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LeaFree® vs LeafGuard
This one comes down to a single question: do you want to keep your gutters or replace them? LeaFree adds a hood to the gutters you already have. LeafGuard is a one-piece design that replaces your gutters entirely.
Side by side
| Feature | LeaFree | LeafGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Your existing gutters | Installs right over them | Requires full gutter replacement (one-piece system) |
| What you are buying | A hood for the gutters you have | New seamless gutters with a built-in hood, as one unit |
| How it keeps debris out | Solid nose-forward hood sheds debris by surface tension | One-piece curved hood also uses water adhesion |
| Where it is made | Elkhorn, Nebraska, about 20 minutes away | Iowa-based |
| If a section is ever damaged | Swap a 4-foot interlocking panel | Repairs involve the integrated gutter-and-hood unit |
| The buying experience | Short quote from a local roofing crew | Full gutter replacement project |
- LeafGuard is a one-piece system that requires full gutter replacement and is Iowa-based. Verified 2026-07-25.
- LeaFree installs over existing gutters per the GPI product facts and spec sheet. Verified 2026-07-25.
Over your gutters vs replacing your gutters
LeaFree is a hood that installs over your existing 5-inch and 6-inch gutters. If your gutters are sound, you keep them and add protection. LeafGuard is a one-piece design: the gutter and the hood are a single seamless unit, so choosing it means replacing your gutters entirely. Both use a curved surface and water adhesion to take water in while shedding debris; the practical difference is scope, cost, and how a future repair works.
Local, and roofer-installed
LeaFree is made in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and installed by Rocket Roofing General Contractor. LeafGuard is Iowa-based. If your gutters do need work, we fix what needs fixing and keep the rest, rather than defaulting to a full replacement.
Questions homeowners ask
Do I need new gutters first?
Usually not. LeaFree is designed to install over your existing 5-inch and 6-inch gutters. That is a real difference from systems like LeafGuard, which replace your gutters entirely. If your gutters do need repair, we fix what needs fixing and keep the rest.
Will installing gutter guards damage my roof?
Not the way LeaFree installs. Panels tuck under your first row of shingles and screw only to the lip of the gutter. Nothing is nailed or screwed into your roof deck or fascia, so there is nothing to leak and nothing to void a shingle warranty.
Compare LeaFree to the rest
- LeaFree vs LeafFilterA local solid hood versus an out-of-state micro-mesh screen with a big-ticket reputation.
- LeaFree vs micro-meshWhy a solid hood has nothing to blind, where a fine screen can mat over.
- LeaFree vs screensThe cheap fix that lets the small stuff through and pops out in a storm.
- LeaFree vs foamFoam inserts sit in the gutter and become a seed bed. A hood sits over it.