Yakima and Thule are like Coke and Pepsi. Each has their own devotees, but I've owned both and they're of similar quality and taste.
The pricing was a lot more reasonable when they sold them in base packages, which included the bars and towers. Then add the fit kit and desired attachements.
That went out the door when they adoped the à la carte model completely, where each component was sold separately, and had its own built-in profit margin. Little has changed in terms of what they're selling today, it just costs a lot more. It adds up, and more so with what be may be essential extras like locks.
As a side effect, I've also sold both brands on the used market, and have never had an easier time selling something, with many inquiries.
I'm not up on the current designs, but when I got my rack, the first thing I looked at was how well the car-specific kit was designed for my car. In this respect, Thule, being a European company (that also does OEM supply) has perhaps a leg up for certain applications. After rain gutters stopped becoming a part of car designs, the job to design fit kits became more complicated, unless the OEM built-in provisions for roof racks.
Secondarily, though still important, were the designs of the attachments I intended to use. This aspect became less of a factor when they both started to design their attachments to fit both systems, in what was then a choice between round or square bars, so one wasn't necessarily tied to the same maker as the base rack, and could mix and match.
In terms of care and feeding, they can be fussy, or a hassle to install/remove, so take that into account as well. Again, the old rain gutters made it much easier, since with tower spacing fixed, and ready landing spots, all that was needed was to lower them into place, and tighten them up.
With "aero" towers, that rest on rubber feet on the surface of the roof, there is likely to be some fine tuning, if not adjustment, involved each time, and specific recommended spacing to be heeded -- how far the bars are set back, and the distance between them, in addition to the width. Also want to avoid setting them down on a dirty roof, and risk marring the paint.
A roof rack will also generate some noise, and affect fuel efficiency. One tip, if you don't want to spend $100+ for a small piece of plexiglass and some hardware (I didn't) sold as a fairing, is to spiral wrap a rope, or cord, around the front bar, which will at least cut down some of the noise, in a cheapskate way. Vortex shedding and all that.
Do some shopping. A good sporting goods store should have setups for both. Might also want to check out the used market and see if there is any options there. Not much to go wrong with some plastic coated metal bars and some hardware, and if there is, spare parts are available.
