Abode vs. SimpliSafe

We put SimpliSafe’s and Abode’s specs side-by-side and declared SimpliSafe the overall winner.
Winner
SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe
4.3 out of 5 stars
4.25
Pro monitoring starts at
$19.99
/mo
  • pro
    Affordable equipment
  • pro
    No cancellation fees
  • con
    Poor device compatibility
Runner up
Abode
Abode
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Pro monitoring starts at
$21.99
/mo
  • con
    Less affordable equipment
  • con
    $35 cancellation fee
  • pro
    Excellent device compatibility

SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review

SimpliSafe tops Abode in every category except smart home integration and monitoring prices. If you use Apple HomeKit or third-party smart home devices, Abode is the best choice. For everyone else, SimpliSafe provides better value and performance. Let’s see why Abode can’t keep up with SimpliSafe.

Light Bulb
Big News: Abode has a NEW DIY home security kit!

Unlock Affordable Security: Is Abode's new budget-friendly kit your perfect diy home guardian? Dive into our review to find out!


Light Bulb
SimpliSafe beats Abode in the UK too

Although both companies offer slightly different services and prices in the UK, SimpliSafe's still the clear winner in our book. Learn more:


Pros and cons

SimpliSafe is best for new users

pro
Pros
pro 60-day money-back guarantee
pro Free self-monitoring option
pro No contract
pro Less expensive equipment
con
Cons
con Average compatibility

SimpliSafe is best for people purchasing their first home security system thanks to its generous return and refund policies, flexible monitoring options, lack of cancellation fees, and affordable equipment prices. Not sure what you want? You can figure it out with SimpliSafe—and you won’t get slapped with extra fees in the process.

Abode is best for small spaces and apple customers

pro
Pros
pro Industry-leading compatibility
pro Free self-monitoring option
pro No contract
pro Good choice for renters
con
Cons
con Average app performance
con No money-back guarantee
con Cancellation fee
con More expensive equipment

Abode is best for people living in smaller and/or more open spaces thanks to its all-in-one base design. Abode’s also the better choice for Apple HomeKit users since SimpliSafe doesn’t work with HomeKit.

SimpliSafe and Abode top features

Company
Monthly monitoring price
Star rating
Contract length
Cancellation fee
Learn more
Winner
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.45
30-day chunksNone
Runner up
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Month-to-month$35

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

SimpliSafe vs. Abode similarities

Both SimpliSafe and Abode cater to people who want flexible home security systems. You can set up these systems by yourself or purchase professional installation, starting at around $100.

Learn more about installing SimpliSafe.

You also don’t have to lock yourself into an annual contract since both brands sell month-by-month monitoring plans. They’re also very similar in terms of equipment offered, and both give customers the option to self-monitor their systems for free.

SimpliSafe vs. Abode differences

Need to save money on pro monitoring services? We think Abode offers the better deal, but SimpliSafe does have a pared-down monitoring plan that’s more affordable. Read more about their monitoring differences.

Worried you’ll get hit with cancellation fees? SimpliSafe won’t charge you for canceling and has a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. Abode charges a $35 cancellation fee on plans and only gives refunds in the first 30 days. Read more about their different cancellation policies.

Need to prioritize more affordable equipment? Go with SimpliSafe. (Both brands also offer discounted refurbished equipment.) Read more about equipment differences.

Want to integrate other smart devices with your security system? Abode works with a dozen brands. SimpliSafe only works with three. Read more about compatibility differences

Gotta have a good app? SimpliSafe gets way more praise from customers. Read more about app differences

Equipment prices: SimpliSafe wins

Both Abode and SimpliSafe allow you to pick and choose which equipment you want, but they’ll start you off with a base package. You get similar equipment for less with SimpliSafe. And if you're a Fast Protect™ monitoring subscriber, you get an extra 10% off.

SimpliSafe offers four additional equipment packages, which you can compare on our full SimpliSafe equipment review. Or, check out Abode’s most popular bundles on our full Abode equipment review

Compare basic equipment packages

Basic package
Price
Siren
Motion sensor
Window or door sensor
Extras
Learn more
SimpliSafeThe Foundation
$244.96
Icon Yes  LightYes, in base station
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  LightYes
Key pad
AbodeSmart Security Kit
$279.00
Icon Yes  LightYes, in base station
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  LightYes
Key fob

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Bell
Don’t go too bare bones

Technically, you can purchase just a siren base and a keypad from SimpliSafe for $199.98 by selecting “build my system” and skipping all the add-ons. But the siren isn’t very useful without some sort of sensor to trigger it.

We recommend choosing a base package and building a system from there.

Besides offering more bundles, SimpliSafe also offers a wider variety of equipment than Abode, and most of it is significantly more affordable to boot. We love that SimpliSafe even sells extra batteries and adhesive tape in their online store to simplify the customer experience.

SimpliSafeSimpliSafe cost
AbodeAbode cost
Keypad
$69.99
$94.99
Entry sensor
$14.99
$27.99
Motion detector
$29.99
$43.99
Indoor camera
$99.99
$29.99
Doorbell camera$169.00$159.99
Glass break sensor
$34.99
$37.99
Panic button
$19.99
$28.99
Smoke detector
$49.99
$39.99
Carbon monoxide detector$49.99N/A
Temperature sensor$29.99$45.99
Water sensor
$19.99
$54.99
Key fob
$24.99
$25.99
Siren
$59.99
$55.99
Smart outletN/A$44.99
Smart lock$99.00N/A

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Invalid image: 227827

Image: Katie McEntire, SafeWise

SimpliSafe vs. Abode cameras

Abode and SimpliSafe tie in camera offerings.

There are three types of Abode cameras, including the indoor-only Iota, the indoor/outdoor Cam 2, and the video doorbell. 

SimpliSafe offers the same suite of three SimpliSafe camera options:

Monitoring options and prices: Abode wins

Abode’s most expensive plan (Pro) costs about $8 less per month compared to SimpliSafe's most expensive plan (Fast Protect™). A lower price sometimes means less value or fewer services, but not in the case of Abode vs. SimpliSafe. The plans seem highly comparable, so Abode wins.

Still, people looking for just the basics might appreciate SimpliSafe’s bare-bones Pro Monitoring Only and Camera Recordings Only plans.

Compare SimpliSafe and Abode's monitoring plans

Plan
Starting price
Professional monitoring
Video storage
Cellular back-up
Phone notifications
Learn more
$9.99
/mo
Icon No  LightNo
Icon Yes  Light30 days
Icon No  LightNo
Icon Yes  LightYes
$19.99
/mo
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon No  LightNo
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon No  LightNo
$29.99
/mo
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  Light30 days
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  LightYes
$6.00
/mo
Icon No  LightNo
Icon Yes  Light10 days
Icon No  LightNo
Icon Yes  LightYes
$21.99
/mo
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  Light10 days
Icon Yes  LightYes
Icon Yes  LightYes

Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Cancellation fees and contract flexibility: SimpliSafe wins

Both SimpliSafe and Abode appeal to the DIY crowd. These companies promise no-contract, flexible monitoring. But when we dug deeper into their offerings, SimpliSafe emerged as the winner for customer-friendly policies.

Case in point: you can cancel SimpliSafe free of charge. Want to take a break from pro monitoring services to save a bit of money? No problem. It’s free. Abode, on the other hand, sneaks in a $35 charge on canceled annual plans. In other words, if you order a year of monitoring alongside your system and then return the system, there’s a $35 deduction taken from your full refund. 

SimpliSafe also goes one step further by selling its monitoring services in 30-day chunks versus calendar months. That means you can pay for monitoring only on the days when you really need it, like when you’re heading out of town for the weekend.

Checklist
Compare cancellation policies of top home security systems

Home security companies offer wildly different cancellation policies. See how SimpliSafe and Abode compare to other industry leaders in our cancellation policy guide.

Returns and refunds: SimpliSafe wins

SimpliSafe customers have up to 60 days to test out the equipment and service. If you’re not happy for any reason, you can return the SimpliSafe system within that 60-day window for a full refund. SimpliSafe even pays for return shipping. 

Abode offers a 30-day refund period for US orders only. You have to pay for return shipping. 

Each security company honors returns or refunds only for products purchased directly from them.

Abode Iota on Book Shelves

Abode Iota. Image: Celeste Tholen, SafeWise

Compatibility: Abode wins

If you want all of your smart home devices to communicate, go straight to Abode. Do not pass Go. 

Abode’s main strength hinges on its industry-leading compatibility. You can connect 160 devices to an Abode system, including Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and plenty of other Abode-compatible brands that operate with Z-Wave or Zigbee technology. 

What does this actually mean for you and your security system? It means you can set up some pretty nifty home automations, like having your smart door locks automatically unlock for the fire department when the smoke alarm goes off. 

No brand competes with Abode when it comes to compatibility . . . yet. 

SimpliSafe is only compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and August door locks (sleek, keypad-free alternatives to the SimpliSafe Smart Lock). Read our guide to pairing SimpliSafe with Alexa to see a list of available voice commands.

Mobile app ratings: SimpliSafe wins

It doesn’t matter if you get the best equipment at an unbelievable price—if the app stinks, you won’t be satisfied with the system. 

You want a user-friendly app that doesn’t suffer from glitches every other day. We read reviews on the Apple App Store and the Google Play store to see which brand earned the highest app ratings.

The SimpliSafe app won by a significant margin, with 4.4 stars on Google Play and 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store. The Abode app earned 3.3 stars on Google Play and just 2.5 stars on the Apple App Store. 

SimpliSafe also had over 221,000 combined ratings, whereas Abode had less than 750. (No, we didn’t forget any zeros.)

Winner: SimpliSafe beats Abode

SimpliSafe knocks Abode out of the park in virtually every category, making it the overall winner in this head-to-head competition. Still, Abode is one of our recommended alternatives to SimpliSafe if you want a smart home on a budget.

  • SimpliSafe: More affordable equipment, more flexible contracts, and more customer-friendly policies
  • Abode: More affordable monitoring and more compatibility

Still undecided? Read our full SimpliSafe and Abode reviews to learn more. 

How we decided: SimpliSafe vs. Abode

Image: SafeWise

In our full analysis of the best home security systems, SimpliSafe beats out Abode. 

We look at the breadth of equipment and services offered, the brand’s customer service policies and reputation, and the quality of their products. We then factor in the brands’ prices to evaluate how much value the customers get for their money. Learn more on our methodology page.

Cathy Habas
Written by
Cathy Habas
With over eight years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She is a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador and has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

Recent Articles

woman adjusting thermostat in bright home
The Best Home Security Systems of 2024
After thousands of hours of tests and research, we picked Vivint and SimpliSafe as the...
older-hispanic-couple-hiking
The Best Fall Detection Devices
Find the best medical alert systems with fall detection. Compare equipment, price, accuracy, customer reviews,...
medical alert products on an illustrated background
Best Medical Alert Systems
See which medical alert system is the best to keep you and your loved one...
Man and woman couple wife husband set up surveillance security camera
Best Apartment Security Systems
These renter-friendly apartment security systems help keep you safe and require less commitment than your...