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4. Marvin Essential Vs Elevate Vs Ultimate: How The Collections Compare, Plus Vivid And Modern

Walk past a wall of Marvin windows and they can look a lot alike. The collection name on each one decides what you touch on the inside, what faces the weather, how big the window can get, and what kind of grilles it can carry. Marvin makes five window collections, and this guide sets them side by side to help you tell which one your home needs.

Marvin Essential is Ultrex fiberglass inside and out, with a streamlined choice of sizes, colors and options. Marvin Elevate keeps the same Ultrex fiberglass exterior and puts a pine wood interior behind it. Marvin Ultimate is the custom collection: six interior wood species, an aluminum-clad or wood exterior, the widest range of sizes and the only authentic divided lites. Vivid pairs an Ultrex exterior with a fiberglass-reinforced composite interior, and Modern is built for contemporary architecture.

Forshaw of St. Louis sells and installs all five Marvin collections, so this isn’t a pitch for one over another. When a project doesn’t need what Ultimate adds, we say so and quote Elevate.

Want to feel the difference? Marvin Ultimate, Modern, Elevate and Essential windows are on display at Forshaw, and every one of them opens and closes. Visit us in Frontenac or Ellisville, or call (314) 993-5570.

Marvin’s five window collections at a glance

The fastest way to tell the collections apart is by what each one is made of, inside and out. Every detail below comes from Marvin’s own collection pages:

Collection	Outside	Inside	Window styles	Marvin’s description
Essential	Ultrex fiberglass, 6 colors	Ultrex fiberglass, 4 colors	Double hung, single hung, casement, awning, glider, direct glaze, specialty shapes	“A streamlined selection”
Elevate	Ultrex fiberglass, 6 colors	Pine: bare, clear coat, white or Designer Black	Double hung, casement, awning, glider, bay and bow, direct glaze, specialty shapes	“The most in-demand traditional window and door types”
Ultimate	Extruded aluminum in 19 colors plus custom, or wood on select products	Six wood species, 7 stains or 2 paints	Double hung, single hung, casement, awning, glider, corner, venting picture, bay and bow, direct glaze, specialty shapes	“Endless design possibilities”
Vivid	Ultrex fiberglass, 4 colors	Fiberglass-reinforced composite, 2 colors	Casement, awning, direct glaze, specialty shapes	“Transitional to contemporary architecture with dramatic sizes”
Modern	High-Density Fiberglass, 5 colors	Extruded aluminum, 5 finishes	Casement, awning, direct glaze, corner	“Authentic modern architecture with expansive views”

All five come as doors too, but this guide sticks to windows. Each collection’s product pages are on our windows by collection page.

Marvin Essential vs Elevate: fiberglass or wood on the inside

The real difference between Essential and Elevate is the inside of the window. Both share the same Ultrex fiberglass exterior in the same six colors: Stone White, Cashmere, Pebble Gray, Bronze, Gunmetal and Ebony. Essential is fiberglass on the inside too, in Stone White, Bronze, Gunmetal or Ebony. Elevate is pine on the inside, left bare for your own stain or finished at the factory in clear coat, white or Designer Black.

Ultrex is Marvin’s own fiberglass, and it’s the reason for both collections’ durability outside. Marvin says Ultrex is “8x stronger than vinyl” and expands and contracts at nearly the same rate as glass, which makes the windows “more resistant to leaks and seal failures.” Its acrylic finish, Marvin says, is “3x thicker than competitive painted options.” If you’re coming from vinyl windows, our guide to fiberglass vs. vinyl windows explains the difference in materials.

What changes between the two is upkeep and feel on the inside:

• Essential has nothing to stain, seal or refinish. Marvin says the collection stays “virtually maintenance free for years, both inside and out.”
• Marvin Elevate windows give you real wood you can see and touch. Wood also changes with time. Marvin’s warranty notes that wood color changes, “typically darkening over time,” and that this isn’t a defect. A clear coat or light stain shows it most.

Neither collection is simply bigger. Marvin’s maximum sizes for the most common styles:

Window style	Essential	Elevate
Double hung	4′ wide × 6’6″ high	4’6″ wide × 7′ high
Casement	3′ wide × 7′ high	3′ wide × 6′ high
Awning	5′ wide × 4′ high	4′ wide × 4′ high
Direct glaze (picture)	Up to 9’6″ wide or high	6′ wide × 6′ high

The styles differ at the edges, too. Marvin’s Elevate page lists bay and bow windows, and its Essential page lists a single hung instead. Grilles are the other big split: Essential offers grilles between the glass only, while Elevate adds simulated divided lites (more on that below).

Who each one fits. We point budget-conscious projects, rental properties and homeowners who’d rather not have wood inside toward Essential. Elevate fits a traditional home where you want the warmth of wood on the inside and low upkeep on the outside, and it’s where many of our St. Louis customers land.

Marvin Elevate vs Ultimate: what the custom collection adds

Ultimate adds design flexibility. Where Elevate offers pine inside and Ultrex fiberglass outside, Marvin Ultimate offers six wood species, an aluminum or wood exterior, far more colors, and much larger sizes, for what Marvin calls “a wide array of architectural styles.” Here are the features you get for the step up:

• Wood species. Cherry, Mixed Grain Douglas Fir, Honduran Mahogany, Pine, Vertical Grain Douglas Fir and White Oak, according to Marvin’s Ultimate page.
• Interior finishes. Seven factory stains (Clear, Wheat, Honey, Hazelnut, Leather, Cabernet and Espresso), plus Designer Black paint or Primed White.
• Exterior. Extruded aluminum cladding, which Marvin calls “the most commonly ordered exterior material” for Ultimate, in 19 colors including three pearlescent finishes, or a custom color. Select products also come with a wood exterior in pine, Vertical Grain Douglas Fir or mahogany. Our aluminum-clad wood windows guide covers how cladding works.
• Size. An Ultimate Double Hung G2 goes up to 5’6″ wide by 10’6″ high, against 4’6″ by 7′ for Elevate. Ultimate casements reach 3’6″ by 8’6″, gliders reach 14′ wide, and corner windows reach 12′ high.
• Authentic divided lites. Ultimate is the only Marvin collection that makes windows with separate panes of glass set between muntin bars.
• A longer finish warranty outside. Marvin warrants Ultimate’s standard aluminum cladding finish for 20 years against chalking, fading and peeling, twice the 10 years on the fiberglass exteriors.

Elevate costs significantly less than Ultimate, so the question is whether your home needs any of the above. We often talk homeowners out of Ultimate when the project is a straightforward replacement and Elevate would do the same job. Ultimate earns its place on historic homes that call for authentic divided lites or a wood exterior, on unusually large or odd-sized openings, and when you want a specific wood species, stain or custom exterior color.

Cross-shopping Pella too? Our Marvin Elevate vs. Pella Lifestyle and Marvin Ultimate vs. Pella Reserve comparisons put each collection beside its closest Pella line.

Where Marvin Vivid fits

Vivid is Marvin’s newest collection, launched in fall 2025, and we carry it. Like Essential, it has no wood anywhere. Unlike Essential, its interior is a different material and its look is more contemporary.

• Materials. An Ultrex fiberglass exterior, with an interior of fiberglass-reinforced composite, a material Marvin says it uses only on Vivid window interiors.
• Colors. Stone White or Ebony inside; Stone White, Ebony, Pebble Gray or Bronze outside.
• Window styles. Casement, awning, direct glaze and specialty shapes. Marvin says more Vivid products are coming in 2026.
• Sizes. Direct glaze windows up to 10′ wide or high, casements up to 3’6″ by 8′, and specialty shapes up to 60 square feet.
• Grilles. Simulated divided lites with a spacer bar, or grilles between the glass.
• Energy efficiency. Marvin says Vivid windows meet or exceed ENERGY STAR Version 7.0.

Vivid is the collection to look at when you like Essential’s no-wood interior but want larger casement and picture windows, or the look of simulated divided lites, which Essential doesn’t offer. Marvin aims Vivid at “transitional to contemporary architecture,” and its product team describes the goal as a better homeowner experience “at an accessible price point.” Vivid doesn’t come in double hung or glider windows today; Essential, Elevate and Ultimate do.

Where Marvin Modern fits

Marvin Modern is built for contemporary homes with large glass and narrow sightlines. The exterior is Marvin’s proprietary High-Density Fiberglass, and the interior is low-gloss extruded aluminum, so there’s no wood inside or out.

• Colors. Five interior finishes (Stone White, Clear Anodized, Bronze, Ebony, Gunmetal) and five exterior colors (Stone White, Silver, Bronze, Ebony, Gunmetal). Marvin lets you split them, one color inside and another outside.
• Window styles. Awning, casement, direct glaze and corner windows. Direct glaze windows go up to 12′ wide by 8′ high.
• Automation. Marvin Connected Home lets casement and awning windows open and close by schedule, through the Marvin Home app, Amazon Alexa, Crestron Home or Control4. On-unit sensors close the window when they detect moisture.

Modern fits new builds and remodels designed around walls of glass and clean lines. It doesn’t make double hung windows, so for a traditional look, Elevate and Ultimate are the collections to see.

Grilles and divided lites by collection

If your home’s style calls for grids on the windows, the collection decides which kind you can get. Marvin offers four types:

• Grilles between the glass (GBGs): grilles sealed between the panes, so both glass surfaces stay smooth and easy to clean.
• Simulated divided lites (SDLs): bars permanently adhered to the inside and outside of the glass.
• SDLs with a spacer bar: SDLs with a bar between the panes too, which Marvin says creates “an even closer resemblance” to authentic divided lites.
• Authentic divided lites (ADLs): separate pieces of glass set between muntin bars, the traditional way, built with an updated Marvin design for energy efficiency.

Collection	GBG	SDL	SDL with spacer bar	ADL
Essential	Yes
Elevate	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vivid	Yes		Yes
Modern	Yes		Yes
Ultimate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

If your home has divided-lite windows on the street side, SDLs or ADLs keep that look, and that rules Essential out.

What the Marvin warranty covers, collection by collection

One Marvin warranty covers all five collections, and it moves with the house. The Marvin Limited Warranty effective January 12, 2026 applies to Ultimate, Modern, Vivid, Elevate and Essential windows bought from an authorized Marvin dealer, and Marvin calls it “fully transferable.” Most of the coverage is the same across the collections. The finishes are where they differ:

What’s covered	How long	Which collections
Insulating glass seal	20 years up to 60 sq ft; 10 years at 60 sq ft and larger	All five
Stress cracks in non-tempered glass	10 years	All five
Hardware and other non-glass parts	10 years	All five
Exterior aluminum cladding finish (chalk, fade, peel)	20 years	Ultimate
Exterior fiberglass finish	10 years	Essential, Elevate, Vivid
Factory interior wood finish	5 years	Elevate, Ultimate
Interior coated composite finish	10 years	Vivid
Interior coated aluminum finish	10 years (anodized: 5 years)	Modern
Connected Home motorized operators	5 years	Modern, when automated

The warranty covers the product, not the labor to install it. Marvin’s document says “removal, installation, finishing, refinishing, and disposal costs and services are not included,” and Marvin’s replacement page adds that your installer will confirm how it backs its own work. We install the Marvin windows we sell and cover labor and installation through our own workmanship coverage, so ask us to walk you through it with your quote. The full warranty is on Marvin’s warranty page.

What the collections cost

Marvin doesn’t publish prices, and every window is made to order. This Old House puts Marvin windows at about $400 to $1,500 per window, a range it got from Marvin’s own representatives. Where your windows land depends on:

1. The collection. Elevate comes in well below Ultimate, and Essential is where we start budget-conscious projects.
2. Style and size. This Old House lists window size and style among the main things that move a Marvin price.
3. Customization. This Old House also names customization options, and in Ultimate that means the wood species, the stain or paint, and any custom exterior color.
4. Grilles and glass. Divided lites and glass upgrades such as triple pane are options too, chosen window by window.
5. Insert or full-frame. Marvin’s replacement catalog calls an insert “typically lower cost” and a full-frame replacement “typically higher cost.”

For more on the money side, including resale and energy savings, see are Marvin windows worth it? and our St. Louis replacement window cost guide.

Insert or full-frame: which collections can do both

Essential, Elevate and Ultimate all come in insert versions. Marvin’s 2024 replacement catalog lists insert double hung windows in all three, plus narrow-frame casements and awnings built for insert installation. An insert, which Marvin also calls a frame-in-frame or pocket window, goes inside your existing frame after the old sash and hardware come out. Marvin says the Elevate Double Hung Insert “can be installed without removing the existing window frame” and “will not disturb existing trim or siding.”

Inserts need a sound frame. Marvin’s catalog calls them “an option for structurally sound wood or aluminum frames,” and says a full-frame replacement, down to the studs, is “necessary for vinyl or damaged frames and often for remodels.” That catalog came out before Vivid launched, so ask us about Vivid for replacement openings. We install both ways, and our guide to insert vs. full-frame replacement explains how to tell which your home needs.

Which Marvin collection fits your home

Start with the inside of the window and the look of the house, then let size and grilles settle it. Here’s where each collection is the best fit:

• You want no wood to care for, a clean look, or a budget-conscious project: Marvin Essential.
• You want real wood inside a traditional home, with low upkeep outside: Marvin Elevate.
• You need a particular wood species, a wood exterior, authentic divided lites, a custom color or a very large opening: Marvin Ultimate.
• You want large casement and picture windows with simulated divided lites and no wood, in a transitional or contemporary home: Marvin Vivid.
• You’re building or remodeling a modern home with walls of glass, or want windows that open on a schedule: Marvin Modern.

If two collections both seem to fit, price both for the same openings. The quote will show you what the step up costs for your home.

See Marvin’s collections side by side at Forshaw

Family-owned since 1871, Forshaw of St. Louis sells Marvin windows and doors and installs them across the St. Louis area.

• Four collections, working. Marvin Ultimate, Modern, Elevate and Essential windows are on display, and you can open, close and handle each one.
• Vivid too. We carry Marvin’s newest collection; ask us about it when you visit or call.
• A quote that names the collection for every opening. Written and itemized, with every option and the installation, so you can compare collections line by line.
• Insert or full-frame, by our own team. We measure, install and finish the trim.

Compare Marvin’s collections in person. Visit our Frontenac showroom at 825 S. Lindbergh Blvd or our Ellisville showroom at 15977 Manchester Rd, or call (314) 993-5570 to set up a free consultation. Learn more about Marvin windows in St. Louis.

Frequently asked questions

Are Marvin Essential windows good quality?

Marvin rates its Essential double hung up to PG50 for air, water and structural performance, and Consumer Reports includes Marvin Essential in its replacement window ratings. Some owners online say Essential frames look thin. That’s the narrow profile Marvin designed on purpose, and it’s easiest to judge with a window in front of you.

What is the price difference between Marvin Elevate and Ultimate?

Marvin doesn’t publish a price for either collection, and the gap depends on the species, exterior, size and grilles you’d choose in Ultimate. The clearest way to see it for your home is one quote that prices the same openings both ways, with the same glass, so the collection is the only difference. Ask us for that when you request a quote.

What happened to Marvin Integrity windows?

Marvin retired the Integrity name in May 2019. Integrity Wood-Ultrex windows became the Elevate collection, and Integrity All-Ultrex windows became the Essential collection. If you have Integrity windows now, those are the two collections to look at for a match.

Is Marvin Vivid available in St. Louis?

Yes. Forshaw carries Vivid. Marvin launched it on September 30, 2025 in Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, with more markets in 2026, so you may not find it at every Marvin dealer yet.

Do Marvin windows come with triple-pane glass?

In most collections, yes, on at least some products. Marvin offers dual- and triple-pane glass on Essential windows, optional triple pane on select Elevate products, two or three panes on Modern, and dual or triple pane on Vivid. On Ultimate, triple-pane availability varies by product, so ask about the specific window.

How do I make a Marvin warranty claim?

Contact the dealer you bought from within 60 days of the problem appearing, with the serial number etched or labeled on the window. If the dealer hasn’t answered in five days, Marvin says to write to its warranty department in Warroad, Minnesota, and it will respond within two working days.

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