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Digital safe or key safe

Updated: October 2026

You are choosing how the door opens, and it is easy to treat a keypad as safer because it looks newer than a key. A digital safe or key safe decision is about batteries, copies, and who opens the cabinet on a normal week. It is not a higher grade of steel. In the [security safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/security-safe) most cabinets are a keypad plus a key, one WASJOYE is key-only, and one NALULI adds a fingerprint reader that still ships keys. The Products Compared editorial team used those amazon.co.uk listings and UK lock guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing how the door opens, and it is easy to treat a keypad as safer because it looks newer than a key.

Our top picks

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Best overall

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
8.6/10about £30.43
View offer
WASJOYE WASJOYE 67 L key safe

Rank 2

WASJOYE WASJOYE 67 L key safe
6.8/10about £87.49
View offer
NALULI NALULI 52 L biometric safe

Rank 3

NALULI NALULI 52 L biometric safe
5.6/10about £169.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a keypad changes, and what it does not
  2. 2.When a key-only cabinet fits
  3. 3.Fingerprint is a third way in, not a higher grade
  4. 4.The recommendation with a condition

What a keypad changes, and what it does not

A keypad lets several adults share a code without cutting another key. Ace Safes describes the other half: electronic locks are quick until the cells die or the PIN is forgotten. Secured by Design makes the same split for certified safes, which may use a key, a combination, or an electronic lock. On the Yale models the claim is about 20 seconds after three wrong PINs, then about five minutes after three more. The Amazon Basics 14 litre listing does not claim an alarm. Both Yale cabinets include cells and two keys. Both Amazon Basics models need AA cells you buy separately. That holds until the pack is flat and the override key is inside. One Yale owner reported keypad rows failing after 18 months. Codes do not thicken the door. The install guide is the first open-door test.

When a key-only cabinet fits

The key-only cabinet in this set is the WASJOYE, ASIN B0D3L7CCBR, about £87.49, about 17 kg, with 4.4 stars from 98 ratings, titled around 67 litres. There is no keypad to forget and no battery to miss. Ace Safes' account of key locks matches that: no power, and a failure if the key is lost or copied. It fits one person who opens the safe rarely and controls every copy. It is a poor fit if several people need access. A UK report says this lock was picked with cheap picks. That is one owner, not a laboratory timing. A litre title is not a promise that a lever-arch file will slide in. Skip it if you wanted an alarm or a second code. The steel is still an uncertified amazon.co.uk cabinet.
Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Testsieger

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
8.6/10about £30.43
View offer

Fingerprint is a third way in, not a higher grade

The NALULI, ASIN B0GV3RBLL9, claims 20 fingerprints and still ships two keys. A fingerprint reader is a third way through the same door. It is useful when your hands are full, and awkward when the sensor misses. Safe.co.uk reviews of other biometric safes describe recognition as hit and miss, with owners falling back to the code or the key. Those products are not this NALULI. One UK report on this NALULI says the key stuck halfway and would not throw the bolts. Keep the mechanical key. An Asylosss 53 litre model claims a second code on an inner drawer, which still needs power. If you are choosing litres and a fixing before a sensor, the security safe buying guide keeps that order. A fingerprint reader is not EN 14450.

The recommendation with a condition

If several adults open the safe weekly, choose a keypad plus a key kept outside the cabinet. If one person opens it rarely and hates batteries, the key-only WASJOYE is the match in this set. Fingerprint, on the NALULI, is an extra door on top of the keypad and the keys. It is not the option to buy if you plan to throw the keys away. Secured by Design is clear that lock type is preference. None of the twelve listings shows EN 14450 or EN 1143-1, so swapping a key for a keypad does not create a cash rating. Keep the override keys outside the safe, where you can reach them when the cells are flat, and not on a hook beside the cabinet. Prove the code, the key, and the fingerprint, if you bought one, with the door still open.

Common questions

Is a keypad safer than a key?
A keypad is safer against a lost or copied key, and a key is safer against a flat battery and a forgotten PIN. Neither one thickens the door. Yale keypads add a short lockout after wrong codes. A UK report of a picked WASJOYE key is one owner's account of that lock. Choose on who opens it, and bolt the cabinet either way.
What happens when the batteries die?
You use the override key, or an external pack if that model has one. Yale includes batteries. The Amazon Basics safes in this set do not, so you supply AA cells. If the key is inside and there is no external contact, a locksmith is the next step. Do not force the door. Set the code and test the key while the door is open.
When is a key-only safe the better buy?
The WASJOYE B0D3L7CCBR, about £87.49, is the better buy when one person opens it rarely, will control the keys, and does not want a battery. It is about 17 kg, with 4.4 stars from 98 ratings. It is the worse buy when several adults need access. One UK report says the lock was picked with cheap picks.
Does a fingerprint reader replace the keypad?
No. The NALULI claims 20 fingerprints and still includes two keys. Reviews of other biometric safes on Safe.co.uk describe sensors as convenient and inconsistent. One UK report says this NALULI's key stuck halfway. Keep a working code and the mechanical key.
Does the lock type change the insurance grade?
No. Secured by Design says certified safes may use a key, a combination, or an electronic lock, and the certificate is a separate question. These twelve listings do not show EN 14450, EN 1143-1, Sold Secure, or AiS. A keypad, a key, or a fingerprint reader will not create a cash rating.

Related pages

Security safe for insurance

Security safe

Best security safe UK: top pick and Yale best value

Security safe buying guide: insurer, size, then lock

How to install a security safe: code, bolts, and keys

Sources

Public UK sources for domestic safe grades, fire tests, and firearms storage. Listings checked on 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. Secured by Design, domestic home safes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Sold Secure ratings (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Sold Secure approved product catalogue 2025 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Lock & Key, safe ratings and insurance (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. De Raat, certifications (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. NFU Mutual, home safe security (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Home Office Firearms Security Handbook 2020 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Burton, S2 home safe fixing note (retrieved 16 October 2026)