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Smart Locks Compared — Schlage, Yale, August, Eufy & Level

Published October 2026 · Last verified October 2026

Five smart lock brandsWhat each one is known forSmart lockSchlage: keypadYale: modularAugust: keep keyEufy: fingerprintLevel: hiddenPick the brand that matches your door and your hands.No single lock is best for everyone.
Pick the brand that matches your door and your hands.
Replace vs keep your deadboltThe two most common mounting choicesReplace (Schlage, Yale, Eufy)• New lock inside and out• Lit keypad at the door• Fingerprint on some models• Full install on the doorKeep deadbolt (August, Level)• Outside looks unchanged• Your existing key still works• Open by phone or key• Least disruptive installReplace for a keypad; keep for your key and the original look.Illustration — a schematic; details vary by device and setup.
Replace for a keypad; keep for your key and the original look.

Five big names make most of the smart locks worth buying. Here is my honest, side-by-side take on each so you can pick the one that fits your door and your hands.

Bill Davis
Bill's Home Tech · Atwater, Ohio
Want the full deep-dive?
Download the printable Smart Locks Compared guide
PDF · plain English · no ads · made by Bill
Brands
Schlage, Yale, August, Eufy, Level
Category
locks
Helpful App
Varies by brand
Typical Price
$150 – $350

Five big names make most of the smart locks worth buying. Here is my honest, side-by-side take on each so you can pick the one that fits your door and your hands.

What's inside this guide

The printable PDF walks through 25 short chapters, in plain language. It also includes an everyday cheat sheet, a plain-English word list and at-a-glance pictures.

  1. Why the brand matters more than you think
  2. The three ways a smart lock mounts
  3. How these locks reach your phone
  4. Schlage Encode and Encode Plus
  5. Yale Assure Lock 2
  6. August, now part of the Yale family
  7. Eufy, the fingerprint value pick
  8. Level, the invisible lock
  9. Keypad, fingerprint, or app
  10. The apps you will actually use
  11. Apple, Google, and Alexa support
  12. Matter, and whether you should care
  13. Warranty and support, brand by brand
  14. Batteries and the Ohio winter
  15. Security and the physical key
  16. Who each brand is best for
  17. Bill's pick
  18. Common mistakes when buying
  19. What install day actually looks like
  20. Two more fingerprint brands worth knowing
  21. Setting up the app the first time
  22. When a lock drops offline
  23. Privacy and where your data lives
  24. Plain answers to the questions I hear most
  25. When to Call Bill

Get the printable guide

Everything above is a quick summary. The full, printable guide — the same words, laid out to read and keep by the computer — is a free PDF.

Download the printable PDF →

Last verified October 2026. Information accurate as of October 25, 2026.

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✍️ Every guide researched, written, and reviewed by Bill — your local Portage County tech.

Any prices or outside products mentioned in this guide can change over time — the details here were last checked August 2026 and this page is accurate as of October 18, 2026; please confirm current pricing before you buy. See how often we review our guides →