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 $249 • No free trial
Comparison
Level 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: Level Home or Schlage?
Pick Level Home if you run 1-10 design-focused listings and want an invisible deadbolt with Apple Home Key and Matter support. Pick Schlage if you want a subscription-free WiFi lock with 100 scheduled access codes, native Airbnb integration since March 2024, and a 3-year manufacturer warranty.
Editorial perspective from the Level Home side; factual claims about Schlage are drawn from its review.
Pricing Side-by-Side
Level Home
Full pricing →From $249 • No free trial
Level Lock+ (Matter)
$249.99 one-time
- Matter and Bluetooth keyless entry
- Invisible smart-lock design (fits inside existing deadbolt)
- Apple Home Key support
- App-based access management
Level Lock Pro
$349 one-time (starting price)
- All Level Lock+ features
- Premium finishes and materials
- Auto-lock with adjustable timer
- Optional professional install via OnTech ($99 extra)
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 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 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 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
Level Lock Pro lists at $349 per the launch press release; competing keypad-equipped STR locks frequently start well below this price point.
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 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 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 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 Level Home and Schlage actually differ
- Schlage has native direct Airbnb integration live since March 2024 plus direct Hostaway connectivity; Level has no documented native Airbnb or PMS integration and relies on manual PIN issuance via the Level app or optional Keypad.
- Schlage supports 100 unique access codes with time-based scheduling built into its own app; Level has no documented comparable scheduled-code capacity and depends on the optional Keypad accessory for app-free PIN sharing.
- Schlage Encode connects directly to WiFi with no hub required; Level Lock+ uses Matter-over-Thread and integrates through Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, or SmartThings rather than a direct WiFi connection to the lock.
- Schlage backs hardware with a 3-year warranty on mechanical and digital components from Allegion; Level's warranty terms are not prominently documented in this dataset, though Level is now an Assa Abloy brand.
- Level hides all motor and electronics inside the door for an invisible exterior with optional Apple Home Key; Schlage Encode is a visible keypad deadbolt with no Apple Home Key support.
Common objections
- Schlage has native Airbnb automation and 100 codes at lower hardware cost — why pay more for Level?
- For Airbnb-focused hosts who prioritize automated codes and a proven warranty, Schlage is the more practical pick and Level is hard to justify on operational grounds. Level's value is narrower: boutique hosts where the deadbolt's invisible form factor supports a premium listing aesthetic, and where Apple Home Key or Matter ecosystem fit matters. If those aesthetics don't move your booking economics, Schlage wins.
- Schlage's 3-5 month battery life is a known weakness — does Level do better?
- Schlage's direct-to-WiFi architecture genuinely drains batteries quarterly, which is a real maintenance tax across a portfolio. Level's Matter-over-Thread design is lower-power than direct WiFi, though Level reviewers note its auto-lock and door-state detection are less robust than DoorSense-equipped competitors. You trade battery maintenance for less reliable auto-lock behavior — both real trade-offs for STR workflows.
- Both are subscription-free — what's the real long-term cost difference?
- Both avoid monthly fees at the manufacturer level. Schlage's practical add-on is the RemoteLock bridge (~$9/lock/month) if you need PMS coverage beyond Airbnb and Hostaway; Level's practical add-on is the Keypad accessory for app-free PIN sharing. Level's entry hardware ($249.99) is meaningfully higher than Schlage Encode's typical street price, so Schlage usually wins on total cost of ownership unless the invisible form factor is specifically what you're buying.
Keep Digging
Level Home
Premium aesthetics, but a poor fit when you need PMS-driven access automation
Schlage
Subscription-free WiFi lock with 100-code capacity and native Airbnb support