Most, if not all garage door openers have small remotes so you can open and close the door from your car. However, you can take things a step further by adding smarts to your garage door opener. Doing so will not only let you monitor and control it from your smartphone, but also link it to other smart home devices, so that your house lights will turn on when you arrive home.
Based on our extensive research, which included evaluating both product reviews across the web and user reviews, the best smart garage door opener is the Chamberlain MYQ-G0301. It works with a large number of smart home systems and garage doors and is easy to set up. And, it recently eliminated the biggest issue; you no longer need to sign up for a subscription if you want to use it with Google Assistant or IFTTT. However, it still does not work with Alexa.
The models we recommend here are designed to attach to existing non-smart garage door openers. However, if you're shopping for a new garage door opener, Chamberlain, Genie, Skylink, and Ryobi all make Wi-Fi-connected models ranging in price from $169 to $300, so you don't need to purchase additional accessories to control them from your smartphone.
Liftmaster (part of Chamberlain/myQ) announced a new smart garage door opener with a built-in camera for $450, so you can see what's happening when your garage door opens. If you already have a myQ smart garage door opener, you can purchase the camera alone for $150. The camera has 7- and 30-day video storage options, though that requires a monthly subscription.
1. Chamberlain MyQ-G0301
The best smart garage door opener overall
Works With: Wink, Nest, SmartThings, Xfinity Home, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, IFTTT | Wireless: 802.11 Wi-Fi
Chamberlain's MyQ smart garage door opener includes a sensor for your garage door as well as a hub that connects to your Wi-Fi network. When you send a command using your smartphone, it is relayed to the hub, which then goes to the sensor that activates your garage door. The MyQ app, available for Android and iOS devices, lets you check to see if your door is open, and then close — or open — it remotely. MyQ is also one of the best Google Home compatible devices, meaning you can pair it to Google Assistant and control it with your voice.
MyQ will work with most brands of garage door openers made after 1993 that have standard safety sensors, according to Chamberlain. (Here is a link to compatible garage door openers.)
Currently, MyQ works with Nest, SmartThings and Xfinity Home smart home systems. Apple HomeKit compatibility requires the purchase of a $49 adapter. This will let you control your garage doors using Siri, and create scenes so that the lights come on when the door goes up. The one thing it doesn't do, though, is work with Alexa.
Read our full Chamberlain MyQG0301 review.
2. NEXX GARAGE Remote Garage Door Opener
The best smart garage door opener for Alexa users
Works With: Amazon Alexa, Google Home | Wireless: 2.4GHz 802.11 Wi-Fi
The Nexx Garage is the best smart garage door opener for Alexa users, but it works with Google Home, too, so you can open or close the door using voice commands. However, setup is a little trickier, as you have to run a wire from your garage door to the garage door opener.
Similar to with GoGogate, Nexx owners can give permission to multiple users, and a calendar in the app lets you see when the door was opened, and by whom.
In addition to asking Alexa or Google Assistant to open your door, a feature called Just Drive uses geofencing to detect when you're arriving home, and will automatically open the garage door of you so choose.
Nexx has a list on its site of garage door openers that won't work with its system, though it acknowledges that the list is incomplete.
Read our full Nexx smart garage door opener review.
3. Garadget
This smart garage door opener uses frickin' lasers, but is trickier to set up.
Works With: Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT | Wireless: 802.11 (2.4GHz)
Garadget's smart garage door opener uses a laser to determine if the door is opened or closed, which makes setup a bit trickier than other systems we've tested. However, its app gives you alerts in real time if your door is opened, or if the door stays open for too long. It works with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and IFTTT.
Read our full Garadget smart garage door opener review.
4. GarageMate
A simple—perhaps too simple—smart garage door opener
Works With: Siri, Google | Wireless: Bluetooth 4.0
GarageMate's smart garage door opener is very simple; almost too much so. Unlike the other smart garage door openers we've reviewed, which connect to your Wi-Fi, GarageMate connects to your phone via Bluetooth. This means that you can't check on its status when you're away from home. It also doesn't work with any other smart home systems or voice assistants. If you're looking for something simple, cheap, and secure, this is one to consider, but it's not our first choice.
Read our full GarageMate review.
5. Gogogate 2
A good, but not great smart garage door opener
Works With: Alexa, IFTTT | Wireless: Bluetooth 4.0
Unlike most other smart garage door controllers, Gogogate has an app that lets you create additional users, so that you don't have to share a single account among family members; it's also helpful for providing temporary access to guests.
While it isn't natively compatible with as many smart home systems as MyQ and GoControl, GoGogate does work with IFTTT, which means you can have it automatically open or close your door using geofencing. Also through IFTTT, you can link it to Alexa, as well as other smart home systems.
Cleverly, Gogogate's app can display feeds from a variety of security cameras. A video plug-in subscription ($29.95 for three years) is required, but it also comes with 1GB of storage per month and 1GB of real-time video monitoring per month.
What to look for when buying a smart garage door opener
If you're don't have one already, you can purchase a garage door opener that already has smart home compatibility built in. However, if you have an older garage door opener, you can make it "smart" by purchasing a kit that will let you connect it to the Internet, thereby allowing you to control it remotely using your smartphone.
Before you buy a smart garage door opener, you should make sure it will work with your existing garage door. Usually, you can find out which doors an opener is compatible with on the manufacturer's site.
The best smart garage door openers have Wi-Fi, while others use Bluetooth to connect to your phone. We recommend sticking with Wi-Fi models, as they'll allow you to remotely monitor your garage door; Bluetooth models will work only when you're within about 20 feet of the garage.
You also want to find out how many smart home systems each garage door opener is compatible with — the more, the better, because you'll have more options when building out your smart home.
If you're buying a completely new garage door opener, there are many models from Chamberlain and Genie with this technology built in. For example, the Chamberlain B550 ($193) comes with MyQ baked in, so you don't need to purchase a third-party accessory.