If you love the idea of a video doorbell, but hate the idea of paying for a subscription, no problem! You can have a smart doorbell that acts as a security camera without paying monthly fees.
Choose from any of these video doorbells, and you won’t need a subscription to get the features you need. Replace your existing doorbell with one that records visitors, lets you answer them over your phone, and stores video locally in its own drive or on a micro SD card.
Top Video Doorbell Picks
Check out our favorites here. Or you can scroll down for in-depth reviews. You can also read more about how we choose products.
- Best Overall: Lindo Dual Camera Video Doorbell with Chime
- Runner Up: AOSU Doorbell Camera Wireless
- Best Wired Doorbell: Eufy Security Video Doorbell Dual Camera (Wired)
- Budget Choice: Eufy Security Battery Video Doorbell Kit
Why Choose Video Doorbells without Subscription?
1. Saving money
Subscriptions for a smart video doorbell cost anywhere from $3 to $10, depending on the company and the level of subscription. Why lock yourself into paying that if you don’t have to?
2. Security & Privacy
A subscription means they are storing your video in the cloud or at least processing some of your data. Some video doorbell companies have been caught sharing customer video without customer consent.
Do Video Doorbells get Stolen?
Short answer? Rarely. They’re not much use on their own and you’d be filmed stealing them. Many require a tool to get them off, making it hard for someone to do quickly and without being noticed.
What to Look for
There are a few things you should consider in choosing the right doorbell for your home.
- What features require a subscription? “None” is the best answer, but some doorbells will still do all you need without one.
- Does some features need wifi? Not every home has it. Most doorbells will work with cell data or a phone hotspot, but you may lose features like notifications – which could defeat the whole point for you.
- How do they store footage? You need one that stores video locally instead of on the cloud, and for that it’s usually on a microSD card or the doorbell’s own internal memory.
- Slight delay before notification: most if not all cameras have a lag time of a few seconds between the person arriving and your phone notifying you, or you being able to answer the doorbell over your phone. Since there was always a lag of time before you could answer a regular doorbell in person, this isn’t a problem for most people. But if you see lots of complaints about very long delays, it could be an issue.
- Without a subscription, does it still have motion detection, night vision, facial recognition? Sometimes these helpful features require the company’s servers. The units in this list do it on their own.
- Do you need night vision? Most have this feature, which makes it easy to see visitors after dark.
- Two way audio lets you communicate with people who ring the doorbell.
- Integration with Alexa or Google Home. If you like using voice commands, you might prefer a device that works with these.
- Compatibility with your existing security system. If you have a security system, you’ll need to make sure the doorbell you choose will work with it.
Best Video Doorbell Without Subscription
Let's note right up front: without a subscription (currently $2.99/month or $29.99/year), this one only stores 3 days' worth of videos. For many of us, that's fine. But if that's a dealbreaker, then you might want to skip this one.
What's Great:
- Dual camera field of vision with 2K HDR resolution gives you a terrific view of visitors and the whole porch
- Uses special technology to improve the stability of the wifi connection
- Triple detection means fewer false alarms
- Two-way audio
- Easy to install
What's Not So Great:
- Without a subscription, you only get 3 days of video history. This won't be a problem for most people, but could be for some.
- Some reviewers are underwhelmed by the customer support
This is the unit I'll buy if my next home hasn't had its internal doorbell wiring cut by a weird previous owner. If you prefer a wired doorbell, this one is a great choice.
It has two cameras - one straight ahead, and the other angled down toward the ground. This makes for a very big field of vision.
What's Great:
- Great field of vision with 2K with HDR resolution gives you very clear, complete images of visitors and deliveries.
- Notifies you when packages arrive with Delivery Guard. You also get
pick-up reminders and alerts if someone comes toward your package. Great if you're dealing with Amazon thieves! - 3-Second preview videos: these show you the motion that triggered a recording so you know how someone approached your home and what they were doing
- Easy to install
What's Not So Great:
- Local video storage is inside the doorbell, which means if someone stole it, they'd have the footage. Again, this is rare, but you may prefer having the storage in the indoor chime unit
This is the doorbell I would buy if I needed a new or second one. It has an unbelievably clear picture with a great field of vision, 6 month battery life, night vision, motion sensor, and locally stored video.
What's Great:
- 5 megapixel resolution provides a very clear view of visitors
- Field of view includes ground or porch so you can see what visitors have left or picked up
- 180 day battery life between charges
- Instead of just infrared for object detection, this one also has a radar sensor and AI body detection technology to reduce false alarms by 95%.
- Local US phone support
- Works with Alexa and Google
- Reviewers report less delay before phone notification with this unit than with other brands.
- Wifi connected: it works with a chime unit inside.
- You can actually wire if it you want
What's Not So Great:
- Stores video on your phone instead of an HD card. Once the phone runs out of room, older videos are overwritten. Most reviewers say this is no problem at all, but it could be a dealbreaker if for some reason you want to store a lot of video locally. Although you can email or download videos to a laptop, too.
This is the one I bought when I moved into a home where someone had actually cut the inside wires to the doorbell. It would have cost over $100 to have an electrician come out and rewire it, so I picked the cheapest one without a subscription.
Since it was a Eufy, and I already have a Eufy robovac that I love and know their customer support is great, I figured I'd be happy with it. And I have been!
What's Great:
- 1080p resolution provides a good view of visitors
- 120 day battery: this can depend on settings and number of visitors, but I do get about 3 months out of each charge, and I have plenty of deliveries
- Works with Alexa and Google
- Wifi connected: it works with a chime unit inside.
- Uses a microSD card which is stored in the chime unit. If someone did steal the doorbell, they wouldn't have any footage.
- Scheduler lets you set the doorbell to off at certain times (night, for me) so your phone won't notify you of people at your door
- Two-way Audio means you can talk to your visitors
- Smart Human Detection: you can set it to ignore everything but humans. This feature works imperfectly, but pretty well for me.
- Excellent phone support: you can call, hold for a couple of minutes, and then speak to someone who can actually help.
- Download any videos you want to save to your phone or tablet.
What's Not So Great:
- Setup instructions could be clearer. It's not hard to figure out on your own if you're used to devices like this. There are videos online to help. But some may need more help than that.
