If you are unable or do not wish to replace your deadbolt, the Wyze Lock is a deadbolt adapter equipped with strong, reliable hardware and an excellent app.
For doors without a deadbolt, the Schlage Encode WiFi Lever is a replacement lock for doorknobs that boasts the same appealing features as our top choice.
Smart locks that replace the deadbolt
Our recommendation
This stylish Schlage deadbolt is easy to install, user-friendly, and offers robust security.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
Among the numerous smart locks we have tested, the Encode is the easiest to install and one of the most user-friendly. While it may lack some of the more advanced features of other options, such as a fingerprint reader or door status sensor, it is a highly durable commercial-grade lock with a built-in alarm and straightforward operation. For those seeking a reliable, consistent, and trustworthy security solution for their home’s entrance, this is unquestionably the best choice.
For those looking for Apple Home compatibility, the more expensive Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt offers the same features and the addition of Apple’s Home Key, allowing you to unlock the Encode by tapping it with your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Runner-up
A quick, quiet, and highly user-friendly deadbolt replacement featuring an excellent fingerprint reader and compatibility with Apple Home Key.
Compatibility: Apple Home and Home Key; Amazon Alexa and Google Home
The Aqara Smart Lock U100 is a deadbolt replacement model with a keypad and the best fingerprint reader we have tested. It also features the quietest and fastest mechanism. The U100 is one of the first locks to support Apple Home Key, which enables you to unlock the door by holding or tapping an iPhone or Apple Watch to its face (we still prefer the fingerprint reader). The U100 does not have built-in Wi-Fi, so remote access or notifications require the use of either an Apple Home hub device (such as an Apple TV or a HomePod or HomePod mini) when used with an Apple HomeKit network, or an Aqara hub if you plan to use the Aqara app, Alexa, or Google Home.
Also great
This versatile, compact, and quiet smart lock’s standout feature is its fast (though occasionally unreliable) fingerprint reader, and its rubber number keys will satisfy most users.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro WiFi is a versatile smart lock with an appealing low-profile design and a fast, quiet mechanism. It is equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and can be unlocked in six different ways, including with a numerical code, using an app, through a physical keyway, and—most impressively—via fingerprint. The fingerprint scanner is our preferred way to unlock it, although it is more temperamental than the Aqara and may require occasional troubleshooting. The raised number buttons feel more intuitive to use than pecking numbers on a keypad or touchscreen. Regardless of the method used to activate the U-Bolt Pro WiFi, it responds promptly. After extended testing, we encountered a worrying battery drain issue that also affects some other users, which the company acknowledges (see below for important information).
Smart locks that replace the deadbolt with an adapter
Budget pick
Fast, quiet, and simple to install, this deadbolt adapter comes with a built-in sensor to detect when your door is open, plus it includes a small plug-in Wi-Fi adapter.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
If you are a renter and unable to change your door lock (or simply prefer not to), the Wyze Lock is an affordable yet feature-rich model that easily connects to an existing deadbolt. Installation is straightforward and it includes a small plug-in WiFi adapter. In our extensive testing, the Wyze Lock consistently performs well—particularly when used with the optional Wyze Lock Keypad, which allows you to unlock using a code instead of an app (or by enabling auto-unlock). The Wyze Lock offers a few features that our other picks lack, such as a built-in door sensor that alerts you with a chime and a smartphone notification when someone leaves the door open or ajar.
Lever-handle smart lock
Our recommendation
A model nearly identical to our top pick, this keypad smart lock replaces a doorknob—not a deadbolt—with an accessible lever handle.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
For those without a deadbolt on their door, we recommend the Schlage Encode WiFi Lever smart lock. It is a full replacement for a doorknob or lever and, like its sibling, features a keypad, a physical keyway, and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for remote access via an app. The Encode Lever has physical lock and unlock buttons on the non-keypad housing, making it easier to use than other options. By default, the Encode auto-locks after being opened (you can set how long), but if you want the lock to remain unlocked in “passage” mode, you can hit the unlock button; when you want it to lock and then continue auto-locking, you hit the lock button.
