A Video Doorbell Is an Easy Way to Make Your Home Safer. These Ones Are the Best. (2024)

Arlo is a leading name in security cameras, and it brings the same standard of excellence to this top-rated video doorbell. Its intelligent camera can distinguish people from animals, cars and other moving objects, eliminating annoying false notifications. Crisp 1536×1536 resolution and a 180-degree viewing angle provide superb video quality during the day and night and two-way audio lets you communicate clearly with visitors too.

A $8 per month subscription plan gets you 30 days of video storage on the cloud, but if you prefer you can always use local storage. The Arlo Video Doorbell is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, and it works with IFTTT (If This Then That), allowing you to create chain reactions through your smartphone — for example, turning on the porch light when someone rings the doorbell. The downside: a number of features, such as activity zones and package detection, require a subscription.

This battery-powered, wire-free video doorbell is a good option if you’re looking to dip a toe into smart home technology, and an even better choice if you’re an Alexa user. Though you can use this video doorbell on its own and still access live view or two-way audio when someone is at your door (you can even ask Alexa to answer the front door through your favorite smart speaker), we highly recommend the purchase of a Sync Module or subscription plan so you can access live streaming at any time to check in on your front door.

A Sync Module specifically enables local storage of video history without a monthly fee attached, while a subscription plan comes with a few extra features for only $3 per month, like being able to access 60 days of video history and record live views. Besides the low up front cost, our experts were impressed by the camera’s sharp picture quality, responsive motion detection and clear two-way audio.

While it sports a higher price tag than previous Eufy models, the brand's latest doorbell camera comes with all the bells and whistles, including 2K resolution for sharp, defined videos and dual cameras so that packages or motion never go undetected. What sets this doorbell further apart is the fact that video footage is stored locally on Eufy’s HomeBase 3 with military-grade encryption. Not only does that eliminate monthly subscription fees, it also enhances the device’s data security.

Our tester praised this doorbell camera’s easy setup. We appreciate that it comes with a screw positioning card, which allowed for precise drilling during installation. The HomeBase was also easy to set up and pair with the doorbell camera. The mobile app offers a user-friendly interface and a handy section of “tips and hints” for using the device.

With its relatively high price tag, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro isn’t the best value on the market, but it’s a strong performer overall. Its rich set of features include 1536p HD resolution, color night vision, two-way audio with noise cancellation that lets you chat through the device’s built-in speaker and a bird's-eye-view mode that allows you to track the movement of visitors within a specific area.

The intuitive app lets you set monitoring and privacy zones (eliminating your neighbor’s house, for example), and the four-second pre-roll of what happened before the doorbell detected motion is helpful for tracking down package thieves. However, to use the device’s cloud storage feature you'll need a Ring Protect plan, which starts at $5 per month and stores videos for up to 180 days.

Ecobee makes our top-rated smart thermostat, so we were excited when the brand announced the launch of its first-ever video doorbell in October 2023. We’re currently running extended field tests of the camera as part of our 2024 Home Reno Awards, but the early feedback has been wholly positive. The sleek-looking device has many specs our engineers recommend, including head-to-toe vision from its 175° vertical lens, two-way communication and AI-enhanced face recognition, to reduce the number of nuisance alarms.

Unlike most other doorbell cameras, it’s designed without a battery for always-on security and reliability, even in extreme temperatures. But the biggest reason to go for the ecobee Smart Video Doorbell is if your home is already equipped with the brand’s smart thermostat. That way, you can control both devices from the ecobee app, which our smart thermostat testers found easy to use and intuitive. All that said, a handful of customer reviews on Amazon reported mediocre motion detection.

Google Nest is the tech giant’s smart home ecosystem, and the experience starts at the front door with the Google Nest Doorbell. It obviously works with Google Assistant (and even Alexa-enabled devices), so you can chat with visitors from any room through your smart speaker. In our Lab tests, the Nest outperformed other models with solid picture quality (including night vision), crystal clear audio and some of the best motion detection we’ve seen. We also found the app extremely easy to use and found it intuitive to view video clips just by scrolling through the timeline.

While you don’t need a subscription plan to receive notifications when packages are at your door, you will need to subscribe to Nest Aware if you want more than three hours of video history. For $8 per month, you can access 30 days of video storage, and our experts like that there’s a familiar face feature that enables Nest to recognize when mom is at the front door.

If Vivint smart home intelligence is coursing through your home (the brand is a leader in high-end connected home technology), you shouldn't think twice about springing for this video doorbell. Our pros were impressed with its 180-degree field of view, package delivery notification and seamless integration with other Vivint products, from locks to light bulbs to the garage door.

Our experts also give the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro points for its unique theft deterrent technology, which uses artificial intelligence to identify package thieves and scare them off with a series of loud sounds and flashing lights. In our Lab test, we found the picture quality to be sharp and defined and audio clear, though motion detection could be slightly improved.

We tested several additional devices in our quest to find the best video doorbells on the market.

The Remo+ RemoBell S — now in limited distribution — is a solid wallet-friendly option for smart home technology newbies. Despite the low price, the video doorbell’s picture quality is surprisingly good. And it offers more features than you might expect, including two-way audio, infrared night vision and a built-in alarm.

We previously featured the Skybell HD WiFi Doorbell Camera, crowning it the best wide-lens smart video doorbell. Our experts liked the 1080p HD video with 5X zoom, the extra-wide camera angle and the free video storage, but it’s no longer widely available. Skybell now offers the Slim I and the Trim II models in its place.

The Ring Peephole Cam was our previous pick for the best video doorbell for apartments. You can answer the door from anywhere and talk to visitors through the device, but we replaced it with the Wyze Video Doorbell Pro, which offers similar features yet costs almost half the price of the Ring Peephole.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we formally tested more than 10 of the latest and most innovative video doorbells in our Lab, in addition to getting feedback from real-world testers who used the video doorbells in their homes. To test video doorbells, our pros first evaluated how easy it was to set up the physical device as well as its respective app. We evaluated the usefulness of alerts and whether viewing content and changing settings felt intuitive.

Once we got a feel for how each video doorbell operated, we assessed its performance by comparing each camera’s video quality (near and far), night vision and field of view. We evaluated the audio quality and sound clarity to ensure real users can have a clear conversation both through the doorbell and the app. Lastly, we weighed the doorbell’s ability to detect motion and alert the user. We also evaluated how well each doorbell camera integrated into existing smart home ecoystems.

✔️ Wired vs. wireless: Battery-powered smart video doorbells are easier to install than hardwired models, but they often don't have as many features. If you're leaning toward hardwired, make sure the device will work with your current setup by unscrewing the old doorbell from the wall and seeing if it’s attached to a pair of wires. If it is, these wires will serve as your hookup. One major advantage of hardwired video doorbells is that you won’t have to replace or recharge any batteries, and they’re always connected to power. This makes them more effective at capturing motion since they’re always on and don’t have to be woken up.

✔️ Integration: Do you want your video doorbell to communicate with other smart home products? If your video doorbell is compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa or HomeKit, you can set it up so that your smart speakers announce when someone is at the door with a chime and then enable you to communicate with whoever is at the door. Check each manufacturer’s website for a list of compatible devices. Especially with big brands, you'll find a long list of locks, light bulbs, garage door openers and more.

✔️ Subscription fees: Most smart video doorbells offer extended cloud-based video storage, 30 days typically, for around $3. But there are some models out there that use a memory-card slot for storing video clips locally, lowering costs as well as the risk of data and security breaches.

✔️ Video quality: Dan DiClerico, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, suggests getting a video doorbell with no less than 1080p (HD) resolution, but if you are able to opt for a higher resolution such as 2K or 4K, you should. The higher the resolution, the more easily you’ll be able to identify faces and see more details in your video footage.

✔️ Field of view: The larger the field of view, the more of your porch, doorstep and surroundings you’ll be able to see. DiClerico suggests getting a video doorbell with as close to a 180-degree field of view as possible. Also make sure to pay attention to the doorbell’s aspect ratio to understand whether the image’s shape will be square, portrait or landscape and whether this can be adjusted to your liking.

Daniel Bortz is a freelance writer who has written about home improvement for more than a decade, including testing-based product reviews across every major category, from outdoor power tools to smart home technology. His work has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Newsweek, Money magazine and other outlets.

In researching and writing this story, he worked with Dan DiClerico, the Director of Home Improvement and Outdoors at the Good Housekeeping Institute. For more than two decades, he has written about all things home-related, from big-ticket remodeling projects to routine home maintenance. Dan has reviewed thousands of consumer products across a wide range of categories, including building materials, fixtures, outdoor power equipment and more.