the market. They screen even the smallest debris from your gutters and typically have the structural integrity to withstand heavy rainfall and accumulated debris from trees and surrounding foliage. We also curated a rating based on customer testimonials and our in-house testing to determine debris resistance. Guards with multiple color and sizing options also rated well in this category.
- Services Offered (35 points): Gutter guard providers who offer a full range of services are rated highly here—gutter installation and removal, complimentary maintenance, and more factored into this rating.
- Affordability (15 points): Though getting cost estimates for gutter guards typically require home visits, we ranked companies based on factors such as discount and financing programs, multiple easy payment options, and the increased value of complimentary maintenance.
- Warranties (10 points): A company that stands behind its products and services will offer material and workmanship warranties. We evaluated companies based on how comprehensive these warranties are.
- Customer Service (10 points): We considered customer service availability and ease of communication.
- Company Reputation (15 points): We looked into each company’s service record to determine how they treated clients and how they responded to customer complaints. Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and complaint response rate were our primary metrics for this category.
We monitor company data on an ongoing basis to keep rankings and information up to date.