Goodman and Trane are two of the more recognizable names in the world of heating and air conditioning. That means it’s only natural for consumers to compare these two brands against one another when shopping for a new air conditioning system.
While Trane is a little older than Goodman, both companies have been acquired by larger companies over the years but still provide consumers with top-tier products. In our Goodman vs. Trane review, we’re going to take a look at some of the key areas to see how these companies compare to one another.
Table of Contents
Unique Features
Both Goodman and Trane air conditioning systems have several noteworthy features.
With Trane, you’ll get the all-aluminum Spine Fin outdoor coils. These popular coils from Trane are well known and exclusive in the industry. In 2019, Goodman upgraded their AlumaFin7 indoor coils and won the Gold Award for Dealer Design.
ComfortBridge is Goodman’s Hi-Tech connected control system, and Trane has the ComfortLink II smart system. Both are similar in nature, although there are some key differences between the two, which you can read more about in our Goodman and Trane brand reviews.
Factory-installed filter dryers and louvered coil guards are common features found on Goodman systems along with several other manufacturers in the market today. While both company’s systems are well-built, you can get extra protection on some models from Trane with their WeatherGuard top. Overall, you’ll find a few more flagship features from Trane as Goodman’s units are rather basic.
Variable Speed Air Conditioning Systems
Variable-speed air conditioning systems are ideal when you want total control over the comfort in your home. Most manufacturers have at least a few units with a variable-speed compressor, and this is an area where Trane is the clear winner. You’ll find two variable speed systems from Trane, with the XV20i, and the XV18.
Both of these units are available in 2, 3, 4, and 5-ton capacities and rated at 22 and 18 SEER respectively. These Energy Star qualified systems have variable speed inverter compressors, ComfortLink 2 capabilities and feature all of the company’s top features. As for Goodman and their variable speed systems, at this time, there aren’t any, which means you’ll need to drop down to the next tier for Goodman’s first system.
Two-Stage Air Conditioning Systems
The companies are a little more comparable in this class. Both Trane and Goodman have two-stage air conditioning systems, all of which have the same SEER rating. The Trane XL18i is rated at 18 SEER with a WeatherGuard top and Climatuff(exclusive) two-stage compressor. It’s the equivalent from a SEER standpoint of the GSXC18 from Goodman.
This system is rated at 19 SEER with ComfortBridge technology, so it’s smarter and slightly more powerful than Trane’s two-stage system. It has a Copeland Ultratech scroll compressor and all the companies’ top-tier features as well. The Goodman GSXC16 has the same set of features but a slightly lower rating of 17 SEER.
That system is in-line with the Trane XR17 on paper aside from a few bells & whistles and smart controls. At this tier, Goodman has an advantage but only because this is their premium-class, considering they don’t have variable speed systems. Trane also has a 3-phase variant of the XR17 in this class as well.
Single-Stage Air Conditioning Systems
With single-stage AC units, it’s close when you exclude the 3-phase and low-profile variants from Trane. The budget-friendly models from Goodman are the GSX16, GSX14, and GSX13, while Trane has the XR16, XR14, and the X13. Most units from both brands have a slightly higher SEER rating then their names imply but are otherwise very similar.
Trane, however, has several variants available, including the svelte XR16 Low Profile and the XR16i with a protective top. You can also purchase 3-phase variants of the XR13 and XR14. Trane has an advantage in size as well considering all their single-stage units are sized from 1.5 to 5 tons while Goodman’s units are not offered in as high of a capacity.
Pricing & Availability
By now, you may be wondering why we are even comparing Goodman and Trane at all. Well, this is where the two Brands begin to really separate themselves as Goodman air conditioning systems are widely considered to be budget-friendly, and the same cannot be said for Trane.
Not taking into account the installation, Goodman’s systems are typically anywhere between $200 to $600 cheaper with their basic systems. The difference is a little more pronounced with two-stage systems, although it’s impossible to compare variable speed units for obvious reasons. In a nutshell, you’re going to pay more for any unit that carries Trane branding compared to Goodman.
Goodman also has an edge when it comes to general availability, although neither brand will be hard for you to find locally. Goodman AC units can be sold to contractors, homeowners, and distributors, whereas Trane is much more selective about who distributes, installs, and sells its products. Just how selective can vary by region, however.
Warranty Program
Trane has a tiered warranty program like most manufacturers in the industry. That means coverage will vary by the model number to a degree, so you’ll get a slightly longer warranty with their variable speed compressors. The compressors and those units were guaranteed for 12 years while the rest of the parts are warrantied for 10. With other models, you can expect to have coverage for 10 years once you have properly registered your unit.
With Goodman, they take things a step further by providing consumers with a limited lifetime warranty on the compressor. Functional parts in their systems are guaranteed for 10 years, and you still have to register your product, just like with Trane. With both companies, you want to read the fine print in their policies, but overall we feel like Goodman has stronger coverage.
Verdict
Trane is a brand most associated with high-end units whereas Goodman has always been known to offer affordable air conditioning systems. Several of their AC units are actually fairly closing price at the lower tiers, but you obviously won’t get as many features or a variable-speed compressor if you decide to go with Goodman. If you aren’t concerned with having a smart system or don’t need an unit with a high SEER rating than Goodman is a brand you will definitely want to keep in mind.