The 6 Best Smart Doorbell Cameras of 2021

How We Tested

Our expert reviewers and editors evaluate smart doorbell cameras based on design, performance, video quality, and features. We test their real-life performance in actual use cases monitoring our homes. We also consider each unit as a value proposition—whether or not a product justifies its price tag, and how it compares to competitive products. All of the models we reviewed were purchased by Lifewire; none of the review units were furnished by the manufacturer or retailer.

About Our Trusted Experts

Nick Jaynes has been writing for Lifewire since 2019. With a degree in media journalism, he's previously been published on Mashable, Digital Trends, and other sites specializing in consumer technology. He tested the Zmodo Greet, praising it for the ease of its install and high-quality audio.

Andrew Hayward has been covering consumer tech since 2006. He's previously been published on TechRadar, Stuff, Polygon, and Macworld. His expertise includes smart homes, and he's installed a full smart home setup in his house, including the RCA Video Doorbell which he liked for the fact it doesn't rely on a subscription model.

What to Look For in a Smart Doorbell Camera

Many of the smart home devices that have popped up in recent years are for the insides of our dwellings, whether they’re smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo, app-connected thermostats, or customizable lighting. Smart doorbell cameras are one of the most notable exceptions, essentially combining the utility of a traditional doorbell with a security camera—and then pairing it with access-from-anywhere app compatibility.

Installed on the front of your house, a smart doorbell camera from a maker like Ring, Google, or Eufy lets you peer out into the world without leaving the comfort of your home. You can watch the live video stream to silently see what’s happening out front, or get alerts when someone walks near. And if they ring the doorbell, then you’ll get an alert on your phone, allowing you to begin a call and decide whether or not you want to go to the door and engage.

There’s quite a bit of diversity amongst smart doorbell cameras, however. Some require wired installation, while others work wirelessly via a Wi-Fi connection. Some gate their more advanced features behind a monthly subscription fee, for example, while others require no additional payment after the initial purchase. And some have potentially compelling software features, or better compatibility with other smart home devices.

If you’re thinking about adding a smart doorbell camera to your home, here’s what you need to consider, as well as a look at which brands currently lead the pack.

Wired or Wireless?

Depending on the kind of home hardware you already have—or perhaps your general level of handiness—this might be read more like: Lots of hassle or little hassle? Wired smart doorbell cameras require your home to have existing doorbell wiring installed, plus you’ll need a transformer powerful enough to handle this kind of device. If you don’t already have that wiring intact, then you may need to hire an electrician to do it for you.

Depending on the location of your wiring, you might also be limited in the size and style of doorbell that you can fit on your home without significant additional work. There are also smart video doorbells, such as the Ring Video Doorbell Elite, that require power via an Ethernet cable. That might be a whole other can of worms.

Wireless smart doorbell cameras, on the other hand, offer a lot more flexibility in positioning because they run solely on battery power. You might want to buy a second battery pack or otherwise have to deal with a stretch of time in which your doorbell camera is down due to charging. That’s your call.

Video Quality

When looking out into your neighborhood at whoever might be in front of your place, it won’t be very helpful if that person looks like a pixelated blob. Video quality is a key component of a good smart doorbell camera, and as you might expect, you usually get better hardware the more you spend on a device.

At a minimum, you probably want something that records video at 1080p (Full HD) resolution, although some offer higher-resolution 2K (Quad HD) or 4K (Ultra HD) recording. Some of the cheaper models only provide 720p quality, which is considered HD, but isn’t going to be as sharp as higher-resolution hardware. That might get the job done, but it’ll be more difficult to make out faces and other details with fewer pixels in the mix.

Also, note that different smart doorbell cameras provide varying perspectives. Some give you a wide circular frame within typical widescreen dimensions, while something like Google’s Nest Hello doorbell opts for a 4:3 frame to give you a head-to-toe look at anyone at your door.

Design

As mentioned, there are practical considerations with smart doorbell camera design, such as whether you need to connect to existing wiring or install fresh wiring, as well as whether you’ll have enough room along your door frame to fit the device.

But aesthetics play a role, too, and smart doorbell cameras come in different sizes and styles. Some have the sleek and refined look of a futuristic gadget, such as the Nest Hello, while lower-priced models from RCA and Zmodo definitely look cheaper and less refined. That’s the trade-off, though—you get what you pay for with smart doorbell cameras.

App Experience

Smart doorbell cameras rely on smartphone apps for much of their core functionality, with a bespoke app from the manufacturer allowing access to live video streams, two-way talk with anyone at your door, settings and options, notifications, and movement alerts.

The quality of these mobile apps can range significantly. For example, the Ring app used across its myriad doorbells is a polished and well-designed experience that’s easy to navigate. However, the app for the RCA Doorbell Video Camera is clunky and inconsistent (but usable). You’ll want to do some research—including reading Lifewire’s reviews—to make sure that the doorbell you choose provides a quality app experience, as that is core to its day-to-day utility.

Some smart doorbell cameras provide extra perks or opportunities for fine-tuning, as well. You can usually use a smart doorbell camera app to change the distance at which the camera recognizes movement—for example, to make sure that every passing car doesn’t send you an alert. Google’s Nest Hello doorbell, meanwhile, has facial recognition to send special alerts for faces it knows.

Subscription Fees

Unfortunately, the more advanced that a smart doorbell camera is, the more likely it is to require some kind of ongoing subscription to access specialized features. For example, Ring doorbells have an optional Ring Protect service that activates the ability to automatically record movement and moments in which the doorbell is pressed. There’s also a pricier Ring Protect Plus service that bundles in 24/7 professional security monitoring. Google and Arlo smart doorbell cameras also have certain features tied to subscription plans.

Keep that in mind when considering the price of a smart doorbell camera, as the monthly or annual subscription fees could significantly amplify your long-term investment. It might be worth it, however, if you’re looking to make the most of your device and its capabilities.

Smart Home Integration

Smart doorbell cameras are part of an ever-growing suite of connected smart home devices, so it makes sense that some of them have ties into various ecosystems with other devices. For example, you could have your Amazon Echo or Google Home device announce when someone presses the doorbell, or view the live camera stream from your Echo Show or Google Nest Hub device.

The downside, however, is that these ecosystems don’t always play nice with each other—as of this writing, you can’t view footage from an Amazon-owned Ring device on a Google Nest Hub, for example. As with Apple and Android gadgets, you’ll benefit from sticking to one compatible ecosystem and buying devices that can work together in concert. Not every smart doorbell camera even allows connectivity with other devices, however.

Brands/Manufacturers

There are a few key makers of smart doorbell cameras today, and each provides a different balance of features, style, and affordability. Here are the standouts:

Ring:

Ring is arguably the best-known company in this space, having popularized the concept of smart doorbell cameras. The Amazon-owned company offers both wired and wireless models, and has a polished app experience that includes a social “Neighbors” component… which you might love or loathe. Given Ring’s recent security issues and vulnerabilities, however, we’ve removed their products from our list of the best smart doorbell cameras for the time being.

Google:

The Nest Home smart doorbell camera applies Google’s considerable AI smarts to deliver a feature-rich product that can recognize familiar faces, for example, and send you custom notifications as a result. You’ll also know if a package is delivered or snagged from outside your door via image recognition software, but you’ll have to pay for a Nest Aware subscription for some of these bonus features.

Eufy:

We’re fans of Eufy’s 2K video doorbell, which records video at a higher resolution than 1080p and doesn’t require any kind of ongoing subscription thanks to local storage in the device itself. It’s also compatible with both Google and Amazon devices, letting you watch the video feed from either an Echo Show or Nest Hub. Eufy offers both wired and battery-powered versions of its doorbell.

Arlo:

Arlo’s Video Doorbell looks a fair bit like Google’s Nest Home, but is compatible with Amazon’s Echo instead. It opts for a 1:1 square video feed, giving you a good look at the full bodies of any visitors, and is only available in a wired version. Like Ring and Google doorbells, there’s also a paid subscription service for advanced features, although you get the first three months free with purchase.

August

The August View smart doorbell camera is a wireless model with a rechargeable battery, and it pairs well with the company’s other devices. For example, if you also have an August Smart Lock installed, you can remotely unlock your door to let people in after answering their doorbell press. It also comes with a plug-in chime for your home, so that you get an audible alert within your home when someone presses the buzzer.

RCA

The longtime electronics giant doesn’t make a lot of smart doorbell cameras, but its device is unique for using microSD cards for local storage instead of having a paid cloud service. The app is a bit clunky, but the lack of any sort of ongoing financial commitment makes this straightforward wired model a potentially compelling one.

ADT

Security service ADT also now offers a smart video doorbell that integrates with the rest of its home security hardware. The 720p camera quality is a bit low, otherwise it looks to be comparable with many of the other leading smart doorbell cameras on the market today.

Accessories

Chime

Some smart doorbell cameras offer optional chime accessories, which plug into a wall outlet inside your home and issue an audible alert when someone presses the doorbell buzzer. This can help ensure that you are alerted in case your phone is on silent or not near you.

Echo Show/Nest Hub

As mentioned above, Amazon and Google both sell home assistant devices that have video screens, letting you view the feed from compatible smart doorbell cameras. Amazon has the Echo Show and Echo Spot devices, while Google’s Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max serve similar purposes. However, not every smart doorbell camera is compatible with either or both companies’ devices, so be sure to check the details.

Other Considerations: Security and Privacy

Smart doorbell cameras offer a way to monitor who approaches your house and presses your doorbell, whether you’re inside or in a completely different location. Beyond acting like a security camera in some ways, it also provides the preventative element of surveillance hardware, potentially scaring off robbers who see that you’re recording them with a smart doorbell.

It’s good for peace of mind and could also save you the stress or confrontation of having to answer an unexpected visitor. However, there are also downsides that come with having a smart doorbell camera, whether it’s the potential for data leaks (as seen with Ring) or having to pay a monthly or annual fee to access some of the more compelling features.

All of the leading smart doorbell cameras on the market today do all of the same core tasks of letting you view the world outside your door from anywhere and enabling two-way talk with anyone who visits. If you just want that bare-bones functionality, then you won’t have to spend a bundle or commit to a subscription plan. It’s the more advanced features, such as cloud recording and AI-driven facial recognition, that typically require additional investment.

Conclusion: How to Pick the Best Smart Doorbell Camera 

Before considering a smart doorbell camera, consider why you want one and which features are most important to you. Think about where you want to place the device around your door and whether you have existing doorbell wiring to work with—or if you’re willing to pay someone to add wiring, if you’re not equipped to do it yourself. Some smart doorbell cameras are much easier to set up than others, so bear all of that in mind before investing in one.