A Lock-First Alternative to Tuya for Commercial Smart Locks
Tuya is a horizontal IoT platform: connectivity modules, cloud services and app frameworks, with native, certified Matter support plus Alexa and Google Home. Its module model lets you keep your existing board, and it fits best when a lock is one device in a smart-home lineup.
Manufacturers selling into commercial, multifamily or hospitality look for an alternative when they need deeper access control, a US-based provider, or features built for their product. KoreLock is solely focused on locks and access control. Read the full comparison.
POWERING SMART LOCKS FOR LOCK MANUFACTURERS AND ACCESS CONTROL PLATFORMS
When Tuya is the right choice
If the lock goes on a residential front door or a short-term rental and needs to appear in Matter ecosystems without extra hardware, Tuya is the strongest choice. It holds Matter certification for a door lock (certified January 2025, running Matter over Thread).
It’s also a good fit when your lock is one node in a broader smart-home portfolio.
When lock manufacturers choose KoreLock instead
How Tuya and KoreLock compare for lock brands selling into commercial, multifamily and hospitality.
What you need | Tuya | KoreLock |
|---|---|---|
Lock-first access control | Credential hierarchies, audit trails and commercial accounts run shallower | Commercial-grade accounts for multifamily, hospitality, retail, SMB and enterprise |
Hardware | Add a Tuya module to your existing board | The KoreLock module on your existing board, or a custom board designed around your lock |
Reader hardware and factory tooling | Not what a horizontal platform provides | Keypads, NFC, card and QR readers, plus flash and QA test systems for your contract manufacturer |
Data jurisdiction | Regional AWS and Google Cloud data centers for North America and Europe, but owned by a company headquartered in China; a common objection in commercial security and procurement reviews | KoreLock-operated AWS (US), from a US-based company; dedicated AWS IoT instance available |
Custom features | You adapt to Tuya’s platform | US team builds the features your channel asks for |
Brand and customers | OEM app options inside Tuya’s platform | Fully white-label apps; end users are your customers |
Security | Module-level, consumer smart-home oriented | Secure boot, signed OTA, EAL 6+ secure element, mTLS |
Integrations | Smart-home ecosystem: certified Matter, Alexa, Google Home | Cloud-to-cloud APIs for PMS, access control and building automation |
Attention | One of thousands of brand customers | A platform partnership with a dedicated team |
What Matter does and doesn’t cover
Matter standardizes how a lock talks to a smart home. It doesn’t supply what an access control business runs on: account hierarchies across properties and portfolios, audit trails a buyer’s security team will accept, or property management system integration.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance said in August 2026 that it is broadening Matter into commercial buildings, but the categories it named were lighting, occupancy, energy and environmental controls. Access control is being standardized separately, under Aliro.
Already planning a module integration?
KoreLock offers the same module model. The KoreLock module connects to your existing PCB over a serial (UART) line, and your base board firmware is updated to communicate with our protocol. Our engineers can help with that update when you can share your base board firmware.
In our experience, though, most projects need more custom work, so our engineers evaluate your hardware and recommend the module or a custom board. See the module and custom PCBA options.
Read more
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TTLock vs. Tuya vs. KoreLock: the three platforms side by side
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Full comparison report: every platform layer compared
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The platform: every layer of the KoreLock smart lock platform
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Smart lock module and custom PCBA: two ways to connect your existing lock
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White-label smart locks: launch a lock line under your own brand
Frequently asked questions
No. KoreLock is API-driven and focused on access control, PMS and building systems rather than consumer smart-home ecosystems.
Not today. It’s on the roadmap.
Tuya hosts North American and European data in regional AWS and Google Cloud data centers, but the company is headquartered in China, which comes up in many commercial security and procurement reviews. KoreLock is a US-based company hosting on AWS in the US.
Yes. KoreLock can run your commercial lines while consumer smart-home products stay on an ecosystem platform.
About six months to production-ready with a custom board, about 75% of it board design and prototyping. Tuya’s fast timelines assume your board already has an open serial (UART) connection for their module, and exclude new board design, custom features and certification.
On KoreLock-operated AWS in the US, with a dedicated AWS IoT instance available.