Softwr

Smart Home · head to head

August Smart Lock vs Rachio Pro

August Smart Lock logo

August Smart Lock

Smart Home

Smart locks that work with your existing deadbolt

From
$29.99/mo
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rachio Pro logo

Rachio Pro

Smart Home

Contractor platform and Pro Series controllers for managing client irrigation across many properties

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: August Smart Lock one-time purchase model with no recurring subscription fees; Rachio Pro it is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • They diverge on capability: August Smart Lock covers Retrofit Design, Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which August Smart Lock and Rachio Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where August Smart Lock and Rachio Pro differ
AttributeAugust Smart LockRachio Pro
Starting price$29.99/mo$10/month
Pricing modelone-timeOne-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription
PlatformsIOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Smart Home).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in August Smart Lock

  • Retrofit Design
  • Auto-Unlock
  • Guest Access
  • Activity Log
  • Alexa
  • Google Home
  • HomeKit
  • SmartThings

Only in Rachio Pro

  • Pro Series controllers
  • Business accounts
  • Pro Properties dashboard
  • Wire fault diagnostics
  • Weather-based skipping
  • Flow monitoring
  • Cellular Connect

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

August Smart Lock

  • Keyless entrynot Rachio Pro
  • Guest accessnot Rachio Pro
  • Remote unlocknot Rachio Pro
  • Activity monitoringnot Rachio Pro

Rachio Pro

  • An irrigation contractor servicing a hundred residential clients who needs alerts rather than scheduled site visitsnot August Smart Lock
  • A landscape company that keeps client controller access when a technician resignsnot August Smart Lock
  • A property manager with several light commercial sites wanting leak detection before the water bill arrivesnot August Smart Lock
  • A contractor installing at a site with no reliable Wi-Fi who needs a cellular fallbacknot August Smart Lock

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

August Smart Lock

  • One-time purchase model with no recurring subscription fees
  • Smart locks range from $129.99 to $229.99 depending on model and features

Rachio Pro

  • It is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • The Pro Series waters identically to the consumer Gen 3; the premium buys enclosure, warranty and diagnostics rather than better irrigation, which is a hard sell to a price-driven client.
  • It is residential and light commercial in scale, with no realistic capability for municipal parks, sports fields or agricultural blocks where flow-based mainline shutdown and two-wire decoders are expected.
  • Everything depends on Rachio's cloud; if the service is down or the account lapses, the controller falls back to a basic local schedule and the contractor loses the remote visibility they sold.
  • North America is the real market, so weather data quality, distributor availability and support outside the United States and Canada are materially worse than the product itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

August Smart Lock

$29.99/mo
  • Smart Lock$149.99/mo
    • Standard smart lock
  • Yale Approach Lock with Wi-Fi$129.99/mo
    • Wi-Fi enabled
  • Wi-Fi Smart Lock$229.99/mo
    • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Smart Lock + Connect$210.99/mo
    • Lock plus connectivity module

Rachio Pro

$10/month
  • Pro Series controller$undefined/one-time
    • Sold through irrigation distributors, not retail
    • Four year warranty
    • Wire fault diagnostics included
  • Pro business account$undefined/month
    • No separate charge for the contractor dashboard and role management
    • Business-level ownership of client properties
    • Alerts, weather skips and flow anomalies across all sites
  • Cellular Connect$10/month
    • Around $389 for the hardware
    • First year of service included
    • $10 per month for one carrier, $15 for all three

Which should you pick?

Choose August Smart Lock if

  • You need retrofit design.
  • You work on IOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want auto-unlock.
August Smart Lock review

Choose Rachio Pro if

  • You need pro series controllers.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.
Rachio Pro review

Questions people ask

Is August Smart Lock or Rachio Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. August Smart Lock starts at $29.99/mo and Rachio Pro at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, August Smart Lock or Rachio Pro?
August Smart Lock starts at $29.99/mo and Rachio Pro at $10/month.
Does August Smart Lock or Rachio Pro run on more platforms?
August Smart Lock runs on IOS, Android, Web. Rachio Pro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is August Smart Lock best used for?
August Smart Lock is most often used for keyless entry, guest access, remote unlock, activity monitoring. Of those, keyless entry and guest access are not what Rachio Pro is typically brought in for.
What can August Smart Lock do that Rachio Pro cannot?
August Smart Lock covers Retrofit Design, Auto-Unlock, Guest Access, Activity Log. Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers, Business accounts, Pro Properties dashboard, Wire fault diagnostics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

August Smart Lock: How much do August smart locks cost?

August smart locks are one-time purchases. Prices range from $129.99 for the Yale Approach Lock with Wi-Fi to $229.99 for the Wi-Fi Smart Lock. Standard Smart Lock is $149.99. Bundles like Wi-Fi Smart Lock + Keypad Touch are $249.99.

Source
Rachio Pro: Is Rachio Pro a different product from Rachio?

It is the trade channel: Pro Series controllers sold through irrigation distributors plus a business account with company-level ownership of client properties. The irrigation logic is the same.

August Smart Lock: Does August offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes. August offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases. Additionally, shipping is free in the United States.

Source
Rachio Pro: Does the Pro business account cost anything?

The contractor dashboard and role management are not separately charged. The costs are hardware and, where needed, cellular service.

Rachio Pro: What if a client site has no Wi-Fi?

Cellular Connect is around $389 of hardware with the first year included, then about $10 a month for a single carrier or $15 for access to all three.

Rachio Pro: Can I use it on a municipal park or sports field?

Not realistically. It lacks the two-wire decoder support and flow-based mainline shutdown that public landscape specifications generally require.

Share

Related pages

More on August Smart Lock

More on Rachio Pro

Keep looking

Other head to heads