Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
Annke vs SimpliSafe
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Annke |  SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Alarm, Camera, Video doorbell, Smoke alarmCovers more |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 60 daysHigher |
| Free features | Local SD card storage without monthly fees | live feed and motion alerts |
| Top resolution | 4k | 2k |
| Price | $19.99 | Not confirmed |
| Minimum contract | Not confirmed | 0 months |
| Professional monitoring | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Local storage | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Cloud plan per month | Not confirmed | £0.42 |
| End-to-end encryption | Not confirmed | No |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 days |
Same on both: Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- Annke scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.3.
- Products: only SimpliSafe offers Alarm, Smoke alarm.
- Support channels: only Annke offers Email.
- Money-back period is higher at SimpliSafe: 60 days vs 30 days.
- Annke is available in 51 more countries.
- Power source: only Annke offers Poe.
- Ecosystems: only SimpliSafe offers Google.
Our verdict on each
Annke
Annke is a straightforward way to cover a house with cameras and video doorbells without a subscription line, and the entry figure of $19.99 sits below Aqara. It suits homeowners who want card storage and Alexa voice control more than a full alarm system.
SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe suits homeowners who want a self installed alarm with monitoring they can switch on, and who dislike long contracts. It ranks 1 of 60 brands on contract length, with a contract of 0 months and a cloud plan of £0.42 a month.
Score breakdown
| Area | Annke | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.7HigherEntry price of $19.99 sits below the £36.98 listed by Aqara, and the cost score of 9.7 reflects that. | 9.2Cloud plan is £0.42 a month and the contract runs 0 months, so the recurring cost sits at the entry price. |
| Offer | 9.2HigherThe range spans camera and video doorbell with 4k at the top and card recording as standard, for an offer score of 9.2. | 9.1alarm, camera and video doorbell covers alarm, camera, video doorbell and smoke alarm on one account, with professional monitoring yes. |
| Trust | 9.1Sold by ANNKE INNOVATION (HK) CO., LIMITED with support on email, chat and phone; the trust score is 9.1. | 9.9HigherSimpliSafe Ltd is the named seller, support runs on chat, phone and help centre, and the money back window is 60 days. |
Choosing between them
Pick Annke if cost matter most.
Pick SimpliSafe if trust, products, and money-back period matter most.
Side by side, item by item
| Products | Annke | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | No | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke alarm | No | Yes |
How they place
| Ranking | Annke | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 12 of 75 | 17 of 75 |
| Video doorbells | 10 of 54 | 14 of 54 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Annke | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Not confirmed | Diy, Monitored |
| Power source | Battery, Wired, Solar, PoeCovers more | Battery, Wired, Solar |
| Ecosystems | Alexa | Alexa, GoogleCovers more |
| Legal entity | ANNKE INNOVATION (HK) CO., LIMITED | SimpliSafe Ltd |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Phone, Help centreCovers more | Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Annke | SimpliSafe | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99lowest quarter | Not confirmed | $69.99 |
| Minimum contract | Not confirmed | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
| Recording retention | Not confirmed | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
Annke
Pros
- The entry price of $19.99 is below the £36.98 listed by Aqara, and a little above $13.99.
- Local storage is listed as yes, and card recording comes with no monthly fee, so the running cost stays flat.
- Support runs on email, chat and phone, which is wider than email alone at this price.
Cons
- The starting figure of $19.99 sits above $13.95 and $13.99, so the smallest budgets are served elsewhere.
- The listed ecosystems are alexa, so a Google Home or HomeKit household has nothing here to link to.
- The range covers camera and video doorbell, with no alarm panel or smart lock to add to the same order.
SimpliSafe
Pros
- No contract to exit: the contract term is 0 months, ranked 1 of 60 brands on that measure.
- The cloud plan costs £0.42 a month, and live feed and motion alerts stay included at no extra charge.
- Professional monitoring is available on the same platform, so no second supplier is needed.
Cons
- Recording retention is 30 days on the monitored plan, which is short for reviewing past events.
- Smoke alarm and video doorbell sit alongside the alarm in alarm, camera and video doorbell, but Aqara and The Home Security Superstore also add smart locks or personal alarms, giving more device options in the same basket.
- Chat, phone and a help centre make up chat, phone and help centre, with no email or community channel listed.
Who each suits
Annke
Who it suits
- Households that want footage kept on a card inside the home: local storage is listed as yes and card recording carries no monthly fee.
- People covering a front door and a garden in a single purchase, since camera and video doorbell handle both jobs.
- Alexa homes, where voice control is the main way the cameras get used; the listed ecosystems are alexa.
Who should look elsewhere
- Tight budgets: JOOAN lists $13.99 and The Home Security Superstore $13.95, each under Annke's $19.99.
- Google Home and Apple HomeKit households: the listed ecosystems are alexa only, so Aqara is worth weighing even at £36.98.
- Shoppers who want a wider basket, such as alarms alongside cameras: Annke's range is camera and video doorbell, so a broader comparison is worth making against Aqara at £36.98.
SimpliSafe
Who it suits
- Homeowners who want a self installed system and are happy to add monitoring later, since diy and monitored covers both self install and monitored setups.
- Renters and movers who want to leave without an exit fee, given a contract of 0 months.
- Households that want alarm, camera and video doorbell covered together rather than from separate makers, since alarm, camera and video doorbell sit in one account.
Who should look elsewhere
- Shoppers wanting smart locks or personal alarms, since The Home Security Superstore lists alarm, camera and smart lock.
- Buyers who want end to end encrypted video, since end to end video encryption is not offered.
- People after Aqara's smart home range, since Aqara lists camera, smart lock and smoke alarm.
Current offers
SimpliSafe
Current offer
Free trial
First month of professional monitoring free: 1 month free
with system order, monitoring plan required
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Annke | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Yes | No |
| Australia | Yes | No |
| Belgium | Yes | No |
| Brazil | Yes | No |
| Bulgaria | Yes | No |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Chile | Yes | No |
| Colombia | Yes | No |
8 of 52 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Annke
How much does Annke cost to get started?+
Hardware starts at $19.99. That is below the £36.98 Aqara lists and a little above the $13.99 and $13.95 shown for JOOAN and The Home Security Superstore. Across the brands ranked here, Annke sits at position 8 of 70 on price, so the entry figure is competitive rather than the cheapest.
Are there monthly fees or a contract to renew?+
No plan sits behind the hardware. Recording runs on an SD card in the camera with no monthly fee, which is the free tier the brand describes. Across the site, monthly monitoring sits at €0 and the typical contract term is 0 months, so there is nothing to renew and the outlay stops at the point of purchase.
SimpliSafe
What does SimpliSafe cost to run each month?+
The cloud plan is £0.42 a month, and that subscription covers the monitoring service rather than the hardware. You buy the alarm or camera kit separately at checkout. For comparison, monitored alarm systems on the site run a median of €9.38 a month, so the plan charge sits below the category average.
Is there a contract or minimum term with SimpliSafe?+
There is no minimum term, since the contract length is 0 months. That puts SimpliSafe first among 60 brands ranked on contract months. You can stop the plan when you want, and the system keeps working locally as a self install alarm without it.