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 Aqara
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Smart Locks
Aqara
Smart-home hardware with guest-friendly locks for short-term rentals
Best for Small Hosts
Affordable, ecosystem-friendly smart locks for hands-on small-portfolio hosts
From $169 • No free trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which Should You Pick: August Home or Aqara?
Pick August Home if you can't modify the door exterior, want a reversible 10-minute retrofit over the existing deadbolt, and need native Airbnb code automation that aqara doesn't ship. Pick Aqara if you already live in Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, or Home Assistant and want a biometric-capable lock at a lower hardware floor with no recurring software fee.
Editorial perspective from the August Home side; factual claims about Aqara 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
Aqara
Full pricing →From $169 • No free trial
Smart Lock U200
$169.99 one-time
- Apple HomeKit-focused smart deadbolt for US & Europe
- Remote and time-bound passcode support via Aqara Home app
Smart Lock U100
$189.99 one-time
- Biometric keypad deadbolt
- Up to 50 fingerprint slots managed via Aqara Home
Smart Lock U400
$269.99 one-time
- Premium deadbolt SKU listed in Aqara US storefront
- Multi-method entry (code, fingerprint, app)
Hub M3
$129.99 one-time
- Multi-protocol Matter / Thread / Zigbee hub
- Bridges Aqara devices to Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant, IFTTT
What 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 Aqara does well
Strong cross-ecosystem compatibility via Matter, Thread, and Zigbee
Aqara hubs and locks plug into all four major US smart-home ecosystems plus Home Assistant. The Amazon listing for the Hub M3 lists support for Apple HomeKit, Alexa, SmartThings, Home Assistant, and IFTTT.
One-time hardware cost, no subscription required
Unlike RemoteLock or igloohome's cloud tiers, Aqara devices work locally through a hub with no mandatory monthly cloud fee for owner use, which compounds well over years of ownership.
Purpose-built guest-access features in lock firmware
Aqara locks support one-time and time-bound passcodes plus up to 50 fingerprints managed remotely from the Aqara Home app, fitting short-stay turnover without a PMS round-trip.
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 Aqara falls short
No native PMS integration
Aqara has no documented native integration with Hostaway, Guesty, Lodgify, OwnerRez, or Hospitable. Hosts must rotate codes manually, use Apple/Google automations, or layer third-party lock middleware.
Hub-dependent for full functionality
Most Aqara devices are Zigbee 3.0 and require an Aqara hub for remote control, adding a $129.99+ per-property capex line and a single point of failure that owners of one-bedroom condos may find heavy-handed.
Mixed user reviews vs. competitors
On consumer aggregator Knoji on 2026-04-25, Aqara scored 3.9/5 versus Eufy's 4.7/5. Operators should weigh that gap against Aqara's lower price point.
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 Aqara if
Hands-on hosts of 1–10 doors who already run an Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, or SmartThings ecosystem and want affordable Matter/Zigbee locks that issue one-time guest codes.
Skip Aqara if
You manage 30+ doors and need turnkey, audit-logged, PMS-synced lock automation — look at RemoteLock or August/Yale paired with Operto instead.
Where August Home and Aqara actually differ
- August has a native Airbnb integration that auto-generates per-reservation guest codes; aqara has no native Airbnb or PMS integration documented as of 2026-04-25.
- August installs as a reversible retrofit over the existing deadbolt and preserves the original physical key; aqara locks (U100/U200/U400) are full deadbolt replacements.
- Aqara Smart Lock U100 includes a biometric keypad with up to 50 fingerprint slots at $189.99; August has no biometric option and sells its external keypad separately at ~$59 on top of the $149.99–$229.99 lock.
- August's Wi-Fi Smart Lock at $229.99 has built-in Wi-Fi with no separate bridge required; aqara requires a Hub M3 (~$129.99) per property for full remote functionality on most devices.
- Aqara works natively with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant, and IFTTT via Matter/Thread/Zigbee; August covers Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe but has no documented Home Assistant integration.
Common objections
- Aqara's U100 has 50 fingerprint slots and August has no biometric option — isn't biometric entry a meaningful operational win?
- For hosts who genuinely use fingerprint entry — owners, cleaners, repeat guests — yes, aqara's U100 delivers a capability August can't match at any price. But for transient STR guests who book once and leave, fingerprint enrollment isn't practical, and the workflow defaults back to PIN codes anyway. August's native Airbnb integration auto-generates those codes per reservation without manual host work; aqara requires you to issue and rotate codes through Aqara Home or smart-home routines. Biometric entry matters more for owner/staff workflow than guest turnover.
- Aqara has no monthly fee and starts at $169.99 — isn't that just better value than August's $149.99–$229.99 plus $59 keypad?
- On hardware alone, aqara's U200 at $169.99 is competitive with August's $149.99 entry, but aqara typically requires a $129.99 Hub M3 per property for full remote functionality — pushing single-lock single-property cost to ~$300 versus August Wi-Fi Smart Lock at $229.99 with built-in Wi-Fi. The aqara math improves if you already own a hub or run multiple aqara devices per property sharing one hub. For lock-only single-property deployments, August is cheaper; for multi-device aqara ecosystems, the hub amortizes.
- Aqara works with Home Assistant and IFTTT and August doesn't — isn't August's smart-home coverage actually narrower?
- On Home Assistant and IFTTT depth, yes — aqara wins for hosts building automations beyond what consumer ecosystems offer out of the box. August covers Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe natively, which handles the dominant consumer ecosystems but not Home Assistant. The honest split is whether you're orchestrating advanced automations (aqara fits better) or you want plug-and-play voice control plus native Airbnb code automation (August fits better).
Keep Digging
August Home
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior
Aqara
Affordable, ecosystem-friendly smart locks for hands-on small-portfolio hosts