Best Smart Locks of 2025: High-Tech Door Defenses
Smart locks are a highly visible part of your home that you will use almost every day. So it’s important to find a reliable choice that integrates well with your smart home. Here are the factors you should think about when shopping.
A retrofit smart lock like the August lock will replace the interior of your current lock but not the exterior keyhole or deadbolt.
Complete deadbolt or renovation
Most smart locks will replace your existing lock, including the interior knob, exterior keyhole, and deadbolt in the middle. Locks like these will also come with their keys, replacing the ones you currently use.
Others, like August Smart Lock and the Lockly fingerprint model, are instead designed to work with at least some of your existing lock hardware. With a remodel lock like this, you probably won’t need new keys and you may not even need to replace the deadbolt. Locks like these may sometimes be better suited to apartments, where the building owners may not allow you to replace the entire lock.
The Yale Smart Lock can work with the Nest Video Doorbell.
Access methods
Different smart locks will take different approaches to letting you in. Basically, most smart locks will allow you to lock and unlock the door wirelessly from your phone, using an app. Others add keyboards for coded input, which can help you rely less on your keys while making it easier to share access with others. Some locks add a fingerprint or palm scan to let you in with biometrics. There are also keyboard and NFC options, and even facial scanning in some cases.
Apple also added a Home Key feature in iOS15 that lets you store a digital home key in your Apple Wallet, allowing you to open compatible smart locks using the NFC radio on your iPhone or Apple Watch. Many other brands have followed suit by offering digital passes that customers can download to their phones with the right apps.
So what’s right for you? Accessing an app to access doors isn’t ideal unless you control it remotely. That’s why we like Bluetooth and NFC passes that can work with a wave of your phone, as well as fingerprint sensors and similar options that are tailored to individuals and work with a single tap at any time. But a keypad also has its benefits, as it allows you to distribute temporary codes or access for a limited time without someone needing their phone or a specific app to use.
The Schlage Encode Plus is the first smart lock to support Apple Home Key. It allows you to unlock your door using an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Platform compatibility and Matter
If your household includes multiple types of smart home devices, your best bet is to control them all from a single smart home platform. This way, you won’t need to juggle multiple apps to keep everything automated. The most popular choices are Amazon Alexa, the Google Home app and accompanying Google Assistant voice controls, as well as Apple HomeKit, which brings Siri into play. Samsung SmartThings is another option for a hub-centric smart home.
This brings us to Matter. Matter (and its Tagalong Thread communications protocol) is a major smart home protocol designed in coordination with major brands including Google, Amazon, Apple and many others. It helps ensure compatibility across different platforms and adds additional security and data transfer benefits, which buyers should definitely look out for.
Currently, smart lock companies are still adopting the Matter standard. Our top pick uses it and is one of the best options we’ve found. Schlage has started to adopt the standard for locks like its upcoming Schlage Sense Pro, but it hasn’t yet made its way to our Schlage Smart Lever pick, and the same goes for Yale Assure. Brands like Aqara now include built-in Matter support with their latest locks. August also announced that it is working on integrating Matter into its smart locks, so in some cases it will just be a matter of waiting for the right firmware update.
Aqara’s lock comes with plenty of unlocking options and gets even more features if you plug in a hub.
Security and Privacy
Smart locks aren’t as data sensitive as devices with built-in cameras and microphones, but you still need to make sure everything is secure. Most, if not all, of your options will use some form of encryption to secure wireless transmissions between your lock and your phone or home network. You should also look for locks that use two-factor authentication to protect your account from malicious logins. As with any connected device in your home, you should make sure to keep your lock up to date with the latest firmware and set a strong password in the app.
When it comes to picking and other physical issues, you can look for the ANSI grade of the lock to get an idea of its durability and ability to withstand a brute force attack. ANSI Grade 3 is the most basic rating, but a growing number of smart locks offer ANSI Grade 2 or Grade 1 ratings, which tells you they’re built with commercial-grade durability. If you’re worried about forced entry, a lock like this might be a good investment.
Lockin Veno Pro 7 Components
Design Considerations
Your smart lock will be placed right outside the exterior of your home, so it’s worth aiming for something you won’t hate looking at. Some smart locks go out of their way to show off their gadgetry features with bright touchscreens, color-coded LED lights, and tech-focused designs. Others take the opposite approach, doing their best to blend in and look like a standard lock, at least from the outside. Choosing a preference between the two approaches will help you narrow down your options.
You will also want to consider how the lock stays powered. Most smart locks run on four AA batteries, but some take a different approach. The minimalist Level Lock+, for example, runs on two AA batteries that sit inside the deadbolt itself to keep things very compact. Meanwhile, Eufy’s touchscreen smart lock works with a rechargeable battery.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi support has now become common for smart locks, but it’s important to look at the details. Some locks don’t have built-in Wi-Fi, but only support it if you purchase an additional hub.
