VELUX and Fakro are both competent roof windows and neither is clearly better across the board. VELUX has the widest spares network and the deepest dealer coverage in Suffolk. Fakro usually costs less and reaches some larger sizes. For a straight replacement, the sound rule is to match whatever brand is already in your roof.
That is the short answer. The longer one matters if you are choosing from scratch, because the two brands differ in ways that only show up years later, when you need a part or a matching unit. We fit VELUX, Keylite and Roto, and we have no reason to steer you either way. Here is how they actually compare.
The factual comparison
Both brands sell by a letter-and-number size code, both offer centre pivot and top hung, both do laminated inner panes and both do escape-rated units that meet Part B. The differences are in the detail.
| Point | VELUX | Fakro |
|---|---|---|
| Size range | Broad, well-standardised codes that have barely moved in decades | Broad, plus some extra large formats VELUX does not list |
| Size codes | Its own code system, the one most Suffolk lofts already carry | Different code system, not interchangeable with VELUX codes |
| Glazing options | Double and triple, laminated inner pane standard on most, several coatings | Double and triple, laminated options, quad glazing on some ranges |
| Spares availability | The strongest network here; parts stay obtainable longest | Available, but thinner on the ground locally and for older units |
| Typical price | The dearer of the two for a like-for-like unit | Generally cheaper for a comparable specification |
| Blinds and accessories | Largest range, most third-party options | Good own range, fewer third-party choices |
Both meet the same Building Regulations. Neither is a corner-cutting product. The gap is in ecosystem and long-term parts, not in whether the window keeps the rain out.
Why spares availability decides more than the badge
A roof window is not really failing on the day the glass mists. It fails when it is fifteen or twenty years old, the profile has changed generations, and you need a sash, a hinge set or a sealed unit that is no longer made. This is where the brands separate.
VELUX has been the dominant roof window in this country for a long time, so its parts network is deep and its older generations stayed supported longer. Fakro parts exist, but for an older or less common Fakro unit in Suffolk you are more likely to hit a dead end. That is not a knock on the window itself. It is a supply-chain fact, and it is worth weighing if you plan to keep the house for another twenty years.
Honesty point, because it is the same for every brand: once a roof window is old enough to be failing, parts for any make are usually gone. Generations turn over roughly every ten to fifteen years, taking the frame profile, the hardware fixings and the glazing bead with them. So this comparison guides a new purchase. It does not mean an old window of either brand can be nursed along. On a unit that age the answer is a whole new window, which is covered on our replace not repair page.
Price, and what you are actually paying for
Fakro tends to undercut VELUX on the unit price for a comparable specification. On a single like-for-like replacement that difference is real but modest against the total job, because most of the cost is labour, access, the flashing kit and the two collars, not the bare window. Choosing Fakro to save on the unit while cutting the flashing or skipping the insulation collar is a false economy that shows up as a mould line or a leak inside two years.
The other side of it: if you are fitting several units, or a large format that VELUX does not offer, Fakro can genuinely be the better-value answer. We quote the same way whichever brand you pick, and the specification around the window stays identical.
A decision rule you can actually use
- Replacing one window in a roof that already has others. Match the existing brand, so the units read the same from the street and any shared blinds or accessories stay compatible.
- Whole new set, and long-term parts matter most. VELUX, for the spares network and the resale familiarity.
- Whole new set, budget-led or needing an oversize unit. Fakro is a fair, honest choice and we are happy to fit it.
- Not sure of your existing size. Read the data plate first; the two brands use different code systems, so a VELUX code will not translate to a Fakro one. Our size codes page shows where to find it.
Whatever the badge, the flashing decides whether it leaks. Brand choice changes the unit price and the parts story. It does not change the need for a flashing kit matched to your covering, an insulation collar and an underfelt collar. Get those wrong on the finest window made and it will still let water in.
If your roof is in a conservation area or you are weighing a recessed profile, the brand question sits alongside a bigger one, covered on our conservation versus standard page. For the fuller picture across every brand we fit, including Keylite and Roto, see VELUX compared with other brands. And if you want to keep existing blinds, read blind compatibility before you commit, because blinds rarely cross a brand or a generation.
Roof window choice is one small part of getting the job right. The rest, from survey to watertight roof, is on our VELUX window installation page.
Get an honest recommendation
Tell us what is in your roof now, or what you are trying to achieve, and we will tell you plainly whether VELUX, Fakro, Keylite or Roto suits the job and your budget. We fit several brands and earn nothing extra by pushing one. Request a fixed quote and we will spell out the unit, the flashing kit and the full specification in writing.
Thinking about this job? We survey across Ipswich, Suffolk and north Essex and give you a fixed price before any work starts, with a 10-year workmanship guarantee.