SimpliSafe Pricing and Package Costs

We’ve known this for quite a while, but it rings true now more than ever: People want affordable security systems to protect their homes. And of course, we can’t mention affordable security systems without speaking of SimpliSafe, the original DIY-friendly alarm company with affordable equipment and monitoring.

In this post, we will be discussing exactly how affordable SimpliSafe is and why, even though it costs less than most security systems, it still belongs in our list of the best home security systems on the market. To do that, we’ll take a closeup look at its pricing, features, monitoring contract, and the quality of the equipment that it offers.

How Much Does SimpliSafe Cost?

First things first: How much does a SimpliSafe security system cost to own and operate? Here we’ll cover the equipment and monitoring cost of a SimpliSafe system and how much you’ll pay for the features you want.

Equipment Packages

First and foremost, you should know that SimpliSafe’s equipment prices change all the time, but not in a bad way. The changes are due to deals and discounts, which usually range between 20- to 60-percent. Not bad at all.

Normally, home security packages from SimpliSafe cost $250 to $700. However, with discounts, the price can fall down to as low as about $150. For a limited time this month, SimpliSafe systems are 50-percent off if you add a trial to the Interactive monitoring plan at checkout. With this discount, you can get a basic system for just above $120 and a more comprehensive package for a maximum of $350.

Aside from packages, you can also customize a 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.

The Beacon— $699.90
Components: Base station, keypad, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, two outdoor cameras

The Lighthouse— $464.93
Components: Base station, keypad, three entry sensors, motion sensor, outdoor camera

The Haven— $509.86
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, four entry sensors, two motion sensors, auxiliary siren, panic button, freeze sensor, smoke detector, water sensor

The Knox— $469.87
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, six entry sensors, two motion sensors, auxiliary siren, smoke detector

The Hearth— $394.91
Components: Base station, keypad, key fob, three entry sensors, motion sensor, auxiliary siren, smoke detector

The Essentials— $274.95
Components: Base station, keypad, three entry sensors, motion sensor

The Foundation— $244.96
Components: Base station, keypad, an entry sensor, motion sensor

Refurbished System— Starts at $206.20
Components: Base station, keypad, two entry sensors, two motion sensors

SimpliSafe Equipment List

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

Now we know what you’re thinking. After paying nearly $300 for equipment, how much is SimpliSafe going to cost you per month?

Well, the short answer is zero dollars. You don’t have to pay anything per month to use SimpliSafe. The tradeoff, however, is that you’ll be responsible for monitoring your own system. That means if there’s a break-in, you’ll be the one calling the cops, and if you miss the alert, you risk not getting help on time.

You also won’t be able to playback camera recordings because SimpliSafe cameras simply don’t record without a monthly fee. You’ll be able to stream videos live and receive alerts, but that’s all.

For those of us who want video storage, SimpliSafe offers paid plans. You can get unlimited storage on up to five cameras for $9.99 a month. Or, you can get storage on up to 10 cameras for $27.99 a month. That plan, the Interactive Plan, also comes with 24/7 professional monitoring, environmental alerts, and cellular backup, plus perks like a limited lifetime warranty on equipment.

Unlike self-monitoring, where you are responsible for your home’s security, 24/7 professional monitoring means that a team of people is available at all times to check in if any of your alarms go off and verify if an emergency is happening. If that’s the case, they can contact the proper emergency services for you, be it the police, the fire department, or even your local hospital.

Another perk of the Interactive plan is cellular backup. SimpliSafe uses your home Wi-Fi network to communicate and generate alerts, but as we all know, internet networks are not always reliable. With cellular backup, though, SimpliSafe powers up its built-in cellular chip to be able to use cellular signals to send alerts, no different than sending text messages from the base station. This is a valuable backup measure that ensures your system is always connected and ready to transmit alerts.

SimpliSafe Monitoring Breakdown

SimpliSafe offers two professionally monitored plans, namely, Standard and Interactive. 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 Interactive plan.

Is the Interactive plan worth it? Well, that depends on how important its extra features are for you, namely, secret alarms, video verification, cloud storage, and home automation integrations.

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.

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.

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

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

All of SimpliSafe’s plans are month-to-month, so you won’t have to commit to a long-term contract. This isn’t the case with older security companies like ADT and Vivint, so this is a huge advantage of SimpliSafe.

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 $28 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 $79.
• 24/7 professional monitoring and cellular backup available: Around $28 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 $200to $400: 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.