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Freedom251 › Blog › ADT

SimpliSafe vs. ADT: Costs, Contracts, and Monitoring Compared (2026)

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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For U.S. buyers, neither provider has one price that covers every setup. SimpliSafe lists residential monitoring from $22.99 per month for Standard, while ADT’s DIY Blu Pro-Protect plan is $24.99 per month and ADT’s professionally installed monitoring starts at $49.99 per month. Equipment, installation, taxes, financing, and promotions may add costs. The fairest comparison matches the installation route, equipment, monitoring features, and contract terms—not just the monthly price.

Monitoring prices at a glance

These are prices published on official U.S. provider pages accessed October 7, 2026. Prices and offers can change and may depend on location, purchase channel, eligibility, package, or promotion. A monitoring subscription is not necessarily the full cost of a system.

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Option Published monitoring price What to know
SimpliSafe Standard $22.99/month SimpliSafe Support lists monthly billing. Includes emergency dispatch, network backup, app control, live camera feeds, and up to seven days of system timeline; camera recordings are excluded. SimpliSafe plan details
SimpliSafe Pro Plus $79.99/month SimpliSafe Support lists this tier with 24/7 Active Guard Outdoor Protection, emergency dispatch, Familiar Faces, a subscription lifetime warranty, and 10% off additional hardware purchases. SimpliSafe plan details
ADT Blu Pro-Protect (DIY) $24.99/month ADT Blu lists professional monitoring with no long-term contract for the displayed plan; check the current kit and offer terms. ADT Blu plans
ADT Blu Self-Protect (DIY) $14.99/month ADT Blu says this plan does not include professional monitoring. ADT Blu plans
ADT professional-install Pro Monitoring Starts at $49.99/month ADT’s professional-install page gives a starting price and describes tiered services. Contact ADT for details of the selected plan and quote. ADT professional-install plans

SimpliSafe’s separate comparison page also presents daily prices: Pro/Pro Plus at $1.66–$2.66 per day, Core at $1.10 per day, Standard at $0.76 per day, and Self Monitoring with camera recordings at $0.33 per day. Those daily figures are the page’s presentation, not a single monthly total for every household; confirm the billing and eligibility for the plan you choose. SimpliSafe plan comparison

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What professional monitoring includes

Both companies sell plans with different levels of service. Compare what a particular tier actually includes rather than assuming every subscription covers dispatch, video, and smart-home features.

#1 Best Overall
Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit (newest model), Wireless smart home or business security system, expandable, easy setup, Mobile App Control, 24/7 Professional Monitoring, Alexa Compatible
  • A great fit for 2-4 bedroom homes, this Alarm Kit includes one Base Station, two Keypads, eight Contact Sensors, two Motion Detectors, and one Range Extender.
  • Includes an intuitive Keypad that can arm and disarm your Alarm and Contact Sensors that detect when doors or windows open.
  • Choose the Ring Alarm Kit that fits your needs and detect even more with additional Alarm Sensors and accessories (sold separately) at any time.
  • Receive mobile notifications when your system is triggered and monitor all your Ring devices all through the Ring app.
  • More peace of mind. Subscribe to a compatible Ring Protect Plan (sold separately) to Arm your Alarm from anywhere, keep your system online if the Wi-Fi goes down, and more. Plus, get 24/7 Professional Monitoring for emergency police, fire and medical response, and more.

SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe Standard includes 24/7 emergency dispatch, built-in network backup, app control, live camera feeds, and up to seven days of system timeline, but not camera recordings. SimpliSafe lists camera recordings with its separate Self Monitoring with camera recordings option. Higher tiers add different services; Pro Plus includes 24/7 Active Guard Outdoor Protection and Familiar Faces. Check the plan description for the exact functions and eligibility that apply to your system. SimpliSafe plan details SimpliSafe plan comparison

ADT

ADT’s professional-install page distinguishes Secure, Smart, and Complete tiers, with features such as intrusion monitoring, smart-home automation on applicable tiers, and live video monitoring on a tier with video features. ADT asks customers to contact it for plan details, so verify which functions are included in the quote. For ADT Blu, Pro-Protect includes professional monitoring; Self-Protect does not. ADT professional-install plans ADT Blu plans

Rank #2
Ring Alarm 8-piece kit (2nd Gen) - home security system with optional 24/7 professional monitoring
  • A great fit for 1-2 bedroom homes, this kit includes one base station, one keypad, four contact sensors, one motion detector, and one range extender.
  • Includes an intuitive Keypad that can arm and disarm your Alarm and Contact Sensors that detect when doors or windows open.
  • Choose the Ring Alarm Kit that fits your needs and detect even more with additional Alarm Sensors and accessories (sold separately) at any time.
  • Receive mobile notifications when your system is triggered and monitor all your Ring devices all through the Ring app.
  • More peace of mind. Subscribe to a compatible Ring Protect Plan (sold separately) to Arm your Alarm from anywhere, keep your system online if the Wi-Fi goes down, and more. Plus, get 24/7 Professional Monitoring for emergency police, fire and medical response, and more.
  • Confirm whether emergency dispatch is included and what events trigger it.
  • Separate live camera viewing from saved video recordings.
  • Check whether smart-home control, cellular or network backup, and app features require a particular tier or equipment.

Contracts and cancellation

SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe Support says residential monitoring is billed monthly with no contracts or hidden fees. SimpliSafe plan details

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ADT DIY through Blu

ADT Blu says its displayed DIY plans have no long-term contract and can be cancelled or switched at any time. The page also displays a first-month offer when activation occurs within 30 days; check the current offer and terms before relying on it. ADT Blu plans

Rank #3
SimpliSafe 8 Piece Wireless Home Security System - Optional 24/7 Professional Monitoring - No Contract - Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant , White
  • Simple to set up. Seriously secure - Get ready to protect right out of the box. Just plug in the Base Station, download the SimpliSafe App, place your sensors, and start protecting your home. No wiring or drilling required. Or contact SimpliSafe directly if you need help installing your system.
  • 1 FREE month of professional monitoring for fast police response when you need it most. With optional monitoring services, our agents keep watch even when you can't, ready to instantly alert emergency responders. Starting at less than $1/day with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. (SimpliSafe products and professional monitoring services are only offered for sale and supported in the US)
  • Complete control of your system with the SimpliSafe App - Arm, disarm and protect anytime, anywhere.
  • Protection for entry points - Entry Sensors protect windows, doors, and cabinets and alert you when someone tries to enter. Customizable and can send Secret Alerts so you are quietly alerted if someone accesses private areas, without sounding an alarm.
  • Blanket a whole room - Motion sensors detect motion within 35 feet, have a 90 degree field of view and get along great with pets under 60lbs. Perfect for full room coverage when placed in a corner.

ADT professional installation

ADT’s published professional-install offer terms describe 36-month monitoring commitments in many cases and a 24-month term in California for the specified offer. The terms also describe potential early termination charges. These terms are offer-specific, not a universal rule for every ADT purchase; read the agreement attached to your quote. ADT says final service and installation charges vary with configuration, equipment, services, and location. ADT offer terms

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Equipment, installation, and the real total cost

A low monitoring price does not establish which system costs less overall. Match the hardware and installation assumptions first. ADT’s equipment catalog lists a $269 Base package under stated catalog conditions, but its footnote conditions the starting monitoring price and minimum system purchase on whether the customer chooses ADT Self Setup or professional installation. It is not a complete price for professionally installed service. ADT equipment catalog

Rank #4
Like-New Ring Alarm 8-Piece Kit (newest model), Home or business security system with optional 24/7 professional monitoring
  • Like-New Ring Alarm 8-piece kit is refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like new and comes with the same limited warranty as a new device. Like-New Amazon devices may be packaged in generic Amazon-branded boxes.
  • A great fit for 1-2 bedroom homes, this kit includes one base station, one keypad, four contact sensors, one motion detector, and one range extender.
  • Includes an intuitive Keypad that can arm and disarm your Alarm and Contact Sensors that detect when doors or windows open.
  • Choose the Ring Alarm Kit that fits your needs and detect even more with additional Alarm Sensors and accessories (sold separately) at any time.
  • Receive mobile notifications when your system is triggered and monitor all your Ring devices all through the Ring app.

The SimpliSafe monitoring pages list subscription prices, not an equipment quote comparable to that ADT package. Get a current equipment list and quote for the SimpliSafe setup you intend to buy before comparing totals. For either provider, account separately for equipment, installation, monitoring, applicable taxes, financing, and promotions.

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Use this checklist when comparing quotes

  • Use the same number and types of entry sensors, motion sensors, and cameras.
  • Compare DIY setup with DIY setup, or professional installation with professional installation.
  • Record the upfront equipment and installation charges separately from recurring monitoring.
  • Write down the monthly plan, minimum term, and any early-cancellation exposure.
  • Check taxes, financing charges, and whether a displayed promotion is temporary or conditional.
  • Confirm that the compared tiers include equivalent dispatch, video, backup, app, and smart-home features.

Without equivalent hardware, installation, features, and offer assumptions, a multi-year cost comparison can be misleading.

Best Value
Blink Outdoor 4 – Wireless smart security camera, two-year battery life, 1080p HD day and infrared night live view, two-way talk. Sync Module Core included – 3 camera system
  • Outdoor 4 is our most affordable wireless smart security camera yet, offering up to two-year battery life for around-the-clock peace of mind. Local storage not included with Sync Module Core.
  • See and speak from the Blink app — Experience 1080p HD live view, infrared night vision, and crisp two-way audio.
  • Two-year battery life — Set up in minutes and get up to two years of power with the included AA Energizer lithium batteries and a Blink Sync Module Core.
  • Enhanced motion detection — Be alerted to motion faster from your smartphone with dual-zone, enhanced motion detection.
  • Person detection — Get alerts when a person is detected with embedded computer vision (CV) as part of an optional Blink Subscription Plan (sold separately).

Which provider should you compare first?

Start with the purchase route you want. If you want a DIY system and month-to-month monitoring, compare SimpliSafe’s selected monthly tier with ADT Blu Pro-Protect, checking their specific feature lists and kit costs. If you want professional installation, compare ADT’s quoted installation and contract terms against a SimpliSafe equipment-and-service quote configured for similar coverage; the published subscription prices alone do not make those setups equivalent.

The official plan pages cited here do not provide an independent, comparable dataset for response times or false alarms. They support a comparison of published prices, terms, and listed features—not a conclusion that one provider responds faster or is more effective.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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ADThome securityprofessional monitoringsecurity system costsSimpliSafe

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