SimpliSafe vs. Cove 2024

When it comes to home security systems, there are always a few things I’m looking out for. I want to know how easy the system is to install, I want to know the quality of the equipment, and I want to know how much it’s all going to cost. There are a few other nuances to consider, of course, but those are the big ones.

So how do Cove and SimpliSafe — two of the best DIY systems on the market today — stack up against each other? And more importantly, which system is right for you? Don’t worry; I put both of these systems to the test and compared them on a number of different criteria to see who came out ahead. Spoiler alert: SimpliSafe was my favorite, but there’s a lot to consider.

Before we get into it, though, I want to walk you through the development of this comparison.

How We Test Security Products

Our team of experts has decades of combined experience putting security systems and equipment to the test, developing some of the most in-depth analyses in the industry today.

We start by doing hours of research on each system. This includes company claims, customer reviews and consumer guides. Once we have a handle of that, we purchase each system and use them in our homes for a test period of a few weeks up to a few months.

Then, for comparison pages like this one, we put our qualitative and quantitative data for each system side by side to determine which system is better based on a number of criteria. With that in hand, we make final recommendations.

SimpliSafe vs. Cove: Equipment

You can read more about this in my review of SimpliSafe and my analysis of Cove, but they both have high-quality equipment that’s easy to install — more on that in the next section. For now, I want to talk about the different categories of equipment and let you know who wins each category.

Cameras

Cove offers three different security cameras, all manufactured by a third party — Eufy. That includes a doorbell camera, an indoor camera and an outdoor camera. None of these offer any bells or whistles, but they are solid cameras that are going to get the job done adequately.

SimpliSafe, on the other hand, offers four cameras: An outdoor, a doorbell, a basic indoor and an advanced indoor. It’s that last one that really stands out, though. When coupled with their Core (formerly Fast Protect) monitoring plan, it allows SimpliSafe’s security experts to access a live feed of your home to relay important information to emergency services. They can also talk to you — or an intruder — through the camera to establish what’s going on or scare off the guy taking your TV.

I had the option to extend these capabilities to the outdoor camera with the new Pro and Pro Plus plans. But, those cost $49.99 per month for overnight live guard monitoring or $79.99 per month for 24/7 live guard monitoring. Both plans include all the features of lower-tiered plans.

Camera Winner: SimpliSafe

Sensors

For this category I’m looking at entryway sensors, environmental sensors and motion detectors. The long and short of it is this: SimpliSafe has more options to protect you from different threats. I especially liked their next-gen combination smoke and CO detector. It’s loud enough to wake up the heaviest sleepers and can send alerts to your phone, so you always have the peace of mind that your house isn’t burning down while you’re on vacation.

So SimpliSafe wins on function, but how about form? Well, they take the cake there, too. Some of Cove’s pieces are a little bulky for my taste. I prefer the sleeker look of SimpliSafe’s equipment. They’re the all-around winner of this category.

Sensor Winner: SimpliSafe

Keypad

Both SimpliSafe and Cove require you to have a keypad with your system. Why it’s this way is beyond me — 99 percent of the time I’m using a company’s app to control my system — but Cove’s keypad is head and shoulders better than SimpliSafe’s. Cove’s is touch-screen, it’s attractive and it’s portable. SimpliSafe’s keypad looks archaic by comparison. It’s analog, affixed to your wall and looks like you could use it to dial up Moviefone in the ‘90s.

Keypad Winner: Cove

Despite the misstep with the keypad, SimpliSafe edges out Cove in terms of their equipment offerings. They have more options that are — for the most part — designed a little better.

Overall Winner: SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe vs. Cove: Installation

This is a tough category. Both Cove and SimpliSafe have gone to great lengths to make their security systems accessible to anyone, regardless of where they live or what skill level they have for home improvement products. Simply put, you don’t need any specialized tools or knowledge to install either system; you just need to be able to follow simple instructions on a smartphone app.

The installation experiences for both of these systems are so comparable that I’m going to rule this one a tie. They’re both incredibly easy to install and shouldn’t take you more than half an hour from unboxing to a fully functioning security system.

Here’s a quick tip, though. Despite being super easy to install, both Cove and SimpliSafe offer third-party professional installation. It starts at $125 with SimpliSafe and $129 with Cove. Trust me, though. Even if DIY is a four-letter word for you, at least try to do it yourself and save some money. You’re probably going to be surprised by how easy it is.

Installation Winner: Tie

SimpliSafe vs. Cove: Costs

Now here’s a big-time differentiator — the prices. The good news is that both of these systems are some of the most affordable around, even for folks with tight budgets. Here’s what SimpliSafe’s equipment costs look like:

And here’s Cove:

So as you can see, Cove has a bit of a shorter list of equipment. And some recent price hikes put most of their prices above SimpliSafe aside from their cameras. On top of that, I think SimpliSafe’s equipment is slightly higher quality with more features and a better selection.

Here’s a tip, though. The prices I included above are retail. Both Cove and SimpliSafe are almost always running sales and deals that drive these prices down by 30 to 50 percent. If you’re shopping for either system, try to do so around a season change or a major holiday. I’ve found those are the best times to save.

Costs Winner: SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe vs. Cove: User Experience

One last category to talk about before we bring it all home. This one is probably the most qualitative out of any on our list — the user experience. This has to do with how well the system performed during my test period, how easy the app was to use on a daily basis and how the equipment felt in my hand when I took it out of the box. Okay, that last one might be a stretch, but you get what I’m saying.

When it comes to the feel of these systems, SimpliSafe just barely edges out Cove. I felt like the security they offered was deeper and more expansive. It felt more complete. Everything worked seamlessly with SimpliSafe, whereas I had a few hiccups at times with my Cove system. At one point, one of my door sensors stopped working, and I had to call customer service to get it worked out. Don’t get me wrong — Cove is a fine system — but most everything about SimpliSafe just feels a little bit better.

User Experience Winner: SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe vs. Cove: The Final Word

If you skim back up through the article and tally up the winners, it seems like SimpliSafe blew Cove completely out of the water. That isn’t the case, though.

Like I said in the section above, we’re talking about miniscule differences in most of these categories. Honestly, on a lot of them, it was a toss-up. It was such a toss-up on the installation category, in fact, that I couldn’t even determine a winner. When I say SimpliSafe is the better system, I mean it’s better by a matter of degrees — not by a wide margin. And while SimpliSafe is my overall favorite, I would never say you’re making a mistake going with Cove.

Not convinced either of these systems are right for you? No problem! I’ve created a roundup of the best security systems of the year for folks in your position. It includes the best professionally installed systems, the best DIY systems, the best wireless systems, the best with doorbells — everything you could possibly be looking for.