SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro Cost and Pricing

It’s a well-known fact in home security circles that the front door is one of the most vulnerable areas of the house. You would think that a burglar would try to sneak in through a back window, but in reality, a lot of break-ins start at the front door. That’s why video doorbells are essential. It’s a security camera you can place right next to your front door.

Most of the best home security systems these days offer video doorbells. Some, like ADT and Frontpoint, offer doorbell cameras from well-known third-party suppliers. Others prefer to make their own hardware. SimpliSafe belongs to the latter, and here, we’ll give you a tour around SimpliSafe’s video doorbell. It’s an interesting piece of hardware. It’s the only SimpliSafe product that requires hardwiring, for starters, so it’s not as easy to install as the rest of SimpliSafe’s system. It can also work on its own, unlike the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera we reviewed which requires a base station.

In the end, though, it all boils down to one question: Is the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro a good video doorbell?

Favorite Features

We test security products to see how they work in real life. We do that because from our experience, promised features and actual features don’t always match up. In fact, we have a whole page about the worst security cameras that underdeliver their promised features, one of which is a doorbell camera.

With the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro, we can confidently say that we got exactly what we were expecting. You can read about our whole experience in our SimpliSafe Video Doorbell review, but here’s a quick recap of our favorite things about the doorbell.

• No contract, no pressure: Although the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is a part of the SimpliSafe system, you don’t need to fully commit to SimpliSafe. The doorbell functions as a standalone device. And even if you buy it with a security system, you can still choose to self-monitor or get professional monitoring without long-term contracts.

• AI sensors limit false alarms: No one likes getting alerts from their doorbell every five minutes, especially if those alerts are false alarms. Rather than relying on motion detection alone, the SimpliSafe doorbell uses a combination of computer vision and Passive Infrared (PIR) motion detection to seriously limit false alarms. The PIR sensor detects movements caused by objects that emit heat (i.e. body heat from humans and animals), and once motion is detected, the doorbell’s computer vision determines whether it’s human or something else.
• Easy DIY or professional installation options: SimpliSafe is the leader when it comes to easy-to-install DIY security equipment, and its video doorbell is no different. Although it requires hardwiring (not fun), the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro’s installation process is fairly streamlined. The box also came with small tools to help during the installation.
• 60-day money-back guarantee: If you like it, keep it; if you don’t, send it back. SimpliSafe shoppers have 60 days to try their new equipment and return it for a full refund. SimpliSafe will even pay for return shipping, making its products a risk-free purchase.

Smart Home Integration

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works on its own, but its greatest aspect has to be its ability to integrate with the SimpliSafe system. You’ll see in our SimpliSafe review that the security system is already well-rounded as-is. It has sensors, an outdoor camera, and a well-designed app for self-monitoring. But adding the video doorbell to the mix gives the system additional features.

For example, if a SimpliSafe sensor detects unauthorized entry, it can trigger the doorbell to record (provided that you have a cloud storage plan from SimpliSafe). That type of integration and home automation can give you deep insight so you can respond to every alarm event more efficiently.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro syncs up with Alexa and Google Assistant as well. As smart home enthusiasts ourselves, we enjoyed controlling the doorbell with our voice. We were able to arm its motion sensors just by saying “Alexa, tell SimpliSafe we’re going out” or “Hey Google, arm system.” Pretty responsive for the affordable cost of $169 for equipment and no required monthly subscription. We had no complaints.

Pricing

By 2025, experts predict the video doorbell industry will bring in a revenue of $2.83 billion yearly2 in the United States alone. Between charges for equipment and monthly fees for storage and monitoring, it’s clear that this industry is already raking in the cash. Of course, not every video doorbell is equal. To succeed, each video doorbell must find a perfect balance between costs and quality. How does the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro stack up?

Equipment Pricing

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is an affordable option compared to the industry heavy-hitters like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro or the Google Nest Doorbell wired. If you’re looking to compare their features to the SimpliSafe doorbell, though, you can head over to our Google Nest Doorbell (wired) review or our Ring Video Doorbell Pro review.

The following chart compares the cost of a SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro against that of similar devices from top companies.

Feature-wise, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro falls within the mid-range category, and compared to other doorbells in that category, it’s certainly one of the most affordable.

That said, there are sub-$100 devices now from notable brands like Ring and Wyze. These aren’t as advanced, but they have two-way talk and good image quality, which are the reasons most people get video doorbells in the first place.

SimpliSafe, on the other hand, offers features like person and vehicle detection to reduce false alerts. If you need those features and are willing to pay for them, then SimpliSafe should definitely be on your radar.

The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is already a great standalone video doorbell, but its real value shows if you’re already a SimpliSafe security system user. You’ll get to monitor the doorbell and the security system using the same app. If you’re on the Interactive monitoring plan as well, you’ll get free cloud storage, which brings us to the next section: How much will you spend on monitoring and cloud storage?

Monitoring And Storage Pricing

The device cost isn’t the end of it. Like most video doorbells on the market, you’ll need a cloud plan to actually store videos. The good news is, SimpliSafe is known for being flexible in terms of subscriptions.

SimpliSafe offers five subscription plans, including one that is free. Three of those plans include cloud storage for the SimpliSafe doorbell. For $4.99 monthly, you can get cloud storage for just the doorbell. For $9.99, you can get cloud storage for up to five different cameras. And for $29.99, you can get professional monitoring for SimpliSafe and cloud storage for up to 10 cameras, among other advanced features.

Here’s the complete breakdown of SimpliSafe’s subscription plans, all of which are contract-free.

One of the great things about SimpliSafe is that it doesn’t require a contract, unlike the worst security companies, which often require or even force their customers to sign up to a five-year contract. With SimpliSafe, you get the flexibility of paying only when you need the extra services.

Self Monitoring and Storage

• Free: During the month we tested SimpliSafe’s free plan, we were able to livestream doorbell content and forgo a monthly storage or monitoring subscription altogether. We still enjoyed being able to talk to individuals who were outside our door in real time, especially when we were still in pajamas or not able to physically answer the door. We got sensor notifications as well, to make us aware anyone was outside. Like Ring video doorbells and Google’s Nest Doorbell, push notifications were free. Unfortunately, we never knew if someone stopped by while we were away, since there was no recorded content to scroll back through and find out.
• Cloud storage for one camera: With a $4.99 per month cloud storage subscription, the Video Doorbell Pro starts recording when it senses a person is at the door. SimpliSafe then stores the recordings forever. We enjoyed that we could scroll back through our recorded footage and see who’d stopped by. We also felt safer about any packages that were left outside. First, the camera served as a deterrent to any porch pirates. Most importantly, we liked that, in most cases, we’d be able to identify anyone who took our packages. To download the footage of our recorded files, we went through the SimpliSafe mobile app or website. While this lower-tier cloud storage plan offers far more possibilities than the free plan, it is still a self-monitoring only plan. That means we were responsible for keeping an eye on happenings around our home and calling emergency services should we witness a stranger casing or attempting to enter. And, of course, the $4.99 plan only gave us storage for one camera, in this case our video doorbell.

• Cloud storage for five cameras: For $9.99 per month, SimpliSafe’s second cloud plan supports storage for the Video Doorbell Pro and up to four additional cameras in our SimpliSafe security system. Again, storage was unlimited. To test out our cloud plan, we tried downloading our video footage via both the smartphone mobile app and SimpliSafe’s website on our desktop computer. Both downloads went smoothly, and we could still view our clips in HD. We thought this plan might be a great option for parents who want additional cameras to remotely check-in on older children when they’re home alone, since it provides real-time alerts and live remote viewing. Of course, like the one-camera plan, this plan is only for self-monitoring. If we had jobs that didn’t allow us to periodically check our home security cameras, it’s unlikely we’d notice a home invasion or other safety issue in time to inform emergency services prior to a crime.

Professional Monitoring and Storage

As outlined above, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works with SimpliSafe’s two monitoring plans, but only one of the plans is actually beneficial to the doorbell itself because of cloud storage and video verification.

The Fast Protect plan gives you cloud storage for up to 10 SimpliSafe cameras, in addition to professional monitoring for the SimpliSafe system, basic home automation features, and a few other perks. This plan costs $29.99 per month, which is one of the most affordable professional monitoring plans available.

One of our favorite features is video verification. While SimpliSafe’s monitoring center won’t monitor live video feeds from cameras, they will have brief and temporary access to them if the security system detects a possible intruder. This allows them to verify the alert, which in turn, can help speed up police response. If you have the new indoor camera, the Smart Alarm, it gets even better as the monitoring center will be able to use the camera’s two-way talk as well.

The other SimpliSafe monitoring plan, Standard, costs $19.99. You can still sign up for this plan if you have a SimpliSafe system and video doorbell, but it won’t add any useful features to the Video Doorbell Pro. It simply gives you professional monitoring. You also can’t opt for this plan if you’re using the Video Doorbell Pro as a standalone doorbell.

A Notable Contender

To evaluate the Video Doorbell Pro’s value, we compared SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro with two of the industry’s other top video doorbell brands, Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest, specifically the Ring Video Doorbell Pro and the Nest Hello. The most striking financial difference between SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro and comparable competitors is its affordable equipment cost.

SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro offers competitive device pricing, marked at $169. That’s a full $60 to $80 less than the Google Nest Hello and Ring Video Doorbell Pro, costing $229 and $249, respectively.

SimpliSafe also outshines both Ring and Google Nest with its money-back guarantee. Both Ring and Google Nest only have 30-day return policies. Ring charges $5 for shipping, and Google Nest has been known to require a $35 restocking fee on all its wireless products. SimpliSafe, on the other hand, has a 60-day return policy and will send a prepaid label to cover the cost of shipping.

Month-to-month video cloud storage plans with SimpliSafe also provide low cost options, starting at $4.99 per month for unlimited storage. Comparing SimpliSafe to Ring and Nest, SimpliSafe isn’t the cheapest, but it isn’t the most expensive either. SimpliSafe’s minimum plan is slightly more expensive than Ring’s minimum $3 per month or $30 per year plan. However, SimpliSafe’s subscription is somewhat lower than Nest’s minimum plan of $6 per month or $60 for a year for 30 days of storage. So in terms of costs, SimpliSafe’s equipment is more affordable than the average, while their storage costs are straight down the middle of the road.

Is SimpliSafe the Video Doorbell For You?

All in all, we feel the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is one of top choices among today’s video doorbells. With an equipment cost of $169, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is known for its affordability. SimpliSafe doesn’t beat its competitors in terms of the lowest cost storage, so when we wanted professional monitoring, we had to also purchase a SimpliSafe security system. Nonetheless, options for storage and professional monitoring with the SimpliSafe security system and the Video Doorbell Pro are very affordable. Backed by a 60-day money-back promise and free return shipping, we found SimpliSafe’s return policy to be better than most major competitors. With no contracts required, families on a budget, students, and renters can consider a video doorbell from SimpliSafe without the stress of a huge initial investment or long-term commitment.