The Best Garage Security Systems in 2025

1. Vivint - Best Professionally Installed System

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

844-922-0575

View Packages Links to Vivint

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment costs	Starting at $599
Monitoring options	Professional
Monthly monitoring costs	Starting from $30 per month
Contract lengths	Starting at 42 months
Installation options	Professional
Smart platform integration	Alexa and Google Home

844-922-0575

View Packages Links to Vivint

Why We Selected Vivint

When we tested our Vivint system last spring, we had them install one of their theft-deterring Outdoor Camera Pros right above our garage door. For more info, check out our review dedicated to the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro. We also used their automatic garage door controller, and we had a tilt sensor installed so we could be alerted any time the door went up or down. When it was all said and done, our garage felt like Fort Knox.

That’s why Vivint takes the top spot on this list. They’re one of the few providers out there that offer garage-specific functionality, which is a blind spot in the industry right now. We have a vintage motorcycle that’s worth quite a bit of money, so it’s nice to see Vivint protected our garage with the same effort as they protected the rest of our house. One of the few others with garage door products is SimpliSafe. So, we put the two head-to-head in a Vivint vs SimpliSafe showdown.

Since every Vivint system is bespoke and professionally installed, every piece of equipment communicates flawlessly, and the network runs seamlessly. It really felt like we were living in the future while we were testing this system out.

Vivint’s Monitoring

Like many of the more traditional security systems out there (i.e., not DIY), Vivint requires professional monitoring. While that might make some of the more commitment-averse readers cringe, don’t worry. We’ve found it to be relatively affordable and well worth the cost.

>> Learn More: DIY vs. Professionally Installed Home Security Systems

Vivint’s professional monitoring packages start at $30 per month and go up from there depending on the size of your system. When you compare Vivint to ADT, a similar professionally installed system, you’ll see these monitoring costs are around average. With ADT’s recent price cuts for their monitoring, they charged us a bit less than we paid for Vivint’s monitoring. Hopefully that extra competition can cause Vivint to bring their prices down a bit too.

And the response times fall in the range of industry standards. When testing our Vivint system, we experienced response times of around 30 seconds on average. Their text-based alerts made it easy to verify or dismiss alarms. If we were verifying an alarm, it only took one click of a button. To dismiss it, we needed to input our password first which is a safety measure we appreciated.

Vivint’s Costs

Here’s the catch: Vivint’s costs aren’t cheap. They keep their prices hidden even with the prebuilt packages they show. But to give you an indicator for their pricing, that Outdoor Camera Pro we talked about earlier costs $400 and the garage door sensor costs $100.

You can see why they don’t show up on our list of the best affordable home security systems. Their outdoor camera pro costs as much as some of the best DIY systems out there.

That said, we didn’t get hit with a huge bill for equipment all at once. Vivint let us finance our system over the course of five years. This keeps Vivint within reach for most households, even if you’re not made of money.

Vivint’s Drawbacks

As mentioned above, the biggest drawback to Vivint is the cost. This system cost us well over $1,000. Another unsavory detail for some people is the contract you have to sign if you want financing. The shortest term is 42 months, which understandably can make some people uneasy.

>> Learn More: Best Security Systems for Large Homes

There is a month-to-month option here, provided you pay for all of the equipment upfront. Regardless, you can’t self-monitor a Vivint system so even if we paid upfront, we still would have felt locked in. Keep this in mind: Equipment prices can easily go north of $2,000 if you’re trying to protect a large home with a garage.

2. ADT - Best Professional Monitoring

SecurityScore:

9.8 /10

855-908-4461

View Packages Links to ADT

How We Review

Product Specs

Resolution	Up to 1080p
Field of View	Up to 128°
Power	Wired, battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, ethernet
Video Storage	Cloud
Smart Platform Compatibility	Alexa and Google Home

855-908-4461

View Packages Links to ADT

Why We Selected ADT

There’s no getting around it. ADT offers the most reliable monitoring in the industry. Even though we couldn’t get a garage door sensor with our ADT system since they don’t offer one, we bought a garage door controller with our system. And the technician that installed our system hooked up an entry sensor for our garage door so we still knew if someone was trying to break into it. All of those garage protections were monitored by ADT’s 12 redundant monitoring centers.

To upgrade our garage security even more, we added a Google Nest Cam in our garage that could see both garage doors and our side entrance door. That single camera gave us an alert every time someone walked into our garage. Since Nest Cams have facial recognition, it told us who it was too if it recognized them. We used that feature so we could get notified when our kids get home from school every day.

ADT’s Monitoring

Aside from ADT offering the most reliable monitoring in the industry, they also offer a few safety features. There’s the SMART monitoring capability. That’s similar to Vivint’s text-based alerts. Instead of calling you and making you pick up the phone to verify or cancel an alarm, ADT sends a text message. ADT makes it a bit quicker than Vivint since we could respond directly in the text message by clicking “YES” or “NO” right in the text message itself. Vivint had us open another window through the text message before we could verify or cancel the alarm.

>> Read More: Vivint vs ADT Home Security Comparison 2025

With the facial recognition on those Google Nest Cams, ADT’s monitoring also includes a feature called Trusted Neighbor. Basically, it let us choose people who could enter our home during an alarm or other event. Since we have family guinea pigs in our garage, we gave our neighbor Jeff access to our home in case any emergencies occur. That way, he gets a notification and could run in to get our pets out safely before the fire spreads to the garage.

ADT’s Costs

Given the smart and safety features offered, we expected ADT to cost us more than it did. Our ADT system was significantly less expensive than our Vivint system. We were able to keep our final bill under $1,000. That’s still a lot compared to DIY systems like SimpliSafe though.

Their packages start at $349 afterall. That’s less than a single outdoor camera from Vivint. ADT also regularly runs good sales that discounts their biggest package which includes a Nest Doorbell for the same price as their starter package. That’s something we never see from Vivint. At most we get free installation.

As for monitoring, that’s where Vivint and ADT’s prices got closer. For both systems, we signed up for a $50 per month subscription that includes access to security recordings and video verification. A DIY system can offer those features for less – SimpliSafe, for example, costs us $32 per month.

ADT’s Drawbacks

The biggest drawback with ADT for our garage security was the lack of a garage tilt sensor. Even though there is the workaround of setting up our entry sensor for our garage door, we prefer actual garage door sensors.

Plus, setting up an entry sensor for our garage door would not have been easy. We paid for professional installation for our system so it wasn’t an issue, but given that ADT’s best deals are with their self-setup systems nowadays, we wish there was an easier way to secure our garage.

3. SimpliSafe - Best DIY Security System

SecurityScore:

9.2 /10

800-544-5942

View Packages Links to SimpliSafe

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Packages starting at $249.96
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monthly Monitoring Costs	Starts at $21.99 per month
Contract Lengths	Month-to-month
Installation Options	DIY or professional
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

800-544-5942

View Packages Links to SimpliSafe

Why We Selected SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe shows up high on this list due to its new Intruder Intervention monitoring feature coupled with the high-tech Smart Alarm Indoor Camera. Basically, anytime our system identifies an event, whether it’s someone breaking through a window or a fire, SimpliSafe’s monitoring agents are able to access the Wireless Indoor Camera’s feed and use its two-way talk to either guide us to safety or scare off an intruder. That’s an impressive feature and a long way from SimpliSafe’s original design as one of the best security systems for apartments

We made the most of this feature for our garage security by putting an entry sensor on our garage side door and installing a camera in our garage. To test it out, we purposefully set off the alarm by opening our garage’s sensor-equipped side door and then rummaging around. We heard the security shutter of the camera snap open, and the SimpliSafe technician warned us that the alarm had been activated. In our opinion, that’s enough to scare off any criminal.

And if you’re not ready for that level of tech or want to self-monitor your system, you can also opt for the less expensive SimpliCam we tested. Or, take a look through our top SimpliSafe alternative.

>> Learn More: SimpliSafe FAQs

SimpliSafe’s Monitoring

The Core monitoring plan that includes the Intruder Intervention feature mentioned above is SimpliSafe’s flagship option. They offer several other tiers of service, though, including two premium options that expand the Intruder Intervention to their outdoor cameras which they call Active Guard Outdoor Protection. That could help protect our garage if we mounted our outdoor camera above the garage doors overlooking our driveway.

We have more on that in our guide to SimpliSafe’s costs, but here’s a quick breakdown:

Intruder InterventionNoNoNoYesYesYesActive Guard Outdoor ProtectionNoNoNoNoYes, overnight (from 8 PM to 6 AM local time)Yes, 24/7

For comparison’s sake, the Core plan (some of the most advanced monitoring we’ve tested) is about the same price as Vivint’s most affordable monitoring option. SimpliSafe also offers a free plan, which puts them in the number one spot on our list of the best security systems with no monthly fees. It’s also one of our favorite security systems for rural homes since its cellular backup uses Verizon which usually reaches rural areas.

SimpliSafe’s Costs

You can purchase a SimpliSafe system one of two ways. First, you can select a premade security package. Here’s what those look like:

Or, you can build out your own system using individual components. The retail price of the packages is the same as building out the package with individual components. So, you won’t be charged extra for building out your own custom system. Although, a lot of SimpliSafe’s deals are specifically for their package systems. You can always build off The Foundation package to get the deal and a custom system though.

Be careful, though. Picking out all of the components of your security system can feel like a daunting task. So, we recommend you reach out to their customer service for help building your custom system. They’ll help you take advantage of any deals too. Just watch out for those upsells and go in with a list of what you want protected.

SimpliSafe’s Drawbacks

SimpliSafe offers one of the best home security system apps, so we don’t understand why they require each system to use an analog, push-button keypad. They cost about $70 and make the system feel a little dated. When we tested the SimpliSafe system, this piece of equipment was almost never used. We preferred to arm and disarm our system using our smartphone and the SimpliSafe app.

Additionally, SimpliSafe lacks the deep home automation capabilities that both ADT and Vivint offer. That means no smart garage door controllers currently work with the system. You can always install a third-party controller, but you won’t be able to create automations based on security system triggers.

4. Ring Alarm - Best Equipment Options

SecurityScore:

7.7 /10

View on Amazon Links to Ring Alarm

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Packages starting at $199.98
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monthly Monitoring Costs	$10 with the purchase of a Ring Home plan
Contract Lengths	1-12 months
Installation Options	DIY or professional
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa and Google Home

View on Amazon Links to Ring Alarm

Why We Selected Ring

Ring’s long list of equipment is the primary reason we put them on this list. Originally, Ring’s video doorbells were their claim to fame, but in the decade they’ve been in business, they’ve increased their product lineup exponentially. And a lot of their products just make sense for protecting a garage. After testing the Ring Spotlight Pro, for instance, we had one installed above our garage for the longest time. It helped us get in at night and the bright light would surely make a burglar think twice about trying to steal our tools.

>> Compare: Ring vs. Vivint

Beyond that Ring Spotlight Pro, other Ring products we thought were helpful for our garage security includes their:

• Floodlight Cam Plus
• Floodlight Cam Pro
• Stick Up Cam
• Outdoor Contact Sensor
• Solar Step Lights
• Wired Floodlight
• Wired Spotlights

Remember, lighting solves two problems, especially above a garage. It will help you see better when you’re trying to bring the groceries in after sunset and make burglars think twice about coming onto your property. If there are indications they can be caught, they’re likely to keep moving.

Ring also works with MyQ to integrate third-party equipment, like a remote garage door opener, into your security systems. How many times have you driven off only to wonder half an hour later if you remembered to click the garage door shut? Now you won’t have to.

Ring Monitoring

Compared to SimpliSafe, Ring has similar monitoring options. We have more in our guide to Ring’s prices, but here’s a breakdown of their different subscription packages.

Their free option makes Ring one of the best unmonitored systems on the market, but keep in mind that if you select self-monitoring, you’re going to have to be really vigilant. It only takes one ignored notification on your phone to miss the guy making off with your expensive Italian racing bicycle. That’s happened to us which is why we always recommend professional monitoring. With Ring, you can get it for $20 per month.

Ring’s Costs

Unlike Ring’s security cameras and video doorbells, Ring Alarm requires a base station and keypad. So, to get started with a Ring Alarm system, we needed to buy one of their Ring Alarm packages. There’s two different types, the Ring Alarm Pro and the basic Ring Alarm. We went with the basic option since the Ring Alarm Pro’s main addition is the way the base station can act as a Wi-Fi router which we didn’t need. Here’s a quick overview comparing some of the Ring Alarm and Ring Alarm Pro bundles:

If you’re going with a basic Ring Alarm system like we did, we recommend at least going with the eight piece system since it barely costs more than the five piece system but it comes with three more entry sensors. We also added one of our favorite video doorbells from Ring, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro, and a few cameras. That brought our total up to about $800. We could have gotten a better deal though if we waited for Ring’s Prime Day deals.

Ring’s Drawbacks

The one thing we don’t like about Ring is their equipment is a little too boxy and bulky for our taste. That isn’t to say it’s not well designed — it is — but the form of that function just rubs us the wrong way. If you’re looking for sleeker cameras to protect your property, we’d recommend reading our review of the Arlo Ultra 4K Camera. Sleek is its middle name.

5. abode - Best Affordable Security Camera

SecurityScore:

8.0 /10

View Packages Links to abode

How We Review

Product Specs

Equipment Costs	Packages starting at $159.99
Monitoring Options	Professional and DIY
Monitoring Costs	Starting at $169 per year for the first year ($14.08 per month)
Contract Lengths	Month-to-month or Yearly
Installation Options	DIY or professional
Smart Platform Integration	Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit

View Packages Links to abode

Why We Selected abode

We like to secure our garage with security cameras. But, we don’t have a heated garage. So, our garage tends to get awfully cold in the winter. That can cause a problem for some indoor security cameras. At the time though, we don’t need one of the best outdoor security cameras inside our garage since it’s not going to get rained on.

That’s why we liked abode’s indoor/outdoor security camera for our garage. It cost a lot less than an outdoor security camera, but it could still withstand the temperatures of our garage. And while it can work as a standalone security camera too, it requires wi-fi.

Plus, abode offers a lot of home automation capabilities considering how affordable it is. They can even compete with Vivint when it comes to home automation. It’s compatible with just about every smart home device so since we already owned a smart garage door controller, we could pair it with abode.

abode Monitoring

Beyond abode’s smart home capabilities, their professional monitoring didn’t give us any fancy features like ADT’s SMART monitoring or SimpliSafe’s Intruder Intervention. And they charged more than Ring for professional monitoring. But, they didn’t force us to pay for professional monitoring like Vivint, which we appreciated. Here’s an overview of abode’s monitoring plans:

abode’s Costs

We used our abode entry sensor on our garage door since they don’t offer a tilt sensor.

The price of our abode system largely depended on which base station we wanted. Unlike most providers that only offer one base station, abode offers three. That made it difficult to figure out which one we wanted. We found out the differences between the three are big.

After digging into their features, we went with the iota Hub. That’s because the other base stations don’t enable abode’s impressive home automation capabilities. Their Smart Security Kit still would have let us integrate our smart garage door controller, but we wouldn’t be able to set up automation. And the basic abode Security Kit wouldn’t be able to integrate with our smart garage door controller.

Here’s a price comparison between abode’s three security systems:

Our abode Iota Security Kit only came with one entry sensor, so we also needed to build out the rest of our system. But, abode offers low prices for its components so it didn’t add a lot. Their camera, for instance, only costs $59.99. Our whole system cost us about $500.

abode’s Drawbacks

Just like ADT, our biggest drawback for abode is their lack of a dedicated garage door sensor. But, abode doesn’t offer professional installation either so we had to set up our own entry sensor in place of a garage door tilt sensor. It took about 20 minutes of trial and error. Eventually, we got it to work though. It needed to be low enough that it broke its connection when the garage door opened.