(Credit: Cole Kan/PCMag/Getty)
Amid heated debates over the trade-offs of surveillance tech, Americans continue to purchase more and more security devices for their homes. Today, 61% of US households have at least one indoor or outdoor security camera, up from 52% in 2024, according to the latest home security market report from SafeHome.org. Meanwhile, 48% have a video doorbell, up from 45% in 2024, and 30% have a home alarm system, up from 28% two years ago.
Notably, the SafeHome survey finds that, for the first time, the percentage of people installing alarm systems themselves (49%) has outstripped the percentage getting a professional to install them (42%).
“It’s an excellent time to dive into DIY smart home security," says PCMag senior writer Andrew Gebhart. "We’re past the wild unpredictability of early adopter days, and most categories have several reliable brands to pick from that do the job well. Even better, those brands tend to work together and with your preferred digital assistant, so you can mix and match and still end up with an interoperable system.”
However, choosing the right alarm system, indoor and outdoor cameras, video doorbells, and smart locks can be daunting. Fortunately, your fellow PCMag readers are here to help, with our latest Readers' Choice survey results.
The Top Home Security Systems for 2026
For the first six years we conducted this survey, beginning in 2018, SimpliSafe was our top-ranked home security system. Then, in 2024 and 2025, it was Amazon's Ring brand. But this year, Ring's overall satisfaction (the key metric we use to pick winners) drops from 8.8 (out of 10) to 8.2, and SimpliSafe once again triumphs.
SimpliSafe, which is also our Editors' Choice and top pick for DIY security systems, receives 8.6 for overall satisfaction. Meanwhile, the brand scores 9.0 or higher for monitoring trustworthiness, setup, ease of use, individual sensors, and smoke and CO₂ detection.
Ring only bests SimpliSafe in one subcategory—it’s a tenth of a point ahead for reliability. ADT trails behind SimpliSafe and Ring in every subcategory in which they compete.
(Note: Click the arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)
“More than a decade ago, SimpliSafe blazed the trail in DIY smart home security, building a high-quality system that prioritizes ease of use and versatility,” says PCMag's editor-in-chief, Wendy Sheehan Donnell, who's been testing SimpliSafe since 2015. “Best of all, you're never locked into a pricey subscription. In 2026, SimpliSafe is still the leader in our lab testing and racks up impressive satisfaction scores with our readers.”
Or take it from this pleased survey respondent: “I installed SimpliSafe through a technician in less than an hour, and the app made the setup easy. One night, my front door sensor detected an unexpected opening while I was asleep. The siren sounded immediately, and because I had professional monitoring, the monitoring center called me within seconds to check if everything was OK. They were polite and quick, and I felt reassured knowing someone responded so fast."
When it comes to indoor cameras for home security systems, SimpliSafe is also our readers' top choice this year. It’s only up against Ring, but again bests it in most subcategories. However, the two do tie for likelihood to recommend. (Use the arrows at the bottom of the preceding chart to access the results on surveillance cameras that are part of overall home security systems.)
The tables are turned when it comes to outdoor cameras for home systems. Ring beats SimpliSafe, with better overall satisfaction and likelihood-to-recommend scores. (It should be noted that Ring's satisfaction rating drops from 9.0 last year to 8.2 this year.) Still, SimpliSafe comes out on top for video and picture quality, system cost, and ease of use.
“My experience with Ring outdoor cameras has been positive,” says one survey respondent. “The camera is easy to use, provides clear footage, and helps me monitor the outside of my home. The motion alerts are useful and give me more confidence about my home's security.”
To see which security systems our experts recommend, read The Best Smart Home Security Systems for 2026.
The Top Standalone Home Security Cameras for 2026
When it comes to standalone home security cameras, we've had a variety of Readers’ Choice award winners over the years: Google, Ring, SimpliSafe, and Wyze. Now, for the first time in six years, Wyze, known for its inexpensive cameras, is back in the winners' circle.
In the indoor camera space, Wyze beats its two competitors, Ring and Blink, both of which are owned by Amazon. Wyze outranks or ties with Ring in all the categories in which the former appears. Wyze is a full point ahead of the rest for likelihood to recommend (9.0) and scores particularly well for system cost and setup (both at 9.2). Ease of use, however, narrowly goes to last-place Blink.
The standalone outdoor security cameras category adds Eufy (owned by China's Anker Innovations) to the mix, but Wyze still wins handily. Wyze’s scores for overall satisfaction and video and picture quality are actually higher for its outdoor devices than for its indoor ones. Wyze again outperforms all other brands in the subcategories in which it appears, except in setup, where Eufy has the slightest advantage.
“Wyze even sells a camera that is indoors, but looks outside," Gebhart points out. "It attaches to the window inside the house without any tools. The brand really knows how to cover all the bases."
One reader says that Wyze offers "unbeatable" value: “For the price of one 'premium' camera from a big-name brand, I was able to outfit my entire living room and entryway. The setup was incredibly fast. I love that I can get reliable 1080p or 2.5K video with color night vision without a monthly subscription fee, thanks to local microSD storage. It's been a stress-free way to keep an eye on my home while I'm away.”
Another survey respondent tells us that Wyze came in particularly handy when their pet went AWOL. “Our cat had been missing for over two weeks, and when she came home, the Wyze cam on the patio alerted us," they write. "We were able to secure the patio and rescue our kitty cat.”
To see which surveillance devices our experts pick, read this year's The Best Indoor Home Security Cameras and The Best Outdoor Home Security Cameras.
The Top Smart Locks and Deadbolts for 2026
Schlage and Kwikset together control 95% of the US residential lock market. Schlage has traditionally dominated our Readers' Choice smart lock and deadbolts survey, but this year, for the first time, Kwikset takes the award
Schlage, in fact, barely made the cut this year: It receives scores only for our two most important subcategories, overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. In both, it trails Kwikset. Meanwhile, Kwikset has a particularly good rating (8.8) for both reliability and ease of use.
“Installing a Kwikset smart lock was a total game-changer for my household,” says one reader. “I haven't carried a physical key in over a year, and the convenience of just tapping a code or using my fingerprint to get inside with arms full of groceries is something I'd never give up.”
“I can see why people love Kwikset,” says Angela Moscaritolo, PCMag editor for home security products. “I love how the Halo Touch blends traditional design with modern features like a convenient fingerprint scanner. In our testing, the fingerprint scanner worked without a hitch, and the app made it easy to set up temporary user schedules."
Read The Best Smart Locks for 2026 to see which models win awards in our lab testing.
The Top Video Doorbells for 2026
When it comes to video doorbells, it’s a two-brand race, with Eufy up against the name that arguably started the video doorbell craze, Ring. But being first or dominating the market—in our survey, Ring has 5.75 times as many users as Eufy—doesn’t mean you’re the best. In fact, since we started including video doorbells in this survey in 2020, Ring has never won.
For the second year in a row, Anker's Eufy takes this category. In the subcategories where it goes head-to-head with Ring, Eufy's scores are generally half a point to a full point better; its overall satisfaction is 8.8, compared with Ring's 7.9. Eufy’s top ratings are 9.1 for video and picture quality and 9.0 for reliability, while Ring’s best scores are 8.4s for monitoring quality and its live view.
"Eufy is very easy to install and operate,” says one respondent. “My wife is not tech-savvy, but she manages the mobile app just fine, reviewing the videos and package deliveries.”
PCMag's Moscaritolo points out that the Eufy brand name frequently appears on PCMag's list of the best video doorbells. “The battery-powered Eufy E340 is a reasonably priced, highly rated pick for doorstep monitoring that lets you avoid recurring subscription fees to access recorded video and smart detection features," she says. "On the premium end, the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max is a standout device that combines a video doorbell and smart lock in a single exterior escutcheon and has an innovative interior screen that lets you view the camera feed."
Which video doorbells currently lead in our lab testing? Read The Best Video Doorbells for 2026 to find out.
The PCMag Readers’ Choice survey for home security was in the field from March 30 to Aug. 2, 2026. For more information on how we conduct surveys, read our methodology.
About Our Expert
I've been writing about computers, the internet, and technology professionally since 1992, more than half of that time with PCMag. I arrived at the end of the print era of PC Magazine as a senior writer. I served for a time as managing editor of business coverage before settling back into the features team for the last decade and a half. I write features on all tech topics, plus I handle several special projects, including the Readers' Choice and Business Choice surveys and yearly coverage of the Best ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs, Best Products of the Year, and Best Brands (plus the Best Brands for Tech Support, Longevity, and Reliability).
I started in tech publishing right out of college, writing and editing stories about hardware and development tools. I migrated to software and hardware coverage for families, and I spent several years exclusively writing about the then-burgeoning technology called Wi-Fi. I was on the founding staff of several magazines, including Windows Sources, FamilyPC, and Access Internet Magazine. All of which are now defunct, and it's not my fault. I have freelanced for publications as diverse as Sony Style, Playboy.com, and Flux. I got my degree at Ithaca College in, of all things, television/radio. But I minored in writing so I'd have a future.
In my long-lost free time, I wrote some novels, a couple of which are not just on my hard drive: BETA TEST ("an unusually lighthearted apocalyptic tale," according to Publishers' Weekly) and a YA book called KALI: THE GHOSTING OF SEPULCHER BAY. Go get them on Kindle.
I work from my home in Ithaca, NY, and did it long before pandemics made it cool.
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