How Much Does a Home Security System Cost?

A home security system is really three bills: the equipment you buy once, the installation if you want someone else to do it, and the monthly plan that decides whether anyone besides you hears the alarm. Companies advertise the first number and bury the third, which is the one that adds up. This guide puts all three side by side for the four brands people most often compare, and then does the five-year math.

The prices come from the guides that test these systems, read on October 26, 2026, and from Ring's own plans page. We could not read SimpliSafe's, ADT's or Vivint's own sites from here (pages returned errors, blocked us or showed no prices), so for those three the price is a guide's report of the price, and we say which guide. The method behind every number on this site is in how we research costs.

How much does a home security system cost?

NerdWallet says a basic do-it-yourself kit can start at $130 and a comprehensive, professionally installed system can cost $2,000 or more, and that a starter kit costs a little over $200 on average. Monitoring is where the range opens up: some systems can be monitored by you for free, and NerdWallet puts professional monitoring at about $20 to as high as $80 a month. Here is how the four brands we looked at line up:

Two brands, SimpliSafe and Ring, sell equipment you set up yourself and charge no contract. Two, ADT and Vivint, are built around professional installation and, in most cases, a multi-year monitoring contract. That split explains most of the price differences in the rest of this guide.

What does the equipment cost?

Most people start with a package. SimpliSafe's packages run from $250.96 (a base station, a keypad, one entry sensor and one motion sensor) to $733.90 (the Beacon, with four entry sensors, two motion sensors and two outdoor cameras). Ring Alarm kits run from $199.99 for five pieces to $329.99 for fourteen. NerdWallet's list of starter kits, from October 2025, ranges from Abode's $130 (a hub, a door sensor and a key fob) to ADT's $269 (a hub and one sensor), with Ring, Arlo and Vivint's contract price all at $199.99.

ADT's professionally installed packages cost more because they include Google Nest cameras. Security.org lists $349.00 for the Security Starter (a base station, three door and window sensors and a motion sensor), $528.99 for Video Essentials, and $1,593.95 for Total Safety, with cameras, a smart lock and water sensors. Vivint's entry package, HomeProtect, lists at $349.99, or $199.99 if you sign a three-year monitoring contract.

If a package does not fit your home, you can build your own, and the parts add up quickly:

These are list prices. Security.org says SimpliSafe runs near-constant promotions, sometimes cutting prices by as much as 60 percent, and points to holiday sales as the time to buy. Security.org says ADT and Vivint also run sales, so treat the numbers above as the ceiling, not the likely bill.

How much does installation cost?

• Do it yourself: $0. Security.org's testers set up SimpliSafe in under an hour and Ring Alarm themselves. Sensors stick to the wall or plug in, and the app walks you through each step.
• Professional help, DIY brands. SimpliSafe's installer, OnTech, starts at $125 and rises with the complexity of the job. Ring uses HelloTech and OnTech and you have to ask them for a quote. NerdWallet says professional installs for DIY brands start at about $99.
• ADT. Security.org says professional installation adds $100 to $200 depending on the system. ADT's Nest-equipped packages can only be installed by a technician.
• Vivint. Installation is included if you take the three-year contract. Without a contract, Security.org says it costs $199, and $149 to reinstall the system if you move.

How much does monitoring cost per month?

This is the bill that never ends, so read it closely. Monitoring comes in three flavors. Self-monitoring means your phone gets the alert and you decide whether to call 911. Professional monitoring means a call center tries to reach you, and dispatches police or fire if you cannot be reached or confirm the alarm. A third, newer tier adds live video guards who watch your cameras and speak through them.

Two things stand out. First, the cheapest professional monitoring in the guides we read is Ring Protect Pro at $19.99 a month, with SimpliSafe Standard at $22.99 and ADT Blu and Vivint Basic both at $24.99. Second, the step up to cameras or live guards is expensive: SimpliSafe Core costs $10 more a month than Standard, which is $600 over five years, and its Pro Plus plan costs $30 more than Pro.

Not paying has a cost too. Security.org says that with no SimpliSafe plan, if your internet goes down only the base station's siren will work, while every paid plan includes cellular backup. NerdWallet adds that self-monitoring offers less protection, especially when you travel, and that a month-to-month plan can cover a trip without a multi-year commitment.

ADT is where the two guides disagree. Security.org says ADT Pro Install monitoring starts at $49.99 a month and that the final price comes after a consultation. NerdWallet's review, from August 2025, says $34.99 and up, which is $10 more than the DIY plan because of professional installation. Both say the price rises with cameras and features, so get a written quote before you agree to anything.

Do you need a contract?

• SimpliSafe and Ring: no. Security.org says neither requires one, so you can change plans or cancel.
• ADT: usually, with professional installation. NerdWallet says a professionally installed ADT system requires a 36-month minimum contract (24 months in California). Security.org says no contract is required if you pay for equipment up front, but you may sign one for three to five years if you finance it, and ADT requires at least one month of professional monitoring with any package. If you buy ADT Blu, the self-install line, there is no contract, but you must keep a plan.
• Vivint: for the discount. The $199.99 price and free installation depend on the three-year contract. Pay full price for the equipment and the monthly plan is month to month. Financing can run up to 60 months.

A contract is a trade. Security.org points out that it locks in your rate while several companies have raised prices on customers in recent years, but it also holds you for the full term if you rent or might move. Security.org also notes the return windows differ a lot: ADT gave its testers six months, while Vivint offers three days.

What does a system cost over five years?

Monthly fees are small each month and large together. We priced six setups at the list prices above, for five years of equipment, installation and monitoring:

In every monitored setup, the monthly plan is more than 80% of the five-year total. That is why the sticker price of the kit is the wrong number to compare. Three setups that start between $250 and $283 end up between $1,449 and $1,699 once a basic professional plan is added, and the same SimpliSafe kit with the Core plan instead of Standard ends at $2,262. We held every price flat for five years. Security.org notes that several companies have raised plan prices in recent years, so a real bill may be higher.

How common is burglary, and where is it most common?

The FBI estimates that there were 661,800 burglaries in the United States in 2025, a rate of 193.6 per 100,000 residents. That is 16% fewer than its revised estimate for 2024 (785,533) and 70% fewer than in 2006 (2,190,750). The rate fell 74% over the same years, from 731.7 per 100,000.

About 53% of them, 353,222, were at residences. Of those, 188,672 happened in the daytime and 152,205 at night; the FBI did not know the time for another 12,344. So the common picture of a night-time break-in is only part of the story: more homes were entered during the day.

Where you live matters a lot more than the national average. Here are the states at the two ends:

New Mexico's rate is almost eight times New Hampshire's. This is the number to look at when you decide how much protection you want, and your own neighborhood can differ from your state's average. What this data cannot tell you is whether a system would have prevented any of these burglaries, because the FBI counts crimes and does not record what alarms the homes had.

Can a security system lower your homeowners insurance?

Sometimes. The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) says most insurers provide discounts for security devices such as smoke detectors, burglar and fire alarm systems and dead-bolt locks, adds that not every system qualifies, and says the most effective burglar alarms also ring at an outside service. It does not give a percentage on the pages we read. The only number we found comes from a seller: NerdWallet reports that SimpliSafe's Core plan at $32.99 a month includes a certificate you can email to your insurance agent for a "possible 5%-20% discount."

That is worth testing against the average premium. The national average homeowners premium in the NAIC data we used in our homeowners insurance by state guide is $1,737 a year:

At the low end of that range, a discount pays for a fraction of the plan. At the high end, it covers a basic professional plan and then some. NerdWallet makes the same point: some systems qualify only if they are professionally monitored, and that monthly cost may offset the discount. Ask your insurer which systems count and what the discount is before you buy, and get the answer in writing.

How can you pay less?

• Install it yourself. That saves $100 to $200 at ADT and at least $125 at SimpliSafe.
• Choose the lowest plan that covers the risk. Standard instead of Core saves $600 over five years at SimpliSafe. Skipping a camera plan you will not use saves more.
• Pay yearly where it is offered. Ring Protect Pro costs $199.99 a year instead of 12 payments of $19.99 ($239.88), which saves $39.89 a year.
• Buy a package, not parts. NerdWallet says bundles are discounted, and Security.org says packages unlock savings that custom builds do not.
• Time the purchase. Security.org points to SimpliSafe's holiday sales and Vivint's Black Friday deals, and says ADT sales happen regularly.
• Use month-to-month plans for travel. If you only want monitoring when you are away, a no-contract plan covers the trip without a long commitment (NerdWallet).
• Call your insurer first, since a discount may decide which system you buy.

What does this comparison leave out?

• Company prices are second-hand. We read Ring's plans page directly, but SimpliSafe, ADT and Vivint prices come from Security.org and NerdWallet. Those sites test the systems and also earn money when readers sign up, so check each company's own page before you buy.
• The guides disagree on ADT. The starting monthly price and the contract terms differ between Security.org (October 2026) and NerdWallet (August 2025), which is why we show both.
• Prices move. Sales and promotions change the up-front price often, and plan prices have gone up before. Everything here is as read on October 26, 2026.
• We did not measure effectiveness. The FBI data tells you how common burglary is, not whether a given system stops it.
• Local rules. Some cities require alarm permits or charge for false alarms. None of the sources we read gave a national figure, so check with your city.
• Other brands. We priced four of the best-known. Others, such as Abode, Arlo and Cove, were only mentioned in passing.

A security system is one of the few home costs where the monthly bill outweighs the purchase price. For two other costs of owning a house, see what homeowners insurance costs in each state and what a sewer camera inspection costs. More guides on the costs of owning a home are in the Owning a Home section.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a home security system cost?

A do-it-yourself system costs about $130 to $734 in equipment, with starter kits averaging a little over $200 according to NerdWallet. Professional monitoring adds about $20 to $50 a month on the plans we priced, and self-monitoring can be free. Over five years, the monitored setups we priced came to $1,449 to $2,262, and ADT to $2,548 to $3,548.

How much is home security monitoring per month?

Self-monitoring is free on some systems and $9.99 on SimpliSafe if you want video recordings. Professional monitoring starts at $19.99 for Ring Protect Pro, $22.99 for SimpliSafe Standard and $24.99 for Vivint Basic. ADT's guides disagree, starting at $34.99 or $49.99 for a professionally installed system. Live video guards cost more, up to $99.00 a month at Ring.

Is it cheaper to install a security system yourself?

Yes. DIY setup is free, while professional installation adds $100 to $200 at ADT, starts at $125 for SimpliSafe and $199 at Vivint without a contract. Vivint includes installation if you sign a three-year monitoring contract.

Do home security systems require a contract?

SimpliSafe and Ring do not. ADT requires a 36-month minimum with professional installation, according to NerdWallet (24 months in California), while Security.org says a contract is not required if you pay for the equipment up front. Vivint's discounted $199.99 price depends on a three-year contract.

Is a home security system worth the money?

The sources we read do not measure whether homes with alarms are burgled less often, so we cannot answer that with data. The FBI estimates 661,800 burglaries in 2025, 70% fewer than in 2006, and rates range from 51.4 per 100,000 in New Hampshire to 404.9 in New Mexico. Monthly fees make up most of the five-year cost, so the plan you choose matters more than the kit.

Will a security system lower my homeowners insurance?

It may. Triple-I says most insurers offer discounts for security devices but not every system qualifies. NerdWallet reports that SimpliSafe says its Core plan certificate can bring a "possible 5%-20% discount." On the national average premium of $1,737, 5% is $87 a year and 20% is $347. Ask your insurer before you buy.

What is the cheapest professional monitoring?

In the guides we read, Ring Protect Pro at $19.99 a month ($199.99 a year) is the lowest, followed by SimpliSafe Standard at $22.99. ADT Blu and Vivint Basic are both $24.99. Cheaper plans do not include cameras or live video guards.

What happens if my internet goes down?

It depends on the plan. Security.org says that without a SimpliSafe monitoring plan only the base station's siren works during an outage, while every paid SimpliSafe plan includes cellular backup. Ring's Pro plan includes backup internet for Ring Alarm Pro, according to Security.org.

Sources

• FBI Crime Data Explorer, Documents & Downloads: "Crime in the United States, 2025" Tables 1, 5 and 7 (released August 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• FBI, "Reported Crimes in the Nation, 2025" Frequently Asked Questions (August 4, 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Security.org, "SimpliSafe Pricing and Package Costs" (updated October 22, 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Security.org, "Ring Alarm Security System Cost and Pricing" (updated September 28, 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Security.org, "ADT Home Security Systems Pricing and Package Costs" (updated October 22, 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Security.org, "How Much Does Vivint Cost in 2026?" (updated October 22, 2026; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Ring, Protect Plans: Solo, Multi and Pro prices (accessed October 26, 2026)
• NerdWallet, "How Much Does a Home Security System Cost in 2026?" by Dalia Ramirez (updated October 21, 2025; accessed October 26, 2026)
• NerdWallet, "ADT Home Security Review 2026" (August 6, 2025; accessed October 26, 2026)
• Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), "How to save money on your homeowners insurance" (accessed October 26, 2026)
• Triple-I, "Securing your home against burglary" (accessed October 26, 2026)
• NAIC, "Dwelling Fire, Homeowners ... Report: Data for 2023" (July 2026), source of the national average premium