SimpliSafe vs. Cove Home Security 2022

SimpliSafe and Cove have a lot in common. Both these DIY home security systems have similar pricing, similar smart home integrations, and good customer service scores.

We have to give SimpliSafe a slight lead here because it has been around quite a bit longer than Cove, and people are more likely to recognize the name on the sign in your yard. We also like that SimpliSafe offers a smart lock, and it has a doorbell camera. But honestly, either of these systems is a good choice. 

The winner: Tie. SimpliSafe and Cove have a similar price range and features

SimpliSafe and Cove monitoring plans have similar features—although SimpliSafe is slightly cheaper. Cove and SimpliSafe give you some extra perks for subscribing to the premium monitoring plans as well, which can be worth it. 

Whether you choose SimpliSafe or Cove, you’re going to need to subscribe to the higher-priced monitoring plan if you want to be able to control your security system with a mobile app. Without the app, you can’t check on your security system remotely or get alerts about alarms.

SimpliSafe’s monitoring plans are pretty affordable. Compared to companies like ADT, Vivint, or Frontpoint.

SimpliSafe’s Standard plan will give you 24/7 professional monitoring for about $18 per month, but we recommend upgrading to the Interactive plan. It’s $10 more per month, but you get some extra features we think are worth it.

The Interactive plan gives you access to the mobile app, so you can arm and disarm your system from anywhere. You can also check if you remembered to arm the system before you left for work that morning. Without the mobile app, you’re in the dark about your system’s status unless you’re literally at home and can check for yourself.

For the extra money every month, SimpliSafe’s Interactive plan gives you smart home support. SimpliSafe doesn’t have very many smart home integrations, but you’ll need the Interactive plan if you want to connect your SimpliSafe security system to your Alexa or Google smart speaker.

If you opt for SimpliSafe's Interactive plan, you can get a 10% discount on equipment add-ons and a lifetime warranty on equipment as long as you maintain your subscription. 

View SimpliSafe Plans | Read the SimpliSafe Home Security Review

Cove’s monitoring costs slightly cheaper than SimpliSafe’s. If you opt for the $15-per-month Basic plan, you’ll get 24/7 professional monitoring but that’s about it. We recommend upgrading to the $25-per-month Plus plan.

Like SimpliSafe’s Interactive plan, Cove’s Plus plan gives you access to the mobile app so you can control your security system whether you’re at work, at the movies, or hanging on a Caribbean beach. You also need Cove’s Plus plan if you want Alexa or Google integration.

But Cove gives you some extra stuff you don’t get from SimpliSafe’s top-tier monitoring plan. Cove throws in a price-lock guarantee, and a $5-per-month equipment credit that you can save up over time.

If you opt for Cove’s Plus plan, you don’t have to worry about your equipment breaking, because it’s covered by the lifetime warranty. And if you want to add sensors onto your system, you can save up your $5-per-month credit to get some new stuff. Pretty sweet.

Read the Cove Home Security Review

The winner: Tie. Cove has a fancier control panel, but SimpliSafe offers a smart door lock.

Cove and SimpliSafe have similar equipment offerings. The biggest difference is that Cove uses a touchscreen control panel, whereas SimpliSafe uses a more basic, button-style keypad.

If you need an extra keypad to put by a back door, then SimpliSafe will let you buy an extra one for cheaper. Cove doesn’t have a simpler backup keypad for extra doors. That said, we like the touchscreen panel overall. It’s a fancier experience.

Other than keypads/control panels, Cove and SimpliSafe offer almost exactly the same security sensors. SimpliSafe has separate smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms, whereas Cove has a combo model. SimpliSafe also offers a temperature sensor, which Cove does not.

The biggest differentiator is that SimpliSafe offers a smart lock. Cove doesn’t have a smart lock, and it doesn’t integrate with any third-party models. So if you want to smartify your door lock, go with SimpliSafe.

The winner: Tie. Both SimpliSafe and Cove offer a selection of indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras.

SimpliSafe has an indoor security camera, a doorbell camera, and an outdoor camera, whereas Cove has an indoor camera, an outdoor camera, and two doorbell cameras. Whether you opt for SimpliSafe or Cove’s cameras comes down to what you need covered. 

We like that SimpliSafe offers a doorbell camera. We think video doorbells are the most useful security cameras you can get and they offer a lot of benefits.

Do you want to confirm if your package finally arrived? Or check to see if your kids get home from school okay? A doorbell camera can help.

Other than its Video Doorbell Pro, SimpliSafe has an indoor camera called the SimpliCam. The SimpliCam is pretty basic, but it’s a decent option to let you watch your pet while you’re at work or check in on your kids while they’re with the babysitter.

If you want an outdoor security camera, SimpliSafe can get the job done, or you can opt for a variety of other weatherproof security cameras. 

Cove has an indoor camera and a wireless outdoor camera that’s easy to install wherever you need it in your yard. We also like that Cove’s cameras have both local and cloud storage. You don’t have to pay a monthly fee for cloud storage if you don’t want to, and local footage is more secure from hackers.  

The winner: SimpliSafe integrates with August smart locks, while Cove doesn’t support any smart locks

If you want a security system that will work with all your smart home devices, then neither SimpliSafe nor Cove is the best choice. Both of these security systems have similar smart home integrations, and they’re both … meh.

Cove works with Amazon Alexa and Google Nest smart speakers, but that’s it, end of list.

If you want a better smart home security system, we recommend Abode, Ring Alarm, Frontpoint, or Vivint.

The winner: Cove. Cove has a better Trustpilot score and longer support hours

Cove gets better customer service scores than SimpliSafe: it has an impressive 4.6 stars on Trustpilot compared to 3.9 stars for SimpliSafe.^1,2  We have to acknowledge that SimpliSafe also has over 16,300 customer reviews on Trustpilot whereas Cove has only about 4,100, but still.

SimpliSafe also has more restricted customer service hours than Cove does. Cove offers 24/7 support, but you have to call SimpliSafe between 8:00 a.m. and midnight Eastern time.

• SimpliSafe customer service number: 888-910-1215
• Cove customer service number: 855-268-3669

Cove also has a live chat option, which SimpliSafe does not.

This one is pretty close: SimpliSafe and Cove are both pretty affordable and have basic cameras, doorbell cameras, decent customer service, and a couple smart home integrations.

At the end of the day, even if the pricetag is a little bit more, we’re suckers for smart home tech, which is why we give SimpliSafe a slight win for offering smart lock options. But both Cove and SimpliSafe are good choices for a DIY home security system.

• Prices and monitoring plans: Tie. SimpliSafe and Cove cost almost exactly the same. Though SimpliSafe's monitoring plans are more expensive. They both offer the same basic features, and both companies give you a couple extra perks for signing up for its top-tier plan.
• Security equipment: Tie. Cove has a fancy touchscreen control panel compared to SimpliSafe’s keypad, but SimpliSafe has a smart lock and a temperature sensor.
• Cameras: Tie. Both SimpliSafe and Cove have an indoor camera, an outdoor camera, and a doorbell camera. This one comes down to price and feature preference.
• Smart home integrations: SimpliSafe. Both Cove and SimpliSafe have mediocre smart home options, but SimpliSafe integrates with August smart locks and offers its own smart door lock as well. Cove does not.
• Customer service: Cove. Cove gets slightly better customer service scores than SimpliSafe, and it has 24/7 service and a live chat option. SimpliSafe’s customer service is good, but Cove’s takes the lead.

Read the SimpliSafe Home Security Review | Read the Cove Home Security Review

We look at the same five things with every security system we review:

• Price
• Equipment
• Home automation
• Cameras
• Customer service

We’ve been writing about the Cove security system since it first came out in 2018, and we have a SimpliSafe system installed for long-term testing so we can see how it holds up over time.

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