Abode vs SimpliSafe: Home Security Systems Compared

SimpliSafe and Abode offer security systems with no long-term contracts. You purchase the equipment, pay for your monitoring plan and stop service whenever you want. SimpliSafe is a household name with its multi-platform advertisements, and Abode is still a rather small company. But could Abode protect your home just as well as SimpliSafe for less money?

Customer Service & Reputation
Equipment
Technology
Value
Ease Of Use
Overall Winner
	View Packages	View Packages
	SimpliSafe Review	Abode Review

Customer Service & Reputation

The BBB (Better Business Bureau) can be a reliable indicator of how a company handles consumer complaints. How did our two companies fare?

• SimpliSafe: A+ (accredited)
• Abode: C (not accredited because of its failure to respond to one complaint filed against it)

Abode Complaints

Abode has complaints about its customer service being difficult to reach. I can attest to this as I attempted to contact them a couple of times and responses took hours, even for the live chat. Abode also makes you upgrade plans for phone and email support.

We do want to note that of the reviews we saw online for Abode, a large portion of them were positive, which was impressive.

SimpliSafe Complaints

• Requesting to be unsubscribed from emails and still getting emails
• Continuing to be billed after canceling
• Tech support may require multiple calls to fix an issue

Despite these issues, SimpliSafe wins this category because its customer service is easier to contact and it is BBB accredited with a better rating. If Abode can improve their customer service and this reflects in their customer reviews during our next audit they have a chance to win this category.

Winner: SimpliSafe

Equipment

Below is a table of the types of security equipment offered by each company.

	SimpliSafe	Abode
Additional Keypad
Keychain Remote
Door/Window Sensor
Motion Sensor
Indoor Camera
Outdoor Camera
Glass Break Sensor
Panic Button
Smoke Detector
CO Detector
Freeze Sensor
Water Sensor
Additional Siren		(Indoor & Outdoor)
Occupancy Sensor
Temperature, Humidity, Light Sensor
Smart Switch
Video Doorbell

SimpliSafe doesn’t have an outdoor camera, which is disappointing because it’s a popular piece of equipment among homeowners. SimpliSafe has CO detectors and freeze sensors, while Abode has rather unique equipment like occupancy sensors and temperature, humidity and light sensors.

Abode has a smart switch, which allows homeowners to set lamps, crockpots, coffee pots and other non-smart devices to turn on automatically. This is convenient for those times when you want to get dinner started while you’re at work or if you’re away on vacation and you want it to appear as if you’re home.

Abode has different versions of equipment that does the same thing. For example, it has door/window sensors as well as mini door/window sensors. So if you want more options, Abode has them.

Manufacturing

Both companies manufacture all of their wireless equipment instead of using equipment from big name companies. SimpliSafe equipment performs well, but there are complaints about it staying connected to the app. Abode has little feedback; from what we found, customers complain about equipment being glitchy and the siren being too quiet.

SimpliSafe has a 3-year warranty, while Abode’s is only 1 year.

Both companies have their complaints, but we feel SimpliSafe has equipment options that customers want. And if you run into any issues with your SimpliSafe system, there’s a 3-year warranty to fall back on.

Winner: SimpliSafe

Technology

If home automation is important for your system, you may opt for Abode over SimpliSafe given the number of compatibilities at your disposal.

SimpliSafe Compatibilities

• Amazon Alexa
• Google Assistant
• Nest thermostat
• August door lock

Abode Compatibilities

• Z-Wave and Zigbee devices
• IFTTT
• Equipment from:
  • Aeon
  • Enerwave
  • First Alert
  • GE
  • Kwikset (like this door lock)
  • Leviton
  • Philips (like these light bulbs)
  • Schlage (like this door lock)
• View a full list of equipment here

Battery Backup

If you lose power during a storm or from a burglar cutting wires, a battery backup will keep both systems running. SimpliSafe has a 24-hour battery backup, which is the standard, but Abode’s is only 6-7 hours.

Cellular vs Broadband Monitoring

All of SimpliSafe’s plans have cellular monitoring, which is the most secure form because there’s no concern of a burglar cutting your landline (phone) or broadband (internet) connection. Abode’s plans have broadband monitoring with the higher tiers offering cellular backup.

App Performance & Ratings

Below are the Apple App Store and Google Play Store ratings and number of reviews to give you an idea of what readers think of each company’s respective app.

• SimpliSafe
  • Android App 4.6/5.0 (>9,500 reviews)
  • iOS App 4.8/5.0 (>64,000 reviews)

• Abode
  • Android App 3.4/5.0 (>450 reviews)
  • iOS App 2.7/5.0 (24 reviews)

SimpliSafe App Complaints

• Closing on its own
• Not updating
• Not staying connected with the system
• Having to pay to use it

Abode App Complaints

• It draining the phone’s battery
• It crashing or freezing
• Few updates
• Delayed notifications
• Arm and disarm doesn’t work properly

If home automation is a priority for you, Abode has more options than SimpliSafe. If you don’t need many integrations, we recommend SimpliSafe because of its 24-hour battery backup and cellular monitoring. However, since this category is for technology and Abode gives you more options, it wins this one.

Winner: Abode

Value

To see how SimpliSafe and Abode’s pricing compares in a real-world situation, let’s go over an example of a common configuration in a household with the equipment below:

• 8 door/window sensors
• 1 keypad
• 1 motion sensor
• 1 keychain remote
• 1 siren

Neither company locks you into a contract, but for comparison’s sake, here’s how much it will cost you for 3 years of service.

Abode has higher equipment fees, but more affordable professional monitoring. However, Abode’s professional monitoring is broadband instead of cellular (like SimpliSafe’s). We like that they both have more than one monitoring station (SimpliSafe has 6 and Abode has 2), a redundancy that’s essential in case one station experiences downtime.

In the end, we think your money is better spent on SimpliSafe since it comes with cellular monitoring.

Winner: SimpliSafe

Ease Of Use

	Abode	SimpliSafe
Wireless Equipment
Installation	DIY or Professional ($149)	DIY
Easily Relocate

SimpliSafe and Abode users complain about the limited functionality of their respective apps. We don’t see much difference between the two, so this category is a draw.

Winner: SimpliSafe & Abode (Tie)

The Final Verdict

If you want a security system that’s easy to install yourself, has a low monthly monitoring fee and no long-term contracts, SimpliSafe and Abode are both excellent options. Ultimately, SimpliSafe has been around longer and has a better reputation behind it. Perhaps in a year or two, Abode will be a top competitor for SimpliSafe. But for now, it’s still rather small, and its prices are slightly higher than SimpliSafe’s but with fewer premium features.

Winner: SimpliSafe

If you’d like to learn more about these companies, read our individual reviews on SimpliSafe and Abode, which include pros, cons, key features and customer testimonials. We also review more than a dozen companies in our home security systems reviews.

Which company are you leaning towards?