The Most Affordable Home Security Systems of 2025
Pricing
No question that ADT’s prices are more competitive than they were in the past. Entryway sensors that used to cost $30 to $50? They now cost only $20, roughly the same price as SimpliSafe’s door/window sensors. You can get motion sensors now for only $40, devices that used to cost $100. Plus, you don’t have to order a pre-made equipment package. You can build your own, which saves you money on devices you don’t need.
Professional monitoring has gotten more affordable as well. It starts at $29.99 per month and maxes out at $44.99. And OK, that’s steep enough to keep ADT from being our top pick on this list. There are different ways to define affordable though. In this case, we’re defining it as top-notch system that you can get for a very reasonable price. Value matters.
Equipment
ADT offers some of the best equipment on the market, though it doesn’t necessarily offer a wide selection of devices. The company outsources its sensor manufacturing to GE, a name synonymous with reliability. As for cameras, those all come straight from Google Nest, maybe the best manufacturer of security cameras, doorbell cameras, and smart home accessories on the market. Unfortunately, ADT’s equipment selection is a bit limited. Google Nest offers some pretty cool smart home devices like thermostats, but if you’re looking for highly specific pieces of equipment like garage door tilt sensors, you’ll need to check out someone other than ADT.
That’s me testing the touch screen controller of my ADT security system.
Monitoring
ADT has always offered the best professional monitoring in the business. The company employs a dozen monitoring centers across the country, so you can be sure someone always has eyes on your home, no matter where you happen to live. The company’s SMART monitoring feature gives you time to confirm or call off an alarm via text message. That cuts down on false alarms and means when ADT does contact emergency personnel, they get on site faster. In terms of value, it’s worth noting that ADT recently reduced the cost of its professional monitoring service. That price used to be up to $60 a month. Now you can get a basic plan for just $34.99 a month and a comprehensive system for $49.99. You can get all the details in our complete guide to ADT’s pricing.
The real news, though, is that ADT now offers customers the option to self-monitor their systems. Professional monitoring is always going to be the safer route, but if you’re looking for affordability it’s hard to beat no dollars per month. Plus, since the company has also done away with lengthy monitoring contracts, you can order a single month of professional monitoring when you need it – vacation anyone? – and go right back to self-monitoring once you get home from the beach.
Pro Tip: Like SimpliSafe, ADT actually provides customers with the option to self-monitor their system. We don’t really recommend this, but it can definitely help save money if you’re protecting your property on a budget.
I also really like their SMART monitoring feature, which allows users to confirm or call off an alarm via text message. That means you’re dealing with far fewer false alarms, and can speed authorities to your property if there’s an actual emergency.
Our Experience Testing ADT
Testing ADT recently was a curious experience. Unlike Cove, ADT has a long history in the industry – 150 years, in fact. As you might expect, it’s learned a thing or two about customer service in that time. If you want, you can go the full-service white-glove route with professional everything, where the company custom designs a system for you and shows up at your house to install it.
A lot has changed with ADT over the last few years, though, and these changes have added a whole new dimension to the company. ADT always offered solidly built, reliable equipment, but now you can get high-tech Google Nest cameras as well. Even stranger, for us, you can install your ADT system yourself, and you can even self-monitor if you choose. Those are definitely the more affordable options, though we’re still getting used to seeing ADT as a DIY system.
One way or another, ADT still provides great customer service and reliability. It feels a little odd picking out equipment online, but all these changes at the company have resulted in another big advantage to ADT: the company now offers equipment and monitoring at prices low enough to get it onto the Most Affordable list.
Installing an ADT security camera
If you’re looking to save on an ADT system, going the Self Setup route is definitely a good choice.
