Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Botslab vs Lockin
Where Botslab and Lockin differ
| Compare | Botslab ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | Lockin ReviewVisitVisit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €33.99 | $129.99 |
| Monitoring per month | €0 | $0 |
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Smart lock, Video doorbell |
| Cloud plan per month | €0 | $0 |
| Free features | No monthly fee with local storage | AI detection, video, remote access and app control with no fee |
| Top resolution | 4k | 2k |
Same on both: Minimum contract (0 months), Professional monitoring (No), Local storage (Yes), Money-back period (30 days), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Botslab scores higher overall: 9.2 vs 9.0.
- Products: only Botslab offers Camera.
- Products: only Lockin offers Smart lock.
- Support channels: only Botslab offers Community.
- Ecosystems: only Lockin offers Homekit, Matter, Smartthings.
Our verdict on each
Botslab
Botslab suits households that want cameras and a video doorbell recording to local storage, with monthly monitoring listed at €0 and an entry price of €33.99. The trade-off is that professional monitoring is not part of the package, so anyone wanting an alarm watched by a call centre should look elsewhere.
Lockin
Lockin suits people who want a lock and a video doorbell with no running fees. The range starts at $129.99, with cloud and monitoring both at $0. Expect US only, a 0 months commitment, and no one watching your alarms.
Score breakdown
| Area | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.4HigherMonitoring is €0 and the contract term is 0 months, with entry hardware at €33.99. | 9.2Entry price of $129.99 with cloud plan of $0 and monitoring of $0 keep running cost at nil. |
| Offer | 9.1HigherNo subscription attaches to local recording, and camera and video doorbell sit in one range at a 4k recording level. | 9.0Range covers smart lock and video doorbell on a diy model, with video kept on the device and detection. |
| Trust | 9.1HigherRun by Smart Network Co. Limited, with support through email, phone and help centre and a 30 days returns window. | 8.8Founded 2014, Matter certified, US market, warranty of 1 year and 30 day returns. |
Positions in our rankings
| Ranking | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Video doorbells | 15 of 54 | 7 of 54 |
Feature by feature
| Products | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Yes | No |
| Smart lock | No | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy |
| Power source | Battery, Solar | Battery, Solar |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google | Alexa, Google, Homekit, Matter, SmartthingsCovers more |
| Legal entity | Smart Network Co. Limited | Not confirmed |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2014 |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more | Email, Phone, Help centre |
Smart home devices
| Fact | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Not confirmed | $129.99 |
| Protocols | Not confirmed | Matter, Thread, Wi fi |
| Matter certified | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Hub required | Not confirmed | No |
| Local control | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Subscription per month | Not confirmed | $0 |
| Warranty | Not confirmed | 1 year |
| Markets | Not confirmed | US |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Botslab | Lockin | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Botslab
Pros
- Local storage is included and described as carrying no monthly fee, with monitoring listed at €0.
- The contract term is 0 months, so there is no fixed period to cancel and nothing to renew.
- Power options include battery and solar, so outdoor units are not tied to a mains socket.
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so alerts are watched by you rather than by a monitoring centre.
- The voice assistant pairing runs to alexa and google, a narrower list than a brand wired into a wider set of ecosystems.
- The range is limited to camera and video doorbell, so anything beyond cameras and a video doorbell has to come from another maker.
Lockin
Pros
- No contract: 0 months means nothing locks you in
- Cloud plan and monitoring both sit at $0, so the buy is the whole cost
- Detection, video, remote access and app control are bundled at no extra charge
Cons
- Professional monitoring is not offered, so alarms are not watched
- US is the only listed market, so buyers elsewhere face a shipping question
- Warranty runs 1 year, shorter than the life of a front door lock
Who each suits
Botslab
Who it suits
- People who want recordings kept on hardware in the home rather than on a paid cloud feed, since monitoring is listed at €0.
- Renters and homeowners who cannot run cabling: installation is not required and power options include battery and solar.
- Households that use alexa and google for voice control and want cameras and a video doorbell in one range.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone shopping purely on entry cost: The Home Security Superstore is listed at $13.95 against the €33.99 Botslab indoor camera.
- Buyers who want to spend more per camera: Aqara is listed at £36.98, above the Botslab entry figure.
- People who want a monitoring centre watching alarms, since Botslab does not offer professional monitoring. Annke is the other brand in this comparison to weigh for that need.
Lockin
Who it suits
- Renters and homeowners replacing a front door lock who refuse subscriptions
- Matter-minded buyers already running Alexa, Google, HomeKit or SmartThings
- People who want video history on their own device rather than in the cloud
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who want a watched alarm service, since professional monitoring is not part of the Lockin offer and Annke or Aqara suit camera-led setups
- Shoppers outside the US, because US is the only listed market
- Anyone after a wired camera or full alarm kit, since smart lock and video doorbell stops at locks and doorbells
Country by country
| Country | Botslab | Lockin |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Yes | No |
| United States | Yes | No |
Questions about each
Botslab
How much is a Botslab camera to start with?+
An indoor camera lists at €33.99, and that is the only outlay up front. Monthly monitoring is €0 and the cloud plan month is €0, so nothing is added later. The figure is quoted in euros for the European store.
Is there a monthly cloud fee to pay?+
No charge is attached to local recording: the free tier is described as carrying no monthly fee for local storage, and the cloud plan month is €0. Monitoring is also listed at €0, so a local setup runs without a subscription.
Lockin
Is there a monthly fee for Lockin smart locks and video doorbells?+
No. The cloud plan is $0 and monthly monitoring is $0, so the hardware price is the only outlay. Detection, video, remote access and app control are all included at no fee, which keeps the running cost at nil for as long as you own the device.
Does Lockin require a contract or subscription?+
The contract term is 0 months, so there is nothing to cancel and no minimum term to serve. That is part of why Lockin places 1 of 60 brands on contract length, the same top spot it takes on monitoring at $0.