Published 2026-10-03 · 12 min read

SwitchBot vs Schlage for Landlords (2026): Retrofit Lock vs Keypad Deadbolt for Rental Property

Affiliate disclosure: we're a SwitchBot affiliate through CJ — buying through our SwitchBot links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Schlage is discussed here for comparison only; it is not an affiliate recommendation. Read our full affiliate disclosure for how that works.

Two different lock companies want the front door of your rental. SwitchBot — the retrofit gadget specialist — bolts intelligence onto the deadbolt you already own, and now sells biometric locks that read your tenant's face. Schlage — the century-old lock institution — builds its smarts straight into a keypad deadbolt, with the Encode line that landlords have been standardizing on for years.

The landlord question is narrower than the tech question: which lock kills the $75–$150 locksmith rekey at every turnover, survives tenants who never read the manual, and doesn't turn you into unpaid tech support? Here's the full comparison with pricing as of fall 2026.

The quick answer

Pick SwitchBot if you want the lowest per-door cost for keypad-first access, you like a retrofit install you can remove in minutes, or you want biometric unlock (face, palm vein, fingerprint) at a price ($169.99–$229.99) that undercuts Schlage's flagship Encode Plus. The SwitchBot Lock Pro at $119.99 plus keypad options gives you tenant codes without replacing a single deadbolt.

Pick Schlage Encode if you want the recognizable American lock brand tenants already trust, a full keypad deadbolt replacement built for decades of duty, Apple Home keys support on the Encode Plus, and a company with a nationwide locksmith and support ecosystem. It costs more per door — street pricing typically $200–$330 depending on model and finish — but you buy it once and forget it.

Pricing snapshot (fall 2026 — confirm on each product's page before buying):

Prices are SwitchBot's US storefront figures plus widely observed US retail street pricing for Schlage; prices move frequently — verify on each product's page before buying.

Who each company is

Schlage is the lock brand your tenants' grandparents had on their doors. Founded in 1920 and now part of Allegion, Schlage builds the deadbolts that come stock on millions of American homes. The Encode line is its connected keypad deadbolt: a full deadbolt replacement with a touchscreen keypad outside, built-in WiFi, and remote management through the Schlage Home app. The Encode Plus adds Apple HomeKit integration including Apple home keys — tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock.

SwitchBot is the opposite: a young company that started by making dumb things smart — a little mechanical "Bot" that presses physical buttons. It applied that retrofit-first thinking to locks: the Lock Pro mounts on the inside of the door over your existing deadbolt (screws or adhesive), keeping the keyway and exterior untouched. The newer Lock Vision line goes further, replacing the deadbolt outright and adding 3D structured-light facial recognition, palm-vein scanning (Vision Pro), and fingerprint unlock.

Install: retrofit vs full replacement

This is the fundamental fork in the road, and it determines your turnover workflow.

• SwitchBot Lock Pro: a retrofit over the existing interior deadbolt — about a 10–15 minute screwdriver job, no drilling, no new holes. The exterior of the door, the keyway, and the finish all stay exactly as they are. When a lock fails or you want to standardize on a different system later, it unscrews and the original deadbolt is still there.
• SwitchBot Lock Vision / Vision Pro: these replace the deadbolt rather than retrofit it — a full hardware swap, like Schlage. They are the pick for a renovation or turnover where you're refreshing hardware anyway.
• Schlage Encode / Encode Plus: a full keypad deadbolt replacement. You remove the old deadbolt entirely and install the Schlage unit — new exterior keypad, new interior unit. It's a 20–30 minute job on a standard residential door (fits 1-3/8" to 1-3/4" doors, adjustable 2-3/8" or 2-3/4" backset), and after that the door is Schlage's ecosystem.

Landlord edge: SwitchBot for the fastest, most reversible install — nothing about the door changes, so there's nothing to repair when a tenant moves out. Schlage when you want a single, tamper-resistant keypad deadbolt that looks permanent and professional on the exterior, which matters for curb appeal and for buildings where the door hardware gets daily abuse.

Access codes and the tenant experience

Both brands end the rekey, but they hand out access differently.

Schlage Encode gives tenants a touchscreen keypad on the door itself — no phone required, no app required. Through the Schlage Home app you can manage up to 100 access codes per lock, schedule codes (e.g., a cleaner's code active only Fridays 9–12), view lock history, and get push notifications. The physical key still works. The Encode Plus adds Apple home keys: an iPhone or Apple Watch tap unlocks the door, which is genuinely convenient for the iPhone-heavy rental demographic.

SwitchBot spreads access across more methods: the physical key (on retrofit models), NFC tags, keypad codes (Keypad Touch), fingerprint unlock, app control, Siri, geofencing, and — on the Vision line — palm-vein and 3D facial recognition. The Vision Pro's palm-vein unlock works with wet or dirty hands and without touching the lock, which is a real upgrade for tradespeople access. Biometric data is stored on-device, not in the cloud — a privacy point worth mentioning to tenants.

The rental-critical difference: Schlage works for the tenant with a flip phone. Everything a tenant needs is on the door. SwitchBot's basic code entry needs the keypad add-on ($169.99 combo), and its fancier unlock methods need the app or a face registered in the system — which means you or the tenant has to set that up at move-in.

Landlord edge: Schlage for the least tech-dependent tenant experience — a code on a keypad is the simplest interface ever shipped. SwitchBot for more unlock options and biometrics, at the cost of a little more setup per tenancy.

Remote management at scale

Managing codes across multiple doors from your couch is the whole point, and both brands do it — with different ecosystems.

• Schlage Home app: manage up to 100 access codes per lock, view lock history, receive customizable notifications, control multiple locks, and set schedules. Built-in WiFi means no hub or bridge on the Encode line. Alexa and Google Assistant voice control work through the app.
• SwitchBot app: control locks, issue codes, and monitor from anywhere; the same app also runs SwitchBot's sensors, hubs, doorbells, and curtain motors. If you outfit a unit with a Lock Pro, a doorbell camera, and a water-leak sensor, it's all one dashboard. The Hub Mini adds Matter support on the newest lines.

If you only ever plan to buy locks, Schlage's app is the more focused tool. If you're building a connected unit — entry, sensing, automation — SwitchBot's single-ecosystem approach is the cheaper way to get there.

The turnover workflow: where landlords actually save time

The lock's purchase price is a one-time cost. The rekey workflow is a cost you pay every turnover, forever — so it deserves its own section.

Schlage's turnover: open the Schlage Home app, delete the old tenant's code, create a new one for the new tenant, done — takes about two minutes and you never touch the door. For contractors, schedule a temporary code with an expiration (e.g., cleaner, Fridays 9–12) and it dies on its own. The built-in WiFi means remote code changes work with no hub, as long as the property has internet. The gotcha: if the unit sits vacant with no WiFi, you're changing codes on the keypad in person — which is still faster than a locksmith, but not remote.

SwitchBot's turnover: open the SwitchBot app, revoke the old tenant's codes, fingerprints, or face registrations, issue new ones — also a two-minute job. The Lock Pro + Keypad Touch combo shines here: no physical key handoff at all, just text the new tenant their code. The Vision line adds a wrinkle — if a departing tenant registered their face, delete that registration at move-out; biometrics don't expire like codes do, so make "remove biometric registrations" a written checklist step alongside "return keys."

Either way, the written checklist matters more than the app: code revocation only works if it's a mandatory move-out step, same as collecting keys. Put it in your lease turnover procedure, not just your head.

Battery life and maintenance

• Schlage Encode Plus: 4 AA batteries (included), rated up to six months of typical use, with low-battery warnings on the lock touchscreen and in the app. Standard AA cells mean any handyman can swap them — no proprietary chargers to lose.
• SwitchBot Lock Vision: 12-month rated battery life from a rechargeable 10,000mAh battery, with a CR123A backup rated for years in standby plus a USB-C emergency port — triple-layer backup designed to prevent lockouts. The Lock Pro lists optional dual rechargeable power packs ($19.99).

Build battery checks into your seasonal maintenance routine either way. At scale, standardize on one battery strategy across all doors so your handyman isn't carrying two systems.

Landlord edge: Schlage for dead-simple battery maintenance — 4 AAs from any store. SwitchBot Vision for longer stated life and lockout-proofing if you're willing to manage rechargeables.

Security and durability

Schlage's Encode line carries the industry certifications that matter for liability and habitability conversations: ANSI/BHMA Grade AAA in residential Security, Durability, and Finish (the Encode Plus also meets Commercial Grade 1), plus a built-in alarm for door movement and forced-entry attempts, a fingerprint-resistant touchscreen, and a limited lifetime mechanical/finish warranty with a 3-year electronics warranty. This is the brand your liability carrier has heard of.

SwitchBot's Lock Pro uses an aluminum alloy body with a physical quick-lock button and manual thumb-turn override; the Vision Pro adds on-device biometric storage. SwitchBot is newer to locks and doesn't carry the same legacy of BHMA certifications on every SKU — its warranty and certification story is thinner than Schlage's. For a high-turnover building in a rough neighborhood, the certification paper trail matters; for a quiet single-family rental, it matters less.

The per-door math for landlords

Take a 5-door portfolio standardizing on keypad-first access:

• SwitchBot Lock Pro + Keypad Touch combos: ~$170/door = ~$850 total.
• Schlage Encode at street pricing: ~$200–$300/door = ~$1,000–$1,500 total.
• Schlage Encode Plus: ~$300–$330/door = ~$1,500–$1,650 total.

Even one avoided locksmith rekey per door per year (~$75–$150 each) covers either brand's hardware within a year or two. Both brands hit payback. SwitchBot just gets you there for less upfront and offers the biometric step-up at $170–$230, while Schlage charges the premium for the brand, the certifications, and the one-keypad-on-the-door simplicity.

Verdict: which lock for which landlord

Choose SwitchBot Lock Pro (+ keypad combo) if: you want the lowest all-in cost per door, you want a retrofit install that's reversible in minutes, you like the idea of one app covering locks plus sensors and doorbells, or you want biometric unlock at a sane price. Start with one SwitchBot Lock Pro + Keypad Touch combo on your highest-turnover unit and standardize if the code workflow sticks.

Choose SwitchBot Lock Vision / Vision Pro if: you're refreshing hardware anyway and want face or palm-vein unlock — the most tenant-friendly unlock methods in this comparison, at prices Schlage's biometric-free line can't touch.

Choose Schlage Encode if: you want the trusted American lock brand, the simplest possible tenant interface (keypad on the door, no app needed), BHMA certifications for your records, and a support ecosystem that any locksmith understands.

Choose Schlage Encode Plus if: your tenants skew iPhone, Apple home keys tap-to-unlock is a real amenity differentiator, and you're willing to pay the premium for the best-connected keypad deadbolt in the mainstream market.

For more on securing your rentals, see our best smart locks for rental property roundup, our rental property security guide, the August vs Schlage comparison, the SwitchBot vs August comparison, the August vs Kwikset comparison, and our video doorbell camera guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can tenants use these locks without a smartphone?

Yes for both, as long as there's a keypad. Schlage's keypad is built into the door — the whole point of the Encode line. SwitchBot needs the Keypad Touch add-on ($169.99 combo). Physical keys keep working on both brands' keyed models, so no tenant is ever app-locked-out.

Which is cheaper for a full portfolio: SwitchBot or Schlage?

On fall-2026 pricing, SwitchBot is cheaper: the Lock Pro + Keypad Touch combo is $169.99 while Schlage Encode models run ~$200–$330 street per door. Prices move frequently — confirm current pricing on each product's page before buying.

Do either of these locks require a monthly subscription?

No. Neither SwitchBot nor Schlage charges a subscription for remote locking, code management, or notifications.

How do I handle lock codes when a tenant moves out?

Delete the old tenant's codes in the app and issue fresh ones to the new tenant. Both brands support per-lock code management and lock history. Make revoking old access a mandatory written step in your move-out checklist — the feature only works if you actually use it.

Which one is easier to install on a rental door?

SwitchBot Lock Pro — it's a 10–15 minute retrofit over the existing deadbolt with no drilling and no exterior change. Schlage Encode is a full deadbolt replacement (20–30 minutes, screwdriver only, standard residential doors), and the old deadbolt is gone when you're done.

Will these locks keep working if the WiFi goes out?

Yes — keypad codes and the physical key work offline on both brands. Only remote management (changing codes from your couch, push notifications) needs the internet connection.

Which brand should I pick if tenants are hard on doors?

Schlage. Its Encode line carries ANSI/BHMA Grade AAA certifications, a built-in tamper alarm, and a limited lifetime mechanical warranty — the certification paper trail and the brand's decades of commercial-grade hardware matter when doors take abuse.

General information only: this article is for educational purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Prices change frequently — verify current pricing on each product's page before you buy. Check your state and local laws before changing locks or lock-access policies at a rental.