I get asked this a lot, and the honest answer is less exciting than people hope: for a normal home both brands are fine and both last for decades if they are fitted properly.
That does not mean there is no difference. It means the difference lies in other areas than the ones people look at.
Where the difference does lie
Availability of parts. For me this is the most important point. In fifteen years you will want to be able to get a seal, a striker plate or a flashing piece. Velux has the largest installed base in the Netherlands and therefore the widest supply of parts.
The range of accessories. Interior blinds, exterior awnings, blackout blinds, insect screens and electric operation. Both brands have a complete range; Velux usually has more choice and more suppliers.
Sizing. The size ranges differ. When replacing in an existing opening, one brand may fit the existing opening better than the other, and that saves adaptation work.
Price. Fakro is usually somewhat cheaper for a comparable specification. With several windows, that is a real difference.
“I do not choose by brand, I choose by what will still be available in fifteen years. With a roof window, that is the question that counts.”
Fouad, owner of Astrodak Service
What you do need to look at when choosing
Not the brand but the specification. The type of glazing determines the insulation value and whether the glass is solar-control. The opening type, centre-pivot or top-hung, determines how you can get past it and how the window works when fitted low. And the operation, manual or electric, is a real consideration for a window fitted high up.
For a window you mainly want for light and rarely open, you can save money on the operation and invest in the glazing instead. For a bedroom in the attic, a window you can open easily is more important.
Velux
most parts
and accessories
Fakro
usually
more keenly priced
Not sure about the right approach?
I would rather come and look at your roof with my colleagues first than come up with a solution from a distance. During the free inspection you hear what is really needed, even if that is less than you thought.
The glazing story
This is where the gain is and where the extra cost pays for itself. The standard is double glazing with a good insulation value. Above that there is triple glazing, which insulates better and gives noticeably more comfort in an attic bedroom.
And there is solar-control glass, which keeps part of the sun's heat out. For a roof window facing south or west that is often more worthwhile than thicker insulation, because for many people summer is the real problem. See
keeping a roof window cool.
What we advise
When replacing: the brand whose size best fits the existing opening, because that saves adaptation work on the structure. For a new window: the brand whose parts and flashings we can get quickly, and in practice that is often Velux.
Why you should look up the data plate
Every roof window has a data plate, usually on the frame near the hinge or under the flap. It shows the brand, the type and the size code. With that information, it is immediately clear what you need when replacing or ordering parts.
Look up that plate before you call about a repair or an accessory. It saves a visit to measure up, and with a twenty-year-old window the size code is the difference between a part that fits and a guess.
Frequently asked questions about roof window brands
