Nest Secure monitoring will cost you, but… will you pay?

If you’re buying into the Nest Secure security system and want professional system monitoring, it’s going to cost you. We knew this when Nest introduced its product in September, but what we didn’t know was the pricing specifics. And now we do.

Customers who choose to have their Nest Secure monitored by MONI’s 7 by 24 service, will pay $24.99 a month with a three year commitment. Those who don’t want a three-year contract can do so at a price of $34.99 a month. The subscription also includes a cellular backup service for the Nest system; you can pay $5 a month for that separately if you don’t want professional monitoring, according to the Nest Secure product page.

These prices are separate from the optional Nest Aware subscription that has been available for some time. Consumers with Nest cameras can pay $10 a month (or $100 yearly) for the Basic Nest Aware plan, which provides a 10-day video history, intelligent alerts, clips and timelapse videos and the creation of activity zones. For $30 monthly (or $300 a year) the Extended Nest Aware plan boosts the video history to 30 days.

Part of me is surprised that Nest Secure is priced roughly the same as you’d find from many current and legacy home security providers. With these monitoring cost options, there’s little to differentiate Nest from other home security vendors.

Even as a product, I’m not sure the $499 Nest Secure offers a huge difference or step forward from what’s available in competing home security hardware, plus it costs more than comparable systems. The recently introduced Wink Lookout will only set you back $199, for example, as does the Ring Protect.

Nest Secure may be a little easier to arm or disarm, and the Nest Tag is certainly convenient. And integrations with Nest’s cameras and thermostats may be compelling. But open/close door sensors, motion detection, audible alarms and keypads are all table stakes today for home security. Add in either a contract or a $35 monthly fee for professional services and you could be describing any company in this space.

In fact, you could be describing MONI itself. Although Nest has contracted with MONI to handle the Nest Secure monitoring, MONI itself sells home security systems. And like the traditional security model, it provides the equipment for free but customers pay between $39.99 and $59.99 a month for the monitoring service. The company is reportedly the second largest home security monitoring company in the US (behind ADT) and also has more than 600 dealers in North America.

It may make sense for Nest to contract out the monitoring aspect of its security product rather than build it from scratch. But I suspect that many Nest Secure customers will simply stick with a lower cost Nest Aware service and rely on smartphone alerts from their Nest Cams and the Nest Guard centralized “brains” of Nest Secure.

Maybe I’ve just been in the DIY (do it yourself) camp for too long though. I’d be curious to hear from readers if they’re interested in the Nest Secure as a product first and also if the professional service is appealing too.