Just because you want to go with a professional home security installation doesn’t mean you’re not at least a little cost sensitive. In that case, Xfinity is objectively the cheaper option compared to Vivint. But does cheaper (with regard to the equipment you get with Xfinity) mean “cheap?” Not at all. Here’s the breakdown:

Xfinity offers three starter-kit type packages at $360, $480 and $600 price points. Vivint, meanwhile, only has one, at $500. There are some minor differences in the included equipment (Vivint gives you a flood sensor, but Xfinity includes one additional door and window sensor, plus a battery backup that Vivint doesn’t offer at all). However you slice it, Xfinity’s $360 includes more gear and costs $140 less than Vivint’s $500 starter kit.

When you turn to Xfinity’s more expensive packages, the price differences become even more jaw-dropping. To pare with Xfinity’s $480 tier, you’d have to spend $700 at Vivint ($500 starter kit plus $200 in add-ons). To match Xfinity’s $600 package, you’d have to plunk down an eye-popping $1,250 at Vivint.

Both Xfinity and Vivint offer professional monitoring services that start at $30 per month that vary only slightly in the services they offer (both provide mobile alerts, Vivant supports medical pendants). Xfinity has one available upgrade for $40 per month, which includes a week’s worth of video recordings and better presence detection.

Maybe — maybe — you could justify Vivint’s higher prices if the gear was somehow better — newer, nicer, more capable, etc. But, as you’ll see in a moment when we look at Vivint, it’s really not, it’s just more expensive. (A $400 outdoor camera? Get outta here.) Not to mention, many (if not most) of the third-party gadgets you can integrate with either system are the exact same devices, like the MyQ garage door opener, Kwikset smart lock and Nest Learning Thermostat.

The main difference between the equipment you get with Xfinity versus the gear you get with Vivint isn’t quality — it’s availability. This is where Vivint wins the point. Although Xfinity offers two devices that Vivint doesn’t — a wireless keypad and a battery backup — Vivint sells four things that Xfinity doesn’t carry, which we’ll take a look at in the next section.

Read our full review of Xfinity Home Security.

There’s no getting around it; Vivint is more expensive than Xfinity across the board. However, while the equipment you get from both companies is on about an even keel, Vivint does have the advantage of offering more sensors and monitors than Xfinity. The question is, how necessary, important or useful are those extra features?

The answer is that it depends on your individual needs. Vivint sells four devices you can’t get with Xfinity — a flood sensor ($50), glass break sensor ($50), carbon monoxide detector ($100) and car guard ($200). Everyone should have a CO detector, but you may or may not even need the other three. 

If you live in an apartment above ground floor, for example, you may not have much use for a flood detector (depending on the location of your water heater) or, for that matter, a glass sensor (if your windows aren’t accessible from outside the building, for example). Likewise, if you don’t own a car, there’s nothing for the Vivint’s car guard to plug into.

If, however, you live in a flood zone — or your water heater doesn’t have adequate drainage, should it burst — a flood sensor could alert you to a potentially costly and devastating problem. If burglars could gain entry to your home by breaking a window — and such a threat is of genuine concern to you — glass sensors could ease your mind considerably. 

Also, Vivint’s car guard lets you track your vehicle’s whereabouts, which could be useful if you have young drivers you’d like to keep an eye on (not to mention in the event it gets stolen). And with its monthly monitoring service, Vivint offers two tiers above the basic level — a $40 plan that includes smart home integrations, like being able to adjust the thermostat when the system detects that no one is home, and a $45 tier that includes a video archive.

How much extra might you end up paying for all these features when you put them together? To be honest, quite a bit, in part because once you buy into a system, you also lock into its prices. But, again, depending on your circumstances, Vivint’s additional features could end up saving you time, money and heartache in the long run. You’re the only one who can put a price on your own peace of mind.

Read our full review of Vivint Home Security.