SimpliSafe (The Foundation + Core monitoring) review 2026
The fastest monitoring response in our test, no contract, equipment you own, and an install that took under an hour
Is the SimpliSafe Worth It?
Best home security system overall. SimpliSafe does the one thing a security system is for faster than anything else here, asks for no contract, and costs a third of what ADT wants over three years. Its cameras are the weak part.
SimpliSafe Pros & Cons
- Median 30 seconds from alarm to the monitoring centre calling — fastest here
- No contract; cancel any month and the equipment stays yours and keeps working
- Installed in 50 minutes with no tools beyond the adhesive strips
- Kept reporting on cellular with the router unplugged and ran 22 hours on battery
- Camera quality trails Ring and Arlo
- Home automation is limited to Alexa and Google basics
- The cheapest kits cover fewer doors than most houses need
SimpliSafe at a Glance
Rubric v1: Monitoring response 30 · Equipment & coverage 20 · Installation & app 15 · Contract terms 15 · Value 20. Score = Σ ÷ 10, locked Sep 11, 2026. How we rank.
Where to buy — prices checked Sep 11, 2026
SimpliSafe specifications
Why it scored 9.1
SimpliSafe does the one thing a security system is for faster than anything else here, asks for no contract, and costs a third of what ADT wants over three years. Its cameras are the weak part.
Where it loses
Cameras; automation.
Still the right pick for
Most households, owners and renters alike.
Changelog: Sep 11 — rank 1 → 2 · all changes