Ring Alarm Security System Cost and Pricing

We think Ring is one of the best home security systems around. They offer high-quality, low-cost equipment for just about any security need and professional monitoring for only $20 per month. Plus, their equipment includes cutting-edge protections as well as some interesting opportunities for home automation. It can also be installed with minimal tools or know-how, and they don’t require any long-term contracts.

Are they the right system for you, though? In this guide, we’re going to break down the cost of Ring’s equipment, discuss their offerings, and detail their overall value. By the end, you’re going to have a pretty good perspective of Ring’s security systems, and a good idea if they’re going to meet your needs.

Ring Alarm Pricing Overview

Equipment Costs

Pricing-wise, Ring is one of the most affordable security companies on the market today. They’re always coming out with new and improved versions of their cameras and video doorbells, so there’s a nice range of prices depending on what features you want. You can customize your own system, but note that the base station is required no matter what security kit you end up going with.

With the addition of Ring Alarm Pro to Ring’s lineup comes an upgraded base station with a built-in eero Wi-Fi 6 router that covers up to 1,500 square feet. You can either buy the base station alone as an upgrade to your existing Ring Alarm system, or buy a new 8- or 14-piece Ring Alarm Pro Package for as low as $249.99.

Ring Alarm Equipment Cost Breakdown

Here are the prices for Ring Alarm and Ring Alarm Pro accessories:

Package Costs

To get the most savings, we recommend buying a package rather than individual pieces of equipment. Prices range from around $200 to about $700, so there’s a really big range depending on how much equipment you need. But whether you’re an apartment dweller or a homeowner, Ring has a security kit for you, plus add-on equipment available on their website and Amazon.

Ring Alarm Packages

Monitoring Costs

Ring lets you choose between self-monitoring for free and 24/7 professional monitoring. With self-monitoring, we were totally responsible for our home’s security. But with 24/7 professional monitoring, a team of people also gets alerted if any of the alarms go off. If we didn’t respond to a notification or phone call, the professional monitors would send emergency services, after verifying their necessity.

While we didn’t mind monitoring the system ourselves, we recommend getting 24/7 professional monitoring as it comes with cellular backup to keep the system on if the power goes out.

Monitoring Cost Overview

Ring offers three subscription plans plus a free self-monitoring option, but only one of those plans include professional monitoring. It’s called Ring Protect Pro, and it’s what we opted for when we tested our Ring Alarm and Ring Alarm Pro systems.

Here’s the breakdown of the subscription features.

*Feature requires a Ring Alarm Pro base station. 

Professional monitoring and cellular backup costs only $20 a month or $200 a year with Ring, one of the lowest fees we’ve seen among the top players in the industry. A monitoring package from Cove, one of the most affordable home security systems, starts at $17.99, and so Ring’s $20 per month plan isn’t too far off.

Plus, all plans are monthly with Ring, so there’s no need to sign up for a long-term commitment as required with a traditional alarm system from Brinks, for example, or an Alder security package. We even got 180 days of cloud storage, an extended warranty, and 10 percent off products on Ring’s website.

Home Automation

Since Amazon owns Ring, it’s no surprise that Ring works with Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. It also connects to the Google ecosystem, but we found the Nest Hub Max didn’t recognize as many commands as our Echo Show. We used our voices to live stream camera footage, disable motion alerts, and lock the front door when our hands were full of groceries.

• Show their cameras’ footage (live streamed or cloud storage) on their Echo devices or Fire TVControl smart lighting
• Adjust motion sensitivity
• Disable motion alerts
• Arm and disarm the security system or ask about its status
• Lock or unlock the door or ask about its status.

Aside from the voice assistants, Ring works with several third-party devices, which helps fill out your home security system with products it doesn’t offer directly. Some examples are:

• Dome Siren
• Leviton Decora In-Wall Switch
• GE Plug-In Dimmer
• Schlage Connect Smart Deadbolt
• Kwikset Z-Wave Deadbolt
• Yale Touchscreen Deadbolt
• Chamberlain Smart Garage Door Control

If you own devices using Z-Wave technology, you can integrate them with your Ring alarm system. The only downside is that Ring doesn’t let you set up any home automations, unlike some other home security systems. For example, when we reviewed abode, we set up a rule to turn on our Philips Hue lightbulbs as soon as the cameras started recording. We added another that would lock the front door the second it closed, so we didn’t have to shout at Alexa to do it.

If you want to see what Ring is capable of, check out our full Ring Alarm review.

How Does Ring Stack Up?

Ring has some of the most affordable monitoring costs we’ve seen from a security company, only $20 per month or $200 per year for 24/7 professional monitoring and cellular backup, among other features. Only a handful of brands offer cheaper monitoring than Ring, and the difference is often minimal. Plus, when you consider companies like Vivint and Frontpoint that charge as much as $50 a month for monitoring, in the grand scheme, Ring is definitely at the lower end.

We also appreciate that even without paying any monthly fees, Ring users can still live-stream footage, receive notifications if any of their alarms go off, and control their systems remotely. This isn’t the case with all systems; while some companies like Arlo claim they offer self-monitoring, their systems essentially turn into local alarms only. Here’s how these prices compare to some of our other favorite systems.

While Ring is the cheapest of the four, it lacks some home automation features and has no advanced monitoring features like SimpliSafe’s Live Guard. If you want to learn more about that, check out our thoughts on SimpliSafe’s packages.

In terms of equipment, Ring is also pretty affordable. Ring is average in terms of camera and video doorbell pricing. There are much more expensive camera options for up to $500, as well as ridiculously cheap cameras for $20, but Ring sits right in the middle at an average of $50 to $200.

For a system that offers a larger equipment selection and dedicated 24/7 professional monitoring, check out the plan offerings from Frontpoint, another popular and fairly affordable home security brand.

Our Ring Alarm Security Kit Research and Data

Overall Value

As long as you’re okay with Ring’s police partnerships, it’s a very affordable, simple and effective security system. With a ton of equipment options, DIY installation, integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant and affordable monitoring costs, Ring gives you the flexibility to spend as much or as little as you want to on your home’s security.

One thing we know about Ring is that it’s always improving. If Ring can continue to give us high-quality equipment with low-cost monitoring subscriptions and perhaps throw in a few new innovative features like ADT has with Trusted Neighbor or SimpliSafe’s Live Guard, it could end up higher on our best home security system list.