Best Home Security Cameras Without a Subscription – Consumer Reports

Wireless security cameras have never been more affordable, with many highly rated models from our tests costing $100 or less. But that doesn’t factor in the recurring cost of cloud storage for the video captured by those cameras, which can easily cost as much as the camera itself for every year you subscribe.

When you consider rising inflation, fatigue from the sheer number of subscription services offered to consumers, and concerns over how camera makers can share your video footage without your consent, it makes sense that you might prefer a security camera without a subscription. Instead of storing footage in the cloud, these cameras store video locally, usually on either a microSD card or their internal memory. This frees you from paying a monthly fee and gives you more control over your recordings. But that doesn’t mean these cameras don’t offer an optional subscription if you ever feel so inclined to store your footage in the cloud for extra protection.

The main downside to cameras that forgo a subscription is that many of them may lack intelligent object recognition of people, animals, vehicles, packages, and faces. That’s because the object recognition often happens on the company’s servers, rather than the camera itself. Many security camera manufacturers have been using these AI-driven features to entice consumers into paying for a subscription. But there are still plenty of security cameras without a subscription that will offer at least one of these intelligent features (usually person detection) for no extra charge.

Below, you’ll find the six best wireless security cameras without a subscription from our ratings. The list, which is in alphabetical (not rank) order, includes cameras from Blue by ADT, Eufy, and Lorex. Our list highlights which smart alerts each of these cameras provide, as well as whether they offer an optional subscription should you decide to store your video remotely. We also reveal how each camera fared in our tests for data privacy (how manufacturers collect, use and share your data, including how transparent they are about this) and data security (whether the camera employs security measures such as encryption to protect your data from outsiders). For more options, check out our complete wireless home security camera ratings of over 50 models.