Lots of sites will tell you which home security system is best, and their criteria are usually highly subjective, which allows them to ultimately sort by their affiliate profit margin. It should set off your mental alarms if a comparison site is not clearly explaining why a provider is quantitatively and objectively better. We’ll forgo the subjective opinions and give you the data so that you can decide if you disagree with our ordering.
Note that this comparison is for monitored home security systems only. Self-monitored home security will be covered in a separate post. For a description of what each field means see the methodology notes below.
Top Home Security Companies
Company
Avg. Price / Mo. (i)
Avg. Price w/Camera
Minimum Contract
App Rating
Pricing Transparency
Link
1. Link Interactive
$34.77
$48.49
36 months
4.4
(Alarm.com)
Good
2. FrontPoint
$38.63
$58.27
12 months
4.2
Good
3. SimpliSafe
$23.46
N/A
No contract
3.5
Excellent
4. Scout
$28.71
N/A
No contract
3.8
Excellent
5. Monotronics
$39.09
36 months
4.4
(Alarm.com)
Good
6. AlarmForce
$39.99
$60.51
36 months
3.5
Good
7. LiveWatch
$40.67
$55.67
12 months
4.4
(Alarm.com)
Good
https://www.livewatch.com/
8. Protection 1
~$45(i)
~$55(i)
36 months
3.7
Mediocre
9. ADT
Must call
Must call
(Est. $67)
36 months
3.2
Poor
10. Protect America
Must call
Must call
36 months
3.1
Poor
1st Place (Tie)
Summary
We didn’t expect a tie this year, and certainly not between Frontpoint (the front-runner) and LiveWatch. These are very different companies with very different options and strengths, but that’s good for the consumer. Livewatch is a better option for the experienced, DIY, and price-conscious buyer, while Frontpoint offers a lot more consultation and a few more features.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
We applaud both of our winners this year for transparent pricing of packages and equipment. With LiveWatch you know exactly what you’re getting, and there are no surprise activation or termination fees. That speaks to LiveWatch’s overall strength: flexibility. It’s fairly easy to expand your system to meet you needs.
36-month low estimation: $1,155.15
Monthly monitoring starting at: $19.99
Install: Self-install only
Minimum contract length: None
Monitoring technology: Cellular
1st Place (Tie)
Summary
Frontpoint is a more traditional home security company with lots to offer. It’s a little more expensive after 36 months than SimpliSafe, but with Frontpoint there’s less up-front cost. Frontpoint has a win in features and service, but the minimum 36-month contract (for home owners) can be intimidating. Overall it’s a strongly recommended brand with an active community of customers who love the service.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
Yes, Frontpoint has a 36-month contract, but the good news is that you’re not going to be paying out the nose for it. There are no installation fees or hidden fees, which is a change in the right direction for contract-based home security. One strength worth noting are the indoor and outdoor video cameras and monitoring options. The app is easy to use and intuitive, and allows you to see what’s happening at any time or when preconfigured alerts occur.
36-month low estimation: $1,588.55
Monthly monitoring starting at: $34.99
Install: Self-install & professional install available
Minimum contract length: 36 months
Monitoring technology: Cellular
3rd Place
Summary
SimpliSafe is another self-install cellular home security company similar to LiveWatch. We like that they’re up-front and transparent about their pricing. It’s also the lowest for our hypothetical home. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe lacks features like remote video monitoring or cloud video storage. SimpliSafe is a a great choice for the price-conscious buyer who doesn’t want video or premium features.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
You’ve probably never heard of SimpliSafe because they keep their margins low. Most home security affiliates try not to talk about them because they don’t make enough money on the sales commission. We like SimpliSafe for their clear pricing information, absence of hidden fees, and great value. Equipment is affordable and put together a-la-carte. The company has no minimum contract fee because you install the equipment yourself.
36-month low estimation: $934.50
Monthly monitoring starting at: $14.99
Install: Self-install only
Minimum contract length: None
Monitoring technology: Cellular
Runners-Up
4th Place
Summary
AlarmForce is a Canadian-based company with fair pricing and lots of features. Finding their equipment pricing beyond the included sensors was quite a trick, though. We feel this misleads customers who don’t realize that they’ll be paying extra for equipment. One unique thing about AlarmForce is that they continue to use landline technology while offering cellular service. Aside from the required contract hidden fees are rare.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
We’d like more up-front honesty from AlarmForce. The price for adding video monitoring is higher than we’d like to see, and it’s not easy to find. Equipment prices had to be found through calls, and we’re not even sure we got the “best” offer. One unique thing about AlarmForce is that they continue to use landline technology while offering cellular service. This can be seen as an additional layer of security if both options are selected. Landline-only trades reliability for ease of intentional disconnect.
36-month low estimation: $1,551.00
Monthly monitoring starting at: $25
Install: Professional install only
Minimum contract length: 36 months
Monitoring technology: Landline + cellular available for an extra monthly fee
5th Place
Summary
LifeSHIELD is now co-branding with DirecTV, which is frankly confusing and poorly done. Equipment costs and monitoring costs are all reasonable – except for the console and keypad, which appear to cost a whopping $473 together. Special deals are available to existing DirecTV customers.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
Some deals are only available to DTV customers, which is extremely frustrating for those who take the home page at its word. Equipment costs were at least listed, but not itemized. This required us to do some work, but it’s better than hiding information.
36-month low estimation: $1,996.65
Monthly monitoring starting at: $29.99
Install: Self-install, professional available for about $200
Minimum contract length: 36 months
Monitoring technology: Internet or landline. Cellular available for additional monthly price.
6th Place
Summary
ADT is the biggest player in the industry by quite a bit. Despite perception, the company has some reasonable prices – but install prices begin to pile up when you start adding alarm accessories. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to determine costs for installed equipment beyond the standard. Equipment pricing is (maddeningly) hard to find without getting a quote from a salesperson. We had to turn to a third-party equipment maker, which is a bad sign for transparency and up-front integrity. The additional $99 activation fee is a given, but we’d like to see it less hidden.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
We’ve worked hard to gather pricing information, but you might not know for sure until you’re ready to sign. We definitely recommend watching the fine print, as ADT’s website is sorely lacking detail. ADT is also known for forcing little sites like ours to pull down any reference to price, which is unfair to consumers.
36-month low estimation: $1971.63
Monthly monitoring starting at: $36.99
Install: Professional install only
Minimum contract length: 36 months
Monitoring technology: Landline + cellular available for an extra monthly fee
7th Place
Summary
We really want to like Protect America, but this year it was almost disqualified along with the companies below for manipulative pricing. While monitoring contracts are clear and fair, we were given the runaround on what it would cost to add additional sensors – because who has 1 door and no windows? A rep finally told us that each sensor would add just $6. PER MONTH. That’s unacceptable. The price of a single sensor comes to $216 in 36 months. That’s more than 3 times the price charged by anyone above. Protect America might work for some, but only if you live somewhere with very few accessible entrances.
Ratings
Overall:
Price:
Features:
Transparency:
Visit site
Click here to learn more
Protect America redeems itself with some features, but we still challenge the company to do better on long-term pricing. Monitoring fees look fantastic, at least.
36-month low estimation: $2,572.63
Monthly monitoring starting at: $19.99
Install: Self-install only
Minimum contract length: 36 months
Monitoring technology: Landline
Criteria
Average 36-month price: One of the hardest things about comparing home alarm systems is real-world price. Some packages include equipment. Some pieces of equipment (e.g. cameras) increase the monthly monitoring price. Some prices go up after 12 months. To keep this comparison fair, we’re using a 36-month price that includes the following:
3 door sensors
1 standard console/base
2 motion sensors
1 home security camera with video monitoring (includes capture/live streaming)
No extra features or smart home inclusions
Cell service
Unless that fits what you’re looking for your cost will vary, but this should give the best baseline possible. We take the initial purchase price, 3 years of monitoring, and average it over 36 months. Comparing prices on a 36-month average prevents tricks like low “get started” rates that end up costing far more in the long-run.
Minimum Contract: The minimum amount of time you can find a contract given the equipment and services listed above. Note that your cost may increase if you choose a 12-month plan. The costs calculated above use money-saving long-term contracts.
Disqualified Companies and Re-Evaluation
We disqualified the following companies for lacking features, manipulative business practices, and/or lack of transparency. Hiding pricing allows companies to discriminate in their pricing policies and take advantage of customers who are in a much weaker negotiating position.
AT&T Digital Life (purchased LifeShield): Not available in most areas.
Vivint Home Security: Manipulative sales practices, hidden pricing. Vivint sales reps are well known for high-pressure sales tactics and hiding actual prices.
Protection 1: No transparency in plan pricing
Guardian Protection Services: No transparency in plan pricing
Monitronics: No transparency in equipment pricing, hidden activation fee.
Elite Security, Vision Security, APT, and many others: Deceptive sales practices
Customers expect their home security monitoring company to act with integrity. When customers trust you with their safety you have an obligation to be honest. We encourage the providers above (and others who follow these practices) to reform policies and sales tactics to put the customer ahead of hard sales and profit. We regularly re-examine ratings based on updates the companies make to packages, pricing, and policies, and hope you will meet our minimum ranking criteria next time.
Read more:
Vivint, etc. Faced Lawsuits for Manipulative Door-to-Door Sales
FCC Note: Lack of transparency in pricing was observed on providers’ official websites on 9/21/2015
Speaking of Transparency
We hold ourselves to the same standards of transparency. Our rankings are based on what matter most to customers, so we place a heavy emphasis on objective price, features, and integrity/transparency. Download the data that includes our price analysis. Contact us with any mistakes you find or questions you might have.
Analysis of Home Security Winners
Congratulations to Frontpoint and LiveWatch for providing the best security customer service in 2015. We applaud them particularly for their transparency, lack of hidden fees, and flexibility. All three companies were responsive when we called, and none of them tried the hard sale when we just wanted more information. Our top 3 winners are all interested in keeping their customers happy. We really think you’d be happy with any of our winners as long as you know what you’re getting.
It’s interesting that 2 of our top 3 providers (SimpliSafe and LiveWatch) have no contracts, simple DIY installation, and low up-front equipment costs. Frontpoint (tied for #1) also offers low up-front equipment costs and DIY installation. We believe this is the direction the industry is moving, and companies like ADT and Protect America had better take note if they want to remain in the running at all for the best home security systems.