- Monthly fee
- $24.99 to $44.99
- Equipment costs
- $155.98 to $1,109.60 (financing available)
- Compatible with
- Alexa, Google Home and Samsung devices
- Our favorite system
- Video & Smart Home
Best Home Security Systems of 2025
+1 more
Best Home Security Systems of 2025
Our 6 picks for the best home security companies
- Our pick for traditional systems: ADT
- Our pick for custom installation: Vivint
- Our pick for tech support: Frontpoint
- Our pick for smart-home automation: Vector
- Our pick for self-monitoring: SimpliSafe
- Our pick for value: Ring
- Our recommendations are based on what reviewers say.
- 4,592,734 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Company | Customer rating | Our pick for | Monitoring | DIY installation available | Monthly monitoring fees | Starting equipment costs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.8 | Traditional systems | Required with professional installation | Optional | $34.99 to $61.99 per month | $155.98 to $1,109.60 (financing available) | Get a Quote | |
4.6 | Custom installation | Required | Start at $19.99 per month | $599.99 | Get a Quote | ||
3.5 | Tech support | Required | Optional | $24.99 per month | $402.96 to $790.91 (financing available) | Get a Quote | |
4.0 | Smart-home automation | Required | No | $46 to $64 per month | $99 to $199 | Learn more | |
1.4 | Self-monitoring | Optional | Yes | $9.99 to $29.99 per month | $134.73 to $384.94 | Get Started | |
1.2 | Value | Optional | Yes | $3.99 to $20 | $155.98 to $1,109.60 (financing available) | Learn more |
Methodology
The ConsumerAffairs research team compared 26 home security companies on available features and technology, customer reviews and costs. Some companies may be Authorized Partners that compensate us — this does not affect our recommendations or evaluations but may impact the order in which companies appear. Read our full methodology for more details on how we selected our top six picks.
Our picks may be Authorized Partners who compensate us — this does not affect our recommendations or evaluations but may impact the order in which companies appear.
- Monthly fee
- $29.99
- Equipment costs
- $599.99
- Compatible with
- Google Home, Amazon Echo and Nest
- Our favorite system
- Premium Plus Package
- Monthly fee
- $14.99
- Equipment costs
- $402.96 to $790.91 (financing available)
- Compatible with
- Amazon Alexa, Google, Siri, Z-Wave
- Our favorite system
- Ultimate Home Security System
- Monthly fee
- $46 to $64
- Equipment costs
- $99 to $199
- Compatible with
- Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple Siri
- Our favorite system
- Home Automation
- Monthly fee
- $9.99 to $29.99
- Equipment costs
- $134.73 to $384.94
- Compatible with
- Amazon Alexa, Google Home, August Locks
- Our favorite system
- The Lighthouse
- Monthly fee
- $3.99 to $10
- Equipment costs
- $155.98 to $1,109.60 (financing available)
- Compatible with
- Honeywell and Alexa-enabled devices
- Our favorite system
- Alarm Pro Security Kit
Read home security company reviews | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buyer's Choice Award
Winner
| Monitoring costs start at $34.99 per month for professionally installed systems. Equipment packages start at $599 and can be customized to fit your needs. Requires 36 month commitment. | Get a Quote Call Center Open (844) 369-9967 | ||||
Buyer's Choice Award
Winner
| Monitoring fees start at $29.99 per month. Professional installation included with online purchases. Typical commitment is 60 months with financing; month-to-month available with upfront equipment purchase of $599.99. | Get a Quote Call Center Open (833) 830-7970 | ||||
DIY-install security system. Starter equipment package costs $383.97. Monitoring costs start between $24.99 and $39.99 per month. Highly customizable with add-on equipment options. | Get a Quote Call Center Open (888) 259-3601 | |||||
Pro monitoring costs $49.99 per month. DIY installation only. Equipment packages are regularly priced $402.96 to $790.91 and come with a three-year limited warranty. Financing available. Risk-free trial for 30 days. | Get a Quote Call Center Open (833) 419-5396 | |||||
Self-monitoring option for no monthly fee. Professional monitoring costs $9.99 to $29.99 per month. Packages start at $134.73 to $384.94. DIY or professional installation. Month-to-month commitment for monitoring. | Get Started | |||||
Professional monitoring starts at $39.99 per month. DIY installation with $100 activation fee. Equipment costs vary. Contracts range from three to five years. Comes with mobile access through the Alder app. | ||||||
Buyer's Choice Award
Winner
| Professional monitoring costs $44.95 to $69.95 per month. Upfront costs start between $0 and $149, including installation. Specializes in security cameras, smart-home devices and alarm systems. One-year warranty on equipment. | |||||
Offers monitored and unmonitored options. Designed for DIY installation. Charges $229 to $549 for packages, with monitoring starting at $9.99 per month. Includes a 60-day money-back guarantee and a three-year warranty. | Shop Now | |||||
Offers security packages with smart-home features and professional monitoring. Monthly costs start around $15 to $40. Discounts available for bundling packages and services. Not available in all areas. | Compare Offers | |||||
Pro monitoring costs $17.99 to $27.99 per month. Upfront costs vary. Free DIY installation. 60-day money-back guarantee. No long-term contract required. Military, first responder and teacher discounts available. | Chat with a ConsumerAffairs decision guide |
Methodology
ConsumerAffairs carefully collects in-depth, verified reviews to tell each customer’s experience with a company. We believe customer experiences are a crucial indicator when evaluating companies, so these reviews are a significant factor when selecting our top picks.
To choose the top home security providers, we started with the 26 companies listed in this guide and analyzed more than 81,000 of their reviews on our site.
To narrow our list down, we first eliminated those with overall satisfaction ratings below 3 stars (as of June 2023). To ensure we considered experiences from a diverse range of customers, we also eliminated any company with fewer than 30 ratings in the past year.
We then compared the nine remaining companies on multiple factors, including:
- Availability: We made sure our top picks operate in most U.S. states and are accessible without an undue burden for new customers. (That means we didn’t think you should have to sign up for another service just to purchase your security system.)
- Unique offerings: We prioritized companies that aren’t primarily dealers for other brands on our list.
- Costs: We gave preference to companies that priced their equipment and services to provide better value.
- Installation methods: Both professionally installed and user-installed systems have their place in the industry, but we used this as a benchmark for identifying a company’s ideal customer.
- Mandatory commitments: We researched each company’s contract terms to identify how long consumers were locked into monitoring agreements.
- Features and technology: We evaluated each company’s products and services to make sure they meet industry standards.
We used these factors to identify whether these companies met our standards and how these companies could serve different consumers’ needs. That analysis informed the highlighted headline for each of our top picks and our write-ups.
Notes
The information in our write-ups is based on the following editorial guidelines:
- We don’t consider video doorbells or stand-alone camera systems to be true “home security systems.” If a company offered those products, we did not include that information in our price ranges or service details unless otherwise noted.
- The prices we publish are accurate as of publishing but do not include sales, discounts or other possible savings unless otherwise noted. Temporary promotions are often available from home security companies, so it’s worth checking current prices whenever you’re ready to buy.
- The equipment costs presented for our top picks are generally based on each company’s pre-configured equipment packages. Many home security companies allow you to “build your own” system or customize pre-configured packages, so your costs may vary.
- Equipment costs are based on the price of new equipment. (Some home security companies offer used or refurbished equipment at discounted prices.)
- Monitoring costs are how much you can expect to pay when subscribing to monitoring services in the shortest term possible. Some home security companies offer discounts when you pay for several months upfront.
Alina Bradford contributed to this article.
Guide sources
- UNC Charlotte, “THROUGH THE EYES OF A BURGLAR - STUDY PROVIDES INSIGHTS ON HABITS AND MOTIVATIONS.” Accessed Dec. 31, 2022.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), “Crime Data Explorer.” Accessed Feb. 1, 2023.
- Pew Research Center, “What the data says (and doesn’t say) about crime in the United States.” Accessed Aug. 17, 2021.
- California Bureau of Security & Investigative Services (BSIS), “Consumer Guide to Alarm Companies.”Accessed Aug. 17, 2021.
- Connectivity Standards Alliance, “Building the Foundation and Future of IoT.” Accessed Aug. 17, 2021.
- FBI, “Robbery.” Accessed Aug. 24, 2021.
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