Garage door openers, once considered a luxury, are now about as ubiquitous as TV remotes. There have been many advances that make garage door openers faster, quieter and more secure. However, most still fall into one of three types: chain drive, screw drive or belt drive.

A chain-driven opener is the most common and the least expensive. It generally costs between $100 and $170. Its biggest disadvantage is that the chain can be quite noisy. A screw-driven opener uses a long threaded bar to provide the lift. It is generally slower than the industry standard of seven inches per second, and costs about $150 to $200. A belt-driven opener uses heavy rubber belts in place of chains, which makes it much quieter. These are the most expensive, and they start at around $200.

Most garage door openers offer a variety of extras. You might want a battery backup system so the opener will still work in case of a power outage. Many offer keypad systems so you don't need remotes or keys to operate the openers. Some versions have infrared sensors that will automatically reverse the doors if they detect any obstruction, and many versions have a method to disable the remote and lock the opener when you're away. Using a rolling code increases security.

In most cases, installing a garage door opener yourself is quite doable. The more options you have, however, the more difficult it becomes. If you have keyless systems, infrared beams, etc., you might want to figure in the cost of professional installation.