Vivint vs Frontpoint: Contracts, Equipment and Monthly Cost
As of October 2026, Frontpoint is a DIY system on a 36-month contract: $69 to $269 for a starter package and $44.99 to $49.99 a month regular monitoring, with an 80% early termination fee. Vivint is professionally installed: $199.99 to $1,549.97 for a package and $24.99 to about $59 a month, with month-to-month service if you pay for equipment upfront.
Figures researched 2026-10-01; each source below carries its access date. Prices change; treat any price here as "as of" its date.
What each company publishes
All figures below are from each company's own pages as of October 2026.
| Item | Vivint | Frontpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Entry package | HomeProtect $199.99 (36-month agreement) or $349.99 (no contract) | Essential $69 |
| Larger package | Security Starter $649.99 to Safety & Security $1,549.97 | Total Home $269 (adds cameras, motion and smoke/heat sensors) |
| Monthly monitoring | $24.99 or $29.99 on HomeProtect; approximately $49 to $59 on standard packages | Interactive $44.99, Ultimate $49.99, Video-Only from $14.99 (regular prices) |
| Contract | 36 months for discounted HomeProtect; month-to-month if equipment bought upfront | 36 months on each plan, per Frontpoint's offer terms |
| Early termination | We could not find a formula on Vivint's pricing article | 80% of the remaining monthly charges |
| Installation | Professional; free on HomeProtect 36-month, $199 on the no-contract path | DIY, no technician visit |
| Equipment warranty | 120 days | 3-year limited |
Frontpoint's $69 and $269 package prices are labeled as part of a Fall Savings Event, and its monitoring page also lists the plans per day (Ultimate $1.65/day, Interactive $1.48/day). Frontpoint is also advertising $24.99 a month and one free month on the Ultimate plan for new phone orders through November 5, 2026, on a 36-month plan; its terms do not state how long the $24.99 rate lasts, so we do not total it. Vivint labels its standard-package monitoring figures as approximations. Our Vivint monitoring cost guide has the full Vivint menu, and our Frontpoint cost guide does the same for Frontpoint.
How do they compare over 36 months?
This is our arithmetic from published prices as of October 2026, equipment upfront plus 36 months of monitoring, before taxes:
| System | 36-month total |
|---|---|
| Frontpoint Essential + Interactive ($69 + $44.99/mo) | about $1,689 |
| Frontpoint Total Home + Ultimate ($269 + $49.99/mo) | about $2,069 |
| Vivint HomeProtect, 36-month agreement ($199.99 + $24.99/mo) | about $1,100 |
| Vivint HomeProtect, no contract ($349.99 + $199 install + $29.99/mo) | about $1,629 |
| Vivint Security Starter ($649.99 + approx. $49/mo) | about $2,414 |
| Vivint Safety & Security ($1,549.97 + approx. $59/mo) | about $3,674 |
At the entry level, Vivint HomeProtect on its 36-month agreement is the lowest total of the systems listed here, because its $24.99 rate is about half of Frontpoint's regular rates. At the camera-package level, Frontpoint Total Home on Ultimate costs less than any of Vivint's three standard packages on these figures. Package contents differ, so treat the totals as a starting point rather than a like-for-like match.
The contracts matter as much as the totals. Leaving Frontpoint after 12 months of a $49.99 plan could cost about $960 under its 80% clause (our arithmetic: 24 remaining months x $49.99 x 0.8). Vivint's month-to-month path avoids that risk if you pay for equipment upfront. Vivint publishes 0% APR equipment financing through third-party lenders for qualified customers, covered in our home security financing guide; we did not find financing terms on the Frontpoint pages we checked.
Which one fits which buyer?
Of the two, by published pricing and terms as of October 2026:
- Frontpoint fits buyers who are comfortable installing peel-and-stick sensors, want a 3-year equipment warranty, and are sure they will keep the system for the full 36 months. Frontpoint states its monitoring is 100% cellular with up to 24 hours of battery backup.
- Vivint fits buyers who want a technician to install and configure the system, want cameras and smart-home devices set up for them, or want to avoid a long contract by paying for equipment upfront.
On features, both cover cameras and home automation, at different price points. Vivint's pricing article describes its Outdoor Camera Pro playing a warning tone and lighting an LED when someone lingers (Vivint calls this Smart Deter), and its packages are installed and configured by a technician. Frontpoint's Ultimate plan adds video with video analytics over Interactive, and Frontpoint says its monitoring uses the AVS-01 alarm validation scoring standard to verify intrusion alarms before passing them on. Neither feature set guarantees a faster police response in your area.
For how Frontpoint compares with the other big name, see ADT vs Frontpoint. For the wider market, our home security cost per month guide puts both brands next to DIY options. If you would rather compare real offers for your home, our quote form collects quotes from professional monitoring providers.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Frontpoint cheaper than Vivint?
- It depends on the package. On published prices as of October 2026, Vivint HomeProtect on a 36-month agreement totals about $1,100 over three years, lower than Frontpoint's Essential package on Interactive (about $1,689). Frontpoint's Total Home on Ultimate (about $2,069) is lower than Vivint's camera packages (about $2,414 to $3,674). These are our arithmetic from each company's published figures.
- Does Frontpoint require a contract?
- Frontpoint's offer terms state its Ultimate, Interactive and Video-Only plans are governed by a 36-month contract, with an early termination fee of 80% of the remaining monthly charges. Its referral terms also mention 1-year agreements, so ask which term you are signing.
- Is Vivint or Frontpoint professionally installed?
- Vivint offers professional installation with all its systems. Frontpoint is DIY: it says systems arrive pre-configured and most customers finish setup in under 30 minutes with no technician visit.
- What warranty does each offer?
- Frontpoint publishes a 3-year limited equipment warranty for customers in good standing. Vivint's pricing article lists a 120-day equipment warranty with in-home repair.
- Do Vivint and Frontpoint keep working if the internet goes down?
- Frontpoint states its monitoring is 100% cellular, with a backup battery of up to 24 hours. Vivint's pricing article describes built-in cellular on both of its monitoring blocks, one listing a 24-hour battery and one a 4-hour battery, without saying which system each applies to.
Sources
- Vivint pricing article (last updated September 2026): Security Starter $649.99 upfront or 4 payments of $162.50, approximately $49/mo monitoring and service; Doorbell Security $999.98, approximately $54/mo; Safety & Security $1,549.97, approximately $59/mo; HomeProtect $199.99 with free pro install and $24.99/mo on a 36-month agreement, or $349.99 with $29.99/mo, no long-term contract, install $199 extra; 120-day equipment warranty; professional installation offered with all systems; 0% APR financing for up to 60 months for qualified customers and a separate block offering terms up to 36 months at 0%; month-to-month service when equipment is bought upfront; functionality limited without a Vivint service plan; two monitoring blocks both labeled 'Vivint 24/7 Professional Monitoring', one starting at $44.99/mo (24-hr battery) and one starting at $24.99/mo (4-hr battery): https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/vivint-monthly-pricing (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Frontpoint offer details: Ultimate Monitoring Plan regularly $49.99/mo, Interactive $44.99/mo, Video-Only from $14.99/mo, each governed by a 36-month contract; early termination fee of 80% of monthly charges for the remainder of the term; $24.99/mo special pricing and one free month for new Ultimate telesales customers on a 36-month plan, valid through November 5, 2026; $69 Essential and $269 Total Home packages; 40% off additional equipment with 36-month Ultimate plan; 30-day risk-free trial with restocking fee up to $150 on late or incomplete returns; 3-year limited equipment warranty; price match applies to products not monitoring; referral terms mention 1-year or 3-year subscriber agreements: https://www.frontpointsecurity.com/offer-details (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Frontpoint monitoring page: Ultimate $1.65/day, Interactive $1.48/day, Video-Only $0.50/day, In-App Safety Button $0.17/day (each 'as low as'); Ultimate and Interactive both include intrusion, fire/CO, flood monitoring and home automation; Ultimate adds video with video analytics; 24-hour battery backup on Ultimate and Interactive; uses the Alarm Validation Scoring Standard (AVS-01) to verify intrusion alarms: https://www.frontpointsecurity.com/monitoring (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Frontpoint shop: Essential system includes 1 hub and keypad, 2 door/window sensors and a Home Defense Kit (3 items); Total Home includes Display Hub+, 3 door/window sensors, motion sensor, smoke + heat sensor, Home Defense Kit and the buyer's choice of indoor and outdoor cameras; DIY, peel-and-stick sensors, most customers set up in 30 minutes or less, no technician visit; 100% cellular monitoring; backup battery up to 24 hours: https://www.frontpointsecurity.com/shop (accessed 2026-10-01)
Related guides
- Vivint vs Ring Alarm: Pro Install Contract vs DIY Monthly Vivint vs Ring Alarm on published prices: financed equipment and a contract against DIY kits and month-to-month monitoring.
- Wired vs Wireless Security Systems: The Tradeoffs Nobody Spells Out Wireless systems dominate home security for good reasons, but wired still wins on batteries and interference. A plain comparison of how the two actually differ.
- Wyze vs eufy Security Cameras: Budget Price vs No-Fee Completeness Wyze vs eufy security cameras compared on published specs and August 2026 pricing: hardware cost, free features, local storage, and subscription fees.
- Wyze vs Tapo Cameras: Budget Models Compared Wyze vs TP-Link Tapo budget cameras on published specs, SD card support and plan prices, as of 2026.
- Abode vs Ring Alarm: No-Fee Tiers and Monitoring Compared Abode vs Ring Alarm on published prices: what works with no plan, what monitoring costs, and which integrates with more devices.