Smart Locks
Level Home
Invisible smart deadbolts for design-focused short-term rentals
Solid Option
Premium aesthetics, but a poor fit when you need PMS-driven access automation
From $199 • No free trial
Comparison
Level Home vs August Home
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
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
✓Editorial verdict
Which Should You Pick: Level Home or August Home?
Pick Level Home if you run 1-10 design-focused listings where an invisible deadbolt and Apple Home Key support materially affect listing quality and you're comfortable issuing PINs manually. Pick August Home if you can't modify the door exterior, want a reversible 10-minute retrofit, and need native Airbnb code automation at a lower entry price.
Editorial perspective from the Level Home side; factual claims about August Home are drawn from its review.
Pricing Side-by-Side
Level Home
Full pricing →From $199 • No free trial
Level Bolt
$199 one-time
- Retrofit smart-lock hardware
Level Lock
$249 one-time
- Smart-lock hardware
Level Lock Pro
$349 one-time
- Smart-lock hardware with Apple home keys and door status detection
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
What each tool does well — and where it falls short
What Level Home does well
Hidden, design-first form factor that does not look like a smart lock
The motor and electronics fit inside the door so the exterior looks like a traditional deadbolt. Level's homepage describes the products as 'Invisible Smart Locks' — a meaningful fit for boutique and luxury STR aesthetics.
Broad smart-home platform support including Apple Home Key and Matter-over-Thread
The Level Lock+ (Matter) page lists keyless and remote access via Apple, Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings. Hosts can issue digital keys through Apple Wallet for tech-forward guests.
Optional Level Keypad lets hosts share PIN codes without requiring guests to install the app
The vendor bundle page says the keypad lets users create and share key codes for short-term visitors with no app required — the relevant flow for STR check-in.
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.
Where Level Home falls short
No documented native PMS integrations for vacation rental software
A search of Level's site, Capterra, and G2 surfaced no direct integrations with Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez, or Hospitable. Hosts wanting auto-generated per-reservation codes typically must route through middleware like SmartThings, RemoteLock, or a Matter controller.
Higher hardware MSRP than mainstream STR-targeted locks
The current catalog lists Level Bolt at $199, Level Lock at $249 and Level Lock Pro at $349, each as a one-time hardware purchase.
Auto-lock and door-state detection less robust than DoorSense-equipped competitors
A Level vs Yale comparison notes the Yale lock does better with auto-locking thanks to its DoorSense magnetic door-frame sensor — meaningful in STR contexts where guests prop doors and reliable auto-lock matters.
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.
Which Should You Pick
Pick Level Home if
Design-focused boutique short-term rental hosts who want a near-invisible deadbolt retrofit and value Apple Home Key support and scheduled guest codes via the Level Keypad.
Skip Level Home if
You operate at scale and need a direct PMS-to-lock automation that issues per-reservation codes — Level lacks named first-party vacation rental PMS integrations.
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.
Where Level Home and August Home actually differ
- Level’s current hardware catalog lists Level Bolt at $199, Level Lock at $249 and Level Lock Pro at $349, each a one-time purchase. Accessories and installation are separate.
- August has native Airbnb integration that auto-generates unique guest access codes per booking; Level has no documented native Airbnb or PMS integration and requires manual PIN issuance via the Level app or optional Keypad.
- Level hides all motor and electronics inside the door for an invisible exterior and supports Apple Home Key via Apple Wallet; August is a visible retrofit that installs over the existing deadbolt in ~10 minutes and preserves the original physical key as a backup.
- Level supports Matter-over-Thread on Lock+ plus Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Walmart InHome Delivery; August covers Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe but has no documented Matter or Apple Home Key support.
- August offers DoorSense magnetic door-state detection for reliable auto-lock; Level reviewers note auto-lock and door-state detection are less robust than DoorSense-equipped competitors, though Level's Matter-over-Thread design is lower-power than August's 3-6 month CR123 battery cycle.
Common objections
- August is $100+ cheaper and auto-generates Airbnb codes per booking — why pay Level's premium?
- For Airbnb-first hosts whose priority is automated per-reservation codes at the lowest cost, August is genuinely the stronger operational pick and Level is hard to justify on economics alone. Level's premium buys the invisible deadbolt form factor and Apple Home Key — meaningful for boutique and luxury listings where lock aesthetics affect perceived quality, but invisible value on most standard STRs. If guests won't notice the lock looks like a lock, August wins.
- August's DoorSense handles auto-lock reliably — isn't Level's weaker door-state detection a real problem for STRs?
- Yes, honestly — August's DoorSense magnetic sensor knows when the door is actually open or closed and auto-locks accordingly, which matters in STR contexts where guests prop doors. Level's auto-lock behavior is reportedly less robust. The counterweight is Level's lower-power Matter-over-Thread architecture versus August's 3-6 month CR123 battery cycle, so you're trading quarterly battery swaps for more dependable door-securing. For operators who prioritize reliable security over maintenance frequency, August's trade-off is the right one.
- August's retrofit preserves the original deadbolt and works under HOA restrictions — doesn't that make Level a non-starter for many properties?
- For HOA-restricted, landlord-controlled, or strata-managed properties where exterior modification is forbidden, August's retrofit design solves a physical constraint Level's in-door deadbolt replacement can't address. Level requires installing into the door itself, which isn't reversible in the same way. If your properties have exterior-modification restrictions, August is the only viable option of the two; if you own the door and can modify it, Level's aesthetic advantage reopens as a real differentiator.
Keep Digging
Level Home
Premium aesthetics, but a poor fit when you need PMS-driven access automation
August Home
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior