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Magnetic or Velcro Fly Screen: Which Joint Suits You

Updated: 15.10.2026

You open a uPVC window by the handle on warm evenings, and drilling the frame is off the table. A magnetic or Velcro fly screen is the no-drill pair to compare, and the two joints do different work. Hook-and-loop holds a fabric sheet on tape, and a magnetic kit uses strips and a PVC cover so the mesh can part and close. This page settles daily opening, clashing listing figures, and glue in UK reviews. The wider shortlist is the [insect screen comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/windhager-insect-screen). The Products Compared editorial team compared amazon.co.uk listings and UK reviews from 15 October 2026 with Windhager's no-drill notes, without a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You open a uPVC window by the handle on warm evenings, and drilling the frame is off the table. A magnetic or Velcro fly screen is the no-drill pair to compare, and the two joints do different work.

Our top picks

NeatiEase NeatiEase magnetic window screen, max 90 x 140 cm

Best overall

NeatiEase NeatiEase magnetic window screen, max 90 x 140 cm
8.3/10about £21.52
View offer
tesa UK tesa Insect Stop Standard 110 x 130 cm

Rank 2

tesa UK tesa Insect Stop Standard 110 x 130 cm
8.6/10about £6.97
View offer
tesa UK tesa Insect Stop Standard 100 x 100 cm

Preis-Tipp

tesa UK tesa Insect Stop Standard 100 x 100 cm
8.4/10about £2.56
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each fastening is
  2. 2.Opening the window every day
  3. 3.Size, tape, and glue
  4. 4.What this page will not decide

What each fastening is

Hook-and-loop, often called Velcro, is a sheet you press onto tape and peel away. The best value is the acrylic panel, 100 by 100 cm at about £2.56 (B0001M0H7I). The top pick is the polyester panel titled 110 by 130 cm at about £6.97 (B0001M0H7S). The plain sheet is the lower price when you rarely open the window. NeatiEase at about £21.52, MiLeJu at about £22.93 and BITOYO at about £23.99 use strips and a PVC cover. MiLeJu has fifty UK reviews. BITOYO has 17 ratings and two thin UK reviews. Windhager B078KKWCH3, model field 03389, is plastic profiles you saw, with one UK review. The cutting steps are in how to fit a fly screen.

Opening the window every day

If you use the handle most days, choose open-and-close tesa B001ULCOHK at about £23.99, or a magnetic kit from about £21.52 to about £23.99, rather than a full peel each morning. The tesa seam is hook-and-loop. The kits close on strips under a PVC cover. The sheet at about £2.56 comes off on four sides. A parting seam lets you turn the handle and press the mesh shut. UK comments call tesa tape weak on painted wood. For a few hot weekends, the plain sheet is the proportionate buy, and adhesive may still mark the frame.
NeatiEase NeatiEase magnetic window screen, max 90 x 140 cm

Testsieger

NeatiEase NeatiEase magnetic window screen, max 90 x 140 cm
8.3/10about £21.52
View offer

Size, tape, and glue

Order the opening you measured, and treat a printed maximum as a ceiling. The polyester title says 110 by 130 cm, about 1.43 square metres, while the unit count reads 1.0 square metres. If the parcel follows the unit count, a window planned from the title is left with a gap. A short magnetic strip leaves the last corner open. Overlapped hook-and-loop tape lifts a ridge. NeatiEase shows two maxima, an 8 mm figure and a shape field of Round. Keep it only when the opening, handle included, sits inside both. Tesa tape is weak on painted wood, a renter feared NeatiEase glue would outlast the tenancy, and MiLeJu's release tape lifted the glue.

What this page will not decide

A cat can push past both fastenings. NeatiEase's bullet says keep cats and dogs off the mesh, and a UK review says a cat will not be stopped. The CAP Code expects a supportable claim, and this capture does not show that either screen keeps all insects out. A short strip, a handle gap or a coarse mesh leaves a route. Windhager's FAQ discusses residue, without a hole size for ranking midges or certifying your frame. Doors you walk through are a different opening. Pulling a window sheet aside as you pass loads the tape differently from turning a handle.

Common questions

Is a magnetic fly screen neater than Velcro?
A magnetic seam can look tidier on a window you open daily, because the mesh stays up and parts in the middle. A hook-and-loop sheet looks just as flat if you fit it and leave it for weeks. Both get untidy when a strip stops short or overlapped tape forms a ridge.
Can you still open the window every day?
You can, when the fastening is built to part. The open-and-close tesa, B001ULCOHK at about £23.99, and magnetic kits from about £21.52 to about £23.99 let you split the mesh and press it shut. A plain sheet at about £2.56 suits the odd airing, because the whole panel peels off. The tesa seam uses hook-and-loop. Its colour field says Black and the title says anthracite.
Which fastening marks a uPVC frame?
These UK comments do not crown a fastening that leaves every uPVC frame clean. Tesa tape is weak on painted wood. A renter feared NeatiEase adhesive would remain after the tenancy. On MiLeJu, release tape lifted the glue. Windhager's FAQ discusses residue among no-drill methods, and that discussion leaves your own frame uncertified. Budget for a possible film of adhesive with either joint.
Does the magnetic tape run out before the last corner?
It can, when the strip is shorter than the frame. Three sides stick and the last corner stays open beside the handle. Overlapped hook-and-loop tape lifts a ridge if you add a spare piece to finish. NeatiEase lists two maxima, an 8 mm figure and a shape field of Round, so check a rectangular window against both maxima. Fit the material dry, and stop if the corner is short.
Is the open-and-close tesa the same as a magnetic frame?
B001ULCOHK at about £23.99 is a hook-and-loop sheet with a seam you can part. NeatiEase, MiLeJu and BITOYO, from about £21.52 to about £23.99, close with strips and a PVC cover. The tesa colour field says Black and the title says anthracite. Windhager B078KKWCH3, model 03389, needs a hacksaw, so those plastic profiles are a further build beside the tesa seam and the tape-and-cover kits.
Will either screen stop a cat?
A cat can push past both. NeatiEase's bullet says keep cats and dogs off the mesh, and a UK review says a cat will not be stopped. A UK review of a small tesa sheet says that panel is not cat-proof. Cloth and a magnetic seam flex under a claw or a shoulder. This set shows no pet-proof screen backed by UK review evidence.

Related pages

Fly screen for a patio door

Fly screen buying guide

Best Windhager insect screen

Insect screens

How to Fit a Fly Screen on a UK Window or Patio Door

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources used for this comparison; last accessed 15 October 2026.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (satisfactory quality) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (goods to match description) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. CAP Code, section 3 (misleading advertising) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Approved Document K: protection from falling, collision and impact (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Office for Product Safety and Standards (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. NHS: insect bites and stings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Windhager FAQs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Windhager: insect protection fitting tips (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  9. Highland midge (Wikipedia) (retrieved 15 October 2026)