The Score
Nuki's app scores 3.8 out of 5, with 72% of 3,800 reviewers rating it positively. That puts it solidly in the "good but not great" category. For context, this is a better score than most smart home device apps — the industry average hovers around 3.2-3.5.
However, 72% positive means 28% of users have complaints. That's a significant minority, and when you dig into what they're saying, a clear pattern emerges. The app itself is well-designed; the frustration comes almost entirely from connectivity.
What Works Well
The Nuki app gets a lot right. The interface is clean and intuitive — you see your lock status on the home screen, and one tap locks or unlocks. The setup wizard walks new users through installation, calibration, and Wi-Fi/Thread connection with clear visual guides.
One feature that users consistently praise is that basic functionality works without creating an account. You can install Nuki, pair it over Bluetooth, and operate it — all without entering an email address. This is rare in the smart home world, where most products force you through account creation before you can even turn them on.
The activity log is another highlight. Every lock and unlock event is timestamped and attributed to a specific user or access method. For families, Airbnb hosts, and anyone sharing access, this provides genuine peace of mind. You always know who opened the door and when.
Access management is straightforward too. You can invite people via the app, set time-limited access, and revoke permissions instantly. The distinction between permanent users, recurring users, and temporary guests is well thought out.
The Bluetooth Problem
The number one complaint about the Nuki app — appearing in roughly 40% of all negative reviews — is the Bluetooth connection delay. When you open the app, it needs to establish a Bluetooth connection to the lock before you can do anything. This takes 2-3 seconds on average, and sometimes up to 5-6 seconds.
That might sound trivial, but when you're standing at your front door in the rain, holding groceries, and the app is showing "Connecting..." for what feels like an eternity, it's genuinely frustrating. Users who previously used a physical key — which works in under a second — feel the difference acutely.
The solution is simple: use Wi-Fi or Thread mode. With a Nuki Bridge or a Thread-compatible smart home hub, the app connects almost instantly because the communication goes through your home network rather than direct Bluetooth. The difference is dramatic — sub-second response versus the 2-3 second Bluetooth wait.
The irony is that users who experience the Bluetooth delay often give the app a negative review, even though the fix is straightforward. Nuki could do a better job of communicating this in the app itself.
How Nuki Compares
Tedee leads the pack at 4.0 out of 5 with 78% positive from 1,600 reviews. Tedee's app is newer, built from scratch for a modern smartphone experience, and it shows. The animations are smoother, the connection is faster (Tedee uses BLE 5.0 exclusively), and the interface feels more polished.
LOQED scores 3.9 out of 5 with 74% positive from 800 reviews. LOQED's app is functionally similar to Nuki's but benefits from the lock's built-in Wi-Fi, meaning there's no Bluetooth delay out of the box. The smaller review count means this score could shift as more users weigh in.
Yale brings up the rear at 3.4 out of 5 with only 58% positive from 3,200 reviews. Yale's app has historically been the weakest in the category — slow, buggy, and unintuitive. They've improved significantly in recent updates, but the legacy of poor app experiences still weighs on the overall score.
Nuki's 3.8 positions it well — behind the newer competitors but significantly ahead of the established player that most people compare it to.
The Premium Subscription Story
One factor that significantly affected app reviews was Nuki's premium subscription. For a period, certain features — including remote access and advanced notifications — were locked behind a monthly paywall. This generated intense negative sentiment. Users felt they had paid a premium for the hardware and shouldn't have to pay again for software features.
In 2025, Nuki dropped the subscription requirement. Remote access and notifications became free for all users. The impact on reviews was immediate and measurable — positive app sentiment jumped roughly 12 percentage points in the months following the change.
This is worth knowing if you're reading older reviews. Many 1-star and 2-star app reviews from 2023-2024 reference the subscription paywall. Those complaints are no longer relevant to the current product.
Our Recommendation
The Nuki app is well-designed, functional, and covers all the bases you'd expect from a smart lock. The primary pain point — Bluetooth connection delay — is solvable by using Wi-Fi or Thread mode with a bridge or compatible hub.
If you're buying a Nuki, strongly consider adding a Nuki Bridge or using it with a Thread-capable smart home hub (Apple HomePod, Google Nest Hub). The app experience in Wi-Fi/Thread mode is genuinely excellent — fast, responsive, and reliable. In Bluetooth-only mode, the 2-3 second connection delay is a daily annoyance that shaves points off an otherwise solid app.
The app itself is free, with no subscription required for any features. Given the subscription drama of 2023-2024, this is a welcome change and one of the reasons current user sentiment is trending upward.