Schlage Sense Pro vs. Encode Plus: Is Hands-Free Unlocking Worth $70?

Updated August 2026

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The Schlage Sense Pro and Encode Plus are both premium smart locks built with Apple users in mind, but the Sense Pro takes a different approach to getting you through the door.

With the Encode Plus, you tap a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch against the lock using Apple Home Key.

With the Sense Pro, you can skip the tap. Its Ultra Wideband technology can recognize an authorized device approaching the door and unlock automatically. It also adds Matter over Thread, supports more access codes and eliminates the traditional key cylinder in favor of USB-C emergency power.

Schlage currently prices the Sense Pro at $399 and the Encode Plus at $329.

The Sense Pro is the more advanced lock. That doesn't automatically make it the better buy.

For most Apple households, we still think the Encode Plus hits the better balance of convenience, price and proven hardware. The Sense Pro makes sense if hands-free entry is something you'll appreciate every day and you already have the Apple hardware needed to use it.

Specifications and pricing checked in August 2026.

Mostly, it buys hands-free unlocking.

The Encode Plus already supports Apple Home Key. Hold an iPhone or Apple Watch near the lock and it unlocks without opening the Schlage app or entering a PIN. Apple's Express Mode can also let a Home Key work without authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode first.

Sense Pro goes one step further.

Schlage's Converge technology uses Ultra Wideband to measure the position, direction and movement of an authorized iPhone or Apple Watch. The goal is to determine whether you're actually approaching the door rather than simply standing nearby.

When it's set up for automatic entry, you approach the door and the lock opens without requiring a tap.

That's the feature you're paying for.

The rest of the Sense Pro's upgrades are worth understanding, but hands-free access is the one most likely to change how you use the lock every day.

Owning an iPhone isn't enough.

For Sense Pro's hands-free Home Key feature, Schlage currently requires an iPhone 11 or later running iOS 18.5 or newer, excluding the second- and third-generation iPhone SE and iPhone 16e.

For Apple Watch, you'll need a Series 6 or newer running watchOS 11.5 or later, with the Apple Watch SE excluded.

Regular tap-to-unlock Home Key works with older hardware: Schlage lists iPhone XS and later and Apple Watch Series 4 and later with the required software.

Check your phone and watch before paying extra for the Sense Pro. The premium is harder to justify if your current devices can't use its headline feature.

Sense Pro requires a compatible Thread-enabled home hub for Apple hands-free unlocking.

Schlage currently lists supported Apple hubs including:

The hub must also be running current software.

If you already have one, no problem.

If you don't, the practical cost difference between the Sense Pro and Encode Plus is more than $70.

Sense Pro can still use its keypad and Schlage Home features without relying on the Apple hands-free setup. The hub requirement specifically matters if hands-free Home Key is the reason you're considering the upgrade.

This is the other difference we'd think carefully about.

The Encode Plus has a traditional Schlage key cylinder and includes a physical backup key.

Sense Pro has no keyway.

Schlage points out that eliminating the cylinder also eliminates something that can be bumped or picked. If the AA batteries die, there's a USB-C port on the exterior that can supply temporary power so you can operate the lock.

We don't consider the lack of a keyway inherently good or bad.

Some people will like removing the mechanical cylinder altogether. Others will prefer knowing that a physical key can still open the door regardless of electronics.

That's a personal preference, but it's an important one. Once the Sense Pro is installed, USB-C is your emergency-power plan rather than a backup key.

This deserves more attention than it will probably get on a retail product page.

The Encode Plus carries an ANSI/BHMA AAA residential rating for security, durability and finish, along with an ANSI/BHMA Commercial Grade 1 rating.

The Sense Pro is rated BAA and Commercial Grade 2.

BHMA's three residential letters represent security, durability and finish, in that order. That means the Sense Pro receives a B for security while the Encode Plus receives an A.

We wouldn't turn that into a claim that the Sense Pro is unsafe. Schlage still positions it as an exterior residential deadbolt, and the key-free design removes the conventional lock cylinder as an attack point.

But the published ratings are what they are.

The $399 Sense Pro has more technology. The $329 Encode Plus has the stronger certification on paper.

Sense Pro is Schlage's first smart lock to support Matter over Thread.

Thread is a low-power mesh networking technology, while Matter is designed to let compatible smart-home products work across ecosystems more consistently.

For someone building a Matter-based smart home today, that's a legitimate advantage. Schlage also says Thread can provide more efficient connectivity than Wi-Fi and allow compatible Matter-over-Thread devices to continue communicating locally during a Wi-Fi outage.

We wouldn't replace a working Encode Plus just to get it.

Matter makes the Sense Pro more forward-looking. It doesn't make the Encode Plus obsolete.

Sense Pro supports up to 250 custom access codes through the Schlage Home app. The Encode Plus supports up to 100.

For a typical household, either is plenty.

The higher limit is useful if you manage a large number of temporary users, but it wouldn't influence our decision for a normal front door.

Sense Pro doesn't become useless without an internet connection.

Schlage says hands-free unlocking, keypad access and nearby Schlage Home app control over Bluetooth remain available during a power or Wi-Fi outage.

The same basic principle applies to the Encode Plus: the lock itself is battery powered, and stored keypad credentials don't depend on an active internet connection just to open the door.

Remote control is another matter. If the home's internet connection is down, you obviously lose internet-based remote access until it comes back.

We would not choose the Sense Pro specifically for Airbnb today.

Here's why.

Schlage's current Sense Pro comparison material shows Airbnb compatibility.

Airbnb's own current compatibility page lists the Schlage Encode Plus, Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt and Encode Smart WiFi Lever. It does not list Sense Pro.

Schlage currently markets Sense Pro as working with Airbnb, but Airbnb's own compatibility documentation did not list Sense Pro when we checked in August 2026. If native Airbnb integration is important, confirm current support before buying.

That conflict may simply reflect documentation catching up with a newly released product, but we wouldn't assume that when spending $399.

The Encode Plus has confirmed native Airbnb support today. Airbnb can automatically generate and distribute unique guest codes when a compatible lock is connected to a listing.

For a dedicated rental property, we'd actually consider the less expensive standard Schlage Encode before either of these locks.

Related: Best Smart Locks for Airbnb and Rental Properties in 2026

Related: Schlage Encode vs. Encode Plus: Which Smart Lock Should You Buy?

Android users can manage Sense Pro through the Schlage Home app, including remote lock controls and access-code management.

The hands-free feature we're discussing here launched around Apple Home Key.

Schlage says Sense Pro is designed to support the Aliro standard and expects compatible Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet digital keys after certification.

We wouldn't make a purchase based on that future support.

If you're buying today, judge the lock on the features available today.

For most Apple users, Encode Plus.

It already gives you Home Key, built-in Wi-Fi, remote management, keypad entry, a physical backup key and a stronger published BHMA rating for $70 less.

Sense Pro becomes the better choice for a narrower group.

Buy the Sense Pro if you have compatible Apple hardware, already have the required home hub and specifically want the door to unlock as you approach it. Matter over Thread and the key-free design are additional reasons, but hands-free entry is the feature that justifies the price.

Buy the Encode Plus if tapping your phone or watch isn't much of an inconvenience, you prefer a physical backup key or you'd simply rather spend $329 than $399.

We wouldn't upgrade a working Encode Plus to Sense Pro.

Buying new is a closer call.

Yes. Sense Pro supports both tap-to-unlock Apple Home Key and hands-free unlocking on compatible Apple devices.

Hands-free Apple Home Key requires a compatible Thread-enabled home hub. Supported options include certain Apple TV 4K models, the second-generation HomePod and HomePod mini.

No. Sense Pro is key-free. If its AA batteries are depleted, an exterior USB-C port can provide temporary power.

Not according to the published BHMA grades. Sense Pro carries a BAA residential rating and Grade 2 commercial rating, while Encode Plus carries AAA and Grade 1 ratings. Sense Pro does eliminate the physical key cylinder, however.

Yes. Schlage says hands-free unlocking, keypad access and nearby Bluetooth app access remain available during a Wi-Fi outage.

Schlage currently shows Airbnb compatibility for Sense Pro, while Airbnb's own supported-lock list does not currently include it. If Airbnb integration is important to your purchase, verify support before ordering.

We reviewed Schlage's current product specifications, Apple compatibility requirements, BHMA ratings, Matter and Thread documentation, and Airbnb's current supported-lock list. Pricing and compatibility were checked in August 2026.

Because the Sense Pro is a new product, we gave more weight to features and integrations that are available now than to capabilities Schlage expects to add later.

The Sense Pro is the more ambitious lock.

The Encode Plus is still the easier one to recommend.