Nest makes great Wi-Fi-connected security cameras, but their high prices push many customers to seek out the best cheap nest cam alternatives. Thankfully, we’ve found other security cams that hold their own against the Nest Cam Indoor and Cam Indoor IQ, but at more reasonable prices. Whether you’re after the absolute cheapest camera you can buy or something with just as many features as Nest for a little less, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of our favorite Nest alternatives.
Best overall
Logitech Circle 2
The Circle 2 is an excellent 1080p security camera with a wide-angle lens and night vision that’s rated for visibility up to 15 feet. Like Nest’s cameras, you get two-way audio and person detection. There’s also a convenient day brief feature that condenses the last 24 hours into a 30-second time-lapse, so you don’t have to scrub through hours of footage.
Staff favorite
$127 at Amazon
$150 at Walmart
Best for Alexa
Ring Indoor Cam
Ring’s Indoor Cam captures 1080p video with customizable motion zones, night vision, and two-way audio. You can stream your video feed directly on an Alexa-powered smart display like the Echo Show, and the Ring Protect service lets you keep a timeline of previous motion-triggered recordings. As a cheap Nest Cam Indoor alternative, it comes close in specs at less than a third of the price.
$60 at Amazon
$60 at Best Buy
$60 at Newegg
Best free service
Arlo Q
The Arlo Q is yet another 1080p security camera with motion alerts and night vision. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and has two-way audio. It has the option to record continuous 24/7 video with a paid subscription, but the real highlight feature is the free Arlo Basic service, which saves a full week’s worth of footage for up to five cameras.
$108 at Amazon
$113 at Best Buy
$112 at Walmart
Most affordable camera
Wyze Cam
Among the very best cheap Nest Cam alternatives, Wyze doesn’t offer fancy features like facial recognition or two-way audio (at least, not without having to toggle the microphone on and off for each participant), but that’s easy to look past given the ridiculously low price. The Wyze Cam still offers 1080p video, works with Google Assistant and Alexa, and even gives you 14 days of cloud storage for free.
$26 at Amazon
$39 at Walmart
Scan the room
Eufy Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt
Eufy jam-packed its indoor cams with great features. It has a microSD storage slot, is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit, allows prerecorded messages triggered in activity zones, can differentiate between humans, pets, and objects, and can film 24/7 in 2K resolution. The pan & tilt model does all this and can spin a full 360º horizontal and 96º vertical.
$52 at Amazon
Another affordable option
Canary View
Canary makes higher-end cameras, but the View is easily affordable and feature-packed enough for most homes. The wide-angle lens covers all but the largest rooms, and you, of course, get 1080p video with night vision. The built-in speaker sounds great for two-way audio (though you’ll need a premium subscription to use it), and the Emergency Call button in the app immediately calls the local police.
$99 at Amazon
$50 at Best Buy
$64 at Walmart
Close Nest competitor
Ring Stick Up Cam
Ring’s Stick Up Cam looks almost identical to the Indoor Cam, but the higher price tag comes with a longer feature list. It can be used indoors or outdoors, thanks to the optional rechargeable battery, but can also run off of an outlet, solar power, or PoE. Of course, it still works with Alexa and streams to Alexa-capable smart displays.
$85 at Amazon
$85 at Best Buy
$123 at Newegg
A tiny steal
Blink Mini
Blink’s first indoor camera has fairly run-of-the-mill specs: wired power, 1080p video, two-way audio, 110º FOV, night vision, and motion alerts at a bargain price. It stands apart with its native Alexa support, letting you play clips or pull up live views of specific cams or turn Minis on and off through voice commands. Blink is offering free cloud video storage through the end of 2020.
$35 at Amazon
$35 at Best Buy
$31 at Newegg
The best cheap Nest Cam alternatives
The market for connected security cameras has become saturated over the years, and that means you have a wide selection of cameras to choose from. Most options these days offer features like night vision, two-way audio, customizable motion zones, and smart alerts for triggers like people or certain sounds.
Nest has become one of the leaders in the space thanks to some of its feature-heavy products, but it tends to be on the pricier side. Luckily there are plenty of cheap Nest Cam alternatives available.
If you already own other products from a certain brand, it might be convenient to stick within that brand’s ecosystem and keep things centralized to one app. So if you already have a Ring Doorbell, for example, the Ring Indoor Cam is a great buy. For anyone else, the Logitech Circle 2 is an excellent choice. The ability to condense an entire day down to a 30-second time-lapse is hugely convenient. Plus, its combination of water resistance and compatibility with a wide variety of services like Google Assistant and HomeKit makes it one of the best security cameras around — all for less than the Nest Cam Indoor.
If you’re looking to buy more than one device, you can go even cheaper than these without reducing the level of performance. Eufy’s Indoor Cam 2K Pan & Tilt is one of the few devices to match up with Nest Cam Indoor, offering similar zoom, person/object recognition, and a spinning base at a fourth of Nest’s base price. If you want to build the best home security system for a reasonable price, Ring and Eufy cameras are a great place to start.
