Ring vs. Nest Doorbell: Which is Better?
Smart homes start at the front door.
Buying the best smart doorbell for your home is important, so I’m sharing the pros and cons of the Ring doorbell versus the Nest – both the best on the market right now. We’re also sharing some additional highly-rated doorbell choices, so keep on reading. But first…
Ring vs. Nest Doorbell
Nest Doorbells pros vs. cons
Buy it at Best Buy – $229.99
Google’s smart doorbell has grown in popularity over the last year with its ease of connecting into the Nest smart home ecosystem. It’s great for its ability to recognize faces and package drop-off, though it requires hardwiring which can make installation a touch more complex.
Pros:
Compatible with Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant
Detects visitors before they ring
Syncs with iOS & Android smart devices
Streams live 24/7 with integrated night vision
View last 3 hours of activity with videos store on your cloud
Get alerted when packages are delivered
Use pre-record messages for guests
Two-year limited warranty
Cons:
Hardwired installation
Monthly fees (starting at $6/mo)
Occasional delays or false motions
Not suitable for homes in climates that are extremely hot or cold consistently
Ring Doorbell 3 pros vs. cons
Buy it at Target – $179.99
Arguably the brand that set the stage for smart doorbells, Ring is synonymous with this smart home product. The latest version of their smart doorbell allows for flexible installation with the option to add a solar charger, but may not have all of the advanced recording and visual options as its competitors.
Pros:
Can be hardwired or battery-powered
Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Two-way talk
Lock/unlock your door with compatible smart locks
Advanced motion settings
Night vision
Theft protection
One year limited warranty
Cons:
Monthly fees (starting at $3/mo) and only records videos with a subscription
Drastic temperatures may shorten battery lifespan
Even when hard-wired, the battery needs to be charged
So which do we like more at Hip2Save?
🏆 Overall Winner: Nest Doorbell 🎉
We love the Nest more because it’s hardwired and there’s no battery that requires the hassle of charging. It also doesn’t require a monthly subscription to video record, and the overall reviews are better. Plus, it actually scored the highest on Consumer Reports for smart doorbells, which is always a trusted source we like to use.
“I love this video doorbell. It does the important things extremely well: the video quality is outstanding, it never goes down (except obviously in power outages), and it has an obvious presence by the door, discouraging bad behavior.
We’ve even had a would-be package thief come by to steal a package, only to see the Hello and immediately drop the package and back away. On top of that, I’ve been extremely impressed by the additional smart features: the facial recognition works pretty well, and the package dropoff/pickup recognition is surprisingly accurate.
The monthly fee for continuous recording is slightly frustrating, but the rest of my experience with the product has been so positive that it doesn’t bother me much anymore.” – Lemmy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Here are 3 other highly-rated smart doorbells to consider:
1. Eufy doorbell
Buy it on Amazon – $159.99
This hardwired doorbell is taking over the smart home industry! It’s been known to handle extreme temperatures unlike any other doorbell on the market and it doesn’t come with any monthly fees. Win, win!
More about this doorbell:
Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, & Apple Homekit
Facial and body recognition
Two-way talk
2K video
Comes with 8 different chimes
Real-time alerts
2. Remo+ RemoBell
Buy it at Walmart – $86.23
Known for its super-fast response time and ease of installation, this hardwired doorbell is every homeowner’s dream come true, and it has an unbeatable price to boot!
More about this doorbell:
Compatible with Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant
Free storage up to 3 days
Two-way talk
On-Demand live streaming
Custom motion zones
HD video
“I read tons of reviews before making a decision on a doorbell. This one seemed too good to be true – a great quality doorbell for a reasonable price AND 3 free days of cloud storage…that’s unheard of! I have nothing but great things to say about this product.
It was super easy to install, the camera quality is great, and there are settings to change the sensitivity that you want. The only issue I ran into (with getting our mechanical chime to work) was answered extremely quickly by using the self-help tool on Remo’s website. You won’t be disappointed with this purchase, so buy with confidence!” – Amy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Ring doorbell 2
Buy it at Best Buy – $99
Still hooked on the popular Ring doorbell brand? If you don’t need the latest and greatest doorbell on the market, the Ring 2nd generation is still getting great reviews. Proof that sometimes the latest versions aren’t always the best ones. Plus, this one even comes with Ring’s theft protection, too!
More about this doorbell:
Battery-powered only and compatible with solar charger
Compatible with Amazon Alexa
Two-way talk
Custom motion zones
Night vision
HD video
No chime
“This is a greatly improved product – I had the original Ring for years at both of my homes and was very happy with the reliability and performance so when I wanted to upgrade I knew what I wanted! The Ring Gen 2 with 1080P is far superior both in picture quality, the field of view, and audio quality.
I considered the Ring Pro but couldn’t see spending over twice as much for the slimmer form factor and the specs are very similar. I’m very happy with the purchase and I saved money!” – Richard ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These are the best-selling home products on Amazon right now.