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The best smart locks can help anyone who constantly misplaces keys, wants keyless entry options, or frequently wonders whether they locked the front door. I'm in the latter camp. After years in tiny apartments, I now own a three-story townhouse that makes checking the front door a literal journey to the bottom floor of the house.

A great smart lock makes opening and locking your front door a breeze. It should offer multiple entry options, from keypads to auto-unlocking when you walk up, and keep your front door safely locked for you. These locks also make it easy to give friends and family entry codes, so you don't have to keep track or hand out spare keys.

If you're curious which smart lock is best for you, you've come to the right place. From a design-forward smart lock to my retrofit recommendation for renters, there's a smart lock here for everyone and every entry point in your house—even the sliding door and garage. Here's everything I recommend after two years of smart lock testing.

Updated May 2026: The Aqara U300 is now unavailable, so it's been removed as a pick (though you can see my notes in Other Smart Locks if you find it used), and I'm testing new picks for an interior smart door lock. I've also added a new section on Aliro and long-term testing notes for the Level Lock Pro and SimpliSafe Series 2 Smart Lock.

Featured in This Article

Best Smart LockAqara Smart Lock U50

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$124 Amazon

Best DesignLevel Lock Pro

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$349 Amazon

Best Biometric LockLockly Visage Zeno Series Smart Lock

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$349 Home Depot

Best Retrofit LockYale Approach Lock

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$134 Amazon (Biometric)

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- Comparing Our Top Five Smart Locks

- What’s Aliro?

- Other Smart Locks to Consider

- Avoid These Smart Locks

- FAQs

- What Should You Check Before Buying a Smart Lock?

- What Tools Do You Need to Install a Smart Lock?

- How Long Do Smart Locks Last?

- What Happens if a Smart Lock Fails?

Best Smart Lock

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Courtesy of Aqara

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Aqara

Smart Lock U50

$124 Amazon

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WIRED

- Affordable and stylish, and has a hidden keyhole

- Easy to install and control

- Works well and remembers its codes and settings, even if you don't add on a Wi-Fi hub

TIRED

- Some of Aqara's hubs are expensive

I really like the Aqara Smart Lock U50. It's quick to install, affordable, and doesn't look like a budget lock on my front door. This is a full dead-bolt replacement lock, replacing both the front and back pieces of a dead bolt on your front door. It's easy to install. In fact, it's one of the fastest installations I've done. It was even quick to remove and then put back onto my door after the next lock I set up didn't work. It does have some tiny screws that will require a precision screwdriver. It's also easy to take off and put back on; in between testing rounds, or if a lock I test fails to be usable, this is the lock I grab to put back on my door.

The U50's sleek panel blended in nicely with my door, was consistently responsive, and had a high-end feel to it that seemed more expensive than the price tag. This lock previously wasn't a pick because you needed Aqara's expensive hubs to connect it to Wi-Fi, which often retails for more than the lock itself. But Aqara now has cheaper hubs like the M100 ($30), making this a truly affordable option.

I recommend placing the hub near the front door; when I had Aqara's M3 hub ($150) on a different floor and different side of my house than the U50 lock, it frequently disconnected from the Wi-Fi. I also usually needed a Bluetooth connection to do anything serious, even when the Wi-Fi was working. Still, even if Wi-Fi wasn't working right, the premade codes always worked, and it always remembered to lock itself after 10 minutes. It also knows whether the door is closed or not thanks to a built-in gyroscope—no separate door accessory required, which most other locks need to do the same feature.

This lock has a nice range of entry options beyond the keypad, including smart home control (including Apple Home), NFC cards (if you already have one), and even a hidden keyhole, with two keys included with the lock. In the months I tested this lock, I never had any battery issues or needed to replace the batteries, but there is a USB-C emergency port for charging if you need it. My main complaint is that the lock doesn't have any security ratings like you'll find on other smart locks; otherwise, it's a fantastic smart lock.

SpecsSmart home ecosystem:Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, IFTTTPower source:Four AA batteries (i

7 Best Smart Locks (2026) for Front Doors, Side Doors, and Even Garages | WIRED