Best Home Safes

If you do an internet search for “home safe,'' the results can be overwhelming. Some are built specifically for guns, while others offer protection from fire, tampering, or water—and then there’s the lock type to consider while you’re at it.

To start, you’ll need to determine what type of safe is best for you: a floor safe, a wall safe, or a bedside safe. Then find one with the lock type that fits your needs and budget.

When safe shopping, consider your goal—do you want to hide heirlooms or important documents? Do you need a quickly accessible gun for emergencies? Your answer will impact cost and storage location.

A wall safe might be right for you if you have a small floor plan and can make modifications to your home. Wall safes can hide behind doors or portraits without taking up too much floor space. If you do opt for a wall safe, make sure that it’s mounted between the studs in the wall.

A floor safe is a great alternative to putting a hole in your wall. These safes secure to the floor for enhanced defense against thieves. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit in tight, hidden spaces. If you want to bolt your floor safe down, hard surfaces like concrete are best.

Gun safes, such as biometric gun safes, are more secure than simply keeping a weapon on your nightstand. These safes ensure that your gun won’t end up in the wrong hands, and they open quickly should you need your weapon.

Hidden safes are home safes in disguise. Usually camouflaged as books, they’re perfect for hiding valuables in plain sight. They’re discreet and light, making them portable for travel and moving. This also means they don’t store a ton of stuff, but they’re generally large enough to hide documents like passports and birth certificates.

The harder to find, the better. But this depends on whether you’re able to make alterations to your home or not. If you own your house, consider a mounted wall safe concealed by a piece of art, false wall, or fixture. If you rent, be sure to hide your safe in a hard-to-reach place to keep it out of unwelcome hands.

Heavy safes with good locking mechanisms offer the most security. Here's a quick breakdown of different lock types.

Biometric scanner
This is a highly secure digital lock. It scans and then reads your fingerprint, and it opens only if the print matches one within the fingerprint memory. Some safes hold multiple prints for multiple users, so be sure the safe you chose suits the number of people using it.

Electronic keypad
Thanks to its PIN authentication, an electronic keypad keeps your valuables secure and easy for you (or other authorized users) to access. A lock can run on batteries, Wi-Fi, or an AC adapter. Be sure to check for a low battery alert or backup key if you opt for a safe that requires a power source.

Combination
A combination lock is as basic as it gets. Turn the dial to your combination passcode and voilà. It’s battery-free, so you can always count on it to function. But it does require periodic maintenance. To prevent the lock from seizing, you’ll have to disassemble it, clean it, and lubricate it. Your local safe technician or locksmith can tell you more about the service costs and specifics.

Even lighter safes should be hard to carry out the door. If you can help it, the heavier the safe is, the better. Heavy safes are harder for intruders to remove and carry out quietly. They’re also generally more durable. If you need a lighter, more portable safe, be sure to choose one with multiple locks or one that’s easy to hide.

The size of your safe affects where you can store it, how much it can hold, and its price. Watch for different measurements when shopping around. Most safes use cubic inches or cubic footage to express capacity.

Portability
While lightweight safes are generally more portable, they’re also easier for a burglar to carry out the door. If you choose a portable safe, keep it hidden safely or under your supervision.

Contents
Consider what items you want to store in the safe. The size and amount of your valuables will determine how big your safe should be. Larger items like binders, weapons, or laptops will need more room than documents, jewelry, or thumb drives.

While it isn’t exactly Fort Knox, a lock box or safe box is a great starter safe that's easy to hide and move if discovered. It generally comes with a main and backup key, but not much else in terms of security.

Home safes without fire and water protection are still a good idea for securing your valuables, but the extra protection is worth it for irreplaceable objects. Before you make your purchase, consider what kind of threats your valuables are up against.

Fire-resistant
Usually marked as “UL Certified for Underwriters Laboratories,” fireproof safes have been tested for how much heat they can stand. These tests measure the temperature both inside and outside the safe, ensuring that the contents and the safe itself can take the heat.

Water-resistant
If you live in an area that floods frequently, you may want to buy a safe that floats or is water resistant. We also recommend keeping smaller safes on higher ground to avoid exposure to water.