Maglock vs Electric Strike: How to Choose for Your Door
Choose an electric strike when your door has a working latch and a frame that can take a strike. Choose a maglock when the door has nothing to latch into, such as a frameless glass door, or when it is meant to release the moment power is lost. Your fire marshal and the life-safety codes have the last word on either choice, so the right hardware depends on the door, the building and how people leave it in an emergency.
This guide is for Delaware business managers, landlords and property owners who are adding keypads, card readers or remote release to a door. It covers how each device works, what happens in a power outage, how egress and fire rules shape the decision, and what to check before anyone drills into a frame.
TL;DR
An electric strike replaces the strike plate in the frame and releases the latch. A maglock is an electromagnet on the frame that holds an armature plate on the door.
Maglocks need constant power and are designed to release when power is cut. Electric strikes come in fail-safe and fail-secure versions.
On fire-rated doors, an electric strike must be fail-secure so the latch holds positively. Maglocks need extra egress hardware.
Strikes suit doors with existing latches. Maglocks suit glass and narrow-stile doors that cannot take a strike.
Have the door, frame and alignment checked before installing either one.
Table of Contents
How an electric strike works
An electric strike is a door strike with a movable keeper. According to Von Duprin’s technical guide, the keeper moves when the strike is triggered, which lets the latchbolt pass through so the door can open. When the strike is not triggered, the keeper stays in place and the latch is held, just as it would be with an ordinary strike plate.
That design has a practical benefit. The lock on the door is still a mechanical lock. Someone inside can usually turn a lever or push a bar to leave, while access control only decides who can come in from the outside.
Strikes work with the hardware you already have. A fail-secure strike replaces the flat strike plate used with cylindrical locks, mortise locks and mortise panic bars, and those locks typically have a mechanical release for free egress, as the AHJ handbook on electronic hardware explains.
How a maglock works
A magnetic lock has two parts. The electromagnet mounts on the door frame and the armature plate mounts on the door. Schlage’s electromagnetic lock guide describes the lock as fail-safe: power keeps the magnetic bond energized, and when power is interrupted the bond releases and the door is free.
There is no latch, bolt or moving part in the door. That is why maglocks are popular on glass storefronts and why they need a separate way out. Schlage notes that they need additional hardware to enable free egress, and that they are not meant for applications that require fail-secure operation during a power outage.
Maglock vs electric strike at a glance
Factor | Electric strike | Maglock |
Where it mounts | In the door frame, replacing the strike plate | Electromagnet on the frame, armature plate on the door |
Needs a latch on the door | Yes | No |
Power-loss behavior | Fail-safe or fail-secure, depending on the model | Fail-safe: releases when power is cut |
Egress | Usually mechanical, through the lockset or exit device | Needs a release device, such as a push button, request-to-exit device or sensor |
Fire-rated doors | Fail-secure models only | Needs careful code review with the local authority |
Typical fit | Hollow metal and wood doors with cylindrical or mortise locks | Glass doors, narrow-stile aluminum doors, gates |
Ongoing power draw | Fail-secure uses power only to unlock | Continuous power while locked |
What happens when the power goes out
This is the question that decides most projects. A maglock holds the door only while it is energized, so a power failure releases it. For a door that people need to exit quickly, that is a feature. For a door that protects a stockroom, an office suite or a pharmacy, it can be a problem unless you plan for it.
Electric strikes give you a choice. Fail-secure strikes stay locked when power is lost, and fail-safe strikes unlock. Federal guidance in a National Institutes of Health technical bulletin says fail-secure locks suit most doors, except where quick entry is needed in emergencies. The same bulletin points out that fail-secure products typically use less power, because they only need power to unlock, while fail-safe products need continual power.
If you want the longer version of this trade-off, our guide to fail-safe vs fail-secure locks walks through which setup fits which kind of door.
Backup power changes the picture
A battery or UPS can keep a maglock energized during a utility outage, which means the door may stay locked when you expected it to open. Your emergency release, whether a button, a sensor or a fire alarm connection, has to work independently of that backup. Plan the whole power and release path together, not just the lock.
Egress and fire code: where projects get stopped
Life-safety rules are the reason a door that looks fine on paper fails an inspection. Delaware inspections are handled by local authorities, so the final call belongs to your fire marshal or building official. These are the principles that usually decide the outcome.
Doors must open readily from the inside
UL Solutions describes four basic egress locking configurations under the 2024 IBC and NFPA 101: egress motion sensors, delayed egress hardware, push-to-exit hardware and request-to-exit hardware. Doors must open readily from the occupant side, and releasing devices must release the door with no more than one motion. UL also lists the installation points to plan for: integration with fire detection and suppression, fail-safe release on power loss, delayed-egress time limits and required signage.
Because a maglock has no mechanical latch, it always depends on one of these release methods. A strike paired with a lever-handled lock already gives the occupant a mechanical way out, which usually makes the egress side simpler.
Fire-rated doors need a fail-secure strike
On a fire door assembly, the door must latch positively. Von Duprin states that an electric strike on a fire door must be fail-secure for that reason. The AHJ handbook adds that fail-secure strikes can be fire-listed while fail-safe strikes cannot, because a fail-safe release prevents positive latching. The NIH bulletin ties this requirement to NFPA 80.
If your door carries a fire rating, treat the label on the door and frame as the starting point. Do not swap the hardware without confirming the listing.
Panic hardware and listings
Doors with panic hardware often use electrified exit devices or electric latch retraction rather than a strike or maglock. If you are adding or changing an exit device, read our note on how to keep the UL listing when installing a panic bar before the work starts.
Which door suits which lock
The deciding question is simple: does the door have a latch you can use?
Electric strike candidates
Hollow metal doors with cylindrical or mortise locksets
Wood office doors with a solid frame
Doors in retrofit projects where you want to keep existing hardware
Fire-rated doors, with a fail-secure, properly listed strike
Von Duprin notes that strikes may be simpler to install and better for retrofits, while an electric mortise lock, a full locking mechanism built into the door, is more complex and typically used in commercial or high-security applications.
Maglock candidates
Frameless glass doors and glass storefront pairs, which have no strike pocket
Narrow-stile aluminum doors where cutting the frame would weaken it
Gates, using weather-resistant models
Openings that should release on power loss by design
Schlage lists standard direct-pull maglocks for swinging doors, weather-resistant gate models, delayed-egress models with a built-in timer and audible alarm, and shear locks rated to 3,000 lbs. of holding force. That range is why one maglock is not interchangeable with another: the model has to match the door, the weather exposure and the egress plan.
Security trade-offs beyond holding force
People often ask which is stronger. Holding force is only one piece. A maglock’s strength depends on the frame and the door it is bonded to, and its release depends on power and on the egress device. A strike’s strength depends on the latch, the frame preparation and the door’s condition. A solid latch in a solid frame is hard to defeat, but a sagging door or a damaged frame weakens it.
For either lock, think about where the wiring runs and who can reach it. Securitron’s installation instructions for the M680BDCX call for a pre-installation survey that confirms the frame is strong enough to meet or exceed the lock’s holding force and that the frame and nearby area protect the wiring from vandalism.
For higher-risk openings, the lock that holds the door is only part of the answer. Cylinders, keyways and key control matter too, and we compare two well-known options in our guide to high-security locks.
What to check before installing either one
Most callbacks after an access control install trace back to the door, not the electronics. Run through this list first.
Door and frame condition. Check for sag, binding latches and a damaged or flexing frame. These put pressure on a strike keeper and cause inconsistent release.
Alignment. IPVM’s strike installation guide says door and frame alignment is a prerequisite, and that preloading, where the latch pushes on the keeper, causes intermittent failures. The fix is to shim hinges or adjust the frame, not the strike.
Hardware match. The strike must fit the latch type, the frame preparation and the lock function. A latch with a deadlatch feature may need a strike made for it.
Frame strength for a maglock. Confirm the frame can handle the lock’s holding force, and that nothing on the door interferes with the mounting of the armature plate.
Egress path. Decide how someone leaves: lever, push bar, request-to-exit device or sensor. Confirm it with the local authority.
Power and release design. Decide fail-safe or fail-secure, what happens with backup power, and how a fire alarm signal affects the lock.
Weather and location. Exterior doors and gates need models rated for the exposure. Delaware’s coastal humidity and winter weather are reasons to ask about this on beach-area and waterfront properties.
Inspection. Ask your fire marshal or building official about the specific application. Schlage itself advises checking with a local code expert.
Even “zero cutting” surface-mount strikes may still need some frame modification, so do not assume a no-cut product means no prep. If you are curious about the code checks specific to strikes, see our write-up on avoiding code problems in electric strike installation.
Our perspective
We see the same mistake on commercial doors across Delaware: the lock gets chosen first and the door gets looked at second. It should be the other way around. Our approach is to start at the door. What is it made of, does it latch cleanly, how do people leave, and is it fire-rated? Those four answers usually point to the right device before any product is named. A standard hollow metal or wood door with a good latch is often a strike job. A glass storefront with no latch is often a maglock job. Neither is automatically better. The second thing we care about is plain communication. You deal directly with the local team that does the work, not a call center, and we explain what the hardware will do when the power fails before we install it. That is part of how we try to keep our customers clear of the scam operations that give locksmithing a bad name. If a building has a mix of door types, a mixed system is normal. Strikes on the office and stockroom doors, a maglock on the glass entrance, and a release plan that ties it together. Brian
Get the right lock installed on your Delaware door
We are a mobile locksmith team serving Delaware, and our commercial work includes access control solutions, panic bar installation, master key systems, high-security locks and door closer, hinge and frame hardware repair. That last one matters here: fixing a sagging door or a worn frame before adding access control is often what makes the new lock work reliably.
Tell us about the door, how it latches and who uses it, and we will come to your location to look at it. See our commercial locksmith services for the full list of what we handle.
If you manage more than one door, start with our services page to see what we cover for businesses, rentals and homes.
FAQ
What are the downsides of a magnetic lock?
Maglocks need constant power to stay locked, so they are not meant for applications that must stay locked during an outage. They also need additional hardware, such as a release device, to allow free egress, according to Schlage. Planned properly, with the right release and power design, they are a good fit for glass and other doors that cannot take a strike.
What is the difference between an electric strike and an electric mortise lock?
An electric strike sits in the door frame and releases the latch or bolt. An electric mortise lock is a complete locking mechanism installed inside the door, as Von Duprin explains. Strikes are often simpler for retrofits, while electric mortise locks are typically used in commercial or high-security applications.
Can I use an electric strike on a fire-rated door?
Yes, if it is a fail-secure strike that is listed for the door assembly. A fail-safe strike does not provide positive latching, so it cannot be used on a fire door, per the AHJ handbook. Confirm the listing and the door’s rating with your local fire official before installation.
Which is better for a glass door?
A maglock is usually the practical choice for frameless glass doors and glass storefront pairs, because there is no latch or strike pocket to work with. It still needs a code-compliant release for people leaving the building. A locksmith can check the frame and the egress path on site.
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