It’s time for a home security duel between Cove Security and Ring Alarm! We’ve spent hours, days, and months putting these systems through their paces in our own homes. If you want to compare Cove vs. Ring, we’re the specialists that can assist.
While we normally choose Ring over Cove, your choice will be determined by your priorities. Ring saves money and is highly handy, while Cove lacks Ring’s negative reputation. But first, let’s get into the specifics.
Pros and Cons
Product | Pros | Cons |
Cove | Unique emergency response features | Paid app |
No Wi-Fi reliance | Limited camera options | |
Continuous video recording | No self-monitoring option |
Product | Pros | Cons |
Ring | Low monitoring price | Controversial |
Free app access | ||
Unlimited camera options | ||
Cellular backup |
Main difference between Ring and Cove
Device | Ring | Cove |
Installation type | DIY or professional via X Line | DIY |
Installation fee | None if DIY | None |
Upfront cost | Equipment ranges from $60 to $1,010 | Varies based on equipment |
Trial period | 30-day free trial of Ring Protect Plus | 60-day money-back guarantee |
Contract terms | None; discount for prepaying annually | No term contracts |
Cove vs. Ring Alarm pricing and monitoring plans
Ring’s pricing edged out Cove’s.
Cove and Ring both have reasonable costs, although at this time, Ring offers more bang for your buck with monitoring and package prices. For Cove, rather than providing starter equipment bundles, they asks their customers to take a quiz to decide the right security equipment for their living situation.
Cove and Ring home security comparison
Home security company | Monitoring price range | Base equipment package price | Monitoring type | Details |
Cove | $17.99–$27.99/mo. | $150-$1,000 | Professional | View Plans |
Ring | $3.00–$10.00/mo. | $199.99 | Self, professional | View on Amazon |
Cove monitoring pricing
Plan | Price | Mobile app access | Smart home support | Learn more | |
Basic | $17.99/mo | No | No | View Plans | |
Plus | $27.99/mo | Yes | Yes | View Plans |
Both plans include Cove advancements such as the following:
- TripleTouch (alerts through three different communication methods)
- InstaText (quick text responsiveness)
- LiveAssist (live voice help through your alarm panel)
But to take full advantage of the smart security setup, you have to pay for the Plus plan. Otherwise, you won’t get smartphone control or smart home integration.
Ring monitoring pricing
Ring Alarm monitoring plan prices
Plan | Price | Mobile app access | 24/7 Professional Monitoring | Learn more |
Basic | $3/mo. | Yes | No | View on Amazon |
Plus | $10/mo. | Yes | No | View on Amazon |
Pro | $20/mo. | Yes | Yes | View on Amazon |
The Protect Plus package is one of the greatest home security offers we’ve seen. If you sign up for a year in advance, you’ll save $20, and the price includes cloud storage for an unlimited number of Ring cameras.
Even if you only choose the Basic package, you’ll receive mobile app control, smart home connectivity, and self-monitoring. In short, Ring charges $3/month for capabilities that Cove charges $25/month for.
More: Cove Security Vs Simplisafe
Security equipment
Wired or wireless? | Both | Wireless |
Camera options | Indoor and outdoor cameras | Indoor and outdoor cameras |
Video doorbell | Yes | — |
Control panel | Yes | Yes |
Motion sensor | Yes | Yes |
Entry sensor | Yes | Yes |
Glass break sensor | With Alexa-enabled devices | Yes |
Keychain remote | — | Yes |
Siren | Yes | Yes |
Panic button | Yes | Medical panic button |
Yard sign | Yes | Yes |
Cove and Ring equipment pricing comparison
Device | Cove | Ring |
Alarm panel/base station | $124.50 | $249.99 |
Door/window sensor | $7.50 | $19.99 |
Motion detector | $15.00 | $29.99 |
Flood sensor | $10.00 | $34.99 |
Panic/Medical button | $10.00 | $34.99 |
Glass break detector | $17.50 | $39.99 |
Indoor camera | $49.50 | $59.99 |
Outdoor camera | $99.50 | $99.99 |
Learn more | View Plans | View on Amazon |
More: Nest Vs Ring Vs Simplisafe
Cove vs. Ring Alarm: Cameras
Cove cameras
Cove used to sell just one camera, which is produced by YI. But good news! The company’s website now offers an outdoor camera as well, as well as two doorbell camera options
Cove camera prices
Camera | Price | Power source | Storage type | Details |
Indoor camera | $49.50 | Plug | Cloud and local | Learn More |
Outdoor camera | $199.00 | Batteries | Cloud and local | Learn More |
Kami Doorbell Camera | $99.00 | Batteries or wired | Cloud and local | Learn More |
Skybell Doorbell Camera | $189.00 | Wired | Cloud and local | Learn More |
The indoor camera is a plug-in device that supports both cloud and local storage. It also has human identification and baby crying detection, making it an excellent choice for a baby or pet camera.
The outside camera appears to be a Kami/YI product, but we’re not convinced. This one has a 140-degree field of view, “improved” night vision, and two-way audio.
Despite the fact that both cameras are from different manufacturers, they both operate with the Cove app.
Cove, on the other hand, does not sell its own camera storage. If you purchase a camera from Cove, you may join up for YI Cloud. You may also use an SD card to access the local storage capability.
Yi Cloud prices
Plan | Price | Cameras supported | CVR | Learn more |
7-Days Rolling | $39.99/yr. | 1 | No | View Plans |
24-7 CVR For 7-Days | $79.99/yr. | 1 | Yes | View Plans |
15-Days Rolling | $99.99/yr. | 5 | No | View Plans |
30-Days Rolling | $129.99/yr. | 5 | No | View Plans |
All YI camera plans work with up to five cameras. When you reach the 30-day threshold, you have the option to pay monthly instead of yearly. You also have the option of adding continuous video recording (CVR), which is a standout feature for YI.
Ring cameras
Ring makes just about every kind of camera imaginable! Instead of talking about every single one, we created an abbreviated table that highlights three products: the Indoor Cam, the Spotlight Cam (outdoor), and the Video Doorbell Pro.
Ring camera prices
Camera | Price | Power source | Storage type | Learn more |
Indoor Cam | $59.99 | Plug | Cloud | View on Amazon |
Spotlight Cam | $199.99 | Battery/wired/solar | Cloud | View on Amazon |
Video Doorbell Pro | $169.99 | Wired | Cloud | View on Amazon |
All three of these cameras provide two-way communication, night vision, and motion detection. They also interact flawlessly with the security system app, allowing you to quickly and easily verify your complete setup.
Ring cameras lack local storage, necessitating the purchase of a cloud video storage subscription. These plans are significantly less expensive than YI’s, as they provide storage for more cameras and more days at cheaper pricing. But, like YI, it would be wonderful to have local storage as well.
Ring Alarm cloud storage plan price
Basic | $3/mo. | Yes | 60-days | View Plans |
Plus | $10/mo. | Yes | 60-days | View Plans |
Pro | $20/mo. | Yes | 60-days | View Plans |
Smart-home features
Ring | Cove | |
Smart locks | Yes | — |
Smart lights | — | |
Smart thermostat | — | — |
Garage door control | Works with Chamberlain garage door openers | — |
Temperature sensor | — | Heat detector within smoke detector |
Water sensor | Yes | Yes |
Smoke detector | Yes | Yes |
CO detector | Yes | Yes |
Technology
Device | Ring | Cove |
Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
Mobile app monitoring | Yes | Yes |
iOS rating | 4.5 | 2.3 |
Android rating | 3.7 | 2.5 |
Notification/alert options | Push | Phone, email, text and push |
Home automation capabilities | Yes | — |
Voice integration | Yes | Yes |
Amazon Alexa | Yes | Yes |
Google Home | Yes | Yes |
Other integrations | — | — |