Let’s talk more about which you should choose. If you go up a tier, Scout’s Always On+ monitoring gives you 24/7 professional monitoring and cloud storage for one camera. Always On+ users still have access to the app, so you can check in yourself if you want to. To get anything beyond that, you have to pay for professional monitoring at a minimum of $17.99. But at that price, you can’t use the SimpliSafe app or connect to a smart speaker. You’re gonna have to pay $27.99 if you want any of that. Luckily, if you don’t like the four keypad-less package options, you can also build a custom system. FYI: Scout relies mainly on RFID for device communication and also uses cellular backup. If your home loses its Wi-Fi connection, you should still be good to go.
Simultaneous cellular and Wi-Fi connections so you never lose communication SmashSafe backup to keep you safe after damage to your base station or keypad Base station 24-hour battery backup for power outages
At checkout, you may receive an offer for a free SimpliCam (SimpliSafe’s indoor security camera). The camera normally retails for $99, so it’s a pretty sweet deal. Scout also works directly with certain smart home products, like some Nest, Yale, Kwikset, LIFX, and Philips Hue devices. This high compatibility level means that you can connect your Scout system to a lot of third-party smart devices. You can add this system to a smart home full of locks, lights, thermostats, and environmental sensors, to name a few. But it’s not quite the same as connecting your security system directly to your other devices. You have to take that extra step of running everything through Google Assistant or Alexa first. Of course, because SimpliSafe has more proprietary equipment than Scout, there’s less need to connect to third-party products. Here’s a more detailed recap.
Pricing: The pricing is very similar, but you may get a little more bang for your buck with Scout’s lower monitoring plan prices and higher-value equipment packages. Equipment: SimpliSafe’s equipment is better than Scout’s by a hair. Home automation: Scout Alarm has a ton of home automation, while SimpliSafe doesn’t offer that much yet. Installation: Both security systems are self-installed, though SimpliSafe will gladly install for a little extra. Customer experience: SimpliSafe is better known and has more customer feedback than Scout.
If you still can’t choose, check out our individual Scout Alarm and SimpliSafe reviews.
