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Why We Picked These Five
Most of the "smart lock" listings on Amazon are no-name keypads from brands that won't be around to push a firmware update in two years. We narrowed our recommendation to five locks because they cover the five buying patterns that come up over and over again in our home-security advisor conversations: the homeowner who wants one device to last a decade, the design-driven buyer who refuses to put a numbered keypad on the front door, the renter who can't legally swap the deadbolt, the buyer who wants the lock to be invisible, and the budget-first buyer who still wants fingerprint and Wi-Fi.
Every lock on this page is in our verified affiliate registry, has been screened against our 7-criteria methodology, and is not a brand on the FCC Covered List or the BIS Entity List. Schlage (Allegion), Yale and August (Assa Abloy), and Level are US, US, US/Sweden, and US-based companies respectively. Eufy is Anker-owned (China-headquartered) — we still recommend the C220 for the budget tier because it remains off all current US restricted-entity lists, but we disclose the ownership for buyers who weight country-of-origin in their decision.
Quick Comparison
| Lock | Best for | Unlock methods | Ecosystem | Approx. price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schlage Encode Plus | Homeowners (Apple Home) | Keypad, key, Home Key, app | Apple Home, Matter, Alexa, Google | ~$280 | Check price → |
| Yale Assure Lock 2 (Touchscreen) | Aesthetics-driven buyers | Touchscreen, key, app | Wi-Fi, Matter or HomeKit module | ~$260 | Check price → |
| August Wi-Fi (4th Gen) | Renters | App, Auto-Unlock, existing key | Alexa, Google, Apple Home | ~$200 | Check price → |
| Level Lock+ (Matter) | Invisible-design buyers | Key, Home Key, NFC card, app | Apple Home, Matter, Alexa, Google | ~$330 | Check price → |
| Eufy Smart Lock C220 | Budget, fingerprint-first | Fingerprint, keypad, key, app | Wi-Fi, Alexa, Google | ~$130 | Check price → |
Prices update frequently on Amazon. The "approx." figure is the price band we've seen across recent checks, not a guarantee. Ecosystem support reflects current manufacturer documentation; some features require an add-on module sold separately.
Best Overall: Schlage Encode Plus Smart Deadbolt
The Schlage Encode Plus is the smart lock we recommend first because it gets every layer right at the same time. The deadbolt is ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 — the highest residential grade — so the lock body resists forced entry as well as a non-electronic high-security deadbolt. The Wi-Fi radio is built in (no hub required), the keypad is illuminated and weatherproof, and the lock supports Apple Home Key, Matter, Alexa, and Google Home from the same hardware. There is also a physical key cylinder as a fallback.
What pushes Encode Plus to the top of the list for homeowners is Apple Home Key: hold your iPhone or Apple Watch within an inch of the deadbolt and the lock opens — no app, no code. For households where the same five people enter and leave every day, tap-to-unlock is faster than any code or key. The Encode Plus is the only lock on this page that combines Grade 1 hardware with Home Key in a single unit. Pair it with a video doorbell — see our best video doorbells guide — and you have the see-who-it-is, decide-if-they-come-in pair that the rest of a home security system builds around.
Best Touchscreen / Best Aesthetics: Yale Assure Lock 2
The Yale Assure Lock 2 (Touchscreen, Wi-Fi) is the lock we recommend when the buyer has rejected a numbered-button keypad on aesthetic grounds. The touchscreen face is a clean black panel that lights up only when you tap it, and the lock body is slim — closer to a traditional deadbolt profile than the chunkier Schlage. Yale's app is one of the better-designed in the category, with clean guest-code scheduling and a usable activity log.
Yale's ecosystem story is module-based: the lock ships with Wi-Fi, but Matter or Apple HomeKit require a small snap-in replacement module. Slightly fiddlier than Schlage's all-in-one design, but you can choose your ecosystem at purchase. Yale sells a key-free variant of the same body — we recommend the key variant for almost everyone because the physical key fallback is worth more than the cosmetic upgrade. This is the lock for the homeowner who cares as much about how the door looks as how it works.
Best for Renters: August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen)
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen) is the lock we recommend to every renter because it is the only top-tier smart lock that installs without changing the outside of the door. The August mounts on the interior side of your existing deadbolt — landlord's keyed cylinder stays on the outside, physical keys still work, master key unaffected. From inside, the August turns the thumb-turn on a motor, giving you Wi-Fi, app control, Auto-Unlock, and remote guest access without owning the deadbolt itself.
When your lease ends, you remove four screws and take the August with you — no landlord conversation, no security-deposit risk. August also supports Apple Home and Alexa, so you do not give up ecosystem integration for the renter-friendly install. Two caveats: it is the largest interior-side device on this page, and Auto-Unlock should be turned off if your door opens directly into a public hallway. See our renters security guide for the rest of the renter-friendly stack — August pairs with a portable door alarm and a peephole camera that mount with the same no-modification logic.
Best Invisible Design: Level Lock+ (Matter Edition)
The Level Lock+ (Matter Edition) is the lock for buyers who refuse to put a smart-looking device on the door at all. The entire mechanism — motor, battery, antenna — lives inside the deadbolt body. The exterior shows nothing but a normal-looking deadbolt cylinder. From the street, the door does not announce "this house has a smart lock." That matters in high-end neighborhoods, historic houses where HOAs forbid visible electronics, and for security-conscious buyers who do not want to advertise a power source on the exterior of the door.
Level Lock+ supports Apple Home Key, Matter, and ships with NFC unlock cards you can hand to a houseguest or contractor — a credit-card-shaped tap-to-unlock credential with no app or code required. The lock takes a single CR2 battery that lasts roughly a year. The trade-offs: at ~$330 it is the most expensive lock on this page, and there is no keypad, so you are committing to phone, key, or NFC-card entry. For a code-sharing household, the Schlage is the better fit.
Best Budget / Best Fingerprint: Eufy Smart Lock C220
The Eufy Smart Lock C220 is the lock we recommend when the budget cap is firm at $150 and the buyer still wants Wi-Fi, app control, and fingerprint unlock. Eufy is owned by Anker, a Chinese-headquartered company — we disclose the ownership per our content standards. The C220 is not on any current US restricted-entity list, and the lock works locally without internet, which reduces the cloud-dependency concerns some buyers have with budget Chinese-brand devices.
What the C220 does well at $130 is unusual at this price tier: a fast capacitive fingerprint reader, IP65 weatherproof rating, built-in Wi-Fi (no hub), and a physical key fallback. The fingerprint reader handles a couple dozen prints — enough for a typical household. The C220 is not the lock for an Apple Home household — Alexa and Google Home only, no Matter or HomeKit — and it does not hit the Grade 1 ANSI rating some carriers reference for insurance discounts. For "fingerprint and Wi-Fi at the lowest defensible price," it is the pick.
How to Choose Between Them
Use the table above as a quick filter, then think about which buying pattern matches you:
- Homeowner with an Apple household: Schlage Encode Plus. Apple Home Key plus Grade 1 hardware plus Matter is the cleanest single-device decision.
- Homeowner who cares about how the door looks: Yale Assure Lock 2 (touchscreen) or Level Lock+ if budget allows the invisible-design upgrade.
- Renter: August Wi-Fi (4th Gen). It is the only lock on this page that mounts without changing the deadbolt cylinder.
- Buyer with a sensitive HOA, historic district, or strong design preference: Level Lock+ Matter. The lock disappears into the deadbolt body.
- Budget under $150 with fingerprint as a must-have: Eufy Smart Lock C220.
- Household that needs to share codes with cleaners, contractors, or dog walkers: Schlage Encode Plus or Eufy C220 — both have illuminated keypads with code scheduling.
- Alexa- or Google-only household: August or Eufy give you the best value; the premium-tier picks are slight overkill if you are not using Apple Home Key.
What Smart Locks Don't Do
A smart lock is a layer, not a security system. It does not detect a break-in if the intruder kicks the door instead of using the lock. It does not call police, sound an alarm, or record video. It does not protect the door itself — a hollow-core door, a worn-out strike plate, or an exposed frame are the same vulnerabilities they were before you upgraded the lock. The Encode Plus's Grade 1 deadbolt is the closest these come to addressing physical security, and even then strike plate and frame matter as much as the lock body.
For the layers around the lock, see our best home security systems guide, best video doorbells guide, new homeowner security guide, and package theft prevention guide. And after the door is locked, the next layer is personal carry — our best personal safety alarms guide and best pepper sprays guide cover the stack that complements the lock at home.
Our Pick by Use Case
- Best overall for homeowners: Schlage Encode Plus — Grade 1 deadbolt, Apple Home Key, Matter, built-in Wi-Fi
- Best touchscreen and best-looking: Yale Assure Lock 2 (Touchscreen) — clean panel face, slim body, ecosystem-flexible modules
- Best for renters: August Wi-Fi (4th Gen) — no deadbolt swap, keeps your existing keys
- Best invisible design: Level Lock+ (Matter Edition) — the entire mechanism hides inside the deadbolt
- Best budget with fingerprint: Eufy Smart Lock C220 — Wi-Fi, fingerprint, keypad, IP65 at under $150
Frequently Asked Questions
Are smart locks actually safe? Can they be hacked?
The locks on this page use AES-128 encryption on the wireless link and rolling-code or rotating-credential authentication, which is the same class of security used in modern car key fobs. The realistic attack surface for a residential smart lock is not the wireless link — it is the door, the strike plate, and the deadbolt grade. Every lock on this page is ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 or better (Schlage Encode Plus is Grade 1). Two practical safety notes: enable two-factor authentication on the manufacturer's account, and disable any feature that lets the lock auto-open when your phone is in range if your front door is in a high-traffic area like an apartment hallway. The bigger residential risk is forced entry through the door itself, not the electronics — see our home security checklist for door reinforcement guidance.
Will a smart lock work with Apple Home, Alexa, or Google Home?
All five locks on this page support at least one major ecosystem. Schlage Encode Plus, Yale Assure Lock 2 (with the Matter or HomeKit module), and Level Lock+ support Apple Home including Home Key — the tap-to-unlock NFC feature where you hold your iPhone or Apple Watch up to the lock. All five support Alexa and Google Home via Wi-Fi. If Apple Home Key is your priority, Schlage Encode Plus and Level Lock+ are the picks; if you live in the Google or Amazon ecosystem only, August or Eufy give you the best price-to-feature ratio. Matter support (Schlage, Yale with module, Level) future-proofs the lock against whichever ecosystem you switch to next.
Can I install a smart lock in a rental apartment?
Yes — install the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Gen). August is the only mainstream smart lock that mounts on the inside of your existing deadbolt without changing the keyed lock cylinder on the outside. Your landlord's master key still works, your physical keys still work, and the cylinder, strike plate, and exterior hardware are untouched. When you move out, you unscrew the August in about ten minutes and the door looks exactly as it did when you signed the lease. The other locks on this page replace the deadbolt entirely, which requires landlord permission in most rental agreements. See our renters security guide for the full renter-friendly stack.
What happens if the Wi-Fi or power goes out?
Every lock on this page works locally without internet — the keypad, fingerprint reader, Apple Home Key tap, or physical key opens the door even if your Wi-Fi router is dead, your ISP is down, or the cloud service is offline. What you lose during an outage is remote control (unlocking from your phone when you're not home) and logging. Power is even less of a concern: smart locks run on four AA batteries (Schlage, Yale, Eufy) or a rechargeable lithium pack (August, Level) that lasts 6 to 12 months. The lock warns you at low battery for weeks before it dies, and all five accept a key as a fallback. There is no realistic scenario where a smart lock leaves you locked out of your home from a battery or network problem if you read the warnings.
Do smart locks lower my homeowners insurance?
Sometimes — it varies by carrier and by lock grade. Insurance discounts for smart locks usually require an ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolt installed on an exterior door, and the discount is typically bundled into a broader 'smart home security' or 'monitored security' rider rather than a smart-lock-specific line item. Schlage Encode Plus (Grade 1) is the only lock on this page that meets the Grade 1 threshold some carriers reference; the others are Grade 2, which still qualifies for the typical 5 to 10 percent home-security discount. Call your insurance carrier before you buy if the discount is a deciding factor. See our new homeowner security guide for the full discount-stacking strategy.
Fingerprint, keypad, or keyless — which unlock method is best?
Pick the method that matches the people who use the door most. Keypads (Schlage, Eufy) are the most reliable and the easiest to share with house cleaners, dog walkers, or family — you just hand out a code and revoke it later. Fingerprint readers (Eufy) are fastest with a single user but slower to enroll multiple users and unreliable in cold or wet weather. Keyless touchscreens (Yale Assure Lock 2 in the keyless variant) look the cleanest and work well for adult households where everyone has a phone or knows the code, but they are harder to use for children or older relatives. The lock we recommend for most households is a keypad model — it works for every user pattern.
I already have a video doorbell — do I still need a smart lock?
Yes, because they solve different problems. A doorbell tells you who is at the door and records what happens; a smart lock controls whether they get in. The two together give you the most-asked-for safety combination: see the delivery driver on the doorbell, confirm the package was placed inside, then re-lock the door — all from your phone. The Schlage Encode Plus plus a Ring or Arlo doorbell is the most common pairing we recommend for homeowners; see our best video doorbells guide for the doorbell side of the decision.