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With 20+ years in tech journalism, Alina blends safety expertise with her passion for simplifying technology. Alina is also trained as a first responder and worked as a volunteer firefighter.
SimpliSafe is one of the top home security systems out there—especially if you're into DIY setups. But does it fit your budget when you add up the equipment and monitoring costs?
Good news: we did the homework for you. While testing SimpliSafe, we tracked the prices for everything—from monitoring plans and equipment packages to installation fees—so you'll know exactly what to expect.
Live in the UK? Check out our SimpliSafe UK review to see prices in pound sterling.
Security system with base station, keypad and sensors
Smoke detector
105 dB siren SimpliSafe alarm system packages range from $250 to $730, or you can build a customized package. You can also choose from two professional monitoring packages ranging from $21.99 to $80.00 per month. Or you can opt for a monthly self-monitoring package for $9.99 or no monitoring package.
Then, there’s the choice of installing SimpliSafe yourself for free or taking advantage of SimpliSafe professional installation, starting at $124.00.
SimpliSafe also gives you 30 days of pro monitoring for free at the time of purchase. And you should watch out for sales and bonuses—SimpliSafe often offers up to 50% off or a free HD security camera when you buy a new system.
We like that you get a wide range of choices with SimpliSafe, so you can find the system and services best suited for your home, whether you live in a tiny apartment or a sprawling, multi-level home.
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SimpliSafe monitoring plans start at $9.99/mo. for self-monitoring with camera recordings. Professional monitoring starts at $21.99/mo., but for the best protection, we recommend the Pro ($49.99/mo.) or Pro Plus ($79.99/mo.) plans. These include SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection, which gives you AI + real-time agent response to help stop crime before it happens.
The Self Monitoring With Camera Recording plan is a DIY option and includes extra smart home integration and SimpliSafe camera recording perks. All of the other monitoring plan packages use a cellular connection, so they work well for homes with spotty Wi-Fi.
If you're on a budget, you don't have to pay any monthly fee to use SimpliSafe, but some features—like video recording,, live guard monitoring, and smart home integration—aren't available without a monitoring plan.
Monitoring plan | Monthly fee | Monitoring | Video verification
 | Active Guard Outdoor Protection | Cellular connection back-up | Storage and recording | Learn more |
| Self Monitoring w/Camera Recordings | $9.99 | Self |  No | No | No | 7 days | See Packages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Monitoring | $21.99 | Professional | No | No |  Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | See Packages |
| Core | $31.99 | Professional | Yes | No | Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | See Packages |
| Pro | $49.99 | Professional + AI | Yes | Available 8pm-6am, local
| Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | See Packages |
| Pro Plus | $79.99 | Professional + AI | Yes | Available 24/7 | Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | See Packages |
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Yes, you can self-monitor SimpliSafe for free. SimpliSafe without a subscription lets you remotely arm and disarm the system through the app and view live camera feeds, after signing up for the first month of professional monitoring to start.
If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee, you can use the home security system without a monitoring plan, but going it alone limits how well the system works. If you choose to self-monitor with your SimpliSafe system, you’ll lose access to these features:
SimpliSafe used to require a paid subscription for remotely arming and disarming the system through the SimpliSafe app. Now, all users—even those on the free plan—can use the app to control their SimpliSafe equipment. Camera footage isn't recorded, though.
Packages range from $250 to around $730, and SimpliSafe doesn’t run a credit check—even with bigger packages.
There are seven main SimpliSafe packages. The prices listed below are the standard retail price, but you can get deals almost every day of the year.
If none of these packages meet your security needs, you can create a custom package online, with or without help from a SimpliSafe expert.
Equipment package | Equipment price | Base station and keypad | Entry sensors | Motion sensors | Additional equipment | Learn more |
| $249.96 | Yes | Yes (1) | Yes (1) | No | View Packages | |
| $279.94 | Yes | Yes (3) | Yes (1) | No | View Packages | |
| $409.91 | Yes | Yes (3) | Yes (1) | Siren, smoke detector, key fob | View Packages | |
| $479.93 | Yes | Yes (3) | Yes (1) | Wireless Outdoor Security Camera | View Packages | |
| $489.87 | Yes | Yes (6) | Yes (2) | Siren, smoke detector, key fob | View Packages | |
| $529.86 | Yes | Yes (4) | Yes (2) | Siren, panic button, freeze sensor, water sensor, smoke detector | View Packages | |
| $729.90 | Yes | Yes (4) | Yes (2) | 2 Wireless Outdoor Security Cameras | View Packages |
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Image: SimpliSafe
Think of The Foundation like a starter pack. It comes with the basics you’ll need to create a home security system. If you have an apartment, this package is ideal since you probably won’t need more than one entry sensor.
Image: SimpliSafe
The Starter package offers two more entry sensors—a good choice if your home only has one door and a couple of windows you would like to monitor.
Image: SimpliSafe
The first two SimpliSafe packages come with a 95 dB siren. With The Hearth package, the siren gets bumped up to 105 dB. The big difference? The first siren is about as loud as a motorcycle, while the second siren is as loud as a rock concert.1 The more piercing the siren, the more likely it is to wake you up and scare an intruder.
This package also includes a smoke detector. While you might not think “fire safety” when planning home security, smoke detectors are essential to home safety.
Image: SimpliSafe
The Lighthouse package consists of The Essentials plus SimpliSafe's Wireless Outdoor Camera. It offers sufficient security coverage for a small home.
Image: SimpliSafe
The Knox is for a larger home. It includes six entry sensors to use on doors and windows and two motion sensors. Like The Hearth home security system, it also comes with a 105 dB siren and a smoke detector.
Image: SimpliSafe
The Haven offers full-home coverage. Not only does it include the louder siren and a smoke detector, it also features a panic button, a water sensor to detect floods and leaks, and a temperature sensor.
Image: SimpliSafe
You get 10 pieces of equipment with The Beacon: the requisite keypad and base station plus four contact sensors, two motion sensors, and two outdoor cameras.
Brand | Self-monitoring option | Monthly cost
|
| Yes | $21.99/mo. | |
| No | $39.99/mo. | |
| No | $28.99/mo.* | |
| No | $19.99/mo. | |
| Yes | $25.99/mo. |
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer. *ADT $28.99 for landline system only. Full ADT disclaimer
Extra SimpliSafe equipment costs anywhere from $1.99 to around $200. If you have a bigger home or special needs, you may find that SimpliSafe’s premade packages don’t work for you. Luckily, you can customize your package by adding items à la carte, or you can build your own package full of useful SimpliSafe devices.
Here are SimpliSafe's equipment costs:
SimpliSafe has teamed up with Affirm—the same lending partner used by Ring and Abode—to offer equipment financing.
No credit check is required, and you can choose from a few different repayment terms. Keep in mind that most repayment options accrue interest, so if you can swing the out-of-pocket price, you'll save money in the long run. Still, it's a great option when you just need to spread the bills out a bit.
We went through the process to see what kind of SimpliSafe financing options exist. Here's what we were offered:
Screenshot: Cathy Habas, SafeWise
We could avoid interest altogether by paying every two weeks. Based on our total purchase amount, we'd have to make four payments, so the equipment would be paid in full after two months.
With this option, the loan wouldn't be reported to the credit bureaus.
Otherwise, the price could be divided into monthly payments and spread out across 6 or 12 months. These long-term options accrued interest at a rate of more than 22% and would be reported to the credit bureaus.
Compared to other home security brands, SimpliSafe lands below industry averages, based on our data collection and analytics. The average home security equipment package costs $325.13 as of March 2025, while the average price for professional monitoring is $32.23. On the high end, we found the highest equipment package out there is around $1,100 and the top monthly monitoring price is around $100. With packages ranging from $250 to $730 and monitoring starting at $21.99, SimpliSafe has plenty of options for budget-minded consumers.
See how the cost of SimpliSafe compares to other home security brands in our comparison articles:
If you buy a new SimpliSafe system and not just an accessory, you're eligible for free ground shipping (3–5 business days). If you want it sooner, you can pay for expedited shipping.
Shipping costs vary depending on where you live and how soon you want your system. Here are the shipping fees generated during our checkout process:
SimpliSafe doesn’t make customers sign a contract (major score for you), so there are no cancelation fees. Even better than the freedom that comes from being contract-free is the fact you can return SimpliSafe products for free.
SimpliSafe has a 60-day satisfaction guarantee for all equipment. If you don’t like it, you can return it. The company will pay for shipping and then return your money in a few days. You just need to contact SimpliSafe customer service.
If you decide to keep your SimpliSafe products, the warranty covers the equipment for three years from the original order date. If you subscribe to on of the pro monitoring plans, you'll get a lifetime warranty instead. SimpliSafe will send you a free shipping label to return the equipment and then will replace the item.
You also get to try professional monitoring for free for the first month. You'll activate it when you set up your SimpliSafe system. You can cancel any time during those 30 days to make sure that pro monitoring doesn't renew for you after that first month. But if you change your mind later (maybe while you're on vacation), you can always add monitoring to your system, and there's never any obligation or penalty to cancel.
SimpliSafe has a Help Center with information about billing and accounts. Or check out our SimpliSafe review to see the system in action.
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