Best Cheap Video Doorbells

It seems like everyone has a video doorbell these days, but have you seen the price tag on some of those things? Whew. It’s enough to make you clutch your wallet in fear.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to shell out a fortune just to keep an eye on your porch. Cheap doorbell cameras are becoming increasingly common, and we’ve rounded up some of the best, most affordable options for you. Expect to spend around $100.

A cheap video doorbell should still have some basic features, such as clear video footage, video storage, and motion detection.

• Delivers HD video quality
• Motion detection
• Night vision
• Two--way audio
• Cloud storage
• Easy installation

Any video doorbell should give you clear HD video, because what's the point of a video doorbell without clear picture?

Video doorbells are also expected to have motion detection to alert you of movement on your front porch. 

You're also going to need storage so you don't have to worry about deleting video files every week. Installation should be simple and easy, along with setting up the video doorbell's app.

Ring is probably the best-known name in the doorbell camera biz. It makes a bunch of different models at different price points. For the budget-minded, we recommend going for Ring’s base model: the Ring Video Doorbell.

The Ring Video Doorbell has most of the features you could get from a higher-priced Ring doorbell cam, but for only about $100.

You still get all the features you might expect, like two-way audio, night vision, and motion-activated alerts.

Ring also gives you the option to use a rechargeable battery to power the doorbell cam or to hardwire it directly into your existing doorbell connection. The battery option is great for renters or people who don’t have a doorbell.

Ring has had some notorious issues with privacy and security.^1,2 It’s not the only smart device manufacturer that’s gotten some heat for security concerns. But if you want a video doorbell with more reliable security features, we recommend the Eufy Video Doorbell.

Despite coming out with some new and improved features in recent years, Ring's lower-priced models aren't the sleekest doorbell cams we've ever seen. Ring's boxy devices aren't exactly low profile, and there are many slimmer options out there.

The RemoBell S keeps things simple. It’s affordable, attractive, and uses your existing doorbell wiring (if you have it) to maintain a constant power source.

The RemoBell S is good for people who want a smart video doorbell and not much else. It works as a standalone device, and all you need is the Remo+ app to get push notifications, see footage, and talk to visitors.

The RemoBell S doesn’t have person detection, but it does offer a nice, wide 180º field of view so you can see your porch and the surrounding area.

The RemoBell S has adjustable motion zones, but they’re pretty restrictive. You can select which areas you want the smart doorbell to watch in large blocks. Compare that to Ring, which lets you draw very specific activity zones to match your particular porch/yard configuration.

In our testing, we got a lot of useless motion alerts from the RemoBell S from cars driving down the street and people walking on the sidewalk. We had to restrict motion sensing to the smallest possible zone to control the influx of notifications, and it still wasn’t perfect.

If you want a cheap doorbell camera that will integrate with a full (affordable) home security system, then the Scout Doorbell Camera is for you.

Scout is one of the cheaper home security systems on the market, and the Scout Doorbell Camera fits right in.

Scout is a good option for people who want to add other smart home devices to their system. Scout equipment works with Zigbee, Z-Wave, IFTTT, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.

If you want smart lights, outlets, and locks along with your doorbell camera, then Scout will let you add them on.

As for the cam itself, the Scout Doorbell Camera offers standard features like two-way audio and a wide field of view (180º). It also offers person detection, so you know when it’s a human being walking through your yard and not the neighbor’s cat.

The Scout system as a whole is a bit finicky, and its other security camera (an indoor version) isn’t our favorite. If you want a security system, and you don’t mind spending a bit more on a doorbell camera, then we recommend SimpliSafe over Scout.

Because the Scout Doorbell Camera is part of the Scout security system, you have to sign on for Scout’s monitoring plan before you’ll have camera support. For Scout, the basic monitoring plan costs $9.99 per month.

If you want a doorbell camera that will let you use cloud storage, local storage, or even NVR storage, then the Amcrest Video Doorbell is for you. It costs only about $100, and it offers all three storage types in one little device.

The Amcrest Video Doorbell uses your existing doorbell wiring for power. Once it’s set up, it offers 1080p HD recording and a bunch of different storage options.

For local storage, the Amcrest Video Doorbell offers either storage through a microSD card inserted in the camera itself or through NVR (Network Video Recorder) storage.

The NVR storage is a great option if you have other Amcrest cameras and want to store the footage from all of them in a single, secure place. If you just want the video doorbell camera and nothing else, then a microSD card works best.

What we don’t like

The Amcrest has some glitches, like long lag times and connectivity issues. It also does not let you view footage remotely if you opt to record to a microSD card. Otherwise, you’re going to need a cloud storage plan to see your doorbell cam’s video on your phone.

The Toucan Video Doorbell packs in quite a few features. It has a built-in siren, 9-1-1 calling, and a super-wide 180º field of view. It’s also battery-powered, so you can put it up anywhere, even if you don’t already have a doorbell.

The Toucan gives you a battery-powered doorbell camera with a wide field of view and standard features like two-way audio and night vision. It comes with a small digital chime that goes in your house to alert you when someone's at the door.

We love features like the Toucan’s built-in siren. If you get an alert and see someone doing nefarious things on your porch (stealing packages, picking flowers, whatever your neighborhood problem is), then you can set off the siren and scare them off.

We also like that Toucan includes a 9-1-1 call feature in its app. And that the accessory chime is battery-powered. (Most accessory chimes have to be plugged into a wall outlet.)

The Toucan suffers from some general glitchiness. Its motion alerts tend to have long lag times when you pull up the app, and it only records events if you don’t open the motion alert and talk to the person on your porch. If you do, then it won’t actually record anything. Not ideal for a security camera.

We also don’t like that you have to take the entire doorbell off the wall when it’s time to recharge the battery. Some battery-powered models, like Ring, let you remove the battery to charge separately.

The Kangaroo Video Doorbell is as cheap as a doorbell camera gets. It costs only about $40. That said, it’s definitely not our favorite model. But if you want something on your porch and you don’t want to break out a Grant or two, then the Kangaroo will suffice.

The best selling point for the Kangaroo Video Doorbell is the price. It’s a remarkably cheap camera. It’s also good for renters who can’t install a doorbell camera using their existing wiring. The Kangaroo Video Doorbell is battery-powered.

The Kangaroo doesn’t offer any free cloud storage, but you can sign up for a plan if you want to be able to review clips from the camera later.

The Kangaroo Video Doorbell doesn’t so much take recordings as it does snapshots. Instead of recording an entire video clip, the Kangaroo takes several still photos and stitches them together into a gif.

The quality also isn’t great. The Kangaroo records in 480p resolution. That’s DVD-quality definition.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a doorbell camera. There are some quality cheap video doorbells on the market that still offer enough features for porch protection.

• Ring Video Doorbell: Best value—Ring is the best-known name among video doorbells, and the Ring Video Doorbell is Ring’s affordable older model. You still get customizable activity zones and HD recording.
• RemoBell S: Slimmest design—The RemoBell S is a simple cam that works as a standalone device. It uses your existing doorbell wiring for power. The motion zones are not easily adjustable.
• Scout Doorbell Camera: Best security system option—The Scout Doorbell Camera works with the full Scout home security system. The whole system is pretty affordable, and it supports home automation.
• Amcrest Video Doorbell: Best storage options—If you want local storage options, then the Amcrest Video Doorbell offers both microSD card and NVR storage. You can also opt for cloud storage if you like.
• Toucan Video Doorbell—The Toucan Video Doorbell is battery-powered and comes with an accessory chime. It has some bugs, but it offers some unique features like a built-in siren.
• Kangaroo Video Doorbell—The Kangaroo Video Doorbell is the cheapest option on our list at only $40. It’s a much lower quality product, which is why it costs so little. But if you just want something, then this might work.

Want to see more doorbell camera options? Check out our Best Video Doorbells review for the best models on the market.

We research, personally test, and compare inexpensive video doorbells based on these four categories:

1. Price
2. Video quality
3. Basic features
4. Ease of installation

Price is, of course, a big deal when it comes to inexpensive video doorbells. The video doorbells we have chosen range from $30–$130.

We tested the video doorbells ourselves so we could let you know how we liked the video quality, basic features, and the installation process. We did the hard work for you so you could find the best doorbell for your home.

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