Best video doorbells without subscription 2021

There’s little argument that the Ring doorbell is undisputedly a king when it comes to the best video doorbells. The Amazon-owned American smart doorbell manufacturer creates some of the best-selling video doorbells, and a lot of their users love them. But, if you’re looking to save recordings, you’ll have to shell out for a subscription to cloud storage.

This rubs the wrong way for a lot of people. No one wants to be charged for a recurring subscription in order to benefit from a product I have already paid for. But, Ring isn’t the only one to bring a video doorbell to the market, and there are loads of fantastic choices for video doorbells without the need for a subscription on Amazon. On this list, we at TechEngage will present to you the best video doorbells with no monthly fee available right now.

Pros:

• Slim and Stylish
• Battery Powered
• Records to SD Card
• Included chime

Cons:

• Does not support 5GHz WiFi

The first choice on this list is a battery-powered smart video doorbell from WUUK. Their 1080p Wireless Video Camera is a fantastic choice for a video doorbell. Made of high-quality materials with adequate weather-sealing, this video doorbell is IP65 certified, and so it’ll keep both spots of rain and show out of the device. 

This device is fully wireless, with no need to run cables through your house. Instead, just use the included strong adhesive tape to attach the doorbell by your front door, make sure the battery is charged up, and you’ll be good to go. With the included 6700mAh battery, this doorbell will last up to six months between charges.

If you have existing doorbell wiring, you can also use an 8-24V wire to power this doorbell, so you’ll never have to worry about battery life. 

See more of what’s outside your house with its 162-degree wide-angle lens. At night, the infrared night vision camera works to identify objects and people up to 16 feet away, allowing you to properly monitor bad actors deep into the night. 

Place the included chime in a wall port to get notified of someone pressing the doorbell. The bell will also send push notifications to all mobile devices connected, and with Alexa and Google Home integration, the bell can also play a chime on your smart speaker.

All recordings are stored directly onto your Wi-Fi Chime’s SD card that is located inside your home. This means that even if someone were to forcibly remove the doorbell, all your data would remain secure, and you still have access to the video clips and even submit them to police if needed. You can also store video recordings for up to 48 hours for free in the cloud, perfect in case of the doorbell being destroyed.

Priced at $90, this doorbell is both feature-rich, affordable, and definitely worth checking out.

Buy on Amazon

Pros:

• Great video quality
• SD Card Local Storage

Cons:

• Only supports 5GHz 
• Clunky app
• No Smart Home or IFTTT integration 
• No battery

The second choice on this list is the Owlet Home smart video doorbell. There are two choices on how to store the recording this device makes. Once you download the Owlet app, you are gifted a free six months subscription to their cloud storage, and video can be saved to an SD card. In fact, Owlet is kind enough to provide a free 32GB SD Card, with support for up to 128GB cards. 

This video doorbell uses AI facial recognition to tailor notifications and responses to certain people. For example, if it’s a familiar person, the doorbell can act differently in greeting them. The AI recognition can also distinguish a package, automatically notifying you. For these AI features, you will need a subscription, but as mentioned before, all doorbells come with six months free. 

Busy or missed the notification? No worries. Owlet Home T3 can automatically play a pre-recorded voice message to your guest, and prompt them to leave a voice message to you too. You can also have two-way audio conversations using the app. 

With an average rating of 4 stars out of five stars. One Amazon reviewer writes: 

“I am one of the early adopters of this Owlet Home T3 Video Doorbell and very pleased with it. The doorbell is small, light with excellent quality, perfect for my front door, and super easy to install. I particularly like the package design, so cute! The doorbell comes with free 6 months AI and cloud subscription which has many cool features. The most useful for us is facial recognition which tells us if it’s a family member or stranger in front of the door. The device has a built-in siren that triggers the alarm if someone tries to steal the video doorbell or the AI detects a potential package thief. Very interesting and useful, Love it!”

Priced at $129, the Owlet is a little more expensive than other base models on this list, but it’s still quite affordable when compared with doorbells from Ring or Arlo. 

Buy on Amazon

Pros:

• High-quality camera
• Alexa integration

Cons:

• Not battery powered
• The software could be better

Powered by a CMOS sensor with a 140° wide-angle lens, the Amcrest Smart Video Doorbell is compatible with existing traditional mechanical and electronic digital chimes to provide surveillance of all front door activity with the video quality of 1080p at 30fps. 

Observe 1080P HD video footage at 30fps on this Smart Home ready wireless security camera with the latest CMOS image sensor. A wide diagonal viewing angle allows you to cover more ground to keep what you love safe.

Built-in microphone and speaker allows for two-way audio and makes it easier to talk to visitors without having to get up and answer the door. Pair this with an Echo Show to display video or use your phone to have a conversation. 

The built-in smart night vision allows you to see in the dark, up to 16 feet away, keeping your possessions safe after dark. Utilize intelligent alerts that send notifications directly to your computer or smartphone via the Amcrest Smart Home app. Customize your motion detection zones to receive only the alerts that you need. Be notified anytime your smart home camera goes offline.

View your Full HD footage from anywhere in the world using the Amcrest Smart Home Cloud app. It comes with a years’ free subscription. If you’re like me, and wouldn’t be interested in renewing after this period, the doorbell records to a microSD card. 

Buy on Amazon

Pros:

• Battery Powered
• High-quality camera
• SD Card and Cloud Storage 
• Included Chime

Cons:

• AA Batteries
• Doesn’t support 5GHz

The ZUMMIMALL Video Doorbell is another fantastic battery-powered bell offering with an included chime! The doorbell takes less than five minutes to set up, can be attached by a mounting plate or strong adhesive tape, and comes with a wireless indoor chime to notify you if there’s someone at the door. 

This video doorbell facilitates real-time clear two-way audio with the device’s built-in microphone and speaker. If you want to notify visitors that you’re not in or too busy to come to the door, you can record a 30 second pre-recorded message for the bell to play to anyone who visits your house. 

To keep your device protected, this video doorbell is IP65 certified. It’s waterproof and dustproof, and thus is safe to use in all weather conditions, which makes it ideal for use all through the year. 

Recordings can be saved onto a MicroSD card of a capacity up to 128GB, or in the cloud subject to a cloud subscription. In fact, this product comes with a free 32GB SD installed. Great value!

Get notified on your smartphone from anywhere in the world on your phone when someone is at the door, providing an extra level of smart security. 

With a battery capacity of 6600mAH, this doorbell can last between two to five-month dependent on usage, which I find sufficiently long for a doorbell. If you don’t want to recharge or swap out rechargeable AA batteries, you can also use your doorbell wire to hook it up to the mains. 

With an average rating of 4 stars out of 5, Amazon reviewers love how useful this doorbell is!

One happy customer writes:

“I have been using this for a while now. I got it well before Christmas because I knew I was getting a lot of packages and wanted to make sure we didn’t get any packages stolen. I was able to install this with the adhesive on the back. Honestly, the adhesive looked kind of small to me and I was a bit worried about it but it has held out well. I like that I can install this on my door to make it very visible. I want people to know I have a camera.”

Priced at $90, this is perfect for anyone looking for an affordable Ring or Arlo alternative with local storage without nasty monthly fees.

Buy on Amazon

Disclaimer: TechEngage is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. For more info, please read our disclaimer.