Are roller blinds more expensive than Venetian blinds?

No, generally roller blinds are less costly than any other type of blind, although it is worth noting that Venetian blinds are also an economical pick. Sometimes, there won’t be that much difference in the pricing between the two anyway.

I should also mention that just because both roller blinds and Venetian blinds fall towards the lower end of the price spectrum for window blinds, they definitely aren’t flimsy or cheap-looking by design, assuming that you buy good quality made to measure blinds from a reputable retailer.

In this blog post I’ll cover the basics of roller blind pricing compared to Venetians, and look at any potential scenarios in which you might find that a roller blind costs more, and why.

Are roller blinds more expensive than Venetian blinds on average?

No, you’ll tend to find roller blinds are the cheaper option to buy. Venetian blinds are considered to be an economical type of blind too (certainly when compared to luxury blinds like Roman blinds and real wood blinds), but roller blinds are the most keenly priced blinds of all.

Like for like, if you looked at the basic roller blinds and basic Venetian blinds in a seller’s range for the same window/size and so on, you would almost certainly find the roller blind cheaper.

For instance, this basic sturdy, subtle neutral roller blind for a window of 120cm by 120cm currently costs £29.30 (at the the time of writing, April 2023). This simple, yet stylish economical white Venetian blind for the same window comes in at £65.39, more than twice as much.

Both blinds will last for the same sort of lifespan in good working order (well over a decade in normal use) so there’s not a quality factor in play there; it simply comes down to your budget, the look you prefer, and the functions you want your blind to perform.

It is also worth noting that the larger the blind in question gets (up to the upper maximum realistic size that they can be made in) the smaller the price difference tends to become between roller and Venetian blinds.

Are roller blinds more expensive than Venetian blinds when you start adding special roller blind features like thermal linings or waterproofing?

No, not usually. Roller blinds come in the basic/standard option of polyester, which is the lowest cost type of roller blind of all, but they can also be made in or with add-on extras for different purposes.

For instance, you can choose roller blinds made of waterproof PVC or vinyl for kitchens and bathrooms, and roller blinds with a blackout lining, or a thermally insulating blackout lining.

However, even if you choose these add-ons, the finished roller blind will still tend to cost less than a Venetian blind of the same size; because choosing these optional features doesn’t tend to add much to the cost of the basic blind.

Are roller blinds more expensive than Venetian blinds if the roller is made of a designer or specialist fabric?

Maybe. Whilst this won’t always hold true, this is pretty much the only scenario in which a roller blind will potentially top a Venetian blind in terms of cost.

We don’t tend to sell roller blinds in hugely costly designer and licensed fabrics because there’s just not a huge level of demand for them; people who are willing to pay the sort of prices that many high-end designer and licenced fabric designs cost tend to choose Roman blinds rather than rollers.

But in the past, and in some product ranges, roller blinds made of very costly designer or licenced fabrics (by which I mean, things like Disney/Marvel characters and designs and so on) would feasibly cost more to buy than a Venetian blind of the same size.