SimpliSafe vs Scout Alarm
Which System Should You Choose?

Scout Alarm and Simplisafe are two smart home security systems that offer modern convenience, high flexibility, and improved security.

These features don’t come for free so make sure that you’re not wasting your hard-earned money on a system that doesn’t work for you.

While both systems share similarities, one gets our pick as a slight winner in this comparison.

The first key difference is that the Scout Alarm system is more limited in the products they provide, as they focus on providing an alarm service. Unlike the SimpliSafe system, you can go the self-monitored route, but you do need to pay monthly fees to access their mobile app.

SimpliSafe is different to the Scout in that their home automation system has a wide range of home security products, including glass break sensors, key fobs, smoke alarms, and even a panic button.

• Alexa/Google Home integration
• 24/7 professional monitoring available
• Cost per month

One of the many reasons we like SimpliSafe is because they offer a wider range of products that work with their security systems.

When compared vs SimpliSafe, we were able to connect the Scout Alarm system to other IFTTT and home automation systems like Z-Wave. So, while Scout doesn't offer as many types of monitors and alarms as their competitor, it does have more capacity for connecting third-party products.

You can only use SimpliSafe with Alexa or the Google Assistant. However, you can connect Scout to other IFTTT systems.

The indoor cameras from both security home systems record in 1080p and you can access the camera’s live stream through their respective apps. They also both come with a motion sensor pre-installed, and both can be self-monitored if you don’t want your alarm monitoring.

We found that the indoor camera from SimpliSafe had a wider field of vision, and we liked that you could buy a kit to make it weatherproof for outdoor use. During our testing, we found that we had fewer false alarms with the SimpliCam.

We found that the motion sensors from each company were quick and easy to set up, and we liked that the system told us to test the Scout motion sensors by walking in front of them once we finished installing them.

Both products have a 90-degree field of vision, but SimpliSafe has a 30-foot range, which we found left fewer “blind spots” in the rooms we used them in.

To use the Scout mobile app, you need to buy the “Always On” plan. This also protected our devices with battery backup, cellular backup, and meant we had self-monitoring capacity over our system.

In comparison, to access the SimpliSafe mobile app, we had to pay for their interactive plan, which was more expensive per month. This also comes with professional monitoring, unlimited camera recording, and emergency services dispatch.

Both companies have designed their products to be easy to install. We liked that most of the products we tested had adhesive backing or only required a mains socket for power, so they’re great options for if you’re renting.

Unlike Scout, SimpliSafe offers easier to understand instructions, and we liked that their video doorbell came with a helpful wiring guide so we didn’t have to get professional help. We also found it was easier to connect the SimpliSafe system to our Google Assistant.

Scout’s cheapest package comes with a base station, a door panel, one motion sensor, and two access sensors. We agreed that this would be a good kit for if you have an apartment or trailer, but you’d need to spend more to cover a house.

SimpliSafe’s Foundation package is the same price, but it only comes with a base station, an entry sensor, a wireless keypad, and a motion sensor.

But with SimpliSafe, we were able to customize a package of products that worked for our house, and we liked that this came with the option to return devices if we realized we didn’t need them.

Scout Alarm devices are sleek, modern, and we found that it was easy to disguise the hub amongst our other belongings thanks to the neutral colors. But, because the devices only come in white, the entry sensors only blended in on our windows. Everywhere else the Scout devices were very obvious, which was a major drawback for us.

Scout’s smart home hardware and monthly plans are the cheapest out of these two companies. Their base plan has a low monthly cost, but this only lets you self monitor the Scout alarm system. To get professional monitoring for our security systems, we had to pay higher fees than we would with SimpliSafe.

SimpliSafe is the most expensive option of the two, but we felt that the products and services reflected this premium price. Their base plan is more expensive than Scout’s, but it includes a professional monitoring service. Their premium Interactive Plan is more expensive than Scout’s Always On+, but it includes environmental monitoring and remote system control.

While both services are similar in price, we found that the SimpliSafe’s plans offered more value for money when compared to Scout.

After a thorough comparison of SimpliSafe and Scout Alarm our preferred choice is SimpliSafe.

As burglars are more likely to break in when you’re out of the house, we liked that this company gave us peace of mind that our property was safe. We liked that this system has a key fob for easy alarm control and that we could put a panic button on key rooms of our home.

The SimpliSafe security system has low monthly fees for their 24/7 monitoring service, their product packages are customizable for every home, and SimpliSafe equipment is easy to install thanks to their comprehensive user guides and DIY system.