Virtual Keypad vs SecureSmart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Virtual Keypad
Control your home or business security system remotely. Arm/disarm, manage lights, locks, thermostats, and view live camera feeds. Automate actions and receive important notifications.
- Arm and disarm security system
- Control smart home devices
- View live and recorded camera footage
- Automate system actions
- Receive event notifications
- Manage user access
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Virtual Keypad™ App gives you control of your security system on-the-go. Connect to your home or business system to arm or disarm, control lights, locks, thermostats and more, easily with your app. Even view and record video from your security cameras. With the Virtual Keypad App, you can: • Arm and disarm your system • View what’s happening at your home or business • Control Z-Wave-connected devices such as thermostats, lights, locks and garage doors individually or all at once • Set up Actions to automatically control your system throughout the day • View and control Z-Wave devices using a photo or a security camera • Receive notifications when doors are opened or closed • View security cameras and your recorded clips • Add users to your security system from your app • Search your complete system event history • Cancel or verify alarms with live video view The app requires a compatible control panel and connected service. For more information about upgrading your alarm system, contact your DMP installing alarm company today. All features may not come standard with your app. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
SecureSmart
Control your home security system remotely. Receive real-time notifications for events like door openings or motion detection. Automate smart devices with custom scenes and recipes to match your daily routines.
- Remote security system control
- Real-time event notifications
- Customizable zone configurations
- Smart device automation (scenes/recipes)
- Cloud video storage
- Flexible IP camera support
Read full descriptionHide full description
About Alula At Alula, we believe that the best security solution is provided by the professional security dealer. And we know that today’s security customer expects more than just basic security. In order to deliver the best experience for the needs of today’s modern security customer, you need to design and develop the hardware, software, and services for a complete, end-to-end professional security system for the professional security dealer. The thoughtful technology in our products are designed to keep up with a changing world. Intuitive. Reliable. Innovative. Simplifying your business while saving you money. It’s what you deserve and what people expect. And we’re only scratching the surface of possibilities. Keeping people and property safe is your business. At Alula, creating the tools and support you need to do that, is in our DNA. It’s your home, you set the rules. The Alula App gives you what you deserve, reliability and control. Set rules for real-time notifications. Know instantly when doors and windows are opened or when motion is detected. Technology at your pace With event based “Scenes” and “Recipes”, your smart devices can support your way of life. Adjust the entire atmosphere in your home based on your day to day routines. Lights, cameras, garage doors and thermostats can adjust to greet you in the morning or when you arrive back home in the evenings. Alula Home Security Zone Configurations Alula uses zones in coordination with armed modes and zone configurations to determine how your security system responds when a sensor or detector is triggered. Customize your own zone configurations. Cloud Video Services Alula Cloud is an easy-to-use and affordable cloud video solution designed for businesses and homeowners. Now your customers can keep an eye on their home or business with the comfort of knowing their video is securely stored and can be retrieved from anywhere. - Cost Effective: Why purchase expensive hardware storage, especially if there are multiple sites that need surveillance. Easily manage all camera from one platform. - Easy to Use: Built for users who do not want to bother with complicated and expensive systems, with simple setup for dealers. - Flexible Camera Support: Alula Cloud video works with the largest number of leading IP Cameras. Select the right camera for each customer.
Screenshots
Verdict
Virtual Keypad and SecureSmart both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Virtual Keypad's written reviews are positive against 22% of SecureSmart's. Virtual Keypad also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 158). On price, rating, 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Virtual Keypad against 4.3 for SecureSmart. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Virtual Keypad has 13K ratings behind it against 158, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Virtual Keypad's written reviews are positive against 22% of SecureSmart's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Virtual Keypad | SecureSmart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (13K ratings) | 4.3 (158 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews — better | 22.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | 158 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 289 MB | 273 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Digital Monitoring Products, Inc. | Alula Holdings, LLC |
Customer experience
Virtual Keypad
SecureSmart
User reviews
Virtual Keypad
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient remote access
- 🔒 Secure system control
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Reliable security
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent connectivity
- 🐛 Unreliable arming/disarming
- 🐛 Slow to update status
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
SecureSmart
From 158 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works great for customers
- 👍 Integration with Alula
- 👍 Convenient remote arm/disarm
- 👍 Useful for programming/alerts
- 👍 Love the keypad feature
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Does not connect to alarm
- 🐛 Cannot arm/disarm alarm
- 🐛 Keypad removed from app
- 🐛 Update not user-friendly
Bugs and requests
Virtual Keypad
Reported bugs
5 issues- Timed out connections
- Unresponsive app controls
- Incorrect alarm status display
- Delayed push notifications
- Compatibility issues with updates
Requested features
6 requests- Improved scheduling options
- Customizable notifications
- Apple Watch app support
- Enhanced camera integration
- Geofencing automation
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Streamlined user management
SecureSmart
Reported bugs
78 issues- App crashes after login
- Does not connect after iOS 17 update
- Cannot arm or disarm
- Numbers too small, no color
- Disarm button removed
Show 73 moreShow fewer
- Doesn't work half the time
- App went offline
- Refuses to load on iPhone 7 Plus
- FaceID authenticates but won't arm/disarm
- App logged me out, won't let me log back in
- Not compatible with iOS 11.2.6
- Constantly offline, takes ten minutes to refresh
- Little delay when arming/disarming
- Arming/disarming via Face Unlock does not always work
- Keypad lock code used every time
- Locked me out of physical keypad
- Slow to load real-time info
- Takes 20-30 minutes to set/deactivate
- App lags, very glitchy
- Cannot tell if alarm is set until push notification
- Nothing happens when trying to remotely turn on/off alarm
- Almost never works for disarming or arming
- Close and relaunch multiple times before functioning
- Sporadically not working due to Do Not Disturb switch
- Requires going in and out several times before connecting
- Does not provide fully functional keypad
- Cannot bypass zones or turn on chime
- No audible sound when alarm activated
- Paid for upgrade, works 5% of time
- Slow to load, inconsistently arms and disarms, crashes
- Extremely unreliable
- Constantly says refreshing for hours
- Says disarmed when armed and vice versa
- Slow to connect and slow to never for viewing events
- Slower than molasses, waits over a minute for response
- So slow it appears not to work
- Doesn't work on Droid, works on iPhone
- Doesn't work most of the time
- Doesn't work at all if signal not full strength
- Constant authentication errors
- Freezes badly, rebooting phone is routine
- Displays alarm status disarmed all the time
- Takes FOREVER to confirm arming/disarming
- Requires restarting almost every time
- Does not communicate with alarm panel well
- Tells me alarm is off when it's not and vice versa
- Sat in house and watched panel, tried to disarm with NO success
- Shows home refreshing, reads disarming, nothing happens
- 90% of the time, it's 'refreshing'
- Sound setting for notifications doesn't work
- Lots of bugs
- Hangs up, doesn't authenticate properly
- Seldom displays system status
- Authentication errors, sometimes doesn't arm
- Stopped working, refreshing and hangs
- Very limited, no push notifications
- Takes way too long to send commands
- App crashes too often
- Security keypad display does not display updated information without a manual refresh
- App is extremely slow or hangs a lot
- App hasn't worked at all, says "refreshing" then goes blank
- Authentication error
- Prettier but plagued with issues
- Not being able to arm or disarm
- Every key press just says "transmitting please wait" then nothing
- Often shows an alarm panel state that is wrong
- Displays that it is "Disarming..." when it is not
- New version has problem with screen resolution on iPad
- Missing numbers 3, 6, and 9 on iPad keypad
- Screen doesn't scroll on iPad
- Arming with TouchID arms it in stay mode
- Shows devices refreshing on one of the two locks
- Changing thermostat temp goes back to previous setting
- Cannot get username/password sent
- Automatically closes app and refuses to open
- Syncing for the last 6 1/2 hrs
- Push notifications not implemented correctly in iOS 8
- App does not ask to accept push notifications on first start
Requested features
9 requests- Add progress bars or 'please wait' signs
- Add audible sound for alarms
- Add 4 function keys (ABCD)
- Fix TouchID arming issue
- Allow username/password reset
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Implement push notifications
- Improve user interface for better readability
- Add color to the interface
- Bring back the disarm button
In-app purchases
Virtual Keypad
No in-app purchases
SecureSmart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Virtual Keypad free?
Is SecureSmart free?
Which has better reviews, Virtual Keypad or SecureSmart?
Do Virtual Keypad or SecureSmart have ads?
Which is updated more often, Virtual Keypad or SecureSmart?
Other comparisons















