ADT vs SimpliSafe: The True 5-Year Cost

By the Home Security Systems & Alarms editorial team · Research-based (no hands-on testing) - see how we evaluate · Last updated November 2, 2026

Is SimpliSafe cheaper than ADT? Usually, yes. SimpliSafe publishes professional monitoring at 76¢ to $2.66 a day (about $23 to $81 a month), with no contract and no cancellation fee. ADT's professionally installed monitoring now starts at $44.99 to $49.99 a month on a 36-month contract (ADT's own pages differ), and its ADT Blu self-setup kits need a $24.99 to $37.99 monthly plan, month to month. Over five years that is roughly $1,600 to $2,300 for monitored SimpliSafe against about $3,100 to $3,400 for ADT Pro Install. Jump to ADT vs SimpliSafe at a glance, monthly cost side by side, how much SimpliSafe costs, SimpliSafe contract, fees and installation or the 5-year scenarios.

"ADT is expensive and SimpliSafe is cheap" is the internet's summary, and it is roughly true but badly incomplete. Both companies sell more than one product line, the monthly fee matters far more than the equipment, and ADT now sells a self-install system that competes directly with SimpliSafe on price. This page breaks the decision into the four costs that actually add up over time - equipment, installation, monitoring, and the contract - then shows five clearly-labeled 5-year scenarios so you can find the one closest to your situation.

ADT vs SimpliSafe: which is better?

SimpliSafe is the stronger choice for most people comparing on price and flexibility; ADT is the stronger choice if you want a technician to install the system and will accept a contract. That holds whether you search it as ADT vs SimpliSafe or SimpliSafe vs ADT. This is a comparison of published prices and terms, not a hands-on test: we have not installed or used either system. Figures were read on each company's own site on November 2, 2026.

The closest match on price is SimpliSafe against ADT Blu, not against ADT's professionally installed line: see SimpliSafe vs ADT Blu. If you own old ADT hardware, read whether SimpliSafe can use it first.

ADT vs SimpliSafe monthly cost, plan by plan

If you only want the monthly number, here it is. SimpliSafe states its plans as daily rates, so its monthly column is our conversion at 365 days ÷ 12; the ADT figures are ADT's own published "starting at" monthly rates. Both were read on each company's own site on November 2, 2026.

ADT prices and plans: how much is ADT a month?

ADT does not publish a monthly price list. The rates it does publish are "starting at" figures in its offer text: $44.99 a month in its offer terms and $49.99 a month in its sitewide banner for a professionally installed Essentials Kit on a 36-month contract (the two disagree, so ask which applies to your quote), $24.99 to $37.99 a month for an ADT Blu self-setup kit, $9.99 a month for a stand-alone camera plan, and $45.99 a month to reactivate existing ADT equipment on a new 36-month contract. A professionally installed quote that adds cameras, a video doorbell or automation can come in above that floor. Until this update the published floor was $59.99 a month.

SimpliSafe monthly fee: how much is monitoring per month?

Between $0 and about $81, and only if you choose a plan. Standard, the cheapest plan that requests police dispatch, works out to about $23 a month; Core, which adds camera recording and video verification, about $33; and the Pro tiers, which add SimpliSafe's live-agent outdoor protection, about $50 to $81. On October 2, 2026 SimpliSafe's plan page also offered a free first month on any professional monitoring plan.

How much does SimpliSafe cost?

SimpliSafe costs a one-time kit price plus an optional plan. Its seven packages list from $250.96 (Foundation, 4 pieces) to $733.90 (Beacon, 10 pieces), and on November 2, 2026 its shop also showed lower discounted prices beside those list prices. For the first year at list price, Foundation with no plan is about $251, with Standard about $528, and with Core about $652. After that you pay only the plan: about $277 a year for Standard or $402 for Core, by our arithmetic from the daily rates.

Why five years, and why the monthly line dominates

Home security is a subscription wearing a hardware costume. You pay once for equipment and then every month for monitoring, and because monitoring repeats, it quietly becomes the largest number on the receipt. Five years is a fair window because it covers a typical ADT contract-and-renewal cycle and roughly the service life of a DIY kit before you replace a sensor or two.

Here is the arithmetic that drives everything below: a monitoring plan billed monthly costs its rate times 60 over five years. SimpliSafe publishes daily rates rather than monthly ones (76¢/day Standard and $1.10/day Core, read on its own plan page 2026-08-26), so the first step is converting: at 365 days ÷ 12 those are about $23.12 and $33.46 a month, which over 60 months is about $1,387 and $2,008. ADT's published $44.99 to $49.99 floor is about $2,699 to $2,999. A difference of $25 a month between two plans is about $1,500 over five years - more than the equipment cost of most starter systems. That is why a gap of a few dollars on a starter kit is noise, and the monitoring choice is the signal.

The 5-year scenarios, side by side

These are estimates, not quotes. Each assumes list equipment prices before promotions, standard residential monitoring, no mid-term rate increases, and no taxes or alarm-permit fees (which apply to both brands equally). Monitoring is figured at the current rate times 60 months. One note on where the SimpliSafe monthly figures come from: SimpliSafe publishes its plans only as daily rates, so the monthly numbers in the SimpliSafe rows are ours, converted at 365 days ÷ 12, not prices SimpliSafe states anywhere.

Two things jump out. First, the range within each brand is wider than the gap between the brands: a self-monitored SimpliSafe and a Core-plan SimpliSafe differ by nearly $2,000, driven entirely by the monitoring choice. Second, the two middle rows - SimpliSafe with professional monitoring and ADT's self-install line - land within a few hundred dollars of each other, which is why the real comparison is rarely the cartoon version of "cheap versus expensive."

Line by line: where the money goes

Equipment

SimpliSafe packages list from about $250 (The Foundation entry kit) up to roughly $730 for a large multi-camera setup, and steep 30-70% promotions are near-constant, so the effective price is often lower. You own the equipment outright on day one. ADT's professionally installed Essentials Kit (base, three door/window sensors, one motion sensor) has a $599 standard price, and ADT Blu kits list up to $699 regular and $99 to $419 on sale (read November 2, 2026). Earlier reviews we read in July 2026 put larger ADT packages as high as $1,449, with 0% financing on systems of $599 or more. Financing does not make equipment cheaper - it moves the cost into your monthly bill and, on the professionally installed line, ties it to the contract term.

Installation and activation

SimpliSafe is designed to be self-installed with adhesive mounts and no tools, so there is no installation fee if you set it up yourself; if you want a technician, SimpliSafe's optional professional installation starts at $124.99 (read on its installation page October 2, 2026). ADT Pro Install includes a technician visit. Earlier reviews put the installation or activation fee at about $99 to $199 depending on the package and promotion, while ADT's current Essentials Kit offer lists one kit price and no separate fee, so ask for the installed total in writing. ADT's self-install line (marketed as ADT Self Setup) skips the technician and the fee, which is a large part of why it is cheaper.

Monitoring

This is the decisive line, and neither company publishes it the way you would expect. SimpliSafe does publish its prices, but only as daily rates: read on its own plan page on August 26, 2026, Standard is 76¢/day, Core is $1.10/day, Pro and Pro Plus are $1.66 to $2.66/day, and Self Monitoring with camera recordings is 33¢/day. There is no monthly figure anywhere on that page, and the URL that used to carry monthly prices now returns SimpliSafe's own "Page not found". Converted at 365 days ÷ 12 those are about $23.12, $33.46, $50.49 to $80.91 and $10.04 a month - our arithmetic, not SimpliSafe's published numbers, and worth doing before you compare SimpliSafe with anyone quoting a monthly rate. SimpliSafe can also be run with no plan for local siren and app alerts at $0/month. ADT is harder to pin down, because ADT does not publish a monitoring price list. As of August 9, 2026 its main security page, its package comparison page and its DIY comparison page carry no monthly figure at all, and adt.com/pricing returns a "not found" page. The monitoring rates ADT does publish are "starting at" figures in its offer terms. Read on November 2, 2026, its residential terms state that the 40% off Essentials Kit offer "Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $44.99/mo.", while the banner on the same site says "starting at $49.99/mo." The published floor had been $59.99 through at least October 19, 2026, across a $349 minimum purchase and then a $99 system offer. Take two things from that: treat either figure as a floor on the professionally installed line, not a ceiling, and treat the advertised system price as a promotion attached to three years of monitoring. For the self-install line, ADT's terms state that ADT Blu kits require a "month-to-month Pro-Protect monitoring plan for ADT Blu systems from $24.99 - $37.99/mo. depending on Kit selected" plus enrollment in ADT AutoPay, with stand-alone cameras on a $9.99-a-month Video Connect plan. Because this number repeats 60 times, a seemingly small monthly difference is the biggest swing in the whole comparison. If you are unsure how much monitoring you truly need, our monitoring decision guide walks through when the fee earns its keep.

The contract

SimpliSafe has no contract and no cancellation fee on any plan; you can stop, pause, or downgrade monitoring whenever you like and keep using the equipment. ADT's professionally installed monitoring requires a term - commonly 36 months, or 24 in California - with an early termination fee of up to 75% of your remaining monthly charges. Cancel a $44.99 to $49.99 plan at month 12 of 36 and you can owe up to about $810 to $900 to stop a service. ADT Self Setup, by contrast, is month-to-month. The contract is not a cost you see on the sticker, but it is a real financial commitment: for the full fee math and every legitimate penalty-free exit, see our guide on how to cancel ADT and when you can avoid the termination fee.

SimpliSafe contract, fees and installation cost

Does SimpliSafe have a contract? No. SimpliSafe's monitoring page states "No contracts. No cancellation fees." and that you can cancel or downgrade any time. Monitored customers do agree to its Terms of Service, but that is not a fixed term you pay to leave.

What fees does SimpliSafe charge? The recurring fee is the plan's daily rate in the table above. The plan pages we read list no activation fee and no early termination fee. The equipment is a one-time purchase that you own.

How much does SimpliSafe installation cost? $0 if you install it yourself, which is how the system is designed to go in. SimpliSafe also sells optional professional installation, carried out by OnTech technicians, "starting at $124.99", and says you do not pay until you schedule. For comparison, ADT's current offer is a professionally installed Essentials Kit from $359.40, which requires the 36-month contract at $44.99 to $49.99 a month or more, so the install price is not the number that decides which costs less.

Will my monitoring rate go up after the first year?

It can, with either company, and neither publishes a rate guarantee. SimpliSafe has no contract, but its support article on plan price increases (updated June 29, 2026) says it makes modest changes when it considers them necessary and emails affected customers before billing changes, and it has announced Core and Standard increases before (to $32.99 and $22.99 a month). Because there is no contract, you can downgrade or cancel if a new rate does not suit you. ADT's published terms pages say only that prices and offers are subject to change, so the rate-change and renewal terms that apply to you are the ones in the monitoring agreement you sign: ask for them in writing first. Both companies' free-first-month offers convert to a regular paid plan after that month.

The comparison people actually get wrong

The lazy framing pits ADT Pro Install (from $44.99 to $49.99/month, contract, technician) against SimpliSafe Standard (76¢ a day published, about $23 a month converted, no contract, DIY) and declares SimpliSafe the obvious winner on price. That is fair if you specifically want a professionally installed, full-service system from a national brand. But if price is your priority, the fairer fight is ADT Self Setup versus SimpliSafe - both self-installed, both month-to-month on the self-install tier, and only a few dollars a month apart. At that point the decision turns on things the price table cannot capture: equipment quality, app experience, camera options, and how each company's monitoring center actually performs. Choosing on a "$45-plus versus $23" headline can send you to the wrong SimpliSafe-vs-ADT matchup entirely.

SimpliSafe vs ADT Blu (Blue by ADT, ADT Self Setup)

Is SimpliSafe better than Blue by ADT? On cost and flexibility, usually yes; on brand and monitoring network, ADT Blu is SimpliSafe's closest ADT rival. ADT Blu is ADT's current self-install line (earlier ADT DIY names include Blue by ADT and ADT Self Setup), and it is the fair comparison with SimpliSafe because both are installed by you with no long-term contract. The figures below were read on each company's own site on October 19, 2026, with ADT Blu kit prices re-read November 2, 2026. Switching from an existing ADT install? Budget for all-new hardware, because SimpliSafe cannot use ADT equipment.

SimpliSafe vs ADT self setup, which to pick: choose SimpliSafe if you might run with no plan at all, or want the cheapest plan that requests police dispatch. Choose ADT Blu if you specifically want ADT monitoring and the Pro-Protect rate for the kit you pick lands at or below the SimpliSafe plan you would otherwise buy; ADT prices that plan by kit, so compare the exact figure at checkout. If no monthly fee is the goal, see no monthly fee home security systems.

Who each one is for

How we built these numbers

Equipment and monitoring figures are list prices gathered in July 2026 from each company's published pricing and cross-checked against several independent industry price guides (Security.org, SafeHome, SafeWise, HomeGuide, NerdWallet); the SimpliSafe and ADT monitoring rates, the SimpliSafe installation price and the ADT contract terms were re-verified on each company's own site on October 2, 2026 and take precedence over any third-party summary where the two disagree. Contract terms and the early termination formula come from ADT's own published residential and monitoring terms. We used round equipment estimates within each brand's documented range rather than a single package, and figured monitoring at the current monthly rate times 60. We did not include taxes, alarm-permit fees, or false-alarm fines because they apply to both brands and vary by city - though they are real, so check what your city charges using our false-alarm fine and permit index. We did not lab-test either system; this is documented-research pricing, not a hands-on review. Before buying, confirm the current rate and package with the provider, because promotions in this category change constantly.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, ADT or SimpliSafe?

For most buyers comparing price and flexibility, SimpliSafe: it has no contract and can run with no plan. ADT is the stronger fit if you want a technician to install the system and accept a 36-month term, or want the ADT brand on a self-install ADT Blu kit. We compared published prices and terms and did not test either system.

How much does SimpliSafe cost?

Packages list from $250.96 to $733.90, often discounted, plus an optional plan of 33¢ to $2.66 a day. Foundation with the Standard plan is about $528 in the first year at list price, then about $277 a year.

Is SimpliSafe cheaper than ADT?

In almost every scenario, yes. SimpliSafe has no installation fee if you set it up yourself, no contract, and an optional no-monitoring tier, while ADT's professionally installed line carries a higher monthly rate and a 36-month term. Over five years the gap between a self-monitored SimpliSafe setup and an ADT Pro Install plan can top $2,800. The gap narrows to a few hundred dollars once you compare ADT's self-install line against SimpliSafe with professional monitoring.

Does ADT lock me into a contract?

ADT's professionally installed monitoring does, commonly for 36 months (24 in California), with an early termination fee of up to 75% of the remaining monthly charges. ADT Self Setup is month-to-month. SimpliSafe has no contract on any plan.

Can I use SimpliSafe with no monthly fee?

Yes. Without a plan, SimpliSafe still sounds its siren and sends app notifications; you simply do not get a professional monitoring center dispatching help. That drops the monitoring line to $0 and is why the self-monitored scenario has by far the lowest 5-year total - at the cost of no one calling for help when you cannot.

How much is SimpliSafe monitoring per month?

SimpliSafe publishes its plans as daily rates: 33¢/day for Self Monitoring with camera recordings, 76¢/day for Standard, $1.10/day for Core and $1.66 to $2.66/day for Pro and Pro Plus (read November 2, 2026). At 365 days ÷ 12 that is about $10, $23, $33 and $50 to $81 a month. You can also run SimpliSafe with no plan for $0.

How much does ADT cost per month?

ADT's professionally installed monitoring starts at $44.99 a month in its offer terms and $49.99 a month in its site banner, on a 36-month contract (24 months in California). ADT Blu self-setup kits need a month-to-month plan of $24.99 to $37.99 a month depending on the kit. These are starting rates from ADT's own site, read November 2, 2026; ADT does not publish a full price list.

Does SimpliSafe have a contract or cancellation fee?

No. SimpliSafe states there are no contracts and no cancellation fees on its monitoring plans, and you can cancel or downgrade at any time while keeping the equipment.

How much does SimpliSafe installation cost?

Nothing if you install it yourself. SimpliSafe's optional professional installation, done by OnTech technicians, starts at $124.99 according to SimpliSafe's installation page, read October 2, 2026.

Is SimpliSafe better than Blue by ADT?

On cost and flexibility, usually yes. ADT Blu (ADT's current self-install line; earlier ADT DIY names include Blue by ADT and ADT Self Setup) requires a monthly plan, with professional Pro-Protect monitoring at $24.99 to $37.99 a month depending on the kit, while SimpliSafe works with no plan at all and its cheapest dispatch plan, Standard, is 76 cents a day, about $23 a month. Both are self-installed with no long-term contract. ADT Blu is the better fit if you specifically want ADT monitoring and the Pro-Protect rate for your kit is at or below the SimpliSafe plan you would otherwise buy.

Will my monitoring rate go up after the first year?

It can, with either company, and neither publishes a rate guarantee. SimpliSafe has no contract, but its support article on plan price increases says it makes modest changes when it considers them necessary and emails affected customers before billing changes, and it has announced Core and Standard increases before (to $32.99 and $22.99 a month). Because there is no contract, you can downgrade or cancel if a new rate does not suit you. ADT's published terms pages say only that prices and offers are subject to change, so the rate-change and renewal terms that apply to you are the ones in the monitoring agreement you sign: ask for them in writing first. Both companies' free-first-month offers convert to a regular paid plan after that month.

What about equipment I already own?

Neither brand's proprietary equipment transfers to the other, and ADT's panels generally cannot be monitored by a third party. If you have an older wired system on the wall, reusing it is often the cheapest path of all - see our guide to using old ADT equipment without a contract before you buy anything new.

Sources

• ADT - ADT Blu shop: kits up to $699 regular, sale $99 to $419, Security Starter $249 (re-read 2026-11-02); "Monthly monitoring plan is required. No long-term contract. Cancel or switch anytime."; cellular backup requires Pro-Protect; free returns within 30 days (accessed 2026-10-19)
• SimpliSafe Support - Why is my plan price increasing? (updated June 29, 2026): email notice before billing changes (accessed 2026-10-19)
• SimpliSafe Support - Important Update for Core and Standard Monitoring Plans (undated): Core new price $32.99, Standard $22.99, email notice before changes (accessed 2026-10-19)
• ADT - Existing Customers Terms and Conditions: "Prices and offers subject to change."; no published rate-increase or renewal schedule (accessed 2026-10-19)
• ADT - Residential Terms and Conditions, offer terms: 40% off Essentials Kit "Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $44.99/mo. (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees from $1,079.76)", "$359.40 ($599 standard price - $239.60 discount)"; ADT Blu kits "require month-to-month Pro-Protect monitoring plan for ADT Blu systems from $24.99 - $37.99/mo. depending on Kit selected"; stand-alone cameras "require Video Connect monitoring plan at $9.99/mo."; reactivation "starting at $45.99/mo."; early termination at 75% of remaining monthly charges (accessed 2026-11-02)
• SimpliSafe Support - Monitoring Plans: daily rates re-read unchanged 2026-11-02; packages page: list prices $250.96 to $733.90 (accessed 2026-11-02)
• SimpliSafe - Choose Monitoring (now redirects to the shop): Core $1.10/day, Pro $1.66/day, Pro Plus $2.66/day, Standard 76¢/day, Self Monitoring 33¢/day; "No contracts. No cancellation fees"; free first month offer on professional monitoring plans (accessed 2026-10-02)
• SimpliSafe - Installation: self setup or professional installation "starting at $124.99"; no payment until scheduled (accessed 2026-10-02)
• SimpliSafe Support - What is Pro Setup by OnTech? (accessed 2026-10-02)
• Security.org - ADT Home Security System Cost & Package Pricing in 2026 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• SafeHome.org - ADT Security Systems 2026 Packages, Plans, Cost & Pricing (accessed 2026-07-10)
• HomeGuide - How Much Does ADT Cost? (2026 Prices) (accessed 2026-07-10)
• NerdWallet - ADT Home Security Review 2026: Cost, Pros, Cons (accessed 2026-07-10)
• ADT - Residential Terms and Conditions (term length and cancellation) (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Security.org - 2026 SimpliSafe Home Security Package Costs & Monitoring Plans (accessed 2026-07-10)
• SafeWise - How Much Does SimpliSafe Cost in 2026? (accessed 2026-07-10)
• SafeHome.org - SimpliSafe Monitoring Plan Cost, Options & Fees in 2026 (accessed 2026-07-10)
• SimpliSafe Support - Monitoring Plans, all four residential plans published as per-day rates only (Pro & Pro Plus $1.66 to $2.66/day, Core $1.10/day, Standard 76¢/day, Self Monitoring with camera recordings 33¢/day) with no monthly figure on the page (accessed 2026-08-26; re-read unchanged 2026-10-02)
• SimpliSafe - home-security-monitoring, the URL that previously carried SimpliSafe's monthly plan prices; returned SimpliSafe's own "Page not found" when checked (accessed 2026-08-26)
• ADT - Deals & Special Promotions: read 2026-11-02, banner "Requires 36-month monitoring contract starting at $49.99/mo.", offer expires 12/14/26. Earlier fine print: "Req. min. $349 pro installed system purchase and 36 mo. pro monitoring plan starting at $59.99/mo. Early term fees." (accessed 2026-08-09). Re-read 2026-08-28: that sentence is no longer present anywhere in the page, and the offer now reads "$99 home security system includes Google Nest Cam and installation" with "36 mo. contract. Pro Monitoring Plan starting at $59.99/mo. Subject to credit approval."
• ADT - Shop (ADT Blu self-setup), promotion terms: "Requires month-to-month Pro-Protect monitoring plan for ADT Blu systems from $24.99 - $37.99/mo. depending on Kit selected (one month minimum) and enrollment in ADT AutoPay", and "A monthly monitoring plan is also required, with plans starting at $9.99 per month." (accessed 2026-08-09)
• ADT - Compare Home Security Systems & Packages, checked 2026-08-09 and found to publish no monthly monitoring price
• ADT - Compare DIY Packages, checked 2026-08-09 and found to publish no monthly monitoring price