Which smart lock should you buy in 2026? Smart locks for your home

Never search for your keys again? A smart lock opens your front door with your smartphone, a code or your fingerprint. In this article you'll read how such a lock works, what to check on a European door and which lock I recommend for each budget.

How does a smart lock work?

Most smart locks for the home are retrofit locks: a small motor that you fit on the inside of your door over the key or thumb-turn of your existing cylinder. The lock turns the key for you. Nothing changes on the outside: you can always still get in with your normal key. When you move, you simply take the lock with you.

There are also locks where you replace the cylinder, such as the Nuki Smart Lock Ultra, the Tedee PRO and LOQED. That takes a bit more work, but the lock is smaller and turns faster.

You open the door with the app on your smartphone, automatically when you come home, with a keypad (code or fingerprint) or with a voice assistant. In the app you give others temporary or permanent access, and you see who came in and when.

Check first: will it fit your door?

Your cylinder needs an emergency function. With a retrofit lock there is always a key in the cylinder on the inside. If you can still open the door from outside with a second key, your cylinder has an emergency function. Test it with two keys. Many older cylinders in Belgium, Spain, France and Italy can't do this. A cylinder with an emergency function costs from about £25 at a DIY store.
The cylinder must stick out a few millimetres on the inside, so the lock fits properly.
Measure your cylinder from the fixing screw to each side. Inside and outside are often not the same length.
Multi-point door? The smart lock only turns the cylinder. If you have to lift the handle to engage the bolts first, the lock won't do that for you. If your door is stiff, choose a lock with a strong motor: in Computer Bild's test those were the Aqara U200 and the Tedee PRO (over 2 Nm). Have a sagging door adjusted first.
Does your door open outwards? Then you need extra space next to the cylinder. The Tedee GO2 only fits doors that open inwards.
Insurance: check whether your insurer requires a particular cylinder or security rating. In the UK that is often a cylinder with the TS007 3-star rating or the Sold Secure Diamond standard.

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Thread or Matter?

Bluetooth: the lock talks directly to your smartphone when you're at the door. For remote access you need a bridge (a small plug-in box) or a hub.
Built-in Wi-Fi (Nuki Go, Pro and Ultra, Yale Linus L2): you can also unlock from work or while on holiday, without an extra device.
Matter over Thread: the new standard that lets your lock work with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and SmartThings. You need a Thread hub for it, such as a recent Apple TV, HomePod mini, Google Nest Hub or an Aqara hub.

Which brands are there?

For home locks, Yale, part of the Swedish lock group ASSA ABLOY, and the Austrian brand Nuki are among the biggest names in Europe. The Polish brand Tedee develops its locks together with lock maker GERDA. Aqara and SwitchBot are Asian smart-home brands with cheaper locks, and they are quickly gaining ground. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the Dutch brand Bold is also popular, with a smart cylinder without a motor.

What does Computer Bild's test say?

The German magazine Computer Bild tested eight smart locks in a lab in October 2026: how strong the motor is, how loud it is and how long the battery lasts. A robot opened and closed each lock until the battery was flat. The ranking (German school grades, 1 is best):

1. Nuki Smart Lock Pro (5th gen) and Nuki Smart Lock Ultra: 1.1
3. Aqara Smart Lock U200: 1.4 (best value)
4. Yale Linus Smart Lock L2: 1.8
5. SwitchBot Lock Pro: 1.9 (cheap, with Matter, Thread and NFC, but slow to lock)
6. Tedee PRO: 2.2 (the strongest and most frugal: 2,649 open-and-close cycles on one charge, but expensive)
7. and 8. Homematic IP door lock drive: 2.5 and Netatmo Smart Door Lock: 3.5

The quietest locks were from Aqara, Yale and the Tedee PRO. Handy if you leave early in the morning without waking the children.

My picks

Prices are the lowest UK prices on idealo.co.uk on November 13, 2026. Under “Prices in other countries” you can compare them with the Netherlands (Tweakers), Spain, Germany and France.