The Nuki smart lock has launched in the US and I can’t recommend it enough

If you ask me about my favorite product I’ve ever reviewed in my 19 years as a tech writer, the answer would be pretty straightforward: the Nuki smart lock. The first lock I tried blew me away in 2016 with its extensive features and excellent reliability, so much so that I became a smart lock convert. Recently, I switched to the Nuki Smart Lock Ultra (£309.99 at Manufacturer site), which is by far the best European smart lock you can buy. But what if you live in the US? Well, Nuki is now launching in the US, and you can get your hands on one of the most thoughtful and complete smart home products ever made (this is not an exaggeration) for $159 on Amazon, or $299 with the Keypad 2 with fingerprint support (currently down to $229 on Amazon).

If you’re curious about why a smart lock makes sense or what makes Nuki special, you can read my complete rundown of the Nuki Smart Lock Ultra. The short version, though, is that this is an end-to-end encrypted lock that you can use without ever creating an account or logging in (unless you want remote access). It’s sleek, small, less noisy than previous versions, and offers a million and one options to let you customize it precisely to your liking, and most importantly, your comfort levels. I love that every feature from the swipe actions in the app or tap actions on the button, to the speed of the brushless motor, night mode, guest access, disabling Bluetooth pairing, auto-unlock, auto-lock, what’s logged and what’s not, and more, is user-controlled. For a device that supervises the entrance to my home, that’s a win on all fronts.

Nuki is also Matter-compatible and supports Google, Apple, and Amazon’s smart home platforms, as well as Home Assistant (I’ve set it up locally via MQTT) and Samsung SmartThings. Plus, it has apps for Wear OS smartwatches and the Apple Watch. Honestly, anything you think you want from a smart lock is there; it’s almost crazy to see a product that is this complete. I rated it 9/10 in my review, but I could’ve easily given it a perfect 10; that’s how much I love it.

The US version of the Nuki Smart Lock retains all of those features, but is retrofitted on top of US single-cylinder deadbolts and can be installed in under 15 minutes. It’s installed from the inside, so you keep access to your home from the outside with a key. You can also buy the Keypad 2, which offers an end-to-end encrypted way to unlock with access codes or with a fingerprint sensor.

There is one hiccup compared to the European version, though, and that is the introduction of Nuki Premium — a $5.90 monthly sub that sends you smart alerts when something happens to your door and gives you remote access via the Nuki app to see what’s going on. It’s not essential if you use Matter or any other smart home platform, but it’s still a bit annoying to see Nuki take free features in the EU market and make them paid in the US. If you do sign up before September, though, you’ll have free lifetime access to Premium, which is an excellent deal.

The Nuki Smart Lock is available now from Amazon and, if you can’t already tell, I can’t recommend it enough. You can also grab some extra accessories for it like a $59 door sensor or a cheaper $89 code-only keypad if you don’t need fingerprint access.