Frontpoint vs. Cove Home Security

There’s no denying it: Frontpoint is a lot more expensive than Cove. While you can get an affordable basic equipment kit with Frontpoint and can only build your own system with Cove, the other Frontpoint plans are significantly more expensive, and Frontpoint’s monitoring plan costs twice as much as Cove’s top plan.

Frontpoint’s monitoring is pricey in general, not just compared to Cove. The average price for professional monitoring is in the neighborhood of $30 per month, which makes Frontpoint’s $49.99-per-month monitoring plan look bougie.

It matters that Frontpoint’s monitoring plans are so pricey because that monthly cost really adds up. Frontpoint’s monitoring plans will cost you a cool $500 to $700 per year. In the words of Hollaback Girl, that’s bananas.

View Frontpoint Plans | Read the Frontpoint Home Security Review

Compared to Frontpoint’s professional monitoring prices, Cove looks like a gosh darn steal. You can pay as little as $17.99 per month for Cove’s professional monitoring service.

Even though Cove’s budget option looks tempting, we recommend upgrading to Cove’s Plus professional monitoring plan. It will still save you money over Frontpoint, and you get way more features than you would with Cove’s Basic plan.

Cove’s Basic plan doesn’t give you access to Cove’s mobile app, and it doesn’t have smart home support. You can’t pair your alarm system with Alexa or Google unless you have Cove’s Plus plan.

We don’t like that Cove reserves essential features (like mobile app access) for its premier monitoring plan. We’ll say this for Frontpoint: it doesn’t hold back. Frontpoint’s Ultimate monitoring plan gives you smart home support, mobile app access, and security camera support to boot.

View Cove Plans | Read the Cove Home Security Review

Both Frontpoint and Cove offer financing options if you don’t want to shell out several hundred dollars on security equipment right away.

Frontpoint will let you finance your equipment over the length of 6, 12, or 36 months. With financing, Frontpoint’s security system starts as low as $10. But watch out because you may have to pay interest depending on your specific agreement.

Cove offers a 36-month financing deal where you can get up to $415 worth of equipment at no up-front cost. But you have to pay an additional $10 per month for the whole three-year period. After 36 months, Cove forgives the rest of the equipment credit (about $55 at that point).

If you cancel your Cove service before the 36 months are off, you have to pay off the remainder of your equipment balance. Cove’s financing option also isn’t available to all property types. (You can’t get it if you live in an apartment.)¹

Frontpoint and Cove have a lot of the same equipment, but Frontpoint gives you more options. Whereas Cove has one control panel and that’s it, Frontpoint lets you choose from a simple wireless keypad or a touchscreen tablet.

Frontpoint’s monitoring and some starter kits costs a lot more than Cove’s, and so does most of its add-on equipment.

Frontpoint and Cove both offer kind-of-basic security cameras. If you want the most advanced home security cameras or the cheapest home security cameras, then these are neither.

But both Frontpoint and Cove have indoor and outdoor cameras that will cover your basics. Frontpoint has a couple more camera options than Cove does, including two doorbell options and a Premium Indoor Camera.

Our main complaint with Frontpoint’s cameras is that Frontpoint doesn’t make their tech specs easily available.

Frontpoint cameras are actually manufactured by Alarm.com, but it’s still hard to say for sure exactly which versions Frontpoint uses.

The wired version of the Alarm.com Doorbell Camera records in 720p resolution, while the wireless option records in 1080p (which is better). And you'll get 1080p resolution with both indoor cameras and the outdoor camera.

We do like Frontpoint’s Premium Indoor Camera. This camera can keep an eye on your pets or kids, and it also has an outbound-call function. If your kids are too young to have phones, they can press the button on the top of the camera to call you while they’re home with the babysitter. And if you're worried about camera hackers, Frontpoint’s cameras are encrypted, so hackers can’t easily access your video feeds or stored footage.

Cove offers a  video doorbell camera, indoor camera, and outdoor camera.

Most of Cove’s cameras are basic, but they are affordable. The Cove Indoor camera is only $60, which is definitely reasonable.

Cove’s Outdoor Camera is a little more versatile. It’s wire-free, which makes it easy to install wherever you need it. And we like that both of Cove’s cameras have local storage, which is more secure than cloud storage.

Frontpoint and Cove both work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but Cove’s integration can’t do as much as Frontpoint’s can.

With Frontpoint, you can use Alexa or Google to arm your Frontpoint security system, turn on your smart lights, and turn down your thermostat. Frontpoint offers smart light bulbs, a smart lock, and a smart plug you can control with your voice. 

Cove doesn’t have any of its own smart devices, and it doesn’t work with smart devices from other brands like Philips Hue or Schlage. Cove offers a small selection of sensors, cameras, and detectors. You can use Alexa or Google to arm your Cove security system or ask about its status, but you can’t do much else.

Cove and Frontpoint both have excellent customer service. Customers love them, judging by their high Trustpilot scores^2,3 and A+ ratings through the Better Business Bureau.^4,5

If you have a problem with either security system, you can probably find the answers to most of your questions in the company’s online support center. Cove has a Knowledge Base, and Frontpoint has a support hub.

If you do need to contact them, then both Cove and Frontpoint have support reps available through multiple channels, including live chat, email, and phone.

• Frontpoint customer service number: 877-602-5276
• Cove customer service number: 855-268-3669

Frontpoint’s security system has more advanced technology and better smart home support than Cove’s. But Cove’s starter kits and monitoring plans are much more affordable than Frontpoint’s, and its customer service is just as good.

• Prices and monitoring plans: Cove. You’ll pay a lot less for Cove, both up-front and over time, than you would with Frontpoint. Both monitoring and equipment packages are cheaper through Cove.
• Security equipment: Frontpoint. Frontpoint has more equipment options than Cove does, which makes it easier to find what you need to protect your home.
• Cameras: Tie. Frontpoint and Cove both have doorbell cameras and similar options to choose from.
• Smart home integrations: Frontpoint. Frontpoint is much better for smart homes than Cove. Frontpoint has better voice control than Cove, and Frontpoint offers smart devices that Cove doesn’t have, like lights, smart locks, and plugs.
• Customer service: Tie. Both Cove and Frontpoint have excellent customer service and solid online support centers.

Read the Frontpoint Home Security Review | Read the Cove Home Security Review

We judge all home security systems on five essential criteria:

• Price
• Equipment
• Home automation
• Cameras
• Customer service

We’ve been covering Frontpoint and Cove security systems for about three years. We’ve tested Frontpoint and Cove security systems and talked to representatives from both companies to make an accurate assessment of the pros and cons of each.

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