There are two basic types of automatic garage door opening systems. The shaft-drive systems are used with torsion springs, where the shaft drive turns to operate the system. The other type are trolley systems which can either be operated by chain drive, belt drive or screw drive.

All trolley systems use an overhead rail system which powers the movement of the garage door. The factors that vary most between different types of automatic garage door systems are noise, cost and power. You can observe these variations with the range of garage doors provided by Hörmann. Chain-drive systems are cheaper but also noisier and tend to break down more easily. Screw drives are more expensive, but also quieter, while belt-drives cost the most but also offer the best performance overall. It's required by US law that all automatic garage door opening systems feature a reversing mechanism for safety, which employs sensor technology to detect when an object is present.