Comparison

Nuki Smart Lock vs Tapkey

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Nuki Smart Lock

Transform your smartphone into a secure digital key for your home. Grant and manage access for family and friends, and monitor who enters and when. Enjoy convenient features like automatic unlocking and locking, with easy DIY installation and smart home integration.

Highlights
  • Turn phone into a key
  • Share access permissions
  • Activity log
  • Auto Unlock/Lock
  • Night Mode
  • Smart Home integration
  • DIY installation
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a key – with Nuki Nuki: The retrofittable, smart door lock. Innovated in Austria – manufactured in Europe. APP REPLACES KEYS Turn your smart devices into keys. With the free Nuki app, you can open your door with your iPhone or your Apple Watch. Open the door with just one click, even remotely. SHARING KEYS Share access permissions with the Nuki app. Simple and secure. You decide who has access. With the activity log you always know who unlocked your door and when. SMART FEATURES Auto Unlock: Your door opens automatically when you come home. Auto Lock: Automatic locking, form maximum security. Night Mode: Activate various safety features during the night. Customize the night mode to your needs. SMART HOME INTEGRATIONS Easy and fast integration into your existing Smart Home. Thanks to Matter Nuki Smart Locks are compatible with most Smart Home systems. Matter ensures an easy and fast integration. EASY DIY INSTALLATION You can install the Nuki Smart Lock yourself within a few minutes. The Nuki app supports you with a step-by-step guide. See if Nuki is compatible with your door here: www.nuki.io/check SMART ACCESSOIRES The Nuki ecosystem offers you a variety of accessoires. Open fast via fingerprint or entry code with the Nuki Keypad 2 or simple and easy via button with the Nuki Fob. No smartphone needed. Get your Smart Lock now directly in our online shop: https://shop.nuki.io/ We’d love to hear from you. If you have questions about Nuki products please contact us at contact@nuki.io, or visit us on social media.

About

Tapkey

Transform your smartphone into a secure digital key for various access points like doors, garages, and cars. Easily manage and grant access to others, and monitor locking activities with high security standards.

Highlights
  • Smartphone as secure key
  • Grant and revoke access
  • Track locking activities
  • NFC and Bluetooth access
  • Register locking devices
  • NFC transponder programming
Features
Read full description

Tapkey turns your smartphone into a super-secure key. Combined with Tapkey-enabled locking devices, the app allows you to open entrance doors, shared office spaces, lockers, garage doors and cars with your smartphone. In addition, you can grant access to others and track locking activities. Access management has never been that easy! FEATURES - Secure sign-on: with your Google Account or Tapkey ID - Register locking devices: with the app - Easy access management: grant and remove access at any time - Keyring: all access authorizations at a glance - Open smart locks: use NFC and/or Bluetooth—no internet connection required - Use NFC transponders: as alternative access medium that can directly be programmed with NFC-enabled smartphones - Check locking activities: in the access log of the Tapkey app - High security standards: comparable to online banking with strong cryptography and firmware updates directly via your smartphone LOCKING DEVICES Tapkey-enabled products can be ordered at https://shop.tapkey.com, Amazon or our partner's dealer network. SUBSCRIPTIONS “Let’s keep it simple” is our motto. That’s why all user packages include the entire range of features. They only differ in the amount of Smartphone Users. These are users with active access permissions for smartphones. You may buy additional NFC Tags, Cards and Stickers any time. User Packages - 25 Smartphone Users - 100 Smartphone Users - 250 Smartphone Users User packages are valid for 1 year and will be renewed automatically, unless the auto-renew function is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The payment will be processed via your iTunes Account. Please refer to your iTunes account settings to manage your subscriptions and how to turn off auto-renewal. Terms and Conditions: https://tapkey.com/en/terms-conditions/

Screenshots

Nuki Smart Lock4 screens
Tapkey4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nuki Smart Lock at 90% against Tapkey's 27%. Nuki Smart Lock also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tapkey sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Nuki Smart Lock asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nuki Smart Lock holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nuki Smart Lock has 518 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Nuki Smart Lock's written reviews are positive against 27% of Tapkey's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nuki Smart Lock ships an update every 3 weeks, Tapkey every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Nuki Smart Lock versus Tapkey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNuki Smart LockTapkey
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (518 ratings) — better1.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews90.2% of reviews — better26.8% of reviews
Number of ratings518 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size298 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNuki Home Solutions GmbHTapkey

Customer experience

Nuki Smart Lock

All ratings514 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews928 reviews
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative6.4%

Tapkey

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive26.8%
Neutral23.2%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Nuki Smart Lock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unreliable geofencing
  • Inconsistent unlock/lock functionality
  • Buggy app updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved battery status monitoring
  • Customizable auto-lock/unlock timers
  • Stronger HomeKit/Alexa integration
  • Ability to create/share access codes

Tapkey

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Nuki Smart Lock

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Tapkey

Subscriptions10
  • 10 Smartphone Users$3.991 Month
  • 25 Smartphone Users$7.991 Month
  • 50 Smartphone Users$14.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 100 Smartphone Users$29.991 Month
  • 150 Smartphone Users$44.991 Month
  • 200 Smartphone Users$59.991 Month
  • 250 Smartphone Users$74.991 Month
  • 25 Smartphone Users$96.991 Year
  • 100 Smartphone Users$349.991 Year
  • 250 Smartphone Users$899.991 Year

Questions

Is Nuki Smart Lock free?
Nuki Smart Lock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tapkey free?
Tapkey is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nuki Smart Lock or Tapkey?
Nuki Smart Lock is rated higher. Nuki Smart Lock averages 4.7 out of 5 from 518 ratings, while Tapkey averages 1.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Nuki Smart Lock or Tapkey have ads?
Neither Nuki Smart Lock nor Tapkey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nuki Smart Lock or Tapkey?
Nuki Smart Lock ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tapkey every 2 months. Most recently, Nuki Smart Lock was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tapkey on October 20, 2026.

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