Comparing ADT vs. Ring

There’s no doubt that ADT and Ring are both great home security systems. Each brand takes two very different approaches, with Ring focusing on camera-based security and ADT offering a more traditional approach. We’re going to help you decide which option is best for you.

Ring and ADT have both made their mark on the home security industry. ADT practically invented home security systems and Ring popularized the video doorbell. Despite their past accomplishments, we assess home security companies based on their current offerings.

That's why we bought the latest ADT and Ring security systems to see how they perform in a real-world environment. While we preferred ADT's professional-grade approach, others may appreciate Ring's budget-friendly DIY option. Let’s compare both side-by-side to help you decide whether ADT or Ring is the better security system for your home.

Arming our ADT System

Similarities Between ADT & Ring Alarm

For all their differences, the list of similarities between ADT and Ring grew in recent years. For instance, Ring now offers full home security systems, including 24/7 professional monitoring just like ADT. Meanwhile, ADT started offering customizable systems with both DIY installation and monitoring options.

We’ve already mentioned their stellar reputations, but what else do these two have in common?

Monitoring Options

Both companies offer professional and self-monitoring options. ADT leads the industry in professional monitoring, operating 12 monitoring centers across North America. Each act as a backup for the others.

That said, ADT doesn't offer a dedicated self-monitoring plan. You can just cancel your professional monitoring plan after a month. Meanwhile, Ring offers three dedicated self-monitoring Ring Home plans with varying amounts of cloud storage and features. They range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 per month. Professional monitoring can be added for an additional $10 per month to the Standard or Premium plans.

App Control

It’s not especially surprising that both ADT and Ring offer apps. Most security systems today do. Few of them offer apps as robust as Ring and ADT, though. In fact, both show up on our list of the best home security system apps of 2025.

ADT’s latest app is ADT+. It puts control over your entire smart security system in the palm of your hand. It gave us access not only to our ADT equipment but to all of our smart home devices. The intuitive interface made it a snap to make changes, and we were especially impressed by how many options we had when it came to customizing features.

Ring systems still rely on the original Ring app – Always Home, which has been updated and improved over the years to the point where it’s just as powerful as ADT+. Not only can you control all your devices, from entry sensors to doorbell cameras, but it also provides real-time alerts and access to live footage, even if you decide to self-monitor your system.

Ring Wireless Home Security System

Customer Service

ADT and Ring both recognize that home security is just one of those industries where it’s crucial to build trust. ADT has 150 years of service to rely on. The company built its reputation providing top-quality professional installation and monitoring. More recently, ADT has started offering self-installation and self-monitoring. Why? Simple – that’s what customers wanted, and ADT is dedicated to meeting customer demand.

Ring’s customer service is founded not on its history but rather on its size. Ring exists as part of the Amazon family of products. Amazon’s enormous size means it can get products to customers quickly, respond to complaints immediately, and accept returns with no questions asked.

Both companies offer industry-leading money-back guarantees. Ring’s, for instance, is thirty days, plenty of time to decide whether a system is right for you. ADT’s guarantee is a generous six months, well beyond anyone else's.

Bottom line – while these are two very different companies, they both offer great value for the money. The question is, which approach to home security most appeals to you? We’ll get into that below, but you can get even more details by checking out our comprehensive Ring Alarm review and our ADT hands-on testing and review page.

Differences Between Ring Alarm and ADT

OK, so these two companies have some similarities. In fact, on paper, they’re starting to look more and more alike. They still take very different approaches to home security, though, and those differing approaches ultimately make them more dissimilar than similar.

What do we mean?

Installation

Let’s start with something basic, but something that says a lot about a home security company’s ethos: installation.

From the beginning, Ring has been committed to providing DIY installation. When you set up your system, you get to decide where the equipment goes. In fact, Ring’s process is designed to make setup easy and straightforward so that anyone can do it, with easy instructions and step-by-step guidance from the Ring app.

In contrast, ADT was built on professional installation, but now offers DIY installation through ADT Self Setup. We stuck with professional installation, though. A tech showed up at our home and took care of everything for us. They offered advice on the best places to install equipment, and they stayed at the end and explained how to use it all.

Want to find out a little more about ADT’s new DIY-installation program? Check out our complete review of ADT’s self-setup systems.

You can see now why we aren’t telling you which one of these two systems you should buy. It all comes down to which approach makes you most comfortable.

Home Automation

Ring equipment integrates with existing smart home devices. System components work smoothly with Alexa and Google Home, and through those, thousands of smart home devices, from thermostats to TVs. You can have Yale smart locks, a Nest thermostat, and a Genie garage door opener, all working with Ring.

ADT offers some of that flexibility. For instance, ADT equipment works with both Alexa and Google Home. However, the company also offers its own home automation equipment, including a smart hub, light bulbs, routers, plugs, and front door locks. There’s something to be said for uniformity, especially if you care about style.

As with every aspect of these two companies, it’s up to you to decide which approach suits you best.

Solar Panels

While both companies let you choose between plug-in and battery-powered cameras, only Ring offers solar powered outdoor security cameras. They work with virtually no maintenance. That means we don’t need to pull out the ladder every few months to charge the outdoor camera above our garage doors.

To date, ADT hasn't yet gotten around to offering solar panels for their cameras. However, there are third-party solar panels that work for the Google Nest Cams that ADT offers. Still, we prefer Ring’s in-house solar panels.

Contracts

ADT and Ring both offer contract-free options. In fact, all of Ring’s systems don’t require a commitment and you can save a few dollars paying annually instead of monthly.

If you’re willing to install an ADT system yourself, you can avoid contracts, too. ADT only requires a long-term contract if you choose professional installation. It also means you can pay for your equipment in monthly installments over three years.

Standout Features & Tech

Perhaps the most important differences between these two home security systems, though, have to do with the specific features they each offer. Ultimately, these determine what kind of experience you have with the systems and just how safe they keep you and your family.

Keep in mind that features can vary depending on which packages and plans you select. Here’s an overview of what you get from each company, though.

Ring Alarm Features

The first thing to note about Ring home security systems is that there are different plans or tiers that you can choose to purchase. We mention it here because, as you go up in price, each tier has different features. That means the features we describe below can sometimes be plan-specific.

• Self-Monitoring Options: While both offer providers let you self-monitor, only Ring offers self-monitoring subscriptions. That means with ADT, you won’t get benefits like cloud storage for your cameras or smart home integrations when self-monitoring.
• Professional Monitoring: Ring’s monitoring plan stands out for its affordability. Their plans with professional monitoring start at $19.99 per month and that includes cloud storage for unlimited cameras at one location. A comparable plan from ADT starts at $39.99 per month.

• Alexa Compatibility: As an Amazon-owned company, it’s no surprise that Ring works well with Alexa. The Ring Alexa skill gives plenty of voice commands to control any of your Ring devices. However, Ring lacks broader integration and can only control a handful of third-party smart devices.
• Lifetime Theft Protection: Ironically, home security equipment gets stolen more often than you might think. We’re not entirely sure why. Maybe would-be thieves think if they take a camera, no one will be able to see them? Even though the camera footage is already in the cloud? At any rate, Ring replaces stolen equipment, and that theft protection plan never expires.

Ring Outdoor Cam

• Two-Way Talk: It’s one thing to be able to pull up real-time video when you get an alert. Ring cameras also come with two-way talk, though, so you can let would-be thieves know you’ve got your eye on them and the police are on their way. You don’t have to be facing an emergency to make good use of this feature. We use it while we’re at work to remind our cat that she’s not allowed on the couch.
• Cloud Storage: Ring’s security cameras can store video clips for up to 180 days with a cloud storage subscription. Storage for one camera costs $4.99 and unlimited cameras costs $9.99 per month. There's also a $19.99 per month Premium plan that stores 24/7 recordings for your cameras.
• Snapshot Capability: Another cool feature of Ring home security systems is that you can take snapshots on your screen. This is basically like taking a photograph to capture a frame from your security footage with the viewing device.
• Thirty-Second Call Response: Ring's professional monitoring boasts one of the faster response times in the industry, averaging just 30 seconds during our tests. The response time is the time it takes the monitoring center to contact you once it receives an alert. The faster the response time, the faster a company can verify an emergency and the faster it can get emergency personnel on-site.

ADT Features

We may have mentioned it once or twice already, but ADT has been around for a while. 150 years is a lot of time to figure out a few home security tricks. In fact, we’re pretty sure Ring would be the first to admit that many of its own best features were actually pioneered by older home security companies like ADT. In fact, for all Ring’s innovative approaches, ADT remains a more advanced system.

So just what are the hallmarks of an ADT system?

• In-House 24/7 Monitoring: All of ADT’s 12 redundant monitoring centers are owned and operated by ADT. Ring outsources their monitoring service and it shows. We regularly received faster and more comprehensive responses from ADT than Ring.

• Two-Way Talk Capabilities: ADT offers two-way talk capabilities as well, just as Ring home security systems do. Being able to talk between devices in the home or remotely will come in handy more often than you might think.
• Mover’s Savings Package: ADT will work with you to save you money if you need to move. All you have to do is let them know that you are moving, and they will schedule a re-installation. We like the flexibility offered here.
• Easier Equipment Payment: Both Ring and ADT let you finance your equipment. Where ADT lets you finance costs for up to 60 months, Ring's max plan is just 18 months through Affirm payment plans. ADT also combines your monthly payments with your monthly monitoring charges, so you pay one flat fee every month.
• Guaranteed Theft Protection: Unlike Ring’s theft protection guarantee, which only protects Ring equipment, ADT’s guarantee reimburses up to $500 of your home insurance deductible in the event of a burglary. That helps you financially recover regardless of what the thief stole.

• Professional Installation: ADT will professionally install the equipment for you so that you do not have to worry about improper installation or the safety of your home.
• Certificate for Use by Homeowners Insurance Companies: ADT will send you a certificate that can be turned in to your insurance company. Doing this will allow you to be eligible for certain rebates and reductions on your homeowner’s insurance policy.
• Six-Month Money-Back Guarantee: Customer service and support is paramount, and it’s a good thing that ADT is willing to back its promise of high-quality equipment with a six-month money-back guarantee. Here’s how it works: If your ADT system malfunctions, and ADT isn’t able to fix the problem within six months, they’ll refund your monitoring and installation fees.
• Home Automation Options: ADT’s home automation options allow certain appliances and equipment to be monitored, automated, and operated remotely from your phone or tablet. Being able to use your smartphone to operate your security system is a huge plus in our book.

ADT vs. Ring Alarm: Costs and Fees

The final important point of comparison is the cost of each home security system. After all, you’ll have to purchase the equipment (at least with Ring) and pay for a monthly monitoring service if you want to keep your home and family secure day and night. Let’s have a look at what you can expect to spend with each company.

Ring Outdoor Cam

Ring Pricing

Ring's basic five-piece alarm kit starts at $199.99, while their more comprehensive 14-piece kit costs $329.99. We often recommend starting with a basic kit to test the waters, then adding individual sensors and cameras as needed. That’s easier with a DIY system like Ring Alarm since the company doesn’t have to come back in and do additional installation.

And here's a tip: Ring frequently offers sales. Here's a quick breakdown of the current kit pricing:

Ring Alarm Sales

Once you purchase the equipment, you’ll have four Ring Protect plans to choose from. The first of these is the free option, which is pretty lean on features compared to the other plans. It does, however, come with motion-activated notifications, theft protection, real-time video, and two-way talk.

The Ring Home Basic option costs $4.99 per month or $49 per year. In addition to the features offered in the free package, it offers snapshot capabilities, 60-day video storage, and video saving. This is the monitoring plan you’d choose if you were to install a Ring camera, but only one camera is covered by this plan.

The Ring Home Standard package costs $10 per month or $100 per year and offers the same features as the Basic plan, only this plan covers an unlimited number of cameras installed at the same address.

Lastly, the Ring Home Premium package costs $20 per month or $200 per year. This plan includes everything in the Plus plan, plus some extra features like 24/7 recordings. You can also add professional monitoring to the in addition to professional monitoring for the Ring Alarm.

To learn more about Ring’s offerings, have a look at our guide to Ring’s packages, plans, and pricing.

ADT Pricing

The Google Nest Doorbell is a major upgrade from the old ADT video doorbells.

Let's cut right to the chase: ADT is more expensive than Ring Alarm, but you get professional-grade equipment and monitoring. Their Build Your Own package costs $269 and monitoring starts at $24.99 per month. For monitoring that also supports cameras, it’ll cost at least $39.99 per month.

The good news is that ADT frequently offers promotions. Currently, they're offering 60 percent off all new systems with security cameras or video doorbells to promote their new Trusted Neighbor feature.

As you can see, ADT is more expensive than Ring on a monthly basis, but you won’t have to fork out hundreds of dollars on day one. Keep in mind though, you will need to enter into a contract with ADT for monitoring and equipment. Thankfully, they do offer that 6-month money-back guarantee that we mentioned earlier.

To really get a closer look, head on over to our in-depth breakdown of ADT’s pricing and plans here.

Which Is Better: Ring Alarm or ADT?

So which is better? It completely depends on your priorities and budget. If you're looking for an affordable, DIY-friendly system that you can set up in under an hour, Ring Alarm is the clear winner. With monitoring starting at just $19.99 per month and no contracts required, it's perfect for renters and budget-conscious homeowners.

On the other hand, if you're a homeowner who values professional installation, premium equipment, and the most reliable monitoring in the industry (and you don't mind paying for it), then ADT is the better choice. You'll also get more comprehensive smart home integration with ADT, which is something we particularly value. We’d also recommend reading through our SimpliSafe review if you’re interested in a DIY system similar to Ring Alarm.

Either way, these are both industry leaders with proven track records. Ring excels at making security accessible and affordable, while ADT delivers unmatched professional service and reliability. You really can't go wrong with either choice – it just depends on what matters most to you.