Window Warranty Comparison: What 16 Brands Actually Cover

Every replacement window company sells its warranty as a reason to buy, and almost none of them make it easy to compare. The terms live in PDFs, the headline word is usually “lifetime,” and the clauses that decide whether you ever collect are three pages in.

This page puts the published terms for 16 brands side by side, read from each company’s own warranty documents in August 2026. Where a company doesn’t publish something, we say so instead of guessing.

Read these four things, in this order

Most buyers read the number of years first. That’s the least useful field on the page.

1. Who is covered. Nearly every “lifetime” warranty here means as long as the original purchaser owns and occupies the home. Not the life of the window. It typically ends the day you sell.
2. Parts or labor. A warranty that ships a free sash but bills the service call has covered a fraction of the real cost.
3. What happens on resale. This is where warranties separate most sharply, and it’s covered in its own table below.
4. What voids it. Authorized-installer clauses, maintenance conditions and modification rules quietly do most of the disqualifying work.

Manufacturers

Sold through dealers, showrooms, big-box retail or contractors. With these, the product warranty and the installation warranty usually come from two different companies.

Brand	Frame / product	Glass and seal	Labor
Andersen (A-Series)	10 yr non-glass components	20 yr	Not covered; “installation labor is not included”
Pella	Limited lifetime, original purchaser	Varies by line	2 yr
Milgard (Tuscany, Trinsic)	Full Lifetime, original owner	Lifetime, incl. glass breakage	Included, no stated end date
JELD-WEN	Limited lifetime, vinyl	20 yr	Varies by line
Sierra Pacific	30 yr clad exterior coating (AAMA 2605)	20 yr insulated glass	2 yr; parts 10 yr
Weather Shield	Varies by line and manufacture year	Varies	Varies

Notes. Andersen’s terms run from the date of purchase from the dealer, not from installation, so the clock starts before your windows go in. Its exterior color finish carries 20 years against flake, blister, peel or loss of adhesion, and 10 years against fade beyond 5 delta-E. Salt-air corrosion of the exterior coating is warranted for as long as the unit stays in the original structure. Milgard’s Full Lifetime applies to owner-occupied homes inside its service territory, and is an optional upgrade rather than standard on the Style Line V250. Weather Shield publishes a different document for each product line and manufacture year, so there is no single set of terms to quote; ask which document applies to your units.

Sell-and-install companies

These sell the window and install it themselves, so one company stands behind both halves. That’s the model’s main advantage, and it’s why the labor column looks different here.

The first two are a category of their own: manufacturer-owned replacement divisions. Renewal by Andersen is Andersen Corporation’s replacement arm and Infinity is Marvin’s, so the company that made the window is also on the hook for the installation. Compare their rows against their parents’ rows in the manufacturers table above and you can see what the replacement channel adds, which is installation coverage the parent brand explicitly excludes.

Company	Product coverage	Labor and installation	Accidental glass breakage
Renewal by Andersen (Andersen)	20 yr Fibrex, 20 yr glass (10 yr impact glass), 10 yr hardware	Labor on valid claims; installation 2 yr	Not covered; accidents excluded
Infinity from Marvin (Marvin)	Limited lifetime, Ultrex	Installation 5 yr at Infinity Replacement locations	Not stated
Window World	Limited lifetime, vinyl and mechanical parts	Included, no charge	Covered
Champion	Limited lifetime, “whatever the cause”	Included, no charge	Covered
Universal Windows Direct	True Lifetime, non-prorated	Included, all installation and labor	Covered
Window Nation	Limited lifetime on defects	Included	Varies by model
Power Home Remodeling	Lifetime, original owner (mfr: NBP)	Power’s own limited lifetime labor warranty	Not stated
Zen Windows	Double Limited Lifetime, materials	Included	Covered
NewSouth Window	Lifetime Limited Transferable	Included, trip charge after 2 yr	Covered
Mad City Windows	Manufacturer’s terms vary	Workmanship for as long as you own the home	Varies

Notes. Renewal by Andersen’s 20-year glass term is stated for non-coastal factory-glazed units. Impact-resistant glass falls outside it and carries its own published warranty, 10 years on the glass (Acclaim Impact warranty, June 2024), which matters in hurricane markets. Special-order, discontinued and art glass are excluded from the 20-year term as well. Infinity requires warranty registration within 60 days of installation to activate coverage at all, and has a separate supplement for homes above 5,000 feet. Window World’s limited lifetime terms cover windows; bay and bow units carry 10 years, and entry doors carry 10 years on paint and 20 on clear glass. Champion’s coverage is unusually broad in what triggers it, covering damage “whatever the cause,” which is rare in this category. Power Home Remodeling is the one split model here: the product warranty comes from its manufacturer, Northeast Building Products, while the labor warranty comes from Power.

The table that actually decides things

Warranty coverage on resale is where these documents diverge most, and it’s the part almost nobody reads before signing. Roughly a third of homeowners move inside a decade, so for many buyers this column is worth more than the headline term.

Brand	How it transfers	What the next owner gets
Renewal by Andersen	Automatically. No form, no fee, no deadline	Remainder of each original term, labor included
Andersen	Transfers (Owner-to-Owner)	Remainder of each term, measured from original dealer purchase
Universal Windows Direct	Transfers, non-prorated	20 years
JELD-WEN	Transfers	10 years from the original date
Sierra Pacific	“Fully transferable”	Remainder of terms
Zen Windows	Fully transferable, labor and materials	Continued coverage
NewSouth Window	Transferable	Continued coverage
Mad City Windows	Transferable to the buyer	Workmanship coverage
Window Nation	Transfers	5 additional years
Window World	Form plus the then-current fee, within 30 days of sale	Product coverage; corporate terms state labor does not pass to the immediate transferee
Power Home Remodeling	Certificate of Transfer plus $50, within 30 days of title	10 years, then prorated (see below)
Infinity from Marvin	Registration required within 60 days to activate	Check the current document
Pella	Coverage is limited to the original purchaser	Not stated as transferring
Milgard	Full Lifetime does not transfer	10-year limited parts only, dated from manufacture
Champion	Not published; company directs you to a representative	Not stated
Weather Shield	Varies by product line and manufacture year	Not stated

What “prorated” costs a second owner

Power Home Remodeling’s manufacturer warranty is the clearest published example of a mechanism several brands use without spelling out. After the second owner’s first 10 years, they start paying a share of any covered repair:

Warranty year	Share the second owner pays
Years 11–15	50% of the cost
Years 16–24	75% of the cost
Years 25+	90% of the cost

A warranty that covers 10% of a repair in year 25 is still technically in force. This is worth understanding as a category mechanism rather than as a mark against one company, because proration is common and rarely advertised. Ask whether coverage is prorated and from what year.

What isn’t published

Three honest gaps, since a comparison that hides them isn’t much use:

• Champion does not publish transfer terms and directs homeowners to a representative. That may be perfectly reasonable, but it means the term can’t be compared here or verified before a sales visit.
• Weather Shield publishes separate documents per product line and manufacture year, so there’s no single current set of terms to quote.
• Mad City Windows warrants its own workmanship, but product coverage comes from whichever manufacturer supplied the units, so terms vary job to job.

What to ask for before you sign

• The actual warranty document for the exact product being quoted, not the brochure page. Terms move between versions, superseded ones stay online, and the copy a dealer hands you may not be the current one, so match the document to your installation date.
• The transfer clause, in writing, including fee, form and deadline.
• Whether coverage is prorated, and from which year.
• Whether labor is included, and whether labor survives a transfer.
• What the terms are for your specific conditions: coastal, high altitude, and impact-rated glazing all carry different terms at several of these brands.

How we compiled this

Every term above was read from the brand’s own published warranty page or warranty PDF in August 2026, and each source is listed at the bottom of this page.

Where documents conflicted, we used the current one and said so. Where a term isn’t published, the cell says so rather than carrying a guess. Warranty terms change without announcement, so treat this as a dated snapshot and verify against your own paperwork.

For brand-level detail, see our guides on Renewal by Andersen cost, Renewal by Andersen vs. Pella, and Renewal by Andersen vs. Window World. To see which of these companies actually serve your area, find your metro or request a project quote.

Frequently asked questions

›Which replacement window warranty is the best?

It depends on how long you'll own the home, because that's the variable most warranties turn on. If you never move, several are excellent: Milgard's Full Lifetime, Champion's, Universal Windows Direct's True Lifetime and Window World's all cover parts and labor with no end date for the original owner. If you might sell, the picture inverts, and Renewal by Andersen has the cleanest transfer on this page: automatic, with no form, fee or deadline, and labor stays attached (its installation workmanship term is 2 years). Milgard's Full Lifetime does not transfer at all and drops to a 10-year parts-only warranty dated from manufacture. Pella's coverage is limited to the original purchaser. Window World's needs a form and a fee within 30 days. Read the transfer column before the headline number.

›Does a lifetime window warranty really mean lifetime?

Almost never in the sense buyers assume. In this category 'lifetime' nearly always means as long as the original purchaser owns and occupies the home, not the life of the window and not the life of the buyer. It usually ends the day you sell. What the next owner gets is a separate and much shorter set of terms, and on several brands they get a prorated warranty where they pay a rising share of any repair. Power Home Remodeling's manufacturer warranty, for example, charges a second owner 50% of the cost in years 11 to 15 and 90% from year 25.

›Do window warranties cover labor?

Some do, some cover it briefly, and some separate it entirely. Window World, Champion, Universal Windows Direct and Zen include labor with no stated end date for the original owner. Pella and Sierra Pacific cover labor for 2 years. Renewal by Andersen includes labor on valid product claims but warrants the installation workmanship itself for 2 years. The distinction that matters is between parts and labor: a warranty that ships you a free sash but charges for the visit has not covered much.

›Is a window warranty transferable when I sell my house?

Usually only with conditions, and the conditions are where the coverage quietly disappears. Of the brands here, Renewal by Andersen transfers automatically with no form or fee. Universal Windows Direct transfers for 20 years. Window Nation gives the next owner 5 years. JELD-WEN's becomes 10 years from the original date. Power Home Remodeling requires a Certificate of Transfer and a $50 fee within 30 days of title transfer. Window World requires a form and the then-current fee within 30 days. Milgard and Pella do not transfer their top-tier coverage at all. If resale matters to you, ask for the transfer clause in writing before you sign.

›What voids a window warranty?

The recurring ones across these documents: installation or later service by anyone the manufacturer didn't authorize, aftermarket modifications such as tinting, painting or non-factory hardware, failure to seal exposed wood within the stated window, improper cleaning (razor blades, brick wash, abrasives), and condensation, which is almost universally excluded because it's a humidity problem rather than a window defect. Several also exclude accidents, acts of God and normal wear. Coastal and high-altitude installations often carry different terms rather than none, so check for a supplement rather than assuming.

›Where did these numbers come from?

Each brand's own published warranty page or warranty PDF, read in August 2026 and cited at the bottom of this page. Where a company doesn't publish a term, this guide says so rather than guessing. Warranty terms change, sometimes materially, and older versions stay in circulation on dealer sites long after they are superseded. Renewal by Andersen's current warranty page states 2 years on installation, while a 2022-dated version of its limited warranty still hosted by dealers states 5. Always verify against the document attached to your own contract rather than one found by search.

Sources

• — Renewal by Andersen Acclaim Impact warranty, June 2024 (assets.renewalbyandersen.com, Acclaim-Impact-Warranty-6-1-2024v2.pdf): impact-resistant glass warranted 10 years from original installation
• — Renewal by Andersen warranty page, renewalbyandersen.com/resources/warranty (current Acclaim terms: 20-year glass on non-coastal products, 20-year Fibrex, 10-year components, 2-year professional installation) and the Products and Installation Transferable Limited Warranty for units installed after 1 Jan 2022, which states 5-year installation — both read 27 Aug 2026
• — Andersen Windows warranty library and A-Series Limited Warranty (document 9055291, revised 8 Sep 2023: 20-year glass, 10-year non-glass components, 20-year exterior color against flake/peel, 10-year fade, installation labor not included) — read 27 Aug 2026
• — Infinity from Marvin warranty page, infinitywindows.com/support/warranty — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Pella warranty library, pella.com/support/warranties — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Milgard warranty documentation, milgard.com — read 26 Aug 2026
• — JELD-WEN window and patio door limited warranty documentation — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Sierra Pacific Windows homeowner warranty page — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Weather Shield warranty library (current document effective 17 Feb 2026) — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Window World limited lifetime warranty documentation, corporate and Minnesota locations — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Champion Windows limited lifetime warranty page — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Universal Windows Direct True Lifetime Warranty materials — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Window Nation warranty information page — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Power Home Remodeling window warranty documents (Northeast Building Products limited warranty, 2025 edition) — read 26 Aug 2026
• — Zen Windows, NewSouth Window and Mad City Windows published warranty pages — read 26 Aug 2026

Disclosure

All company and product names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification. The Window Monitor is an independent research publication and is not owned by, speaking for, or endorsed by any brand listed. Renewal by Andersen holds a paid placement in our directory; no other company on this page pays us for placement, and none reviewed or approved these entries. Every term above was read from the brand's own published warranty materials in August 2026 and is cited with it.