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SimpliSafe and Ring are two of the best home security systems, renowned for their extensive catalogues of feature-filled devices. Both offer flexibility, scalability and customisation options that provide homeowners with effective security solutions.
However, while Ring and SimpliSafe have a lot in common, they differ in price points, which is where Ring edges into the lead. Its security systems, individual devices and professional monitoring options are cheaper than those of SimpliSafe.
Our experts’ comprehensive Ring vs SimpliSafe comparison explores what each brand offers, from their preconfigured home security systems and individual devices to installation, monitoring plans and performance. This guide will help you choose the optimal system for your property.
| Ring | SimpliSafe | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest equipment cost | £49.99 for Indoor Camera (2nd Gen.) | £139.99 for Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera |
| Monthly fee | From £3.49/month/device | From £15.99/month |
| Installation | DIY or professional (excluding Scotland, Wales or postal code areas starting with the prefixes EX, TR, TQ and PL) | DIY or professional from £125 |
| Monitor | Professional or self-monitored | Professional or self-monitored |
| Power source | Battery | Battery |
| Live streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Push alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Remotely arm/disarm | Yes | Yes |
| Voice assistant | Google Assistant and Alexa | Google Assistant and Alexa |
| Packages | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Ring | Alarm Pack | From £219.99 |
| Ring | Alarm and Camera Pack | From £219.99 |
| Ring | Alarm, Camera and Doorbell Pack | From £299.99 |
| SimpliSafe | The Foundation | £284.96 |
| SimpliSafe | The Starter | £319.95 |
| SimpliSafe | The Essentials | £349.93 |
| SimpliSafe | The Warwick | £399.89 |
| SimpliSafe | The Pembroke | £464.91 |
| SimpliSafe | The Windsor | £499.86 |
| SimpliSafe | The Tower | £514.93 |
| SimpliSafe | The Bamburgh | £554.87 |
| SimpliSafe | The Edinburgh | £664.87 |
Both Ring and SimpliSafe offer similar services – DIY or professional installations and monitoring – and comparable products. However, Ring’s more affordable price points beat SimpliSafe in the cost area.
When deciding between SimpliSafe and Ring home security systems based solely on price, consider the following factors:
Remember that, while price is important, it’s also crucial to consider other factors, including features, ease of use and customer support, when making your final decision.
Ring provides a range of home security bundles catering to different budgets, with its basic packages designed for flats or small properties and its more comprehensive packages tailored for larger homes. Ring’s systems can be easily expanded with additional devices, although if you need to incorporate several extra devices, purchasing a more extensive system could be more cost-effective.
Ring’s basic alarm pack, which costs £219.99, is ideal for apartments and comprises a base unit, keypad, contact sensor, motion detector and range extender, with the option to add an outdoor siren for an additional cost. At the other end of the scale, designed for properties with three or more bedrooms, its extra-large Alarm, Doorbell and Indoor Camera pack costs £599.89 and includes six contact sensors, three motion detectors, one video doorbell and one outdoor siren.
Ring offers a 30-day refund policy from the date you receive your order.
SimpliSafe offers a range of nine home security system packages, with prices starting at £284.96 for The Foundation package. This pack comprises one base station, keypad, entry sensor and wired indoor camera. SimpliSafe’s Edinburgh system costs £654.87 and includes indoor and outdoor cameras, two key fobs, and temperature and water sensors, in addition to a base station, a keypad, three entry sensors and two motion sensors. Additional devices can be incorporated into each system, creating a fully tailored security solution.
SimpliSafe devices include a 60-day full-refund guarantee.
| Installation type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Ring | DIY | N/A |
| Ring | Professional (through Amazon Home Services) | From £75, depending on the product(s) you need to install |
| SimpliSafe | DIY | N/A |
| SimpliSafe | Professional | From £125 |
| Plan | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Ring | Protect Basic | £3.49/month/device |
| Ring | Protect Plus | £8/month/household |
| SimpliSafe | Pro Premium | 93p/day |
| SimpliSafe | Pro | 53p/day |
Due to the comprehensive guides, installing Ring devices is simple and quick. The base station, keypad and indoor cameras are plugged in with the included cables, while the sensors have a peel-and-stick design. The whole system takes around 15 minutes to install and connect.
Ring offers a professional installation option ranging from £75 for a Ring intercom to £237 for a wired security camera. However, this excludes homeowners in Scotland, Wales or postal code areas starting with the prefixes EX, TR, TQ and PL.
Ring provides motion-activated notifications, live video and two-way audio as standard. It also offers two subscription services, Protect Basic for £3.49 per month and Protect Plus for £8 per month, which provide additional features, including video storage, multiple video downloads, cellular data backup and professional monitoring.
SimpliSafe offers peel-and-stick devices and plug-in models, with both taking minutes to install via pads and accompanying cables. The downloadable app includes a user-friendly guide emphasising the best places to stick your sensors, monitors and cameras. However, if necessary, live assistance is also available, or SimpliSafe provides professional installation from £125.
SimpliSafe provides three monitoring options. Self-monitoring allows you to arm and disarm your system remotely, view a live video feed and receive push notifications. However, the 53p/day Pro plan and the 93p/day Pro Premium plan offer round-the-clock monitoring, notifying your chosen keyholders in case of an emergency. The Pro Premium plan extends its services to include police and fire dispatch, guard response and unlimited camera recording.
The white base station serves as the system’s central unit, featuring a 1.5-inch blue LED ring, a speaker and wifi indicators. Although it’s a plug-in, it houses an internal backup battery capable of powering the system for up to 24 hours during a power outage.
Ring’s range of video doorbells features clear 1080p video, infrared technology for crisp low-light footage and two-way audio, allowing you to communicate with visitors even when away from the property. Wired and battery models are available, both easily installed and managed via Ring’s app.
The dual power keypad allows you to arm or disarm your system quickly and easily, while panic buttons activate the base station or outdoor siren and, if you have a Ring Protect Plus subscription, notify your emergency contacts.
Ring’s indoor cameras are small and discreet, making them easy to place around your home. They provide 1080p high-definition video, ensuring clear and detailed images even in low-light conditions due to their infrared night vision. They also feature a built-in microphone and speaker and motion detectors to send alerts via the app, allowing you to stay informed about any activity in your home.
The outdoor camera range features the same high-quality video as Ring’s indoor cameras, night vision and two-way communication. However, it also offers 3D motion detection and bird’s-eye view. Working together, these provide an aerial view of the motion events detected by the camera. When the motion sensor is triggered, you not only get a notification but also see a visual path the person took in a top-down view of your property. This feature helps understand the trajectory and movement patterns around your property, offering a more comprehensive perspective on the activity detected.
Many of Ring’s outdoor cameras incorporate floodlights or spotlights, providing another layer of security.
SimpliSafe’s base station boasts a stylish pear-shaped form, a reassuring blue LED light to indicate the alarm is active, a siren, a 24-hour backup battery and a SIM card. Available in black or soft white, it blends seamlessly with your decor.
The keypad is available in black and white and is powered by four AA batteries, with backlit buttons and an easy-to-read LCD screen, making it simple to follow the step-by-step system setup guide.
Battery-powered motion sensors follow the peel-and-stick installation method, making repositioning effortless. Their 30-foot range allows plenty of scope for effectively monitoring long hallways and large rooms, and they minimise false alarms by identifying human heat signatures while ignoring those of pets.
SimpliSafe includes a key fob for effortless arming and disarming for added convenience. This fob simplifies setting the alarm when you leave and deactivating it upon your return and has an emergency panic button to alert the monitoring centre quickly.
The system’s cameras provide 1080p high-resolution imagery for clear identification, even in low-light conditions. The outdoor cameras offer a 140-degree field, 8x digital zoom and motion-activated spotlights, while the indoor plug-in model has adjustable height and tilt options and a 120-degree viewing angle.
Ring customers benefit from an extensive online support guide, videos and a 24/7 community forum. An online chat service and phone line are also available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Sunday.
Ring has received a poor rating of 2.4 out of five stars on Trustpilot, with under 20 reviews. Four and five-star reviews make up 19 per cent of the total, while 75 per cent of the reviews award the service one or two stars. Ring has not responded to any Trustpilot reviews.
Customers cite poor customer service and product quality and negative connectivity experiences.
However, as an Amazon-owned entity, Ring has a substantial presence on Amazon’s platform, where the bulk of its customer feedback is found. With more than 4,300 customer reviews and a 4.5-star rating, it’s a best-selling brand in the home alarm systems category.
There are several ways to contact SimpliSafe’s customer support, including a phone service, available on weekdays from 9am to 7pm and on weekends from 9am to 5.30pm, an online email form and an easy-to-navigate help centre.
SimpliSafe has a Trustpilot rating of 4.8 backed by nearly 7,500 customer reviews, with 92 per cent being four- or five-star and 5 per cent one- or two-star ratings. SimpliSafe stands out for its proactive approach to customer feedback, promptly responding to both positive and negative reviews.
Most customer feedback highlights the ease of installation, the quality of the products and the effectiveness of SimpliSafe’s customer support, often described as responsive and helpful.
SimpliSafe and Ring are closely matched based on their products and performance. Both offer effective home security packages; Ring has three, while SimpliSafe offers nine, which can be expanded if necessary. Both of their videos are clear and judder-free and deliver easily identifiable night footage with responsive motion detection – although Ring’s 3D model and bird’s-eye view give its cameras the edge.
Both brands can be self-installed with simple peel-and-stick pads or plug-in devices, but for those who prefer some support, there are options for professional installation. The same is true for monitoring – self-monitoring is the most cost-effective choice, but professional monitoring is also available.
The primary distinctions between the two lie in their pricing policies. Ring’s packages start from £219, while SimpliSafe’s packages start from £284, and individual devices, if purchased separately, are also cheaper in Ring’s case. For example, Ring’s second-generation indoor camera costs £49, while a similar model from SimpliSafe costs £139.99.
SimpliSafe’s basic monitoring plan costs around £16/month, while Ring’s comes in at £3.49 per device or £8 per household – again, winning the price battle.
SimpliSafe and Ring home security systems cater to different needs in the home security market.
SimpliSafe offers comprehensive security tools, including various sensors and detectors, appealing to those looking for a traditional, full-featured home security solution. Professional installation and monitoring are available, although the DIY approach is also an option.
As an Amazon subsidiary, Ring seamlessly integrates with the Amazon ecosystem, making it a preferable choice for users heavily invested in Amazon’s smart home products. Although it also offers professional monitoring, Ring’s strength lies in its self-monitoring capabilities through a robust app, focusing on real-time video feed and alerts.
Burglars can disable Ring home security cameras, but it’s not straightforward and requires effort. The hub will send an alarm signal if it is physically damaged or destroyed.
There’s a risk of technically adept burglars hacking into the wifi network, although Ring’s security measures, such as two-factor authentication, make this challenging. Power source interruption is another vulnerability. Despite these possibilities, regularly updating security protocols and strategic camera placement can significantly reduce the risk of tampering.
If you subscribe to SimpliSafe’s Pro Premium professional alarm monitoring plan,
when the alarm system is triggered, the monitoring centre first attempts to contact you to verify whether the alarm is genuine or false. This is in line with UK policies to reduce the potential for false alarms and, thus, unnecessary police callouts. If they cannot reach you, or if you confirm a genuine emergency, SimpliSafe then contacts the appropriate emergency services, which may include the police.
