Best Affordable Home Security Systems of 2024 | Security.org

With high-quality equipment and packages that start at $250, SimpliSafe is the best-value home security system we’ve tested.

When we talk about affordable security systems, we don’t just mean the price. We also factor in the quality. You know what they say: It’s better to buy a $100 pair of shoes you can wear for a year than a $10 pair that lasts only a month.

All the best security systems of 2024 are worth their prices, but we tested them once again to see which offers the best value for money. SimpliSafe came out as the top pick because of its scalability and because it offers both cheap and high-end monitoring options. Cove, Frontpoint, ADT, and abode also made our list. Let’s help you pick one that will work best for your budget.

Before we talk specifics about each one, here’s how they look side by side:

SimpliSafe was originally designed with apartments in mind, which is why it’s one of the best home security systems for renters. But more than that, SimpliSafe seeked to disrupt the industry by decoupling security systems from landlines, hardwired installation, and long-term contracts. In doing so, it made security systems more accessible to everyone.

>> Compare: SimpliSafe vs. Frontpoint

Since that time almost 20 years ago, SimpliSafe has remained true to that ethos. It offers high-quality, durable, but affordable equipment in modular packages so customers can build out systems that fit their needs — in terms of both security and budget.

On the topic of monitoring, we always recommend professional monitoring if the budget permits. It’s better for your security to have professionals on stand-by, ready to respond to alerts. But because professional monitoring costs a monthly fee, self-monitoring is a viable option for the budget-conscious.

Luckily, SimpliSafe offers both. Self-monitoring is free, but you pay $9.99 per month to access camera recordings. If you want professional monitoring, SimpliSafe’s prices range from $21.99 to $79.99 per month. I know, $79.99 doesn’t sound cheap – and it’s not. But those high-end plans aren’t necessary if you’re on a budget.

The $21.99 Standard Plan and $31.99 Core plan are our picks for budget-conscious shoppers. They both offer professional monitoring with cellular backup, while Core adds in video verification and Live Guard Protection. More on that later.

Pro Tip: SimpliSafe’s advantage over traditional systems like ADT and Vivint is that all monitoring plans are contract-free. That means you can cancel, downgrade, or upgrade anytime, depending on your current budget and needs. It’s one of the best contract-free security systems.

We recommend SimpliSafe because of its equipment pricing and options. You don’t need much to get started, as the cheapest package costs about $250. That comes with a motion sensor and door sensor, plus the base station and keypad. In our experience, that’s enough for a studio-type condo or apartment unit.

The price increases as more components are added, but overall, SimpliSafe’s pricing is below average. Here’s a quick breakdown:

One thing to note before we drill down on the prices of individual pieces of equipment: SimpliSafe is almost always offering sales, so don’t be scared off by the numbers you’re seeing in that right-hand column. At the time of this writing, it was offering 50 percent off any new system with a professional monitoring free trial.

We want to highlight the Smart Alarm wireless indoor camera in particular. When coupled with a Core subscription or higher, it allows a SimpliSafe security professional to access a live feed of your home during emergencies to verify alerts. They’ll also use the camera’s two-way audio to scare off intruders.

>> Learn More: The Best Security Cameras of 2024

We actually tested this out and were pretty impressed with the results. We purposely set off the alarm and sure enough, the camera’s privacy screen snapped open, and the technician started speaking to us through the camera. We let them know it was a false alarm and gave them our safe code, and they were able to prevent authorities from being dispatched.

Every security system is going to have its pros and cons, even great ones like SimpliSafe. For us, that came in the form of the non-negotiable $70 analog keypad you have to purchase with every security system. And that’s on top of the SimpliSafe hub, which is also required for the system to function properly. We can’t understand why SimpliSafe requires a keypad that’s not even a touch screen. SimpliSafe has one of the best security systems apps in the industry after all, so the keypad should just be optional instead of adding it to the cost of the packages.

Another potential downside is the limited home automation features. We get that home automation is not the priority of most people, especially if they’re trying to keep costs low. But at least our other top picks such as Frontpoint, ADT, and abode offer home automation as an upgrade. They can control lights, locks, thermostats, and other smart home products. SimpliSafe just can’t do any of that.

Pro Tip: SimpliSafe works with Alexa and Google Assistant if you’re on the Core plan or higher, so if you have smart speakers, the best workaround to SimpliSafe’s lack of home automation is to use either of those voice assistants to harmonize your smart home. SimpliSafe made both our lists of the best security systems for Alexa and Google Assistant users.

>> Read More: The Best Security Systems that Work With Google Assistant

If we’re looking at price alone, Cove is the cheapest security system on this list both in terms of equipment and monitoring costs. So why was it not our top pick? Because buying a security system isn’t that simple of a calculus. Even if you’re trying to save money, you don’t always want to go with the cheapest option.

Cove makes a solid case for itself, though, with its affordable monitoring costs. While it doesn’t offer as good features as SimpliSafe’s monitoring, it’s perfectly reliable while also being cheaper. There’s also enough equipment to protect apartments and small homes without sacrificing a lot of quality. They hold up fine despite a few accidental drops during our testing.

>> Learn More: Best Security Systems for Apartments and Best Security Cameras for Apartments

Buying a security system isn’t always that simple of a calculus. You don’t always want to go with the cheapest option. Sometimes there are intangibles at play, like quality, durability, and even aesthetics. With Cove, you’re not going to be sacrificing a lot of quality. I’ve tested it extensively, and being the clumsy person I am, I’ve accidentally spilled coffee on the keypad and dropped a few of the sensors. They held up fine.

What you will be compromising, though, are a lot of advanced features. Cove is not at all smart home-friendly beyond integrating with Alexa and Google Assistant. And unlike SimpliSafe, Cove doesn’t offer live security camera monitoring. But if you want something really cheap that can protect your home or apartment, Cove will do the trick.

Unlike SimpliSafe, Cove doesn’t offer free self-monitoring. While you’re not required to sign a long-term contract – which means you can cancel the monitoring plan anytime – you absolutely must have a subscription to use Cove. It doesn’t function otherwise.

That’s a little unfortunate, but instead of dwelling on something we can’t control, let’s take a look at something we can – choosing a Cove subscription. There are two options, namely, Cove Basic and Cove Plus.

Yup, you read that right. It’s just $17.99 per month for professional monitoring with Cove. To our knowledge, that’s the most affordable in the industry.

The one feature that grabbed my attention is smash-and-grab protection. This essentially prevents intruders from coming in the door, smashing your alarm panel, and rendering your alarm system useless. If it’s damaged, the system treats it as an alarm event.

Cove also made improvements to that feature recently by separating the hub from the keypad. The keypad is what goes near your front door while the hub – the one responsible for sending out alerts – can be tucked away in the corner. That way, even if a burglar smashes the keypad to pieces, the hub still works just fine. Our next pick, Frontpoint, works the same way.

Pro Tip: Hide your Cove hub away from sight, or at least far from your front door and other common entry points for burglars. We placed ours next to our Wi-Fi router in the living room, where we think it’s well-camouflaged.

Unlike Frontpoint and SimpliSafe, Cove doesn’t offer any premade packages for its customers — you have to build it out yourself. But this isn’t as difficult as it seems. Cove will start you off with the alarm panel and hub, and then you’ll just specify how many of each type of sensor you want.

Cove doesn’t offer many options. It has the core components of security systems like motion, entry, and glass break sensors, as well as a few safety-related sensors like smoke and flood detectors. It also offers security cameras. What’s impressive though is that sensors sell for as low as $15 a piece – sometimes even lower during Cove sales.

Cove is a great option for folks looking to build a reasonable security system as cheaply as they can, but one thing I really dislike is that you have to sign up for professional monitoring to use the equipment at all. If you don’t, the entire system stops working. Cove could have at least thrown in a couple of features – like sounding the siren – for users who’d rather not pay a monthly fee.

Although it might not have the same name recognition as SimpliSafe, you shouldn’t count Frontpoint out of contention. Last time we tested this system, it really impressed us with its quality, robust protections, and how easy everything was on the wallet.

>> Learn More: Frontpoint FAQ

The company also puts an emphasis on how it treats its customers, from its easy-to-use website — which is, surprisingly, a rarity in this industry — to its extremely friendly, knowledgeable customer service. More on that in just a bit. First, let’s talk monitoring.

The first thing you need to know about Frontpoint is that monitoring is required with all of its systems, and the second thing to know is that it’s expensive. At $49.99 per month, it’s around the same price as Vivint’s professional monitoring and a little more expensive than ADT, both of which are constantly awarded as the best in the industry.

>> Compare Systems: Vivint vs. ADT Self Setup

Now that isn’t to say Frontpoint’s monitoring isn’t up to snuff. Here’s where that 50 bucks per month is going:

This is definitely valuable monitoring here, and we’d argue it’s worth the seemingly high cost. However, we really wish Frontpoint would offer some more affordable options or even a self-monitored option, like SimpliSafe.

Now let’s take a closer look at the equipment that the $49.99 monitoring plan will be keeping an eye on.

Similar to SimpliSafe, you can start off with one of Frontpoint’s prebuilt packages and add equipment as you see fit. But here’s where Frontpoint kind of makes up for the high monitoring cost: Its bundled packages are super affordable. The packages are usually three or four times cheaper than what it would cost to buy the included pieces individually. Frontpoint is always running deals to keep the cost of entry low.

Now, if you look at what’s included in those packages, you’ll see that they are cheaper than what SimpliSafe offers. For example, the Starter package includes one hub, one keypad, and one door sensor for $79.99. The cheapest package from SimpliSafe offers the same pieces plus a motion sensor for $250. There’s no chance that the added motion sensor costs the $130 difference. In fact, SimpliSafe sells those sensors for $35 a piece.

FYI: The cheaper pricing applies only to the packages. If we compare the cost of individual pieces of equipment, SimpliSafe is more affordable. For example, Frontpoint sells its motion sensors for $45 per piece; SimpliSafe for $35. Our advice is to start with a bigger package and limit the pieces of equipment you’ll buy individually.

Frontpoint’s costs aside, let’s talk about working with this equipment. Similar to Simplisafe, the DIY setup was extremely easy. Since Frontpoint is one of the best wireless security systems out there, we had our test equipment up in about 30 minutes using the provided command strips to affix everything to the walls.

We did have a bit of a problem getting everything to connect through the hub, though, so even though it was already late evening, we called Frontpoint’s customer support. Surprisingly, a representative picked up the phone and helped us troubleshoot the issue. We guess another thing we’re paying for with our $49.99 monthly fee is good customer service.

While we highly recommend the Frontpoint system for most folks operating on a budget, that unavoidable $50-per-month monitoring can be a difficult pill to swallow for some. Like we said above, we think it’s worth it when you really drill down into what you’re getting, but if you’re looking for more affordable monitoring, keep reading. Our next pick starts at only $29.99 monthly.

Up until now, we’ve been talking about DIY systems. That makes sense — nine times out of 10, they’re the most affordable options. But that doesn’t mean more traditional providers should be ignored.

It’s true that if you just look at ADT’s pricing, “affordable” might not be the first word that comes to mind. But putting this Cadillac of a security system in your home is actually more reasonable than you might think.

One word: financing.

Most of the other providers on our list don’t have flexible financing, which means a higher cost of entry. If you’re paying upfront, the equipment will cost you at least $250 with SimpliSafe, $150 with Cove, and $79 with Frontpoint. With ADT, you can get started for just $7.47 plus the cost of the first month of monitoring. You don’t even have to pay for professional installation anymore, because like SimpliSafe, ADT has a DIY option now.

>> Compare: ADT vs. SimpliSafe

FYI: That $7.47 covers the first of the 36 monthly payments for the cheapest ADT package, which costs $269 in total. ADT offers financing plans up to 36 months, for which your credit worthiness will be checked to see if you qualify.

Now, this might surprise you, but ADT is more affordable than Frontpoint in terms of monitoring. Prices start at $29.99 per month for basic protection, but even if you go all the way, you’d pay only $44.99 per month. That’s more expensive than Cove and SimpliSafe’s most popular plans, but ADT’s monitoring is some of the best in the industry.

>> Learn More: DIY vs. Professional Install

For starters, ADT has 12 monitoring facilities around the country, and each one of those facilities has its own redundancies built in. This means that even if the center closest to you gets completely knocked out by, say, a natural disaster, you’re still going to have eight other facilities keeping your system online. They also use some of the most advanced technology in these centers, like SMART — a text-based communications system that can help reduce false alarms.

Pro Tip: If you’re buying security cameras, ADT requires you to sign up for the top-tier plan that includes Nest Aware ($8 per month value). ADT’s security cameras are from Google Nest. Nest Aware activates 30-day event recording and some smart features like facial recognition.

ADT offers prepackaged systems that you can customize, but the packages change up all the time. As of the time of writing, these were ADT’s available options:

Also keep in mind that ADT is our No. 1 pick for the best professionally installed security system, so if you have the budget, go for professional installation. You won’t need to grab the toolbox or even lift your finger to get your security system set up.

That said, if you want to save on an ADT system, ADT does offer a DIY option now with the same components as the professionally installed ADT system. You can read more about that in our guide to ADT Self Setup.

The main drawback of going with ADT is the long-term contract you’re going to have to sign. You can avoid the contract by buying the equipment upfront and installing it yourself. But since its flexible financing is ADT’s greatest strength as an affordable security system, you will have to sign a 36-month contract to qualify. That makes ADT a tough sell for people who are renting or folks who don’t want to be locked into any particular service.

FYI: To somehow soften the blow of signing a long-term contract, ADT offers the longest money-back guarantee in the industry at six months. That definitely gives you some breathing room.

Last but not least, we have abode. If you’re looking for a more high-tech system without breaking the bank, abode might be the provider for you. It works well with most voice assistants, like Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home Kit, and you’ll have the capacity to integrate scores of third-party smart home technologies into your system.

When we tested abode, we linked up our Google Nest thermostat and Samsung smart bulbs so we could turn our lights off and my cooling system up in the morning without even having to get out of bed. How’s that for living in the future?

As you’d imagine, abode’s monitoring plans aren’t going to cost you an arm and a leg. Also, we’re happy to report that you do have the option of self-monitoring this system, making it the second brand on this list to offer that option. You’ll miss out on what we’d consider some pretty key features, but it’s nice to know you can fall back on that if money gets really tight. We have more information in our guide to abode’s pricing, but here’s a quick rundown:

>> See Also: Best Smart Home Security Systems

Now let’s talk about the other major factor in the bottom line: abode’s equipment prices.

Similar to the other DIY systems on this list, abode offers you the choice to select a security package or build your own system. Here’s what the packages look like:

Similar to Frontpoint, abode likes to jack up its “regular” prices but somehow is always running a sale. Also, don’t pay any attention to the timer at the top of its website’s home screen — it’s a gimmick that’s meant to make you feel a sense of urgency. Dubious sales tactics aside, here’s a breakdown of the prices of individual pieces of equipment:

The biggest drawback to abode is how difficult it is to navigate its website. It’s really hard to understand your options and piece together the right security system because of it. We wouldn’t usually point this out, but it really degrades the overall customer service.

If you’re looking into an abode system, start with the “Build your System” wizard located in the top toolbar. That will give you the most streamlined buying experience, in our opinion.

>> Compare: abode vs. SimpliSafe

Buying an affordable security system is one thing, but there may be more things you can do to keep your home security system costs low. Here are some tips we learned throughout our years of testing security systems.

No, you don’t really need a security system, but you also don’t need to lock your doors at night. Security systems definitely add a layer of protection to your property, which is important when you consider a home is broken into about every 15 seconds in this country.

>> Learn More: How to Secure Your Home

Cost is a prohibitive factor for many people, but that’s really a matter of perception. As you can see from the list above, home security systems aren’t actually that expensive and are within reach for most budgets.

Asking how much a security system costs is a bit like asking “How much is a car?” Do you want a Rolls-Royce Phantom or a Honda Civic LX? If we’re looking at averages, most average-sized homes can be outfitted with a reasonable security system for around $300 to $600.

Keep in mind that most security providers will require some sort of monthly subscription to get the most out of that system. You should budget around $10 to $30, depending on the features you’re looking for.

If you’re looking to keep your home secure without spending a lot, there are plenty of other methods — a lot of them free. Some of those include:

Overall, you want your home to be unappealing to a potential intruder. Sometimes all that takes is looking like you’re home. Most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, so adding one layer of difficulty can be enough for most criminals to move on.

Whenever we’re recommending security systems to our readers, we want to make sure they meet high standards of quality and service. Here are the factors we used to determine which systems made the cut for this list:

The most important consideration for this list is the cost. For the most part, you can use any one of these systems to fully outfit a normal home for under $600. That said, we didn’t just select the cheapest options available. We also took into consideration the quality and durability of the equipment used, as well as the features offered by the providers’ subscription plans, to determine overall value.

The majority of the providers on this list are DIY, meaning that you’ll order the equipment and set it up yourself. Don’t worry, though; we’ve made sure that each of these systems is easy to install and doesn’t require any specialized knowledge or tools. The majority of them can be set up and installed in less than half an hour.

Long-term contracts and affordability are usually antithetical, which is why all but one of the providers on this list offer month-to-month subscriptions, and many offer the ability to self-monitor their systems. ADT, the only provider included that requires a long-term contract, offers a six-month money-back guarantee for its service, which is one of the reasons we gave it a pass.

Not only do you need high-quality equipment, but you need that equipment to perform well. Just because a security system includes a great indoor camera doesn’t mean that camera is going to serve all of your needs. Does it record in 1080p or higher resolution? Does it have night vision? What about two-way talk? We considered these questions when evaluating each piece of equipment that made up these systems.

Protecting your home with the best security systems around is definitely a big investment, but that doesn’t mean you have to overspend. Our top-pick affordable security systems will give you high-quality protection for a lot less than what others charge.

Again, SimpliSafe is our number one pick. Its affordable hardware is high-quality, and it gives users plenty of options for monitoring – including a free self-monitoring plan. Cove, Frontpoint, ADT, and abode are biting at SimpliSafe’s heels though. Cove has the cheapest pricing around; Frontpoint has the best-priced packages; ADT offers flexible financing; and abode offers really advanced smart home features.

They all have our seal of approval, so whichever you think is best for you and your budget, that’s the one you should go with.

Yes, there are a number of security systems that don’t require a monthly fee. Usually, you’ll monitor the system yourself, relying on text, email, or app alerts, as well as built-in sirens. SimpliSafe, abode, and Ring Alarm are great examples.

Security cameras are often offered as add-ons to security systems, and yes, there are affordable security systems that support security cameras. That said, keep in mind that most brands require a higher monthly fee for systems with cameras in order to accommodate additional features like cloud storage.

Yes, security companies offer discounts occasionally. Brands like SimpliSafe, ADT, and Frontpoint sometimes offer special deals on their websites, and many of them offer deals around Black Friday, Cyber Week, and other retail holidays.

It depends on the brand, but generally speaking, affordable security systems are reliable. SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, ADT, Cove, and abode are all reputable brands with millions of users. They also offer necessary features like professional monitoring and video monitoring, as well as add-ons like home automation.

Many people enjoy the peace of mind professional monitoring brings with it, but there are plenty of others who have no problem monitoring their system themselves from their smartphone. It’s a matter of preference.