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
“Installation was a breeze – simple and very straightforward. This is actually the second video doorbell we’ve had. We used to have a Ring and did not like it plus you had to pay for a monthly service. This Eufy doorbell was easier to install and the picture quality is better and no monthly fee! The app is also very easy to navigate and works great. I highly recommend this doorbell!” – Kate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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.
I have the Ring Pro. I’m currently trying to figure out how to get it to record more than 60 seconds, or at least start up again after it stops. Twice now, we have recorded a vehicle stopping in front of our house, and then completely missed the person approaching our door and then the camera turns on again when they are leaving or gone. My husband actually came to the door one of the times, so he knows the person came up to our door. It is completely defeating the purpose of us having the doorbell.
You gotta get a nest camera I understand what you are saying It’s 24/7
Oh no, LolaLolita! That’s definitely something that should be addressed. I would try reaching out to Ring directly to help solve that problem. I’m sure they’d be able to do a trial run with you so it’s functioning properly. Best of luck to you and stay safe!
omgg i can totally relate, i have the Ring pro as well with 5 different ring cameras and there are periods in which it skips seconds that were the main reason why i got a camera in the first place. Also after motion is detected it takes almost 2minutes to process what just happened and then youre able to see it, but after full 2-3 minutes, of it happening. I’m bummed I purchased so many before knowing this ongoing issue.
We have a Eufy. I did not want to pay a monthly fee.
Been happy with it! 🙂
I hope you’re loving your Eufy, Marni! I wouldn’t want to pay the monthly fee either!
I have the Nest Door Bell and 2 Nest Cameras. I really like that it records 24/7
That is such an awesome perk, Ana! Thanks for sharing that with us. 🙂
We have the ring doorbell, and numerous outdoor cameras. Our doorbell is hardwired and our cameras outside are solar powered. We do not have to charge them. The hardwire for the doorbell and the solar panels for the outdoor cameras do the charging for us.
That is so awesome, Olivia! I have solar lights outside and love them, I’ll have to look into this! 🙂
I have ring pro from past 2 years. It has a lag time of 30 seconds. My ring alerts most of the time when person actually left. It also is not supported by google home yet. I wouldn’t recommend it. And too see your videos, you have to pay $3 monthly
Thanks for sharing all of that with us, pxl091000! I hope you’ve found something for functional for your home.
I wouldn’t trust any of them. My internet is on and off all the time anyway (AT&T) so it wouldn’t work probably.
We have a Skybell. No fee. It’s hardwired. There’s a little lag, but not too bad. It has to do with our wireless connection.
Me too! Love my SkyBell. And love that there’s *no monthly fee!*
Have Ring. Frustrated with lag. Misses a lot too
We have moved the best door bell. We have it along with the nest thermostat. We don’t have any monthly fees and we’ve been happy with what it offers for free.
So happy to hear you have something that works for you and your home, Kristen! 🙂
Just the old fashioned bell works fine! I do not answer unless I know who it is. It is like phone calls.
Eufy’s are great!!! The fact that it can record to an sd card saves a lot of headaches with cloud based services when internet is down.
Thinking about buying one of these but not sure if waiting until Black Friday would be best as the deals would be better? Worth the wait?
We have a Ring and lately it’s not picking up most motions. And as others have commented, it starts recording when someone pulls up in front of the house but stops after 30 seconds and doesn’t get them in front of our door. Called Ring and they were NO help. I am thinking of returning it and getting a Nest.