ButterflyMX is a video intercom platform sold to buildings, not to individual residents. A property owner or manager buys the panels, has them installed at the entrances, and pays a per-unit software fee. Residents get the app once the building is equipped. It is a strong product for new construction or for a building ready to modernize the whole entrance.
Most people searching for ButterflyMX alternatives are not buildings. They are renters. You cannot install hardware in a lobby you do not own, your landlord is not retrofitting anything this year, and what you actually want is simpler: the buzzer you already have should reach your phone, and ideally handle deliveries when you are out. This guide covers both kinds of alternatives so you can pick the one that fits your situation.
Two kinds of alternatives
Alternatives to ButterflyMX fall into two groups, and they are not interchangeable.
Per-resident apps that work with your existing buzzer. Your building's intercom already dials a phone number when someone presses your unit. These apps give you a virtual number, your property manager points the directory entry at it, and calls from the panel land in the app. No hardware, no wiring, no building-wide decision. You sign up, one directory line changes, and it works. Enterkey, Lowkey Buzzer, Ringo, Protobuzz and FreshBuzzer all work this way.
Building-wide systems the landlord chooses. These replace the panel at the door with new hardware and sell to the whole building at once. ButterflyMX is one. Swiftlane, Latch and similar platforms are others. They add video and building-level management, but a renter cannot buy one alone.
If you control the building, both groups are open to you. If you rent, the first group is the realistic one. The rest of this post takes each option in turn.
Enterkey
Who it is for. Renters in Canada and the United States who want the buzzer handled for them, not just forwarded. It runs on iOS. There is no Android app.
What it does. Enterkey gives your buzzer a virtual phone number. Once your property manager updates the directory, buzz calls reach your iPhone anywhere. The core feature is automation: arm a timed key for anywhere from five minutes to twelve hours, and while it is active Enterkey answers the buzzer and plays your building's entry tone with nobody touching a phone. Weekly schedules do the same on repeat for cleaners or dog walkers. Forever keys carry a PIN that guests can type or say out loud at the panel. Household sharing works through an invite link, so everyone in the apartment gets the buzz. You can also record a custom welcome message visitors hear when they buzz.
Pricing. Enterkey Pro is $9.99/month or $69.99/year (about $5.83/month). New members get a one-month free trial. There is no free plan. Details are on the pricing page.
Where it is weaker. iOS only. One building per account. It works with buzzer systems that dial out to a phone number, so an intercom hardwired to an in-unit landline is not compatible. And it costs more than the cheapest forwarding apps.
When to pick something else. If your household is on Android, or you only want basic forwarding at the lowest possible price, one of the options below fits better.
Lowkey Buzzer
Who it is for. Renters who want buzzer forwarding with auto-buzz, especially households on Android.
What it does. The same mechanism as Enterkey: your buzzer calls a virtual number, you answer from anywhere, and an auto-buzz setting can let people in without you. It ships on iOS and Android.
Pricing. Checked July 2026: annual-billed plans start at $137.97 per year (about $11.50/month) and rise to about $41.67/month for business, after a 14-day trial.
Where it is weaker. The entry plan is roughly double Enterkey's annual price. The trial is 14 days, and since the property manager still has to change the directory, a two-week window can be half gone before the panel change lands. There are no guest PINs.
When to pick it over Enterkey. Pick Lowkey if you need Android support today. That alone can settle it for a mixed household.
Ringo
Who it is for. Renters who want the cheapest possible forwarding, and small landlords who manage a few properties from one account.
What it does. Your buzzer dials a dedicated phone number and the app takes the call. You can buzz people in remotely. Access codes and extra phones sit on the higher tiers, and the top tier covers up to four properties.
Pricing. Checked July 2026: three tiers at $3.99, $5.99 and $18.99 per month, depending on how many phones and whether you need access codes.
Where it is weaker. The features are tiered away. The $3.99 plan covers two phones and basic buzz-in, and access codes push you up a tier. Enterkey ships keys, schedules, PINs and household sharing in one plan.
When to pick it over Enterkey. Pick Ringo if you only ever need basic forwarding on its cheapest tier, or if you manage up to four properties and want them under one account. Enterkey supports one building per account.
Protobuzz
Who it is for. Renters who want automation built around specific people rather than time windows.
What it does. Checked July 2026: Protobuzz is a software-only buzzer app with rule-based automations tied to individual contacts and delivery windows, guest codes, and household sharing. Setup is the same one-time step as every app here: your property manager points the buzzer at the app's number.
Pricing. Our comparison data does not carry a price for Protobuzz. Check their site for current plans before deciding.
Where it is weaker. The automation model is per-contact rule trees. If you want one tap that makes the door handle itself for the next hour, or a standing weekly schedule, Enterkey's timed keys are the simpler tool. Enterkey's PINs can also be spoken aloud at the panel, not only typed.
When to pick it over Enterkey. Pick Protobuzz if per-contact rules are the feature you care about most, or if you need a platform other than iOS and their site confirms they support it.
FreshBuzzer
Who it is for. Renters who want the cheapest workable forwarding, and short-term rental hosts who want guest access tied to a booking calendar.
What it does. Forwards your buzzer to your phone and supports access codes. The Plus tier syncs guest access with an iCal feed, which is a thoughtful feature for hosts.
Pricing. Checked July 2026: from CA$35 per year, with a Plus tier around CA$65 per year aimed at short-term rental hosts.
Where it is weaker. It competes on price, not on automation. There are no timed keys that answer the buzzer on their own, no weekly schedules, and no spoken PINs. Hosts on Enterkey get self check-in through timed keys and PINs instead.
When to pick it over Enterkey. Pick FreshBuzzer if lowest cost is the priority and plain forwarding covers your needs, or if the calendar-synced tier matches your hosting workflow.
Another building-wide intercom (Swiftlane, Latch and similar)
Who it is for. Building owners and property managers comparing ButterflyMX against other whole-building platforms.
What it does. These systems replace the entrance panel with new hardware, usually with video, and add management tools for the whole property. Residents get the vendor's app once the install is done. For reference, ButterflyMX panels list around $4,000 to $6,500 each, with software billed to the building at roughly $30 to $42 per unit per year (checked July 2026). Other vendors price their own way, so get quotes.
Where it is weaker. It is a retrofit project, not an app download. The decision, the cost and the timeline belong to the building. If you rent, the only lever you have is asking.
When to pick it. Pick a building-wide system if you own or manage the property and are ready to invest in new hardware for every resident. If you rent, use a per-resident app now and lobby for the upgrade separately.
How to choose
Three questions sort this out quickly.
Do you control the building's hardware?
If you own or manage the building, ButterflyMX and its building-wide competitors are on the table. If you rent, they are not, and a per-resident app is the practical route.
Does your buzzer dial a phone number?
Most apartment intercoms in Canada and the United States call a phone number when a visitor presses your unit. If yours does, every app on this list can take that call. If your intercom is hardwired to a handset in your unit with no phone line involved, none of the apps will work and only a hardware change will.
Do you need automation or just forwarding?
If you only want the buzzer to ring your cell instead of a landline, the cheapest tier of Ringo or FreshBuzzer does that. If you want the door to open on its own for deliveries, guests and recurring visitors, you want timed keys, schedules and PINs, which is what Enterkey is built around.
Questions
Can a renter buy ButterflyMX on their own?
No. ButterflyMX is sold building-wide. The property installs the panels and pays per-unit fees, and residents get the app once the building is equipped.
What is the cheapest ButterflyMX alternative for a renter?
On the figures checked in July 2026, FreshBuzzer's base plan at CA$35 per year and Ringo's $3.99 monthly tier are the lowest. Both are forwarding-first. Enterkey's annual plan is $69.99 and includes automation.
Do these apps need any hardware installed?
No. Every per-resident app here uses the buzzer your building already has. The one setup step is your property manager pointing your directory entry at the app's phone number.
Which alternative works on Android?
Lowkey Buzzer ships on iOS and Android. Enterkey is iOS only. For the others, check their sites for current platform support.
Can I try before paying?
Enterkey gives new members a one-month free trial. Lowkey offers 14 days. A longer trial matters here because the directory change usually takes about a day to land.
If you are still working out what kind of intercom you have, the apartment buzzer guide walks through the common systems. For a closer look at the category difference, read Enterkey vs ButterflyMX, and for the two most similar renter apps side by side, see Enterkey vs Lowkey. When you are ready to set it up, how it works covers the one directory change and what happens after.
