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 Level 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
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
✓Editorial verdict
Which Should You Pick: August Home or Level Home?
Pick August Home if you want a retrofit smart lock with native Airbnb code automation and broad smart-home compatibility at a more accessible price point. Pick Level Home if you run 1-10 design-focused listings where an invisible deadbolt and Apple Home Key support materially affect listing quality.
Editorial perspective from the August Home side; factual claims about Level Home 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
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)
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Where August Home and Level Home actually differ
- 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.
- August Smart Lock starts at $149.99, Smart Lock + Connect at $199.99, and Wi-Fi Smart Lock at $229.99; Level Lock+ (Matter) MSRP is $249.99 and Level Lock Pro starts at $349 — Level is meaningfully more expensive at every tier.
- August installs over an existing deadbolt with a visible interior unit and standard keypad accessory (~$59); Level hides all motor and electronics inside the door for an invisible exterior, supporting Apple Home Key via Apple Wallet.
- August integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and SimpliSafe; Level supports Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Walmart InHome Delivery — overlapping but with Level emphasizing Matter-over-Thread and Apple Home Key.
- August offers DoorSense for door-state detection and reliable auto-lock; Level reviewers note auto-lock and door-state detection are less robust than DoorSense-equipped competitors.
Common objections
- Level's invisible deadbolt and Apple Home Key are unique — why settle for August's visible retrofit?
- For boutique and luxury listings where lock aesthetics genuinely affect perceived quality and your guests are Apple-native, Level's hidden form factor is a real differentiator August can't match. But for most STRs, guests don't notice whether a lock looks like a lock — they notice whether their code works at check-in. August's native Airbnb integration auto-generates that code without manual host work; Level requires you to issue PINs manually per reservation. Aesthetics versus automation is the trade-off.
- Both avoid monthly fees — so what actually drives the cost difference?
- August's entry hardware is $149.99 versus Level Lock+'s $249.99 — a $100 per-door gap before accessories. With August's optional ~$59 keypad and Level's optional Keypad accessory, the gap holds. For 5 properties, August's hardware totals are meaningfully lower while delivering native Airbnb code automation that Level doesn't offer at any price. Level's premium only justifies itself if the invisible form factor moves booking economics on your specific listings.
- August's CR123 batteries only last 3-6 months — doesn't Level's Matter-over-Thread design just win on maintenance?
- Level's lower-power Matter-over-Thread architecture does outlast August's CR123 setup, and that's a real maintenance advantage at scale. The counterweight is Level's reportedly weaker auto-lock and door-state detection — meaningful in STR contexts where guests prop doors. August's DoorSense magnetic sensor reliably knows when the door is open or closed and auto-locks accordingly. You're trading quarterly battery swaps for more dependable door-securing behavior.
Keep Digging
August Home
The right smart lock when you can't modify the door exterior
Level Home
Premium aesthetics, but a poor fit when you need PMS-driven access automation