Best Home Security Systems of 2024

To help you find the best home security system for your needs, we tried them all. 

SimpliSafe is our top choice if you want the flexibility of an optional monthly monitoring subscription and DIY installation.

Vivint is great if you want full-service, professional installation and monitoring combined with theft-deterring innovations. 

When it comes to great customer service at a great price, it's hard to beat DIY security system Cove.

With 150 years of experience in the business, ADT is the most trusted security brand around.

Our readers have spoken—and they love SimpliSafe’s affordable, straightforward cellular security system. SimpliSafe’s name says it all. Its security systems are simple—and so is its pricing. SimpliSafe has some of the cheapest monthly monitoring fees available, and you can start or stop it whenever you want to, meaning after your first month of free monitoring, a monthly subscription is optional.

(You can often get a deal as a new customer if you sign up for the 24/7 Fast Protect™ Monitoring plan when you sign up).

SimpliSafe does home security on its own terms. That means ditching some things that turn off customers: brash salespeople and lengthy contracts.

• You choose the equipment and monitoring level you want
• No-pressure online shopping
• Professional monitoring service on demand—no contracts
• 60-day money-back guarantee
• New outdoor security camera (finally!)
• Optional monthly subscription (after first month)

Standout feature: SimpliSafe features RapidSOS (only one other system has this security monitoring feature) to speed up help in an emergency. It skips sending information to a monitoring center and sends it directly to 911 dispatchers so first responders get to you (wherever you are) faster.

What SimpliSafe monitoring do we recommend? Go with the Interactive plan. It gives you mobile app control of your SimpliSafe security system and includes email and text alerts. You can also access live video if you add a home security camera.

If you’re on the hunt for a smart home security system that doesn’t require you to lift a finger, Vivint is the best of the bunch. Vivint’s high-end equipment with pro installation, 24/7 monitoring, smart home features, and state-of-the-art security tech make it the best wireless security system available.

We love Vivint for so many reasons:

• Professional installation that’s more affordable than competitors ($49)
• Financing model where equipment payment and monitoring are separate
• Free in-home home security consultations
• Smart home security smartphone app
• Full proprietary equipment line (Vivint doesn’t just rely on other folk’s tech)
• Theft-deterrent features
• Unique car guard device
• 24/7 professional monitoring
• Three-time TMA Center of the Year award winner

Standout feature: Vivint's security cameras with Smart Deter lurker detection are a staff favorite.

Like any luxury item, you’d expect Vivint to come with a luxury price tag. It’s a balance: its equipment is pricey, but Vivint’s monthly monitoring fees remain in line with other top security companies. The Smart Home Video monitoring plan delivers video plus smart home control and integration for around $40 a month.

If you’re motivated by good customer service, Cove will make you all warm and cozy inside. Cove told us its policy is to be “more than fair” with customers. That’s probably why Cove has a whopping 98%* customer retention rate. Customers love Cove, and we do too.

On top of offering affordable monthly monitoring prices—that you can get without a contract—Cove makes it painless to cancel if the system isn’t for you. Cove sets you free without punishing penalties and fees, unlike other security solutions that charge 75% to 100% of your remaining contract.

Cove has some more customer-forward goodies we love:

• Large 7-inch touchscreen panel that comes with every package
• InstaText service that lets you confirm an emergency through a quick text message
• LiveAssist service that calls you through the control panel (no phone needed!)
• RapidSOS to get you help sooner
• Cove Equipment Rewards that let you to upgrade to the newest equipment for free
• Lifetime equipment warranty (only one other brand on our list offers a lifetime warranty)
• Rate-lock guarantee that keeps your monitoring price the same

Standout feature: Cove sets itself apart with something it calls “done-with-me installation.” This combo of pro and DIY  lets you install the system yourself, with help.

The touchscreen walks you through installation with large, easy-to-follow illustrations. We’ll take it any day over installation booklets or tiny illustrations on an app.

When it comes to monitoring, the Cove Plus monitoring plan is our pick. It includes video monitoring and smart device integration plus a lifetime extended warranty.

ADT is the most experienced security company in the country. If you’ll sleep better knowing that a well-known, tried-and-true company is watching over your home, ADT is worth the money.

No one can beat ADT’s experience.

• Top-notch protection delivered for 150 years
• ADT Home Security looks out for more than 8 million people across the globe
• 6 professional monitoring centers
• Partnerships and integration with tech from Google Nest and Ford
• 6-month service guarantee (the longest money-back period in the industry)

Standout feature: ADT Home Security has six redundant monitoring centers. If one monitoring station goes down, your home’s protection transfers to another center. That’s 24/7 protection that you can rely on, even when Mother Nature does her worst.

Frontpoint delivers all the home security bells and whistles of full-service professionally installed systems but puts all the control (and installation) in your hands. For those who like the independence of DIY but don’t want to compromise on equipment options or features, Frontpoint fits the bill.

Frontpoint delivers all the perks you want from a DIY home security system:

• Smart home integration
• Lots of equipment to choose from
• Mobile smartphone app control
• Indoor and outdoor security cameras
• 24/7 video recordings
• Security videos on your television
• Video verification to reduce false alarms
• 24/7 professional monitoring
• No pushy sales and in-home consultations
• Extras in its entry-level plan like CO and smoke detector monitoring
• No wires for burglars to cut on this wireless alarm system

Standout feature: Every system comes with Frontpoint ID Protect powered by AllState Identity Protection. Yep, this smart security system protects your home and those you love and your identity—and you get this service and its nifty features for free.

If you’re all about smart home automation, then Abode is the best smart home security system for you. It’s the only smart security system on our list that works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant^†, Apple HomeKit, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. It lets you connect to almost any smart device on the market, and this flexibility can’t be beaten by any other system on our list.

Abode can protect your home with its more traditional Smart Security Kit or its sleek all-in-one Abode Iota security hub. Whichever way you go, Abode adds smarts to your home security setup with voice control through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit. In fact, it’s one of the only home automation security systems out there that cater to Apple devotees.

On top of voice control, you can add smart lighting, smart locks, smart speakers, and smart smoke and CO detectors to your Abode security system. Plus, pro monitoring starts at a mere $20 per month.

Abode is the only security system on the market that works with Apple HomeKit. You can ask Siri about your system’s status, use HomeKit to arm your system, and create automations so your Abode system works with your Apple devices.

While we research, we look at factors that matter most for protecting your home and family:

• Cost and contracts
• Response time and monitoring options
• Security features and smart home integration
• Customer service and reputation
• Ease of installation and use

Learn more about our rigorous testing process in our full methodology.

Contributing writers:

Rebecca Edwards

John Carlsen