Your front door is the face of your home. If you want a screen door for your front door that disappears completely when not in use, Apollo's is it: no ugly screen blocking your view, no slamming, no clash with outswing doors. Built to your exact door, installed in under an hour.
Most people who call us have already tried the hardware store version. It slammed, scratched the door, looked cheap from the street, or simply didn’t fit an outswing door at all. Here’s what makes a front entry different from a back patio, and why it needs a different solution.
The screen rolls into a 2-inch housing on the side of your door frame. When you don’t need it, it’s in there. From the street, there’s no screen door. No hardware. No grid of aluminum across your entry. Walk up to your front door and it looks like a door.
A traditional screen door on a front entry is an HOA complaint waiting to happen. A retractable retracts completely into a slim housing against the door frame. The housing is powder-coated to match your trim. Most HOAs approve them without a second look, because from the street, there’s nothing to flag.
With French entry doors and two separate screens, you’re dealing with two things every time you walk through. Our long-pull option runs a single screen across the full opening: one pull from the cassette all the way to the far side, one latch. Same going back out. That’s it.
Front doors come in sizes no hardware store product accounts for: oversized single panels, doors with sidelights, arched frames. Apollo measures to 1/16” and builds to your exact opening. If it’s a door, we can screen it.
A retractable screen door for your front door is one that's invisible when you don't need it. The screen rolls into a slim 2-inch aluminum housing mounted on one side of your door frame. Pull it across when you want fresh air and bug protection. Let go and it rolls back in slowly, no slamming.
When retracted, your front entry looks exactly the same as before. No screen blocking your view, no hardware hanging off the door frame. Visitors don't see a screen door at all. That's why homeowners also call them invisible screen doors, disappearing screen doors, and pocket screen doors: different names, same product.
It also solves a problem most people don't realize they have until they're shopping: outswing doors. If your front door swings outward, a traditional hinged screen door would swing right into it. A retractable screen mounts to the side of the frame and never interferes, regardless of how your door swings.
If your front door has a full-glass panel, sidelights, or a transom window, you probably picked it for the light and the view, and you don’t want a screen that ruins either. A lot of homeowners searching for a glass screen door for their front door assume the screen has to sit right over the glass, but it doesn’t.
Apollo’s retractable screen mounts to the door frame, outside the glass sightline. When it’s extended, you’re looking through fine, close-woven mesh, not a solid panel. Your door still reads as a glass door, screen or no screen.
A front glass screen door setup with sidelight panels on one or both sides is exactly the kind of custom opening a big-box kit isn’t built for. Apollo measures your specific configuration on-site, sidelights included, and builds to it.
A common concern with an all-glass front door is being seen from the street. When the mesh screen is extended, it naturally cuts visibility into your entryway from outside during the day, while you still get airflow and a clear view looking out. Ask your dealer about mesh options if privacy is a priority for your specific door.
The housing is a slim 2-inch cassette in one of 7 stock powder-coat colors, or custom-matched to your exact paint or RAL code, so it disappears against your frame instead of fighting your glass door’s look.
A lot of homes already have a wrought iron security door or a storm door on the front entry, and most homeowners assume that means no room for a screen. A retractable screen and a security or storm door aren’t either/or. Since Apollo mounts to the door frame rather than replacing your existing door, the two can typically work together.
A wrought iron front door with a screen doesn’t mean giving up the security bars for bug protection. It means adding a retractable screen alongside the iron door so you can get fresh air through it without leaving it wide open. Your dealer confirms mounting clearance for your exact setup at the free measurement visit.
A storm door handles weatherproofing; a retractable screen handles airflow and bugs without a permanent door in the way. Homeowners looking for a front door and screen door combo often want both, not one instead of the other, and that's exactly how most Apollo installs alongside an existing storm door work.
Every Apollo screen closes with a magnetic seal, engaging automatically when the screen retracts back into position, no separate lock hardware to fumble with one-handed.
Whether it's a standard single entry, an oversized opening, or a door with hardware a big-box kit can't work around, Apollo measures your frame on-site to 1/16″ and builds to those numbers: nothing shimmed, nothing stretched.
See real installs:
Single entry door, double French entry, or outswing, Apollo has a screen door for your front door regardless of size or configuration.
The most common front door configuration. A single retractable screen mounts to one side of the frame with a slim housing cassette. The screen pulls across one-handed and locks into the magnetic closure. When retracted, the housing is barely visible against the trim. Works whether your door swings in or out.
See all retractable screen doors
Two screens that each retract into their own housing on opposite sides of the frame, meeting in the middle with a magnetic seal. You get full coverage without blocking either door panel. Apollo is one of only two manufacturers that can cover the entire opening with a single screen on select configurations, because our slow-close mechanism means no slamming at the center.
Explore French door screensEvery Apollo retractable front door screen has four main components: the housing cassette, the mesh screen, the guide tracks, and the slow-close mechanism.
Housing cassette: A 2-inch aluminum profile that sits flush against your door frame. When the screen retracts, this is all anyone sees, and on most homes it disappears into the trim entirely. Your front entry looks exactly like it did before the screen was there. Seven powder-coat colors to match, or custom-matched to your exact paint code.
Mesh screen: A custom-formulated insect mesh that's stiff, durable, and practically invisible from a distance. Keeps bugs out, lets air through, and doesn't block your view.
Slow-close mechanism: This is what separates a quality screen from a cheap one. Apollo's slow-close system retracts the screen at a controlled, even speed: no sudden snap-back, no slamming, safe around kids and pets. The magnetic closure holds the screen sealed when extended.
Weighing a retractable screen against a storm door or traditional hinged screen? Here's how they compare for a front entry specifically.
| Feature | Retractable (Apollo) | Storm Door | Hinged Screen Door | Big-Box Retractable Kit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curb appeal when not in use | ✓ Fully invisible | Permanent, always visible | Permanent, always visible | Housing visible, lower quality |
| Works with outswing doors | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No | Depends on kit |
| Custom fit | ✓ Built to 1/16" | Standard sizes | Standard sizes | One-size-fits-all |
| Slow-close / no slam | ✓ Yes | Pneumatic closer | ✗ Slams | Varies, often snaps |
| Frame material | 6063 T6 aircraft aluminum | Steel or aluminum | Wood or light aluminum | Lightweight plastic / thin aluminum |
| Weatherproofing | Bug & airflow | ✓ Full weatherproofing | Bug screen only | Bug screen only |
| Installation | Professional, factory-trained | Professional or DIY | DIY | DIY, no professional option |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 1-3 years typical | 1 year or none | 90 days-1 year |
Apollo retractable screens are consistently ranked among the best retractable screen door manufacturers for homeowners. See how we compare to Casper, Mirage, and other brands.
The housing cassette is the only visible part when the screen is retracted, so it's critical that it matches your door trim. Apollo front door screens come in 7 stock powder-coat colors that cover 90% of home trim colors. Need an exact match? We offer custom color matching to any RAL or paint code.
Frames are 6063 T6 aluminum with a baked-on powder-coat finish, not spray paint, not anodized. It resists chipping, peeling, and UV fading. The housing sits tight against your trim and most visitors never notice it's there.
Most Apollo front door screen installations are completed in under one hour by a factory-trained dealer. Here's the process from first call to finished screen.
Find your nearest Apollo dealer at apolloscreen.com or call (855) 530-1246. Tell them your door type and swing direction.
Your dealer measures your door frame to 1/16" precision, confirms mounting approach for your door swing, and you choose your color. You get an exact price on the spot, no guessing.
Your screen is manufactured to your exact specs: housing cassette, rails cut to length with 45° bevel for smooth operation, and mesh tensioned for your door width.
Your dealer mounts the housing, fastens top and bottom rails, installs the handle and magnetic closure system, and does a full walk-through with you. Done, same week in most markets.
4.9 stars across 1,671 Google reviews nationwide. Here's what customers say specifically about their front door screens.
“Greg is professional, precise and very timely. The job was finished in a very reasonable time frame. Thank you! Very happy. So far so good.”
“Apollo is professional, courteous and complete the work with accuracy and timelines. Thank you to the crew at Apollo.”
“Friendly, trustworthy, and experienced professionals who are focused on customer satisfaction. Great product, great team, highly recommend!”
Free measurement at your home. Custom built to your exact door. Professionally installed, usually within the week.
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