Everything is getting more expensive nowadays, from your supermarket shop to mobile and broadband prices, nothing is safe from inflation. Not even your trusty video doorbell subscription. Let’s be honest, the fact that some smart speakers and smart doorbells require a monthly subscription is a crazy concept in itself – imagine trying to explain that to yourself ten years ago.
And, it’s not just Ring, from Google and Arlo, most of the models in our best video doorbells guide require a monthly fee to unlock all of the features.
If you’ve had enough of monthly fees and price increases, we’ve collected the best subscription-free video doorbells. They offer all of the smart features you would hope for, such as two-way audio, instant notifications, and high-res video capture, but don’t require any money after your initial purchase.
1. EZVIZ DB2 2K Wireless Video Doorbell
| EZVIZ 2K Wireless Video Doorbell specs | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 150 × 58 × 32 mm |
| Max video resolution | 2544 × 1888 |
| Field of view | 100° |
| Battery life | 115 days |
| Night vision | Infrared Night Vision up to 5m |
| Package detection | No |
| Weather resistance | IP65 |
| Storage | Micro SD card up to 256GB |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4 GHz |
| Chime | Included |
This wireless 2K doorbell from EZVIZ is fully battery-powered, can be set up anywhere in minutes, and best of all, there’s no subscription needed to use it. EZVIZ replaces costly cloud storage with local microSD card storage. It supports cards of up to 256GB, which can be inserted into the indoor chime for enhanced data protection.
The DB2 can run up to 115 days on one full charge, which is maximized by its energy-saving mode, and is fully weather-proof to withstand any extreme conditions the UK weather can throw at it.
Get an instant notification in the EZVIZ App when someone rings your doorbell, and start a video call to let friends know if it’s a good time to visit or tell the postman to place your parcel in the usual spot. The DB2 has a wide viewing angle so you can see visitors from head to toe, it intelligently detects human movements (rather than pets or trees), and also features night vision of up to 5 metres.
The DB2 is also hard to tamper with, with a loud alarm and mobile alert sent out if the doorbell is forcibly removed.
2. Eufy Security Video Doorbell Wireless S210
| Eufy Video Doorbell 2K specs | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 139.7 x 5.3 x 2.8 mm |
| Max video resolution | 2560×1920 |
| Field of view | 160° |
| Battery life | up to six months |
| Night vision | Yes |
| Package detection | No |
| Weather resistance | IP65 |
| Storage | Local (with included hub) |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4Ghz |
| Chime | Included |
Just like EZVIZ, Eufy believes in one-time buying, so you won’t find any of its doorbells’ features locked behind a monthly subscription. That includes the Video Doorbell 2K – a wireless porch-watcher with a sharp Sony sensor. Instead of stashing video history in the cloud, it stores encrypted clips locally on the bundled base station.
Rather than shooting horizontally, the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K frames a 4:3 portion of your doorstep. Translation? You’ll see visitors top-to-toe, rather than cut off at the knee. And you’ll see them well, thanks to the 2560×1920 pixel resolution – comfortably the highest in this list.
You get most of the smarts you’d expect as standard: activity zones, human recognition and motion detection, with real-time alerts sent to your smartphone. The only major omission is package detection. For that, you’ll want the twin-camera Eufy Video Doorbell Dual, which comes equipped with a second lower lens for eyeballing deliveries.
Don’t want to miss a ding? Use the HomeBase as a chime, or deploy an Amazon Echo device instead. You can also check in with Google Assistant.
3. Blink Video Doorbell + Sync Module 2
| Blink Video Doorbell specs | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 130 x 42 x 34 mm |
| Max video resolution | 1080p |
| Field of view | 135° |
| Battery life | up to two years |
| Night vision | Yes |
| Package detection | No |
| Weather resistance | IP54 |
| Storage | Local (with optional hub), cloud (paid) |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4Ghz |
| Chime | No |
Watching your costs? Blink’s video doorbell is one of the cheapest options out there, but it requires you to accept several sacrifices. The video is shot at 1080p, with infrared for action after dark. So far, so fine. But the 80° vertical angle is too narrow to include your doorstep, so there is no package detection here.
With a simple plastic shell, Blink’s budget bell is relatively compact. That’s largely thanks to the power source: it runs on AA cells instead of a rechargeable brick, making replacement a cinch.
You need the optional Sync Module 2 to view a live feed or engage two-way audio on demand. Otherwise, you have to wait until someone pushes your button. That Sync Module is also required for local video storage. Without it, you’ll need a Blink Subscription Plan to save clips to the cloud – which is exactly what we’re trying to avoid here.
Like a wireless chime? You’ll have to use a Blink Mini camera or connect to an Echo device via an Alexa skill. No such luck for other smart speakers: there’s no HomeKit, Google Home or IFTTT support.
