How does Cove Security compare to SimpliSafe? - YouTube Video

A lot of people try to compare Cove to SimpliSafe. But are they really that similar? How do they compare with one another? In this video, we’ll dive into what makes Cove different from SimpliSafe.

Hey guys, my name’s Doug - I’m a husband, a father of five, and a security expert. I’ve worked in the industry almost 20 years, and have tested almost every security system out there.

Cove and SimpliSafe are two of the most-asked-about DIY home security systems — and at first glance they look pretty similar.

Both offer no-contract monitoring and DIY installation. But once you put them side by side, real differences start to show up, like price and customer reviews.

First, we’ll price out how much each system costs, and then we’ll walk through a feature comparison of the brands to see how they stack up against each other.

PACKAGE COMPARISON So let’s do a price comparison. We’ll act like we’re getting the same products for Cove and SimpliSafe, and then evaluate the pricing.

For Cove, we’ll build a pretty standard package for a home. We’ll get security cameras, sensors and other essential parts. So for our Cove package, we’ll get 1 Hub, 2 Outdoor Cameras, 1 Doorbell Camera, 1 Glass Break Detector, 1 Alarm Panel, 1 Indoor Camera, 2 Motion Detectors, and 6 Door/Window Sensors. That comes out to $394.68. With the current discount, we can get this for $304.68.

That, for a home security system, is really affordable. The monitoring plan, Cove Plus, is $32.99 a month. Having monitoring means the police will respond if your house gets broken into. Really helpful to have.

Now, let’s make the same kind of package for SimpliSafe. We’ll be getting as close to our Cove order as possible.

For our SimpliSafe order, we’ll grab 1 Base Station, 2 Outdoor Cameras, 1 Doorbell Camera, 1 Glass Break Detector, 1 Keypad, 1 Indoor Camera, 2 Motion Sensors, and 6 Entry Sensors.

This comes out to $393.75, so that’s about $91 more than Cove for the same equipment! Monthly monitoring on the SimpliSafe Core plan is $32.99 a month, so SimpliSafe’s monitoring is the same price as Cove.

FEATURE COMPARISON Now that we’ve compared the prices, let’s get into a comparison of the features.

1. DIY Setup Cove and Simplisafe both are DIY, meaning Do It Yourself. With both Cove and Simplisafe, you can set it up in your home by yourself, and pick what security products you need. For example, if you want 5 outdoor cameras, you can get them and set them up. Or if you want less cameras, and more motion sensors, you can do that too. So for this category, Cove and SimpliSafe are very similar.

2. Time of setup It takes on average only 27 minutes to set up a Cove security system. This is relatively fast. On the other hand, we have read some reviews on TrustPilot saying SimpliSafe can take hours to set up.

3. Contract Cove has no contracts, meaning you are not locked in. If you are ever unhappy, you can cancel your subscription easily. SimpliSafe also does not require a contract. So for this category, Cove and SimpliSafe are comparable.

4. 24/7 professional monitoring Hundreds of customer alarms go off every day, and Cove's monitoring team handles each one. If there is an active break in, Cove will dispatch police when needed. Cove also has 24/7 phone support, so you can get help at any time with your account. SimpliSafe does offer professional monitoring like Cove. However, their phone support hours are limited: 8am - midnight.

5. Video Streaming Want to watch your security cameras to see what’s happening? Cove has video streaming on their touchscreen panel, as well as on their mobile app. SimpliSafe, on the other hand, has an app where you can watch your cameras, but no video panel.

6. Subscription Cost Cove’s monthly subscription plans range from $22.99 for Cove Basic, to $42.99 for Cove Premium. SimpliSafe plans range from $9.99 for self-monitoring to $79.99 for Pro Plus Monitoring.

7. Customer Rating Cove has a 4.7 rating on TrustPilot, which is very good. Customers note the ease of setup, the quality of protection, and our friendly customer service. SimpliSafe, on the other hand, has 3.6 stars on TrustPilot, which is not as good. Cove definitely wins when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Well, that was our comparison between the two systems. A lot of things are similar, but it seems like Cove is the clear choice. Not only is it more affordable, but it’s much better rated by customers.

I’m glad I could come to this conclusion, that Cove is better. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have my job.

But in all seriousness, Cove is a great deal, and offers some serious protection.

How did we do in this video? We’d love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Until next time, stay safe out there!