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
Comparison
Schlage 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: Schlage or August Home?
Pick Schlage if you can replace the existing deadbolt and want 100 scheduled access codes, built-in WiFi with no bridge, and a 3-year warranty from a legacy manufacturer. Pick August Home if your HOA or landlord forbids modifying the door exterior and you need a reversible retrofit install over the existing deadbolt.
Editorial perspective from the Schlage side; factual claims about August Home are drawn from its review.
Pricing Side-by-Side
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 SchlageAugust 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Schlage and August Home actually differ
- Schlage Encode is a full deadbolt replacement with an integrated keypad; August installs over the existing deadbolt in ~10 minutes and preserves the original exterior and physical key.
- Schlage supports 100 unique access codes with time-based scheduling managed in its own app; August's code management flows primarily through the Airbnb integration, and a physical keypad for door entry is a separately-sold accessory (~$59).
- Schlage connects directly to WiFi with no add-on hardware; August's entry-level Smart Lock ($149.99) needs a Connect bridge, and the Wi-Fi Smart Lock model costs $229.99.
- Schlage backs hardware with a 3-year warranty on mechanical and digital components from Allegion; August's warranty terms are not prominently documented in available research, and RedAwning data favors Yale/Schlage for high-volume commercial deployments.
- Both have native Airbnb integration since March 2024 (Schlage) with no intermediary; August also integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe — broader smart-home ecosystem support than Schlage's Home Assistant plus OAuth 2.0 developer API.
Common objections
- August's retrofit install preserves the existing deadbolt and physical key — isn't that a big advantage Schlage can't match?
- Yes, honestly. If your HOA or landlord prohibits modifying the door exterior, Schlage's full-replacement design is a non-starter regardless of its other advantages. August's reversible 10-minute install solves a physical constraint Schlage's architecture simply doesn't address. If you can modify the door, Schlage's integrated keypad, 100-code capacity, and 3-year warranty make it the stronger rental pick; if you can't, August is one of the few viable options.
- August works with Alexa, Google, HomeKit, and SmartThings — doesn't Schlage's narrower ecosystem support lose on integration breadth?
- For hosts already invested in a specific smart-home ecosystem for unit automation, August's breadth is a real advantage. Schlage focuses on PMS-oriented integrations — native Airbnb since March 2024, direct Hostaway, and RemoteLock bridge for Guesty/Smoobu/iGMS — plus Home Assistant and an OAuth 2.0 developer API. If voice control and smart-home routines matter more than PMS automation, August wins; if channel and PMS code automation matter more, Schlage covers that directly.
- Schlage's 3-5 month battery life is worse than Yale or igloohome — isn't August in the same boat so what's the real difference?
- August's CR123 batteries last 3-6 months versus Schlage's 3-5 months, so they're close — both trail Yale and Schlage's own Zigbee/Z-Wave alternatives. The practical difference is that Schlage's keypad is integrated into the lock body while August requires a separate ~$59 keypad accessory for door-side PIN entry. For vacation rentals where guests need a keypad, August's effective per-door cost (lock + keypad + potentially Connect bridge) closes the gap with Schlage's built-in-WiFi, built-in-keypad design.
Keep Digging
Schlage
Subscription-free WiFi lock with 100-code capacity and native Airbnb support
August Home
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior