Without a gutter guard in place, homeowners leave their gutters exposed to fill with pine needles, small debris, large debris, leaves, and even small animals. If you want to save yourself the hassle of dealing with these things, a gutter guard is the best solution. For its fair pricing and ease of installation, foam gutter guards can be a great choice. In our guide featuring the best foam gutter guards in 2023, we will outline:

  • The top foam gutter guards on the market
  • What to look for in a foam gutter guard
  • How much gutter guard installation will cost
  • And much more
Top Pick

275-micron stainless steel mesh design

Lifetime installation warranty

Offers new gutter installation services

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
Get 15% Off Your Full-Service Gutter Installation
Most Durable

Manufactured to match your home

One-piece system includes a guard and gutter

Guaranteed not to clog

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
75% Off Installation
Best Customer Service
gutter guards america logo

Sturdy aluminum frame and steel screens

Offers 0% financing

Provides gutter repair & installation

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
Get $500 off in select locations!

The best gutter guards will be easy to install, fit in various gutter styles and make it so that you don’t have to clean your gutters nearly as much. The great thing about the foam gutter guards is that they will not require professional installation, and they should have no impact on your roof warranty. Let’s take a look at the best foam gutter guards in 2023.

Our Top 5 Foam Gutter Guards

Compare the Best Foam Gutter Guards

ProviderCost*States CoveredUnique features
GutterStuff GS-K4-8box-DS Foam Gutter Filter Insert32 Feet for $46.98All StatesK Style foam insert, available in many colors, long-lasting materials, quick installation
Tidy Guttter TGK540-1 EZ Foam K-Style 40 Linear Feet for $89All StatesGood quality product, will last a long time, will not allow for growth of mold or plants
GutterStuff GS-HR5-50box-DS Foam Gutter Filter Insert200 Linear Feet for $309All StatesHalf round design, comes in several sizes, slides in with ease no tools required for installation
Gutter Foam Pro FR Plus K Style: Best For Easy Installation 4 Linear Feet for $22.83All StatesFireproof gutter guards, fair pricing for high-quality material, quick shipping, and a simple installation process
Flo-free Gutter Guard36 Feet for $127All StatesLightweight and easy to install, does not fill the entire gutter instead sits towards the top, with better water flow than other guards

Best Overall

GutterStuff GS K4 Foam Gutter Filter Insert

2.5

Our Rating

Limited Time:
No current offers available

GutterStuff GS K4 Foam Gutter Filter Insert is the best overall foam gutter guard. The GutterStuff brand has been in the market for quite some time, and they make these K-style gutter guards in several different sizes. When you install the GutterStuff Foam Gutter insert, it will seal out all leaves and allow water to flow through with ease. The guard is made from a polyether outdoor foam known to last for some time.

With the GutterStuff GS K4, you will be able to install the gutter guard yourself and clean it when you find a problem with water flow. UV protectant and germicide are included in the foam to ensure that you will not have issues with mold growing in your gutters or downspouts. If you think that this foam type of gutter guard is the best for your home, GutterStuff will be your best overall choice.

  • Allows for the quick flow of water
  • Effortless installation
  • It has a UV protectant and germicide
  • It comes in 4, 5, and 6-inch options

The GutterStuff GS K4 has lots of positive customer reviews on Amazon and a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars. Customers are overall quite happy with these DIY gutter guards and have found that they can install them with very little help or concern. There are no tools needed for installation, and if you are smart about determining the number of linear feet you need, this could be a quick and pain-free home improvement project.

As great as most of these reviews were, there were a few problems with the GutterStuff GS gutter guards that are worth mentioning. Shingle grit is an issue that many homeowners have to deal with as it will run off the roof into the gutters. The problem is that this grit does get caught on the top of the GutterStuff foam guards, and it causes debris buildup and the need to clean the gutter guards. The more you clean these guards, the more they start to deteriorate. However, this deterioration is less of a problem with the GutterStuff brand and more of a problem with foam gutter guards as a whole. An aluminum gutter guard or stainless steel micro-mesh may not have the same complications.

Best Value

Tidy Gutter TGK540 EZ Foam K Style

2.1

Our Rating

Limited Time:
No current offers

The Tidy Gutter Foam K Style is the best value foam gutter guard. Although this may not be the cheapest on the market, the longevity and the impressive performance in the heavy rain put this gutter guard towards the top of our list. The Tidy Gutter product will completely seal your existing gutter and let large amounts of water flow through. One of our favorite things about these gutter guards is that they come with a 3-year warranty. Not many DIY type products come with a strong warranty like this.

The TidyGutter foam gutter guards will leave you with clean gutters and not let anyone see that you even have a gutter guard system from the ground. These are truly invisible from the ground up. Some homeowners will pass up micro-mesh gutter guards because of the visibility; if that is your issue, then Tidy Gutter could be a great brand to consider. Remember that value in a foam gutter guard is not always about the initial price but also about finding a long-lasting option.

  • Affordable and long-lasting gutter guard
  • Quick and easy installation
  • It comes with a 3-year warranty
  • Invisible from the ground
  • Will fit if you have new gutters or old gutters

The TidyGutter product has only been on Amazon for about eight months, and this has a pretty significant impact on the total number of reviews that it has. Overall, nothing overwhelmingly negative stands out about these foam gutter guards, but it may take some time to see BBB ratings start to come out for the company.

One of the things you will see customers complain about is having to remove these gutters in the winter. The ice dams that can be created will destroy the foam gutter guards and leave you with significant issues in the spring. The gutter guard can likely stay in place in an area where just a few inches of snow happens in a year. However, if you have harsh winters, you will need to take this in and out or look for another solution like brush gutter guards or an aluminum gutter guard.

Best Half-Round Design

GutterStuff GS HR5 Half-Round Design

2.5

Our Rating

Limited Time:
No current offers available

GutterStuff GS HR5 is the best half-round foam gutter guard on the market. As we have mentioned, the GutterStuff brand is known for its high-quality gutter guard that will hold up over time and allow homeowners to avoid clogged gutters completely. Depending on the type and size of your gutter, these foam inserts must be ordered accordingly. The half-round gutters are not as common as the K-style gutters, and that is why it’s nice that GutterStuff makes an option for these homeowners.

In our experience with the half-round design gutter guards from GutterStuff, we found the installation to be even easier than it is with the K-Style. The GutterStuff guard is made from a polyether outdoor foam that does not lose its shape as you push it into place. In addition, over time, this gutter guard will not bend or break, and the longevity makes it a strong choice.

  • It comes in several different sizes to fit any half-round gutter
  • Lightweight and easy to install
  • Allows for large volumes of water to flow through
  • Economic gutter guard solution

The GutterStuff gutter guards are manufactured by a company called TJM Innovations. This smaller company started in 2007 and is accredited with the BBB with an A rating. When looking into the background of GutterStuff and how customer complaints and issues were dealt with, this product quickly became one of our top picks.

The issue that some customers come across with the GutterStuff half-round design is the amount of flat area on the top of the gutter guard itself. This product is not installed at an angle similar to roof shingles. Instead, it is a flat spot on the end of your roof that will easily collect debris. Although the gutters won’t fill, you will still need to clean off the tops of the gutters a bit more than you might have to with mesh guards.

Best For Easy Installation

GutterFoam Pro FR Plus K Style

2.5

Our Rating

Limited Time:
Free Shipping on Orders Over $40

The GutterFoam Pro FR Plus K-Style gutter guard is our top choice for easy installation. With the GutterFoam Pro, you can have an affordable and invisible option that will make gutter cleaning a thing of the past. This company has several products that can be a good choice for homeowners, but the GutterFoam Pro FR Plus is the most advanced design. The GutterFoam Pro is a newer model, but it is Class A rated for fires. Having a fireproof gutter guard is essential in areas with the potential for a fire. If a piece of flammable foam were to be exposed to fire, the destruction would be irreversible.

Even though this advanced foam is fireproof and contains some of the better materials on the market for foam gutter guards, it is still effortless to install and will allow a lot of water to flow through. The polyether reticulated material will not bend, dent, or crumble during installation or cleaning.

  • Class A fire-rated foam gutter guards
  • The affordable and invisible solution
  • Incredibly easy installation
  • Will lock in quite well with the gutter leaving no gaps

Although GutterFoam Pro FR Plus is the newest product from this company, they have been making foam gutter guards for quite some time. The product is manufactured by TJM Innovations, the same company that makes the GutterStuff brand gutter guards. This means you will be getting similar customer service and reliability that we have seen from other products in our gutter guard review.

The only issue that we found with the GutterFoam Pro FR Plus K-Style is that it is a bit more expensive than other foam-style gutters. When foam gutters get up there in price, homeowners start thinking about the best micro-mesh gutter guards as an alternative. Overall, if you live in an area with wildfires and would like a quality foam gutter guard, this is the easiest-to-install solution.

Best Warranty

Flo Free Gutter Guard

2.1

Our Rating

Limited Time:
No current offers available.

The Flo Free Gutter Guard offers the best warranty for a foam gutter guard. Most of the warranties you see with this type of guard will be in the one to three-year range. The Flo Free Gutter Guard has a lifetime warranty. Any DIY gutter guard with a lifetime warranty is quite impressive and means that the company will believe in its product. The first thing you will notice about the Flo Free is that it acts more as a gutter cover than anything else; this will not fill your entire gutter and instead sit almost like a guard at the top.

This is one of the more unique ways to keep debris from falling into your gutter, and the surface tension design will keep the gutter cover in place. There are some positives to this, as a strong flow of rainwater can pass through, and it also helps to give the leaves a bit of a push off the roof and have them land on the ground. This patented design does not clog, and it is difficult to see when looking from the ground up.

  • Allows water to pass through
  • Strong gutter protection
  • Lifetime warranty
  • UV protection
  • Fits K-Style gutters

The FloFree gutter guards have a 3/5 star rating on Amazon. There is a mix of positive and negative customer reviews for this product, which is expected as it is a unique solution to other options on the market. With the FloFree gutter guards, your initial installation will be quite easy; the issues that come up after installation can cause some problems.

Some homeowners have reported problems with the FloFree losing its form and falling into the gutter. Having to adjust the FloFree and then simultaneously clean the gutters again makes this a bit more of a labor intensive project. However, other customers loved how lightweight and easy to work with this product and reported that it did not collect as much small debris on the top as other foam gutter guards.

Buying Guide for Foam Gutter Guards

Now that you have a better idea of which foam gutter guards are the best on the market, it’s time to look at what will set one gutter guard apart from another. There are some important features to look for when choosing a gutter guard, and these can make or break your satisfaction with the product. Here are a few things that you must keep in mind as you shop for your foam gutter guards.

Quality

With foam gutter guards, it is especially important to purchase a high quality product. Foam comes in many different styles, and if this foam is not designed to withstand the weather conditions that it will be exposed to, you can expect quick deterioration. Looking for products that have some UV protection and antimicrobial properties can help the overall longevity of your foam gutter guards.

Cost

The foam gutter guards are typically some of the cheapest gutter guards on the market. Gutter guards with bristles or something like the LeafFilter gutter guards will be considerably more expensive. One of the things that help keep the cost of the foam gutter guards down is that they will not need to be installed by a professional. When determining the total cost of your foam gutter guards, look at the total amount of linear footage you will need.

Installation

Foam gutter guards are most commonly installed by a homeowner. Although there are probably local contractors that you could hire to do this project for you, most homeowners have no trouble with the installation process. If you have been cleaning your gutters for years, installing a foam gutter guard will require about the same amount of work. Most of these guards can be cut to size quite easily, but you should not have to make that many cuts throughout your installation.

Appearance

Another positive about the foam gutter guards is that they are almost invisible from the ground. In fact, this is one of the positives over screen gutter guards or mesh gutter guards, as you will not have to look at this from the ground up. Most of the time, the foam is a black or gray material that may not match the gutters, but it won’t be something you should have to worry about. The only gutter guards that you can sometimes see are slightly raised foam, but they may still hide under the edge of the gutter.

Size Options

In addition to being available in the K-style and half round design, the foam gutter guards are also available in different sizes. Most companies will sell a 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch foam gutter guard. The size of the gutter guard you choose is essential for foam guards because the product is meant to slide directly into the gutter. If you choose a product that is slightly off in size, don’t expect that you will be able to maneuver it all that well throughout your gutter. Most homeowners have no problems with installation as long as they correctly measure the linear footage of their home.

Warranty

A foam gutter guard typically comes with a warranty of some kind. This warranty can last for just a few years or last a lifetime. The lifetime warranty is hard to find in a foam gutter guard and should be considered a significant advantage if you can get a product with this long warranty. The warranty will typically prevent abnormal destruction of the foam gutter guard, but some deterioration is expected with a foam gutter guard after about 3 to 5 years.

Top Pick

275-micron stainless steel mesh design

Lifetime installation warranty

Offers new gutter installation services

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
Get 15% Off Your Full-Service Gutter Installation
Most Durable

Manufactured to match your home

One-piece system includes a guard and gutter

Guaranteed not to clog

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
75% Off Installation
Best Customer Service
gutter guards america logo

Sturdy aluminum frame and steel screens

Offers 0% financing

Provides gutter repair & installation

GET QUOTE
Limited Time:
Get $500 off in select locations!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you now feel as though you are ready to purchase a foam gutter guard for your home. The options on our list will work for a variety of price ranges and can help customers that are wanting to stop gutter cleaning entirely. As great as some of these foam gutter guards can be, the LeafFilter gutter guards made with a micro-mesh material are still the best overall option. Finding the best gutter guards for your home can take time and research. If you want to get a free quote from LeafFilter to compare to the foam gutter guards, it is typically a smart thing to do.

Frequently Asked Questions

How effective are foam gutter guards?

Foam gutter guards are very effective for keeping debris out and letting water flow through the foam itself. It does not take much for water to make its way out and leave debris out of your gutters. For homeowners constantly cleaning their gutters, the foam gutter guards can save time and money.

The issue that many homeowners see with foam gutter guards is that the debris will sit right on top of the guard and still need to be cleaned off. Sometimes, things like pine needles and small debris can almost stick in the foam, which will be more difficult to remove. Read our review of the top gutter guards for pine needles to find a better option against that debris.


How long do foam gutter inserts last?

Foam gutter inserts can last anywhere from 3 to 6 years. If you live in an area with very little debris on the roof, you may see even longer than six years from the product. The biggest issue that homeowners see with foam gutter guards is that they will start to break down and fall apart over time. If you have to clean them or remove them for the winter, you may see the shape change, which is where debris will begin to collect.


What are the benefits of using foam gutter guards?

The benefits of the foam gutter guard are the lightweight material and the ease of installation. The foam gutter guard puts no extra strain on your gutters, and it allows most homeowners to install the guard within a matter of a few hours. In addition, foam gutter guards are some of the most inexpensive options on the market.


How We Ranked, Reviewed, and Tested the Best Gutter Guards

Here, we’ve broken down our rating methodology for gutter guards. You should know that we’ve taken the utmost care to provide the most up-to-date information and to ensure that you make the best choice for your budgetary and home maintenance needs.

Why Trust Today's Homeowner? Our Gutter Ranking Methodology

At Today's Homeowner, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. We’ve done the homework for you and have researched over 50 gutter guards so you can have the information you need to make the best choice for your home. That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each gutter guard and gutter guard provider company according to our gutter ranking methodology.

We also dug into the details of each gutter guard to ensure that you could make the best decisions for your home and keep your gutters debris-free for years to come.

To make the most of our research, we developed a formula to objectively determine the best gutter guards based on the following criteria:

  • Material: Material durability was the single most important factor that went into our rating methodology for gutter guards. Whether they were stainless steel micro-mesh or plastic screening, we gave an in-depth rating for this criteria.
  • Debris Resistance: Our testing served as the primary evaluator for this factor. We curated a rating based on customer testimonials and our own in-house testing here.
  • Ease of Installation: Most of the gutter guard options listed have some DIY component involved. For this reason, guards that required the fewest specialty tools got the highest rating here.
  • Cost: How reasonable are prices in comparison to the industry average? We compared the costs of each company to competitors.
  • Warranty terms: We looked into the warranty of lifetime warranty terms if it is offered by the provider.
  • Trust: What do customers rate the company? We looked into what customers are saying about their experience with the company.
  • Buying process: if the gutter guard is a DIY installation, how easy is the buying process? We looked for shipping costs and shipping time, as well as where the product can be bought from.
Editorial Contributors
avatar for Britt Olizarowicz

Britt Olizarowicz

Britt Olizarowicz is a former real estate agent and landscaping business owner. She has a wide range of experience across several industries and was also a professional golfer. With her experience in investing, renovating, and improving properties Britt loves to share in all of the latest and greatest technologies, systems, and strategies to keep your home and garden looking great.

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photo of Lora Novak

Lora Novak

Senior Editor

Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.

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