Side-by-side overview
ButterflyMX and DoorKing solve the same business problem, letting visitors reach residents at a multifamily entry, using two fundamentally different architectures. JB Technologies installs both, and the right choice depends on the building, the property manager's tech maturity, the existing wiring infrastructure, and the budget. This page lays out the honest comparison so owners and developers can decide.
ButterflyMX is a cloud-based video intercom platform. The lobby panel is a glass-front touchscreen with a video camera; the resident receives a video call on a smartphone app; access is granted from the phone; credentials are mobile-only. There is no in-unit hardware at all, and the system runs over the internet rather than analog phone lines.
DoorKing is a traditional telephone-entry intercom manufacturer with a long install base across the United States. The lobby panel is typically a metal weatherproof unit with a directory and a keypad. The system places an audio call over either a dedicated phone line or, in newer models, over a cellular module to the resident's phone. Residents grant access by pressing a digit on their phone keypad. DoorKing panels are robust, widely available, and inexpensive on a hardware basis.
What each system actually does at the door
With ButterflyMX, the visitor presses the resident's name on a touchscreen. The resident gets a video call on the ButterflyMX app, sees the visitor live, talks to them, and taps to grant access. The interaction is identical whether the resident is at home, at work, or out of state.
With DoorKing, the visitor enters the resident's code on a keypad or scrolls a directory. The resident gets a phone call from the panel (either via the building's telephone line or via cellular). The resident hears the visitor, talks to them, and presses a digit (typically 9) on their phone to unlock the door. There is no video. The interaction works the same whether the resident is home or away because it is a normal phone call.
Wiring and infrastructure
ButterflyMX needs internet at the panel, typically category cable to the building's MDF, plus optional cellular failover. It does not need any phone-line infrastructure to the units. New construction can skip the phone-cable run entirely.
DoorKing's traditional models needed a dedicated POTS phone line at the panel. Newer DoorKing cellular models swap the POTS line for a cellular module, which simplifies install in buildings that no longer maintain analog phone service. Either way, no internet is required at the panel for the basic intercom function.
For a new construction project where the wiring is being designed from scratch, the ButterflyMX category-and-internet approach is cleaner because there are no analog phone wires. For a retrofit in a building that already has a working POTS or cellular DoorKing system, DoorKing's hardware-only upgrade path is often cheaper than tearing out the existing system.
Cloud platform vs no platform
ButterflyMX is a software-as-a-service product. The platform manages residents, credentials, amenity access, integrations with Yardi/RealPage/Entrata/AppFolio, package room workflows, virtual reception, and so on. There is a monthly subscription fee.
DoorKing in its traditional form is hardware-only. The property manager programs residents at the panel itself, or via DoorKing's accompanying management software in newer models. There is generally no monthly software fee on the core hardware product, though DoorKing's cellular and cloud-connected lines do have service plans.
For an operator managing one building who does not run Yardi or RealPage and does not need package room or amenity smart lock features, the no-subscription DoorKing model can be the right fit. For an operator running a portfolio of buildings on Yardi or RealPage who wants one platform across visitor entry, amenity access, package rooms, and resident self-service, ButterflyMX consolidates a lot of separate workflows into one platform.
Resident experience
The biggest experiential difference is video. ButterflyMX residents see the visitor before granting access. DoorKing residents hear the visitor over a phone call but do not see them. For Class-A new construction targeting tech-forward renters, the video experience is part of what the building is selling. For workforce housing or budget retrofits where the priority is reliable basic intercom function at the lowest installed cost, DoorKing's phone-call model gets the job done.
The second experiential difference is the resident app versus no app. ButterflyMX residents install the app on their phone and use it for visitor calls, amenity access, package room pickup, and so on. DoorKing residents do not install anything, visitor calls just come in as a normal phone call from a known number.
When ButterflyMX is the right choice
- New Class-A multifamily construction in Atlanta podium developments, Sandy Springs Perimeter Center, Alpharetta Avalon-area, or Smyrna Battery district
- Operators running Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, or AppFolio who want PMS integration
- Buildings with significant amenity space (gym, package room, pool, garage) where one mobile credential across all access is valuable
- Tech-forward property managers who want video verification and remote credential management
- Buildings without legacy phone-line infrastructure to leverage
When DoorKing is the right choice
- Budget retrofits where the existing analog phone-entry infrastructure is functional and the priority is hardware replacement at the lowest cost
- Smaller buildings without a property management system to integrate with
- Operators who specifically do not want a SaaS subscription
- Properties where residents are unlikely to install or maintain a smartphone app
JBT's recommendation framework
Walk us through the building type, the property management platform, the existing infrastructure, and the budget. JBT installs both ButterflyMX and DoorKing and we will recommend the system that fits the building, not the brand we happen to be selling that quarter. Call (770) 637-2094 or visit jbtecknologies.com/partners/butterflymx for the ButterflyMX hub, and we will set up a site walk.
Frequently asked questions
When is DoorKing the right choice over ButterflyMX?
DoorKing wins on three specific scenarios. (1) Gated community vehicle entry where the DKS 1830/1838 telephone-entry pedestal handles visitor calling and gate operator integration in one purpose-built outdoor enclosure designed for sustained outdoor heat and humidity. (2) Garden-style and older Class-C/Class-D properties where residents prefer voice-only calling on a landline or basic cell phone rather than a smartphone app. (3) HOA-managed communities with a stable resident base, modest budget, and no PMS integration requirement. DoorKing's reliability in vehicle-entry applications and its lower upfront cost in voice-only scenarios are real strengths.
When is ButterflyMX the right choice over DoorKing?
ButterflyMX wins for any Class-A or Class-B multifamily where smartphone-first resident UX, PMS integration, and lease-cycle automation matter. Specifically: lease-up properties optimizing turn time, properties with Yardi/RealPage/Entrata that need automated resident provisioning, office buildings with a tenant-of-tenants admin model, and buildings where the owner wants video calling to land on the resident's phone (not a landline). For mid-rise and high-rise pedestrian-entry multifamily in Atlanta and the Southeast, ButterflyMX is the cleaner fit nine times out of ten.
What is the hardware lock-in story on each platform?
DoorKing telephone-entry systems are essentially standalone devices: each panel stores its resident directory locally (sometimes synced via cellular or IP from a management portal), and the panel itself is a one-time hardware purchase with no ongoing cloud subscription required. The lock-in is minimal — if a customer abandons DoorKing, the only loss is the panel's stored directory. ButterflyMX panels are tied to the ButterflyMX cloud subscription and stop functioning if the subscription lapses. The DoorKing model is capex-only; the ButterflyMX model is capex-plus-recurring.
How does resident credential portability look on each side?
DoorKing typically uses local PIN codes or basic RFID cards stored in the panel itself — credentials are not portable to a different platform but are also not tied to a cloud subscription. ButterflyMX uses smartphone credentials and per-resident PINs tied to the ButterflyMX cloud account; these don't transfer to other platforms but the resident provisioning is automated through the PMS, so the operational cost of issuing and revoking credentials is much lower. DoorKing is appropriate when the resident base is stable; ButterflyMX is appropriate when there's high turnover (typical of Class-A multifamily) and manual credential management would be a real cost.
What is the integration ecosystem gap between the two platforms?
DoorKing's integration story is sparse by design — it focuses on robust telephone entry and gate operator integration with a small number of access control platforms via Wiegand or relay output. ButterflyMX has deep first-party integrations with Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Brivo, Salto, multiple smart-lock platforms, package room systems, and a documented open API. For owners running modern proptech stacks, ButterflyMX is the platform that talks to everything; for owners running a simpler operational model, DoorKing's lack of integration is a feature, not a bug.
What is the TCO comparison across a typical multifamily building?
For a 100-unit Class-A multifamily lease-up, ButterflyMX usually wins TCO once labor for credential management and resident onboarding is honestly accounted for, even though the recurring subscription is higher than DoorKing's near-zero recurring. For a 50-unit Class-C garden-style property with low turnover and no leasing-office automation, DoorKing's capex-only model with minimal recurring cost often wins. For gated communities with vehicle entry, DoorKing's purpose-built outdoor pedestal is also usually cheaper to deploy and maintain than a comparable ButterflyMX-plus-gate-controller scope.
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