The Best Home Security Apps System

Home security apps help you protect your home when you’re not there by letting you check in on a smartphone or tablet. Read our reviews to find the best home security app.

The Vivian app makes it easy to secure your home and control smart home features from anywhere (like turning up the heat on the way home from the ski hill). Many home security system apps are compatible with smart home controls, but they usually require multiple apps to control everything.

With Vivian, you’ve got one app that does everything from arming your system to turning off the lights. And you don’t need to upgrade to a more expensive monitoring plan to get the app—Vivian includes it with every package. Take a peek at the rest of our top contenders to see how they stack up against Vincent’s app.

Top 5 home security mobile apps

1. Vivint: Best for smart security
2. ADT Control: Best for voice control
3. Frontpoint: Best user interface
4. SimpliSafe Home Security App: Best for sharing video
5. Abode: Smart home pick

Compare the best home security system apps

Two types of security apps: Proprietary and Alarm.com

You might think the only types of security system apps out there would be apps for Android and apps for iOS, but it gets a little more complicated. Here’s our guide to navigating the differences between proprietary and non-proprietary (Alarm.com) home security apps.

Proprietary home security apps

Proprietary apps are developed by security companies specifically for their own systems. Each company owns its app and is responsible for features, updates, bug fixes, and customer satisfaction.

App quality varies by company, but the benefit of a proprietary app is that it’s tailor-made for your system. Depending on the resources of your security company, app development can be slower than with a generic, industry-wide app.

Alarm.com apps

Many companies forgo developing their own app and partner with Alarm.com instead. Alarm.com is a home security industry leader for both security equipment and the technology that supports it—including mobile apps. The Alarm.com app is compatible with a number of security systems and generally receives high customer ratings.

The downside is that updates and new features are dependent on Alarm.com and not your home security company, so some things like compatibility with new smart home devices can be delayed.

Reviews: Best home security system apps

1. Vivint Smart Home app: Best smart security

You’ll need to have a customer account with Vivint to use its app, but once you do, get ready for a slew of home automation functions. Adjust the lights so they’re bright when you pull in the driveway, turn down the heat while you’re at the office during the day, or unlock the front door for your kids if they forget a key.

Our favorite feature is the built-in AI assistant (Sky) that learns your routines and habits to help you manage your smart home right from your smartphone.

Sky uses geolocation and your home’s sensors to tell if your house is empty or full of a bunch of teenagers. It automatically adjusts the climate control to make sure the heat isn’t blasting when you’re out for the day (or when a crew of kids is upping the indoor temperature). Vivint Sky helps you conserve energy and stay comfy.

Plus, you can set up rules to automatically lock up the house at 10:00 p.m. each night and get an alert if a door or window opens after that time. If you’ve got rambunctious kids looking to exert a little too much independence, this feature could be a lifesaver.

Learn more in our complete review of the Vivint app and our Vivint security review

What can you do with the Vivint app?

• Activity feed
  See what’s going on with detailed reports of all the day-to-day activity in your home.
• Family plan
  Create and manage personalized accounts for every member of the household.
• Smart clips
  Save 20-second clips of security camera video to review later—whether it’s someone suspicious at the door or your dog doing something adorable.
• Vivint playback
  Add this feature to your app to store up to 30 days of continuous video.
• Custom actions
  Set up rules and routines to make life easier. Automatically turn lights on or off at the same time each day or lock the doors after everyone’s tucked in for the night.
• Sky AI assistant
  Benefit from Vivint’s learning technology that tunes into your family’s routines to help keep your home energy efficient and comfortable.

2. ADT Control app: Best for voice control

The ADT Control app works with ADT home security systems and monitoring. It boasts a full lineup of home automation controls so you can remotely let the kids in after school or check to make sure you didn’t leave the coffee pot on.

We especially like the voice control options that come with the ADT Control app. It allows two-way talk and it works with Amazon Alexa. You can use voice control to arm and disarm your system—an option that isn’t always available from a security system app.

Unfortunately, the ADT Control app isn’t available with every ADT home security system. You can get the ADT Control app only with some of ADT’s pricier packages. But it does get high customer ratings in both the App Store and on Google Play, so the high price tag seems worth it to most users.

What can you do with the ADT Control app?

• Voice control
  Use Amazon Alexa to arm and disarm your system, dim the lights, or turn up the heat.
• Alerts
  Receive text/email alerts when a window/door is opened or when the status of your system changes (e.g. from armed to disarmed).
• Video monitoring
  Watch live footage or store video clips to review later.
• Apple Watch integration
  View camera footage, control alarms, and set automation schedules on your Apple Watch.
• Smart home control
  Turn lights on and off, change the thermostat, or see if you left a small appliance on in your rush out the door.
• Custom automation
  Set up schedules for everyday life or program a vacation mode.

3. Front point app: Best user interface

Front point is the only security company on our list that uses Alarm.com technology for its mobile app. But Front point has put in a lot of time to customize the app to best serve its customers.

A great example of this is the company’s DIE installation guidance. Front point was one of the first home security companies to automate installation through a mobile app.

The Frontpoint app recently got a facelift, and users are raving about the simple, intuitive interface. The navigation menu is easy to follow, and the company has given more power to the individual user.

It used to take a call to customer service to change user settings, update login information, and make other standard changes. With the latest app update, those calls are no longer necessary—which is great news if you hate having to make phone calls (like me).

Learn more in our guide to the Front point app or the full Front point security review.

What can you do with the Frontpoint mobile app?

• System setup
  Follow the prompts for quick, easy setup of your Frontpoint security system.
• Notifications
  Get real-time alerts via text, email, or push notifications.
• Video
  Check in on your home, kids, or pets with live video or recorded clips.
• Smart home control
  Turn up the heat, dim the lights, or unlock the front door from your office or a ski slope.
• Account management
  Edit users, link multiple systems to a single login, and increase app security with extra features like two-factor authentication. No more need to call customer service for these housekeeping issues.

4. Simplistic Home Security app: Best for sharing video

Simply Safe has taken the home security world by storm, and its proprietary mobile app is one reason why. Just like every other part of a Simply Safe security system, the app is easy to navigate and intuitive for the user.

But that doesn’t mean Simple Safe skips all the bells and whistles. The latest app update lets you share video from your Simpl iCam or Video Doorbell Pro on social media.

We like this feature because we pick up more antics from our kids and pets than from potential intruders. Plus, all the best videos happen when the kiddos or puppies think we’re not watching.

But there are some quirks in the latest update that are frustrating—users complain about push notifications that won’t turn off and restrictions that let only one user receive alerts.

The Simple Safe app used to be limited to the most expensive monitoring plan, but Simple Safe ditched this up sell model. Now, the app is available with all plans. A few features, like downloadable video recordings, are still limited to certain plans, but you can always arm or disarm the Simple Safe system from the app no matter what. 

Find out more in our Simplistic security review.

What can you do with the SimpliSafe Home Security app?

• Alerts
  In addition to the usual notifications, you get updates about fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, and water leaks.
• Event log
  See who’s coming and going from your home. This is a great way to keep tabs on dog walkers and other household helpers.
• Smart home control
  Incorporate third-party smart home devices like Amazon Alexa, August door locks, Google Home, and the Nest thermostat.
• Video
  View live or recorded video, and share clips with friends and family on social media.

5. Abode: Smart home pick

Abode gave its app a complete overhaul. You get free access to the Abode mobile app when you buy an Abode smart security system or Abode Iota all-in-one security camera.

On top of a slick new user interface, here are other features of the Abode mobile app:

• Remote arming and disarming
• Live video feeds
• Unified dashboard for smart home and security functions
• Full administrative access (no more need to log into the web app)
• Single-touch quick actions to control automation for smart lights, smart door locks, smart garage door opener, etc.