Best smart door lock you can buy in 2022 – The Verge

A smart lock is an easy solution to a lot of common problems. Locked yourself out? Forgot your cleaning service is coming today? Your latchkey kid lost their key? Other half always forgets to lock the door? Hands are full, and it’s raining cats and dogs? A smart lock solves all these problems and more. 

By giving you remote control over your front door from anywhere as well as easy, key-free ways to unlock your door lock, a smart lock is one of the best smart home upgrades you can make. It can also be more secure than a traditional lock, especially if you are someone that would otherwise leave a spare key under a flower pot.

One of my personal favorite features of a smart lock is integrating it into a smart home routine so that every night at 9PM, my doors lock, or if I say “Good night” to a smart assistant, it shuts the lights off, makes sure the doors are locked, and adjusts my thermostat to Sleep mode.

Other important smart lock features are decent battery life (spoiler alert: this is hard to find); at least three different ways to unlock (app, keypad or fingerprint, physical key, and auto-unlock are my favorites); and connectivity that doesn’t require a dedicated hub. 

The latter is key for controlling your lock when you’re away from home — another feature I find super useful about smart locks. While all the locks listed here have the option to assign codes to service people or a neighbor looking in on your dog, sometimes it’s just easier to unlock the door for them and then lock it when they leave, even if you’re 2,000 miles away.

Best smart locks for 2022

The Yale Assure Lock 2’s keypad touchscreen goes completely dark when not in use.

Best overall smart lock
Best keypad smart lock
Best smart lock for Google Assistant
Best smart lock for Apple Home

The Yale Assure Lock 2 is an inexpensive, good-looking keypad lock that works with every smart home platform. The slimline design (both front and back), wide compatibility, easy-to-use app, and good selection of unlocking options make it my top pick by a long shot. 

The Assure Lock 2 comes in four models, with your choice of a touchscreen or physical keypad, with or without a physical keyway. The touchscreen is super discreet, especially the version without the keyhole, but my household had a bit of trouble with it. I recommend the physical keypad version for most people.

All models support Bluetooth out of the box and work with the Yale Access app and with Apple Home (but not Home Key). They also all have the option of auto unlocking as you walk up to the door, an included door sensor to tell you if the door is open or closed, and can be controlled by your Apple Watch using an app. Auto unlock is a decent alternative to a fingerprint unlock, although sometimes you have to wait at the door for a second or two before it works. Still, it’s quicker than fumbling through a purse for keys when your hands are full.

It’s worth waiting for Yale’s Matter over Thread module to arrive later this year instead of paying for the Wi-Fi version now

Support for other platforms comes through Yale’s ingenious swappable networking modules, which cost $80 each. I tested the Wi-Fi module, which adds support for Amazon Alexa and Google Home. It worked well in those ecosystems and allowed me to add it to Alexa Routines and lock and unlock with my voice. The downside is that control over Wi-Fi is considerably slower than over Bluetooth and also drains battery quicker. Yale estimates up to a year on Bluetooth only, compared to six months over Wi-Fi. 

Yale Assure Lock 2

$ 160

This sleek Bluetooth smart lock supports Apple Home and will auto-unlock for you as you approach your door. Wi-Fi and Z-Wave modules add more smart home support for $80 each, a Matter module is coming soon, and you can choose to have a keyed lock, too.

$160 at Best Buy$160 at Lowes

If you plan to use the Assure 2 lock with Alexa or Google Assistant, though, it’s worth waiting for Yale’s Matter over Thread module to arrive later this year instead of paying for the Wi-Fi version now. That module should be a quicker, more battery-efficient way to add Alexa and Google support to the Yale Assure 2; I will test it when it’s available and report back. A Z-Wave module is also coming soon for the Yale Assure 2 to add compatibility with SmartThings hubs, Ring Alarm, and other Z-Wave hubs.

As of publishing, Yale and Level are the only two lock manufacturers in this guide that have said they will support Matter, the new smart home standard, on existing locks. So, if you are looking to future-proof your smart home, they are your best bet right now. 

The other electronic locks in this guide are all good options if you have specific needs not met by the Yale lock — such as fingerprint unlocking or Apple Home Key support, you want something even more discreet, or you can’t replace your entire deadbolt. Otherwise, the Yale Assure 2 is the lock to get.

The August lock replaces just your thumb turn, so you can still use your existing keys.

Best retrofit smart lock

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is an elegant, retrofit door lock that replaces just your thumb turn. You keep your deadbolt, key cylinder, and lock exterior, so you can still use your existing keys, and your door looks the same from the outside. 

Like the Yale Assure, it has auto-unlock technology (Yale and August are both owned by Assa Abloy), so it can be set to unlock itself when you walk up to your door. It also comes with a magnetic door sensor, so you know if it’s open or closed. There is no built-in keypad, but August sells a compatible Bluetooth one, which is discounted when you buy it with the lock. Without the keypad, you need your phone or the key to unlock the door.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock

$ 200

$ 230

13 % off

$ 200

Expensive but with a premium feel, this smart lock is reliable, feels good in your hand, and doesn’t require switching out your entire deadbolt. It work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and can auto-unlock as you arrive home.

$200 at Best Buy$200 at Amazon

The August lock is pricey for a retrofit lock, but it feels premium, thanks to an all-metal design. With its compact size, it doesn’t stick out too much on the inside of your door, and it’s attractive enough not to be an eyesore. 

The August works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home and has Wi-Fi built in, so there’s no need for an extra hub or bridge, as there is with the August Smart Lock Pro. That model is bigger and more expensive but does work with Z-Wave systems. 

The biggest disadvantage of the August Wi-Fi is battery life. Most Wi-Fi locks use 4 AA batteries and last around six months. To maintain its small form factor, the August Wi-Fi uses just two CR123 batteries, which are smaller and more expensive than AAs, and which I had to replace every two to three months.

The Wyze Lock Bolt has a nice, spongy keypad, a fast fingerprint reader, and no Wi-Fi connection.

Best budget smart lock

If you don’t care about smart home integration or would prefer a lock without it, the Wyze Lock Bolt is an excellent value. It’s not sleek or stylish; it’s just a big hunk of black plastic. It doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or integrate with any smart home systems (not even with Wyze’s own gadgets). But it does have an easy-to-use, backlit keypad and a lightning-fast fingerprint reader, it’ll auto-lock if you want, and it’s half the price of the Yale Assure Lock 2. 

In addition to the fingerprint reader and keypad, the Wyze Lock Bolt works over Bluetooth, and its range is very good. I was able to lock the door from my bedroom at the other end of the house using the Wyze app. That’s important, as there’s no way to lock the door on a schedule. It doesn’t integrate with any smart home platforms such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home, but if you don’t need to control your lock with your voice or plan to add it to any smart home routines, you won’t really miss those features. It also delivers up to a year of battery life on 4 AAs.

Wyze Lock Bolt

$ 72

$ 80

10 % off

$ 72

This smart door lock is Bluetooth-only, with no other connectivity option. It replaces your entire deadbolt and has a backlit keypad and fingerprint reader. At under $80, it’s the best budget lock we tested.

$74 at Wyze$72 at Amazon

But without Wi-Fi, I couldn’t check on it or control it when I was away from home, so turning on the auto-lock option is a must. If I wanted to let someone in while I was gone, though, I could give them an offline code that’s generated in the Wyze app. This uses similar technology to two-factor authentication codes to generate a code even when you’re out of range of the lock, and it worked perfectly in my testing. 

If you’re worried about a hacker finding their way into your door lock, the lack of Wi-Fi should ease those fears, but it’s easier and more likely that a thief will brute force a lock — smart or not — than hack one.

The SwitchBot Lock is not elegant, but it won’t get you in trouble with your landlord.

Best smart lock for renters

This funky looking, retrofit smart lock is for anyone who can’t or does not want to mess with their existing door lock in any way, shape, or form. Essentially a tiny robot hand that unlocks your door, the $99 SwitchBot lock goes over a deadbolt’s existing thumb turn and sticks to the door with super-strength double-sided tape. You can then lock or unlock it over Bluetooth from a phone or Apple Watch or use the existing key. It is not an elegant solution, but it works, and it’s the easiest smart lock I’ve installed, taking under five minutes to get set up. 

A $40 SwitchBot Hub adds Wi-Fi to connect with smart home systems like Amazon Alexa and Google Home (no Apple Home). It also adds remote control when you’re away from home, voice lock and unlock (with a pin code), and the option to add the lock to smart home routines. It also enables notifications that tell you if the door has been left unlocked or ajar (the lock comes with a door sensor). 

SwitchBot Lock

$ 100

$ 110

9 % off

$ 100

A retrofit smart lock that doesn’t need you to remove any part of your existing lock, the SwitchBot is a unique solution. It can work with a lot of different lock styles, and you can even use two on the same door if you have two locks. It can also turn a key, so will work for double-cylinder locks.

$100 at Amazon

In my testing, all these integrations worked well and were fast enough, though the auto-lock feature was unreliable, meaning you have to get your phone out to lock it if you don’t carry a key. Battery life is promised at six months, which is low for a Bluetooth lock, but it uses two CR123 batteries, which take up less room but don’t last as long as AAs.

Because it’s a retrofit lock, the only way to unlock it from the outside is with a phone or Apple Watch or key. This isn’t ideal, so I strongly recommend getting one of SwitchBot’s Bluetooth keypads — the version with a fingerprint reader is the best. Keypads are handy for visitors and service people and add the option of pressing a button on the keypad to lock the door when you leave.

All these extras add up, though. The keypad with fingerprint reader, a hub, and the lock cost $170 together. That’s still a good price for a fully featured, if somewhat strange-looking, smart lock.

The U-Bolt is a compact yet fully featured smart lock.

Best smart lock with a fingerprint reader and keypad

My favorite way to unlock a door is with my fingerprint. It’s the fastest, most reliable, and easiest option. It’s also impossible for my children to forget their fingers (although a Verge editor said the lock doesn’t recognize his younger children’s prints). But fingerprint unlocking alone doesn’t give you good options for visitors, which is why I like the U-Bolt Pro WiFi. 

In addition to the fingerprint reader, the U-Bolt Pro WiFi has a keypad and — if you really want — a hidden keyed lock. It also has auto-unlock using a smartphone, but this didn’t work in my testing. It has Wi-Fi built in, so it can connect to Amazon Alexa and Google Home for voice control and smart home automations, but it doesn’t support Apple Home.

The U-Bolt Pro is much more compact than other keypad locks with fingerprint readers. The Eufy Smart Lock Touch & Wi-Fi has a keyhole, a keypad, and a fingerprint reader, and it’s bigger than an iPhone 14 Pro Max. The U-Bolt Pro is compact and relatively discreet on my front door. It does — like most smart locks — insist on branding your door, but the logo isn’t super prominent. 

Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro WiFi 

$ 162

$ 299

46 % off

$ 162

The U-Bolt Pro WiFi is a solid-feeling lock that packs a lot of features into a compact design. Control it with your fingerprint, key, pin code, voice with Alexa or Google, or an app on your phone or Apple Watch. It has built-in Wi-Fi but doesn’t work with Apple Home.

$162 at Amazon

The fingerprint unlocking is fast, and there’s an auto-lock option, which — when paired with the included door sensor — won’t try to lock if the door is open. I also like the option to add two fingerprints per user and that the pad is right in the middle of the lock, making it easy to access. 

The backlit keypad is circular and goes around the fingerprint pad. It’s an easy-to-use, if somewhat unconventional, design. To use the keyhole, you have to physically unhook the keypad, which is attached on a hinge, and reattaching it does take a bit of brute force. 

The U-Tech app isn’t the most exciting experience, but it gets the job done for setting up fingerprint and pin codes and the auto-unlock feature, which works using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to determine your phone’s location. The Wi-Fi connection for the app is quite slow, which could explain why I had trouble getting auto-unlock to work, but that feature isn’t as necessary when you have a fingerprint reader.

Surprise — it’s a smart lock. The Level Lock Touch looks like a high-end standard door lock.

Best smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock

Want a smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock? Level packs all the technology inside the deadbolt — including the single CR123 battery that gets up to a year of battery life.

There are four options; the Level Bolt, the Level Lock, the Level Lock Touch, and the Level Lock Plus. The Level Bolt is completely invisible. It fits entirely within the existing deadbolt, so you can keep the interior and exterior hardware you already have. 

The Level Lock, Lock Touch, and Lock Plus replace the whole deadbolt but still look like traditional door locks with keyholes. There is no branding at all — this is the only smart lock I’ve tested that isn’t a tiny advertisement on my front door.

All four are Bluetooth-only for now, with no Wi-Fi connectivity, so you have to connect to Apple Home or Amazon’s Sidewalk network for extra features. This means you need a supported Ring device (such as the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2) or an Apple Home hub like a HomePod Mini to control the lock remotely.

There’s no Google Home support — yet. But Level recently revealed that all its locks will be firmware-updated to support Matter over Thread. There’s no timeline for the update, but when that arrives it will bring compatibility with all major smart home platforms.

All Level locks also work with the Level Home app, which has had a makeover since I first tested the lock and is more responsive and easier to use. They also all have a handy auto-unlock feature that can unlock the door as you approach as long as you have your phone with you.

Level Lock Touch

$ 299

$ 330

9 % off

$ 299

The Level line packs all the smarts and power into the deadbolt itself, leaving the rest of your lock looking, well, like a normal lock. The Level Touch is my favorite as the touch-to-unlock is the most reliable, quickest way to unlock the door. If you have an iPhone, the Level Plus adds Home Key. Currently, Level locks only work with Apple Home and Ring or the Level app, but a promised Matter update will bring compatibility with other platforms.

$299 at Amazon

I tested the Level Touch and the Level Plus for this guide, both of which add an additional touch-to-open capability that is as easy to use as a fingerprint reader (though it lacks the biometric authentication). The Level Plus adds Home Key, which lets you unlock your door with your iPhone or Apple Watch by tapping it on the lock. It works very well, but I still prefer the Schlage Encode Plus (below) for Home Key, since it comes with a keypad built in.

In order to use Home Key, touch-to-unlock, or auto-unlock on a Level lock, you still have to have a phone or Apple Watch on you. They’re not great for households with kids unless you buy Level’s Bluetooth keypad ($79) or use its NFC keycards (two of which are included with the lock).

There are some quirks with some of Level’s unlocking features. You have to choose between auto-unlock and touch-to-unlock; you can’t have both. And neither works unless you leave the geofence area and come back. So, if you leave the house, lock the door, get in your car, remember you forgot something, and go back to your door, it won’t unlock automatically for you. The Touch also doesn’t work well with older doors, based on my testing on two different doors. I would only consider installing the Touch if you have a door that lines up perfectly with the strike plate.

Level Locks are also very expensive; starting at $199 and going up to $329 for the Plus. But for an invisible smart lock that works well, it’s the way to go. 

The Lockly Vision Elite is a smart lock with a video doorbell built in.

Best smart lock / video doorbell combo

The Lockly Vision Elite is a smart lock with a video doorbell. It’s a very good smart lock, but its video doorbell capabilities are compromised by being crammed inside a lock. Motion detection is spotty, and it lacks people or package detection, but it does a better job of seeing who is at your door than any other lock on this list.

It’s the only smart lock / video doorbell combo I recommend right now (although I just started testing the Eufy Video Smart Lock, which is $399), so it’s the lock to buy for now if you don’t have the space, setup or patience to install two separate devices.

Lockly Vision Elite

$ 500

A full deadbolt replacement lock with a doorbell and camera crammed in, this lock does a lot. Unlock it with your finger, a pin code, app or voice (Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant), or a regular key. You can see and talk to visitors through the 1080p camera, and it has an integrated solar panel to trickle charge the whole device.

$500 at Best Buy

As a lock, it is excellent, with a keypad, fingerprint reader, keyhole, and app- and voice- control options for locking and unlocking. It’s the only lock in this guide that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, plus it comes with a replacement battery pack and an incorporated solar panel for trickle charging. And while it requires a bridge to connect it to Wi-Fi (and to store video from the doorbell camera), that’s included — making the $500 price tag a tad more palatable. 

While it’s a great lock, it’s a bit too big and techie-looking for my personal taste (a problem the Eufy Video Smart Lock shares). And, while it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, there’s no Apple Home support.

The Schlage Encode comes in two styles — traditional and contemporary — and two finishes designed to match Schlage door sets.

8. Schlage Encode WiFi 

Best smart lock for Alexa
Best smart lock for a Ring video doorbell

The Schlage Encode WiFi lock is chunkier and noisier than most of the locks on this list, and its app is inelegant and slow. But its design will match a Schlage door set — which is important for some people. It’s also the best option for Amazon Alexa and Ring households. It integrates with Amazon Key home delivery service, and you can lock and unlock the Encode from within the Ring app while viewing a live feed from your Ring doorbell, and it can also be unlocked with Alexa voice commands. It does work with Google Home, too.

With Wi-Fi on board, it’s also a very simple, easy-to-install door lock. It’s an excellent choice for someone who wants a basic smart lock that will fit with their existing door hardware. All the standard features are here: remote unlocking, keyed access, voice control, auto-locking, and shareable access codes. It does have a sizable rear housing, though, and is noisy as all get out.

I first reviewed the Schlage in 2019 when it came out, and not much has changed since then. There’s no door-sensing integration or auto-unlock option, but you have three reliable ways to get in: a key, a PIN code, and the app. It also lasts at least six months on one set of four AAs. If you have a Ring video doorbell, this is definitely the best lock to get.

Schlage Encode Wifi

$ 274

A traditional door lock style with a touchscreen keypad and built-in Wi-Fi, the Encode will match your existing Schlage hardware — contemporary or classic — while connecting your door to smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Amazon Key, and Ring.

$274 at Lowes$289 at The Home Depot

The Encode Plus is the only Home Key-compatible lock available in the US, but its convenience is costly. Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Best smart lock with Apple Home Key

The Schlage Encode Plus was the first lock available in North America to work with Apple Home Key. (Although “available’’ is a loose term, as it’s criminally hard to find in stock, and Schlage just raised the price to $330). It has all the same capabilities and features as the Schlage Encode WiFi, plus compatibility with Apple Home and Apple’s Home Key.

Home Key lets you unlock your door with your iPhone or Apple Watch using a digital key stored in Apple Wallet. Simply tap your device against the keypad and wait a moment for a green light. There are no apps to open, no buttons to press, and no need to unlock your phone (although you can add that step as an extra security layer). “The whole process is similar to, but even simpler than, buying something with Apple Pay,” wrote Dan Seifert in his review of the Encode Plus.

Schlage Encode Plus

$ 330

The Encode Plus is identical to the Encode Wifi with the addition of Apple Home and Home Key compatibility. It also has a Thread radio on board, but Schlage has said it won’t be upgraded to support Matter.

$330 at Build

Adding the lock to the Home app also automatically adds the Home Key card to your Wallet and that of anyone else you have added to your Home. That’s much easier than getting household members to download a whole new app for the door lock. I should know — I try regularly.

To allow someone not in your household to control the lock, you’ll have to give them a standard PIN code, which you can do in the Apple Home app or the Schlage Encode app. Unlike the Yale Assure Lock 2, you can set this lock up entirely in the Home app and never have to use the manufacturer’s app. 

The Schlage Plus has a Thread radio on board, but Schlage has said it won’t be updated to support Matter due to changes in the specification after the lock launched.

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge