Updated September 30, 2026 · SmartHomeCue Editorial Team
AOSU vs SimpliSafe
AOSU vs SimpliSafe: the differences
| Compare | AOSU ReviewVisitVisit |  SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Camera, Video doorbell | Alarm, Camera, Video doorbell, Smoke alarmCovers more |
| Professional monitoring | No | YesHas it |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 60 daysHigher |
| Cloud plan per month | $4.99 | £0.42 |
| Free features | Live view, motion alerts, event notifications, 2-way talk, detection zones, PTZ and siren control; kits record locally on the 32GB aosuBase with no plan, free Standard aosuProtect+ plan gives live mode only | live feed and motion alerts |
| Top resolution | 4k | 2k |
| Recording retention | 120 daysHigher | 30 days |
| Price | $35.99 | Not confirmed |
| Monitoring per month | $0 | Not confirmed |
| Local storage | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Minimum contract (0 months), End-to-end encryption (No), Installation required (No).
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Key differences
- SimpliSafe scores higher overall: 9.3 vs 9.0.
- Products: only SimpliSafe offers Alarm, Smoke alarm.
- Professional monitoring: only SimpliSafe.
- Recording retention is higher at AOSU: 120 days vs 30 days.
- Support channels: only AOSU offers Email, Community.
- Support channels: only SimpliSafe offers Chat.
- Money-back period is higher at SimpliSafe: 60 days vs 30 days.
- AOSU is available in 27 more countries.
- Pricing model: only SimpliSafe offers Monitored.
- Ecosystems: only AOSU offers Smartthings.
Our verdict on each
AOSU
AOSU suits homeowners who want cheap cameras, a video doorbell and no subscription at all. Kits sit at $35.99 with $0 monitoring and no contract. The catch is that end to end encryption is not offered and cloud video needs a paid plan.
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 | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1Kits start at $35.99 with $0 monitoring and 0 months contract, plus a free Standard aosuProtect+ plan. | 9.2HigherCloud plan is £0.42 a month and the contract runs 0 months, so the recurring cost sits at the entry price. |
| Offer | 9.1Covers camera and video doorbell with 4k video, battery, solar and wired options and alexa, google and smartthings voice assistant support. | 9.1alarm, camera and video doorbell covers alarm, camera, video doorbell and smoke alarm on one account, with professional monitoring yes. |
| Trust | 8.5Backed by email, phone and help centre and a 30 days return window, with 120 days of cloud retention. | 9.9HigherSimpliSafe Ltd is the named seller, support runs on chat, phone and help centre, and the money back window is 60 days. |
What each covers
| Products | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm | No | Yes |
| Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Video doorbell | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke alarm | No | Yes |
Choosing between them
Pick AOSU if recording retention matter most.
Pick SimpliSafe if trust, products, professional monitoring, and money-back period matter most.
Licences and countries
| Country | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | Not confirmed |
Available in 1 country for both. Additional countries for AOSU: 27.
A third option
eufy has recording retention at 90 to 365 days, against 120 days for AOSU and 30 days for SimpliSafe.
eufy reviewHow they place
| Ranking | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Home security cameras | 2 of 75 | 17 of 75 |
| Video doorbells | 2 of 54 | 14 of 54 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Diy | Diy, MonitoredCovers more |
| Power source | Battery, Solar, Wired | Battery, Wired, Solar |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Google, SmartthingsCovers more | Alexa, Google |
| Legal entity | HONG KONG GLAZERO INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO., LIMITED | SimpliSafe Ltd |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong | Not confirmed |
| Founded | 2021 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre, Community | Chat, Phone, Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | AOSU | SimpliSafe | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35.99below the median | Not confirmed | $69.99 |
| Monitoring per month | $0at the median | Not confirmed | $0 |
| Minimum contract | 0 monthsat the median | 0 monthsat the median | 0 months |
| Money-back period | 30 daysat the median | 60 dayshighest quarter | 30 days |
| Recording retention | 120 dayshighest quarter | 30 daysat the median | 30 days |
Median across 65 listed brands.
Pros and cons
AOSU
Pros
- Kits record to the bundled aosuBase with no plan, so $0 monitoring works as a long term setup
- Cloud retention runs 120 days, with $35.99 hardware and a $4.99 cloud plan on top if you want remote records
- Local storage is supported, so footage can stay on the aosuBase instead of the cloud
Cons
- Professional monitoring is a no, so alerts are not escalated by anyone
- Cloud video needs a paid plan beyond the free Standard aosuProtect+ tier, which gives live mode only
- $0 monitoring still leaves the paid $4.99 plan for playback history
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
AOSU
Who it suits
- Homeowners who want cameras and a video doorbell on camera and video doorbell from one maker
- Renters and self installers, since installation is not required
- People who keep footage local and want to avoid a subscription
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs end to end encryption on cloud footage
- Households that want professional monitoring rather than self managed alerts
- Buyers who want a premium sensor at the £36.98 level rather than $35.99 value hardware
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
AOSU
Current offer
Free trial
aosuProtect+ cloud storage 30-day free trial: 30 days
Offered at the start of a paid aosuProtect+ subscription; requires a linked aosu device and payment details; charged after the trial
Source, checked September 30, 2026
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 | AOSU | SimpliSafe |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Yes | No |
| Belgium | Yes | No |
| Bulgaria | Yes | No |
| Canada | Yes | No |
| Croatia | Yes | No |
| Cyprus | Yes | No |
| Czechia | Yes | No |
| Finland | Yes | No |
8 of 28 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
AOSU
What does AOSU cost to start, and what is the monthly cost after that?+
Kits are priced at $35.99, and $0 is the monthly monitoring charge, so local recording runs without a subscription. Cloud playback is the only recurring line, at $4.99 a month. The free Standard aosuProtect+ plan gives live mode only, so cloud history is what you pay for.
Do I have to sign a contract with AOSU?+
The contract length is 0 months, so nothing ties you in beyond the hardware purchase. There is no minimum term and no early exit fee to think about. If you later want cloud playback, $4.99 a month is a rolling plan you can stop at any time.
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.