Filter your entry with the best video doorbell cameras

Other Video Doorbells to Consider

I have tested several other video doorbells. They are the ones who narrowly missed out on a place above.

SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell for $100: I don’t like the design of this large doorbell, but it comes with a small screen that you can use to see who is there and answer it. This could be handy for people who don’t want to rely on a phone and it allows anyone in the house to check who’s calling. Video quality is decent, although the frame rate is limited to 15 and the display is low resolution. You can save locally and there is a subscription option if you want cloud storage. Unfortunately, I found that the screen often took a while to wake up and I sometimes had trouble playing recorded videos.

Philips Hue Secure Video Doorbell for $170: After tedious installation, you get a stylish doorbell that delivers crisp 2K resolution day or night and a wide view that encompasses your entire porch. Notifications are fast and reliable, and you can sync your Hue lights in a nice way, but if you don’t already have one Philips Hue setupI would choose something from above. There is no local storage option and you must purchase a Smart Chime separately. Although you can get 24 hours of video for free, fake alerts will drive you crazy. You need to subscribe (starting at $40 per year) to get essential features, such as people detection, activity zones, and consecutive video recording.

Wyze Battery Video Doorbell for $66: Another solid budget option, you get decently sharp 1536 x 1536 resolution video with a 150-degree field of view from this doorbell. You can record locally to a microSD card and there’s good smart home connectivity, but you need a Wyze subscription, starting at $3 per month, to get people, package, animal and vehicle detection, consecutive video recording and rich alerts (it’s not worth doing without this subscription). The indoor chime is sold separately, and if you want advanced features like facial recognition or descriptive alerts, you have to pay more ($10 or $20 per month).

Logitech Circle View Doorbell for $200: As close as you can get to an Apple video doorbell, this compact wired doorbell offers a 160-degree field of view with a 3:4 portrait aspect ratio that covers your entire porch. Video is crisp and clear, in bright or low light, and the live stream is incredibly fast to load. The notification system can differentiate between animals, people and vehicles, and will begin to recognize familiar faces over time. It works directly through the Apple Home app, although there is Pros and Cons of Apple HomeKit Secure Video. Ten days of encrypted videos are stored in your iCloud account (if you have a subscription of 50 GB or more). Alerts come from Apple devices, but your regular chime also sounds when you press this doorbell. I love that live video appears on Apple Watch or Apple TV when someone rings the doorbell. The complete lack of Android or Alexa support will turn some people off, and I had several issues with this doorbell cutting out and having to be restarted at the fuse box.

Amazon Blink Doorbell for $70: One of the cheapest doorbells to consider (wait for one of Amazon’s frequent discounts to save even more), the Blink Video Doorbell only needs two AA batteries to run for months. But you need a subscription unless you buy with the Sync module (I recommend it). The Blink Basic subscription costs $3 per month or $30 per year. Video quality is 1080p with a limited field of view (135 degrees horizontal and only 80 degrees vertical). The lack of HDR displays in mixed light, with bright areas blown out and shadowed areas losing detail. If you have a person at the door with a light behind them, it may be difficult to see their face. Notifications were missing images or videos and were slightly slower than some competitors, but they still arrived. Two-way audio is passable.

Nest Doorbell (battery) for $180: If you can’t hardwire your doorbell, the battery version of our top pick is still a great doorbell. I tested it alongside several competitors and it consistently outperformed them. Alerts are quick, and notifications include animated previews that make it easy to decide if you need to take action. Although the resolution isn’t the sharpest (960 x 1,280 pixels) and the field of view is 145 degrees, Google compensates with HDR video at up to 30 frames per second.

Doro Home doorbell for £150: A simplified smart doorbell for seniors is a solid idea, and Swedish manufacturer Doro gets it exactly right with the Hemma. This is an easy-to-install and easy-to-use battery-powered doorbell, offering a 1440 x 1440 pixel resolution with a decent frame rate (30fps), local recording via microSD card, and a pluggable ringtone loud enough to be heard throughout the house. It worked reliably during testing and the mobile app is deliberately simple, with a handy option to forward calls to a trusted friend or family member (they’ll need the app too). The two-way audio works well, there’s a handy zoom function when you’re streaming live, and a siren to scare people. It’s streamlined, so there are no privacy zones or package alerts, and it may be too sensitive for occupied front doors, although you can set it to only alert when a doorbell rings. Battery life is decent, although the battery isn’t removable, so you have to remove the doorbell to charge it or use a portable charger. Unfortunately, it’s only available in the UK and Europe.

SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro for $170: If you’re looking for a solid security system, SimpliSafe is probably on your radar, and for people with a SimpliSafe setup, the Video Doorbell Pro fits in perfectly. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano found it sensitive at first, but, after an update, said it worked almost perfectly, sending prompt alerts and providing a good, clear view from her porch. Images max out at 1080p, but the camera supports HDR to banish glare and has a 162-degree field of view. It has to be hardwired and you need a subscription starting at $5 per month to record video, but SimpliSafe also offers the option of professional monitoring (starting at $32 per month), which is rare for doorbells and can make sense if you have a comprehensive security system with them.

TP-Link Tapo Battery Smart Video Doorbell (D230S1) for $106: For people looking for a local storage option that doesn’t require a monthly fee, Tapo’s Smart Video Doorbell is worth a look. Notifications arrive quickly and include a still image; Video quality is excellent, even at night, and the interior hub accepts a microSD card and doubles as a chime. On the other hand, it is bulky and the onboard AI (which is supposed to recognize people, pets, vehicles and packages) is flaky.

Difficult to recommend

We didn’t like every video doorbell we tested. These are the ones we do not recommend.

Imou 2S Doorbell Kit: Besides being big and ugly, the Imou doorbell offers sharp video recording up to 2K with a 166-degree field of view, and it has a unique trick: the lens can rotate 30 degrees to track subjects. The large size allows for a big battery, but this doorbell can also be hardwired. The kit includes a plug-in chime with a microSD card slot for local storage. Unfortunately, when testing side-by-side with the Arlo, it failed to detect some events. I also had major connection issues after changing routers, even though I kept the same network name and password. I had to reset the chime, which temporarily removed the doorbell. It is only available in the UK.

Reolink video doorbell (battery): We liked Reolink’s wired doorbell, listed above, so I was excited to try its first battery-powered model, but it was a disappointment. It offers up to 2K images with a 1:1 aspect ratio that gives you a full view of the porch, but you have to enable HDR in the settings, and it has a relatively low frame rate (15 fps). I like the no-subscription option, but it means inserting a microSD card into the doorbell itself, and it’s a relatively easy doorbell to remove. Reolink suggests up to five months of battery life, but my first review unit died after less than two and refused to charge. Reolink sent me a replacement, which works better, but when it runs out, the rechargeable battery inside cannot be removed, so you have to remove the doorbell to recharge it. Factor in the slightly confusing app, relatively slow loading times, and connection issues, and this is impossible to recommend.

Ezviz EP3x Pro: This is a much nicer doorbell than Ezviz’s previous models, and it’s nice to see solar panels as an option for doorbells, although you’ll need a porch that can catch some rays. Video quality is good and you get a split view (like the Eufy above) that includes packages or cats waiting at your door. The distortion correction works well and there is an optional color night vision with a built-in light, although it only works at very close range. I like the 2FA, with fingerprint login and 32GB of onboard storage (cloud storage is an optional extra). Unfortunately, if you use the solar panel, you will not be able to connect to your wired chime. The lack of HDR is disappointing, human detection was a bit poor (it often said I was a cat), and I had issues with alerts not coming through on some Android phones. (Even after following Ezviz’s instructions, they never worked reliably on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra.) This model is not yet available in the US.

Botslab 2 Pro Video Doorbell: The procedure of The spotty installation required a few reboots, and the physical installation wasn’t any better, as the supplied screws were so cheap that one of the heads broke off. The camera has a fisheye effect, but you can correct it with different views. I liked the VR mode, which offers a 180-degree view of your porch. It comes with a handy plug-in chime, the alerts seem reliable, there’s an HDR option, and you can record locally (32GB included) or to the cloud. You can also set a detection range, which can be handy for street-facing cameras. But the app is confusing, with an AI tab that lists various skills available for purchase. There is a login history and a limit of two devices logged in at a time, but no 2FA, making this impossible to recommend. It is versatile but also relatively expensive.

Swann SwannBuddy Video Doorbell: This doorbell comes with a battery-powered wireless chime and the option of local storage, but the positives end there. The video quality is poor, the app is extremely slow to load and glitches, and the doorbell often fails to register movement. I found the battery life disappointing. I also have to wonder about the decision to offer local storage via a microSD card inserted into the doorbell (the chime would make more sense and be more secure).

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