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Mar 14, 2025

Best Smart Garage Door Controllers for 2025 - CNET

CNET’s experts have tested and picked out the best smart garage controllers to help you build a smarter, more secure garage with ease. After upgrading your front door with smart tech, the next smart

CNET’s experts have tested and picked out the best smart garage controllers to help you build a smarter, more secure garage with ease.

After upgrading your front door with smart tech, the next smart move is your garage. A smart garage controller keeps your door secure, adds voice control convenience and can even operate during power outages.

CNET’s experts have tested the top models, and the Chamberlain MyQ B6713T comes out on top. It offers intuitive app controls, powerful yet quiet operation and bright LED lighting -- ideal for larger garage doors. Looking at online discussions where users regularly ask for opinions about the best smart garage door openers, Chamberlain's model often comes up as one of the top choices.

Our guide also highlights affordable retrofit options, models compatible with voice assistants and smart car systems, and answers to common questions about setup and key features.

If you do want smart home support for your garage door, don’t worry: Genie steps up with this excellent smart garage door kit that includes many of the benefits of our top pick but with support for Amazon Alexa and Google Home (sadly, no Apple HomeKit options). The 1.5HP motor is powerful and includes lighting options if you have some bulbs to screw in. And Genies’s app settings with Aladdin Connect also allow for Amazon Key support as well as remote operation and notifications.

If replacing the entire motor feels like too much work, you have another smart garage door remote option: A retrofit like this Meross kit, which includes an extender that’s perfect for longer driveways or homes that have multiple garage doors. It’s also very compatible with smart homes, including Apple HomeKit and Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings and -- notably -- CarPlay for easy control from your car’s dashboard as you pull up.

Note: Always check compatibility with retrofits before you buy. This Meross model works with over 200 brands, but not all garage doors will be compatible. Contact customer service if you have any questions.

If you have a smaller, lighter garage door, you can save a significant amount of money by choosing a lighter motor like this 0.5HP version from Chamberlain. It includes all the myQ smart benefits and remote garage management, just in a smaller form. Unfortunately, it also has Chamberlain’s lack of smart home support, but the many benefits of the myQ app won this motor a spot on our list.

Another retrofit option, Chamberlain’s model has excellent compatibility with most newer garage door models (after the early '90s, anyway). You can also package this model with a camera or an additional sensor for a second door if you want. We like the sleek design of the MyQ device and how easy it is to set up, too.

For the complete garage door upgrade, no option resonates quite like this Chamberlain kit, a massive quality of life important for any garage. The 1.5-horsepower motor is built to be quiet, the MyQ technology allows a wide variety of app controls and the built in LED lighting is motion-activated, reaching up to 2,000 lumens to illuminate the darkest garage door corners. This model also comes with an important battery backup.

With the app, you can manage settings for remotely activating the garage door, getting notifications and arranging automatic entry for delivery partners like Amazon deliveries so you get packages inside the garage, safe from porch pirates.

The downsides? It’s an expensive kit that requires work to install (we’ll discuss this more below), and there’s no smart home or voice assistant support, so you will have to add an extra app to your phone.

Tailwind iQ3 Pro: We liked the Tailwind iQ3 well enough in our review, but installation packages have come a long way since then and Tailwind didn't quite make it onto our list this time, although it remains a viable choice for anyone shopping around.

Wyze Smart Garage Door Opener: Wyze's retrofit is an option for those already invested in the Wyze ecosystem but who don't mind an extra cam and garage sensor bundle, but we're still concerned over Wyze's 2023/2024 security breaches, which makes this simple sensor hard to recommend right now.

Genie ALKT1-R Controller Aladdin Connect Kit: This button and app replacement is an option for those with compatible garage doors with dry contact adapters, especially Genie series doors. While it didn't quite make our list with its dated design, it's still a smart option if you want minimal changes to your old set up but with some smartphone functionality added in.

Chamberlain myQ Garage Door Video Keypad: This is a fun upgrade to your garage door buttons that combines smart features with a physical keypad. But unless you really want a keypad, it costs a bit too much for what you get compared to other choices.

If you're choosing a retrofit, take a close look at the product page, which should list the brands that the retrofit works with. It should also detail important caveats, like if the retrofit won't work on garage doors of a certain age (late 90s/early 2000s doors may have compatibility trouble). Some retrofits won't work on certain garage door sensor designs, either. Pay attention to all these details before making a choice.

Garage door motor kits are typically rated for height, usually the standard 7 feet. If your garage door is higher, you may be able to spend extra on an extension kit, a.k.a. extra tracks to fit higher garage doors.

Horsepower requirements vary based on the side of the garage door and its overall weight. If you're getting a new motor, match the HP of your old motor. The smallest, lightest doors can get by on 0.3HP, but larger and sturdier doors need at least 0.75HP. Our top picks are rated at 1.5HP so you don't need to worry about the size of your garage door at all.

If you don't have many sources of light in your garage, we suggest choosing a motor that includes lighting options, letting you install your own bulbs or offering LED lights.

One of the biggest benefits of a smart garage door opener is the ability to use app controls right from your phone, whenever you want. So pay attention to the app and the settings offered. See if you like the style of the app and if it offers settings you want like geofencing, long-distance control with Wi-Fi, automatic closing and so on.

Not all smart garage doors work with other smart home platforms. If you have a preferred voice assistant like Google Assistant or Alexa, look for a system that works with them. If you use a car dashboard like CarPlay, see if it's supported as well.

Garage door installations typically take some serious ladder work with fairly heavy objects.

One question almost everyone has when looking at smart garage doors is what installation looks like -- and how hard it is. That depends what kind of smart garage door you get. Retrofits replace or add onto your current garage door electronics, and are a very easy DIY project.

However, there's a trick to retrofits: They don't work on every garage door brands, they are limited by garage door design and they may not work with garage doors that are a few decades old. Unfortunately, that puts them out of the running for quite a few homeowners.

The other option is a full smart garage door kit, which doesn't replace the door itself but rather replaces the garage door motor and usually some of its tracking. These kits are rated for height (usually the standard 7-foot garage door) but may come with extension options. The motors also have horsepower ratings that should match the needs of your garage door (check your old motor for details).

A full garage door kit is also a DIY project but only if you're comfortable around ladders and somewhat heavy metal tracks that need to be installed on the ceiling. That can be a lot of work for one or even two people, but you do have the option to look up local garage door services to see what they charge for an installation.

Yes, you can convert almost any garage door manufactured after 1993 into a smart door without replacing the entire system. With a smart garage door controller, you can add app-based controls, voice assistant integration, and real-time notifications to most standard garage door openers. These retrofit devices are designed to work with your current setup, making installation simple and affordable. Just make sure the controller you choose is compatible with your garage opener model -- most brands offer compatibility guides to help you find the right fit.

Smart garage door openers come with the same risks as any smart home device, including potential hacks if someone gains access to your network. Fortunately, smart garage doors also come with many of the same protections as other smart home devices, including data encryption and password-protected access and settings. Plus, a smart garage door opener may improve home security by allowing homeowners to check if their garage door is open and close it remotely.

Yes, thanks to a very useful addition called battery backups. Modern smart garage doors have an internal battery to keep them working during power outages. But if you're using a retrofit, your current garage door may not have a backup battery, especially if it's an older model.

Many smart garage door openers are compatible with other smart home devices, such as Amazon Echo or your smartphone. By integrating your smart garage door opener with compatible devices, you could open the door for guests while sticking a roast in the oven by saying "Alexa, open the garage door," or even close the garage door behind you while your hands are full of groceries with a simple "Siri, close the garage door." But it's not guaranteed, so check compatibility before you buy.

Yes, a smart garage door connects to smart assistants and your phone via the internet and Wi-Fi access is essential for it to work.

Beyond the obvious convenience, a smart garage door opener offers other features that justify the price. Integration with security systems, real-time alerts and even automatic closing timers are all quality-of-life additions that make a smart garage door opener worth the investment.

What to consider

Compatibility

Do you want a retrofit or a full motor replacement? Will the retrofit work with your garage door brand, age and design?

Horsepower

Does the smart garage door have a motor with horsepower? Does the horsepower match or exceed your current required horsepower?

Lighting

Does your current garage door motor have lighting? Does your smart garage door replacement have lighting if you need it?

Height requirements

What garage door height is the smart garage door opener rated for? Are there extensions available if necessary?

Smart home support

Does the smart garage door work with your smart home systems and/or voice assistants? Do it work with your car dashboard?

Battery backup

Does the new smart garage door motor have a battery backup to work when the power is out?

Apps

Is the smart garage door app intuitive and snappy to use?