We have to give SimpliSafe a slight lead here because it has been around quite a bit longer than Cove, and people are more likely to recognize the name on the sign in your yard. We also like that SimpliSafe offers a smart lock, and it has a doorbell camera. But honestly, either of these systems is a good choice. For the extra money every month, SimpliSafe’s Interactive plan gives you smart home support. SimpliSafe doesn’t have very many smart home integrations, but you’ll need the Interactive plan if you want to connect your SimpliSafe security system to your Alexa or Google smart speaker. If you opt for SimpliSafe’s Interactive plan, you can get a 10% discount on equipment add-ons and a lifetime warranty on equipment as long as you maintain your subscription. If you opt for Cove’s Plus plan, you don’t have to worry about your equipment breaking, because it’s covered by the lifetime warranty. And if you want to add sensors onto your system, you can save up your $5-per-month credit to get some new stuff. Pretty sweet. If you need an extra keypad to put by a back door, then SimpliSafe will let you buy an extra one for cheaper. Cove doesn’t have a simpler backup keypad for extra doors. That said, we like the touchscreen panel overall. It’s a fancier experience. Other than keypads/control panels, Cove and SimpliSafe offer almost exactly the same security sensors. SimpliSafe has separate smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms, whereas Cove has a combo model. SimpliSafe also offers a temperature sensor, which Cove does not. The biggest differentiator is that SimpliSafe offers a smart lock. Cove doesn’t have a smart lock, and it doesn’t integrate with any third-party models. So if you want to smartify your door lock, go with SimpliSafe. Do you want to confirm if your package finally arrived? Or check to see if your kids get home from school okay? A doorbell camera can help. SimpliSafe also has more restricted customer service hours than Cove does. Cove offers 24/7 support, but you have to call SimpliSafe between 8:00 a.m. and midnight Eastern time. At the end of the day, even if the pricetag is a little bit more, we’re suckers for smart home tech, which is why we give SimpliSafe a slight win for offering smart lock options. But both Cove and SimpliSafe are good choices for a DIY home security system.
Price Equipment Home automation Cameras Customer service
We’ve been writing about the Cove security system since it first came out in 2018, and we have a SimpliSafe system installed for long-term testing so we can see how it holds up over time. SimpliSafe does have an advantage when it comes to smart home integration as it can integrate with August Smart Locks. However, Cove has been customer service scores and a 24/7 service/live chat option, and is slightly cheaper. Cove products include door sensors, window sensors, motion sensors, glass break detectors, smoke CO detectors, flood sensors, medical buttons, key remotes, and a collection of indoor/outdoor/doorbell cameras. Both Cove plans, Basic and Plus, include 24/7 professional monitoring, environmental monitoring, cellular backups, automated system checks, a 24-hour battery backup, and more. The more expensive Cove Plus offering includes smartphone control, smart home integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, a lifetime equipment warranty, and a lifetime monitoring rate-lock guarantee.
Trustpilot, “SimpliSafe.” Accessed April 29, 2021.Trustpilot, “Cove.” Accessed April 29, 2021.
