SimpliSafe vs. Ring: Which home security system is best? | Latest Tech News
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If you’ve ever doom-scrolled your neighborhood apps at 1 a.m., you already know: Porch pirates and break-ins don’t care how bougie your zip code is.
Two names always come up when readers ask how to discover an reasonably priced security system without inviting a stranger into their front room: SimpliSafe and Ring.
Both promise DIY setups, app-based control, and non-obligatory skilled monitoring. Both are big names in the “I’d rather spend money on a vacation than a wired alarm from the ‘90s” recreation.
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I’ve spent years with SimpliSafe defending my own home and have accomplished the deep dive into how it stacks up against Ring’s alarm ecosystem, cameras, and monitoring plans. I’ve also combed through unbiased assessments, professional rankings, and person reviews so you don’t have to.
Meet the Contenders
- Ring is improbable if you’re already dwelling in the Amazon universe and largely care about cameras and doorbells.
- SimpliSafe is the better alternative if you need a true security system first with stronger alarm {hardware}, more targeted skilled monitoring, and proactive crime-prevention tech.
Let’s get into the small print so you may determine which system you really need watching your entrance door.
Ring vs. SimpliSafe: Key variations
At a high degree, both systems examine the same basic containers:
- DIY set up with non-obligatory professional set up
- No long-term contracts
- Self-monitoring or 24/7 skilled monitoring accessible
- App control, alerts, and mobile backup on paid plans
But once you get past the advertising, SimpliSafe vs Ring breaks into a fairly clear cut up.
Price and Monitoring: Which is Cheaper?
If you’re strictly evaluating month-to-month price, Ring normally wins.
Ring
- Ring Home plans start at about $4.99 per month for cloud video and good alerts, and go up to $19.99 per month for the Premium tier that covers all cameras and doorbells at one handle.
- To add Alarm Professional Monitoring, you tack on about $10 per month to a Standard or Premium plan, so most people land around $19.99 per month for full alarm monitoring plus cloud video.
SimpliSafe
- Professional monitoring begins at $22.99 per month for the Standard plan and climbs to about $80 for the Pro Plus plan, topping out when you add full-time Active Guard coverage.
- The entry‑degree skilled monitoring (“Standard”) doesn’t embrace video recordings. For that
So if your only query is “Which is cheaper: SimpliSafe or Ring?” the reply is:
Ring is typically cheaper month to month, particularly if you’re camera-heavy. SimpliSafe prices more but folds in more alarm-first options at each tier and affords a broader security spectrum.
Hardware: Alarm System vs Camera Ecosystem
This is where the hole actually begins to show.
SimpliSafe is constructed as a full-on alarm system first. Even starter kits embrace:
- Base station + keypad
- Multiple entry sensors
- Motion sensor
- Optional glass-break sensor, siren, panic button, key fobs and environmental sensors (smoke, CO, water leaks, temperature)
- SimpliSafe also affords indoor and out of doors cameras, as properly as the SimpliSafe Smart Lock, to spherical out entire‑home safety.
Ring leans more into its doorbell digital camera strength:
- Ring Alarm kits provide the base, keypad, movement and contact sensors.
- But Ring’s real muscle is the large catalog of cameras and video doorbells that plug into the same app: floodlights, indoor cams, battery cams, stick-up cams and more.
If your precedence is Ring security vs. SimpliSafe for whole-home safety, SimpliSafe affords a more conventional, sensor-heavy security setup out of the box. If you need eyes on every angle with heaps and heaps of digital camera choices, Ring is onerous to beat.
Smart Home Integration and Ecosystem
- Ring is owned by Amazon, so (shocker) it performs extraordinarily properly with Alexa and other Z-Wave smart-home devices like sure good locks and lights. If your home is already Alexa-forward, Ring drops proper in.
- SimpliSafe helps Alexa and Google Assistant for standing and arming. Voice disarming is not supported for security causes; it’s not making an attempt to run your total good home. It’s more “alarm system with a side of smart” than “smart home that also has an alarm.”
I exploit Alexa at home and have had no points with my SimpliSafe system at all.
Translation:
- Pick Ring if you need your alarm system woven into a greater smart-home web.
- Pick SimpliSafe if you’d relatively your security system keep targeted on, properly, security.
Monitoring Quality and Crime Prevention
SimpliSafe’s higher-tier plans add Active Guard Outdoor Protection, which makes use of AI in the out of doors cameras plus real human brokers to spot and verbally problem potential intruders before they attain your door, not just after an alarm journeys.
It builds on the model’s “intruder intervention” characteristic, which lets brokers discuss straight through cameras during an alarm to help confirm emergencies, information people to security, or deter would-be intruders before they’ve a probability to break in.
Ring affords its own Virtual Security Guard add-on, which pairs educated brokers with appropriate cameras and lets them call emergency companies, but it’s a separate $99-per-month service on top of a Ring Home plan. That pricing makes it more of a premium upsell than one thing most people will use day to day.
So while both manufacturers can get police or fire dispatched when one thing goes mistaken, SimpliSafe bakes more of that “stop it before it happens” mindset into its core monitoring tiers, not a high-end add-on.
My Review
Setup and Installation
Both manufacturers are firmly in the “no drill required unless you insist” class.
SimpliSafe Installation
- Sensors are peel-and-stick, labelled, and pre-paired. You plug in the bottom station, run a guided setup in the app or keypad, then stroll around sticking sensors where the app tells you to.
- The app guides sensor placement and setup, and walks you through putting in your out of doors digital camera or doorbell if you’re including those.
- The total course of may be accomplished in under an hour without instruments. Pro set up is accessible if you need even more help (however, I’m assured you received’t need it).
Ring Alarm Installation
- Similar base-plus-sensors method, but there’s a bit more tapping through steps in the Ring app, and you’ll doubtless be pairing cameras and doorbells too.
- It’s still squarely DIY-friendly, but in testing, reviewers often word it takes longer if you’re bringing a number of devices online at once.
My take: If you need the simplest attainable “I am not handy, please be kind” setup, SimpliSafe has the sting. Ring is still approachable, but you’ll spend more time futzing with cameras and smart-home settings.
Day-to-Day App Use
Both apps are strong, and both systems help push alerts, mode adjustments, and live video.
SimpliSafe App
- Very easy: arm/disarm, examine event historical past, view cameras, tweak sensor names and guidelines.
- Feels designed for people who need to faucet once and transfer on with their day, not play admin.
- Higher-tier plans unlock further controls for Active Guard, video verification, and good assistant integration.
Ring App
- Busier, but highly effective. You can bounce between cameras, doorbells, and alarm tiles, construct routines with Alexa, handle shared customers, and dive into video historical past.
- If you’re a tinkerer, it’s enjoyable. If you need simple, it might really feel a little like flying a airplane when you just needed to lock the entrance door.
SimpliSafe is my decide for the best general full-home safety. It’s great for householders and renters who need an alarm-first system with strong monitoring, heaps of sensors, and proactive deterrence without going full “Fort Knox.”
Pros:
- Alarm-first system with a deep sensor lineup.
- Excellent DIY set up that’s really landlord- and renter-friendly.
- Active Guard and intruder intervention give proactive, human-backed safety.
- Tiered monitoring plans so you may determine how intense you need to get.
- Strong third-party popularity.
Cons:
- Monitoring may be more costly than Ring.
- Smart home integrations are good, but not exhaustive.
- Camera lineup is smaller; you received’t discover the same “camera for every weird angle.”
Ring is best if you’re already invested in cameras and Alexa. It’s great for people who began with a Ring doorbell, liked it, and now need to bolt an alarm system onto that same ecosystem.
Pros:
- Biggest digital camera and doorbell ecosystem in this struggle, with choices for every funds.
- Lower beginning costs for subscriptions.
- Alexa and smart-home integration, useful extras like backup web on Alarm Pro.
- Optional Virtual Security Guard improve.
Cons:
- You’ll have to buy more elements to match SimpliSafe’s offering, and price can add up fast.
- The most superior safety is a high-priced add-on, not baked into core plans.
- Works best if you’re already dedicated to the Amazon ecosystem.
Which ought to I buy if I’m beginning from zero: Ring Alarm or SimpliSafe?
Start with SimpliSafe if you’re building an alarm system. Start with Ring if you’re increasing a digital camera setup.
The Final Verdict
Is SimpliSafe better than Ring?
For most people trying for a home security system in 2025, I’d say SimpliSafe is the better general alternative.
Here’s why:
- It behaves like a true alarm system proper out of the box, not a digital camera community that added an alarm later.
- Its monitoring is designed to stop crime early, with options such as Active Guard and intruder intervention, not just reacting to a siren.
- The app and {hardware} are straightforward to live with daily, even if you’re not a tech individual.
Ring is still a strong contender and completely not a “bad” decide. If you’re already deep in the Ring universe and love its cameras, sticking with that ecosystem is a completely good transfer.
But if a reader stopped me tomorrow and requested, “I don’t have anything yet. SimpliSafe vs Ring: what’s your move?” I’m pointing them toward SimpliSafe.
Are security systems like SimpliSafe and Ring price it?
Short reply: yes.
A contemporary setup like SimpliSafe or Ring offers you:
- Faster alerts when doorways open, glass breaks or movement is detected.
- A visual deterrent (yard indicators, cameras, doorbells) that makes your home less interesting than your neighbor’s.
- A security internet when you’re asleep, touring, or just not glued to your telephone.
- Add-ons like smoke, CO, and water sensors that defend more than just your TV.
You can completely overbuy, but you don’t need a $99-a-month legacy contract anymore. A thoughtfully curated system paired with the suitable monitoring plan shall be enough to dramatically improve your home’s security footprint without wrecking your funds.
If you need an alarm-first setup with strong human-backed monitoring, I’d start with SimpliSafe. If you’re already knee-deep in Ring cameras or Alexa routines, rounding that out with Ring Alarm could be the most logical, stable alternative.
Either manner, having any security system is better than leaving your porch gentle on and crossing your fingers.
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