Every ducted home cools one of two ways: a split system (outdoor condenser + indoor air handler or coil) or a packaged unit (everything in one outdoor cabinet). Most of the time your house has already made this decision for you — but if you're at a genuine fork, the trade-offs are real. Here's the full comparison.
How Each Works
Split system: the condenser sits outside; the evaporator coil and blower live inside (closet, garage, attic). Refrigerant lines connect the two. This is the majority of site-built homes.
Packaged unit: compressor, coils, and blower share one cabinet outside on a slab or roof. Supply and return ducts connect directly to it. Standard for mobile homes, many slab-built homes, and light commercial.
Head to Head
The Deciding Factors
- Your existing setup wins by default. Converting between formats means duct rework and real money — only worth it during major renovation.
- Mobile homes: packaged units are the standard answer; that's what the duct design expects.
- No indoor space to give up: packaged unit. The cabinet outside frees the closet.
- Chasing efficiency or variable-speed comfort: split system. The high tiers simply aren't offered in packaged format.
- Coastal corrosion zones: splits keep half the system indoors; packaged units take the full salt exposure.
What We See Work
Whirlpool's R-454B packaged line (2–5 ton, 13.4 SEER2, 10-year registered warranty) covers the packaged use case simply and well. On the split side, Goodman's R-32 lineup runs from 13.4 SEER2 value tiers to inverter territory. Both at wholesale-direct pricing — which is the same answer either format: don't pay dealer-channel markup on commodity-tier cooling.
The Bottom Line
Stay with your home's existing format unless renovation gives you a free choice. Mobile home or zero indoor space: packaged. Efficiency ceiling or premium comfort: split. Either way the equipment is cheaper than your quote suggests — the form below gets you wholesale numbers for both formats in your size.
Get wholesale pricing for your home.
Real numbers on a new furnace, AC, or heat pump — shipped direct to your door anywhere in the lower 48. No contractor markup, no obligation.