Controlled drug release is a promising technique that is used in the treatment of cancer. Herein, drug nanocarriers were developed based on Fe3O4@mSiO(2) (mesoporous silica-coated Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) gated by a lipid bilayer. The nanocarriers exhibited near-infrared (NIR) light-stimulated drug release in a remote and stepwise pattern. Mesoporous silica surrounds Fe3O4 NPs and ensures high drug capacity and easy modification of the lipid bilayer. Heat generated from the Fe3O4 NPs upon NIR irradiations increases the permeability of the lipid bilayer, which in turn causes drug release. Based on in vitro experiment results, DOX-loaded nanocarriers exhibited the highest cell death percentage of 75.7% with NIR laser irradiation for 5 min at the doxorubicin (DOX) dose of 10 g mL(-1). Because of the flexible and precise control of NIR laser, the nanocarriers have great potential in cancer treatment.