A professionally monitored alarm system is worth it if you want 24/7 dispatch, cellular backup, and camera verification — but recurring fees mean three years of monitoring can cost more than the equipment itself.
For the full breakdown, see our best Alarm System guide.
You can spend $350 on hardware and still pay more than that in monitoring before the third year is out. That single gap between sticker price and ownership cost is where most buyers get surprised, and it is the whole question behind whether an alarm system is worth it. Professional monitoring buys you a response when you are asleep, at work, or out of cell range. Self-monitoring buys you a phone notification. Those are genuinely different products, and the price difference is not small.
Below is what the two biggest US names actually charge, what you get at each tier, and the three situations where the answer flips to no.
What Monitoring Actually Costs Over Three Years
Monitoring fees, not equipment, are the real bill. SimpliSafe runs $9.99/mo for self-monitoring with camera recordings, $22.99/mo Standard, $32.99/mo Core, $49.99/mo Pro, and $79.99/mo Pro Plus. ADT starts around $24.99/mo on self-setup professional monitoring and $49.99/mo on professionally installed systems, per NerdWallet’s ADT review.
Run the math on the middle ground. Reviews cited by Security.org make the same point: recurring monitoring can add hundreds to thousands of dollars beyond the hardware.
| System & Plan | Monthly Cost | 3-Year Total With Entry Hardware |
|---|---|---|
| SimpliSafe, self-monitoring | $9.99 | ~$610 (kit ~$250) |
| SimpliSafe, Standard | $22.99 | ~$1,078 (kit ~$250) |
| SimpliSafe, Core | $32.99 | ~$1,438 (kit ~$250) |
| SimpliSafe, Pro | $49.99 | ~$2,050 (kit ~$250) |
| ADT, self-setup monitoring | $24.99 | ~$1,249 (Starter $349) |
| ADT, pro install monitoring | $49.99 | ~$2,149 (Starter $349) |
| ADT, Total Safety bundle | $49.99 | ~$3,394 (bundle $1,594) |
Which Tiers Add Camera Recording and Outdoor Coverage
Cheap tiers quietly leave out dispatch and camera recording. SimpliSafe’s lower self-monitoring tier records camera clips but does not send anyone. Professional dispatch, video verification, and Active Guard outdoor coverage show up on the higher tiers, with Pro covering an 8 p.m.–6 a.m. window and Pro Plus running 24/7.
Cameras themselves are priced separately: SimpliSafe lists the Wireless Indoor Camera at $149.99 and the Outdoor Camera at $199.99. Cameras function without a subscription, but cloud storage and recorded self-monitoring are tied to the paid plan structure — so a camera you bought outright still needs a plan to be useful after the fact.
ADT bundles hardware differently. Reported equipment packages include Security Starter at $349, Life Safety at $404, Video Essentials at $529, Outdoor Video at $649, Front Door Protection at $739, and Total Safety at $1,594. ADT sells Google Nest cameras through Pro Install plus its own ADT Blu 2K line, with reported starting prices of $99.99 for Nest Cam Indoor and $69.99 for the ADT Blu indoor camera.
The trap here is compatibility. Camera recording, outdoor active guard, and professional dispatch are tied to specific subscriptions and sometimes to specific camera types or power requirements. Buying a camera and assuming the features follow it is the most common mistake in this category. If you are comparing hardware before committing, the best alarm system options we tested lays out which kits include which features out of the box.
When an Alarm System Is Not Worth the Money
Three situations flip the answer to no. You rent and cannot mount sensors or door contacts. You travel constantly and a notification you cannot act on adds nothing. Or your real risk is a package left on the porch — a monitored pane of glass does not help there, and a $200 video doorbell does.
For everyone else, the value case rests on three things you cannot get from a standalone camera: 24/7 professional monitoring, cellular or network backup so the system stays live when your Wi-Fi drops, and camera verification so a dispatcher can confirm a real event before sending anyone. NerdWallet’s ADT review and Security.org’s ADT and SimpliSafe breakdowns all describe these as the core reason to pay monthly rather than self-monitor.
Two conditions make the decision clean. First, confirm the exact inclusions for your chosen kit and plan before you buy — feature availability varies by plan and device, and the tiers are not interchangeable. Second, treat the monitoring fee as a utility, not a purchase. If $30–$50 a month for the life of the system feels wrong, self-monitoring with cameras is an honest alternative and costs almost nothing ongoing.
FAQs
Do I need a subscription for the cameras to work?
Cameras record and stream without a plan, so live viewing works on day one. Cloud storage, recorded clip playback, and self-monitoring with recordings are tied to the paid plan structure. Without a plan, footage you did not save locally is gone. Check the specific tier before buying if recorded evidence matters to you.
Is self-monitoring enough to replace professional monitoring?
It depends on whether someone can act on an alert. Self-monitoring sends a phone notification, which is fine when you are awake and home. It fails when you are asleep, traveling, or without signal. Professional monitoring adds dispatch and cellular backup, which is the gap self-monitoring cannot close on its own.
Why does the three-year cost matter more than the upfront price?
Because equipment is a one-time cost and monitoring is not. Higher ADT bundles with pro install monitoring can pass $3,000. Comparing hardware alone hides the larger number, which is what reviewers consistently flag.
References & Sources
- NerdWallet. “ADT Home Security Review” Supports ADT plan pricing, equipment bundles, and the 3-year cost framing.
- Security.org. “ADT Security Systems Review” Supports ADT camera lineup and starting camera prices.
- Security.org. “SimpliSafe Review” Supports SimpliSafe monitoring tiers, camera prices, and Active Guard coverage windows.