SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro Cost and Pricing

It’s a well-known fact in home security circles that the front door is one of the most vulnerable areas of the house. You would think that a burglar would try to sneak in through a back window, but in reality, a lot of break-ins start at the front door. That’s why video doorbells are essential. It’s a security camera you can place right next to your front door.

Most of the best home security systems these days offer video doorbells. Some, like ADT and Frontpoint, offer doorbell cameras from well-known third-party suppliers. Others prefer to make their own hardware. SimpliSafe belongs to the latter, and here, we’ll give you a tour around SimpliSafe’s video doorbell. It’s an interesting piece of hardware. It’s the only SimpliSafe product that requires hardwiring, for starters, so it’s not as easy to install as the rest of SimpliSafe’s system. It can also work on its own, unlike the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera we reviewed which requires a base station.

In the end, though, it all boils down to one question: Is the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro a good video doorbell?

Favorite Features

We test security products to see how they work in real life. We do that because from our experience, promised features and actual features don’t always match up. In fact, we have a whole page about the worst security cameras that underdeliver their promised features, one of which is a doorbell camera.

With the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro, we can confidently say that we got exactly what we were expecting. You can read about our whole experience in our SimpliSafe Video Doorbell review, but here’s a quick recap of our favorite things about the doorbell.

• No contract, no pressure: Although the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is a part of the SimpliSafe system, you don’t need to fully commit to SimpliSafe. The doorbell functions as a standalone device. And even if you buy it with a security system, you can still choose to self-monitor or get professional monitoring without long-term contracts.

• AI sensors limit false alarms: Beyond basic motion detection, the SimpliSafe doorbell can distinguish between people, animals, and vehicles. This significantly reduces false alarms, so you’re only notified about activities that matter.
• Easy DIY or professional installation options: SimpliSafe is the leader when it comes to easy-to-install DIY security equipment, and its video doorbell is no different. Although it requires hardwiring (not fun), the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro’s installation process is fairly streamlined. The box also came with small tools to help during the installation.
• 60-day money-back guarantee: If you like it, keep it; if you don’t, send it back. SimpliSafe shoppers have 60 days to try their new equipment and return it for a full refund. SimpliSafe will even pay for return shipping, making its products a risk-free purchase.

Smart Home Integration

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works on its own, but its greatest aspect has to be its ability to integrate with the SimpliSafe system. You’ll see in our SimpliSafe review that the security system is already well-rounded as-is. It has sensors, an outdoor camera, and a well-designed app for self-monitoring. But adding the video doorbell to the mix gives the system additional features.

For example, if a SimpliSafe sensor detects unauthorized entry, it can trigger the doorbell to record (provided that you have a cloud storage plan which starts at $9.99 per month from SimpliSafe). That type of integration and home automation can give you deep insight so you can respond to every alarm event more efficiently.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro can connect to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. We found controlling the doorbell with voice commands quite convenient. We armed the motion sensors just by saying “Alexa, tell SimpliSafe we’re going out”.

Pricing

The doorbell camera market is expected to reach $6.8 billion by 20332 in the United States alone. Between charges for equipment and monthly fees for storage and monitoring, it’s clear that this industry is already raking in the cash. Of course, not every video doorbell is equal. To succeed, each video doorbell must find a perfect balance between costs and quality. How does the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro stack up?

Equipment Pricing

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is competitively priced compared to premium models from Ring and Google Nest. If you want to see how they stack up against SimpliSafe’s offering, check out our Google Nest Doorbell (wired) review or our Ring Video Doorbell Pro review.

The following chart compares the cost of a SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro against that of similar devices from top companies.

Feature-wise, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro falls within the mid-range category, and compared to other doorbells in that category, it’s certainly one of the most affordable.

That said, there are sub-$100 options from brands like Ring and Wyze. While these entry-level models lack advanced features like person detection, they still deliver the basics like two-way talk and 1080p video quality.

SimpliSafe, on the other hand, offers features like person and vehicle detection to reduce false alerts. If you need those features and are willing to pay for them, then SimpliSafe should definitely be on your radar.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is already a great standalone video doorbell, but its real value shows if you’re already a SimpliSafe security system user. You’ll get to monitor the doorbell and the security system using the same app. If you’re on the Core (formerly Fast Protect) monitoring plan as well, you’ll get free cloud storage, which brings us to the next section: How much will you spend on monitoring and cloud storage?

Monitoring And Storage Pricing

The device cost isn’t the end of it. Like most video doorbells on the market, you’ll need a cloud plan to actually store videos. The good news is that SimpliSafe is known for being flexible in terms of subscriptions.

SimpliSafe offers six subscription plans, including one that is free. Four of those plans include cloud storage for the SimpliSafe doorbell. For $9.99, you can get cloud storage for up to 10 different cameras. And for $32.99, you can get professional monitoring for SimpliSafe and cloud storage for up to 10 cameras, among other advanced features such as Intruder Intervention.

Here’s the complete breakdown of SimpliSafe’s subscription plans, all of which are contract-free.

One of the great things about SimpliSafe is that it doesn’t require a contract, unlike the worst security companies, which often require or even force their customers to sign up for a five-year contract. With SimpliSafe, you get the flexibility of paying only when you need the extra services.

Self Monitoring and Storage

• Free: During our testing, we could livestream our doorbell feed and get real-time motion alerts. The two-way audio feature came in handy when delivery drivers arrived while we were still in bed or were too lazy to get to the door. Like Ring video doorbells and Google’s Nest Doorbell, push notifications were free. Unfortunately, we never knew if someone stopped by while we were away, since there was no recorded content to scroll back through and find out.

• Cloud storage for 10 cameras: For $9.99 per month, this plan supports storage for the Video Doorbell Pro and up to nine additional cameras in your SimpliSafe security system. Storage is for 30 days of rolling footage. During our testing, we could download video clips from the smartphone app and SimpliSafe’s web portal. All videos maintained full HD quality. This plan is only for self-monitoring. If we had jobs that didn’t allow us to periodically check our home security cameras, it’s unlikely we’d notice a home invasion or other safety issue in time so that emergency services could intervene.

Professional Monitoring and Storage

As outlined above, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works with SimpliSafe’s four monitoring plans, but the lowest cost plan doesn’t benefit from the doorbell itself since it doesn’t include cloud storage or video verification.

The Core plan gives you cloud storage for up to 10 SimpliSafe cameras, in addition to professional monitoring for the SimpliSafe system, basic home automation features, and a few other perks. This plan costs $32.99 per month, which is one of the most affordable professional monitoring plans available. The standout feature is video verification. When SimpliSafe detects a potential break-in, the monitoring center can access video clips to confirm the threat. This helps prioritize police dispatch. If you have the Wireless Indoor Camera, the monitoring center will be able to use the camera’s two-way talk as well through the Intruder Intervention feature.

The Pro and Pro Plus plans – $49.99 and $79.99 per month, respectively – also add value, especially if you have at least one SimpliSafe outdoor camera. These plans activate Active Guard Outdoor Protection. Using the outdoor camera’s AI, it can detect possible intruders before they enter your home. And when the camera detects a trespasser, monitoring agents are notified and can respond with two-way talk, siren, or lights. Pro activates the feature at night (between 8 pm and 6 am local time), while Pro Plus activates it 24/7.

A Notable Contender

To evaluate the Video Doorbell Pro’s value, we compared SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro with two of the industry’s other top video doorbell brands, Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest, specifically the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro and the Nest Doorbell (wired). The most striking financial difference between SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro and comparable competitors is its affordable equipment cost.

SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro offers competitive device pricing, marked at $169. That’s a full $10 to $60 less than the Google Nest Doorbell (wired) and Ring Wired Doorbell Pro, costing $179 and $229, respectively.

SimpliSafe also outshines both Ring and Google Nest with its money-back guarantee. Ring has a 30-day return policy, while Google Nest only has a 15-day return policy. At least they both offer free returns now, which wasn’t always the case. SimpliSafe, on the other hand, has a 60-day return policy and will send a prepaid label to cover the cost of shipping.

SimpliSafe isn’t superior in all ways, though. If you compare SimpliSafe to Ring and Nest on their cloud subscription plans, you’ll find that SimpliSafe is the odd duck. Ring and Google Nest both have cloud plans for about $10 per month, and both of their plans include cloud storage for unlimited cameras in one location. Additionally, Ring’s plan includes 180 days of video history. SimpliSafe’s $10-per-month plan only covers up to 10 cameras, and similar to Google Nest, it includes only 30 days of video history.

Is SimpliSafe the Video Doorbell For You?

We think the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is worth considering. At $169, it’s affordable while still offering advanced features like AI-powered person detection and package alerts. Its cloud storage plans are competitive as well supporting up to 10 cameras for $9.99 per month. Admittedly, that’s not quite as good as Ring supporting unlimited cameras for $10 per month, but it’s pretty darn close and you’ll save $60 on your doorbell camera.

We also liked SimpliSafe’s advanced monitoring features like video verification which we couldn’t get with Ring or Google Nest. Well, we could get it with Ring, but it costs $99 per month instead of SimpliSafe’s $32.99.

Backed by a 60-day money-back promise and free return shipping, we found SimpliSafe’s return policy to be better than most major competitors. With no contracts required, families on a budget, students, and renters can consider a video doorbell from SimpliSafe without the stress of a huge initial investment or long-term commitment.