Schlage Encode vs Yale Assure Lock 2 vs Kwikset Halo: Which to Buy

We install these three locks more than any others, often on the same street. They do the same job in the same hole in the door, and the questions we get are always the same: which one should I buy, and will it work with my keys and my phone? Here is the answer the way we give it at the door.

What do the three locks have in common?

All three are full-replacement deadbolts. The old deadbolt comes off, the new one goes into the same standard door prep, and no drilling is needed on a modern door.

All three have a keypad on the outside, so codes work with no phone and no internet. All three run on four AA batteries in the interior unit. All three can be on your Wi-Fi so you can lock, unlock and manage codes from anywhere.

On a well-aligned door, any of them will serve a San Diego household for years. The differences are in the details, and the details decide which one you should buy.

Where do they differ?

Keyway: which one can share a key with your other doors

This is the difference most buyers miss. Each lock has a key override, and each uses a different cylinder:

• Schlage Encode: Schlage C keyway. It can be keyed alike with every other Schlage lock in the house. More on the family on our Schlage page.
• Yale Assure Lock 2 (keyed): Kwikset-style KW1 keyway. It can share a key with Kwikset doors, not Schlage ones.
• Kwikset Halo: Kwikset SmartKey. It rekeys in a minute with the working key and shares a key with the rest of a Kwikset house. See our Kwikset page.

Walk to your back door and look at the brand stamped on the key or the face of the cylinder. If the house is on Kwikset keys, the Halo or a keyed Yale joins that key. If it is on Schlage, the Encode does. The full keyed-alike picture, including what to do about one mismatched door, is on our service page, and Can a Smart Lock Be Rekeyed? covers the cylinders themselves.

Apple Home Key

Tapping an iPhone or Apple Watch to the lock is a specific feature, not a general Apple Home feature. The Schlage Encode Plus has it. The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus, which is key-free, has it. The standard Kwikset Halo and Halo Touch do not; Kwikset’s Halo Select Plus is the model that adds it. If Home Key is the reason you are buying, the standard Halo is out, and so is the base Encode without the Plus.

Fingerprint

Yale makes the Assure Lock 2 Touch, which adds a fingerprint reader to the keypad. Kwikset makes the Halo Touch, a fingerprint lock with a key override and built-in Wi-Fi but no keypad. Schlage has no fingerprint version of the Encode. A household that wants fingerprint entry is choosing between Yale and Kwikset.

Wi-Fi: built in or added

The Encode and the Halo have Wi-Fi built into the lock. Buy it, install it, connect it to your 2.4 GHz network. The Yale Assure Lock 2 uses a module: a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module for most homes, or other modules for hub-based systems. That is what makes the Yale modular. It is also one more part to buy and one more thing to confirm is in the box. Our Yale page lists the options.

Key-free option

Only Yale sells a version with no keyway at all. Some people prefer the cleaner face; hosts like having no key to lose on a rental door. It also means the only backup when the batteries die is the 9-volt terminals on the bottom of the keypad, so read what to do when a smart lock battery dies before you choose it.

Keypad style

The Encode uses a touchscreen keypad. The Yale comes as a touchscreen or a push-button keypad. The Halo comes as a touchscreen or a push-button keypad as well. Push-button keypads are easier for older hands and for wet fingers after the beach; touchscreens look cleaner and wipe down easily.

Build feel and price

Pick them up. The Schlage is the heaviest of the three, with the most metal in the exterior housing and the interior cover. The Yale and the Kwikset are lighter. That is not a security rating, but it is what you feel every day.

On price, the market typically runs Schlage highest, Kwikset lowest and Yale between, with the Plus and Touch versions of each above the base model. Prices move with sales and generations, so treat that as a tier, not a number. Labor is separate and is on our pricing page.

Side-by-side comparison

Which one should you pick?

Apple household

Schlage Encode Plus or Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus. Take the Schlage for the heaviest lock and a Schlage keyway, the Yale Plus for a key-free door. New builds in Carmel Valley take an Encode Plus in under an hour because the door prep is standard and the doors are usually well aligned.

Google or Alexa household

Schlage Encode or Kwikset Halo. Both have Wi-Fi built in, so there is no module to buy. The Yale works too once its Wi-Fi module is in. Confirm the current integration list for the exact model before you order.

Vacation rental host

Yale Assure Lock 2 with the Wi-Fi module, key-free if you never want a keyway on a rental door. The Encode is the alternative if you want a keyway that matches the owner’s closet. Our Airbnb and vacation rental page covers guest codes and host tools.

A house already on Kwikset keys

Kwikset Halo. We rekey its SmartKey cylinder to your existing key in minutes, and every door stays on one key. A keyed Yale does the same with its KW1 cylinder. Tract homes across Chula Vista, including Eastlake and Otay Ranch, usually came with Kwikset builder hardware, which makes the Halo the natural fit there.

A condo where the HOA restricts the exterior finish

Match the finish first, then choose the lock. All three come in satin nickel and a dark bronze, and Schlage and Kwikset both offer matte black; check the current finish list for the exact model. The key-free Yale has the slimmest exterior. If the rules forbid keypads altogether, none of these three will pass and a retrofit is the answer. See HOA and condo lock rules.

A budget install

Kwikset Halo. It is typically the least expensive of the three, it has built-in Wi-Fi, and the SmartKey cylinder makes a future rekey quick. Lighter than the Schlage, but on an aligned door it does the job.

A household that wants fingerprint

Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch for fingerprint plus a keypad and the Yale modules. Kwikset Halo Touch for fingerprint and a key with built-in Wi-Fi at a lower typical price, with no keypad. There is no Schlage option.

Our pick by situation

• Apple household: Schlage Encode Plus, or Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus for key-free.
• Google or Alexa household: Schlage Encode or Kwikset Halo.
• Vacation rental: Yale Assure Lock 2 with the Wi-Fi module.
• Already on Kwikset keys: Kwikset Halo.
• HOA finish rules: whichever of the three comes in the approved finish; key-free Yale for the slimmest face.
• Budget: Kwikset Halo.
• Fingerprint: Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch or Kwikset Halo Touch.
• Heaviest lock, no other preference: Schlage Encode.

Next step

The lock matters less than the door. Before we open the box we check that the bolt throws freely with the door closed, that your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi reaches the front door, and that the door matches a standard prep. Then we install, pair, set codes and rekey the override to your house key in one visit. That is our smart lock installation service, and it is the same for all three brands.

Bring us the lock you chose or let us supply it. Brand pages for each: Schlage, Yale and Kwikset. If none of the three is quite right, the smart lock brands page covers August, Level, Ultraloq and the rest, and Best Smart Locks for San Diego Homes gives our wider picks by use case.