Goodman vs Trane – Who Makes The Best AC Units?

In the hotly contested world of residential cooling, we’ll be focusing on two heavy hitters in the air conditioning realm.

On the one side, we have an all-American outfit, Goodman,  that offers fancy technology focusing on residential cooling. Opposed to an established company, Trane, with 100 years worth of industrial experience, has found its way into residential cooling.

So which one is better – Goodman or Trane? 

TL;DR: Goodman vs Trane

Before we head into the detailed guide, here’s a quick overview.

Goodman Introduction

Goodman had humble beginnings. Its founder, Harold V. Goodman, started as an HVAC contractor in the booming city of Austin, Texas, in 1954. By the end of the 1960s, he was one of the leading HVAC contractors in the United States.

In the mid-70s, he started manufacturing air conditioning units, and Goodman Manufacturing was born. The rest, as they say, is history. Mr. Goodman wanted to make his stamp as a world-class HVAC company by producing low-cost central air conditioning units. 

Goodman expanded its enterprise in 1982 by purchasing a floundering company’s equipment and became a manufacturer of central air condition pumps. 

In 2012, Goodman was purchased by Japanese giant Daikin Industries, further proving that Goodman is, and always has been, a world-class manufacturer of HVAC systems.

Trane Introduction

Trane can trace its roots to James Trane, an immigrant from Norway who started a plumbing business in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1885.

His forward thinking led to “Trane vapor heating,” which was a new way to heat steam via a low-pressure system. When James joined forces with his engineer son, Reuben, their notoriety as a cutting-edge company was solidified. 

By 1916 Trane abandoned its plumbing business and focused on heating systems exclusively and was building state-of-the-art cooling units by 1931.

General Electric purchased Trane in 1982, which introduced their dominance in the domestic market. Many of the innovative technologies developed in that era are still in use in today’s residential air-conditioning units. 

Trane also has the distinguished honor of cooling some of the prominent buildings in the world, including the channel tunnel between England and France, The Kremlin, Moscow, and the Statue of Liberty in New York – to name a few.

Company Comparison

Let’s look at the comparison between the two companies.

Goodman		Trane
Houston, Texas	Where Are Their Products Made?	Many locations worldwide
Goodman Manufacturing	Who Manufactures Their Products?	Trane Technologies
Daikin Industries Limited	Who Owns These Companies?	Ingersoll-Rand PLC
Since 1975 as an air-conditioning manufacturer	How Long Have They Been Around?	Since 1885, originally. Started with air conditioning units in 1931
Limited lifetime warranty on compressor and a 10-year guarantee on ancillaries	What’s their Warranty Like?	Tiered warranty according to the model of the unit – 12 years on compressor and ten on other functional parts

What Goodman Does Better Than Trane

You won’t beat Goodman’s warranty offering. Giving you a limited lifetime warranty on their compressor unit shows that Goodman has a strong belief in the quality of their product. The 10-year unit replacement and the 10-year minor parts warranties are competitive as well. 

Fault diagnosis is a cinch with the “Cool Cloud HVAC” app. Qualified technicians can pinpoint selected HVAC systems on your unit efficiently by simply using the app on a mobile device. 

The CoolCloud app uses Bluetooth technology and connects to the unit’s circuit board. The technician installing your air conditioner will be able to set up and configure your system. In the event of a failure, you will be able to diagnose issues without removing or opening any panels.

Although owned by a Japanese multinational, Goodman’s manufacturing has remained in the United States.

Daikin invested $400,000,000 to build a 4,2M square-foot facility just outside Houston, Texas – consolidating all their business facets into one centrally-located building. 

Goodman also maintains an “A” rating with Better Business Bureau. 

What does all this mean to you, as the customer? You’re getting a product from an American company that understands the American way of life to give you the best possible user experience.

What Trane Does Better Than Goodman

The fact that they’ve successfully been manufacturing HVAC systems for 100 years speaks volumes – it’s a true testimony of their determination to be a dominant force in the HVAC industry.

Trane units use the all-aluminum Spine Fin woven coils, which enhances airflow and heat transfer capabilities. This tried-and-tested system uses Trane’s trademarked system that offers superior corrosion properties compared to traditional copper offerings.

America has spoken – and voted Trane as their most-trusted air conditioning manufacturer for seven years running (2015-2021). Lifestory Research compiled these statistics.

Another Trane consumer study in July 2020 found that Trane Technologies units were voted as the most reliable HVAC systems in America.  

Trane might not have the technological prowess that Goodman offers, but they make up for it by providing reliable units. Their trademark ClimaTuff and SpineFin systems have been around for decades and still prove to be a reliable system – even in the 21st century. 

To say that Trane Technologies plays on a world stage is an understatement. 

Trane Technologies provides HVAC units to some of the planet’s most famous buildings. This means that you, as a residential customer, are getting world-beating reliability right in your home.

Guess who keeps Vincent Van Gogh’s priceless self-portrait from becoming ruined? Trane Technologies. Speak about bragging rights.

Goodman vs Trane – Similarities

Let’s quickly compare the brands and see where they have similar features

Quick Look at Trane Features

Thankfully, Trane’s technology didn’t stay in the 19th century, and they’ve kept up with modern trends. They offer technologies such as TruComfort, which constantly adjusts speed to keep your home’s temperature at a constant temperature. What does this mean? It means that outside and interior fans increase or decrease rate in 1/10 of 1% increments to keep the temperature within ½ a degree of the thermostat setting.

Trane also offers Comfortlink II, which connects all your Trane products. For the duration of the product’s lifespan, these indoor units communicate with each other to provide optimum efficiency within your home.

Each Trane system also utilizes Trane’s CleanEffects air cleaner. This filter removes up to 99.98% of airborne particles that pass through it, making it 100x more effective than standard filtration systems. It’s also the only system that is certified by the American Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

If complete home automation is what you’re into, Trane’s control units are Nexia compliant. You’ll be able to control your home’s central system from your smartphone, from anywhere in the world, if you so desire.

Quick Look at Goodman Features

Likewise, Goodman offers similar tech features. Goodman calls their system Smart Speed, which increases fan speed depending on need, to keep your system from wasting precious energy.

Goodman’s award-winning ComfortBridge keeps all your Goodman units communicating with each other for optimal comfort and performance within the home. Heating and cooling systems are integrated, so your home’s temperature is kept at a constant, so you’ll keep experiencing maximum comfort at all times.

Just like Trane, Goodman offers complete control of your system with Goodman’s proprietary CoolCloud app. This system uses Bluetooth to connect to your system to command over all the various settings that your plan allows. 

Goodman AC vs Trane AC

In the following sections, we’ll be making head-to-head comparisons with various units from each company. This will be like for like, so we’ll be looking at range-topping, midrange, and entry-level units, to see how they differ in specifications.

High-End Models

The range-topping unit from Goodman is the GVXC20, and Trane’s is their XV20i unit. They both offer high-level SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings to keep energy consumption minimum. 

Goodman offers a limited lifetime warranty on the compressor, which Trane doesn’t, but Trane’s filtration system is American Asthma and Allergy Foundation certified, which Goodman doesn’t offer.

Goodman – GVXC20

The GVX20 air conditioning unit from Goodman offers Smart Speed inverter technology, is ComfortBridge compatible, and you’ll have the benefit of using the CoolCloud app with the GVX20. It also provides ComfortAlert diagnostics, which constantly monitors the system’s health. If things go awry, it’s easy to identify because the system is continuously monitored.

It offers a maximum SEER rating of 24.5, which is superior to the Trane range-topper. Noise rating is between 57 and 75 decibels, depending on the chosen model, which is on par with the Trane unit.

If you’re into tech wizardry and high-end technology, this is the one for you.

Trane – XV20i TruComfort

Trane’s XV20i unit comes with all the technology that Trane offers its residential units. 

TruComfort technology allows this air conditioning unit to have 750 compressor stages called speeds to keep the temperature inside your home constantly. Goodman also offers this technology in the GVXC20, but the XV20i’s is preferable – by giving small increments in fan speed that are so minute that they’re not even noticeable.

XV20i makes use of Trane’s trademarked all-aluminum SpineFin that offers better anti-corrosion properties than the copper/aluminum system on the Goodman GVXC20. 

SEER rating on the XV20i is 22, below that of the GVXC20 but still low enough to keep your carbon footprint as low as possible.

Midrange Models

From Goodman, we have the GSXC16 unit, and Trane’s midrange unit is the XL16i. The Goodman GSXC16 still offers a limited lifetime warranty on the compressor. 

Goodman GSXC16

With a SEER rating of 16, it’s a bit lower than the Trane XL16i. That’s the (almost) only arena where the Trane unit is superior. 

The GSXC16 offers all the technology that the high-end GVXC20 offers – bar inverter technology. You get SmartSpeed technology, ComfortBridge compatibility, and can connect with your CoolCloud app. All the high-end features are included in the midrange GSXC16, which Trane doesn’t offer with its XL16i.

If you want high-end specifications at a fraction of the cost, then this is your only choice.

Trane XL16i

The XL16i doesn’t offer any of the high-tech functionality that the XV20i does.

It’s a standard split system that offers a complete cooling option without breaking the bank. It doesn’t provide TruComfort technology and isn’t Comfortlink II compatible. It does, however, offer the trademarked ClimaTuff single-stage compressor and SpineFin coil. 

Like the XV20i, the XL16i uses the same American Asthma and Allergy Foundation filtration system to keep your air quality pure.

You’re not into tech gadgetry and smartphone capability – you just want a dependable system that’s cost-effective and does what it’s supposed to.

If that’s you, then the Trane XL16i is the perfect companion to your cooling needs. 

Entry Level Models

You might be on a budget, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get quality cooling in your home. Goodman has the GSX13 system, and Trane offers the XR13 as budget-oriented models.

Goodman GSX13 

This Goodman unit doesn’t offer Goodman’s exceptional limited lifetime warranty on the compressor, but it does give a 2-year unit replacement warranty and 10-year minor parts warranty.

It has an energy-efficient compressor that provides a rating of 14 SEER, which is just a slight bit less than the Trane competitor. 

The GSX13 does, however, offer a filter drier, which we also find on Goodman’s mid-range units. This drier filter protects from outside contaminants in the refrigeration system to prolong the life of the product.  

Goodman’s GSX13 is perfect for those individuals wanting a quality cooling product without forking out large amounts of cash.

Trane XR13

If you’re on a tight budget, then Trane might be the air conditioner of choice for you.

It offers a SEER rating of 14.5, which makes it more efficient than the GSX13. The high-tech functionality is done away with to provide you a budget unit that still offers the Trane CleanEffects filtration system as we’d see on higher models, as well as installing the SpineFin coil and ClimaTuff compressor. 

We have a budget unit that still has the same functioning parts as the higher-level models.

A true budget-beating winner, in our opinion.

Conclusion

If you like high-tech, then Goodman is for you. If, however, you want a company with a legacy and a reputation for reliability, then you should choose a Trane.

Be that as it may, both companies offer excellent products with innovative technologies.

The question is – do you want a system you can control from your smartphone, or do you require an air conditioner that is dependable without the tech wizardry?

You decide.

People Also Ask

As with anything else in life, some questions that need answering. This section is given to debunk some myths and misconceptions about Trane and Goodman.