Best Smart Home Security Systems of 2024 | Security.org

Set up schedules, operate smart devices, and opt for professional monitoring with our top choice for smart security systems, ADT.

There’s a reason why a lot of home security systems today include smart home automation. Automation isn’t just a luxury – it’s a helpful function that can take your home security to the next level. Just imagine never having to lock your doors and arm your security system before going to bed, or having living room lights automatically turn on when a burglar breaks in in the dead of night.

After over three months of testing security systems with automation features like those, we concluded that ADT is the best option right now. It’s not perfect, but it has a close partnership with Google Nest – one of the top smart home brands – and an easy app to use and automate. We also saw some great things from Vivint, SimpliSafe, abode, Ring Alarm, and Cove. You probably didn’t expect to see some of those brands we mentioned, but there are good reasons they’re here. Find out what those are.

>> Check Out: Best Security Systems for Vacation Homes

Before we get into our list of the best security systems for smart homes, let’s start with the basics. What exactly makes a home security system smart?

Smart capabilities are nice and all, but your system must be able to do its primary job: keep you safe. So, we also consider:

ADT works with one of the leaders of the smart home industry, Google Nest, to provide top-of-the-line smart security equipment. We’re talking about Nest Cams that can detect and recognize people, Nest thermostats that automate temperature control, and Nest smart displays that orchestrate everything with just your voice.

The ADT security system also revolves around an app – the ADT+ app – that provides all the necessary management and control features. And if you want to customize your home automation, you can use the web dashboard for even easier management.

Those apps are necessary, especially now that ADT security systems no longer include a touch screen control panel like we saw from Vivint. Instead, ADT offers a screenless hub with a push-button keypad. It can control the security system, but not so much the automation features. We hope that improves soon. But for now, we are naming the ADT+ app as the best smart security app.

>> More Options: Best Security Systems for Google

FYI: ADT recently came out with a new security system called ADT Plus, which loses the touch screen panel in favor of a keypad similar to the discontinued Nest Secure from Google Nest. We’re in the process of reviewing the new system, but one thing we noted is that the new ADT+ app (which has been in use since ADT Self Setup came out) offers a better user experience than the ADT Control app we tested previously.

If you want to integrate smart home devices into your ADT system, you will need a monitoring plan. More specifically, you will need either the top-tier or mid-tier plan that costs $44.99 or $34.99, respectively. Professional monitoring is required if you’re having your ADT system installed by a technician, which we recommend given its status as one of the best professionally installed systems.

ADT’s plans are pricier than SimpliSafe by a few bucks, but we’re big fans of ADT monitoring. It has 12 monitoring centers across the U.S. for redundancy and it uses advanced alerting protocols like SMART Monitoring. Instead of waiting 30 seconds or more to alert you through a phone call – the traditional process for alarm monitoring – ADT sends alerts via texts in mere seconds. Only if you don’t respond to that text will ADT call you.

Did You Know: ADT now offers a self-monitored, self-installed option called ADT Self Setup. It offers the same equipment options, including ADT cameras and smart devices made by Google Nest. However, it requires a monitoring plan to access home automation features.

Speaking of pricing, ADT’s packages start at around $269 for the most basic configuration. That’s affordable, especially considering that ADT’s features and equipment are more in line with full-service security systems such as Vivint rather than DIY systems like SimpliSafe. For reference, SimpliSafe starts at about $250, while Vivint basic packages range from $500 to $700.

Of course, smart home capabilities are considered as upgrades, so you’d need more than just a basic package from ADT. You’d need to buy add-on equipment individually, and it’s possible you would rack up a bill over $1,000. See our page on ADT deals though. There are several ways to offset the equipment cost.

ADT may be the oldest home security company around, nearly a century-and-half of experience under its belt. But that doesn’t mean it’s old-school. ADT has been at the forefront of the evolution of home security technology. For example, its monitoring network uses cutting-edge Alarm Messenger service to reduce ADT false alarms by using text messenger to notify users immediately of potential break-ins. We certainly liked this real-time responsiveness.

On the smart home front, we saw how ADT works with Google Nest. But in case you’re wondering, it works with Alexa too. ADT can also pair with over 4,000 other smart home products that use Z-Wave, such as smart locks from Kwikset and Yale and smart lights from Philips Hue and LIFX. We connected ADT to our Android TV so we could review video footage from our ADT cameras from the comfort of our couch.

Of course, full-service home security comes with a full-service price tag. ADT isn’t cheap in terms of equipment or monitoring. Even the self-installed system requires a serious investment in gear. And you have to play the company’s game: signing up for the right monitoring plan and committing to a long contract. If you’re looking for top-notch security and convenience, though, it’s tough to beat ADT.

Even ADT doesn’t have Vivint’s smart home capabilities. The equipment integrates smoothly with Alexa and Google Home. It also works with Kwikset locks, Phillips Hue lighting, and Chamberlain garage door openers. Plus, you get Z-wave functionality. But Vivint’s own products also come with some nifty smart features. As we note in our Vivint video doorbell review, for example, Vivint cameras can tell the difference between people, animals, and packages, and send customized alerts accordingly.

Vivint’s greatest advantage is that it’s purpose-built with smart home security in mind. Everything from the Vivint Smart Hub (pictured below) to the cameras are designed to work together to create a smarter, safer home. And when you have a system like that, you can expect to enjoy a lot of personalized features. We, ourselves, enjoyed a great level of customizability while testing out Vivint’s app, touchscreen controller, and security cameras (more on that below).

>> Compare: Vivint vs. ADT

Vivint is another system that offers professional monitoring only. If you’re the type of person who has a smart home for convenience, that’s perfect. It’s one more thing you don’t have to think about. If, on the other hand, you’re someone who has a smart home because you love to be in control of your technology universe, you might prefer self-monitoring. Vivint doesn’t offer self-monitoring.

Vivint’s monitoring isn’t on par with ADT, but it’s a close second. For instance, while Vivint doesn’t have a feature exactly like ADT’s Alarm Messenger, it has text-based alerts. You’ll receive notifications through SMS. Vivint also has multiple monitoring centers, but not quite as many as ADT has. Vivint has two locations – one in Utah and another one in Minnesota.

>> Check Out: Best Self-monitored Security Systems

If we’re strictly talking about smart home capabilities, Vivint would have been our top pick. Unfortunately, Vivint’s pricing seems to alienate users on a budget. In addition to steeper monitoring plan pricing than ADT, Vivint also charges a premium price for its equipment. Monitoring ranges from $40 to $60 per month depending on your devices and how many cameras you own. Equipment packages start at $600. But if you have the budget, we can attest that Vivint is one of the best security systems out there, and worth every penny.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to pay for your Vivint gear on-the-spot. Vivint offers financing plans up to five years, but keep in mind that it will lock you into a monitoring contract with Vivint for the same amount of time. We’re doing a long-term testing of Vivint, so we went with a four-year equipment financing plan to afford our system.

ADT has worked hard to stay up to date with current smart home technology, whereas Vivint was actually built to integrate with smart homes. The goal is to put you in charge of your system. You don’t just get a notification when a sensor is triggered; you can watch live footage from any Vivint camera any time, either on Vivint’s Hub or through your mobile device. And monitoring isn’t just someone at a call center checking on you. When a smoke alarm went off while we were making dinner (don’t ask) we had a real conversation with Vivint personnel about how to reset the detector, and they even stayed with us until we’d tested it.

Vivint works seamlessly with both Google Home and Alexa, and with Z-wave compatibility, you can link virtually any smart device to your system. Vivint’s own equipment is pretty smart as well. The video doorbell, for instance, doesn’t just let you know a sensor has picked up some activity; you get a message telling you whether it detected a person, an animal, or a package. During testing, we found Vivint to be simple to use. The app is well designed. And all the features and controls were right at our fingertips.

Our favorite piece of equipment is the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro. It’s not your ordinary camera – you wouldn’t expect it to be with its $399 price tag. But even though it’s expensive, it gave us advanced features like Active Deterrence. On top of recording motion, it let us create rules that trigger its LED ring light and audible alarm automatically. For example, we programmed it to sound the alarm if someone lurks within our property boundaries for at least 60 seconds. It didn’t deter just intruders; it also prevented prowlers and lurkers.

>> Dig Deeper: Vivint FAQ

If there’s a downside to Vivint, it’s their business model. As millennials, we like to be able to go online and choose equipment and options for ourselves. With Vivint, signing up for a system and picking out components involved calling the company and dealing with a customer service representative. We financed all our equipment, which kept us from having to pay over $1,000 up-front, but we were locked into a five-year plan as a result. And getting out of that plan involves a steep cancellation fee. In fact, Vivint even charges an extra fee just for moving. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through for quality home security.

SimpliSafe being here might raise some eyebrows. After all, SimpliSafe is known for its limited smart home integrations. It works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and August smart locks, but that’s all. If what you want is a security system that can connect with and control third-party smart home devices, then SimpliSafe isn’t the best choice for you.

That said, SimpliSafe works great as a security system connected to either Alexa or Google Assistant. We found it to have a better integration with Alexa, but there are such few systems that work with Google Assistant that we named SimpliSafe as the best Google home-compatible system.

Smart home security with SimpliSafe works differently than ADT and Vivint though. Instead of controlling smart devices using SimpliSafe, you’ll control your smart devices alongside SimpliSafe using either Alexa or Google Assistant. And while that means you won’t integrate smart devices with SimpliSafe directly, you can create integrations using either voice assistant as a middleman.

Pro Tip: Future-proofing is important in building a smart home, particularly if a security system is involved. With integrations running via Alexa or Google Assistant, your smart home won’t be tied up to your security system. That means you’re free to replace or upgrade your security system anytime without worry that integrations will stop working.

>> Find Out More: SimpliSafe vs. Vivint

One of the nice things about SimpliSafe is that you can choose between DIY and professional monitoring. In fact, you can buy a system and pay nothing else, ever, if you’re willing to monitor things yourself. There are no contracts; plus, you get real-time alerts and access to live video feeds. Pay a bit more and you can add cloud storage to your plan. Or go all the way and sign up for full 24/7 professional monitoring.

Yet another thing we like about SimpliSafe is its upfront pricing. SimpliSafe offers several equipment packages, ranging from the four-piece Foundation to the 14-piece Haven. You can frequently find SimpliSafe deals, and prices are subject to change frequently, which can make it hard to know exactly when is the best time to buy a system. All the prices are published on the site, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Monitoring is also cheaper than with some of the full-service systems. If you want to integrate SimpliSafe with either Alexa or Google, you’ll need to pay $31.99 per month for the Core (formerly Fast Protect) plan. However, its main advantage is that it also comes with live camera monitoring for the Smart Alarm indoor camera. If you have that camera in your security system, SimpliSafe emergency response agents will be able to check on you via the camera’s two-way audio – or if you’re not home, turn the intruder away.

Our favorite thing about SimpliSafe is that it gives you choices. You can choose one of its packages or build your own. You get monitoring choices: full professional monitoring or complete self-monitoring, plus a few options in between (See our SimpliSafe FAQ for more information). Ultimately, you have many choices when it comes to what you want to spend with SimpliSafe.

We should mention that to get access to all of SimpliSafe’s smart features, we had to sign up for the most expensive monitoring plan. At $31.99 per month, it’s about 30 percent less than what we paid for Vivint and ADT. And it was totally worth it to be able to remotely arm our system and view live video footage on our smartphone at work.

Our only complaint is that SimpliSafe’s cameras don’t have many artificial intelligence features. See, for example, our review of the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera. The company also doesn’t offer much choice when it comes to cameras: two indoor models, an outdoor model, and a video doorbell. If you like options, you might want to consider SimpliSafe alternatives.

abode offers three plans, each one with a different level of technology. Trust us: If you’re outfitting a smart home, you want either the Smart Security package or the Iota package. Both come with their own hubs, which allow you to control everything. Of course, you also have the option to use abode’s app, or you can connect everything to Google Home or Alexa and use your voice. As a bonus, abode also works with Apple HomeKit — a rarity that makes it one of our best systems for Apple — and it’s compatible with IFTTT.

Like SimpliSafe, you can choose to self-monitor with abode or sign up for a professional monitoring plan. With professional monitoring, you can sign up for a single month of service or save money by signing a one-year contract. You have choices if you self-monitor. You can DIY it entirely, pay nothing, and still get push notifications and access to live video. Or, for a small monthly fee, you can add seven days of cloud storage. One note: The price for professional monitoring goes up considerably if you stay with abode after the first year. We don’t love to see that.

>> Head-to-head: abode vs. SimpliSafe

abode’s prices are very affordable. You can get the Smart Security package, with hub, entry sensor, motion sensor, and key fob, for $279. Another option is to buy the more advanced Iota system, with hub, entry sensor, and fob, for $379. Both packages are scalable, or you can build your own.

The cameras are real bargains, with the abode Cam 2 available for just $59.99. That’s similar to the Ring Indoor cam’s price. As for monitoring, professional monitoring is a full $10 cheaper than what SimpliSafe offers, even if you pay by the month. And, if you purchase a full year, you’ll pay just $149 total. That’s just over $12 per month, cheaper than anyone else out there. The price increases for year two, but it’s still lower than just about every other provider.

Outside of Vivint, you won’t find a system with more smart home compatibility than abode. In fact, don’t tell anyone, but the truth is, it has more compatibility. Vivint doesn’t work with HomeKit, for instance; abode does. In fact, abode even offers its own smart system — CUE — so if you haven’t yet started building a smart home, there’s no need to invest extra money in Google Home or Alexa.

We were most excited to discover that abode works with IFTTT. That meant we could set up some nifty routines connecting our security system to other smart devices in our home. When we went away for the weekend, for instance, we set the TV to turn on every time a motion detector was triggered. That way, anyone who happened to be lurking on our property would think we were home.

>> Find Alternatives: Best Home Security Systems for Alexa

Meanwhile, abode’s prices are well below Vivint’s. In fact, they’re comparable to SimpliSafe’s, and in some cases even cheaper. You can buy an equipment package and pay nothing more ever if you’re willing to monitor the system yourself. But why do that when professional monitoring costs as little as $12 per month?

Of course, this system isn’t nearly as sleek as Vivint’s, and you won’t get the same level of service. The abode app, for example, can be a little clunky, and response times with abode can’t compare to those of ADT or Vivint. If you’re looking for a great app, you might check out our list of the best security systems with apps. Still, if you’re looking for a low-price alternative that still gives you tons of smart functionality, abode could very well be the right system for you.

Ring offers the standard range of equipment: entry sensors, motion sensors, and chimes. Where the company really excels is in its range of cameras. You can get anything from a simple indoor camera to an outdoor spotlight camera. Check out our Spotlight Cam review, for instance. There are many Ring doorbell cameras; you can even get a car cam. There isn’t any fancy facial recognition software, but most cameras do come with person detection, provided you sign up for a Protect Plan.

Ring offers a nice range of choices when it comes to monitoring. This is another company that allows you to self-monitor. You can do that for free and still get real-time alerts and live video. For less than the price of a Starbucks latte, you can get video recording for one camera. Get a Ring doorbell (see our Ring doorbell review), and you can watch footage any time. Go one step up to get recording for an unlimited number of cameras. Or, for $20 per month, you can get full 24/7 professional monitoring.

We always recommend professional monitoring, since you never know when you’re going to be too busy to respond to a push alert. And with Ring, you’re not going to break the bank getting professional monitoring. Still, it’s nice to have options, and we respect how many Ring offers.

Ring can be an incredibly affordable system if you’re careful about what you buy. An indoor camera, for instance, costs just $59.99. Pair that with true self-monitoring, and you can protect your home — in theory, anyway — for $60. On the other hand, Ring has never been great about putting together equipment packages. It’s easy to spend a lot when you’re buying items individually. We can say that Ring offers one of the best professional monitoring plans on the market at $20 per month. That’s not quite as good as abode, but let’s call it second best.

>> Compare: Ring vs. SimpliSafe

You’d expect a company owned by Amazon to have great smart home compatibility. And you’d be right. Ring products integrate well with Alexa and, to a lesser extent, Google Home (and you get nice Ring Prime Day deals to boot). We certainly had no trouble using voice commands to arm and disarm the system, and we were able to pull camera video up on our Echo Show while we were making dinner.

Ring’s equipment, on the other hand, isn’t what we’d call sophisticated. It has everything you need for basic home security. All cameras come with at least 1080p HD resolution as well as two-way audio. At that resolution, we knew instantly that the guy who showed up on our doorstep asking for “Ray” was a stranger. And we were able to tell him in the clearest possible terms that we weren’t answering our door.

There’s also person detection, which can be incredibly helpful when you’re trying to cut down on false alerts. Otherwise, there aren’t a lot of extras: no facial recognition and no privacy zones, except on the Stick Up Cam (see our Stick Up cam review).

In the end, Ring is a home security system for those who like to be in control. You won’t find a lot of full-service options–no one is going to walk you through purchase options or offer to install your equipment for you (though Ring does recommend some installers if you need them). On the other hand, you get more choices than you do with the full-service companies, and you get a lot of smart home compatibility.

Cove offers everything you need to keep your home safe: entry sensors, motion detectors, environmental monitors, panic buttons, key remotes, and cameras. Everything runs through the Touch alarm panel, and you can connect that to either Alexa or Google Home, as long as you sign up for Cove’s top monitoring plan. Unfortunately, you don’t get a lot of choice when it comes to equipment: Cove offers just one type of each component. With a lifetime guarantee on everything, it should all do what it’s supposed to.

Cove requires you to purchase a monitoring plan. You get to choose from two plans: Basic and Plus. Basic gives you 24/7 monitoring, cellular backup (Cove is one of the best security systems with cellular), and hourly automated system checks. System control through your app requires you to get the Plus plan. You also need the Plus plan to connect the system to Alexa or Google Home. Even with Plus, you’ll wind up paying less than you would for SimpliSafe.

Cove doesn’t offer any equipment packages. That can be a headache if you’re not great at decision-making. But Cove’s prices are low — a door sensor costs $7.50, $12.50 less than Ring charges — and you can buy only what you need. Monitoring prices are extremely reasonable as well. The top plan is $27.99 per month, $3 cheaper than SimpliSafe, or you can give up smart home functionality and save an additional $10 per month.

Cove offers an interesting mix of full-service and affordable security system features. On the one hand, the company requires you to sign up for professional monitoring. We can appreciate that, as we firmly believe everyone should have professional monitoring. And Cove makes it easy to justify signing up, with two low-cost subscription options. The cheapest of these actually costs $3 less than a Ring monitoring plan, making it one competitive with the most affordable systems on the market.

Of course, if you want your equipment to work with your smart home, you have to pay for the more expensive plan at $27.99 per month. That’s still cheaper than SimpliSafe’s professional monitoring, but you can get the same features from Ring and abode for much less. In other words, a Cove system can be an incredibly affordable system, but if you want the extras, it will cost more.

Equipment costs can be similarly deceptive. We managed to get a motion detector, an entry sensor, a smoke detector, and an indoor camera for under $50. That’s pretty remarkable. It helped that Cove threw in the camera for free. The thing is, to make all that equipment work, we also had to buy a Touch Alarm Panel, and that added $124.50 to the overall price. That means an initial investment with Cove costs about the same as you’d pay for abode or SimpliSafe, but adding equipment can be considerably cheaper. Easily expandable is a very particular niche, but it’s an important one.

If you’re looking to do your own research on the best smart home security system, there are some essential features that you might want to consider.

As a starting point, you want a system that’s going to do its job: keep you safe. That means taking into account:

Once you’ve established a baseline of solid systems to choose from, you should then consider what smart features those systems include.

It’s not easy choosing a home security system with so many systems available. If you keep your family’s particular home security needs in mind, we feel confident you can find a system that’s right for you.

We’ve mentioned IFTTT because it’s a great platform for turning an average home into a smart home. IFTTT stands for “If This, Then That.” It allows you to connect various smart devices through routines. When one device is activated, others follow.

For example, with IFTTT, you can connect your smart garage door opener to your thermostat so that your home starts warming up when you open the garage. By the time you get to the living room, things are nice and toasty — if this, then that. Get it?

Routines can be quite elaborate and involve multiple devices, including security system components, and if you run everything through Google Home or Alexa, you can trigger it all with just your voice. You’ll need a system that integrates with IFTTT.

Want more suggestions for systems that use IFTTT? We happen to have a whole page full of the best home security systems for IFTTT.

Z-wave is another crucial technology for smart homes. Z-wave is a radio frequency that allows different types of smart devices to communicate with one another even if they’re made by different companies. Your toaster can talk to your coffee maker, for instance, and both of them can tell your security system that you’re up and it should turn off the motion detectors.

Z-wave works particularly well with IFTTT. Z-wave connects the devices, and IFTTT allows you to create routines. It’s not necessary to have the IFTTT platform in order to use Z-wave. Security systems that work with Z-wave, like Vivint and abode, let you connect devices through their own smart hubs.

In other words, there are multiple ways to set up a smart home and multiple ways to integrate your security system into your smart home. It’s important that you consider your existing system and whether the security you’re looking to purchase will work with it.

Smart homes are great: You can’t really beat a refrigerator that monitors your milk consumption and orders it for you before you run out. And the smarter our homes get, the easier our lives become. The smartest house of all is one that’s protected. If your smart house doesn’t have a security system, it’s missing a crucial component. What are you going to do, for example, when someone breaks into your house and steals all your smart devices?

The good news is, you can get a great home security system without giving up all your smart house’s advantages. In fact, the right home security system can actually make your home smarter. And if you haven’t yet started converting your house into a smart home, the right security system can help you get started. The even better news: If you’ve been paying attention as you’ve gone through this page, you should probably know which home security systems qualify as the right systems for you.

We collected a few of the most common questions we’re asked and included our answers below.

ADT has the best home security system out there. It features top-of-the-line equipment and the best monitoring in the business, with nine monitoring centers stationed throughout the U.S. However, no system is right for every customer. We also recommend SimpliSafe, Vivint, Alder, and Cove.

Nest is not better than ADT. Nest has had multiple security and surveillance issues, while ADT has been in business for over 140 years without incident. ADT offers a wider selection of equipment. And ADT offers professional installation, whereas Nest is all DIY.

The best home security system with the best value is SimpliSafe. SimpliSafe offers a choice of packages to fit every budget, and if you’re willing to self-monitor your system, you can avoid paying any monthly fee whatsoever.

SimpliSafe is better than Ring Alarm. SimpliSafe offers professional installation; it works with Nest thermostats and August smart locks. SimpliSafe also has better iOS and Android apps and a three-year warranty, as opposed to one year with Ring. Plus, SimpliSafe’s money-back guarantee is 60 days; Ring’s is only 30 days.

Yes. abode works well with smart homes. abode equipment is compatible with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. It makes use of Z-wave technology, so virtually any smart device can talk to any other device. Plus, abode offers its own smart platform — CUE — so it allows you to create a smart home even if you don’t already use Google Home, Alexa, or Apple HomeKit.