The Best Pet Gates to Keep Your Furry Friends Contained

Best Overall: Cardinal Gates Auto-Lock Gate

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The Cardinal Gates Auto-Lock Gate is easy to operate, durable and flexible to use in anything from doorways to stairwells. Not only does the gate itself swing open easily, but it also includes an auto-lock latch that will reliably fasten without you having to think about it. It also has considerate safety features, such as an optional stop bracket that you can prevent it from opening, which can be useful at the top of stairs.

The Cardinal Gates' Auto-Lock Gate is also adjustable, with a width that can span between 26 and 40 inches. But while this gives it a lot of flexibility, it's not a great option if you'll need a gate that can be moved to different places in your home. The gate is hardware mounted, meaning it will take a little elbow grease to set up and should be thought of as a more permanent installation.

However, the Auto-Lock Gates earns its permanent installation status with a durable, high-quality construction. It's made from aluminum, without plastic parts that wear down. Its metal design is powder-coated, offering it another texture to soften its overall aesthetic.

The Auto-Lock Gate is available in black, white, and taupe.

Best Budget: Regalo Easy Step Extra Wide Walk Thru Baby Gate

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Although marketed as a baby gate, this extra-wide walk-through gate from Regalo doubles as a budget-friendly pet gate too. It’s constructed of durable steel and has a pressure mount design that makes it easy to set up and easy to use. It includes multiple safety lock features and four wall cups for added stability.

Perfect for doorways, hallways, or the bottom of the stairs, it expands to fit openings between 29 and 34 inches or 35 and 38.5 inches wide, and it stands 30 inches tall. If you need to block off a wider opening, you can add two extension kits (sold separately).

Best Walk-Through: Cumbor Auto-Close Pet Gate

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Often, having a sturdy pet gate means you have to sacrifice the convenience of being able to easily move through your house, but with the Cumber Auto-Close Pet Gate, you can have the best of both worlds. It has an ergonomically designed lock and a latch that easily opens from both sides.

After you walk through it, the gate swings shut behind you and locks automatically, so you don’t have to worry about re-latching it when your hands are full. It’s built with a pressure-mounting system that installs in less than 20 minutes and makes it easy to move if you need to block off different areas at different times. The gate adjusts from 29.5 inches to 46 inches and has a 30.5-inch height.

Best Expandable: Cardinal Gates Extra Wide Expandable White Pet Gate

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Many pet gates are expandable, or at least offer the option to purchase extensions separately, but this extra-wide expandable gate from Cardinal Gates (the largest one it offers) comes with everything you need to block off areas up to 90 inches wide. Each panel—it comes with three—is 30 inches, so you can use one or all three at a time. The hardware-mounted gate has an auto-close and auto-lock door that allows you to operate it quickly and easily with one hand. The gate itself is 29.5 inches tall, but the height-adjustable mounts allow you to move it up or down depending on your needs.

Best Indoor/Outdoor: EveryYay Convertible Pet Gate and Play Yard

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If you want to take your pet gate from indoors to outdoors the Convertible Pet Gate and Play Yard from EveryYay is the ideal way to do it. It comes with six 26 x 30 inch panels that can be built into a gate that expands up to 192 inches, or arranged in a variety of different configurations if you want to create an outdoor (or indoor) play pen. The plastic construction makes it lightweight and easy to transport, but it’s strong enough for keeping your pets contained right where you want them. All of the panels snap together, or you can use the included hardware to mount it to the wall.

Best for Large Dogs: MyPet Extra Tall Petgate Passage Gate with Small Pet Door

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Standard size pet gates might not be enough to keep really large—or really smart—dogs contained, but even the largest dog isn’t getting past this 42-inch tall option from MyPet. It has a heavy-duty steel construction and a locking Grip-n-Twist latch that keeps the door securely fastened when you want it to be. When unlocked, the gate swings in both directions so you can easily move around the house no matter which direction you’re coming from. It also has a small pet door built-in, so if you have cats that are free to roam, they can pass through without difficulty.  This pressure-mounted gate adjusts from 29.75 inches to 38 inches with extensions that are included in the box.

Best Freestanding: Carlson Pet Products Design Studio Freestanding Extra Wide Pet Gate

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Freestanding pet gates offer more versatility than mounted ones since you can put them anywhere and aren’t necessarily limited to an area with side walls. This extra-wide freestanding gate from Carlson Pet Products is especially top-notch because it has an adjustable width—it can fit areas from 40 to 70 inches wide—and a step-over design that makes it easy for you to pass through, but will keep your pooch right where you want them. Plus, you have two height options—20 and 28 inches—so you can choose the one that works best for you. With its wood finish and steel bars, it also looks high-end, so it becomes an intentional piece of your decor, rather than an afterthought.