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6 min readFor over 11 years, SafeWise experts have conducted independent research and testing to create unbiased, human reviews. Learn how we test and review.
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 among the best home security systems available, especially for do-it-yourselfers. But do its equipment and monitoring fees fit into your budget?
Thankfully, we took careful notes on SimpliSafe's prices for monitoring, security system packages, equipment, and installation while testing it ourselves.
Live in the UK? Check out our SimpliSafe UK review to see prices in pound sterling.
SimpliSafe calls the police only after it calls your first two primary contacts to verify if it was a false alarm. If neither answers and gives the safeword, the monitoring center dispatches the police to check things out.
🔥 SimpliSafe is offering 70% off + FREE outdoor camera on any new system with professional monitoring.
*With new system purchase. Info current as of publish date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
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 or taking advantage of SimpliSafe professional installation, starting at $124.00.
SimpliSafe also offers a 10% discount when you add the Fast Protect™ package to your purchase. Also, the home security company often offers a free HD security camera with the purchase of a package.
We like that SimpliSafe alarm systems offer a wide range of choices so you can get 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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There’s only one monthly fee associated with SimpliSafe home security systems: the professional monitoring plan. The cost depends on which monitoring plan you choose.
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 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 | 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.
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.
The Self Monitoring with Camera Recordings package for alarm systems is the least expensive paid plan at $9.99 per month. It includes 30 days of unlimited video storage for up to five SimpliSafe cameras, advanced SMS alerts, and custom private phone notifications.
The Standard Monitoring plan is a little more expensive at $21.99 per month, but we think it's worth the splurge. It monitors water leaks and temperature changes. Plus, it will save the recordings from up to 10 cameras for 30 days. It also includes 24/7 professional monitoring, fire monitoring, and a cellular connection for homes that don’t have landlines.
The Core plan costs $31.99 per month. It includes all of the features of the other two plans combined. SimpliSafe also offers customers a free security camera when they sign up for this monitoring service package. You can also connect your SimpliSafe system to Amazon Alexa or Google Home with this package.
Pro and Pro Plus range from around $50 to $80. Why so expensive? They include everything in the other packages, plus Active Guard Outdoor Protection. That means that you have an AI system watching your home. If it senses danger, it will alert a security person at the call center. The person will then try to scare away the potential intruder and call the authories if needed. This service can lessen the amount of false alarms and increase the likelyhood that a potential intruder will go away before harming anything.
Our favorite smart home integration is setting the August Lock to lock/unlock when you arm/disarm your SimpliSafe home security system.
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.
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 | Installation | Monthly cost
| Best for | Self-monitoring option |
| Professional | $29.99/mo. | Best professional home security | No | |
| DIY or Pro | $21.99/mo. | Best DIY home security | Yes | |
| Professional | $28.99/mo.* | Most trusted security brand | No | |
| DIY or Pro | $17.99/mo. | Best customer rating | No |
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.
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 the Fast Protect™ plan, 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.
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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