Home security cameras have become an essential part of a smart home setup — often, it's the first device that people will buy after a smart lock or a video doorbell. We've been testing cameras for more than a decade, starting with some of the first Nest, Arlo, and Ring cameras, and have seen them grow in capabilities with better resolution, night vision, and now, AI-enhanced features to let you better know who — or what — is lurking outside your house.
After testing dozens upon dozens of cameras in our own homes, both indoors and out, we think the best indoor camera is the Nest Cam, while the best outdoor camera is the Nest Cam (battery). Both are elegant, easy to set up, deliver excellent video, and are reasonably priced. Plus, they offer three hours of video storage without a subscription.
If those aren't quite what you're looking for, we're also fans of the Wyze Cam, which costs less than $50, yet delivers great video and a rich set of features.
However, to get the most out of Nest and Wyze cameras, you're going to need to sign up for a subscription; if you'd rather not do that, then we recommend Eufy's cameras; while some may cost more upfront, they'll be cheaper over the long run.
This guide includes security cameras for both indoors and outdoors, though we also have a more comprehensive guide to the best outdoor security cameras if you're looking for a deeper dive.
The quick list
High-quality video, free person detection, and three hours of video history without a subscription make this our favorite indoor security camera.
This camera can be used indoors or out, but wherever you put it, you'll get good video at a fraction of the price, as well as facial recognition. And, we like that it has local storage, too.
4K resolution, panning/tilting features, person, package, and vehicle smart detection, local storage, and a low price make this a great camera.
The same reasons we liked Nest's indoor camera apply here: Great video and great features at a good price. Plus, the outdoor version is very easy to set up and place just about anywhere you want.
The Blink Outdoor 4 camera offers great video quality for the price. You can also mount it almost anywhere, and its batteries will last up to two years on a charge.
While the EufyCam costs more upfront, the company doesn't charge a subscription for storing video or for features, making this very economical in the long run. And, it's an excellent camera, too.
Click to see 3 more picks
Arlo's cameras — and subscription costs — aren't cheap, but you're rewarded with the highest-quality video from a security camera.
This camera has everything we love about the Nest Cam (battery), but with two powerful floodlights added on.
Thanks to built-in LTE, a huge battery, rotating 4K camera, and a solar panel, this camera can be placed nearly anywhere and captures nearly everything.
The best home security cameras you can buy today
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Best indoor security camera
The redesigned Nest Cam (Indoor, wired) is the latest generation of the celebrated Dropcam—one of the first, and one of the best home security cameras. While this model may bear a passing resemblance to the original, it brings a number of improvements, including a lot of intelligence, such as on-device facial recognition and three hours of on-board video storage. While it's not expandable or removable (which we would have preferred), it's still a good backup in case your Internet connection gets disrupted.
Video quality from its 1080p sensor was excellent in both day and night settings. We were also impressed with audio; its microphone picked up sounds very well. It was really easy to set up, too; its magnetic base made it super simple to adjust the camera to capture exactly what we wanted.
To really make use of the camera's features, you'll have to shell out for the Nest Aware subscription, which starts at $6 per month, which is more expensive than both Ring and Wyze, but cheaper than Arlo's plans. Even without a subscription, you'll get three hours of video storage, person detection and customizable activity zones, which is more than you can say about cameras from Ring and Arlo.
The Nest Cam came out in 2021, so it's starting to show its age, as newer cameras have higher resolution video, but we still like the Nest Cam for its reasonable price and strong set of features.
Read our full Nest Cam (indoor, wired) review.
Best indoor camera value
Don't let the low price fool you; the Wyze Cam v4 is the best home security camera for those on a budget. This camera has a higher resolution than the Wyze Cam v3 (1440p vs. 1080p) , and while the quality isn't up to the same par as the 4K Arlo Ultra 2, we found it was still sharp enough to see who's there.
Its color night vision is especially impressive — during our testing, we were able to clearly see all sorts of details in an outdoor scene at night. It also has a 72-lumen spotlight, similar to the Wyze Cam v3 Pro. It's not going to illuminate your space like a floodlight, but we found it provided a little extra help in darker situations.
While the Wyze Cam v4 is rated for both indoor and outdoor use, it does need to be plugged into an outlet for power. If you're looking for a truly wireless budget outdoor camera, the Blink Outdoor 4 is the better option, though it lacks a built-in spotlight.
Without a subscription, the Wyze Cam v3 will save 14 days of video history, but clips are limited to 12 seconds, and there's a "cool down" period between each recording, so you might not capture what you want. However, the camera also has a microSD card slot which you can use to enable continuous recording and create time-lapse videos. You can get unlimited-length videos and no cool-down periods if you subscribe to Wyze Cam Plus ($2.99/month per camera) — that's the least expensive security camera subscription on a monthly basis, but Wyze doesn't offer as long as video history as its competitors.
Read our full Wyze Cam v4 review.
Best indoor camera without subscription
Eufy's S350 indoor security camera delivers a lot of value. For around $100, you get a camera with a resolution of 4K that can pan, tilt, and swivel to cover a full 360 degrees of your room. What's more, it comes with person, package, and vehicle detection for free — something that many other camera companies charge a subscription for. You can even set the camera to automatically track someone as they cross the camera's field of view. And, the camera has local storage built in, so it'll keep recording even if your Internet connection drops.
In our testing of the S350, we were impressed with the quality of the video. Not only was it sharp, but was also able to compensate for bright and dark conditions in the same frame, so we could easily see out of a dark room through a sun-filled window to the outdoors. Black-and-white nighttime video was equally vivid, as we were able to make out details as easily as the daytime.
The S350 also works with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can view live feeds through pretty much every smart display out there. Our only real complaint with the S350 was that audio was a bit watery, but other than that, this camera gives you a lot for not that much.
Read our full Eufy Cam S350 review.
Best outdoor security camera
Below is a selection of some excellent outdoor security cameras; however, we have a more comprehensive list at our best outdoor security cameras page.
The well-designed Nest Cam (battery) has a simple shape and is one of the easiest home security cameras to install, thanks to its magnetic base. We simply screwed the base into our wall, and the camera attached securely to the base via its built-in magnet — although we do have our reservations, as it makes it easier to steal.
As with the indoor Nest camera, the outdoor camera has a 1080p sensor, which isn't the highest resolution among security cameras these days, but gave us really sharp captures sharp during the day and night — it was easy to make out details in all our videos. We also liked its built-in microphone and speaker; not only did it pick up voices and noises well, but allowed us to talk to people on the other end and have them hear us clearly.
The Nest Cam (battery) also offers three hours of rolling video storage for free (though storage is not expandable or removable), as well as person, vehicle, and animal detection. If you sign up for a Nest Aware subscription (starting at $6/month), you also get familiar face detection as well as the ability to store up to a month's worth of video.
Read our full Nest Cam (battery) review.
Best budget outdoor cam
The Blink Outdoor 4 is the best home security camera for those looking for a truly wireless option for around $100. The camera runs off two AA batteries (which should last up to two years), and communicates wirelessly with a small base station that's connected to your Wi-Fi network.
The Blink Outdoor 4's case is weatherproof, so you can stick it either indoors or outside, and comes with a convenient mounting bracket. While not tops, the 1080p video is records is good for the price. While it lacks free cloud storage, you can save videos locally to a USB drive. Cloud storage starts at $3/month or $30/year, and also gets you person detection, faster access to your videos, and extended live views.
Blink's app is fairly robust, and while it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Arlo's cameras, this camera has plenty of features for the price. As an outdoor budget camera, we give Blink an edge over Wyze, for the simple fact that you can mount it anywhere, and not have to worry about plugging it in.
If you want to see even better in the dark, Blink also sells an Outdoor Floodlight Mount that adds two motion-triggered 700-lumen floodlights to the Blink Outdoor 4. You can purchase the mount for $39.99, or as a bundle with the Outdoor 4 for $159.99.
Read our full Blink Outdoor 4 review.
Best no subscription camera
While the EufyCam 3 has a high upfront cost — $549 for two cameras and the base station — you can make it up on the back end, as you don't need to sign up for a subscription to store video. But that's not all that impressed us; the EufyCam 3's 4K resolution was sharp and clear both day and night, and the massive battery and built-in solar panels meant we never had to recharge or replace the batteries, even after months of use.
The AI built into the cameras can be trained to recognize familiar faces, as well as vehicle and pet detection. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Video is saved locally on the HomeBase 3, which has 16GB of storage built-in; however, you can increase its storage capacity all the way up to 16 TB using a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD.
A wireless 4K security camera that never needs to be recharged and doesn't require a monthly subscription? That's a winner in our book.
Read our full EufyCam 3 review.
Best HomeKit camera
Among the limited selection of security cameras that work with Apple HomeKit Secure Video — where all footage is uploaded to your iCloud storage — the EufyCam 2C Pro is the best option we've tested. Although the camera is a few years old, it still delivers crisp video, has a small built-in light that helps illuminate things at night and capture color night vision. We were pretty impressed with the videos it took outside our reviewer's home.
The camera can also be used either indoors or outside; in fact, our reviewer has used one outdoors for several years without any issues.
Of course, as with any camera you use with HomeKit Secure Video, any footage you upload is downgraded to 1080p, so the EufyCam's 2K resolution goes a bit to waste here. However, you could always use the EufyCam's local storage, which will not only let you save at full resolution, but also keep you from having to pay Apple a monthly fee.
Our only real gripes with the EufyCam 2C Pro was that its audio was only so-so (though you should be able to hear people just fine) and its motion detection wasn't as sensitive as we would have liked, as it took longer than expected to pick up movement.
Read our full EufyCam 2C Pro review.
Best with 4K video
Not only do the Arlo Ultra’s cameras deliver the best home security camera video, but it also uses that extra resolution to enable digital track and zoom, which makes it easier to follow and ID a person as they move across the frame. A built-in spotlight also enables color recording at night, and it has dual microphones for better audio, as well as a built-in alarm loud enough to startle anyone nearby.
Arlo's cameras are completely wireless, with batteries that can last up to six months on a charge; the company also sells solar panels, which helps extend the endurance of the cameras even further.
All of this will cost you, though: A two camera kit (with the hub) is $599, and extra cameras are $299 each. The Arlo Ultra 2 doesn't come with a free tier of cloud storage, so you have to spend at least $4.99 per month for a single camera ($12.99/month for unlimited cameras) if you want to save any videos. That's the priciest of all the security camera storage plans on the market. But if you want the absolute best when it comes to video quality, the Arlo Ultra 2 has it.
Best floodlight cam
The Nest Cam with Floodlight is essentially the Nest Cam (wired) with two floodlights, so everything we liked about the standalone camera you get here, only with the added benefit of two powerful lights to illuminate things at night. The camera records great high-definition video, and has a three-hour local backup in case your Internet connection goes down. On either side are two dimmable LEDS that can crank out 2400 lumens, more than enough to brighten anything around.
Like the Ring Floodlight, the Nest camera needs to he hardwired to work, so it's less mobile than floodlights from Arlo and Blink, which can run on battery power alone. Still, you get a few niceties for free, including person detection, customizable motion zones, and (limited) local storage. Unless you need a camera that works with Alexa, this is definitely a floodlight camera to consider.
Read our full Nest Cam with Floodlight (wired) review.
Best WiFi free camera
If you need a security camera that can reach a spot on your property — or anywhere else — where there's no Wi-Fi signal, the Eufy 4G LTE Cam S330 could be the ticket. This camera can use an LTE signal to transmit video to your phone, so you're not tethered by your home's router. You're not tethered to an outlet, either, as this camera can run off battery power alone, and you can connect it to a solar panel — as we did — for virtually unlimited power.
Setting up this camera took a bit more effort on our part than with other security cameras — how often do you strap something to a tree? — but we liked that it came with a convenient green strap that was plenty long enough to wrap around our pine.
Once set up, we were treated to an expansive 4K view of our yard; while the camera itself has a 138-degree field of view, you can pan and tilt the camera in the app to cover far more ground. The panning motion was nice and smooth, and the video quality excellent.
Another thing we liked about the S330 — and all Eufy cameras in general — is that you don't need a subscription to use all its features. Yes, you can pay $3/month for cloud storage, but you can also just pop in a microSD card into the camera, too.
We even tested the Eufy 4G LTE Cam S330 for seven months and found that it held up perfectly. Our chief complaint is that the camera only connects via LTE, and not the far faster 5G network. Other than that, it's pretty great.
Read our full Eufy 4G LTE Cam S330 review
Also tested
Security cameras compared
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Nest Cam (Battery) | EufyCam 3 | Arlo Ultra 2 | Blink Outdoor | Ring Floodlight Cam |
Price | $172 | $439 | $479 (2-camera) | $99 | $249 |
Resolution | 1080p/30 fps | 4K | 4K | 1080p | 1080p |
Field of view | 135º | 135º | 180º | 110º | 140º |
Local storage | 3 hours | Yes (base station) | Yes (base station) | Yes (microSD) | No |
Subscription cost | $6/month | $4.99/month | $4.99/month | $4/month | $3.99/month |
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Nest Cam | Wyze Cam | Ring Stick-up Cam |
Price | $98 | $35 | $99 |
Resolution | 1080p/30 fps | 1080p/20 fps | 1080p/30 fps |
Field of view | 135º | 110º | 130º |
Local storage | 3 hours | Yes (microSD) | No |
Subscription cost | $6/month | $1.99/month | $4/month |
How to choose the best home security camera
Privacy and law enforcement
Generally, security camera companies will not share video with law enforcement unless compelled to do so by court order. However, some companies — most notably Ring and Nest — have policies where they will share video without an owner's consent and without their knowledge, if the company deems the incident to be time-sensitive.
If you do not want your video shared without your consent, you have several options. Arlo and Wyze do not provide user data without a warrant or court order. Cameras that use Apple's iCloud to store video and Eufy's cameras store user footage through end-to-end encryption, so they cannot even provide user footage to law enforcement even if they wanted to. Additionally, you can set up end-to-end encryption on some Ring devices, though by enabling this feature, you will disable a number of other Ring camera features.
Indoor or outdoor?
When shopping for a home security camera, the first thing you'll need to consider is if you're planning to mount the camera indoors our outside. Only those cameras that are designed to withstand the elements should be placed on the outside of your house.
Wired or battery-powered?
With both indoor and outdoor cameras, you also have to decide if you want a battery-operated model or one that has to be plugged in. The former are easier to install, but you'll have to recharge or change their batteries every few months. (Some companies also make solar panels, which can extend the life even further.) The latter might require you to install an outlet or drill holes through your wall, but then you won't have to worry about it afterwards.
Video resolution
Don't buy a security camera that has a resolution less than 1080p. Some cameras can now even record in 4K, which not only means much sharper quality, but also means you can zoom in and still see features clearly.
Local vs. cloud video storage
You also want to think about what each home security camera offers in terms of video storage. Most will let you store videos in the cloud, but many require you to pay a subscription to do so. A few cameras have memory card slots, so you can save video locally; however, if someone steals the camera, you lose your recordings with it. Be sure to check out our comparison of which home security camera has the best storage plan.
Person, animal, and vehicle detection
A camera that can distinguish between people, animals, and vehicles means that you can get smarter notifications about what's happening; this way, you don't have to open your camera's app every time it senses something.
Spot- or floodlight options
Some outdoor security cameras have spotlights or floodlights built in; not only does this make it easier for the camera to see things, but it's also handy for you to see in the dark outside your home.
Smart home compatibility
The majority of security cameras will work to some degree with Alexa or Google Assistant. (Fewer work with HomeKit). This means you can connect them with other smart home devices, so that the camera will turn off automatically when you're home, or start recording if a motion detector senses something.
Some cameras will even connect to a smart display, such as an Echo Show 8, so you can view a live feed from the camera. While not a critical feature, it's one that's nice to have, as it'll keep you from having to use your phone to see what's on the camera.
Subscription costs
Like it or not, many of the best home security cameras require a subscription in order to use all of their features. Some, like Ring, Arlo, and Blink, will not let you save video unless you sign up for a subscription; Google's Nest cams come with three hours of free storage, but if you want to save videos from longer than that, it will cost you.
However, some companies, such as Wyze and Eufy, do not require a subscription to save video — many of their cameras also have local storage — but do offer subscription services for cloud storage and other features. For a fuller rundown, check out our guide to security camera cloud storage.
How we test home security cameras
To find out which is the best home security camera, we set up each of the models inside or outside a home, noting the difficulty or ease of installation. We then use the camera over a period of several days. The first thing we look at is the quality of the video it records, both day and night. As a person walks through the frame, were their faces clear and well-defined, or was it a blurry mess?
We also look at the features that are available through the camera's app. Does it have such things as customizable motion zones? If you live on a busy street, you don't want the camera recording video and alerting you every time a car drives by. A good home security camera should also have a scheduling feature, so that you can turn it off while you're home, and on when you leave.
Last, we also consider how much it costs to view, save and share recorded video. While some cameras still let you view a few days of recorded video, the trend has been to only let you watch live video from your camera unless you sign up for a subscription. That means you can't look back a few hours or days to see who was walking through your yard. And, most subscription plans also include extra features, such as custom motion zones.
For more general information on how we review and rate products, be sure to check out the Tom's Guide how we test page.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to have a wired or wireless security camera?
It all depends on your needs. For the purposes of this guide, all of the security cameras we test are wireless in the sense that they transmit data via Wi-Fi.
However, some of the cameras need to be plugged in to an outlet to work (i.e. wired), while others are battery powered (wireless). If you're planning to install a security camera indoors, then a wired camera is probably the better option, as there should usually be an outlet near where you want to place it.
If you're looking to place a camera outdoors, then the wired vs. wireless debate is a little different. The advantage of a wireless camera is that you can place it virtually anywhere; however, it also means you'll have to recharge its battery occasionally. By contrast, you're more limited as to where you can place a wired camera, but you never have to worry about its battery running out of power.
Is there a security camera without a monthly fee?
Yes. Eufy's security cameras do not come with a monthly fee. Most other security camera companies — Ring, Nest, Arlo, etc. — charge a subscription in order to use all of the camera's features, such as saving video and getting customized alerts.
If you are invested in Apple's ecosystem, and are already paying a monthly subscription for an iCloud account, you can use that with a few security cameras that are HomeKit Secure-approved, such as the Logitech Circle View.
To find a detailed breakdown of what each company offers, check out our guide on security camera storage plans.
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