Reolink vs. Arlo Cameras Review

We've touted Reolink as a budget alternative to Arlo, and during this deep-dive comparison, you'll see how accurate that is. Although Reolink doesn't offer everything that makes Arlo so great, it's got a similar look and feel and some of the same features.

Arlo is the better option if you're wanting more advanced security camera features. But you're going to love Reolink if you're looking to save some money while still getting an excellent camera.

We’d say Arlo’s focus is its super customized motion detection, while Reolink offers features scattered across several different categories. Overall, Arlo’s features are more appealing, but we do like the variety Reolink offers.

Reolink features vary from model to model, but all of its cameras have night vision, event-based video recording, and a resolution of at least 1080p.

Arlo is far from the most expensive camera brand on the market, but most of its devices are $200+. Reolink, on the other hand, has only a few cameras that cost significantly more than $100.

Reolink monitoring also costs less than Arlo’s.

We like to see indoor cameras under the $100 price point and outdoor cameras under $200, and Reolink’s prices are right on target for those estimates.

Even with Reolink's more expensive cameras, the Go models stay in that price range excluding the Reolink Go PT Plus. They connect primarily to cellular data, not Wi-Fi, and need their own phone plans to operate.

Some Reolink cameras don’t come with USB cords to recharge the batteries, so you’ll have to get those on your own dime, which adds a few dollars to the overall cost.

As we mentioned, some Reolink cameras can use solar panels instead of rechargeable batteries. But you’ll need to buy the solar panels separately too.

Reolink’s cloud storage plans work out to be cheaper than Arlo’s. The base price gets you storage for up to five cameras, and the $14.99 plan supports up to 20 cameras. For comparison, with Arlo, the $12.99 plan supports only five.

And, just as a reminder, you don’t have to get any of these storage plans to fully use your Reolink camera. You’ll have all your camera features without cloud storage. So you can just use an SD card for local storage and call it a day if that’s what you prefer.

Arlo isn’t the most expensive camera brand, but most of its devices cost more than we like to spend.

Why is Arlo so much more expensive than Reolink? Not only do the cameras have more features, they often come paired with base stations.

You can’t use some of Arlo’s cameras if you buy them without the base station (or don’t already have a compatible model). And that extra hardware adds up fast.

If you’d like more info, we talk at length about Arlo base stations in the Arlo Security Camera Review.

Arlo’s subscription is slightly more expensive than Reolink’s. But it’s not enormously extravagant, either, especially compared to how much some home security companies charge for video storage.

However, we don’t love that you need a paid subscription to access almost all Arlo features. It seems pretty unfair to charge so much for a camera and then keep charging to use the camera.

You can choose a no plan option with Arlo, but the only thing you'll get with it is live video streaming and motion notifications. You won't get any other features or cloud storage.

The Secure Plan costs $9.99 for unlimited cameras and comes with most of the features of the Secure Plan Plus, you'll just have to sacrifice that 4K video resolution as you'll only get 2K.

Arlo has far better home automation than Reolink, which covers only the basics.

Most Reolink models work with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. That baseline will be more than enough for some people, but it won’t give you much interconnectivity with other household smart devices.

Arlo is one of the only camera brands that offers HomeKit compatibility, making it perfect for folks who swear by Apple products.

Arlo also offers Alexa, Google, and SmartThings compatibility, making its cameras compatible with most popular smart speakers. And with the IFTTT compatibility, users can include Arlo cameras in custom smart home chains.

Neither of these camera brands offer direct smart home compatibility. Essentially, that means you can’t control a bunch of smart home devices from your Arlo or Reolink app. You can only access your cameras.

We haven't set up every camera from both brands (Reolink has so many!), but those we did test ourselves weren't too difficult to set up.

Both Reolink and Arlo cameras come with all the necessary screws and mounting pieces. And both have fairly intuitive, app-led processes to make the installation experience as painless as possible, without the need for professional assistance.

When it comes to Reolink vs. Arlo, we pick Arlo for most users. Let’s break down why.

Features: Arlo is a lot more advanced in its motion detection settings than Reolink. Since detecting intruders, packages, and other objects is one of the main objects of having a security camera, most people will prefer this feature over Reolink’s well-rounded repertoire. 

Pricing: Reolink is significantly cheaper than Arlo, both in equipment and cloud subscription plans.

Home automation: Arlo has a lot more smart home compatibility than Reolink, making it a better choice if you want a connected home.

Installation: Installation doesn’t seem overly difficult for either of these two brands.

Arlo is such a big name, and has such good motion detection and home automation, that we feel most people will choose it over Reolink. But if you don’t want to spend the prices Arlo is charging, Reolink is an excellent alternative.

On the other hand, if you don’t like either of these brands that much, check out our Best Security Cameras, Best Cheap Security Cameras, and Best Night Vision Cameras for some other options.