We Compared More Than 24 Smart Locks to Find the Best, Most Reliable Options

Editor's Note: We reviewed our current product picks to ensure they are in stock, available, and accurately priced. We are confident that these are the best smart locks on the market as of April 2023. For this most recent update we added the latest smart locks from UltraLoq and Yale. If you're looking for the best overall smart lock and are ready to add to cart now, we recommend the August Wi-Fi.

Have you ever felt super proud of yourself for managing to grab all the groceries out of your car and closing the trunk in a single trip — only to have your hopes and dreams smashed as soon as you get to your door upon realizing you forgot to grab your keys out of your pocket?

Investing in a smart lock could make this problem one of the past. Smart locks are extremely convenient home accessories that make it easier to enter and leave your residence. They make for an excellent gift for homeowners and smart home enthusiasts, too. The way they work is through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections to a smartphone, smart speaker, or home network so that you can lock and unlock your doors remotely. That way, you can give quick access to guests, repairpersons, or delivery people.

The Best Smart Locks

Besides eliminating physical keys, most smart locks also let you generate unique custom codes to give to family and friends that you can delete or change when you need to. And since most smart locks are connected to the internet, they can also help you keep track of when members of your family leave and get back home. They’re a good option for vacation homeowners who want an easy and secure way to allow guests to enter a property and keep it locked when they depart.

What to Consider

Full Deadlock Replacement vs. Retrofitted Smart Lock

When shopping for a smart lock, you’ll first need to determine what type of smart lock you want to buy. Some smart locks such as the August Wi-Fi can be installed on top of an existing deadlock without requiring you to replace the cylinder or key. Others like the Ultraloq Smart Lock U-Bolt Pro require a full deadbolt replacement.

Retrofitted setups are the easiest path to having a smart lock, and are a good option for renters who don’t want to change keys.

Door Compatibility

We also recommend inspecting your door prior to purchasing a smart lock so you know it is capable of automatically turning your deadbolt. If you need to push or pull on the door for the bolt to turn smoothly — or if your door is misaligned — there’s a good chance a smart lock won’t work with your setup.

Pro tip: You can likely install the app for the smart lock prior to purchasing it in order to get an idea of what installation will look like, and if your door will be compatible or not.

Unique Usage Needs

Smart locks vary greatly in features, so you need to determine how you want to interact with your smart lock. Some smart locks have keypads for inputting a pin, and most allow you to download an app and open your door with your smartphone or smartwatch. Some have embedded fingerprint scanners, while some sync with your smart speaker to unlock and lock your door using your voice. Others can use your smartphone’s GPS signal to automatically lock or unlock your door when you’re within a preset boundary.

How We Chose

We compared more than two dozen smart locks to analyze their feature sets, ease of installation, and overall durability and reliability. Because we’re talking about products that literally give folks access to your home, we sifted through companies’ privacy policies to see how manufacturers deal with customer data. We also spent several hours reading up on exploits, vulnerabilities, and former breaches that smart home companies have dealt with. We ensured our picks use encryption and two-factor authentication, as well as requiring passwords for their apps so that your home is safe.

If you’re ready to make the switch to a smart lock, we’ve found the best options for every budget.