ADT Pulse ® vs Vivint Classic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Vivint Classic
This app enhances home security, convenience, and energy efficiency by connecting smart home systems like security, HVAC, lighting, and video. It provides a streamlined network for managing various home devices through award-winning customer service and smart technology.
- Home security management
- HVAC control
- Lighting automation
- Video monitoring
- Smart appliance integration
- Energy efficiency monitoring
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Vivint, Inc. is one of the largest home automation companies in North America. Operating from offices throughout the United States and Canada, the company services close to 500,000 customers. Vivint is dedicated to enhancing security, convenience and energy efficiency. We do this through a combination of award-winning customer service and smart technology. The Vivint Go!Control panel creates a streamlined network that connects all of your home’s smart systems: security, HVAC, lighting, small appliances, video, and others. In addition, with consecutive awards from J.D. Power and Associates, as well as recognition from other internationally respected organizations, we are proving our commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ADT Pulse ® at 4.8 against Vivint Classic's 2.3. ADT Pulse ® also leads on ratings volume (850K vs 762) and device support (5 vs 3). Vivint Classic's advantage is monetization model (free vs subscription) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ADT Pulse ® holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ADT Pulse ® has 850K ratings behind it against 762, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of ADT Pulse ®'s written reviews are positive against 24% of Vivint Classic's.
ADT Pulse ® ships an update every 3 months, Vivint Classic every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ADT Pulse ® | Vivint Classic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (850K ratings) — better | 2.3 (762 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 28.1% of reviews — better | 23.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 850K — better | 762 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 6.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 99 MB | 98 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ADT LLC | Vivint |
Customer experience
ADT Pulse ®
Vivint Classic
User reviews
ADT Pulse ®
From 850K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Vivint Classic
From 762 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔒 Reliable security system
- 🚀 Convenient remote access
- 👍 User-friendly app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Significant delays in app functionality
- 🔍 Lack of key features in the app
- 💰 Expensive upgrades and service costs
Bugs and requests
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
Vivint Classic
Reported bugs
4 issues- App login issues and credential problems
- Inconsistent sensor and camera status updates
- Thermostat not responding to app commands
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to bypass sensors remotely
- Improve thermostat control and scheduling
- Extend video recording duration
- Implement Celsius temperature support
- Add panic/emergency alarm trigger from app
In-app purchases
ADT Pulse ®
No in-app purchases
Vivint Classic
No in-app purchases
