SimpliSafe Pricing and Package Costs

Comparing home security systems involves more than evaluating features. You want to make sure you have access to the equipment you need to protect your home, and the monitoring plan offers speedy resolutions. Costs also play a role and are one of the reasons why we’re fans of SimpliSafe. Not only are they one of the most affordable security systems available, but they also offer state-of-the-art monitoring features like Active Guard to deter criminals.

However, SimpliSafe has a habit of raising their prices regularly. They’ve gone up three times in the past four years. While SimpliSafe is still more affordable than companies like Vivint, we want to make sure the price is still worth it compared to other budget brands like Cove and Frontpoint. Let’s find out.

>> Read More: The Best Home Security Systems of 2024

How Much Does SimpliSafe Cost?

We usually break down home security system costs into three categories – equipment, installation, and monitoring. But with SimpliSafe, you only need to worry about the equipment fees.

Sure, SimpliSafe offers professional installation, but it’s not mandatory like Vivint or some of ADT’s plans. However, setting up the equipment was so easy that we were up and running in around 40 minutes. So we recommend giving it a go yourself.

>> Compare: SimpliSafe vs. ADT

You can also purchase a monitoring plan. But once again, it’s not mandatory. All your equipment will function, but you’ll need to be the one to call 911 if an emergency arises. However, we recommend choosing one of SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring plans to avoid taking on this responsibility. The Standard Monitoring plan is $21.99 per month and comes with 24/7 emergency dispatch, among other useful features.

We’ll get into more detail on SimpliSafe’s monitoring plans later. For now, let’s review the equipment packages.

Equipment Packages

Equipment packages start at around $250, but in the six times we bought a SimpliSafe system throughout the years, we’ve never paid the full price. That’s because SimpliSafe offers discounts all the time. At a minimum, you can get a 20-percent discount year-round if you add a free trial to the Fast Protect monitoring plan to your cart. But during certain special holidays and shopping days like Black Friday and Christmas, prices can drop by as much as 60-percent. We saw the price of the basic $250 system drop to below $100 during this year’s Amazon Prime Day sale.

You can also get freebies, usually a security camera. The cheapest is the SimpliCam – a $99 value – but we’ve seen SimpliSafe offer its most expensive cameras for free. Those are the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera ($150) and Outdoor Security Camera ($200).

The Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera (pictured below) is the newest and it has a special feature that works exclusively with the Fast Protect plan, so SimpliSafe is always advertising it. We got ours for free thanks to a special deal.

The easiest way to get started with a SimpliSafe system is through a pre-customized package, but aside from that, you can also build your own SimpliSafe system. If you’re looking for an apartment security system or a system for a small house, for instance, it may make sense to purchase just a base station, a few entry sensors, and a motion sensor. That way, you’re buying just what you need — nothing more and nothing less.

We’d recommend checking out SimpliSafe deals before customizing though, especially SimpliSafe Black Friday deals and SimpliSafe Prime Day deals. Like we said, SimpliSafe loves throwing deals, and you might just be able to score better prices if you buy around shopping holidays. For now, check out SimpliSafe’s packages and their regular pricing.

SimpliSafe Packages

The Beacon— $729.90
Components: Base station, keypad, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, two outdoor cameras

The Lighthouse— $479.93
Components: Base station, keypad, three entry sensors, motion sensor, outdoor camera

The Haven— $529.86
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, auxiliary siren, panic button, freeze sensor, smoke detector, water sensor

The Knox— $489.87
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, six entry sensors, two motion sensors, auxiliary siren, smoke detector

The Hearth— $409.91
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, three entry sensors, motion sensor, auxiliary siren, smoke detector

The Starter— $279.94
Components: Base station, keypad, three entry sensors, motion sensor

The Foundation— $249.96
Components: Base station, keypad, an entry sensor, motion sensor

SimpliSafe Refurbished Packages

You can get a few more components at a lower price with SimpliSafe’s refurbished systems too. We find they give the same discount on their refurbished systems too making them an even better deal during holiday shopping seasons. Here are the standard prices of SimpliSafe’s refurbished systems:

9 Piece Refurbished System— $413.92
Components: Base station, keypad, four entry sensors, one motion sensor, one panic button, one wired indoor camera

12 Piece Refurbished System— $473.89
Components: Base station, keypad, five entry sensors, one motion sensor, one keyfob, one panic button, one wired indoor camera, one water sensor

11 Piece Outdoor Refurbished System— $658.90
Components: Base station, keypad, four entry sensors, one motion sensor, one keyfob, one glass break sensor, one wired indoor camera, one wireless outdoor camera

16 Piece Outdoor Refurbished System— $832.86
Components: Base station, keypad, five entry sensors, one motion sensor, one keyfob, one panic button, one glass break sensor, two wired indoor cameras, one wireless outdoor camera, two water sensors

SimpliSafe Equipment List

Whether you plan to buy a package or customize your own, you’ll have the option to buy additional components as you see fit for your home security. Below is the regular pricing of SimpliSafe’s add-on equipment.

To see exactly what we thought of SimpliSafe’s components in practice, read our full SimpliSafe security system review or check out our SimpliSafe FAQs.

Monitoring Options and Pricing

We have a rule that whenever a security system offers professional monitoring, we always go for it. We did the same with SimpliSafe and opted for the Fast Protect plan that costs $31.99 per month. But after testing it for a couple of months, we broke our own rule and used SimpliSafe without a monthly fee – that is, the self-monitoring option.

We were able to do that because SimpliSafe doesn’t require contracts. You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription anytime. That makes SimpliSafe a flexible security system for renters. More importantly, we think SimpliSafe offers enough features even without a professional monitoring subscription. We were able to do things like:

• Receive alerts through the SimpliSafe app
• Automatically or manually trigger sirens
• Livestream security camera footage on our phones
• Control SimpliSafe using the app
• Customize our arming modes to some degree

And because SimpliSafe offers that many features right out the box, we consider it one of the top security systems without a monthly fee. That said, we would recommend at least getting a cloud subscription for your SimpliSafe cameras. They don’t record unless you have one. It costs $9.99 per month and supports up to 10 cameras. We slightly prefer Ring’s $10 per month cloud plan since it supports unlimited cameras, but our home doesn’t need more than five cameras, never mind 10.

>> See Also: Ring Security Camera Pricing and Video Storage Options

Also note that while we liked what SimpliSafe offers with its free self-monitoring plan, we still recommend getting professional monitoring if it’s within your budget. It starts at $21.99 per month for the Standard plan, but we thought the $31.99 Fast Protect plan was a better value for our money because of its features (more on that below).

We also love the fact that the Fast Protect plan includes cellular backup. SimpliSafe is an internet-reliant security system. If your internet is not working, it won’t be able to send you alerts. If you’re not on any professional monitoring plan, only the base station’s siren will work in case of an intrusion.

With a professional monitoring plan, SimpliSafe will activate the base station’s cellular chip. This is like a SIM card connected to either an AT&T or Verizon network and can generate alerts without Wi-Fi. Add that to the base station’s 24-hour backup power supply and you get a resilient security system that can stay on no matter what.

SimpliSafe Monitoring Breakdown

SimpliSafe offers main professionally monitored plans, namely, Standard and Fast Protect (now also called Core). Being the cheaper of the two, the Standard plan is a pretty barebones monitoring plan. It includes cellular backup (continuous monitoring in case your internet goes down) and professional monitoring itself, but nothing else. You won’t be able to integrate smart home devices, create secret alarms, or get video-verified alarm responses. Those features are reserved for the slightly more expensive Fast Protect plan.

Secret Alarms

Secret alarms notify only certain people when the system detects a problem; the base station’s siren doesn’t go off. This is useful in case of home invasions, when you don’t want the intruders to know that you have an alarm system that can call the cops.

Video Verification

Next, video verified alarms provide you and the monitoring center with a video clip along with your notification. Because they’ve verified that there’s a crime in progress, police response can be sped up. This feature is also called Fast Protect™, and where things are headed, it seems that SimpliSafe is adding extra perks to this feature. For example, users can now receive text alerts and verify or cancel alarms by replying to the text, making the process a lot more streamlined.

24/7 Live Guard

SimpliSafe monitors not only sensors, but also security cameras. 24/7 Live Guard works on the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera and it has also rolled out to users with the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Pro installed in their homes. Support for the Outdoor Camera Pro is called Active Guard Outdoor Protection and requires a special Pro or Pro Plus monitoring plan which costs $49.99 per month or $79.99 per month respectively. The former enables outdoor camera monitoring overnight, while the latter activates it 24/7.

To access the Pro and Pro Plus plans, you’ll need to sign up for SimpliSafe and then request an upgrade to your monitoring plan. We tested the Live Guard protection with our indoor camera.

Here’s our experience: When we triggered the front door entry sensor while running break-in simulations, the wireless indoor camera came alive and started recording. A few seconds later, we heard a voice coming from it saying we’re being recorded and that police will be called. That voice was streaming live from SimpliSafe’s monitoring facility, and had we not explained what we were doing, the police really would have been called.

It raises some privacy concerns, but at the same time, SimpliSafe included features like a physical privacy shutter to address those. At the least, Live Guard helps make SimpliSafe a good security system for vacation homes – at least when they’re not occupied.

Also note that SimpliSafe isn’t the only company to offer a feature like that, but it’s the most inexpensive. Deep Sentinel charges $100 per month for outdoor camera monitoring (see our Deep Sentinel review), while Ring offers it for indoor and outdoor cameras at $99 per month.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage, as we discussed earlier, stores your recordings in the cloud from up to 10 cameras. If you want cameras included in your security monitoring, this is a solid feature that you’ll surely need.

Home Automation

Lastly, home automation integrations allow you to pair up SimpliSafe with smart home brands and ecosystems, such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and August Locks.

SimpliSafe doesn’t require users to sign a long-term contract either, unlike the worst security systems that often force or trick customers into signing a contract. Of course, contracts aren’t all that bad. Reputable companies like ADT and Vivint have contracts too, but if you want to avoid contracts altogether (and we can’t blame you), SimpliSafe is a top choice.

Installation Pricing

SimpliSafe is a DIY security system, so there are no required installation fees. SimpliSafe will ship you a box containing your home security system and it will be up to you to set it up. But don’t worry, it only takes about 30 minutes to set up everything.

That said, if you want a more professional touch, you can get your security system installed by a third-party SimpliSafe partner called OnTech. The service starts at $125.

How Does It Compare?

In terms of equipment and monitoring costs, SimpliSafe is at the lower end of the pricing spectrum with professional monitoring and cellular backup costing around $30 a month. We’ve seen some more traditional brands range from $40 to $60 a month. Many of them require long-term contracts as well, with some contracts as long as five years.

In terms of both cost and term length, SimpliSafe is affordable and flexible. While its monitoring costs aren’t the absolute lowest on the market (we’ve also seen monitoring for as little as $10 a month), SimpliSafe is still very affordable. The brand also runs several specials and sales throughout the year, including the 20-percent discount on new systems that we mentioned above. But if you don’t catch the deal, don’t despair; SimpliSafe has deals all year round, sometimes going as high as 60-percent.

Our Favorite Features

• DIY or professional installation through an authorized third-party: SimpliSafe is easy to install, even if you’re not a security expert like us. Most of the system is wireless, so sensors are as easy as peel-and-stick. However, we like that professional installation is also an option, through a third-party installer, for just $125.
• 24/7 professional monitoring and cellular backup available: Around $30 a month gets you professional monitoring, cellular backup, unlimited cloud storage on 10 cameras, secret alarms, environmental monitoring, and more.
• Integrations with Alexa and Google Assistant: Those in the Amazon and Google smart home ecosystems can command their SimpliSafe system using their voices alone. One note: Alexa has a lot more capabilities than Google Assistant.
• Packages range from about $250 to $730: You can also create a customized system as well, but we recommend buying a package to access savings. As far as pricing goes, SimpliSafe is one of the more affordable companies around in terms of both equipment and monitoring costs.
• Works with Nest thermostats and August smart locks: Users can connect their SimpliSafe components with smart thermostats and locks from Nest and August, respectively, automating their smart homes.

Home Automation

SimpliSafe works with Alexa and Google Assistant, the two most popular voice assistants from Amazon and Google, respectively. Here’s exactly what users can do with each.

Alexa

Using Alexa, users can arm their security system in either home or away mode, or check the status of their security system. Here are the commands for each:

Away Mode

• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe to arm my system in away mode
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe I’m going out
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe I’m leaving
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe to turn on

Home Mode

• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe to arm my system in home mode.
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe to lock up.
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe good night.
• Alexa, tell SimpliSafe I’m going to bed.

Check Status

• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe if my house is secure
• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe if I am protected
• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe for my current status
• Alexa, ask SimpliSafe what’s shakin’

These skills only work with the latest version of SimpliSafe and users must pay for the professional monitoring plan to use it.

Google Assistant

Those in the Google smart home ecosystem can have the Google Assistant arm their SimpliSafe security system in either home or away mode, the same as Alexa. You can say either “arm security” or “set security to arm”. Again, this integration is only available with the 24/7 professional monitoring plan1.

Aside from voice assistants, SimpliSafe works with Nest thermostats and August smart locks2 as well, allowing you to automate actions. For example, you can turn your Nest thermostat down automatically or have your locks close automatically when you put the system into away mode.

Overall Value

SimpliSafe is one of the more affordable smart home security brands on the market today, but its prices for professional monitoring aren’t the cheapest we’ve seen (that honor goes to ecobee Smart Security, which has a $10 per month professional monitoring plan).

In terms of both equipment and monitoring, SimpliSafe doesn’t break the bank. You can do quite a lot for no money at all, in fact. As for those that want 24/7 professional monitoring, SimpliSafe is reasonably priced.