Comparison

Alarm.com vs ADT Pulse ®

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Alarm.com

Connect and protect your home or business with a unified system. Remotely control security, locks, lights, and cameras, and receive intelligent alerts for crime, fire, or water damage. Automate routines and manage your property from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Remote property control
  • Intelligent alerts and live video
  • Security automation
  • Smart lock and light control
  • Video camera monitoring
  • Two-way doorbell communication
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Keep your home or business connected, protected and one step ahead with Alarm.com. Our technology connects your security, locks, lights, video cameras and more into a single system that protects you from crime, fire, carbon monoxide and even water damage. Our all-in-one app for iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch makes it easy to: • Control your entire property remotely • Know what’s going on with intelligent alerts and live video feeds • Automate your daily security routine and other time-consuming tasks Our Apple Watch-supported features make connecting with home or work as easy as checking the time, with alerts, video clips and a full range of smart controls accessible right on your wrist. Note: This app requires a compatible system and an interactive Alarm.com service plan. Feature availability varies based on system, equipment, and service plan. Visit www.alarm.com for more information. Our smarter home security features include: • Control your security panel, locks, lights and more from anywhere • Get alerts when people enter and leave, or when there’s unexpected activity • Watch live and recorded video from indoor and outdoor cameras • Customize your video alerts to see specific activity only • Talk to visitors through your doorbell camera and unlock your door from the same screen • Use Scenes commands to activate multiple devices with one touch Our smarter business security features include: • Arm or disarm your security panel across multiple locations • Get alerted if the store opens late or an employee accesses a restricted area • Get smarter video alerts that highlight specific types of activity • Automate your lights, locks, thermostats and more • Track and manage access to multiple properties • Buzz open your access control doors from the Doorbell Call screen • Respond to alarm events and alert emergency personnel Dependable in emergencies and helpful every day, Alarm.com is the all-in-one solution for the connected, protected home or business.

About

ADT Pulse ®

Control your home or business security and automation system remotely. Manage cameras, lights, locks, and thermostats, and receive alerts for peace of mind. Arm or disarm your system, adjust settings, and set custom automations from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Remote system arming/disarming
  • Control lights, locks, and thermostats
  • View live surveillance camera feeds
  • Receive security and arrival alerts
  • Set custom automations and schedules
  • Remote door lock/unlock
Read full description

The ADT Pulse® app allows you to control your home or business security and automation system from virtually anywhere. Using your iOS device, you can manage your home or business security system, surveillance cameras, lights, locks, thermostats and more! With a tap or swipe you can easily help protect what matters most to you, and enjoy an additional level of peace of mind. With ADT Pulse, you can: • Arm your system before you leave your home or business from virtually anywhere in the world. • Turn on your lights right from your app before you arrive at home or work. • Ensure you have turned off small appliances after you leave your home directly through the app. • Lock and unlock your doors remotely to allow the dog sitter or others to enter your home when you’re away. • Receive alerts when your children arrive home from school and view live video to check in on them. • Adjust your thermostat or put it on a schedule that fits your life. • Set up custom automations and schedules with vacation modes for the ultimate amount of control for your home! To use the ADT Pulse app, you must be an active ADT customer and subscriber to ADT Pulse interactive services.

Screenshots

Alarm.com4 screens
ADT Pulse ®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Alarm.com at free against ADT Pulse ®'s subscription. Alarm.com also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#142 vs unranked). ADT Pulse ®'s advantage is ratings volume (851K vs 141K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Alarm.com against 4.8 for ADT Pulse ®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ADT Pulse ® has 851K ratings behind it against 141K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of Alarm.com's written reviews are positive against 28% of ADT Pulse ®'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Alarm.com ships an update every 4 weeks, ADT Pulse ® every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Alarm.com versus ADT Pulse ®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlarm.comADT Pulse ®
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (141K ratings)4.8 (851K ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.0% of reviews28.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings141K851K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#142 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size438 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlarm.comADT LLC

Customer experience

Alarm.com

All ratings141,304 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews1,082 reviews
Positive23.0%
Neutral11.6%
Negative65.4%

ADT Pulse ®

All ratings851,347 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews257 reviews
Positive28.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative65.4%

User reviews

Alarm.com

From 141K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and intuitive app
  • 🔒 Provides good security and monitoring
  • 👍 Easy to use and control home devices
  • 💡 Helpful for remote home management

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent connectivity issues and app crashes
  • 🔋 Unreliable notifications and alerts
  • 👎 Poor customer service and technical support
  • 🕰️ Slow response times for arming/disarming

ADT Pulse ®

From 851K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable system
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🔒 Provides peace of mind
  • 🚀 Convenient remote access

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connection issues with app
  • 🐛 Slow camera feed loading
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance
  • 💰 Expensive service

Bugs and requests

Alarm.com

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent display of system status
  • Inability to update WiFi settings remotely
  • Unexpected resets of user preferences
  • Delayed or missing video recordings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable notification sounds
  • Ability to bypass specific sensors
  • Improved video quality and reliability
  • Integration with other smart home platforms

ADT Pulse ®

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App unable to connect to security system
  • Camera feeds frequently going offline
  • Arm/disarm functions not working reliably
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view full video history
  • Geofencing for automatic arming/disarming
  • Tighter integration with smart home devices
  • Faster app response times

In-app purchases

None

Alarm.com

No in-app purchases

None

ADT Pulse ®

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Alarm.com free?
Alarm.com is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ADT Pulse ® free?
ADT Pulse ® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Alarm.com or ADT Pulse ®?
ADT Pulse ® is rated higher. Alarm.com averages 4.7 out of 5 from 141K ratings, while ADT Pulse ® averages 4.8 from 851K ratings.
Do Alarm.com or ADT Pulse ® have ads?
Neither Alarm.com nor ADT Pulse ® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Alarm.com or ADT Pulse ®?
Alarm.com ships an update every 4 weeks, and ADT Pulse ® every 3 months. Most recently, Alarm.com was updated on September 24, 2026 and ADT Pulse ® on September 24, 2026.

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