Smart Locks
August Home
Retrofit smart lock with native Airbnb integration
Best for Small Hosts
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior
From $149.99 • No free trial
Comparison
August Home vs Schlage
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Smart Locks
Schlage
WiFi smart deadbolts with built-in code scheduling for vacation rentals
Best Value
Subscription-free WiFi lock with 100-code capacity and native Airbnb support
Contact sales • No free trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which Should You Pick: August Home or Schlage?
Pick August Home if you can't modify the door exterior and want a reversible retrofit install with broad smart-home ecosystem support. Pick Schlage if you can replace the existing deadbolt and want 100 scheduled access codes, built-in WiFi with no separate bridge purchase, and a 3-year manufacturer warranty.
Editorial perspective from the August Home side; factual claims about Schlage are drawn from its review.
Pricing Side-by-Side
August Home
Full pricing →From $149.99 • No free trial
August Smart Lock
$149.99 one-time
- Bluetooth keyless entry
- Auto-Lock and Auto-Unlock
- DoorSense for door open/closed detection
- Up to 6-month battery life on 2x AA
Smart Lock + Connect
$199.99 one-time
- All Smart Lock features
- Wi-Fi Bridge included for remote control
- Voice assistant integration (Alexa, Google, Siri)
Wi-Fi Smart Lock
$229.99 one-time
- Built-in Wi-Fi (no separate Bridge needed)
- Smaller form factor than Smart Lock + Connect
- Direct app and voice-assistant control
Schlage
Full pricing →Contact sales • No free trial
Custom
One-time hardware purchase with no monthly subscription fees from Schlage. Third-party bridge services like RemoteLock may charge additional monthly fees (e.g. $9/mo per Airbnb Community discussion). Hardware MSRP varies by model and is not verified.
Try SchlageWhat each tool does well — and where it falls short
What August Home does well
Non-invasive installation preserves original door appearance
August's retrofit design installs over an existing deadbolt without changing the exterior — SafeWise describes it as "perfect for rentals with HOA restrictions or landlord requirements" with a 10-minute install.
Native Airbnb integration automates guest access codes
Linking August and Airbnb accounts means the lock automatically generates a unique access code when a guest books, eliminating manual code management per The Connected Shop.
Works with every major smart home platform
August's official Works With page lists Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, SimpliSafe, Control4, and ecobee among supported integrations.
Keeps physical key functionality as a backup
The retrofit-over-deadbolt design means the original key still works — useful for owner access, maintenance, or when batteries die unexpectedly.
What Schlage does well
100 unique access codes with time-based scheduling
Per Schlage's vacation rental blog, the Encode family lets operators schedule codes to be active only at certain times. This enables sophisticated guest rotation across high-turnover properties without running out of code slots.
Zero recurring fees from Schlage
Per Reviews.org and ButterflyMX, there are no monthly subscriptions or feature-gating fees. The only Schlage cost is the initial hardware purchase, keeping ongoing OpEx at zero.
Industry-leading 3-year warranty on mechanical and digital components
Per Sunrise2Sunset Vacation Rentals, Schlage offers the best warranty in the category. This reduces long-term replacement risk for operators deploying locks across multiple properties.
Native Airbnb integration without a bridge service
Schlage announced direct Airbnb integration in March 2024 for US and Canada hosts. This eliminates the need for third-party middleware and the monthly fees that come with it.
Where August Home falls short
Shorter battery life increases maintenance burden
Smart Home Perfected notes CR123 batteries last 3-6 months versus 9-12 for Yale or Schlage — a notable drawback when managing multiple properties at distance.
Keypad for backup access sold separately
The external keypad is a separate accessory at around $59, adding 25-40% to the effective per-door cost before shipping or installation.
Less proven for high-volume commercial rentals
RedAwning notes Yale Assure Lock 2 is deployed across 50,000+ RedAwning-managed properties with a 99.7% uptime rate, and recommends Yale or Schlage Encode Plus for high-traffic rentals.
No comprehensive public API documentation
Integrations are available through official partners and supported platforms, but August does not publish a documented public API — limiting custom PMS/automation integrations.
Where Schlage falls short
Battery life averages only 3-5 months
Per Suiteop's comparison, direct-to-WiFi locks have high power consumption. At scale, this means scheduling battery replacements every quarter across your entire portfolio.
WiFi reliability directly impacts lock functionality
Per GoGuidebook, users report intermittent WiFi dropouts that temporarily disable remote control or status updates, often correlated to weak router signals or network congestion.
Auto-lock can cause guest lockouts
Per the GoGuidebook review, guests unfamiliar with auto-lock behavior can get locked out if the access code wasn't properly shared or understood, requiring additional guest education.
Which Should You Pick
Pick August Home if
Properties with HOA restrictions or landlord requirements prohibiting exterior door modifications, where a reversible 10-minute install matters.
Skip August Home if
You run high-volume commercial properties and need maximum battery life and the most proven track record for smart-lock reliability.
Pick Schlage if
Large portfolio operators needing reliable WiFi locks with extensive code management (100 unique codes) and established PMS integrations like Hostaway and Guesty.
Skip Schlage if
You prioritize minimal maintenance overhead — battery life averaging 3-5 months requires regular replacement scheduling compared to competitors offering 12+ months.
Where August Home and Schlage actually differ
- August installs as a retrofit over the existing deadbolt in ~10 minutes preserving the original exterior and physical key; Schlage Encode is a full deadbolt replacement with an integrated keypad.
- Schlage supports up to 100 unique access codes with time-based scheduling built into the lock; August's code management flows through the Airbnb integration and a separately-sold ~$59 keypad accessory for door-side PIN entry.
- Schlage Encode connects directly to WiFi with no add-on hardware; August requires either the Wi-Fi Smart Lock model ($229.99) with built-in Wi-Fi or the Connect bridge bundled at $199.99 for remote control.
- Schlage backs hardware with a 3-year warranty on both mechanical and digital components from Allegion; August's warranty terms are not prominently documented in available research.
- August integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe at the device level; Schlage focuses on STR-operational integrations including native Airbnb (since March 2024), direct Hostaway, RemoteLock bridge for Guesty/Smoobu/iGMS, plus Home Assistant and an OAuth 2.0 developer API.
Common objections
- Schlage has 100 codes, built-in WiFi, and a 3-year warranty — why pay similar money for August?
- If your door can be modified and you don't need broader smart-home ecosystem integration, Schlage is genuinely the stronger rental pick on operational grounds. August's value is narrower: a reversible retrofit install for HOA-restricted, landlord-controlled, or strata-managed properties where Schlage's full-replacement design is a non-starter. If exterior modification isn't a constraint and Airbnb-focused automation is the priority, Schlage wins; if you can't modify the door, August solves a physical problem Schlage's architecture can't address.
- Both have native Airbnb integration and no monthly fees — what's the real differentiator?
- On Airbnb code automation alone, the two are roughly comparable for small hosts. The real splits are physical install (August retrofits, Schlage replaces) and smart-home ecosystem reach (August covers Alexa/Google/HomeKit/SmartThings/IFTTT/SimpliSafe natively; Schlage focuses on PMS bridges plus Home Assistant). If you're building a smart-home ecosystem around the lock and the door must stay original, August fits better. If you want the strongest STR-operational bundle with longer warranty and built-in keypad, Schlage fits better.
- August's CR123 batteries last 3-6 months and Schlage's last 3-5 months — both are short, so what actually changes the calculus?
- Battery life is roughly a wash between them — both trail Yale and Z-Wave/Zigbee alternatives, and both create quarterly replacement cycles at scale. The bigger differences are accessory cost and form factor: Schlage bakes WiFi and keypad into one unit, while August requires the Connect bridge or Wi-Fi model plus the ~$59 keypad accessory for door-side codes, which closes the apparent price gap with Schlage's all-in design. If quarterly battery replacement is a dealbreaker, neither is the right pick — Yale Assure Lock 2 is the better choice for both portfolios.
Keep Digging
August Home
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior
Schlage
Subscription-free WiFi lock with 100-code capacity and native Airbnb support