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Biometric gun safes are one of the more controversial gun safe styles on the market today. These safes can range from utilizing a cheap knock-off locking mechanism to much more expensive style locks that are quite good. These locks are normally in the form of a fingerprint scanner that is placed directly on the keypad that is used as a backup to the scanner.
If you are hunting for a cheap biometric safe, I would steer clear of that decision and opt for either an electronic keypad safe or even a mechanical lock safe. Why? Because the failure rate and quality of these lower-end biometric safes tend to be prevalent, as costs are cut to keep the price lower on these models. If you are going to own a biometric safe, do it right. The last thing you need is a safe that won’t open when you need it most.
With that said, for those that want an awesome biometric lock gun safe, here are my top seven favorite gun safes that utilize a quality biometric locking mechanism!
- 1. Vaultek VS10i (Best Overall Biometric Safe)
- 2. Konig 1.0 (Best Biometric with RFID)
- 3. Konig Junior (Best Compact Biometric Safe)
- 4. Liberty HDX-150 (Best Legacy Biometric)
- 5. Vaultek MX (Largest Capacity Biometric Pistol Safe)
- 6. Vaultek RS500i (Best Biometric Full-Size Safe)
- 7. Browning Pro Steel Safes (Highest Gauge Steel Biometric Safe)
1. Vaultek VS10i
Best Overall Biometric Safe
Dimensions | 2.12″ High by 10.5″ Wide by 8.5″ Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric, Phone, Key, Bluetooth, Keypad |
Type | Pistol Safe |
Vaultek in my mind is one of the leading pistol-safe companies. While they are a young company, they have built out some awesome products packed with great features. They may have a hefty price tag, but it is worth it if you are going to rely on a biometric lock in a life-or-death situation.
I was able to do a full hands-on review of the previous version of this safe, the VT10i specifically, and you can check out my review here. A while later, it is still one of my favorites.
We talked in the intro a bit about how I am not a huge fan of biometrics, due to their failure rate. However, Vaultek has gotten around that by offering plenty of ways to access, including a keypad, physical key, a nano key (sold separately), phone access, and of course the fingerprint scanner. The major downside to this safe, is that it is only 18 gauge steel.
2. Konig 1.0 (previously Gunbox 2.0)
Best Biometric with RFID
Dimensions | 2.7″ High by 10″ Wide by 11.6” Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric, RFID, Phone, Keypad |
Type | Pistol Safe |
The Konig 1.0 takes a different take on the market by offering an aluminum housing gun safe alternative. Konig has been around for quite a bit longer than Vaultek, and Konig is a quality brand with a quality product.
With the higher price tag that this safe has, again comes higher quality locking mechanisms. Much like the safe above, the Konig has a couple of options, and the newest version addresses my main concern (with the GunBox 2.0 that I had reviewed) and includes both the keypad, RFID, phone access, and the biometric all-in-one unit to allow for some redundant options for access, instead of keeping the keypad and biometric as a separate unit.
This larger safe from Konig offers USB ports for charging devices that are stored inside, mountain points to mount it to your dresser, and gas struts to open the safe without ever having to touch it.
Do you think this safe looks a bit familiar? Konig was previously known as GunBox, but rebranded, as they found their users were keeping more than just firearms in their safe. I think this was a great rebrand and can see why they switched.
3. Konig Junior (Previously GunBox Echo)
Best Compact Biometric Safe
Dimensions | 2.7″ High by 8.13″ Wide by 9.3” Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric, Keypad, RFID |
Type | Pistol Safe |
The Konig Junior is the smaller (and more budget-friendly) version of the Konig 1.0 we talked about just above. It maintains many of the same features such as the fingerprint scanner, keypad, and RFID, but just in a bit of a smaller package.
It does forgo some features that the 1.0 has though, as it does not include the premium gas struts that auto open the safe, the included USB ports for charging items, and mountain points.
If you are on a bit more of a budget, or need to save a bit of space, but want an awesome smart safe, this could be an awesome option for you.
4. Liberty HDX-150
Best Legacy Biometric
Dimensions | 2.2″ High by 12.4″ Wide by 8.5″ Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric |
Type | Pistol Safe |
If you want a tried and true biometric safe from one of the biggest gun safe manufacturers on the planet, don’t look any further than the Liberty HDX-150. This quick-access pistol safe has one of the best biometric locks on the market, is made from a respectable 14-gauge steel, and is compact enough to keep in a drawer, in a vehicle, or anywhere in the home, you might want it to be.
This is all backed up by one of the manufacturers that offer an awesome warranty, and experience. If you don’t want to take much of a risk on your next gun safe, Liberty is always a good bet to go with.
The major downside to this safe is that it maintains a high price point, but doesn’t offer many of the same features, such as RFID, phone access, monitoring, and more that the other safes above offer. That said, its 14 gauge steel should make up for that.
5. Vaultek MXi
Largest Capacity Biometric Pistol Safe
Dimensions | 15″ High by 11.6″ Wide by 11.5″ Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric, Phone, Key, Bluetooth, Keypad |
Type | Pistol Safe (Large) |
If you liked the Vaultek VS10i that we talked about at the top of this article, but wished it held eight firearms, rather than just one (or maybe two), then the MX series is going to be the best bet for you. The MX Series is a high-capacity, modular security pistol safe integrating a best-in-class biometric lock and a uniquely designed interior.
The durable 14-gauge steel exterior gives you a sense of security and is also able to ensure a sense of safety for your belongings. It also has a small display that will show you things like the humidity, temperature inside the safe, battery life, and more all on the safe itself. Of course, you can also use their app to see all of this and more at a glance as well.
Vaultek is one of my favorite companies right now, and they are pushing the bounds of what a gun safe can be right now (make sure to check out the RS500i I will be talking about lower in this list).
What to know about full-size biometric safes? Full-size gun safes are a little bit different an experience than the others. This more comes down to the brand of the lock itself, and not so much the brand of the safe (the Vaultek below is an exception). When you are shopping around for a biometric full-size gun safe, and don’t find a name brand on the face of the lock, I recommend passing it up. If you don’t know the brand of the lock you will have to rely on the manufacturer of the safe, and won’t be able to get secondary support from the lock manufacturer.
6. Vaultek RS500i
Best Biometric Full-Size Safe
Dimensions | 52″ High by 11.7″ Wide by 14″ Deep |
Lock Options | Biometric, Phone, Key, Bluetooth, Keypad |
Type | Full-Size Safe (Small) |
Yes, I know, I have pounded the name Vaultek into your head throughout this article. However, they are a fantastic biometric safe company. With the RS500i (and the smaller RS200i, and bigger RS800i), they took everything they created in the smaller pistol safes and created a full-size safe for full-size firearms.
The RS500i (and variants) offers tons of features outside of just storage (which utilizes a modular design for complete customization), as you can access it via your phone, fingerprint, nano-key, keypad, and physical key. It also can monitor things like temperature, humidity, and if it is being tampered with, and will let you know on the safe, but also your phone when it needs attention for one of those things.
Back to the interior of the safe, it offers interior lighting, an auto-opening door, and a louvered rear of the safe, where you can choose what accessories work (or don’t work) for you and your gear.
Now, if you are on a budget, and need to store a lot of items, this may not be for you… as its price per square inch of storage is quite high.
7. Browning Pro Steel Safes
Highest Gauge Steel Biometric Safe
Dimensions | Depends on Version |
Lock Options | Depends on Version |
Type | Full-Size Safe |

The only other full-size gun safe brand (other than Vaultek) that I would recommend looking into is Browning. They offer some awesome options around locking mechanisms, and their biometric lock is one of the best of the best. You can add the biometric lock to any of their USA-made gun safes.
These traditional style gun safes offer plenty of steel, ranging from 12 gauge and up, and can be completely customized to your liking (steel gauge, paint, locks, and more). Of course, this comes at a price, as the USA-made gun safes from Browning can get quite expensive depending on what you choose for them.
What to think about when buying a biometric gun safe?
Size and Capacity
Before you go too far into buying any gun safe, you should be thinking about what size and capacity you need. You will want to think about how many firearms you have now, and how many you plan on buying in the next couple of years.
Thankfully, most people that want biometric locks are looking at pistol safes, which can be replaced down the road easily if you want something different and bigger. However, if you are looking for that full-size safe, you might want to buy bigger than you think you will need, as you likely will fill it right up.
Locking mechanism
Biometric safes are known to be one of the least reliable lock styles (which is why many people buy Simplex-style safes). So making sure that your biometric lock is one of the best out there, is going to get you the most reliable option.
Unfortunately, to get those better locks, you have to spend plenty of money to do, which is why all of the safes on this list are rather expensive. That is just the name of the game.
Reputable brand
Going back to a reliable locking mechanism, you also will want a reputable brand. Biometric locks introduce an electronic component, that may need to be warrantied, and having a good brand like Vaultek, Liberty, Browning, or Konig behind it makes all of the difference when you need them.
Where are you going to put it?
Think about where you are putting the safe. Are you putting it on your nightstand? You won’t want a huge safe. Are you putting it in the closet or the basement? You can get a larger safe without being in the way.
Price point
Plan on spending more than you think you are going to when it comes to price points on biometric safes. To get a good lock, you need to spend the money, to keep yourself safe when you need to access it. If you opt for a low-end biometric safe, you are asking for trouble. If you don’t absolutely need a biometric lock, most have an electronic lock-only option available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fingerprint gun safes good?
Just like anything else in this world, there are good biometric fingerprint gun safes, and there are bad versions of those safes. If you get a bad one, you might get locked out when you need to access your safe most. Instead, you should do your research, and pick a good one, it’s worth it.
Can biometric safes be hacked?
Anything electronic can be hacked, however, the likelihood of someone hacking your biometric sensor is lower than someone just taking the safe with them. That said, always bolt your safe down or at least tether it to something heavy.
Why biometrics are better than keypads?
The reason so many people like biometric safes is purely for ease of access. It is much easier in a time of distress to put your fingerprint on a sensor, rather than having to remember a password for your keypad. However, the trade-off is reliability.
Conclusion
Biometric gun safes are a hard topic in the gun safe industry, as you are trying to walk that line of capability with the need for something that will open every time, and whenever you need it to.
The safes above are some of the best quality biometric gun safes on the market today, and you should do great with any of these options at your home!