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Of all the security system apps we tested, ADT’s mobile app had the best balance between features and user experience.
Updated March 29, 2025
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In a world where even speakers and coffee makers can be controlled by apps, it has become crucial to home security to choose a security system with a good mobile app. That’s why we always consider the app when comparing security systems. For a lot of systems, it’s the main way to control them.
After rounding up and testing the best security systems of 2025, we ranked each system’s mobile app based on its usability, features, and accessibility. Then, we paired that with the overall quality of the system to come up with this list. ADT proved to be the best with an easy-to-use app, plenty of features, and top-tier monitoring. Vivint, SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Ring followed closely behind. Let’s have a closer look.
From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert
We find the best way to make unbiased and trustworthy recommendations is by testing home security systems ourselves. We buy the equipment with our money, install the systems in our homes, and test them for weeks or months. We like to get a feel for what it’s like to live with the security system and observe the features, response times, and of course, performance of their apps. We use our hands-on experiences to recommend and rank security systems.
Many factors impact testing home security systems, which is why we’ve come up with ways to compare apples to apples. For example, all equipment is tested in the same house — a two-story, 2,200-square-foot home owned by one of our security experts. Using a real house instead of a lab means we can simulate real-life scenarios and make better recommendations.
We also buy the same equipment for every test system and install them in identical locations. You can see what our typical testing setup looks like below.
We take a lot of things into consideration when recommending and ranking the best home security systems. Using our experience and knowledge of the industry, these are the most important factors for home security systems with mobile apps:
All those factors are important, so here’s how we rate our top-pick security systems and apps based on those criteria.
Rating the Best Security Systems With An App
Our team of experts only covers security and safety equipment. We’re not like those other websites that review everything from computer monitors to bookshelves. We specialize in thoroughly assessing security systems so readers get honest and insightful recommendations. The experts who worked on this review were:
Our team has over 75 years of combined experience, making us the most accomplished home security team on the internet. Since SafeHome.org began in 2016, our work has been referenced in several major outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. As a team, we have achieved:
Every recommendation comes from first-hand product experience and a deep understanding of the security industry. Now, let's find out more about our top picks for mobile apps.
| System | ADT | Vivint | SimpliSafe | Frontpoint | Ring Alarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| SecureScore | 9.2/10 | 9.1/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.7/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Minimum monthly fee for app access | Free | $29.99 per month | Free | $49.99 per month | Free |
| Integrates with third-party smart products | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud storage fee | Starts at $8 per month | Starts at $39.99 per month | Starts at $9.99 per month | Starts at $49.99 per month | Starts at $4.99 per month |
| Read review | ADT review | Vivint review | SimpliSafe review | Frontpoint review | Ring Alarm review |
With 150 years of history securing homes in the U.S., it’s easy to see why we named ADT the most reliable. That goes for every aspect of their security system — from their equipment and monitoring all the way to their mobile app. Despite their old age, they’ve kept up with the times. Now, they’re on the third version of their mobile app, and they’ve gone from only offering professionally installed security systems to now offering a DIY option for all of their systems and components.
Here’s a look at the ADT+ app from when we tested an ADT Self Setup system in our home.
ADT+ is the most recent ADT app. We tested it with the ADT Self Setup system we reviewed. It works with their professionally installed security system, too. We must say, we were impressed by the ease of navigation and use. It let us view, access, and manage our ADT cameras (which are actually Nest Cams), Nest Thermostats, Nest smart speakers and displays, and, of course, our security system. The design was simple and minimalist, so doing all those from an iPhone 15’s small screen was a cinch.
The one thing we would like to see improved, though, is the login. It takes too long sometimes — up to 30 seconds. That was a pain when we were standing out in the cold New York winter waiting for the app to load so we could unlock our smart lock and enter our home.
FYI: ADT apps aren’t cross-compatible, so use the app that works with your ADT system. All the latest ADT systems now use ADT+, but if you had a system installed between 2010 and 2018, you probably have an ADT Pulse system. Systems from 2019 to 2023 use the ADT Control app.
Since ADT is partnered with Google, it works flawlessly with all Google Home and Google Nest products. That unlocks a lot of home automation possibilities you can set up directly in the ADT app. It also works with Alexa devices and a range of other third-party smart home devices through its Z-Wave and Zigbee support (there are over 4,000 Z-Wave and Zigbee devices).
ADT’s built-in Trusted Neighbor feature is a great example of the power of ADT’s home automation. It let us choose people who can access our home during an emergency or even just at specific times using our Nest Cam’s facial recognition. We added our next-door neighbor to our list during a confirmed alert so they could get in our house if we needed help.
>> Learn More: ADT Home Automation Compatibility and Integrations
We took the time to customize our camera’s motion detection zone in the ADT app to minimize false alerts.
All of ADT’s subscriptions are for professional monitoring. They offer three tiers. To make the most of ADT’s app, you’ll need at least the Smart Monitoring plan that costs $29.99 per month, as that allows you to control your smart home devices through your ADT system. This lets you set up smart home automation, such as turning down the temperature in your house when you lock your front door smart lock as you’re leaving for work.
Did You Know? If you want to forego an ADT subscription, you can still get cloud storage for your security cameras through a Google Nest Aware subscription. They start at $8 per month. You’ll need to watch your stored footage through the Google Nest app instead of the ADT app, but it’s still a good option for self-monitoring.
Vivint is great at two things: protecting homes and automating them. It’s one of our top-pick home automation security systems. So, of course, Vivint created an app exactly for those purposes. Best of all, after our technician installed our Vivint security system, they walked us through the entire app and helped us set up a few automation rules for our home. That made for a great onboarding experience.
Our Vivint video doorbell alerts us anytime a package is delivered to our doorstep.
Vivint’s app proved a little harder to use than that of ADT, but it wasn’t difficult to master by any means, especially with the guidance of our installation tech. It was only more complex because of the level of customization available. For example, we were able to set our video doorbell to alert us specifically when a package was delivered to our doorstep. And to do that, we had to set some notification rules in the Vivint app. But after we set that up, those package notifications worked like a charm.
>> Read More: Vivint vs. ADT Home Security System Comparison
The built-in automation for Vivint on its own is impressive. The Smart Deter feature in Vivint’s security cameras, for instance, sounds its siren and turns on its light when its AI detects a potential intruder or lurker. It gets better, though. You can automate based on the Smart Deter feature adding more to that response, such as turning on your driveway light and living room light to make it seem like you’re home.
We used Vivint’s smart home capabilities for convenience, too. Just like with ADT, we set up a rule so that when we locked our door in the morning, our thermostat lowered the temperature in our house. Vivint’s automation system can get as deep as you want. There really are no limits as to what you can automate in your house using the Vivint app.
Pro Tip: Vivint’s app doesn’t work like magic. You have to carefully plan out what you want to automate and then think of a way to achieve that using the app’s custom rules. We recommend planning out what automation you want prior to your installation date so your technician can help you set it up.
While Vivint offers one of the best apps in the industry, it requires a subscription. And that subscription isn’t cheap either. It starts at $29.99, but that doesn’t just get you access to the app. Vivint’s subscription also includes 24/7 professional monitoring from Vivint, bringing it closer to industry standards for pricing, but it’s still more than both ADT and SimpliSafe for similar capabilities. From there, subscription prices increase based on the equipment in your system, with the most extreme price increases coming from cameras.
Sometimes you don’t want all the bells and whistles. You want something that just works, and that’s SimpliSafe. It’s in the name after all. Everything about SimpliSafe’s system is simple — from the app to its components — but it has all the features you need for top-tier security. There’s just not as much when it comes to automating your home or controlling specific pieces of equipment. They do offer some of the most advanced monitoring in the industry, though, with active guard protections.
The SimpliSafe app’s setup instructions helped us pair our devices to the SimpliSafe base station.
While the SimpliSafe app wasn’t as feature-rich as that of ADT nor as customizable as Vivint’s app, it rivaled both in usability. For a relatively simple security system like SimpliSafe, it’s close to perfect. Arming modes are front and center of the app. Sensor statuses are just a few scrolls down. And if you want to view and playback livestreams and recordings, they’re all in one place.
SimpliSafe’s app also plays a major role during the setup. But not just the initial setup. We first bought a standard package and the app guided us through the installation process. Later on, we bought the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro. The app made it easy to install, showing us how to pair it with our existing system.
FYI: The two-way audio for SimpliSafe’s cameras has a bit of a delay. That causes you to see your visitor’s lips moving before you hear what they say. It’s a bit odd, but the feature still works, and it doesn’t impact the security that SimpliSafe offers, so we could look past it. Plus, connecting our phone to our home’s fast internet instead of our cellular service fixed the delay.
The simple nature of SimpliSafe’s security system means it comes with limited smart home capabilities. While we were able to integrate our system with Google Home or Amazon Alexa for voice control, the commands are basic. You can only arm your system or check its status.
>> Check Out: Best Home Security Systems for Google Home in 2025
We bought SimpliSafe’s new Wireless Indoor Camera so we could test out their Intruder Intervention feature.
This is where SimpliSafe gets more complicated. They have more subscription options than any other security system we’ve tried, with a total of six. We can see why some people would have a hard time figuring out which plan is right for them. You don’t need any subscription to use SimpliSafe’s mobile app. Although if you want full use of the app, you’ll need either the cloud recording plan, Core plan, or above.
SimpliSafe’s Core plan, which costs $31.99 per month, gives great value. It adds Intruder Intervention to the 24/7 professional monitoring, which allows SimpliSafe’s monitoring agents to tap into your Wireless Indoor Camera during active alarms. That way, they can assess the situation and use the camera’s two-way audio to scare off an intruder or guide you to safety. The Pro and Pro Plus plans, costing $49.99 and $79.99 per month, respectively, expand this capability to the outdoor camera when its AI detects a potential threat.
Frontpoint’s security system is more similar to SimpliSafe, but their app tries to be Vivint. They offer primarily DIY security systems that require professional monitoring, and their app offers some intricate automation capabilities. They don’t offer quite as advanced automation as Vivint, especially when counting Vivint’s Smart Deter capabilities, but it’s a lot more than SimpliSafe offers.
We used the Frontpoint app to customize when we would receive alerts.
When we use Frontpoint’s app, it always feels like it’s trying to be Vivint. We feel that it falls short, just a bit, as its user interface isn’t quite as nice. It’s too colorful, which gets distracting and makes the app harder to navigate at first. Once we got used to it, though, we were able to use the app without an issue, just expect a learning curve.
There are a lot of customization options within Frontpoint’s app, even the layout of the app itself, so your most used features are front and center. For customizing our system, we liked setting custom notifications through geofencing. Basically, the app knows our phone’s location and sends us notifications based on the status of our system and the location of our phone. So, if we leave the house and our garage door is open, Frontpoint reminds us to close it.
Pro Tip: Although Frontpoint gets close to Vivint without quite meeting the mark, their prices are a lot lower than Vivint. Systems start at just $69. You can barely buy a single component from Vivint for that price. That’s why we named Frontpoint one of the top alternatives to Vivint.
Here’s our Frontpoint app home screen, which shows quick arming modes, our system status, and the weather.
For smart home functions, Frontpoint offers quite a lot. Setting up home automation takes more effort than it does for Vivint, but the possibilities are similar. It can integrate with most third-party smart devices through its support for Z-Wave devices, although it doesn’t offer Zigbee support. Vivint supports both, so you have some more freedom with the devices you choose for your home.
We were impressed with Frontpoint’s voice control through Google Home and Amazon Alexa. With it, we could control any aspect of our system we wanted and even individual components. In this regard, Frontpoint competes with Vivint.
>> Read More: Best Smart Home Automation Security Systems in 2025
While the rest of Frontpoint puts customizability front and center, their subscription takes a one-size-fits-all approach. They offer a flat-rate, $49.99-per-month monitoring plan that includes full access to their app and all their home automation capabilities. That’s great news if you plan to build out a large system with several security cameras, but for smaller systems, Frontpoint’s subscription costs significantly more than the competition.
FYI: If you don’t need Frontpoint’s full monitoring capabilities, you can call them for a custom plan. Their custom plans start at $14.99 per month, but expect to make some sacrifices in terms of capabilities for your security system.
Ring’s best known for their video doorbell. It makes sense considering they invented them. As such, their app is tailored around using their video cameras, whether that’s two-way talk, watching a live video feed, or reviewing recorded clips. It works with their Ring Alarm systems, too, but if you want your security system focused on cameras, Ring’s app is tailored to it.
We used the Ring app’s landscape mode for a better view of our camera’s live feed.
Livestreams and recordings are readily available right from the home screen of Ring’s mobile app. And those livestreams and recordings worked well. When we reviewed Ring security cameras and the Ring Alarm system, there were no delays to the audio and video like we experienced with SimpliSafe. And, keep in mind, we had four Ring cameras installed, mostly outdoors.
We wish there were more customizations, though. Some (not all) Ring cameras support motion zones. Others have customizable sensitivity. We think those features should be standard in all cameras.
Pro Tip: Ring has another app called Neighbors by Ring, where you can see safety warnings and recorded clips shared by Ring users in your neighborhood. It’s free, so we recommend you download it.
As an Amazon brand, it’s no surprise that Ring plays nice with Alexa. It offers tons of capabilities. One of our favorites was the way we could control specific components with our voice. For instance, we set up a backyard group for the door sensor on our backyard slider and our backyard camera. Then, during our backyard parties, we could just say “Alexa, disable Ring Motion alerts on Backyard.” That kept our phone from buzzing constantly but still kept the rest of our system armed.
Like Frontpoint, Ring only integrates with Z-Wave smart devices. That’s still a lot of devices, and Ring makes plenty of their own home automation devices too. While we still prefer Vivint and then Frontpoint for automating our home, Ring can get the job done.
Here’s what the Ring dashboard looked like on our Alexa Show after we integrated it with our security cameras.
>> Read About: Best Home Security Systems that Work with Alexa
You can use Ring’s app without any subscription, but to use most of its features, you’ll need at least a Ring Standard subscription. That costs $9.99 per month and includes cloud storage for unlimited cameras, too. We think it’s a good deal. Ring offers professional monitoring as a $10-per-month add-on to their Ring Home plans, which we recommend. The Ring Premium plan adds a few cool features, like AI-enabled video-clip searching, but the real value comes from the Standard plan.
Did You Know? Ring also offers live guard monitoring similar to SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection, except Ring’s live guard monitoring includes someone monitoring your video feeds 24/7. It costs an extra $99 per month, though, so we find SimpliSafe’s version to be a better deal. Check out our Ring vs. SimpliSafe comparison for a complete breakdown.
While those five security systems were our top choices for homeowners that want a high-quality mobile app, we tested three other systems that stood out for their mobile app too. So, we wanted to highlight them here.
The Cove app rivals that of SimpliSafe in terms of user-friendliness. It even has an updated design now that makes it easy to arm and disarm the system from your phone and automate arming and notifications based on rules and schedules. However, what Cove lacks are natively-supported security cameras. As we pointed out in our Cove review, it offers security cameras from a brand called Eufy. The cameras are great, but not all features are accessible via the app.
The abode app is another favorite of ours, mainly because it lets us customize and create automations similar to the Vivint app. But unlike Vivint, we saw several inconsistencies. For example, abode was supposed to send us different notifications depending on what sensor caused an alarm. But during our abode review, we received “door opened” alerts even though it was our motion sensor that was tripped. That kind of glitch can make it difficult to pinpoint where to focus your attention during emergencies.
We had a similar experience with the Alder app. It was simple and easy to use. Alerts came in pretty quickly, too. Plus, it could control smart thermostats — something SimpliSafe and Cove’s apps weren’t able to do. The app works great when it’s working, but there were several instances during our Alder tests that we experienced glitches. One time, it wouldn’t let us log in despite entering the correct email address and password, locking us out of our security system. Fortunately, Alder has a pretty great touch screen control panel.
The Google Nest Cams in our ADT system used facial recognition technology to tell us who they saw in their alerts.
We don’t recommend that you choose a security system based on the app alone, but you should at least choose a security system with a decent, well-functioning app. That’s because with today’s technology, a good mobile app gives you access and control to your security system remotely. And that’s important:
Those statistics point out that security systems need to serve a purpose of protecting homes not just when the owner is around; they should also be able to protect the house when the owner is away. And as the owner, having access to a reliable home security app helps a lot.
From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert
You might notice that we discussed home security apps on this page. These are apps built specifically for home security systems. But at the same time, most of these apps offer home automation features as well. So is there really a difference?
Well, these days, the line between home security and home automation apps has been blurred. Security apps offer automation features, and some automation apps offer security controls as well. But the two are not the same.
Most home security apps work with a specific security system. Take ADT for example. It has an app for each generation of security system it released, and these apps are not cross-compatible with other ADT systems or security system brands.
The main job of a home security app is to connect you to your security system, especially sensors and security cameras. The included automation features are completely optional; you can access them only if you’re on the right subscription plan and have the right automation devices.
A sampling of notifications we programmed Vivint to send us via the Vivint app.
The automation features of home security apps are also more limited; they can’t control absolutely all types of smart devices, except for a few outliers like Vivint and abode. But generally speaking, home security apps have limited control over third-party smart home devices.
Home automation apps, on the other hand, specialize in automating homes by integrating and orchestrating smart home devices. There are still limitations. For example, you can only control devices that are compatible with the ecosystem.
On that note, another difference between home security and automation apps is that the latter doesn’t necessarily need hardware. You need a corresponding system to use the home security apps we recommended above, but some automation apps work even if you don’t have a physical automation system. One example is IFTTT, which works without a physical hub.
Pro Tip: You can use both home security and home automation apps together to get the best of both worlds. Our page on the best IFTTT-compatible security systems lists three options that have their own mobile apps but can also connect to the IFTTT home automation app.
Ring’s dashboard gave us a quick look at each of our security cameras.
Most home security and automation apps are free to download and install. However, in some cases, you will need a subscription or monitoring plan to access your security system using the app. There are more traditional security systems, for example, that don’t include mobile app access in their entry-level plans. That means you would need to pay more to use the app.
That being said, all the home security apps we recommended above don’t need a special subscription. In the case of ADT, Vivint, Frontpoint, Cove, and Alder, you’ll be able to use the app if you buy a security system and get any of the available monitoring plans. All those systems require professional monitoring, by the way.
As for SimpliSafe, Ring, and abode — some of the top DIY systems today — you can use the app right away after buying a security system. Some features like video playback and advanced automation require a subscription, but you’d be able to at least arm and disarm your system, receive alerts, and stream live camera footage without paying a monthly fee.
If we were purely looking at the capability of a security system mobile app, Vivint would win. But, we take more into consideration than pure capabilities. We want an app that’s easy to use and top-tier professional monitoring for our security system. In that regard, ADT wins.
That said, Vivint’s a close second. They still offer high-quality professional monitoring, but they require it whereas ADT lets you cancel your monitoring if you need to save a few bucks. Learning how to use Vivint’s app took us a bit longer too. On the other end of the spectrum, for the ultimate in ease of use, we recommend SimpliSafe.
In most cases, you can use your security system’s mobile app for free, but more often than not, the full capabilities of the app are locked behind a subscription.
We always recommend downloading the mobile app for your security system. Controlling your system through a mobile app, as long as it’s a high-quality one, is usually easier than using the control panel security systems come with.
Nowadays, most security systems offer some amount of automation. Accessing a security system’s automation capabilities usually requires a subscription, though.
After you download a security system’s mobile app, it will guide you through the whole process for connecting it to your system. A lot of DIY security systems these days even walk you through the whole installation process on the mobile app.
Absolutely! Although we recommend choosing a home security system with a touch-screen control panel, like Vivint, if you don’t have a smartphone. Controlling an entire system through a keypad gets complicated and you usually won’t be able to use all of its capabilities.
Your home and safety hang in the balance, so you don’t have time to fuss and fiddle with a clunky app. The best home security mobile apps are easy to use, intuitive, and designed with the user in mind. The interface on a quality mobile app is simple to navigate, with a display of large icons that just feel right.
All home security mobile apps have one-touch arming and disarming. Heading out for the day? Simply open the app and arm the system. While you’re out, you can remotely check your system’s status and even view activity logs. Then, as you pull into your drive, open the app again and disarm the system with the push of a button. Easy does it.
Level up with Remote Control Door Locks. The best security mobile apps allow you to access, monitor, and control your automatic door locks from your smartphone. This technology combines convenience and security, and it embodies the evolution of home security. If you have smart door locks, or you’re looking to get them, be sure your system’s mobile app supports this feature.
The top home security mobile apps offer remote viewing capabilities. This feature is tailored for those with doorbell cameras or any type of indoor/outdoor security camera. Simply hop on the app and tap right into your live-stream video. The best apps allow you to talk and listen to visitors with two-way voice. Never miss a beat with remote viewing.
Customize like a King (or Queen!). If you like a custom feel to home security, then you’ll love these apps. Connected to the right equipment, certain mobile apps will let you preset commands like arming the front door when it’s locked, setting a room of mood lights at a specific time, and turning up the inside temperature just before you get home.
Did your home spring a carbon monoxide leak while at work today? You would never know without a mobile app that supports Environmental Monitoring. Coupled with smart devices, this potentially life-saving feature sends automatic alerts when smoke, excessive heat, carbon monoxide, and other threatening hazards are detected. The best mobile apps support real-time environmental monitoring. Don’t go without it.
Did you know home security and automation systems can help you save energy? It’s true. The best mobile apps support home automation features, which help tremendously in the Energy Saving department. Dial in the perfect settings for heat, AC, lights, and other appliances. And transform your house into the most efficient home on the block. That’s money in the bank and a healthier planet.
Equipped with the right mobile app, you can program your lights to do just about anything. This helps reduce energy costs and, well, it’s pretty darn cool. Open the app and set a room of lights to match the mood you want, program your lights to turn on or off at a specific time of day, and more. The possibilities are endless.
Compatibility is another key feature of the best home security mobile apps. The leading companies deliver value-packed apps that are compatible with Android, iPhone, and even Blackberry platforms. Be sure that your home security mobile app is compatible with your mobile device and operating system before you make your purchase. This will save you money, time, and countless headaches.
The Zebra. (2024). Burglary Statistics. https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/burglary-statistics/
