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

We appreciate that ADT offers several equipment packages to choose from. Usually, we see brands like Frontpoint offer two or three pre-built packages; ADT offers seven. What’s more, these packages are customized for specific purposes. There is, for example, a Front Door Protection package that focuses on front door security. It includes a battery-powered Google Nest Doorbell and a compatible smart lock from Yale.

Here’s a closer look at ADT’s seven equipment packages. And keep in mind, you can customize each of these with additional components.

ADT Equipment Add-On Costs

Those bundles provide a solid foundation for your security system, but each home is unique. You might need more security camera coverage for your backyard, or additional sensors to cover all first-floor windows. After choosing a package, we recommend building it out with additional components.

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 chose to have our ADT security system professionally installed. The technicians are trained to identify the best spots for maximum coverage, and to us, that adds long-term value to the system.

The downside is we had to pay for the service. Professional installation from ADT typically starts at $99, but it scales with the size of your system. We paid around $150 for our system installation. It’s pricey, but it was worth it. We didn’t lift a finger, and we had peace of mind knowing all components were installed up to code.

That said, DIY installation with ADT Self Setup is free and easy. We managed to do it in under an hour when we tested a 10-piece DIY system from ADT. You can even 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.

You can also self-monitor your ADT system for free — but it’s light on features, and it’s only available if you self-install the system. The free plan includes real-time alerts and access to live footage. However, it’s up to you to call the police if you need help. That’s exactly why we recommend 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.

How to Save on ADT

So, ADT might not be the most affordable security system around, but it offers great bang for your buck. Plus, you can stretch your dollar even further when ADT is running promotions, which is more often than you think.

During one of ADT’s promotions we scored ourselves a free Nest Doorbell.

We got a free Nest Video Doorbell once and saved up to 60 percent on equipment bundles another time. ADT’s Black Friday promotions are also a can’t-miss event.

ADT’s Pricing vs. the Competition

To its credit, ADT’s prices have gone down slightly over the past couple of years, despite other home security companies raising their costs. It’s still somewhere on the mid-to-high end, though.

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

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.

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.

ADT FAQs