The 3 Best Smart Doorbell Cameras of 2025

Top pick

This doorbell sends fast alerts, captures clear audio and video, and offers free and paid subscription levels—including an option for 24/7 recording.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

The Google Nest Doorbell (Wired) is the best video doorbell we tested. It reacts quickly to motion, both by sending alerts and displaying a live view on your mobile device. It also was the most accurate out of all of the doorbell cameras we tested when it came to distinguishing types of motion and restricting alerts and recordings when using Activity Zones. It’s the only one of our picks to offer free cloud storage, although it only stores video recordings for a three-hour window; there are subscription options to store events longer, and even the ability to record everything 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The image resolution is 960×1280, which is lower than our other picks, but we had no problems making out details—and that lower resolution may be less of a burden on your home Wi-Fi network, allowing you to stream more smoothly.

The smartphone alerts are more reliable. The Nest doorbell is able to distinguish between people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion, and it does it better than any video doorbell we tested. It also has an optional Familiar Face Detection feature, which allows you to tag visitors, family members, and regular guests by name—although it has to get a good look at the person’s face. (See Flaws but not dealbreakers.) An important note about privacy: consider that your neighbors may prefer not to be tagged by facial recognition, or recorded at all—and it may actually be illegal to do either of those in some locales.

Despite lower resolution, it actually works better. The previous Nest doorbell captured a 1600×1200-pixel image in landscape orientation, while this model does 960×1280 in portrait mode. The angle allows for a better head-to-toe image of what’s directly in front of the door, and the recorded video is bright and vivid (we also think the lower resolution allows for fewer potential hiccups on our burdened home network). Audio was also always clear on both ends; the microphone can be turned off and camera volume can be adjusted using the app.

It records what you actually want to see. The Nest allows you to create up to four different zones within its field of view, so you can choose to ignore or follow activity in a given area, as well as what you want to receive smartphone notifications about. For instance, you might create a zone directly in front of your driveway and opt to record people and animals, but opt to not get alerts every time a car goes by. There’s also an option to record and choose notifications for action outside of your created zone.

Video: Rachel Cericola

You don’t need a subscription (but likely should get one). The Nest includes free cloud storage, but events are automatically deleted three hours after they are captured. That means, technically, you wouldn’t have to pay an extra dime to run it. If you find yourself missing events as they happen, or want special features like the Familiar Face Detection, then you’ll want to opt for a Nest Aware plan, which stores recordings up to 30 days for $8 per month (or $80 per year) for an unlimited number of cameras. It also has built-in storage that can hold up to an hour of recordings should you lose power.

You can get 24/7 coverage, if you want. The Nest is the only one of our picks that offers 24/7 recording to the cloud ($15 per month or $150 per year). Even without that option, it never missed a minute of activity in our tests—and, more importantly, it never had any false alerts. If you don’t have the 24/7 recording plan, it can capture clips up to 5 minutes in length (naturally, you still need something to move to trigger a recording).

It can function without the app. Although the Google Home app is needed for setup and recommended for daily use, you can view doorbell history, customize recorded clips, and download clips from any web browser using Google Home for web. Also, you can view and listen to live action and talk through the camera using the web browser interface.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• It can’t always remember a face. Familiar Face Detection can alert you to repeat visitors, such as family members and caregivers, with a notification that includes a name (“Rachel seen”). However, it needs to get a good look at the person or it won’t identify—and in some cases, we found it misidentified them. Also, it’s only available with a Nest Aware subscription.
• It doesn’t work with the old Nest app. All newer Nest devices use the Google Home app, so diehard Nest fans may be disappointed. However, the app has gotten a few updates, including the option to use the old Nest app’s vertical video scrubbing feature for scrolling through events, as well as the possibility to “favorite” the doorbell so you get a live view right away upon opening the app.

Privacy and security snapshot

• Video is encrypted in transit and at rest, but not while in use.
• Google shares data only with approved partners, such as a home security provider. For more information, see Google’s privacy statement.
• Recordings cannot be accessed without permission, except when required by law, such as via a valid subpoena or court order, and then only by limited personnel.
• Two-factor authentication is available but not required.

For more details, read Google’s privacy statement.