Each year we start by summing up the best windows available, you can see previous years for the highest rated windows for 2020 and 2021, and the highest rated windows for 2019 here. Wondering what the best windows are for 2022? This page details the 14 top-rated windows for 2022, including vinyl, wood, fiberglass, and aluminum windows. The best storm-resistant windows and the most energy-efficient windows for the year are here too.
Most window manufacturers offer both new construction and replacement windows for each series, but a few are only available in one or the other. When applicable, we will specify if a series is available in new construction or replacement windows only.
2022 Top Rated and Best Windows
- Pella 250 vinyl windows
- Jeld Wen Premium V-4500 vinyl windows
- Simonton Reflections 5500 vinyl windows
- Pella Reserve Traditional and Contemporary wood windows
- Andersen 400 wood windows
- Marvin Signature Ultimate wood windows
- Marvin Signature Modern fiberglass windows
- Renewal by Andersen Fibrex windows
- Milgard Thermally Improved aluminum windows
- Jeld Wen Builders Atlantic aluminum windows
- Marvin Coastline storm-resistant windows
- Pella Defender storm-resistant windows
- Alside Mezzo Energy Star windows
- Andersen E-Series Energy Star windows
New Construction vs. Replacement Windows
If you’re in the market for new windows, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether to install new construction windows or replacement windows.
New construction windows can only be installed when there is no siding on the house – when building the home or as part of an exterior renovation when siding is removed. Why? New construction windows have an additional piece around the perimeter of the frame called a nailing fin or flange used to secure the window to the exterior house sheathing.
Replacement windows are used anytime old windows are replaced without removing the home’s siding. The frame, or part of it, of the old window remains in place, and the replacement window is installed within it. With no nailing flange, replacement windows tend to be slightly less expensive than new construction windows.
Best Vinyl Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Pella | 250 | $450 – $975 | Both |
| Jeld Wen | Premium V-4500 | $585 – $1,900 | Both |
| Simonton | Reflections 5500 | $570 – $2,150 | Replacement |
Vinyl has been the most popular window material for a long time running, and for good reason! Vinyl windows make up more than half of all residential window purchases because they are affordable, attractive, and energy efficient. Another benefit of vinyl windows is that they often come with lifetime warranties, unlike many wood windows.
Pella 250 Series
The Pella 250 Series is on our list of the best windows for 2022 because of their strength, energy efficiency, and customizable options. The 250 Series are affordable too.
Pella claims that this vinyl is 52% stronger than ordinary vinyl, and that these frames are designed to retain their color and shape for the long haul.
This series features an impressive number of window styles – Seven: Single hung, double hung, casement, awning, sliding, picture, and bay/bow windows. This allows you to put together a window package for your home with styles to fit each room and purpose.
The Pella 250 series also offers options for greater energy savings. You can choose to add foam insulation and triple-pane glass to increase energy efficiency by more than 60% compared to single-pane glass windows.
For more information on Pella windows, check out our Pella Window Price & Installation Cost Guide.
Note: The Pella 350 windows topped the 2021 list of best vinyl windows, and they’re definitely worth a look too. The 250 Series was chosen this year because most homeowners are feeling the inflation crunch, which has hit the window industry just as hard as other industries, and the Pella 250 windows offer cost savings and excellent quality. That makes them a good value for 2022.
Jeld Wen Premium V-4500 Series
This series was not included for its lower price. In other words, finding the “cheapest” windows available was not our criterion. These are high-quality windows at a fair, but higher, cost.
The Jeld Wen Premium V-4500 series offers excellent options for both new construction and replacement windows, including a lifetime warranty. The V-4500 series is available in an appealing array of window styles, including single and double hung, sliding, casement, bay/bow, and even a few unusual picture window shapes like circle, half circle, and trapezoid.
As a leading brand for window manufacturing, Jeld Wen also offers features for energy efficiency, including low-E insulating glass and thermally advanced frames that preserve energy in the home.
The V-4500 series also has a design option for even sight lines, so that you can create the most elegant look. Don’t forget to take a peek at our Jeld Wen Window Price Guide for more details and updated 2022 Jeld Wen window prices!
Simonton Reflections 5500 Series
The Simonton Reflections 5500 series stands out in the area of strength. If you live in an area that is prone to high winds, these Missile C-certified windows are worth your consideration. In addition to impact resistance, Reflections 5500 windows come with a lifetime warranty and Energy Star rated glass options.
The Reflections 5500 series also has a wide range of design options including realistic wood grain interior colors and seven hardware finishes to choose from. This series is available in numerous window styles: Double hung, casement, sliding, picture, awning, bay/bow, and garden windows.
Best Wood Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Pella | Reserve | $1,475 – $3,050 | Both |
| Andersen | 400 | $850 – $2,700 | New |
| Marvin | Signature Ultimate | $850 – $2,650 | Both |
Is there anything more beautiful on a window than a solid wood frame? Wood interiors are both lovely and pricey, so if you’ve decided on wood, get ready to spend quite a bit more than you would for other materials. Here is our list of the top-rated and best wood windows for 2022.
Pella Reserve Traditional and Contemporary Series
Pella is a trusted name in the world of windows, and they’ve earned that respect with many high-quality and innovative products. Pella Reserve is a super-premium wood window series featuring both traditional and contemporary designs. The Traditional Style Pella Reserve windows are produced with historically conscious features like deep sashes and spoon locks, while the Contemporary Style Pella Reserve windows boast sleek, aluminum-clad exteriors with narrower frames for improved sightlines.
The Pella Reserve series gives you a few notable design options – they are not standard – that are unique to Pella. Insynctive technology is an optional built-in security sensor that helps protect your home. The Rolscreen is a retractable window screen that appears when the window is opened, but rolls out of sight when the window is closed to preserve the clear view of the outdoor landscape.
Pella Reserve windows are available in many style options including casement, awning, and picture windows.
Andersen 400 Series
Tried and true. The Andersen 400 series is an extremely popular wood window series with a proven track record of beauty and quality. They’re so popular, in fact, that you can even find them at big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes!
However, keep in mind that your design and feature options are limited when buying “off the shelf” rather than semi-custom, which means ordering the window with the color, features and accessories you prefer.
This series is manufactured in seven styles: awning, bay/bow, casement, double hung, gliding, picture, and specialty. If you order this series from a window dealer, there are also lots of color, stain, and hardware options to choose from.
These windows are compatible with Andersen Stormwatch Protection technology for stormy areas, especially HVHZs, or high-velocity hurricane zones. They can be fitted with these reinforcements before or after installation.
See current Andersen window prices for all series in our Andersen Window Reviews and Prices Guide.
Did you know? Andersen makes sliding and French doors too. Check out styles and prices here.
Marvin Signature Ultimate Series
The Marvin Signature Ultimate series makes the list of the best windows for 2022 because of the huge selection of styles and design features in this high-quality collection. There are twenty-eight window styles to choose from including awning, bay/bow, casement, corner, double hung, single hung, picture, and more. Most of the styles come in multiple versions such as crank-style or push-out casement and awning, and double-hung windows with beefier frames.
Marvin Signature Ultimate series is also well known for its sturdy and beautiful design. They feature aluminum cladding on the exterior, available in a wide spectrum of colors, which protects the wood frames against moisture, water and insects.
For more on Marvin windows, check out our guide Marvin Window Prices & Costs.
Best Fiberglass Composite Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Marvin | Signature Modern | $725 – $2,450 | Both |
| Andersen | Renewal by Andersen | $1,200 – $3,000 | New |
Fiberglass and composite are quickly becoming some of the most popular materials for windows. This is because fiberglass and composite material is extremely strong and durable while also being able to mimic the appearance and texture of wood at a lower cost and with improved durability. Fiberglass is also gaining a reputation as an environmentally friendly material that is energy efficient.
Marvin Signature Modern
The Marvin Signature Modern series provides a sleek and streamlined approach to fiberglass windows. There are fewer style options than some other series give you, but the few styles produced are well crafted. This series includes awning, casement, and direct glaze windows. The framing in this series is high-density fiberglass that is strong and durable.
The Signature Modern series has narrow sightlines and modular capabilities, making it the perfect option for homeowners looking for 360° views and plenty of natural light.
Renewal by Andersen
This series is well known in the window world as a go-to for great quality replacement windows. Renewal by Anderson windows are manufactured from Fibrex, Anderson’s signature composite material made from fiberglass and wood. Fibrex is an incredibly strong material that is both energy efficient and durable over time.
How is Fibrex so ecofriendly? One of the primary ways is that Fibrex is made from mostly recycled materials, which means it is a sustainable material that reduces waste. In addition, Fibrex is a good thermoregulator, which means it slows the transfer of heat into the house in summer and out of the house in winter.
The window style options in the series are double hung, casement, bay, picture, sliding, awning, and specialty windows that give your window package, and your home, a touch of something unique. Andersen says these windows, “are available in thirteen different shapes and a wide variety of colors, grille patterns, and glass options.”
Best Aluminum Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Milgard | Thermally Improved | $475 – $1795 | Both |
| Jeld Wen | Builders Atlantic | $440 – $1,650 | Both |
Aluminum has been around for a long time as a window frame material. It has many benefits, including its affordable cost and its excellent resistance to moisture and insects. Aluminum is also known to have a few downsides, like the fact that it is a thermal conductor, and its relatively damage-prone reputation. Still, if you live in a mild climate and are looking for a lightweight and moisture-resistant window, aluminum is a great material to consider!
Milgard Thermally Improved Aluminum
As the name suggests, Milgard’s Thermally Improved Aluminum series offers all the benefits of aluminum (lightweight, attractive) without the biggest downside: low energy efficiency. This series uses newer technology to increase the energy efficiency of aluminum by filling channels between the layers of aluminum with polyurethane, to prevent cold or heat conduction from the exterior aluminum to the interior. These are pure aluminum frames, not to be confused with aluminum cladding, which is an aluminum layer applied to exterior wood window frames.
Another way Milgard takes this series to the next level is by including a lifetime warranty for every Thermally Improved Aluminum window.
Style options for this series include single hung, sliding, casement, awning, picture, and radius windows.
Terminology Tip: These windows are also called Milgard Thermal Break windows.
Jeld Wen Builders Atlantic
This aluminum window series from Jeld Wen is specifically designed for homeowners living in Florida and other hurricane-prone coastal areas. They are designed to meet the stringent Florida requirements for coastal windows, including impact-resistance. Their affordability might surprise you.
The series features two window style options: single hung and sliding. If tropical storms and the occasional hurricane are possible where you live, be sure to check these windows out!
For more information on Jeld Wen windows, feel free to browse our Jeld Wen Window Prices guide.
Best Storm-Resistant Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Marvin | Coastline | $700 – $2,285 | Both |
| Pella | Defender Series | $745 – $1,750 | Replacement |
If you live in a HVHZ or other location prone to tropical storms and high winds, then you’re probably familiar with storm-resistant windows. They have to serve a dual purpose: withstand incredible gale-force winds and impact from flying debris while at the same time showcasing those gorgeous views! The two options below include some of the best windows for impact resistance, durability, and beauty on the market today.
Marvin Coastline
The Marvin Coastline series is a well-known name in storm-resistant windows. As the Marvin website says, these windows are “designed for the best coastal views, engineered for the worst coastal weather.”
The Marvin Coastline series is available in seven window styles, including awning, casement, gliding, single hung, picture, storefront, and specialty windows. This window series is made to protect your home from even the most severe storms, while enhancing your home’s beauty and curb appeal.
Pella Defender Series
This series of impact-resistant windows from Pella is built to withstand harsh storms and even hurricanes. The laminated, insulated glass is designed to handle large impacts from flying debris during severe weather, and the frames are enforced to resist warping or denting.
The Pella Defender series also offers UV protection, blocking over 99% of UV rays. This feature helps to protect your home’s furniture and linens from sun damage.
This series comes in three classic window styles: single hung, double hung, and sliding windows.
Most Energy Efficient Windows for 2022
| Brand | Series | Cost Range | New/Replacement |
| Alside | Mezzo | $680 – $2,075 | Replacement |
| Andersen | E-Series | $1,400 – $3,300 | Both |
Energy efficiency has become a huge priority for homeowners in the United States during the past several decades. As we continue to discover and develop new ways to conserve energy and practice sustainable manufacturing, new products are being developed for the ecofriendly consumer.
Windows are a great area to start with when making your home more energy efficient. Why? Because windows are a main area of energy loss in both summer and winter. Installing energy efficient windows can both lower your energy costs and keep your home feeling comfortable all year round.
Alside Mezzo Series
This Energy Star vinyl window series is available in both the East and West, so wherever you live, you can find this energy efficient, good-looking line of windows. Mezzo feature a thermally optimized frame with dual pane insulated glass. In fact, all the windows in this series are built with Alside ClimaTech glass. This special type of glass includes low-E glass, argon gas, and the Intercept Warm-Edge Spacer System, which is a system designed to promote maximum energy efficiency.
Andersen E-Series
The Andersen E-Series is the premium option for energy-efficient wood windows. With gorgeous wood interiors and aluminum-clad exteriors, the E-Series offers nearly infinite design options including multiple wood species, great choices for interior stain color and finish plus fifty exterior cladding colors. This is an aluminum-clad window with several style options including awning, bay/bow, casement, double hung, gliding, and picture windows.
The Anderson E-Series is our top recommendation for Energy Star rated windows in 2022.
Compare Window Cost Estimates
If you are interested in comparing window cost estimates from multiple window contractors, we offer a simple form that provides this service with no obligation!
Take a minute to fill it out, and you’ll hear back from licensed, prescreened and experienced window installers in your area. Get your questions answered, and receive free estimates to compare prices on the various windows you’re interested in.
