The 5 Best Video Doorbells to Keep an Eye on the Outside While You’re Inside

Video Doorbells are among the best smarthome devices you can own. And these days, there are more choices than ever, each with different benefits and shortcomings. Whether it’s a locally-recording doorbell or one that can identify grandma, there’s a video doorbell for you.

Warning: We no longer recommend security cameras manufactured by Wyze and eufy. We’re currently evaluating replacement options and will update this article when suitable alternatives are available.

What to Look for in a Video Doorbell

It seems like every company in the smarthome game has a video doorbell for your consideration. But video doorbells call for more than slapping a camera and a button together and calling it a day. You’ll want to make sure the doorbell is compatible with your home and works well for your particular needs.

• Power Source: There are two ways to power a video doorbell: your home’s existing doorbell wiring or battery power.  Battery-powered video doorbells are easier to install, but require charging. Some (but not all) doorbells that run off existing wiring can make use of your home’s chime. If your wiring doesn’t work, then you’ll either want to choose a battery-powered doorbell or run a plug-in transformer from inside your home.
• Resolution: Like any other camera, resolution matters. Most video bells offer 720p, 1080p, or 2K resolutions when recording video. While the higher resolution does provide better quality, it also requires more bandwidth and storage space. It’s best to aim for at least 1080p for a good quality video.
• Chime Options: Most (but not all) wired doorbells can ring your home’s chime. But if it can’t (or you chose a battery-powered doorbell), you’ll need an external plug-in chime. Some doorbells include them, but for others, it’s an extra cost to factor in.
• Cloud Subscriptions: Nearly every doorbell offers a cloud subscription. For many, like Ring and Nest, it’s a requirement for advanced features like facial recognition and motion zones. You may also need a cloud subscription to review past videos—and the more history you want, the more it will cost. If you don’t want to pay monthly fees, look for a local capture doorbell.

The Best Overall Doorbell: Eufy Video Doorbell

You might be surprised to see a doorbell other than Nest Hello listed here, but Eufy earns the top spot with a few smart choices. First, unlike Nest Hello or Ring, you don’t need a cloud subscription.

The Eufy doorbell records videos locally and provides advanced features like motion zones and facial recognition without cloud processing. The doorbell records 2K video (like the Nest Hello), and while it can’t ring your home’s chime, it comes with a HomeBase that acts as a Chime. That HomeBase also stores your videos on a 16GB hard drive using AES-256 data encryption.

You can either wire it up or run it off batteries. All-in-all it provides 90% of Nest Hello’s features for about 65% of the cost, and that’s before cloud subscriptions.

The Premium Pick: Nest Hello

If you don’t mind cloud subscriptions, Nest Hello is the absolute best video doorbell you can buy. Thanks to cloud processing, it does a better job of correctly identifying human movement (as opposed to a cat or sunlight) than the Eufy doorbell does.

It also records continuously, works with your home’s existing chime, and remembers who people are so it can identify them by name. Because Google makes it, Nest Hello has better integration with Google Home than any other doorbell. If you have a Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max, the video will appear nearly instantly on those devices when someone rings the doorbell.

Just keep in mind that Google locked Nest Hello’s best features behind the Nest Aware subscription. You can only get facial recognition, video history, and motion zones when you subscribe. If you don’t, it’s the equivalent of a digital peephole—only useful when you’re looking at it.

Best Battery Powered Doorbell: Ring Video Doorbell 3

If your home’s doorbell wiring doesn’t work or you don’t want to mess with electricity, then a battery-powered option might be the way to go. Life the Eufy battery-powered doorbell, the Ring 3 can use your home’s wiring or you can skip that and use the included battery pack instead. You’ll just need to recharge it once in a while.

The Ring 3 records 1080p video and much like the Nest requires a subscription to view previous footage. If you don’t wire the doorbell into your home, you’ll need to buy a separate chime to hear when someone rings the doorbell. The latest model includes improved zone detection and 5 GHz wi-fi support. Ring does have Alexa integration, which includes doorbell announcements. That could negate the need for the separate chime purchase.

If you prefer to keep your videos locally stored, the Eufy battery-powered doorbell is another great option.

The Best Budget Doorbell: Eufy Video Doorbell

The Eufy Battery-Powered Video Doorbell is excellent, but what if you want to save a little money? If you don’t mind giving up some storage space and you have the option to wire your video doorbell, you can.

The original Eufy Video Doorbell was our former Best Overall pick, and for good reasons. You still local storage, no subscriptions feeds, and on-device person detection. It doesn’t use a HomeBase, and it can’t be battery-powered. But it does come with a Chime.

Watch for sales and coupons, which can often bring down the price more than $50 off the newer battery-powered Eufy Doorbell.

Best for Renters: Ring Peephole Camera

If you’re not allowed to make changes to your doorbell or other hardware, the Ring Peephole Camera is your best pick. Instead of replacing your existing doorbell, the Ring Peephole goes on your door. As the name suggests, it replaces the door’s peephole.

You can still use your peephole as you usually would, but it also doubles as a camera that can notify you of visitors. As a bonus, if someone knocks on the door, the camera will detect that and notify you.

Like the Ring 2, the Peephole camera records in 1080p resolution, uses a rechargeable battery, and features close integration with Alexa. Best of all, it comes with the necessary tools to install it. Since it doesn’t have a wiring option, you’ll have to buy a plug-in chime if you don’t want to rely on Alexa or phone notifications.