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Plan | Monitoring fee | Mobile access | Video |
| Standard Monitoring | $21.99 |  Yes |  No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $31.99 | Yes | Yes |
Price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
The SimpliSafe home security system delivers a triple threat to bad actors: video verification, Rapid SOS integration, and Active Guard monitoring. Plus, it’s the only top-rated system that lets you start and stop professional monitoring anytime, with the option for self-monitoring at no monthly cost. Best of all, you can try out SimpliSafe's pro monitoring for 30 days for free.
If you want no contracts, easy installation and the most proactive monitoring around, SimpliSafe is for you.
Proactive monitoring that helps deter break-ins
No contracts
60-day money-back guarantee
Easy setup
Budget-friendly pricing
Financing available
Free self-monitoring option
Free 30-day monitoring trial
Video alarm verification
RapidSOS integration 
Limited smart home compatibility
Simple functions
Quiet base station siren
So-so cameras
No support for multiple logins Yes. Home security is a good idea for apartments because renters are nearly twice as likely as homeowners to experience a burglary.1 But security systems have traditionally catered to homeowners with credit checks, long-term contracts, hardwired equipment, and even "you must be a homeowner" clauses.
Fortunately, that baloney is now the exception rather than the rule.
Like renters, security systems have to move around sometimes—which means they need to be wireless, free of contracts, and can move with you whenever your lease is up. The top DIY security systems costs under $50 per month and have flexible up-front equipment purchasing options so they can fit your budget while protecting your personal property.
🔥 SimpliSafe is offering 20% off + FREE indoor camera *
*With new system purchase. Info current as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
SimpliSafe’s equipment packages start at around $250 and often include a free indoor camera. Compared to other DIY security brands, it offers some of the best prices—only Cove and Wyze come in lower. And if you want a bigger setup, you don’t have to pay all at once—SimpliSafe now offers financing through Affirm.
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 | |
| $401.91 | 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 |
Data as of post date. Offers and availability subject to change.
Monthly monitoring costs range from $0 to $80, with the top-tier plan including 24/7 Active Guard outdoor monitoring for the same price that other systems charge without real-time intervention. SimpliSafe also gives you full control over your plan—you can start, stop, upgrade, or downgrade at any time with no fees. Plus, you get a 30-day trial to decide if professional monitoring is worth it.
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 | View Packages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Monitoring | $21.99 | Professional | No | No | Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | View Packages |
| Core | $31.99 | Professional | Yes | No | Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | View Packages |
| Pro | $50.00 | Professional + AI | Yes | Available 8pm-6am, local
| Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | View Packages |
| Pro Plus | $80.00 | Professional + AI | Yes | Available 24/7 | Yes | Unlimited camera recordings & 30-day cloud storage | View Packages |
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
We previously criticized SimpliSafe for restricting its remote arm/disarm feature to its most expensive plan. Now all SimpliSafe plans—even the free one—include crucial app functions:
These changes make it much easier to self-monitor your SimpliSafe system.
Image: Rebecca Edwards, SafeWise
As far as professional monitoring for SimpliSafe goes, we recommend the Pro and Pro Plus plans for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that these plans give you SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection. This new outdoor security feature helps prevent crime before it even happens by essentially offering you your own security guards. The Pro Plus plan offers full 24/7 coverage, and the Pro plan covers your home overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
To get started, all you need is at least one Outdoor Camera Series 2. Once set up, you can also connect your Video Doorbell Pro to watch for any unusual activity. SimpliSafe's advanced AI service supports up to three cameras to keep an eye on your property.
When you arm your system in home or away mode, your outdoor cameras go on alert. SimpliSafe’s specially trained professional monitoring team gets notified immediately if the cameras detect a potential threat. From there, agents can:
Although these plans cost more per month than SimpliSafe's other plans, Pro and Pro Plus are still cheaper than similar security guard-style plans such as Deep Sentinel, which can cost hundreds per month. Plus, SimpliSafe's top-tier plans include a lifetime warranty and a 10% discount on all accessory purchases. (Core also has this discount and warranty, but no guard protection.)
SimpliSafe consistently ranks high on our list of the best home security systems. It's tough to beat an easy-to-use and affordable security system with generous customer policies. Plus, SimpliSafe has proven that its top priority is protecting your home and family. It skips some of the bells and whistles, like whole home automation, that you get with companies like Vivint or ADT to focus on security.
After meeting with SimpliSafe’s CEO and top product and tech officers, we were impressed by their commitment to security first—while keeping costs manageable for everyday families. They know home security shouldn’t come at the expense of essentials like groceries or daycare, so they’ve designed a system that’s both effective and budget-friendly.
The key takeaway? SimpliSafe is simple by design. It prioritizes low costs, ease of use, and hassle-free installation. While it doesn’t integrate with tons of third-party devices, it packs homes with sensors, offers renter-friendly solutions, supports self-monitoring, and ditches contracts and cancellation fees. And their confidence in customer loyalty is well-founded—most SimpliSafe users stick with it for a decade.
While we're talking about the competition, we want to point out that SimpliSafe has a few features that are hard to find elsewhere.
Active Guard monitoring: We can't say enough about this real-time "security guard" feature. SimpliSafe trains all of its monitors and runs its own monitoring center to ensure that its live guard protection delivers the most proactive intruder deterrence in the industry.
Video alarm verification: Available only to Core, Pro and Pro Plus subscribers, this allows SimpliSafe's professional monitors to view brief clips from your security cameras to understand what's going on. It helps them confirm the alarm and dispatch the best emergency services.
Only ADT offers the same type of video verification service, but for twice the monthly rate of SimpliSafe.
RapidSOS: RapidSOS allows SimpliSafe's monitors to share your information with local dispatchers within seconds, which can shave minutes off the police response time.2
Cove is the only other national security brand currently integrated with RapidSOS.
Extra technology: SimpliSafe recently announced two new monitoring updates to improve emergency dispatch time.3 Text-based alarms let you quickly cancel a false alarm or confirm an emergency, and the optional critical alarm notifications by-pass your phone's Do Not Disturb or silent settings during an alarm event.
Small-batch pro monitoring: Although they don't advertise it, we have the inside scoop straight from SimpliSafe. You can buy 30 days of pro monitoring through SimpliSafe and decide exactly when to use them. It could be only for the weekdays, weekends, or when you're on vacation.
SimpliSafe breaks from security system tradition and skips the contracts. There's no hefty cancellation fee chaining you to a system you don't like.
You also aren't tied to a monthly payment—and you can activate the professional monitoring service only when you need it. If you want extra protection when you’re on vacation, you can add monitoring for that month and then cancel and go to unmonitored when you return with no penalties or hassle.
You have two months to try out SimpliSafe and decide if you like it. That's one of the longest trial periods in the home security industry, outdone only by ADT's incredible 6-month money-back guarantee.
Start your countdown from the minute you complete your order—the 60-day money-back period starts from the day you order, not the day you receive the system.
If you decide that SimpliSafe isn’t the right fit, you can send it back in that 60-day window, and the company will process a full refund and cover the cost of return shipping.
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We've talked to SimpliSafe a lot, both as industry professionals and confused consumers. Everyone at SimpliSafe has treated us with kindness and courtesy, from the phone reps to the forum moderators to the marketing pros.
Here's what our video lead Katie McEntire. had to say about her experience calling the helpline to reset the PIN during her latest round of SimpliSafe tests:
We're really impressed by the SimpliSafe app, which is free to download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.
And we're not the only ones who love how easy it is to control the SimpliSafe system remotely. The SimpliSafe app for iOS has earned 4.8 out of 5 stars from over 303,000 reviews.4 Over 23,000 users rated the SimpliSafe Android app 4.5 out of 5 stars.5
Your app experience defines your home security experience. After all, you really don't physically interact with smart security equipment after the initial installation. That's why we strongly recommend choosing a home security company with an intuitive and well-maintained home security app.
SimpliSafe fits the bill. And if you do run into trouble with the app, your account, or the equipment, it's good to know that SimpliSafe's customer service team has a reputation for courtesy and prompt action.
Screenshots: SafeWise
Yes. Thanks to wireless technology, it’s now easy to add security to your home—whether you own, rent, or live in a dorm or with roommates. Many of our top home security systems have packages that meet renters’ security needs.
The benefit of adding professional monitoring to your SimpliSafe security system is knowing someone else is watching over your home. When your SimpliSafe alarm is triggered, the monitoring center receives an alert so they can confirm the emergency and contact help.
Without professional alarm monitoring, you're on your own to assess the danger (it may be a false alarm) and reach out to law enforcement.
No. The SimpliSafe alarm system doesn't require a Wi-Fi connection, cell phone, or computer. All you need are the base station and keypad. These components use a built-in cellular connection to communicate.
But you may need to go online to activate and access certain features, including the SimpliCam security camera, which does require a Wi-Fi connection.
You do need to pay for the Fast Protect™ plan to access cellular monitoring. Otherwise, the SimpliSafe system defaults to Wi-Fi.
You can get the SimpliSafe Smart Alarm™ Wireless Indoor Security Camera as part of a "build-my-system" custom package or add it to a pre-built package with a professional monitoring plan.
The major difference between the Smart Alarm™ camera and other SimpliSafe cameras is that professional monitors can speak to intruders through the camera. They'll also get faster alerts when unusual motion is detected.
You can access the SimpliSafe app with one username and password only. There's currently no way to set up guest permissions, which means anyone who can get into the app can also change system settings.
On the other hand, you can create four custom PINs for the SimpliSafe keypad. This helps you know exactly who entered your home, whether it was a house cleaner, guest, pet sitter, caregiver, or family member.
SimpliSafe says it's actively developing multiple user log ins, but no release date has been announced.
SimpliSafe uses the same cellular network as Verizon & T-Mobile.
You may have seen some SimpliSafe advertisements from a few years ago claiming that the company could dispatch police 3.5 times faster than other security companies. In 2020, the National Advertising Division asked SimpliSafe to stop including this claim in its marketing materials because it couldn't be verified.3
More recent SimpliSafe advertisements claim that the company "alerts police in just 16 seconds."
It's easy to assume that the "16 seconds" is counted from the time your alarm goes off to the time a police officer starts heading your way. But that's virtually impossible because SimpliSafe—like all alarm monitoring companies—will attempt to contact you to verify the alarm before sending the police. This can take minutes and is intended to ensure police officers and other first responders aren't sent to investigate a bunch of false alarms.
It's more likely that "16 seconds" is counted from the time an alarm is verified to the time SimpliSafe finishes requesting a police response. But this is a hard one for us to confirm through testing, since we don't want to waste police resources. Just take that claim with a grain of salt.
Our review of SimpliSafe is based on hands-on testing and extensive research. We've installed and used the system in four homes to date. We evaluated how easy it was to set up, how convenient it was to arm and disarm, and how well its sensors and cameras performed.
We also researched the specs of the system and compared it to other home alarm systems to understand its role in the industry.
Image: Katie McEntire, SafeWise
But we didn’t stop there:
SimpliSafe offers streamlined equipment that's affordable and easy to move. Best of all, you won't be tied into a contract—and SimpliSafe makes it easy to cancel monthly monitoring if you don't need it. Plus, its discreet equipment is ideal for small living spaces like apartments.
For those looking to add home security on a budget, SimpliSafe’s affordable equipment and no-contract professional monitoring are hard to beat.
*With a new system with professional monitoring.
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