Nuki’s Smart Lock is a better retrofit door lock

The new Nuki Smart Lock ($159), the company’s first designed for US deadbolts, is the most advanced retrofit smart lock I’ve tested. It features a sleek, compact design that looks and works like a regular doorknob, but it’s much more than a doorknob. It can automatically unlock as you approach, lock behind you, unlock using a keypad or your fingerprint, and be controlled from anywhere. It also supports every smart home platform through Matter, and you can still use your existing key — if you’re old-school like that.

I love the button integrated into the stainless steel design that locks and unlocks with a single press — no need to turn the knob. And the Nuki is shockingly fast: quicker than manually turning the lock and easily twice as fast as any other smart lock I’ve tested, locking in under a second.

Exciting new retrofit locks have been few and far between since the fourth-generation August Wifi Smart Lock launched over 5 years ago. While that lock has held up as a good option for a smart lock that doesn’t require replacing your existing deadbolt, the Nuki is a better choice.

It’s faster, smaller, and smarter than the August, plus it works with Matter over Thread and promises up to a year of battery life. That’s significantly more than the two to three months I got with August.

The European-made lock also arrives with an impressive focus on privacy and a competitive price. But a subscription for some features in its app and an interesting approach to charging the lock could be dealbreakers.

I love trying out all the cool new tech smart locks are leaning into – from palm scanners to facial recognition and built-in cameras, but I get that most people just want their smart lock to look like a regular lock. Unfortunately, design is too often an afterthought for lock manufacturers. Most smart locks are big, black, and bulky, and either plasticky or very expensive. The Austrian-designed Nuki strikes a sweet spot: a minimalist style with a premium look and feel, all for under $160.

The Nuki Smart Lock is its first designed for deadbolts found on US doors, but the company has been making locks for over a decade and is on its fifth generation in Europe. The lock’s small size stems from a clever design that has evolved over the years to be constructed entirely around a new brushless motor. It’s essentially a motor with a lithium-polymer battery attached.

The battery is built-in and non-removable, which helps with the compact design and seamless look. It charges via a proprietary 6-foot USB-C/Magsafe-style cable. The idea is you can charge it without removing the lock, and if someone opens the door while it’s connected, the cable pops off safely.

But I didn’t have an outlet anywhere close enough to the door to try this, and I’m likely not alone. Removing the lock for charging is simple, but then you can’t open your door for the two hours it takes to charge. Not ideal. The cable is almost comically long, but probably needs to be longer. Additionally, a non-removable battery raises concerns about longevity. Nuki claims the battery should last 10 years, and says a replacement plan will be offered.

Installation was simple. After charging the lock, I removed the thumbturn from my Schlage deadbolt and replaced it with the Nuki backplate, then snapped the lock into place.

The rest of the setup is via Nuki’s app, which requires you to create a security code rather than signing up for an account. This means you don’t have to provide Nuki with any information about yourself to use the device, a rare feature for a smart lock.

One quirk, however, is that the security code feature made navigating the app rather slow, as it checks the code again every time you enter a more “sensitive” section of the app.

You can choose to use the lock locally over Bluetooth with Nuki’s app, or connect to Wi-Fi, Matter over Thread, or both for control away from home and integration with smart home platforms. If both are enabled, Nuki says the lock prioritizes Thread to conserve battery life.

Nuki’s app is one of the most fully-featured I’ve tested, offering multiple settings and customization options. Along with standard features like assigning guest access, enabling auto-lock and auto-unlock, I could set schedules, which many locks only allow through a smart home platform.

There are also some other neat features, such as Night Mode, which locks the door at a set time, disables auto-unlock, and enables auto-lock. I also like the option to set swipe gestures in the app for quick control when approaching the door.

Connecting to Wi-Fi provides access to Google Home, Alexa, and MQTT (for connecting to Home Assistant). There’s also the option to sign up for a Nuki cloud account. This isn’t required to use the lock or the app, and comes with a steep $5.90 monthly subscription fee.

The subscription adds cloud-based features, such as remote control from the Nuki app and notifications, including a tap-to-unlock prompt when you approach the door, as well as one that alerts you if the door is unlocked when you leave. It also enables integrations with Airbnb and other rental platforms, as well as web-based controls for the lock.

If you don’t subscribe, you can only use the Nuki app locally over Bluetooth, and you won’t get notifications from it. Nuki is offering all new customers free access for the lifetime of the lock if they sign up before September 30th.

Unless you really need those extras, opt for the Matter-over-Thread connection. This enables out-of-home control and notifications through any Matter-compatible smart home platform (I used Apple Home).

Thread connectivity is free and improves battery life (up to a year versus 6 months on Wi-Fi). But bear in mind, you will need a Matter hub and a Thread border router.

With the Nuki, you don’t have to choose between the manufacturer’s app control and your Matter app of choice. I could control the lock in the Nuki app and use its more advanced features, including hands-free auto-unlock, while also having basic control in Apple Home.

This is an issue with Matter in general, where the standard doesn’t support some of the more advanced features of smart devices, such as auto-unlock. Some manufacturers, such as the Kwikset Halo Select lock I recently tested, require you to choose one or the other.

Outside of the app, you can use the Nuki Keypad 2, included in a bundle with the lock for $229. It’s designed to be mounted outside your door using 3M tape or screws. It supports both PIN codes and fingerprints. The fingerprint reader worked well, though its small surface sometimes required repositioning my finger a couple of times.

I liked the keypad’s tactile rubbery buttons and dedicated key for locking, but it lacks a zero button. This momentarily confounded me since all my go-to codes require a zero. There’s also no backlight, making nighttime use tricky without a porch light.

Nuki sells a door sensor to detect open/closed status, but unlike most locks, it doesn’t come with the sensor; you have to buy it separately for a whopping $59.

I tested the lock over Bluetooth, Thread, and Wi-Fi, and in all cases, it was super responsive, executing commands instantly. As mentioned, the motor is amazingly fast, as you can see in the video. But this means it’s loud, although thankfully only for a second. The LED ring on the knob showed me at a glance whether the door was locked or unlocked (and can be turned off).

Disappointingly, there’s no support for Apple’s Home Key or ultra-wideband unlocking (UWB), a new tech coming to smart locks to enhance the auto-unlocking feature. Nuki says it will release a keypad later this year with UWB and NFC that will be compatible with the new Aliro standard, which should extend Apple’s tap-to-unlock Home Key features to Android phones.

While innovation in full replacement locks has moved fast, retrofit locks have largely lagged behind — as noted, August was the last great option, and we haven’t seen a new model since 2020. It’s unlikely we ever will. August is now part of Yale, and the Yale Approach appears to be August’s successor.

While the Approach is a fine lock, it lacks August’s flair. At $99, it is cheaper than Nuki, so might be more appealing to renters, but it doesn’t support Matter and has a larger footprint, both for the lock and the keypad.

The Nuki is a fantastic lock that I would recommend to anyone who wants a smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock, doesn’t require replacing your existing deadbolt, and lets you keep using your current key — especially if you use it with Matter.

It’s a better option than August, thanks to longer battery life and broader smart home support. Just be sure to have the Matter infrastructure in place to support it, or purchase the lock before the end of September to receive lifetime Nuki cloud access.

As a startup without a large corporation behind it, Nuki is smart to look to secure its future with the ongoing revenue of a subscription. But $6 a month is too high a price to pay for the privilege of unlocking your front door.

Photos and video by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge