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Chamberlain's MyQ Hub is so easy to set up and use that it'll suit just about anyone--as long as you don't need integration with other products. Read More

The Nexx NXG-200 is a reliable garage opener with plenty of smart home integration. But its software is clunkier than it should be. Read More

Genie's Aladdin Connect replaces the button on your wall with an entirely new smart panel, letting you automate your entire garage. Read More

The Alcidae Garager 2 is a security camera with a built-in garage door opener, though it's mostly for people already invested in the Alcidae system. Read More

The Wyze Garage Door Controller is a reliable choice for remote management and doubles as a security camera for your garage. Read More

For decades, garage door openers didn't change much. But thanks to the age of Wi-Fi-connected home gadgets, the market is littered with smart garage door openers that control your system with a simple voice command, alert you when your door is left open, and even welcome you automatically when you arrive home. But you don't need to replace the entire motor to get this convenient functionality—there are plenty of inexpensive smart garage door openers that will connect to your existing setup and make it smart.

After lots of testing, we’re confident the Chamberlain MyQ Smart GarageHub (available at Amazon for $29.98) is the best option for most people. It's easy to set up to your current garage door, contains the most important features, like remote control for losing the garage, and is super affordable. However, there are a few other solid options worth considering on our list as well.

These are the best smart garage door openers we tested, ranked in order:

The Chamberlain MyQ Smart GarageHub is the best smart garage door opener, for most people.

Chamberlain is one of the most well-known brands in garage door openers, and the company sells a number of motors with MyQ smarts built-in—but you can also add those features to just about any garage door with the inexpensive MyQ Hub. Unlike most of the other options on this list, the MyQ Hub is almost completely wireless—it just needs an outlet to plug into the wall.

Instead of being wired directly to the motor like other solutions, the MyQ Hub basically acts as the wireless opener in your car: you press a button on the motor, pair the hub using the app, and then send commands from your phone or voice assistant over Wi-Fi.

This makes setup extremely easy, one of the top reasons it's our top pick. No matter how tech-savvy you are, you can probably set this up in a matter of minutes—the app walks you through the process just like any other smart home device, and there's no manual labor required. While the MyQ Hub comes with a bracket to attach to your wall or ceiling, you could just as easily set it on an open shelf near an outlet.

Like most of the other openers we tested, the MyQ Hub can tell whether your garage door is open through a sensor you stick onto the door. This works well enough, and in my months of usage, the sensor only malfunctioned once (saying the door was open when it was closed, and vice-versa). Unplugging the hub and closing the door fixed the problem immediately. The MyQ Hub is also compatible with Yale's Liftmaster smart locks and integrates with MyQ's own Smart Garage Cameras, but we didn't test those products ourselves.

While the software isn't quite as feature-filled as some of its competitors—there's no geofencing feature that auto-opens the garage when you come home, for example—it contains the most important features in a basic smart opener. You can share access with friends, family, or those doing work on your house, and schedule temporary access as you see fit.

You can also get notifications when the garage door is closed or opened, or if the door has been left open for a certain amount of time. You can link it with your Ring cameras for easy access from the Ring app, and it's also compatible with Yale's Liftmaster smart locks and integrates with MyQ's own Smart Garage Cameras, though we didn't test those products ourselves.

The MyQ hub integrates with a few other smart home platforms, like Vivint and Alarm.com, and you can set up a few custom automations through IFTTT.

While it supports Google Assistant for voice control, it doesn't support Alexa, which is a strange omission—especially considering it supports Amazon Key for in-garage delivery. It does support Google Assistant, though, and given its super easy setup and low price, we still think it's the best for most people. Especially when you consider the Amazon Key discount—one in-garage delivery basically pays for the entire hub, so if you're a Prime member, it's an absolute steal.

I’m [Nick Woodard], a freelance tech writer who covers headphones and smart home for Reviewed. Whitson Gordon, one of Reviewed's former freelance tech writers with over a decade's worth of experience, including serving as editor-in-chief of Lifehacker and How-To-Geek, also contributed to the testing and writing in this guide.

To test garage openers, we connected them to our sectional garage door using an old-but-not-ancient Genie Pro Screw Drive CM8600 motor which was compatible with every opener we tested—more on that below. We then configured the opener's smartphone app on both an Android phone and an iPhone.

We tested the door's responsiveness when opening and closing, using both the app and smart speakers, as well as evaluated the user interface in the app itself. We also tried any extra features included like geofencing and notifications to make sure they worked properly.

Installing a smart garage hub is easier than it sounds, even if you have to deal with a bit of wiring. As long as your opener is compatible, the only tool you should need is a screwdriver—and some may not even require that. Just make sure you unplug the motor before you start messing with its wiring.

You will, however, have to check compatibility before you buy. Most of the openers we tested should work with relatively modern garage motors since they attach to the screw terminals used for wall buttons. Before you buy, check the manufacturer's website for a list of compatible openers, or an interactive tool that walks you through compatibility checking.

In addition, consider how much smart functionality you require. All the models we tested will open and close your door from your phone, and send notifications when the doors are opened or closed. But only some offer auto-opening when you arrive home, voice assistant integration, or the ability to share access with other people.

We've addressed these concerns (and more) in our guide, so be sure to read each entry thoroughly if you're considering buying a specific opener.

There’s always a potential privacy risk involved when you use internet-connected devices at home. To help safeguard your smart home, there are some steps you can take. First, look for devices that offer two-factor authentication, which sends a code to your mobile device to verify it’s really you. That way, if someone tries to hack into your account, you will receive an alert and can quickly take care of the problem. Many devices also allow you to activate email or other push notifications in the settings to alert you if someone has logged on.

Additionally, make sure to use a unique, strong password composed of multiple characters, numbers, and letters for each of your smart home accounts. Data breaches feel like the norm as of late, making it all the more important to use different passwords across multiple websites and apps.

When using any devices with smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, you can further protect your privacy by regularly deleting your voice recordings and muting the speaker’s mic when it’s not in use. You’ll also want to be sure any video devices offer end-to-end data encryption, while additional privacy methods such as camera shutters can further keep your privacy secure.

Looking for more privacy tips? Read our guide to securing your smart home.

The Nexx NXG-200 is a small, simple opener that does its job well. It's wired, but it comes with pre-stripped wires that are simple to connect to your motor or wired garage button—they are a bit short, though, so make sure you have an outlet nearby for the hub. The app is also simple, and anyone with a modicum of smart home experience will find the entire setup process breezy. Plus it works with Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and SmartThings, which is a nice stable of smart home services.

However, while the Nexx does have a good built-in geofencing feature (not a given among garage openers), the rest of its software falls just a bit flat. The app's interface is a bit clunky, and it's missing some options we'd like to see—like more customizable notifications. (It can only notify you if your door's been open for 15 minutes—that value isn't user-configurable).

In addition, the help pages in the app all seem to be broken, as is the subscription button (which, according to Nexx, is no longer relevant to the garage opener). That all comes at a higher price than other options.

The Genie Aladdin Connect is a solid door opener that strikes a nice balance between features and ease of use. Unlike the Chamberlain MyQ Hub, it does require a wired connection to your motor, but it's just one double wire going from your motor to the Aladdin hub itself.

The hub mounts to your wall, replacing your existing garage door button with a three-button panel that can control multiple doors (each one requiring its own wire to the corresponding motor). You'll have to strip the wires yourself, and running the wires along the wall can be a hassle.

For your efforts, you get a smart opener that has the ability to create advanced rules, like notifying and/or closing your door if it's been open for a certain amount of time or if it's opened during a specific period of the day. You can see the history of your door, share access with others, and control the door with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Unfortunately, Aladdin does not offer any geofencing features in the app but does offer it in the form of integration with a separate app called Yonomi. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it to work, and Yonomi's support did not respond to our request for help.

While some of the other openers we tested integrate with existing security camera systems, or offer their own add-on security cameras, the Alcidae Garager 2 has a camera built-in. This allows you to check the goings-on of your garage or see if the door is open without the need for an extra product.

However, while the Garager 2 works reliably and integrates nicely with voice assistants, setup is a bit cumbersome—we had to temporarily disable our 5GHz network for it to connect—and its feature set is a bit limited. We couldn't find a way to get notifications when the door is left open, and while the company claims it supports geofencing through IFTTT on its website, we could find no entry for Alcidae in IFTTT's list of services.

Most annoyingly, support never responded to any of our questions regarding these issues, which doesn't instill a ton of confidence.

Ultimately, the Alcidae is more of a security camera with some garage opener features, rather than a garage opener with security camera features. If you're already invested in the Alcidae system and plan on putting a camera in your garage, then the Garager 2 could be worth the extra convenience of opening and closing your door. We just wouldn't recommend it as a standalone opener.

The Wyze Garage Door Controller has a slew of remote features to help you manage your garage door, a security camera built into the system itself, and a sense of convenience that’s central to most folks’ desire to go smart. Things start to rattle out, however, when you discover the product’s inconsistent automation functionality or its nonexistent Alexa compatibility despite advertising otherwise.

The Wyze controller is convenient, giving you the ability to open and close your garage door remotely (and even telling you if it’s been left open for too long). You can drop into the system’s Wyze v3 Cam feed to confirm the open/closed status of the door with your own eyes.

There’s also a database of dates and times that the door was open, left open, or closed. Each of these features lend themselves to the pure convenience of the controller. In essence, with the Wyze Garage Door Controller, all you need to enter and exit your garage is your smartphone.

There are some significant hiccups, however. The “Rules” functionality within the Wyze App was inconsistent. Sometimes it triggered the garage door to close after I got a certain distance away from home, and sometimes it didn’t.

As for Alexa compatibility, Wyze has marketed the controller’s ability to work in tandem with the popular smart assistant. While both smart products will, in fact, recognize each other, that’s where the relationship stops. There’s no existing framework to establish a digital voice code that’s required to ask Alexa to open or close the door. Because of that, the functionality is nowhere to be found.

If you’re willing and able to look past a couple of flaws, the Wyze Garage Door Controller is an affordable way to open, close, and monitor your garage door remotely.

Read our full review of the Wyze Garage Door Controller

The Garadget is unique in that it's an open-source door controller that is run by more of a startup than the larger companies on this list. If that appeals to you, it may be worth a look—but as is often the case with independent open-source projects, it lags behind its competitors. Instead of a door sensor, it uses a laser that points at your door, bouncing off a reflector sticker you have to place in just the right spot. This is more finicky than the other solutions we tried and could frustrate some users.

In addition, the app is missing features most other openers have, like the ability to share access with other users or see a history of the garage's opening and closing. Its alerts were the most customizable we tested, though, which is nice if you have a complex set of rules you want notifications to adhere to.

It probably isn't right for most people, but if its open-source nature fits your needs, it may be worth a look. Just remember that it's still dependent on the cloud and under the control of its owner—which has been a point of contention in the past. And given how long it's been around, we wouldn't expect it to reach feature parity with its competitors in a particularly brisk fashion.

Missing a lot of features

iSmartGate offers a few different garage opener models depending on how many doors you have, and if you also have a gate in front of your home. The iSmartGate Lite should suffice for most people, but the iSmartGate Pro is ideal for more complex setups.

You can also get cameras to integrate with the system, so if you have more than just a simple single- or multi-door garage, iSmartGate has some extra products to cover your entire entry from gate to garage.

That said, setup felt more difficult than it needed to be—not only did the hardware require extra steps and screw driving compared to competitors, but the app is also a bit unintuitive. Instead of a standard email/password login, you have to log in with your garage's unique identifier (sent to you by SmartGate when you set it up), with a local user name ("admin" by default) and the password you set.

Then you can add other users locally. Additionally, notifications aren't super configurable, and there's no geofencing feature.

As a result, it doesn't feel as full-featured as other openers we tested, at least when it comes to the average user. If you like the idea of a fully local system without cloud dependency (though cloud connection is an option), need HomeKit support, or have a gate as well as a garage, iSmartGate's offerings could be worth your while. For most users, though, it's probably more complicated to use than is necessary.

Whitson Gordon is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

Nick Woodard is a tech journalist specializing in all things related to home theater and A/V. His background includes a solid foundation as a sports writer for multiple daily newspapers, and he enjoys hiking and mountain biking in his spare time.

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