ADT on a Pro Install plan runs roughly $34.99 to $49.99 per month plus the install fee and a 36-month contract, which makes it the most expensive consumer home-security subscription before any hardware add-ons. The interesting question is rarely whether ADT's central-station response is solid (it is) but whether the contract premium is paying for monitoring quality the alternatives have already matched. Three exit cohorts dominate this page: subscribers whose 36-month term is ending and who want no-contract monitoring at less than half the rate; households whose actual usage has shifted to camera-led visibility rather than sensor-heavy alarm response; and cost-conscious users whose insurance discount math no longer favors the ADT premium.
Where alternatives win
SimpliSafe Standard delivers UL-certified no-contract pro monitoring at less than half ADT's pro-install monthly rate with DIY hardware that mounts in under 90 minutes; the right pick when monitoring quality is the actual lever and the contract is the friction.
Ring Protect Pro bundles 24/7 professional monitoring with the broadest consumer camera and doorbell ecosystem at roughly half ADT's pro-install rate; the right pick when visibility-led security and Alexa-deep integration are the priority over sensor-heavy traditional alarms.
Nest Aware covers all Nest cameras and doorbells in a household at a fraction of ADT's monthly cost but skips professional monitoring entirely; the right pick when the insurance discount no longer requires monitored alarm response and the actual need is camera review and familiar-face alerts.
Eufy Security ships local SD-card or HomeBase storage with no required subscription and an optional CloudPlus tier; the right pick when privacy and the no-recurring-fee posture matter more than central-station response.
By Subrupt EditorialPublished Reviewed
ADT has been the largest US home-security company since 1874 and the model is comprehensive: pro install, full sensor and camera hardware, and 24/7 monitoring through redundant UL-certified central stations. The price reflects that scope. New installs require a 36-month commitment, the install fee runs from $99 on Self-Setup promos to $1,500 on full pro builds, and early-termination fees during the initial term typically run 75 percent of remaining monthly fees.
Each pick covers a distinct exit lane. SimpliSafe takes households whose value is the monitoring itself and want a no-contract monthly rate at less than half ADT's. Ring Protect takes households shifting toward visibility-led security and want monitoring bundled with the broadest camera ecosystem. Nest Aware takes households whose use has narrowed to camera review where pro monitoring is no longer the requirement. Eufy takes privacy-conscious households who specifically value local storage and no recurring fees. Wyze takes budget-led households whose security need has shrunk to a few cameras at key entry points.
ADT stops being worth its premium when the 36-month term is ending and the renewal rate matches the original (no contract loyalty discount), when the household has downsized or moved and the move-and-reinstall fees plus contract continuation no longer pencil out, when the insurance discount is unchanged whether the monitoring carrier is ADT or a competitor, or when a DIY alternative with UL-certified monitoring matches the underwriter's discount requirement at less than half the monthly rate. The cancellation funnel sometimes offers retention pricing for an additional contract term but the underlying cost gap rarely closes.
Match the pick to the exit reason. No-contract pro monitoring equals SimpliSafe. Camera-led with monitoring equals Ring Protect. Cameras-only with Google integration equals Nest Aware. Privacy-first local storage equals Eufy. Budget cameras at lowest cost equals Wyze.
Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.
Quick pick by use case
If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.
SimpliSafe Standard delivers UL-certified central-station monitoring at less than half ADT's pro-install monthly rate with no contract and DIY hardware that mounts in under 90 minutes.
Nest Aware covers all Nest cameras and doorbells with familiar-face alerts at a fraction of ADT's monthly cost; the right pick when monitoring is no longer the requirement.
Eufy ships local SD-card or HomeBase storage with no required subscription and an optional CloudPlus tier at the lowest paid cloud price in this set.
Skip these picks if: Stay with ADT when your homeowners insurance discount specifically names UL-certified pro monitoring, the pro-installed wiring is doing real work for a larger or older home, or your local alarm-permit registration is already tied to ADT's central station; the move-and-reregister friction can exceed a year of monthly savings.
At a glance: ADT alternatives
Quick comparison across pricing floor, best fit, and switching effort. Tap a row to jump to the full pick.
Entry monthly rateCheapest paid monitoring or storage tier
$22.99/mo
$10/mo (storage only)
$8/mo
$2.99/mo per cam
Pro monitoring tierUL-certified central-station response
$22.99/mo Standard
$20/mo Pro
✗
$3.99/mo Cam Plus Pro
Annual discountAnnual saves about this much vs monthly
no annual plan
17%
17%
33%
Contract required
✗
✗
✗
✗
Camera ecosystemBreadth of cameras and doorbells in catalog
~
✓
✓
~
Local storage optionRecordings stored on-device or HomeBase
✗
✗
✗
yes (microSD)
Smart-home integration depth
~
yes (Alexa, Eero)
yes (Google Home)
~
Hardware bandTypical starter-kit cost range
$240-700
$300-700
$100-400
$25-50 per cam
Cost at your volume
Approximate cost per pick at typical Cumulative monitoring spend (USD).
Pick
Year 112 Cumulative monitoring spend (USD)
Year 2 cumulative24 Cumulative monitoring spend (USD)
Year 3 cumulative36 Cumulative monitoring spend (USD)
SimpliSafe
$276/mo
$552/mo
$828/mo
Ring Protect
$200/mo
$400/mo
$600/mo
Nest Aware
$80/mo
$160/mo
$240/mo
Wyze Cam Plus
$24/mo
$48/mo
$72/mo
Modeled at the realistic monthly rate for each pick over a 36-month horizon, excluding hardware. ADT Pro Install Smart at $39.99/mo is shown for reference (Year 1 $479.88, Year 2 cumulative $959.76, Year 3 cumulative $1,439.64; the 36-month contract makes this the floor, not the average). Wyze is modeled at one Cam Plus seat; multi-camera households should multiply.
SimpliSafe is what ADT would look like if the company had built around no-contract DIY install instead of 36-month pro-install commitments.
The trade: Hardware is purchased upfront rather than financed into the monthly fee, so the starter kit lands as a one-time spend. DIY install takes 60-90 minutes for a standard home and requires the household to size the kit correctly; ADT's pro install does that sizing during the site survey. The default kit ships with fewer environmental sensors than ADT's Smart and Complete tiers, so households relying on water, smoke, or CO sensors need to add those modules.
The upside: The Standard monthly rate runs less than half of ADT's pro-install Smart tier with UL-certified central-station response that meets most homeowners insurance discount requirements. No contract means the cancellation lever is genuine rather than buried behind early-termination fees, and the no-contract structure is what makes the year-three math work; over a 3-year horizon the cumulative monitoring spend is roughly a third of ADT's pro-install Smart equivalent before the install fee.
Strengths
+UL-certified central-station monitoring at less than half ADT's pro-install Smart rate
+No contract; cancellation lever is genuine rather than fee-buried
+DIY install in 60-90 minutes for a standard home
+Strong cellular backup and police-and-fire dispatch reputation
Trade-offs
−Hardware purchase upfront rather than rolled into monthly
−Default kit ships lighter on environmental sensors than ADT's Complete tier
−DIY sizing requires the household to scope coverage correctly
Standard
$22.99/mo
Pro Premium
$32.99/mo
Hardware
$240-700 starter kit
Contract
None
Pricing verified
2026-05-08
Migration steps
Wait until your ADT contract is at or near end-of-term to avoid the 75-percent-of-remaining early-termination fee.
Confirm with your homeowners insurance underwriter that SimpliSafe's UL-certified monitoring qualifies for the same discount you currently receive on ADT.
Size and order the SimpliSafe starter kit matching your home (entry doors, windows, motion zones); add water, smoke, and CO modules if your ADT setup includes those.
Install the hardware DIY (60-90 minutes), activate Standard or Pro Premium monitoring, and run a test alarm to verify dispatch.
Submit the new monitoring certificate to your insurer and cancel ADT after the contract end date with written notice per the contract terms.
Not for: Skip SimpliSafe if your ADT contract has more than six months remaining; the early-termination fee usually exceeds the monthly savings over that window. Skip also if your insurance discount specifically names ADT rather than UL-certified monitoring in general.
Ring Protect is what ADT would look like if the company had built the system around cameras and doorbells first with the alarm panel as a complement rather than the centerpiece.
The trade: Hardware investment is meaningful and Ring Alarm Pro plus a starter set of cameras and a doorbell typically lands in the same range as a SimpliSafe-equivalent kit. Amazon ownership is the privacy-posture friction, which matters to households that came to ADT for the standalone-incumbent positioning. The Pro tier is required for monitoring; the cheaper Plus tier covers camera storage but skips the central-station response.
The upside: The Pro monthly rate runs roughly half of ADT's pro-install Smart tier with 24/7 professional monitoring through Rapid Response plus the largest consumer camera and doorbell catalog. The Alexa integration is the deepest in this set, which matters for households whose smart-home center of gravity already runs through Echo. The Eero Secure subscription and Alexa Guard Plus bundling means the per-feature value extends beyond the alarm-and-cameras core.
Strengths
+24/7 pro monitoring through Rapid Response at roughly half ADT's pro-install Smart rate
+Largest consumer camera and doorbell ecosystem in this set
+Deepest Alexa integration including Eero Secure and Alexa Guard Plus bundling
+DIY install with optional Ring Edge for local processing
Trade-offs
−Pro tier required for monitoring; Plus covers storage only
−Amazon ownership is a privacy-posture concern for some households
−Hardware investment lands in the same range as SimpliSafe-equivalent kits
Plus
$10/mo or $100/yr (storage only)
Pro
$20/mo or $200/yr (with monitoring)
Hardware
$300-700 alarm and cameras
Contract
None
Pricing verified
2026-05-08
Migration steps
Wait until your ADT contract is at or near end-of-term.
Inventory current ADT camera and sensor placement; the Ring kit needs to match those locations to preserve coverage.
Buy Ring Alarm Pro plus cameras and a doorbell matching your home; add the Eero mesh hardware if you want the Eero Secure bundling.
Install hardware DIY, activate Ring Protect Pro, and run a test alarm to verify Rapid Response dispatch.
Submit the new monitoring certificate to your insurer and cancel ADT after contract end with written notice.
Not for: Skip Ring if you specifically value vendor independence from Amazon or if your household runs Apple HomeKit or Google Home as the smart-home center; Ring's deep Alexa integration is the lever and it does not extend cleanly to other platforms.
Nest Aware is what ADT would look like if the company had stripped the alarm panel out entirely and committed to camera and doorbell review with familiar-face alerts.
The trade: No professional monitoring on the standard tier and no alarm hardware in the system, so households whose insurance discount requires monitored alarm response cannot use Nest Aware as a like-for-like ADT replacement. The 30-day event history on the Standard tier covers most retrospective review needs but the 24/7 continuous recording is reserved for the Plus tier. Coverage is camera-and-doorbell-only; window and door sensors are not in the catalog.
The upside: Standard runs at a small fraction of ADT's pro-install monthly rate and covers every Nest camera and doorbell in the household under one subscription rather than per-device billing. Familiar-face detection, sound and motion alerts, and the Google Home integration are the deepest in this set for households already running Google's smart-home stack. The 17-percent annual saving makes the year-over-year math straightforward for households committed to the Google ecosystem.
Strengths
+Covers every Nest camera and doorbell in the household under one subscription
+Familiar-face detection plus sound and motion alerts on Standard
+Deepest Google Home and Pixel-ecosystem integration
+Annual saves about 17 percent over monthly
Trade-offs
−No professional monitoring on Standard; no alarm hardware in the catalog
−24/7 continuous recording reserved for the Plus tier
−Camera-and-doorbell-only; no window or door sensors
Standard
$8/mo or $80/yr (30-day history)
Plus
$15/mo or $150/yr (60-day plus 10-day 24/7)
Hardware
$100-400 cameras and doorbells
Contract
None
Pricing verified
2026-05-08
Migration steps
Confirm with your homeowners insurance underwriter that the discount does not require monitored alarm response; if it does, Nest Aware alone will not preserve the discount.
Inventory ADT camera and doorbell placement; the Nest kit needs to match those locations.
Buy Nest Cam, Nest Cam (battery), and Nest Doorbell devices matching your coverage map.
Subscribe to Nest Aware Standard or Plus depending on whether 24/7 recording matters.
Cancel ADT at contract end-of-term with written notice; no monitoring certificate is needed because there is no monitoring.
Not for: Skip Nest Aware if monitored alarm response is the actual lever or if your home has more than two or three cameras' worth of legacy ADT sensor coverage you want preserved; cameras-only is the structural constraint.
Eufy is what ADT would look like if the company had committed to local storage and no recurring fees as the default rather than monthly central-station billing.
The trade: No alarm-and-monitoring service; cameras-only with optional cloud backup. The 2023 cloud-encryption controversy is resolved but remains a footnote in the brand's privacy reputation. Anker ownership is China-based, which matters to households where data sovereignty is the lever. Smart-home integrations are narrower than Ring's Alexa or Nest's Google depth, though HomeKit Secure Video on supported models is the strongest privacy posture in this set.
The upside: Local SD-card or HomeBase storage means no required subscription and no recurring fee for households whose actual need is camera review without cloud dependency. The optional CloudPlus tier at the lowest paid cloud rate in this set covers households that want cloud backup as a redundancy without committing to it. For ADT subscribers whose contract end coincides with a tightening privacy posture, Eufy is the structurally cleanest answer.
Strengths
+Local SD-card or HomeBase storage with no required subscription
+Optional CloudPlus tier at the lowest paid cloud rate in this set
+Strong battery-cam options including HomeKit Secure Video on supported models
+Anker hardware build quality competitive with Ring and Nest at a lower hardware price band
Trade-offs
−Camera-only; no alarm-and-monitoring
−2023 cloud-encryption controversy still a brand-reputation footnote
−Smart-home integrations narrower than Ring or Nest
Free
Local SD-card or HomeBase storage
CloudPlus
$2.99/mo or $29.99/yr
Hardware
$50-300 cameras
Contract
None
Pricing verified
2026-05-08
Migration steps
Confirm with your insurance underwriter that the discount does not require monitored alarm response.
Inventory ADT camera placement and identify which locations need cloud backup versus local-only storage.
Buy Eufy cameras and a HomeBase matching the coverage map; pick the HomeKit-compatible models if HomeKit Secure Video is the lever.
Set up local storage via the HomeBase and optionally activate CloudPlus for the cameras that need offsite redundancy.
Cancel ADT at contract end-of-term with written notice.
Not for: Skip Eufy if alarm-and-monitoring is the actual need or if China-based Anker ownership crosses your data-sovereignty line; the privacy-posture pitch only holds when local storage is doing real work for the household.
Wyze Cam Plus is what ADT would look like if the company had stripped the system to a few cameras at key entry points with the cheapest possible monthly fee.
The trade: Lower hardware build quality than Ring, Nest, or Arlo; cameras typically last 2-3 years rather than the 4-5 year lifespans of premium gear. No professional monitoring on the cheapest Cam Plus tier (Cam Plus Pro adds emergency-response dispatch). Smart-home integrations are basic and the catalog of supported cameras is narrower than Ring or Nest.
The upside: Cam Plus runs at a small fraction of ADT's pro-install monthly rate per camera, and the Pro tier with emergency dispatch still undercuts Ring Protect Pro by roughly five times. Hardware is the cheapest in consumer security, which matters when the household's actual need is two or three cameras at the front door, garage, and back patio rather than a full alarm-and-monitoring buildout. Annual saves about a third versus monthly on the Cam Plus tier, the steepest annual discount in this set.
Strengths
+Cheapest cloud subscription in consumer home security
+Hardware band runs $25-50 per camera, lowest in this set
+Cam Plus Pro adds 24/7 continuous recording and emergency dispatch at a small fraction of Ring Protect Pro
+Annual saves about a third versus monthly on Cam Plus
Trade-offs
−Lower hardware build quality and shorter device lifespan
−Smart-home integrations narrower than Ring or Nest
−Catalog of supported cameras smaller than Ring or Arlo
Cam Plus
$2.99/mo or $23.88/yr per camera
Cam Plus Pro
$3.99/mo or $39.99/yr (with dispatch)
Hardware
$25-50 per camera
Contract
None
Pricing verified
2026-05-08
Migration steps
Confirm your insurance discount does not require monitored alarm response.
Identify the two to four locations where cameras would deliver the actual visibility you used ADT for.
Buy Wyze cameras matching those locations and choose Cam Plus or Cam Plus Pro depending on whether you want emergency dispatch.
Subscribe annually for the steepest savings on the chosen tier.
Cancel ADT at contract end-of-term with written notice.
Not for: Skip Wyze if your home value or risk profile justifies the higher build quality of Ring or Nest hardware, or if you want a full alarm-and-monitoring system rather than camera-only visibility.
Paid plans from $2.99/mo
When to stay with ADT
Stay with ADT if your homeowners insurance discount specifically requires UL-certified pro monitoring, the existing pro-installed wiring is doing real work for an older or larger home, or your local jurisdiction's alarm permit is already tied to ADT's central station. The picks below are honest exits for subscribers whose 36-month contract is ending, whose home configuration has changed, or whose insurance math no longer justifies the premium.
Picks were chosen by mapping the five common reasons an ADT subscriber leaves at contract end: households whose value is the monitoring itself and want a no-contract monthly rate at less than half the pro-install rate (SimpliSafe Standard with UL-certified central-station response); households shifting toward camera-led security with monitoring bundled into the camera ecosystem (Ring Protect Pro at roughly half ADT's pro-install Smart rate); households whose use has narrowed to camera review with no alarm-monitoring requirement (Nest Aware Standard at a small fraction of ADT's monthly cost with familiar-face alerts); privacy-conscious households who specifically value local storage and no recurring fees (Eufy with optional CloudPlus); and budget-led households whose security need has shrunk to a few cameras at key entry points (Wyze Cam Plus at the cheapest cloud subscription in consumer security).
Pricing for every pick was verified against the vendor's site on 2026-05-08; ADT pricing was cross-checked against safehome.org and security.org the same day, distinguishing Self-Setup ($24.99 Secure / $29.99 Smart / $39.99 Complete) from Pro Install ($34.99 / $39.99 / $49.99) since the gap is real and material. Insurance-discount qualification was checked against the standard underwriter requirement (UL-certified central-station response) rather than ADT-specific naming. The page is reviewed quarterly; the next review is scheduled for August 2026.
Update history2 updates
Major revision to full Stage 2 schema. Verified ADT pricing against safehome.org and security.org on 2026-05-08: Self-Setup Secure $24.99 / Smart $29.99 / Complete $39.99; Pro Install Secure $34.99 / Smart $39.99 / Complete $49.99 (was Secure $28.99 / Smart $33.99 / Complete $44.99 in catalog). SimpliSafe Standard brought current to $22.99/mo (was $17.99 in catalog and $19.99 in prior entry, both stale; the Standard tier moved up roughly 28 percent over the past year). Ring Protect Pro held at $20/mo or $200/yr. Added structured verdict with deep-links to top 4 picks, quickVerdict (4 entries plus skipIf), featureMatrix (8 dimensions across simplisafe, ring-protect, nest-aware, wyze-cam-plus), usageCosts (3-year cumulative monitoring spend across the four monitoring-grade picks with ADT for reference), per-pick author ratings, and a 4-paragraph scannable intro. Reformatted all 5 pick rationales to trade/upside structure and added Pricing verified keyFact. Added missing simplisafe and ring-protect rows to _derived-from-editorial.ts so all 5 picks now render. Testimonials shipped empty per ship-zero-rather-than-fabricate rule; comparison reviews are abundant in 2026 trade press but first-person ADT-leaver quotes with named authors did not surface through Reddit, named blog, or vendor case-study searches.
Initial published version with 5 picks.
Frequently asked questions about ADT alternatives
What is the typical ADT contract length?
ADT requires a 36-month contract for new installations on both Self-Setup and Pro Install plans. After the initial term the contract converts to month-to-month at a similar rate without a loyalty discount. Early-termination fees during the initial contract typically run 75 percent of remaining monthly fees, which can total hundreds of dollars on a multi-year remaining term and is the single largest reason switching is cleanest at contract end-of-term rather than mid-term.
Will my homeowners insurance discount survive a switch?
Most underwriters award the alarm-monitoring discount based on UL-certified central-station response rather than ADT specifically. SimpliSafe Standard, Ring Protect Pro, and Vivint all qualify for the same 5-20 percent discount on most policies. The cleanest move is to confirm with your underwriter in writing before canceling ADT and to submit the new monitoring certificate immediately after activation. Insurance discounts based on the alarm-monitoring carrier name (rare in 2026 but still present in some legacy policies) require checking the policy language directly.
Can I move ADT to a new home?
Yes; ADT charges roughly $99-$199 for the move-and-install service, and the existing equipment may be partially reusable depending on the new home's wiring. For households moving to a smaller home or different market the move fee plus a continuing 36-month contract often exceeds the value of switching to a DIY alternative at the move event itself, when the contract premium is most exposed and the relocation is already disrupting the existing setup.
How does ADT compare to Vivint or Brinks?
Vivint and Brinks are the closest direct competitors in the traditional pro-install monitoring category. Vivint emphasizes more modern smart-home integration on a similar 36-month contract structure with a higher hardware band. Brinks emphasizes lower monthly pricing than ADT with comparable monitoring quality. The three serve similar markets and the switching dynamics are similar to ADT-versus-DIY-alternatives covered in the picks above; the underlying decision is whether pro-install incumbency is worth the contract premium versus DIY alternatives at less than half the rate.
Are there ADT discounts?
ADT regularly offers promotional install pricing for new customers signing 36-month contracts, sometimes including free professional install or a reduced first-month rate. The retention funnel during cancellation occasionally surfaces a reduced monthly rate for an additional contract term. Insurance-company partnerships occasionally include ADT discounts for policyholders, though the underlying contract structure does not change. None of these promotional rates carry into the renewal term, so the year-three cost typically reverts to the standard pricing band.
Ready to switch?
Our top ADT alternative: SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe Standard delivers UL-certified no-contract pro monitoring at less than half ADT's pro-install monthly rate with DIY hardware that mounts in under 90 minutes; the right pick when monitoring quality is the actual lever and the contract is the friction.
The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish comparisons where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.
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