ADT Pricing in 2025: Home Security Equipment, Monitoring, and Installation Fees

ADT Pricing Breakdown

There are three main factors that influence ADT’s pricing:

• Equipment cost: starts at $269
• Installation cost: depends on your equipment package
• Monitoring cost: starts at $24.99 per month

We’ll take a look at each of those factors one-by-one to give you the full picture. Just to give you context, though, ADT has moved away from requiring professional installation and monitoring. It still offers those services, but if you prefer a DIY security system similar to SimpliSafe, take a look at our review of ADT Self Setup – ADT’s take on DIY home security.

ADT Equipment Pricing

Some brands like Frontpoint only offer a few equipment bundles, but ADT has seven. We like that the packages are tailored for different purposes. For example, Front Door Protection comes with a Google Nest Doorbell and Yale smart lock, which is exactly what you want protecting the front of your house. Here are all the packages side-by-side for you to compare.

ADT Equipment Add-On Costs

These bundles are just a starting point. ADT lets you add any device to your security system at any time. If you want upstairs coverage, you can add a Nest Cam and extra motion sensor to your equipment bundle, or buy one at a later date when you need it.

ADT Security Cameras

We’d suggest starting with security cameras, which can be useful in monitoring your home. They also work with ADT’s video verification (speeds up police response), and, with ADT’s top-tier plan, you get unlimited cloud storage for any number of security cameras.

ADT Security Sensors

Next, pick additional security equipment, such as sensors. We recommend guarding each first-floor door and window with an entry sensor and having at least one motion sensor for every floor. Glass sensors can also be useful in monitoring rooms with multiple windows.

>> Further Reading: How to Effectively Place Home Security Sensors

ADT Environmental Hazard Sensors

Don’t forget your hazard sensors. ADT’s primary goal may be to keep burglars out, but with smoke alarms and CO detectors, it can also monitor your home for environmental hazards. Research shows that systems with multi-hazard detection, like fire and carbon monoxide, have reduced fire-related fatalities by up to 90 percent.2

ADT Smart Home Devices

Lastly, if you’re looking to build a smart home, you can buy smart speakers, smart thermostats, smart locks, and smart lights from ADT. While most of these are from third-party manufacturers such as Google Nest, Yale, and NetGear, they were designed to work seamlessly with ADT.

>> More Like This: The Best Home Automation Security Systems

Few companies offer as wide a selection of equipment as ADT. One that comes close is Vivint. We tested ADT and Vivint side-by-side based on performance, ease of use, and response time. Check out our ADT vs. Vivint guide to see which system performed best.

>> Keep Reading: Vivint 2025 Review

ADT Installation Costs

We had our ADT security system professionally installed. The technicians are trained to identify the best spots for maximum coverage. For us, that adds long-term value to the system. Prices start at $99 and scale with the size of your system. We paid $150 for our installation, which is pricey, but worth it.

Another option is DIY installation with ADT Self Setup, which is free and easy. We set up our 10-piece DIY system in under an hour. If needed, you can request Remote Assistance from ADT tech support. They will walk you through every step of the process via a video call. It’s also free.

>> Keep Reading: The Best DIY Home Security Systems of 2025

Expert Examined

From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert

I always advise purchasing a quality security system and ensure it’s installed correctly. The last thing you want is for your security system to malfunction or just not work when you actually need it. Security cameras are also helpful. As a police officer, the number one thing I would ask burglary victims is whether or not they had video footage of the crime. Video footage helps police to identify and hopefully apprehend the responsible culprits. Having quality cameras can also benefit your neighbors as well. Most modern cameras have a wide lens and can usually pick up footage of your neighbors’ houses or property as well.

ADT Monitoring Costs

ADT’s monitoring plans start at $24.99 per month for DIY systems and $34.99 per month for professionally installed systems. It’s slightly more expensive than SimpliSafe’s cheapest plan, and ADT’s options are not as flexible.

For starters, if you have security cameras, you’ll need ADT’s most expensive plans. But, these packages come with features you won’t find anywhere else, like Familiar Faces and Trusted Neighbor. Here’s a rundown of each professional monitoring tier.

ADT also offers free self-monitoring, but it’s light on features and only available with Self Setup systems. You get access to live camera feeds and real-time alerts. If you get a notification, it’s up to you to call the police for help. That’s why we prefer professional monitoring.

Expert Examined

From Anthony Travaglia, Retired Police Officer, Home Security Expert

Almost everyone knows ADT’s iconic blue octagon signs and what they symbolize — even burglars. Working many years as a patrol officer, I would often see those ADT signs in yards. ADT’s monitoring can alert police quickly to help stop a burglary in progress. Learn more about Anthony.

ADT Current Deals and Discounts

ADT might not be the most affordable home security system, but it offers great bang for your buck, especially during sales. In the past, we’ve scored a free Nest Video Doorbell and saved up to 60 percent on equipment bundles.

As of early August 2025, ADT is throwing in a $100 Visa Reward Card with any professionally installed system. You can spend it anywhere at any time. Alternatively, hold off until ADT’s Black Friday sale and add some extra equipment to your system.

ADT Contracts

You don’t need to worry about ADT contracts if you’re a Self Setup customer. For professionally installed systems, there is a minimum three-year commitment. We recommend signing up if you’re not renting and plan to stay put. If you’re currently renting, you’re better off checking out our guide for the best no-contract security systems.

ADT Cancellation and Moving Policy

Before you sign on the dotted line, there are a few terms and conditions we recommend looking over. The first is ADT’s cancellation policy. You are entitled to a 60-day money-back guarantee, but if you cancel the contract after this period, you’ll have to pay 75 percent of the remaining contract balance. That includes monitoring and equipment fees.

As we mentioned earlier, we recommend ADT if you have no plans to move. If you do relocate, you won’t be able to take your professionally installed system with you. The good news is that ADT gives you a free base pack, so you’re not starting over from scratch.

ADT Equipment Warranty and Money-Back Guarantee

We mentioned earlier that ADT has a 60-day money-back guarantee, but the company also offers an equipment warranty. ADT’s standard warranty covers devices for 90 days from the date of installation. It covers repairs and replacements for defective equipment, but it excludes wiring and batteries.

For a few extra dollars per month, you can sign up for the Quality Service Plan. It’s an extended warranty that covers both repair and replacement of malfunctioning equipment for the life of your ADT monitoring service.

ADT’s Pricing vs. the Competition

Unlike some of its competitors, ADT’s prices have decreased over the past few years. Subscriptions are still on the higher end of the scale, but they are on par with brands like Vivint.

ADT vs. SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe is known for its affordable equipment and monitoring. But, with it raising its monitoring rates recently and ADT lowering theirs, the gap is closer than ever.

SimpliSafe’s pricing starts at $21.99 per month for basic monitoring and $250 for a basic equipment package. With ADT Self Setup, basic monitoring costs $24.99 per month, and a similar equipment package costs $349. With a professionally installed ADT system, monitoring starts at $34.99.

On the higher end, SimpliSafe’s monitoring can go up to $79.99 with the Pro Plus plan. This plan includes advanced features like Intruder Intervention and Active Guard — both essentially using security cameras with two-way voice to scare away intruders. The highest ADT plan costs $49.99.

>> Compare: SimpliSafe vs. ADT

While we don’t mind managing our system with the ADT Hub, we’d prefer using a touch-screen panel like Vivint’s for easier control.

ADT vs. Vivint

Vivint is another solid option that rivals ADT when it comes to home automation, but it’s known for its expensive equipment. The Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro we tested costs $399; ADT’s most expensive camera with built-in floodlights costs only $279. Vivint has the technological edge over ADT — it even has a touch-screen control panel — but you’ll have to pay a premium price for a Vivint system.

Vivint’s pricing for monitoring, however, is on par with ADT. It starts at $29.99 and goes up to $49.99, similar to a professionally installed ADT system. Speaking of installation, both require a fee, but Vivint’s installation fee is higher by $50 to $100 in our experience. That said, Vivint also offers free installation from time to time, which we’ve rarely seen from ADT.

>> Compare: Vivint vs. ADT

Our Experience With ADT

Purchasing ADT

If you’ve done any form of online shopping, you’ll be comfortable buying a system from the ADT website. You can add and remove devices from the cart with full transparency of how much everything costs.

If you’re like us and decide to get the equipment professionally installed, you’ll need to call ADT. We still recommend getting your package together on the website. This saves time during your sales calls and gives you an idea of pricing expectations.

Installing ADT

During our lovely chat with the sales rep, we booked an appointment for a technician to come out two days later. They arrived on time and spent about two hours in total at the house. The technician explained why they chose the locations to install the equipment and showed us how to adjust the settings in the ADT+ app.

Here’s a look at the ADT+ app from when we tested an ADT Self Setup system in our home.

Two hours is not short. When we reviewed our Cove security system, we had everything up and running in under an hour. To be fair, Cove’s equipment was already preprogrammed. All we had to do was attach the devices to surfaces. Plus, some of ADT’s equipment requires hardwiring, like the Google Nest Cam with Floodlights.

If you decide to add more equipment in the future, we recommend checking how easy it is to install. We bought the Nest Doorbell (battery), which is wireless. That meant we could set it up ourselves instead of paying another $100 for a technician to do it for us.

>> Find Out: The Best Video Doorbell Cameras of 2025

Day-to-Day Life With ADT

We interacted with our ADT system via the app. It’s one of the best home security apps we’ve tested. We pulled up live streams from our Nest Cams, managed alerts, and adjusted the sensitivity of the motion sensors to stop notifications when our curtains caught a gust of wind.

That might sound like common practice, but there are some other features we discovered inside the ADT+ app:

• Familiar Faces: Nest Doorbells can recognize regular guests and send you personalized notifications when they’re walking to the front door.
• Trusted Neighbor: Speaking of regular guests, you can set up this feature with the Smart Lock to let people in. ADT sends a notification to the guest’s phone, they follow a couple of steps, and the door unlocks to welcome them in.
• Smart Home Automation: We set up rules to turn on lights when the smart lock unlocks and turn up the thermostat before we get out of bed. Other automations are available for devices like entry sensors and smart light bulbs.
• Talk and Listen: You can speak to people at your front door using the Nest Doorbell and ADT+ app. But, you can also send prerecorded messages like “leave the pizza by the doormat.”
• Event Access: ADT can send alerts to emergency contacts for different alarm events. For example, if your smoke alarm goes off, ADT can let your neighbor in to get your pet out.
• Ground Zones: We chose an area for the cameras to focus on. This way it would ignore street traffic and reduce false alarms.

We took the time to customize our camera’s motion detection zone in the ADT app to minimize false alerts.

We also noticed that ADT continues to operate when the Wi-Fi drops out. ADT is one of our top cellular security systems because it doesn’t need reliable internet to send alerts to the monitoring centers. The base station will even stay online for 24 hours without power.

Our Experience with ADT Customer Support

ADT’s customer service doesn’t have the best online reputation, but we were happy with our experience. About a month after our ADT system was installed, we upgraded to a mesh router. That meant connecting all our ADT equipment to the new network, including the cameras. No matter what we did, we couldn’t get it to work, so we called ADT.

On our first call, we spoke to Patty. She couldn’t get our cameras to connect either. Thankfully, she knew someone in ADT who could and organized a callback. The next day, we spoke to Ian who remotely accessed our cameras and fixed the issue. Speaking to two different people to resolve an issue isn’t ideal, but we can’t fault Patty and Ian. They were professional, talked us through the issue, and, most importantly, solved the problem.

Is ADT Worth It?

We’ve lived with an ADT system, and our answer is “yes.” It’s worth it. From the flexibility of their equipment packages to their powerful professional monitoring, ADT offers everything you could want to keep your home safe.

We can’t say they’re the most affordable option out there, but when it comes to security, you really get what you pay for. And, what you’re paying for with ADT is a top-of-the-line security system that offers comprehensive protections.

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