Onward
Quick answer: Asphalt shingles cost about half as much upfront ($3.50–$5.50/sq ft vs. $7–$14 for metal) and are easier to repair, which makes them the practical pick for most homeowners. A metal roof costs roughly 2x more but lasts 40–70 years versus 15–30 for shingles, shrugs off wind, hail, and fire, and recoups more at resale. Choose metal if you’re staying long-term or in a harsh climate; choose shingles for the lowest price.
Picking between a metal roof and asphalt shingles isn’t really a “which is better” question. It’s a trade between paying less now or paying once. Below, we break down both roofs on the numbers that actually change the decision — installed cost, lifespan, how each holds up in a storm, energy use, and what you get back at resale — so you can match the roof to your house and how long you plan to own it.
Upfront cost: shingles win, and it isn’t close
Asphalt shingles are the budget choice. Architectural (dimensional) shingles run about $3.50–$5.50 per square foot installed, which lands most homes between $9,000 and $18,000. Metal roofing runs about $7–$14 per square foot installed — roughly double — putting a typical project at $20,000–$40,000, according to 2026 pricing tracked by This Old House, Angi, and HomeGuide.
A few things move those numbers:
- Metal type. Exposed-fastener corrugated steel is the cheapest metal; standing seam and premium metals like copper or zinc cost far more.
- Roof complexity. Steep pitches, lots of valleys, dormers, and skylights raise labor on either roof, but more so on metal.
- Tear-off and permits. Removing the old roof and pulling permits adds about $1,000–$5,000 on top of either estimate.
Here’s the catch: the sticker price is only half the story. Spread the cost across the roof’s life and the gap narrows sharply, which is the whole case for metal.
Cost over time: where metal closes the gap
Divide price by lifespan and the comparison shifts. A $14,000 shingle roof that lasts 25 years costs about $560 a year. A $30,000 metal roof that lasts 50 years costs about $600 a year — close, before you count what each adds back.
Metal also earns money along the way. A reflective metal roof can trim cooling-energy use by up to 25% (more on that below), and many insurers discount premiums 5–35% for impact- and wind-rated metal in storm-prone regions. Over 20+ years, those credits and energy savings can total several thousand dollars and tilt the lifetime math toward metal.
The flip side: that math only pays off if you stay long enough to collect it. If you sell in 8–12 years, you never reach metal’s break-even point, and the lower shingle price is simply the better deal. It’s also worth separating a full replacement from a patch — a worn shingle roof sometimes just needs targeted work, so it’s worth weighing repair vs. replacement before you price out a whole new metal system.
Lifespan and durability: metal’s home turf
This is where metal pulls ahead. A metal roof lasts 40–70 years, with standing-seam systems often passing 50. Asphalt shingles last 15–30 years, with premium architectural shingles topping out near 30 under good conditions and ventilation. Over a 50-year horizon, you typically buy one metal roof or two to three shingle roofs.
Severe weather widens the gap:
| Threat | Metal roof | Asphalt shingles |
|---|---|---|
| High wind | Rated up to 140+ mph | 110–130 mph installed to spec |
| Hail / impact | Often Class 4; dents, rarely cracks | Standard cracks; impact-rated lines reach Class 4 |
| Fire | Class A, non-combustible | Class A with fiberglass-asphalt + backing |
Both materials can hit Class A fire and Class 4 impact in their best forms, so it isn’t a clean sweep. But metal’s ceiling is higher: a standing-seam steel roof shrugs off wind-driven debris and embers that can tear or ignite a worn shingle roof. In wildfire, hurricane, and heavy-hail country, that margin is the reason many homeowners pay the premium.
Appearance and style options
Asphalt shingles still own the suburbs, and for a reason. They come in dozens of colors and blends, suit nearly every architectural style, and look “expected” — which can matter for resale in shingle-dominated neighborhoods. Architectural shingles even mimic the shadow lines of wood shake at a fraction of the cost.
Metal has shed its “barn roof” image. Today you can get standing-seam panels for a clean, modern look, or metal shingles and stamped panels that imitate slate, tile, or wood shake. The color holds for decades thanks to baked-on finishes. The honest trade-off: metal reads as distinctive, which homebuyers love in some markets and find unusual in others. Style fit is local, so weigh what sells where you live.
Energy efficiency and comfort
A reflective metal roof is the stronger performer in heat. Coated, light-colored metal can reduce cooling-energy use by up to 25% compared with dark asphalt, because it reflects 40–70% of solar energy instead of soaking it into the attic, per Interlock Roofing and HowStuffWorks summaries of cool-roof research. In hot states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona, owners commonly report $150–$500 in annual cooling savings depending on home size, insulation, and AC efficiency.
Shingles aren’t out of the running. Dark shingles absorb heat, but manufacturers now sell “cool-roof” reflective shingles with solar-reflective granules that narrow the gap. They still trail a coated metal panel on pure reflectivity, but they cost far less and improve on standard dark asphalt.
One real downside for metal: noise. Over open framing it’s loud in rain and hail. On a properly decked, underlaid residential roof, though, sound is comparable to shingles — so it’s an installation question, not an inherent flaw.
Maintenance and repair
Shingles are the simpler roof to live with for small problems. When a few blow off or crack, a roofer swaps them in an afternoon for a modest cost, and matching new shingles to old is straightforward. The catch is that shingles need more frequent attention — granule loss, cracking, and lifted tabs show up as the roof ages.
Metal needs less routine care: mostly periodic inspection of fasteners, sealant, and flashing. But when metal does need work, it’s more specialized. Matching panel profiles and finishes, and resealing seams, calls for a metal-experienced crew, so repairs are less frequent but pricier per visit. If you want the lowest-hassle repairs, shingles win; if you want the fewest repairs over the roof’s life, metal wins.
Installation and DIY
Neither roof is a weekend DIY job, and treating it like one usually voids the manufacturer warranty. Shingle installation is faster and more widely available — nearly every roofing crew installs them, and a typical home is done in a few days. That broad supply also keeps shingle labor competitive.
Metal is a specialty trade. Panel layout, seaming, expansion gaps, and flashing all have to be right, or you get leaks and oil-canning. Fewer crews do it well, which is part of why labor costs more. Whichever you pick, installer quality affects lifespan as much as the material itself, so vetting the crew matters more than the brand on the box. Onward matches you with vetted roofing pros who can quote either roof, and every contractor passes The Onward Shield — a check on license, insurance, warranty standing, and reviews — so you’re comparing apples to apples rather than guessing whether a low bid cut corners. If you already know you want asphalt, our shingle roofing pros can scope that directly.
Resale and ROI
A new roof of either type helps a sale, but the returns differ. A standing-seam metal roof recoups about 85–95% of its cost and can lift a home’s sale price by roughly 1–6%, partly offsetting the premium. A new asphalt shingle roof recoups about 60–70% per Remodeling’s Cost vs. Value report — strong for a standard upgrade, though buyers treat it as expected upkeep rather than a premium feature.
The nuance: shingles’ resale value fades as the roof ages toward its next replacement, while a young metal roof reads as “done for decades.” If you’re listing soon, a fresh shingle roof is a reliable, lower-cost ROI play. If you’re staying, metal’s durability is what eventually pays you back.
The bottom line
For most homeowners, asphalt shingles are the sensible default — about half the upfront cost, fast installation, easy repairs, and solid resale ROI. Metal earns its premium when you’ll stay 15+ years, live where wind, hail, fire, or snow is a real threat, or simply want a roof you likely won’t replace again.
The deciding factors are your timeline and your climate, not a universal winner. If you want real numbers for your specific roof, get a free estimate and compare quotes for both materials side by side, or dig into our roofing cost breakdown and roof lifespan by material data first. You can also read up on the types of shingles before you commit.
