They’re not quite ubiquitous but smart doorbells are now a common sights on door frames everywhere. They’re one of the best examples – along with smart thermostats – of where adding technology to an existing product can make it a whole lot more useful.
With a smart doorbell, you’ll always know when someone’s at your door because you’ll receive a notification on your phone when the doorbell is pressed. Better still, most smart doorbells will detect a person’s presence near the door and alert you anyway, just like a security camera.
Thanks to built-in cameras, microphones and speakers, smart doorbells let you see, hear and speak to someone whether you’re not home or not.
If you miss a notification or can’t answer the door, these doorbells can often issue a standard reply such as “I can’t answer right now” and record video of the person so you can see who it was and what they may have been trying to deliver later on.
If there’s a catch, it’s that most manufacturers want you to pay a subscription to do anything other than watch the live video feed and receive notifications when the doorbell is pressed. This, of course, adds to the overall cost and must be considered when choosing: don’t just look at the price of the doorbell itself.
However, you don’t need a subscription for all doorbells. Eufy, Netatmo and Ezivz doorbells don’t force you to pay for cloud storage, and they don’t lock away useful features behind a subscription.
Many of the best doorbells can limit notifications to specific things, such as a person, vehicle, parcel or animal, rather than alerting you because of a swaying tree branch or some other motion you don’t care about.
Prices vary a lot, as do features and video quality. Below, you’ll find our pick of the best smart doorbells available right now for all budgets, but scroll down to find more expert buying advice.
Best smart video doorbells 2024
1. Eufy Video Doorbell Dual – Best overall
Pros
- Dedicated parcel camera
- HomeBase with 16GB of storage included
Cons
- Expensive
- Whole unit must be removed for charging
If your budget will stretch to it, the Eufy Video Doorbell Dual is well worth the cost. It’s unique here because it has two cameras: one facing forwards, and one pointing at the ground so it can watch out for parcels.
It offers great control over motion detection so you only get notifications that you care about. Better still, it comes with an indoor module called the HomeBase which acts like a range extender and means you don’t need a strong Wi-Fi signal at your door as with most other smart doorbells.
The HomeBase has 16GB of built-in storage for recording video, meaning there’s no need to pay a subscription as you do with Ring, Google and other doorbells that offer no local recording option.
Video quality is impressive both day and night, and you have a choice of using the built-in battery to power the unit or using a transformer for continuous mains power. If you want the simplicity of battery power, just note the whole doorbell must be removed from its mounting bracket to be recharged: you can’t buy spare batteries and swap them over.
Read our full Eufy Video Doorbell Dual review
2. Blink Video Doorbell – Best budget smart doorbell for most people
Pros
- Affordable
- Can record video to Sync Module 2
Cons
- Average video quality
- Won’t monitor doorstep for parcels
It’s basic, as you’d expect at this price, with average video quality, but it does the job. The best feature is the option to buy it with a Sync Module 2 for around $95/£90 which allows it to record video locally to a USB stick. This saves you paying a subscription to Blink Plus, which would otherwise somewhat negate the whole point of a budget doorbell.
Read our full Blink Video Doorbell review
3. Ring Battery Doorbell Plus – Best battery doorbell for most people
Pros
- Shows visitors from head to toe
- Package detection
- Good quality video
Cons
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity only
- Colour pre-roll video is not supported
- Ring Protect subscription required
Ring’s range of doorbells is probably too large and confusing for most people. So let’s make it simple: the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is the one to buy. For just about everyone, it’s the one you want: it shows the visitor from head to toe thanks to it’s square video, but also improves resolution on older models such as the Doorbell 4.
Ring has also added package detection, primarily because packages left on your doorstep are now within the camera’s field of view. The Plus supports colour night vision, and you can also enable HDR, but you’ll have to sacrifice some battery life.
The sticking point, as with all Ring doorbells, is that most of the features – including recording and package detection – are locked behind a Ring Protect subscription and there’s no way around that. Still, as an overall package, this is hard to beat as long as you don’t need support for Apple HomeKit or great integration with Google Assistant.
Read our full Ring Battery Doorbell Plus review
4. Google Nest Doorbell (wired) – Best hardwired doorbell
Pros
- Face & package detection
- Excellent HDR video
- Great app
Cons
- Expensive
- No power supply included
It used to be called the Nest Hello and has been around for a good few years but is still a top choice now. It’s packed with features, offers great-quality HDR footage and is easy to use.
The only area we’d like to see improved is motion detection, but you can set up custom zones to avoid lots of false notifications.
It’s expensive to buy, but if you have other Nest security cameras, then a single Nest Aware v2 subscription cost covers them all and is better value than Ring’s Protect.
A subscription is required for recording but it also gives you some useful features such as face and package recognition, and the Nest app is better than Google Home, which you’re forced to use if you opt for the lower-resolution battery-powered model.
The app makes it easy to see events as you scroll through the timeline, even if you don’t pay extra for the continuous recording you get with Nest Aware Plus, a feature rarely seen on other doorbells but still useful if you want a doorbell that’s more like CCTV.
Installation isn’t difficult if you have a mains socket near your door, as you can buy an AC adapter, but it’s a shame Nest doesn’t include one in the box given the high price.
It works with most existing wired chimes and you can also get notifications from Alexa and Google Assistant on your smart speaker and other devices.
Read our full Nest Hello review
5. Ezviz DB2 – Best subscription-free budget doorbell
Pros
- Chime module included
- Subscription free if you record video locally
- Four-month battery life
Cons
- No package detection
- No face recognition
- Not compatible with HomeKit
Ezviz isn’t a well-known brand compared to Ring and Google but the DB2 stands out from the crowd for good reasons. You can pay a lot more for a smart doorbell than what the DB2 costs and then get stung for a subscription if you want to record video and use some of the best features.
So at this price, the DB2 is great value because it comes with an indoor chime that also lets you pop in a microSD card for recording video. It’s battery powered and lasts four months between charges, which is impressive.
Video quality is also good, and the wide angle lens lets you see a lot… but not your doorstep, so you can’t see if a package has been left. That’s partly why there’s no package detection, but there’s no face recognition either so unlike the Google Nest doorbell, you won’t get notifications telling you who is at the door.
The Ezviz app isn’t the slickest, but for the price, it’s difficult to complain about any of the DB2’s drawbacks.
Read our full Ezviz DB2 review
6. Ring Video Doorbell Wired – Best big-brand budget doorbell
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Slim
- Pre-roll
Cons
- No power supply included
- Doesn’t work with existing chimes
If you’re on a budget and are happy to accept ‘good quality’ video rather than the very best available, then few rivals can beat the Video Doorbell Wired for value.
It requires AC power at your door, which is great if you already have it, but will cost you extra if you don’t. The Doorbell Wired works with Ring’s plug-in mains adapter, so a DIY install is possible if you have a socket somewhere near your front door.
Surprisingly, it gives you six seconds of pre-roll, just like Ring’s most expensive doorbell, and this means you see a few seconds of footage before the motion began.
While it requires the same Protect subscription to enable recordings, rich notifications and other features, it’s still good value, especially if you value having a nice-looking, easy-to-use app.
Read our full Ring Video Doorbell Wired review
7. Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 – Best Ring doorbell
Pros
- Superb motion detection
- Wide viewing angles
- Great quality video
Cons
- Expensive
- No face recognition
For the same cost as the original 2019 Doorbell Pro, the second-generation adds quite a few new features and improves on video quality and viewing angles so you can see more, including packages left on your doorstep. And thanks to a software update, you can now get notifications when packages are detected.
3D motion detection, using radar, allows you to choose how far away motion should be before you get an alert and, along with custom zones, you can practically eliminate any false motion alerts.
Night vision is pretty good (bearing in mind no smart doorbell is truly great in the dark) and quality during the daytime is excellent.
The Ring app is better than most, and has deep integration with Ring’s other products and the rich notifications you get with a Ring Protect subscription are great.
Read our full Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 review
8. Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell – Best subscription-free doorbell
Pros
- No subscription required
- HomeKit support
Cons
- Expensive to buy
- Not the best video quality
Unlike the likes of Ring and other battery-powered smart doorbells in our chart, the Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell requires a wired power supply and probably an electrician to install.
But, once you’ve got this out of the way, you’ll never need to worry about recharging batteries or enabling more advanced, power-hungry features like night vision or live viewing.
It’s not the only way that the Netatmo system differentiates itself either – it also records exclusively in portrait mode, making it much easier to capture a person from head-to-toe. The downside is that you don’t capture as much of the environment, and you might miss the action completely depending on doorbell placement, so it’s not a clear-cut win.
The main highlight is that the doorbell doesn’t require a monthly subscription to access video footage – something required by most other smart doorbells on the market right now – and instead records video to a built-in microSD card.
Read our full Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell review
9. Imou DB60
Pros
- No subscription required
- Chime included in box
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Can’t see parcels left on doorstep
- Some features available only to subscribers
- Battery isn’t removable
Imou isn’t a well-known name in the doorbell world, the the DB60 has a lot going for it. It’s a lot like the Ezviz DB2 in that it comes with a plug-in chime and local storage (4GB) to record video.
It’s battery powered too and although it didn’t quite deliver on its promise of four months of battery life, it came pretty close. The battery isn’t removable so you have to remove the entire doorbell and charge it indoors for several hours, but that’s only a few times per year.
Video quality is good, and the field of view is very wide. Horizontally, that is – not vertically. The limited vertical view means you can’t see any parcels left on your doorstep and the app could do with being a bit more intuitive.
Read our full Imou DB60 review
10. MyQ Smart Garage Video Keypad
Pros
- Easy to install
- Excellent video quality, day and night
Cons
- “Optional” subscription plan is very expensive
- Can’t open garage door from the app
It’s not your typical smart doorbell. The MyQ is a mash-up of a doorbell and an exterior door controller in one. This means it’s the ideal upgrade if your garage already has a door opener. The Smart Garage Video Keypad is exactly what the name says: it retains the keypad you’re already familiar with, and adds a 1080p camera with a 160° field of view.
As long as you have a compatible garage door opener already, there’s no wiring to do at all, even though that sounds patently obvious given that this is a battery-powered device. However, the point is that this is very easy to install. The battery should last several months between charges.
You can open your garage door using a combination you set, but using the companion app you can also hand out guest PINs which expire, as well as choose the times and days people can have access.
Video quality is surprisingly good, even at night (as far as that goes using IR to illuminate the 30 feet or so in front of your garage door).
The snag is that video can’t be stored locally so you’ll have to pony up for the subscription plan.
One other potential gotcha: this is not the MyQ Smart Garage Control Hub, which means you can’t use your phone to open your garage door. You’d need the Hub as well if you want to do that.
Read our full myQ Smart Garage Video Keypad review
11. Google Nest Doorbell (battery) – Subscription-free smarts
Pros
- Usable without subscription
- Battery or mains powered
Cons
- Lower resolution than Nest Doorbell (wired)
- Google Home app needs work
The Nest Doorbell (battery) offers a slew of improvements over the (wired) model. The fact you can have detailed alerts, set up zones and store three hours’ worth of events without subscribing is great, as is the fact it can run from battery power, or be hooked up to existing doorbell wires. (There are also third-party solar panels if you want longer battery life.)
But there are good reasons it doesn’t feature any higher up this list. For one thing, the Google Home app isn’t nearly as nice to use as the Nest one, and if you have older Nest cameras, you’ll have to use both, which is silly.
There are other drawbacks, too, such as the fact that resolution is lower than the Doorbell (wired), and the fact there is no IFTTT or HomeKit support. (It does work with Google smart speakers and there’s now Alexa integration.)
Read our full Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) review
Smart doorbell buyer’s guide
As you’ve seen, prices and features vary considerably, but in general, you should expect two-way talk along with a live video feed, night vision and motion detection as a minimum.
However, if you want access to more advanced features, you’ll usually have to pay a monthly fee. Few smart doorbells will record any video clips unless you pay, so if you miss a notification that someone has pressed the button, you won’t be able to see who it was later on.
On the more expensive Ring models, the inclusion of close-range motion sensors allows them to detect movement between 1 and 4.5 meters away. That’s ideal for city-dwellers where most smart doorbells would send notifications constantly because of people and cars driving by. Even the Ring Video Doorbell Wired supports Pre-Roll, which is the ability to record a few seconds of video before the doorbell has been pressed.
Nest offers person, package and animal detection for free, but only facial recognition if you pay for Nest Aware. This means you can choose to only get alerts if an unfamiliar face is spotted and is preferable to the annoying generic ‘there’s motion!’ alerts which many security cameras bombard you with. And, neatly, a Google Home can announce the name of the person who is at the door for familiar faces.
The main decision, though, is whether to opt for a battery-powered model or a hard-wired bell.
A hard-wired doorbell can be connected to a chime, but will typically need an electrician to visit and install a special power supply. This adds to the cost but also means there are no worries about batteries running out at a critical moment.
Don’t overlook your broadband speed either. The video feed requires a minimum of around 2Mb/s upload speed. Upload speeds are usually slower than download speeds, so check yours with an online speed tester before you buy, and make sure your doorbell is in comfortable range of your Wi-Fi router. If the Wi-Fi signal is weak, you’ll find it difficult or impossible to watch live video, and it might cause delays in notifications, too.
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor, Tech Advisor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
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