Short answer
The best home security companies show the shape of the deal before asking for a name: whether the equipment is credited or bought, that an installation charge and a monthly monitoring agreement apply, and how long that agreement runs. One service meets that bar on this page: HomeSafe, which matches homeowners with a professionally installed, 24/7 monitored system and prints its terms on the first page of its quiz.
- HomeSafe credits the equipment; an installation charge, a multi-year monitoring agreement and a credit check apply.
- Self-installed kits cost more up front and less per month, usually with no contract.
- Local dealers vary widely, from excellent to the worst in the industry.
- The total over the full term is the only number that compares a kit with a dealer; the monthly fee alone hides the agreement behind it.
The HomeownerPedia standard: We check every home security service on the same five points: what you pay up front, what you pay monthly, how long the monitoring agreement runs, what is actually installed and how clearly the terms are shown before you sign. This list grows as more services pass. The companies listed pay us when you use their link; that never changes the order. How we're paid.
Our pick
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Best for a professionally installed, monitored system
Good for: Homeowners who want the equipment credited rather than bought outright, a technician to install it and a monitoring center behind it. An installation charge, a monthly monitoring agreement and a credit check apply; the exact terms are on the first page of the quiz.
Prices, equipment and contract terms are set by the provider and can depend on your home, your state and a credit check. If this doesn't fit, the guide below covers self-installed systems and local dealers too.
Your options at a glance
Every home security setup is one of four things: a kit you install and watch yourself, a kit you install with a monitoring center behind it, a national service that installs and monitors for you, or a local alarm dealer doing the same. The table compares them on the numbers that decide the real cost.
| Route | Best for | Upfront | Monthly | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomeSafe | A professionally installed, 24/7 monitored system without buying the equipment outright | Installation charge; equipment credited | Monitoring fee | Multi-year agreement |
| Self-installed, self-monitored | Small homes, renters, people who will answer their own alerts | Full equipment price | None, or a small video fee | None |
| Self-installed, pro monitored | 24/7 response without a long agreement | Full equipment price | A monitoring fee, often month to month | Usually none |
| Local alarm dealer | Older or unusual homes, hardwired systems, someone local to call | Varies | Varies | Often 36 months |
What we say about HomeSafe comes from the company's own site, which prints its installation charge, monitoring rate and agreement length on the first page of its quiz. We have not verified them independently, and the final price depends on your home, your state and a credit check. Read our partner standards for how companies get on this list and what removes them.
HomeSafe review
What it is. HomeSafe is a home security service that matches homeowners with a professionally installed, professionally monitored system. Its offer, in the company's own words, is a new home security system with the equipment credited rather than sold, installed by a technician and backed by a monitoring agreement. The system is installed and monitored under a national monitoring brand's authorized-dealer program, which the company names on its site. Details in this section come from the company's own site, quiz.homesafematch.com, including the terms printed under the offer.
How it works. You answer six questions about your home and what you want protected (family, break-ins, package theft, fire and carbon monoxide, or general peace of mind). If you qualify, a technician installs the system and the monitoring agreement starts. The company states the key terms on the first page rather than after the form, which is the main reason it is on this list.
- Equipment: credited toward the system. You do not buy the hardware outright.
- Installation: a one-time charge, paid by the customer, with a state minimum in California.
- Monitoring: a monthly fee on a multi-year agreement, shorter in California. The rate and the term are printed on the quiz page.
- Conditions: homeowners only, satisfactory credit required, payment by card or bank draft, early termination fees apply, local permit fees may be required, and the offer is for new customers of the dealer program.
Best for: homeowners who want someone else to place the sensors and a monitoring center behind the system, who plan to stay in the home for the length of the agreement, and who would rather pay monthly than buy equipment up front.
What to watch. "Free" in a security headline refers to the equipment credit, not the system: you still pay the installation charge and the monitoring fee for the length of the agreement. HomeSafe prints both on the first page, so read them there before you answer the questions. Then ask what the rate is after the agreement ends, what moving costs, whether you own the equipment at the end, and whether cellular backup is included. Get the answers in the agreement itself.
Check my options with HomeSafe
The other routes: kits and local dealers
Self-installed, self-monitored. You buy a hub, sensors and a doorbell camera, stick them up in an afternoon, and get alerts on your phone. No contract, no monthly fee beyond optional video storage. The risk is the obvious one: when your phone is in a drawer, nobody is watching. It fits small homes, renters and people who are home most of the time.
Self-installed, professionally monitored. The same kit, plus a monthly fee for a monitoring center that calls you and dispatches police or fire. Most providers sell this month to month, so you can stop whenever you want. Over three years it is often cheaper than a dealer-installed system, in exchange for your own time and judgment on where sensors go.
Local alarm dealer. A local company that sells, installs and monitors, often with hardwired equipment and a technician who knows the area's building stock. Terms vary more than anywhere else, from excellent to the worst in the industry. Treat a local quote exactly like a national one: the same four numbers, in writing, before you sign.
How home security companies make money
Almost every professionally installed system is sold on the same model: discount the equipment, charge for installation, and earn the money back through a multi-year monitoring agreement. That is why the equipment can be "free" and why the agreement is long. Many national brands sell through authorized dealers, independent companies that install under the brand's name and sign you to the brand's monitoring. The dealer is paid for the sale; the brand earns the monitoring fees.
Matching services like the one on this page sit one step earlier: they collect your details and route you to a dealer, and they are paid by the dealer or by referral partners such as this site. None of this is a problem as long as the terms are visible before you commit. It becomes a problem when the headline says free and the agreement says 36 months in six-point type. Our main guide on how much a home security system costs walks through every charge.
Who qualifies, and what to have ready
- Homeownership. Dealer offers with an equipment credit are usually for homeowners only. Renters should look at self-installed kits.
- Credit. Expect a credit check for any offer that credits or finances equipment. A weak history can mean a higher installation charge or a larger deposit.
- Payment method. Monitoring is typically billed to a card or by bank draft.
- Time in the home. Be honest about whether you will be there for the full agreement. If not, a month-to-month option is usually the cheaper mistake.
- Your layout. Know how many exterior doors and ground-floor windows you have, and whether you want cameras. The basic package covers a few entry points; everything else is per device.
- Your insurer's discount. Ask what proof they need. The discount can offset part of the monthly fee.
How to compare two offers
| Ask for | Why |
|---|---|
| Total over the full term | Installation plus every monthly payment. The only number that compares a kit with a dealer. |
| Rate after the agreement | Promotional rates end. Month 37 can cost more than month 1. |
| Early termination and moving terms | The difference between a flexible agreement and an expensive one. |
| Equipment ownership | Owned equipment keeps its value; leased equipment goes back. |
| Cellular backup and battery | Decides whether the system works when the internet or power is out. |
| Who monitors | The installer and the monitoring center can be different companies. You want to know both. |
Red flags with any security company
- A price that "expires tonight". Real offers survive a day of thought.
- A door-to-door pitch that starts with a crime story. Fear is a sales tool; verify the claim with your local police department's public crime data before you believe it.
- Terms you cannot see before giving your details. If the installation charge and agreement length are not on the page or in the first conversation, walk away.
- An offer to "take over" your existing system from a salesperson who claims your current company sent them. Call your current company first.
- Pressure to sign on a tablet without a copy of the agreement. You are entitled to the full document.
- No cancellation form. A sale made in your home must come with notice of your right to cancel within three business days under the federal Cooling-Off Rule.
The Federal Trade Commission's page on the Cooling-Off Rule explains how that cancellation works, and your state attorney general takes complaints about alarm sales practices.
How we're paid: HomeownerPedia publishes free guides for homeowners. The next step on this page takes you to our comparison of your options. Companies on that page, including our partner, HomeSafe, a home security service that matches homeowners with a professionally installed, monitored system, pay us for referrals. If you continue to a partner's website from there, what you enter goes directly to it, not to us. You decide whether to move forward. HomeownerPedia is not a security company or installer. Equipment, monitoring prices and contract terms are set by the provider, and no system prevents every break-in.
Questions homeowners ask
Is a 'free' home security system really free?
No. The equipment is credited or discounted; you still pay an installation charge and a monthly monitoring fee on a multi-year agreement. The companies worth dealing with, including the one on this page, print those terms before you give your details. Add them up over the full term before comparing with a kit you buy outright.
How much does a professionally monitored system cost over three years?
Add the installation charge to every monthly payment over the agreement. With a typical multi-year agreement that total runs well into four figures, which is what the equipment credit is paying for. A self-installed kit with month-to-month monitoring can cost less over the same period, but you buy the equipment and install it yourself.
Do I need good credit to get a home security system?
For offers that credit or finance the equipment, yes, a credit check is standard and satisfactory credit is usually required. Self-installed kits you buy outright do not require one.
Can I cancel a home security contract?
Within three business days of a sale made in your home, the federal Cooling-Off Rule usually lets you cancel in writing. After that, the agreement's early termination terms apply, and they can mean paying most of the remaining months. Ask for the exact figure before you sign.
Which is better, a national company or a local alarm dealer?
Neither by default. National services are consistent and easy to compare; local dealers can be better for older homes and hardwired systems. Judge both on the same four numbers: upfront cost, monthly fee, agreement length and early termination terms, all in writing.
How we picked these services
We don't take a fee to be listed, and placement is not for sale. Every service here was checked on the same five points, using what each company publishes and what readers tell us. Partners do pay us when you use their link, and that never changes the order.
- Upfront cost: installation or activation charges, and whether the equipment is included or financed.
- Monthly cost: the monitoring rate and what it includes.
- Contract: how long the monitoring agreement runs and what ending early costs.
- What you get: whether the system is professionally installed and monitored around the clock.
- Transparency: whether the real terms are on the page before you give your details.
Every company here also passed our partner standards: registration and licensing, complaint history, fees, marketing promises and what you see before you sign. If a service stops meeting the bar, it comes off the list. Tell us at hello@homeownerpedia.com if your experience with any of them didn't match what you read here.
Recap: home security services we've checked
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Best for a professionally installed, monitored system
Good for: Homeowners who want the equipment credited rather than bought outright, a technician to install it and a monitoring center behind it. An installation charge, a monthly monitoring agreement and a credit check apply; the exact terms are on the first page of the quiz.
