I Tested And Ranked The Best Pistol Safes In 2023
If you're looking for a reliable handgun safe that's both sturdy and affordable, here's my personal ranking of the best options for the money.
FYI, Prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. VAULTEK VT20i - Best Fingerprint Scanner
Top-rated: 1,655 ratings | 255 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The advanced Bluetooth feature allows you to monitor your safe. An included rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides power up to 6 months, and charges in 2.5 hours with the included charging kit.
Helpful review: "I just purchased the Vaultek VT20i biometric pistol gun safe, and I am very impressed. The first thing you’ll notice is the first class product packaging. I can’t throw that box out. This pistol safe is solid and extremely well built. The product’s user manual is clearly written and easy to understand. Neat that you can’t even screw up putting the included lithium battery in. This Vaultek safe automatically detects battery polarity, so you can install in either direction and it works. The keys work fine. Again, clear instructions made programming the biometric fingerprints easy. And – they do work extremely well. Likewise, programming the five number keypad was a snap. This pistol safe is really built well, and the included steel cable should be good for traveling. The door is spring loaded and opens more like a quality jewelry box than a jack-in-the-box. If you want a good safe to SAFELY and securely store your pistol with reliably quick access when needed you will not be disappointed with the Vaultek VT20i. One more point I’d like to make. If you are one of the many people who like traveling in an RV (recreational vehicle) you have probably found that there isn’t really much of a secure place in an RV to store valuables like passports, extra cash, and your wife’s expensive earrings. Depending on where you visit, you may even want to put a pistol in there! With a little ingenuity you can incorporate a steel mounting plate to solidly attach the pistol safe to a solid bed stand or closet wall. If your wife has lots of jewelry, you'd better buy the Vaultek PRO VT. Vaultek has a mounting plate for that one." — Just Dave
Trending review: "I like this small safe a lot. The fingerprint reader is easy to program and very accurate. It only takes one second to open the safe. You get two administrator prints, one 4-8 digit keypad administrator combination, and, of course, two keys. There is more than enough room for a sub-compact firearm and three 10-round magazines. The Bluetooth app feature is very simplistic and gives you the ability to identify a fingerprint if you have guest users. In my case... my wife. The app also allows you to view if it has detected when it was last opened, how it was opened, and which fingerprint, if applicable. You may also turn off the beeping when it is opened; however, the unlatching is just as loud. I don't expect to use the app often. The safe itself is very sturdy and solid. It is heavier than I expected. It is not fireproof, nor water/moisture proof. If you keep it in a humid house, plan on using one or two silica gel or other solid desiccant product to reduce humidity. The inside bottom surface has a thin layer of foam, and a slightly thicker layer of egg-crate foam. The inner surface of the lid has a thin layer of foam. If you will be carrying it around, you may want to buy a layer of foam with removable cubes or similar to "shape" indents for your firearm and magazines. Mine sits stationary... the only reason I have it is because of our grandson. It is CA and TSA approved if you need either of those ratings. The exterior bottom surface has four thin anti-skid pads." — AJP
Get it from Amazon now: $299.99 & FREE Returns
2. Awesafe - Best Customer Service
Top-rated: 2,060 ratings | 77 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: For added convenience, this compact gun safe is lightweight, for use whether you’re home or on the go. It's easy to conceal under car seats, in spare tire wells, between mattresses and other out-of-the-way locations.
Helpful review: "This thing is a tank of a handgun safe! And I repeat, safe! Heavy duty, thick walled construction. The lid opens effortlessly, and more importantly, quietly! Fingerprint access has worked well! The touchpad is a great addition along with the mechanical locking system. This thing will hold two handguns and two mags. Also, very stylish for what it is. It looks great on my nightstand. I can't say enough about this value! Great job Awesafe! Awesome!" — ShockValue68
Trending review: "On the seller side, I got great service. Both from Amazon and Awesafe. I had some initial issues with batteries, but the sellers quickly fixed my issue. The product arrived on time and in good condition. The whole transaction continually reinforces my preference to shop with Amazon. Two thumbs up. On the product side, I'm also happy. I've read plenty of reviews and researched may safes prior to making this purchase. And, I gotta tell ya - I have leaned to take both the super positive and super negatives with a healthy amount of skepticism. I'll highlight a few key areas here...first, the fingerprint scanner. If you read the instructions, you'll see that the safe opens with any fingerprint until you set your own. People claiming faulty function here may have missed that. Now, that doesn't mean that the sensor is perfect. I've had many devices with a fingerprint scanner and in my experience little things like finger position, callouses, skin dryness all play a factor in the reliability of the scanner. SO, being that you can set 30 fingerprints with this thing...that means that I can add in enough variations of my fingerprints on both hands to ensure no matter what condition my hand are or orientation of my hand, the safe unlocks. To that end, the fingerprint scanner allows the safe to unlock in about 2 seconds. Same for the code pad. So far, I have stress tested this thing dozens of times. The only failure to unlock with a fingerprint occurs when I place my finger in an orientation that I did not program into the safe. The lid pops open and it's travel to a fully opened position is slightly dampened by a gas strut...another second to open. Yes there are keys, two come with it. To me, these are just in case of a total failure I can still use the safe. The unit is heavy, and the metal is pretty thick...maybe 10 or 11 gauge. And, while the sides of the safe have a plastic cover, it is a fully enclosed steel box. The inside of the box has a foam lining for the bottom and sides of the inside compartment, the lid of the box is bare metal. I can fit a full size Beretta APX + 3 mags easily. In all - I needed a inexpensive, reliable, fast access safe that has decent security. This safe may not be Fort Knox, but it's definitely going to keep my kids and out of it and checks all the other boxes." — Rob M.
Get it from Amazon now: $169.00 & FREE Returns
3. RPNB - Best Mounted Gun Safe
Top-rated: 5,278 ratings | 278 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Stores great under a desk or nightstand, discreetly on a bookshelf, or inconspicuously in a vehicle. For added convenience, mountable from right, left, or top side, depending on desired preference.
Helpful review: "For the price, you cannot beat this safe, I have the fingerprint version. It works well as long as you program multiple prints in different positions. I saw youtube videos giving this safe a negative review due to the lock being easily defeated with some wire. HELLO! This isn't meant to be a thief proof safe. I have an actual gun safe with concrete bolts to try and prevent that. Curb your expectations. This is meant to provide a child proof way of securing your firearms and still making it easily accessible just in case. My 5 year old is not going to jerry-rig a lock pick to access this. And when your kids are of age, gun safety should be taught and instilled. For what it is it works well, fingerprint, keypad and manual key all work. You cannot find this type of safe at this price point elsewhere. Very happy." — Ari J.
Trending review: "I ordered two of the RPNB handgun safes with the digital keypad, specifically, for my two full size 5-inch government model 1911s. I was skeptical that my 1911s would not fit as I read some reviews indicating the 1911s would fit and other reviews indicating the 1911s would not fit. I was prepared to return these safes if the 1911s did not fit. I received these gun safes and to my surprise and delighted, both of my full size 5-inch government model 1911s fit very well, including the mags installed. One of my 1911s is a Springfield Armory Range Officer and the other is a Kimber Raptor. Both 1911s have large beavertails and my Kimber even has an extended mag base pad. There is clearance to easily open and close the gun safe door with either 1911 mounted in the safe...granted, not a lot of clearance, but there is no contact between the gun and the safe hardware. I saved a little money and ordered both handgun safes with only the digital keypad and not the biometric sensor, as I seem to always have problems with my finger prints and biometric sensors. Frankly, I find it just as quick to open the safe door with just the digital keypad anyway. Also, I have seen a number of reviews regarding this RPNB handgun safe indicating it can be easily hacked and opened by sliding a metal bar in the crack in the door opening to hit the program button behind the door. This issue was found in earlier versions of the safe and both RPNB handgun safes I received are the new improved version and that issue has been resolved. There is no way to hack the gun safe as the program button is now inaccessible when the gun safe door is closed. Overall, this is a great handgun safe, very sturdy, very inexpensive, a great value, and fits my full size 1911s. I would definitely buy more of these if I had more 1911s." — Robert S.
Get it from Amazon now: $109.99 & FREE Returns
4. RPNB - Best for 2 Handguns
Top-rated: 8,514 ratings | 228 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Sturdy steel construction.
Helpful review: "First, this is a pretty good safe. Decent spring, good buttons, with a fair to decent fingerprint reader. Good and solid design but one gripe is that if you are not bolting this unit to something else then you have to apply rubber feet or other non-slip material to the bottom or this item will slide around like it's on an ice rink. I put small round rubber feet on it and it is now a great nightstand self-defense safe. One point of interest, or rather danger, is the loud beep, which although some people will take it as a child feature (do NOT use it as such) it is potentially deadly in a home invasion where the intruder has not located you yet. The beep can be turned off, which I would highly suggest everyone do for your own safety unless you purchased this as a non-self defense 'safe' to put under the bed or in the closet. But again, turning off the beep is a feature and eliminates the problem. All in all this is a great safe once you bolt it down or apply rubber feet, which would have been nice if included, to stop it from flying off the nightstand. That is not a major issue so I am still giving it five stars." — Andra
Trending review: "Very well-built and unobtrusive. The scanner & code for lock we easy to set up with an instruction pamphlet inside. The interior has nice, thick padding on all sides (except lid) and large enough to hold 2 handguns and a clip. Most importantly, the lid FLIES open the second you tap the scanner or input the code. I was actually stunned at how fast the lid operates and is still sturdy. I don't think you can find a better small gun safe that can be mounted or carried in your vehicle." — Julie
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
5. SentrySafe - Best for Nightstands
Top-rated: 4,064 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Gun safe is equipped with an improved gas strut for long-lasting performance. Ideal for use as a bedside gun safe.
Helpful review: "This product is awesome. I was concerned about all of the discussions with the failures of the biometric releases on this and similar devices. My research said that this technology just does not work for some people. Be aware of that possibility. It has not been a problem for me. My first impression was of course the packaging. Oh my goodness, I think I could use the packaging as a storage container for other valuables. It is very substantial. I have had this for about a month. First impression out of the box is that the safe is fairly heavy. It comes with two large screws that can be used to secure it to a surface. I did not use them and have it sitting on a nightstand because I wanted to keep it portable. It does not shift when the lid pops open. It was very easy to program. The instructions are extremely clear. First I tried the keys. Then I installed the batteries and programmed the buttons. Last, I programmed the finger biometric. It worked the first time. Every time I have walked in and out of the bedroom for the past month, I have opened and closed the case using the biometric finger reader. I would estimate this has happened at least 100 times. It has never failed to open on the first try. Never. You place your finger on the reader until the blue light comes on, slide your finger down and in less than one second the lid pops open. Perfect. I don't think it would be useful if you needed to mount this in a vertical position, but on a horizontal surface it works great. My better half is much more comfortable now keeping a loaded gun in the house. Oh, I should mention we programmed her finger and it works for her every time." — John C.
Trending review: "I bought this for my Dad for Christmas and he loves it! He's a retired cop, and mentioned he wanted a safe to put his pistols in, and I think I hit the nail on the head with this one! He can fit a 9mm glock with an extra clip, .38 6-shot service revolver with a 4 inch barrel, and a .38 5-shot flat shot off-duty revolver with a 2 inch barrel. A lot of the reviews I read said they can only fit two guns max in their safe, but if you arrange them properly, he's able to put the glock and 6-shot revolver on the floor of the safe, and the smaller revolver on top of the other two guns and close the lid. This also leaves room on the sides of the smaller gun to store more stuff if you please. I'm glad I paid the extra money for the safe with the fingerprint scanner because he thinks it's awesome. My dad isn't the type of guy that likes people spending money on him. In this case, I thought he'd freak out that I paid an extra 100 bucks for a fingerprint scanner, but he thinks it was money well spent. It took him an hour to figure out what code he wanted to program in it, so I'm guessing he's eventually going to forget that. That leaves him with two other ways to open it; the key and his fingerprint. Now all he has to do is figure out where he wants to mount the thing!" — Robert Paolillo
Get it from Amazon now: $203.00 & FREE Returns
6. ONNAIS - Best for Tech Dummies
Top-rated: 4,416 ratings | 74 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Can store up to 30 user fingerprints for access by multiple users.
Helpful review: "I will be comparing this too the Vaultek VT20 pistol safe as I now own both. I will start by saying the value of this safe is excellent. It appears well built and I could not find any visible flaws. It came very well packaged. The buttons are large and the biometric feature works very well. I was actually very surprised at how well the fingerprint reader worked to open the safe. I was also pleased it stores up to 20 different finger prints. The inside of the safe is spacious and it is lined with nice padded material. It locks securely and positively and it springs open very well.
Let me get down to the comparison; The VT20 was almost exactly twice the cost of this safe. And if I had opted for the biometric version of the Vaultek, the Vaultek would be nearly three times the cost. I can confidently say the Vaultek is better in every way. The Vaultek is nearly twice as heavy, has double walled construction, has internal hinges, and two locks which appear twice as thick as this safe. The padding is thicker and better on the Vaultek, it has rechargeable batteries (this one uses 4 AA batteries which are not included), an internal light, lighted buttons, and an app which helps you change settings and reset the safe in case of tampering.
If you are looking to have a quick access safe which will keep a firearm safe from children at an inexpensive cost then this will do the trick. If you want more features and a more secure safe, AND are willing to spend 2 to 3 times as much, buy a Vaultek." — B. Larson
Get it from Amazon now: $109.99 & FREE Returns
7. BILLCONCH - Best Value For Money
Top-rated: 1,706 ratings | 137 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Top of the line biometric chips and Bluetooth capability. Ideal for pistols, cash and other valuable items.
Helpful review: "Let's talk about my household and why this is so important for me to have. I have a wide variety of kids of all ages running through the house on a daily basis, whether mine or family members or friends. I have multiple cats that are into EVERYTHING, same as my toddlers. I have a dog that is dumber than a box of rocks and would probably get in to something dangerous too if I let her. My husband was in the Army 23 years and an accomplished sharp shooter and hunts for our table every season so, yeah, we have guns in the house. It's easy to find a large gun safe to store the rifles, but I like to have my Glock .45 near the bedside for ease of access to me and the hubs if there is an intruder. We haven't been able to do that since having the boys and I haven't wanted to spend inordinate amounts of money on another safe. This was a perfect compromise. It's small enough to fit on the shelf of our bedside table for quick reach and grab and has padding inside so that even if the box falls (it's a pretty decent heft), the gun won't move inside. I LOVE the biometric fingerprint reader!! It opens to us with an almost immediate read and you can store multiple fingerprints. Not only that, the app monitors which fingerprints open the safe and when- a plus if you have multiple people in a household that have access (not a problem yet in ours). We did try and press our older son and daughters fingers against the reader just to see if there were any false positives, and there was no read for them. Excellent. And the price was more reasonable than the ones we were looking at in Dunham's. So, over all, this is one happier and less worried mama." — K.M.
Trending review: "This safe is definitely the best in its class and blows away the competition in value for the dollar! I reviewed and researched more than 30 styles and brands before buying this model. It's sturdy, rugged, solid construction, with simple setup and programming. Ignore the newbs who can't read directions or watch a video to turn off the default fingerprint setting. I had this set up in less than 5 minutes including opening the package. This has double the thickness steel than all the other competitors I reviewed plus two heavy locking latches instead of a single small centered one. Having up to 4 ways to open the safe is great. Redundancy is essential with a firearm safe! I chose not to use the app for the phone. It's great to know if I want to install it though, it's there. The fingerprint sensor works very well and holds many prints. My wife and I have both used multiple fingers in case of injury to a hand or finger occurs. Back to that redundancy! The case opens very quietly with the beeping turned off on the keypad. It has enough space for two medium pistols and extra clips or a large and small pistol and maybe a spare clip too. As an added bonus it has a usb-a plug in the front for recharging the battery that is also included and can also be replaced with a top brand for more longevity! The safe is portable and can fit under your seat, in the trunk, dash or wherever you like. Great for going on trips or camping with the grandkids." — Phil Marschke
Get it from Amazon now: $189.99 & FREE Returns
8. RPNB - Best for Vehicles
Top-rated: 2,202 ratings | 58 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Smart biometric scanner with immediate access mode and manual keys. The fingerprint images with excellent match speed of less than 1 second for quick access entry.
Helpful review: "I just received my gun safe and set it up. I read many reviews before making the purchase and saw many that mentioned the programming of the fingerprints did not work well. There were many others that said it was fine if you followed the directions. For me, I had absolutely no trouble programming fingerprints by following the simple instructions in the booklet that came with the safe. I added one fingerprint at a time to test it. I ended up adding 4 prints in total. After the addition of each print I attempted to open the safe with each programmed finger and with fingers that were not programmed. The safe worked just at it should. It always opened with my registered prints and never opened with prints that were not registered. Programming was simple. Use the included screwdriver to open battery compartment, put in the batteries (it did not bother me that the batteries were not included), and press the reset button. It beeps once and the light around the sensor blinks blue. Hold your finger on the sensor until it flashes green, do it twice more and it flashes green twice indicating your print is registered. There is also a button inside the safe you can press to disable or reenable the electronic beeps. You can use the screwdriver to press the button. As for the safe itself, it appears to be solidly constructed and quite secure. I am planning on using it in the home and taking it in vehicle so I can put it under a car seat. It certainly is low-profile enough to go under the car seat. I am using it to hold a Ruger Security 9 Compact and two stock 10-round magazines and there is plenty of room. If anything changes I will update my review but so far it has been just as advertised." — RJ in WA
Trending review: "Very sturdy gun safe! I keep under front seat of my Jeep. Lots of cushion, holds my 9mm and wallet. Room for 9mm and .380. Fingerprint works great and easy to program. Heavy duty cable perfect for the car. Great value and great quality!" — KingDJ
Get it from Amazon now: $99.99 & FREE Returns
9. BBRKIN - Best for Medium-Sized Drawers
Top-rated: 3,476 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Quick access using the rapid backlit keypad, spare key or biometric fingerprint scanner.
Helpful review: "In the United States, on average, a gun is stolen from a home every 2.25 minutes... It is a dangerous epidemic, that is more than a little terrifying. It is a problem I definitely don’t want to contribute to. To be clear I completely believe in the second amendment, and the use of firearms to protect my home, my property, and my family. I just don’t want my protection to be used against me, or someone else. Just the idea of my home defense weapon being on the street in a criminals hands makes me angry.
But that is only the half of it. I have two grand daughters in the house. Them getting curious and getting their hands on my weapons makes my blood run icy cold. In most of those cases where a child gets shot, there wasn’t a real attempt at securing the weapon. Hid in a drawer or a high shelf just don’t cut it. They don’t stop a curious kid. When I was a kid it wouldn’t have worked on me. This safe is SAFE. It keeps a fair sized weapon, as well as a good bit of ammunition.
It is made out of thick powder coated steel. It is going to strongly resist prying, and sledge attacks. It is extremely sturdy. It also has a security cable, and mounting holes. You can bolt it down to the floor and know it is not going to go anywhere. To gain entry you can either use your finger print, or the code, or the keys. The wife and I keep a key on our rings. We both have our prints stored, and we both know the code. It is so easy to recode, we can give the code in the event we need to give someone access to the box. Truly, this secures our weapon, and gives us that security knowing it is safe." — TOP 50 REVIEWER
Get it from Amazon now: $189.99 & FREE Returns
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