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4 Best Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs (2024 Guide)
In this guide to gutter guards for metal roofing, you’ll learn:
- What are the best gutter guards for metal roofs?
- What qualities should you look for in gutter guards for metal roofing?
- How do you choose the best gutter covers for metal roofs?
Each product and or company featured here has been independently selected by the writer. You can learn more about our review methodology here. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Installing gutter guards, while effective, is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Not all styles are ideal for all homes, so you need to match yours to the climate in your area, your gutter type and your roof material.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the four best gutter guard options if you have a metal roof. We’ll also touch on why some guards for metal roofs are better than others, and how to make the best, most sustainable choice for your home.
Top 4 Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs
Gutter guards are an important addition on any home, but they’re especially useful on homes with metal roofs.
Metal is slick, leading to a lot of debris moving from your roof down into your gutters. Clogs can occur if you don’t clean out your gutters with frequency, or if you have the improper type of gutter covers installed.
Below are our top picks for gutter guards for homeowners with metal roofing:
- Best Overall: LeafFilter
- Most Versatile Design: HomeCraft Gutter Protection
- Most Eco-Friendly Materials: MasterShield
- Most Customizable: All American Gutter Protection
Compare the Most Effective Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs
| Brand | Our Take | Avg Cost Per Linear Foot | Service Area | Notable Features |
| LeafFilter | Best Overall | $15-$35 | 43 States | Large service area, years of experience, highly efficient product, lifetime warranty |
| HomeCraft Gutter Protection | Most Versatile Design | $4.50-$7.75 | 12 States | Many size and shape options for maximum efficiency, many positive customer reviews, years of experience |
| MasterShield | Most Eco-Friendly Materials | $17-$20 | Nationwide | Massive service area, eco-friendly business practices and materials, great gutter guard efficiency |
| All American Gutter Protection | Most Customizable | $15-$20 | 13 States | Many shapes, sizes and colors available, highly efficient for heavy rainfall |
LeafFilter
Dedicated to Sustainability
Save 12% plus $250 off on gutter guards for your home. Seniors and Military save an additional 10%.
Average cost
Pros
- Made from sustainable materials
- Materials are recyclable
- Positive customer reviews
- Has green initiatives
- Competitive pricing
Cons
- Not DIY-friendly
MasterShield
Most Eco-Friendly Materials
Get a free estimate today!
Average cost
Pros
- Made from sustainable and/or recycled materials
- Materials are recyclable
- Lifetime and/or comprehensive warranty
- Lots of color and design options
- Has green initiatives
Cons
- Expensive products or installation fees
- Reports of clogging
- Made of non-recyclable materials
- Not DIY-friendly
HomeCraft
Most Versatile Design
New customers save 30%.
Average cost
Pros
- Offers pitched/diamond designs for better flow
Cons
- No stated commitment to bettering the environment
- Some negative online reviews
- Limited availability
All American
Most Customizable
Average cost
Pros
- Materials are recyclable
- Lifetime and/or comprehensive warranty
- Lots of color and design options
- Competitive pricing
Cons
- Not DIY-friendly
- No stated commitment to bettering the environment
- Limited availability
LeafFilter: Best Overall
LeafFilter is a gutter cover manufacturer and installer, and it offers the best overall product for metal roofs, in our opinion. This company services almost the entire country, so you very likely fall within its service area.
LeafFilter’s guards are made from an anti-corrosion micro mesh stainless steel with a sturdy unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) frame, all of which are recyclable.
The small holes in the mesh are the perfect size for collecting the abundance of debris you’re likely to have on a metal roof and still let abundant runoff flow into the gutters and downspouts.
LeafFilter backs its products with a lifetime warranty. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but most homeowners agree that the quality is well worth the investment.
Pros
+ Can handle the high runoff volume from metal roofs
+ Catch almost all debris
+ Lifetime warranty
+ High-quality, durable materials
+ All products are recyclable
Cons
– More expensive than many competitors
– Complicated installation for professionals only
Key Features
Metal roofs don’t absorb any runoff, and they let water flow rapidly into your gutters. The gutter guards from LeafFilter are efficient enough to handle the flow rate you’d expect on a metal roof, all while keeping small and large debris out of your gutter system.
What Customers Say About LeafFilter
Most customers comment on how effective LeafFilter guards are, even when confronted with heavy rain. Some note that other brands would still allow blockages and cause spillovers and ice dams, but LeafFilter guards solved those issues permanently.
HomeCraft Gutter Protection: Most Versatile Design
HomeCraft Gutter Protection provides stainless steel micro mesh gutter guards that are extremely durable. They won’t warp or bend, even with long exposure to sunlight and humidity.
This company backs its products with a lifetime warranty, as well as a no-clog guarantee. It agrees to pay for gutter cleaning services if you need them at any point after the installation. This is great news for homeowners with metal roofs since clogged gutters are a more common issue with metal roofs.
HomeCraft has years of experience and maintains positive reviews. It also carries different sizes of guards — including 5-inch and 6-inch gutter guards — designed to fit different gutter styles — including k-style gutters and half-round gutters.
Most homeowners will be able to find something from this company that works for them and their existing gutters.
Pros
+ Lifetime warranty and no-clog guarantee
+ High-quality, durable products
+ Can handle a high flow rate of runoff
+ Designed to fit most gutter shapes and sizes
Cons
– No confirmation of eco-friendly business practices
– Difficult installation, not recommended for DIYers
Key Features
HomeCraft products feature a pitched diamond mesh designed to keep your fascia boards and soffits safe while elevating debris so that runoff can still move underneath it. This is ideal for maintaining good water flow from your metal roof while still moving tree debris off of your gutters and onto the ground.
What Customers Say About HomeCraft Gutter Protection
HomeCraft has countless positive reviews online from customers who are impressed by how well these covers function. Several people have mentioned that they tried DIY gutter guards — like Amerimax Home Products and GutterGlove — but didn’t get the same results as they did from these professionally installed guards.
MasterShield: Most Eco-Friendly Materials
MasterShield Gutter Protection is one of the best gutter guard options if you’re looking to support a company that goes above and beyond to minimize its carbon footprint.
It installs guards made of recycled materials, recycles old gutter guards whenever possible and makes an all-around effort to remain eco-friendly.
MasterShield products are fitted with a copper insert that kills algae and moss that makes its way into your roof gutters and onto the guards.
This is great for metal roof owners because most organic material on the roof — which promotes moss growth — will slide off and collect in the gutters. This can lead to blockages and poor performance over time.
MasterShield also promises to pay for gutter cleaning if your gutters ever get clogged with its products in place. This is excellent news for homeowners with metal roofs, which as we mentioned, are more prone to gutter clogs than other types of roofing materials.
Pros
+ Lifetime warranty and no-clog guarantee
+ Copper insert to kill moss and algae
+ Eco-friendly company
+ Micro mesh guards block nearly all debris
Cons
– Warranty voided if installed as a DIY project
– A bit on the expensive side
Key Features
MasterShield uses pitched gutter covers that let debris slide off of your roof. However, the micro mesh design lets nearly all water enter your gutter system, even during heavy rainfall.
This makes for an easy way to collect the large volume of runoff and the excessive debris that can come off of slick metal roofs.
What Customers Say About MasterShield
MasterShield Gutter Protection has an overwhelming number of positive customer reviews. Some of the most positive comments mention how well these leaf guards work, even when there is a downpour and their roof routes excessive runoff onto the guards.
Customers mention that there is minimal spillover and virtually no clogging.
All American Gutter Protection: Most Customizable
All American Gutter Protection brings a high degree of customization to the gutter guard industry. It carries multiple colors to match your roof and siding, and it also has several shapes and widths, including guards that fit k-style gutters, half-round gutters, five-inch gutters and six-inch gutters.
This company manufactures stainless steel and aluminum gutter guards with micro mesh technology. They’re durable and won’t bend or warp over time, even with constant sun exposure.
Despite the high quality, these are some of the most affordable professionally installed gutter guards on the market.
All American provides a lifetime warranty and promises to fix any damage caused by malfunctioning gutters after its products are installed. This is one of the most impressive warranty coverage options in the industry.
However, the warranty is not available if you install them yourself, which is possible with this brand.
Pros
+ Incredible warranty coverage
+ Durable and made from recyclable materials
+ Many customization options
+ Efficient enough to pair with metal roofs
Cons
– Warranty is voided if you install them yourself
– Not as cost-effective as DIY options
Key Features
All American’s claim to fame is its lifetime warranty. It promises to fix any damage done to your home caused by malfunctioning gutter guards.
This is an outstanding offer, especially for homeowners with metal roofs who are more prone to gutter blockages and backups.
What Customers Say About All American Gutter Protection
All American’s customer reviews are largely positive. Many past customers have mentioned how easy it is to make a warranty claim, and others have commented on how smooth the installation process is.
Many customers are also impressed by how well these guards function to keep debris out but let nearly all runoff into your gutters.
Factors to Consider When Buying Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs
Metal roofs present a few unique challenges for gutter systems to work properly, so you need to choose gutter guards that are suited to your type of roof.
Below, we’ll discuss the most important factors you should think about when buying guards to install below a metal roof.
Gutter Guard Type & Material
Gutter guards are usually made using PVC or aluminum frames with stainless steel mesh to prevent debris from getting into your gutters. However, some less durable options are made exclusively from plastic.
The type of gutter guard you install will largely dictate how well they perform. For metal roofs, which can push excessive water and debris into your gutters, guards that are made of micro mesh usually work best. This material allows water to flow freely into your gutter system but prevents debris from doing the same.
The Quality of the Gutter Guard
There are tons of gutter protection products out there, from the professionally-installed, high-quality options reviewed above to DIY options available from Amazon or home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes.
The DIY guards tend to be of a lower quality and, of course, won’t have the same quality installation to ensure they work properly.
It’s better to install more durable materials like stainless steel and aluminum in most cases. Although these materials will typically be more expensive, they will also last longer and are less likely to warp and bow over time.
Overall, durability means sustainability, better performance and a lower risk of your guards malfunctioning.
How Much the Gutter Guard Costs
Gutter guard systems vary widely in cost, from around a dollar per linear foot for some DIY options to over $20 per linear foot for professionally installed covers. Ideally, you should decide which guards fit into your budget and are suitable for your roof and then choose the highest-quality option from that selection.
The quality and materials can affect the performance as well as the pricing. Below, we’ll list the types of gutter guards in order from most effective to least effective. The cost also tends to move from highest to lowest as you move down the list.
- Micro mesh gutter guards
- Reverse-curve gutter guards (also called surface tension gutter guards)
- Screen gutter guards
- Foam gutter guards
- Bristle or brush gutter guards
The Installation Process
When you’re deciding on gutter guards for your home, it’s crucial to consider how they will be installed.
The options above are all ideal for professional installation, as they require gutter hangers and fasteners installed in specific ways for proper functionality. This means they’re more likely to work perfectly and won’t void your roof warranty, but they’re also more expensive.
If you prefer DIY options, brands like GutterGlove, Raptor Gutter Guards and Amerimax Home Products can be decent options.
However, these generally don’t work as well as the options above, so they’re not great for metal roofs that shed debris and water freely. Plus, DIY gutter guards won’t come with the same warranty that professionally-installed covers will.
If Any Holes, Gaps or Openings Exist
As we mentioned above, metal roofs present a slick surface that lets most debris that falls on it slide down and enter your rain gutters.
Additionally, rainwater that falls on your smooth roof is uninhibited as it moves into your gutter system, which can lead to high volumes of runoff entering your gutters at once.
For these reasons, it’s important to find guards with the right size perforations to keep large and small debris — including pine needles and leaf particles — out but still allow for ample water flow.
Maintenance for Gutter Guards
All gutter guards will need maintenance from time to time and gutter cleaning services at least once annually. To keep maintenance to a minimum, it’s best to choose a professional gutter guard installation company and professional products.
The cheaper options — like snap-in guards, brush guards and foam guards — require the most maintenance and cleaning. Micro mesh and reverse-curve guards required the least maintenance, and screen guards fall somewhere in the middle.
Warranty Coverage
Finally, we suggest you consider the warranty that’s included with your gutter guards.
Some companies include warranty coverage for damage to the materials, while the best ones also promise to pay for gutter cleaning services if their products fail. Of course, more comprehensive warranty coverage is better, but it usually comes at a higher price.
You should consider the duration of your warranty as well. Some DIY products have a 1- to 2-year warranty, while professional products often come with a lifetime warranty. Again, longer coverage is better but more expensive.
Our Final Take: Which Gutter Guards Are Best For Metal Roofs?
Choosing the right kind of gutter guard for your metal roof is crucial because the slick surface lets runoff and tree debris freely enter your gutters. If your guards can’t catch a large amount of debris while letting water through, you’ll likely run into poor performance.
Our top pick for gutter covers under your metal roof are the ones offered by LeafFilter.
This company uses recyclable and durable materials to provide long-lasting guards. The products are all backed by a lifetime warranty that is transferable to new owners if you sell your home after they’re installed.
LeafFilter guards aren’t suitable for DIY installation, but the quality and longevity of the products are worth the added cost for a professional installation.
If you’re curious to learn more about LeafFilter’s performance on a metal roof, you can check out this video.
Our Gutter Guard Company Ranking & Review Methodology
At EcoWatch, we go above and beyond to assess gutter guards for performance and overall quality. We understand that gutter covers are essential for avoiding a wide array of property issues.
That’s why we look at several different factors when assessing gutter guard companies to bring you the best ones for your needs. We consider the following from each company:
- Product line
- Durability of the guards
- Warranty coverage
- Cost and overall value
- Performance in heavy rain
- Green initiatives
We then assign a weight to each of these factors and determine each company’s overall score. This number gives you a good idea of how well each company’s products perform.
Finally, we adjust our rankings based on the companies on our list that also have green initiatives, use recycled materials or recycle old gutter covers. This gives us our final ranking, which we share with you.
FAQ: Gutter Guards for Metal Roofs
Below, we’ll answer some of the most common questions we see about the best gutter guards to use if you have a metal roof.
Gutter guards are important for all types of roofs. They collect debris coming off of your roof and prevent it from clogging your gutters, meaning less maintenance and better gutter performance. It also means all of the runoff gets collected and routed for disposal by your gutters and downspouts.
Gutter guards are especially crucial for metal roofs. Unlike asphalt roof shingles and clay roof tiles, metal is smooth. Nearly all of the debris that falls on your roof will freely slide down and collect in your gutters if you don’t have guards installed.
Additionally, metal roofs offer no resistance for runoff, which means clogged gutters can quickly get inundated with water, especially during heavy rain. Even small gutter clogs below a metal roof can cause total backups and cause your gutters to malfunction.
As such, you’ll be opening yourself up to all of the issues you’d have if you didn’t have gutters at all.
Yes, absolutely! Gutter guards can and should be installed on all types of roofs, especially metal ones.
Many guard options extend the top of your gutter up to the roof line or just under the roof shingles so that no water gets behind them to damage your fascia boards and soffits. These can be installed under metal shingles just as easily as they can under clay tiles or asphalt roof shingles.
