Do I need a full new opener or just a smart controller?

If your existing garage door opener works fine and you only want smartphone control, alerts, and voice assistant integration, an add-on smart controller (Meross, Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Control) is the cheaper path at $30–$50. Replace the whole opener only if your current unit is loud, lacks battery backup, is older than ~15 years, or you want features like a built-in camera or wall-mount design.