Pella Windows vs. Anlin Windows: Material, Design, Warranty

Finding the right replacement window for your home is difficult. After you’ve already thought about what you want them to look like, how you want them to perform, and your budget, you’re narrowing your options down to the final few that fit your criteria. 

So, you’re scouting Pella and Anlin windows for your home’s window replacement. Both companies are leading names in the industry. And, both offer high-quality replacement windows built to last in your home. 

But, considering their popularity and knowing they perform similarly is not enough to sway you one way or another.

You want to be able to compare the specifics. What are the windows made of? How can you design each of them? What are their warranties like? 

Looking at each of these windows stacked next to each other in various categories will help you better see which window will meet your needs for your project. 

Southwest Exteriors has been a window replacement contractor in San Antonio since 1989. We work with a variety of window manufacturers, like Anlin, to provide you with high-quality replacement window options.

Although we do install Anlin windows, we want to provide you with an unbiased comparison between Anlin and Pella windows. 

We want you to be as educated as possible on products, installation practices, warranties, and more. So, you can make the best choices for you and your project. 

This article will compare Pella and Anlin in material, design, warranty, and more. 

After reading, you will know more about each window manufacturer and have the right information to compare them to one another. Then, you can decide if either of these windows is right for you. 

About Pella and Anlin

Before diving into some specifics about each of these windows, let’s first look at what each company is. Then, you can understand more about how each company got started and what its values are. 

About Pella Windows

Pella is a window and door manufacturer founded in 1925, headquartered in Pella, Iowa. The company was founded on traditional American values, like integrity. They work to innovate and create products that will improve the lives of homeowners. 

One important thing to Pella is giving back to the communities around them. They took part in multiple projects to provide resources for those in need of a home. Some include assisting and renovating a boys and girls club in Harlem, New York, and working with the Yale School of Architecture to build a house for those experiencing homelessness. 

Aside from their commitment to community, they continue to lead the way in innovation and efficiency in the window and door industry. 

About Anlin Windows

Anlin Windows and Doors was founded in 1990, headquartered in Clovis, California. They create vinyl products to be durable, energy-efficient, and the best on the market. 

Not only is product performance important to Anlin, but serving their clients, community, and the environment is a top priority as well. They reclaim and reuse almost all by-products from the manufacturing process, including vinyl, glass, and shipping materials. 

Overall, Anlin is known for its superior energy-efficient products. If you’re looking for an affordable replacement window that will last in your home, Anlin offers just that. 

What are Pella and Anlin windows made of? 

Now that you know more about who Pella and Anlin are and what their companies are founded on, let’s get down to the details. 

The first thing you want to look at for a replacement window is what it is made of. The material of a window will determine its durability, maintenance, and energy performance. 

What are Pella windows made of? 

Pella offers a variety of window types and collections. Their windows are made of vinyl, fiberglass, and wood. Each of these window materials varies in performance and maintenance. 

How durable are Pella windows? 

Pella’s wood windows are made with an aluminum cladding on the exterior. Cladding on a window is like an added frame to the base frame. Wood windows are already a durable and long-lasting window material. Yet, the cladding adds extra strength to the frame while also protecting the wood from weather elements. 

Pella’s fiberglass and vinyl windows are similar in durability. Fiberglass, in nature, is more durable than vinyl and more resistant to dents and damages. Pella’s fiberglass is made to be the best material Pella has to offer for replacement windows. However, newly engineered vinyl is just as durable and energy-efficient as fiberglass. 

Pella’s window glass is also impact-resistant. This provides your home with added safety and decreases the chances of forced entry. 

What maintenance is required for Pella windows? 

The material of each of Pella’s windows makes them practically maintenance-free. While wood windows typically need the most maintenance and care over the years, aluminum cladding protects the exterior of the frame from weathering and potential rotting. 

Fiberglass and vinyl windows are virtually maintenance-free. Pella’s finish on their windows is guaranteed not to fade, chip, or peel. This means you won’t have to worry about constantly upkeep the appearance of your windows. 

How energy efficient are Pella windows? 

All Pella windows are ENERGY STAR certified. Several of their window lines meet the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient criteria. This rating means they are some of the most energy-efficient windows on the market. 

Their windows are made with a Low-E glass coating and the option to add more coatings to maximize efficiency. Windows can also be customized with added argon gas fills between the panes to increase the window’s insulating properties. 

Pella’s glass types can block anywhere from 69% to 95% of harmful UV rays. This means your home will be protected and your energy costs lowered. 

What are Anlin windows made of? 

Anlin windows are made of a titanium dioxide-infused vinyl extrusion frame. Titanium dioxide is a chemical infused with the vinyl frame to act as a protectant from the sun. This helps the frame resist weathering, maintain its color, and last longer. 

How durable are Anlin windows?

The vinyl extruded frame means that the vinyl has been modified through an extrusion process. This process takes the vinyl material and mixes it with other materials that improve durability and UV resistance to create a stronger, engineered vinyl. 

While traditional vinyl windows have a reputation for morphing, bending, and cracking over time, Anlin windows strategically combat this. High-quality engineered vinyl windows will not become misshapen when exposed to changing temperatures as regular vinyl does. 

Anlin windows are also made with a weather-tight seal around the frame. This ensures water, wind, and other outside forces won't get into your home. This makes Anlin one of the top players for vinyl replacement windows built to last. 

What maintenance is required for Anlin windows?

Vinyl windows are extremely low-maintenance. However, Anlin’s engineered vinyl windows set you up for virtually no maintenance in the future. 

Anlin’s titanium dioxide-infused frame ensures you will not have to worry about color fading, which can be common in lower-quality vinyl frames. 

You can clean vinyl frames with a soft cloth and chemical-free cleaner to wipe off any dirt or grime that may have accumulated. 

How energy efficient are Anlin windows?

Anlin windows exceed all ENERGY STAR energy ratings. Anlin window's energy-efficient ratings are also measured using the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), which creates the standard energy ratings for windows. 

All Anlin windows also have a green Comfort CoreⓇ foam inside the vinyl frames to provide more insulation to the window. The more insulation a window has, the better job it does at maintaining the inner temperature of your home. Some Anlin window collections also have an Inner CoreⓇ fiberglass insulation. This improves the window’s insulating properties while increasing the frame’s strength. 

Anlin’s window glass has special glazing that lowers the number of UV rays penetrating through the glass and into your home. 

How do Pella and Anlin windows compare in material, durability, maintenance, and energy efficiency? 

Overall, Pella and Anlin windows have similar characteristics in durability, maintenance, and energy efficiency. 

Pella does offer three window types: fiberglass, vinyl, and wood. Anlin only offers vinyl windows. So, it is important to consider what you want your windows to look like and how you want them to perform based on their material.

However, Anlin’s vinyl windows and Pella’s wood, fiberglass, and vinyl windows perform similarly in durability, maintenance, and energy efficiency, making it difficult to rule one over the other in these categories. 

What design options do Pella and Anlin offer? 

While knowing what your windows are made of is important to understand how they’ll perform, you also need to see if they will look how you want them to. 

Whether you’re looking for a simple design with simple options or want to customize every element of your new windows, looking at what Pella and Anlin offer for design will help you decide if either window will give you a look you want. 

What kind of design options do Pella windows offer?

Pella has nine different window lines. Because they carry three different window types, they have many more collections to offer various design options for every wood, fiberglass, and vinyl window. 

Their collections range from traditional and architectural to modern and sleek. Each collection varies by what window type is available for that material and design. 

For example, Pella Lifestyle series only offers casement, picture, awning, and double-hung windows. The Pella Traditional series offers all these styles as well as single-hung, monumental hung, corner windows, and arched windows. 

Design options also vary between collections. Pella’s wood windows have almost a dozen wood finish options and up to 20 exterior finish colors. Fiberglass and vinyl windows only have three finish options for each window.

When it comes to hardware, grilles, and combination windows, this is where Pella shines. They offer numerous hardware finishes and styles options and various grille patterns and profiles. 

Whether you’re looking for a more traditional wood window with colorful finish options or a maintenance-free vinyl or fiberglass window with sleek and simple color options, Pella has many options to find the right window for you. 

What kind of design options do Anlin windows offer? 

Anlin carries four window collections. These collections all offer simple frame profiles with the option of slimmer profiles. 

Their windows are all designed to provide maximum views without compromising energy efficiency. 

All Anlin windows have similar design options in color and style. There are multiple frame moulding options, three interior finish options, and 15 exterior finish options. They also have six finish options for hardware. 

Similar to Pella, the style of window available varies by collection. But, Anlin offers a wide range of window style options, from single and double-hung to garden and bay and bow windows. 

They also offer several grille profiles and patterns, though less than Pella in this category. 

How do Pella and Anlin windows compare in design options? 

Both Pella and Anlin window collections offer a variety of design and style options. 

Because Pella carries multiple window types, they have more collections offering design options for each window material. Anlin only carries vinyl windows, so you only have one material style to choose from.  

If you’re deciding between these two window lines for their design aspects, the material will most likely influence your decision. For example, if you want a real-wood window for a traditional interior look on your home, you will need to evaluate Pella because Anlin does not offer wood windows. 

But, if you are looking for a high-quality, durable vinyl window in a non-traditional color, Anlin will have more design options for you there because they offer more color finish options than Pella vinyl windows. 

To get a better idea of what design options each window manufacturer offers, take time to browse their websites and look at the design brochures. Then, you can see more specific design outlines for each window line and see if they offer what you like. 

What kind of warranty do Pella and Anlin offer? 

Understanding what a window is made of and what it will look like is important to know if it matches your aesthetic and performance goals. 

Looking at the warranty is also important for you to know if a window will last in your home and what the manufacturer will provide if anything happens to your windows. 

What kind of warranty does Pella offer? 

Pella offers a limited lifetime warranty on their windows. While the exact bounds of the warranty differ for each window type, all cover the material, frame, glass, non-glass components, and factory finish for varying lengths of time. 

The frame of fiberglass, vinyl, and wood windows is warranted against defects for a lifetime. Hardware, glass, and non-glass components are covered against defects for 10 years, and the factory finish is warranted for two years. 

These warranties are mostly transferable, though some specific bounds are not transferable, like the basic coverage and non-laminated glass parts on wood windows. 

If any damages occur under the warranty, Pella will either repair, replace, or provide a refund of the damaged part. 

What kind of warranty does Anlin offer?

Anlin offers a double lifetime warranty on all windows. This means that your warranty is fully transferable from the original purchaser to the next owner if you sell your house. 

The warranty is not transferable from the second recipient. But, that subsequent owner still receives a lifetime warranty. 

This warranty includes the vinyl, glass, hardware, screens, exterior color, labor, and shipping. If anything breaks or there is a manufacturing defect, the cost to replace that part of the window is covered. Anlin can also provide you with a full refund if your window falls under the warranty. 

How do Pella and Anlin’s warranties compare?

Both Pella and Anlin offer lifetime warranties on their products. Pella’s warranty, however, is limited on all parts except the frame, while Anlin offers a lifetime warranty on all components of the window. 

The transferability of Pella’s warranty is limited, but Anlin’s warranty is transferable on all parts. It is a true double lifetime warranty. 

If you are in a long-term home, but not your forever home, Anlin windows will ensure your windows for your life in your home as well as the next homeowners. 

Pella’s warranty is also transferable, though some components are not covered for as long. Both warranties ensure that your windows will be taken care of for a long time.

Pella Windows vs. Anlin Windows: Which is better for me?

Now that you know how Pella windows and Anlin windows compare in their material, durability, maintenance, energy efficiency, design, and warranty, you can know if either of these windows is right for you. 

Both Pella and Anlin offer durable, energy-efficient, and long-lasting windows. Pella offers wood, fiberglass, and vinyl windows, while Anlin only manufactures vinyl windows. 

Both companies also offer numerous design options in their window style, color, grille profiles, and glass options. 

If you’re considering either of these windows for your replacement window project, it can be hard to distinguish their differences. However, the material of the window and design options will provide you with the best insight on which will fit your needs better. 

If you want a real-wood or long-lasting fiberglass window, then your answer is Pella. If you are looking for a high-quality vinyl window, you’ll want to look at the design options Anlin and Pella both offer, as Anlin offers more color options for their vinyl windows than Pella does. 

Finding the right replacement window for you all comes down to your goals. How long do you want your windows to last? What do you want them to look like? What is your budget? Considering all of these questions will help you to narrow your options and choose the right window for you. 

As you continue your search for the right replacement window, you may be looking for more guidance on choosing the right window material for you. 

This article will outline four things to consider to find the right window material for you. Then, you will be able to outline your goals better and find the best replacement window for your home. 

Interested in learning more about Anlin windows? 

At Southwest Exteriors, we carry Anlin’s high-quality vinyl windows because they are a durable, long-lasting, and almost maintenance-free option for San Antonio homeowners. 

The window’s lifetime warranty is also backed by our lifetime warranty for as long as you own your home. From designing your window to the finishing touches, your Anlin windows will protect your home and last. 

Ready to start your Anlin window replacement project? Schedule your free, in-home consultation today by filling out this form on our webpage.