The 11 Best Video Doorbells of 2023 To Stop Package Thieves Once and for All

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Even the best doorbell cameras (and smart home security cameras in general) can sometimes feel like they are a security nightmare straight from the pages of 1984. Still, even so, there’s no way around it: the best video doorbells cameras can be incredibly useful. Whether you’re dealing with a package thief or want to see what the deal is with the random car that just pulled up in your driveway, doorbell cameras are hardly tech for tech’s sake. Now, video doorbells almost feel like they’re a must-have for any home owner, just so they can have a better sense of what’s going on around their home.

Founded in 2013 — and subsequently bought by Amazon in 2018 — Ring was one of the first major players to find a broad audience with their original Ring Video Doorbell. This helped bring smart home tech into the mainstream while underscoring the importance and need for proper security protocols and privacy settings.

But plenty of other brands have since entered the fray, and several excellent options can fit any digital (and real-world) lifestyle. In recent months, the SPY team has tested and reviewed new security cameras, video doorbells, and smart home security systems from leading brands such as Ring, Google Nest and Wyze, and we take privacy and security very seriously. Below, we’ve selected the 11 best video doorbells for sale in 2023.

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Standard Testing for the Best Video Doorbells

To find the best video doorbells of 2023, we examined a handful of the year’s newest releases alongside some beloved classics and graded them using a rubric of various criteria, including battery life and battery connection, video resolution and quality, additional features, price, looks, and ease of install. These are the things we deemed most important when considering a unit for consumer purchase.

The second-generation Nest Video Doorbell walked away with our best of award for many reasons earning the coveted titles of the best video doorbell, but our favorite among them is the super smart functionality built-in into the device when it comes to recognition. The Nest goes a step further, realizing in real-time whether or not the person or animal at the door is either a person or an animal.

This allows you to cut down on the amount of time spent looking at your video footage to determine what or who is at the door. Additionally, the Nest can identify you when a package is taken, which is handy for knowing if your roommate, partner, neighbor, or even a porch pirate snagged something you were waiting for.

While the image is still only rendered in 1080p, there is added HDR functionality to provide better brightness and clarity, while the audio is quite strong. Most impressive is how lightning fast the Nest can provide you with alerts about when something or someone is at the door.

However, there are some drawbacks. The device only includes 3-hours of saved video if you don’t subscribe to the storage plan, which isn’t super helpful if you’re gone for a whole afternoon and need to see if something arrived for you while you were gone. Additionally, night mode isn’t the sharpest it could be.

The Ring Pro 2 is everything about Ring that’s made the Amazon brand a household name, but supercharged with plenty of pricey bells and whistles. The most impressive feature is that of 3D motion section, which, when paired with Bird’s Eye, allows for a more holistic look at how and what people did once they landed on your doorstep, including functionality that allows for a mapping of users’ path on your lawn. Plus, the camera expands the field of view, letting you see more of a full size video instead of something more horizontal.

The higher-quality camera renders stunning images of your area during both day and night, allowing for a crystal clear picture of just who exactly is at your door. The camera reacts very quickly, and when combined with those additional features, will let you have a much better picture of who or what is just exactly at your door. However, you’ll definitely need to get Ring’s additional storage plan, which adds an additional cost of either $30 a month for rolling storage or $100 per year for 60 days of storage.

The Ring Video Doorbell, which for the sake of this piece, let’s call the Ring Standard, is the entry-level offering from Ring. Priced at an affordable $100, the standard unit does strip back some key features from previous Rings, including the beloved pre-roll, which allows you to see a preview of footage prior to someone ringing your door. You’ll still get a notice when someone shows up at your door, but you’ll have to click on it in that moment.

Despite being a lower priced unit, the camera remains really strong and well worth the price with included nighttime settings as well, allowing you to clearly see what’s happening. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other Ring devices, this is also much cheaper as a trade-off.

The Ring Doorbell 4 is the latest version of the standard Ring video doorbell, and it’s better than ever. The biggest change that we loved the most when we reviewed the unit earlier this year was its zone customization, which allowed you to adjust a net-like coverage zone so that you didn’t get an overabundance of alerts from any kind of movement.

That’s especially helpful if you’re living in a house in a busy city and have traffic that may cause the Ring to go off. Otherwise, the Ring 4 is just a refinement of what’s come before, offering fantastic pre-roll options to show you what people did prior to ringing your doorbell or before the movement was captured, while the video output itself remains strong in either day or night settings.

If Ring and Nest are among the more notable video doorbell brands, Wyze is a close competitor, priding itself on offering affordable units with strong features and prices. The Wyze Doorbell Pro is a strong unit for its upgraded camera that outputs at 1440×1440 and includes a horizontal and vertical 150-degree field of view to let you see more of the image at a given time.

But the best part is that you can select to do a wire or wireless setup, so that installation can be a breeze should you desire to go with a no-frills approach. The included chime will alert you inside your home when there’s someone at your door, which is a nice value add. However, the look and feel of the Pro are a little uninspired, so those in search of a truly elegant device may need to look elsewhere.

Blink, which Amazon also owns along with Ring, is gaining traction for being a budget-friendly option video doorbell, yet the trade-off with cheaper products is the fact that quality sometimes is the first thing that goes out the window. The good news is that’s not the case with the Blink. While the video image isn’t as sharp as other options on this list, it still manages to perform well for its price point. Our favorite feature is the inclusion of a receiver with local, memory-card-based storage.

That saves you from having to pony up for extra services and just snag a flash memory. And while some might be disappointed by the fact it’s battery-powered, you can easily stock up on rechargeable AA batteries.

Eufy’s 2K video camera gets some immediate points for how different it looks from all the other doorbells on the list, as the square-shaped housing is certainly a way to carve a name out for yourself. But where the unit also makes an impact is in its 2K resolution output. While having a higher quality output isn’t the most important thing, it’s a huge difference maker in terms of being able to better tell who is at your door, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.

The fact that this doesn’t need to be wired to the house is also a benefit, making it easy for renters to use without leaving much of an impact on the property. Plus, having local storage is extra helpful for those who don’t want to rely on cloud data.

Osensitbly three home security devices in one, the Eufy Security S330 combines a doorbell, a finger print and numeric lock, and a 2K camera into one full home security device. We have a feeling this might be slight overkill for most home owners, but if you’re someone running a rental property, it’s probably a must own for the ability to customize the keycode and see who is coming and going throughout your property. The 2K video output includes stunning clarity, while local storage allows you to keep all your video files on hand.

The Lockly Vision Elite video doorbell and eletronic lock looks like less of a video camera and more of a dedicated smart lock. For some, that might be a feature instead of a bug, as the subtlety of the video camera’s inclusion might be a reason to invest in the doorbell’s hefty price.

In addition to providing local storage and two rechargeable batteries, the Elite is a pretty small unit for what it does, meaning you can get a lot in one package, including a dedicated key bolt in addition to the touchpad access. But it’s just an okay video doorbell. If that doesn’t matter much to you, then its functions as a smart lock are well worth it for a rental home or property.

Logitech has a great reputation for finding the intersection between design and functionality, which is what makes its Circle View video doorbell such a compelling option for those looking at a video doorbell. The full-size picture in-app allows you to see more of what’s happening at a glance while installing is a breeze. The night-time mode, in particular, is worth mentioning, as the video it produces is vivid and colorful. There are some drawbacks, as there’s only an option for wired and without a battery option.

Arlo’s Essential Video Doorbell has a lot of great features out of the box, but you’ll need a subscription to their service to take advantage of the full range of offerings. That said, the upgrade makes the doorbell punch well above its weight with activity zone customization, package detection, and smart notifications. While it’s a shame these features are gated, the Essential works great at showing vivid details across a few different resolutions. If you weren’t considering an Arlo unit before, the Essential makes a compelling case for you to do so.

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Why Trust SPY When Shopping For the Best Video Doorbells?

SPY is known for testing and reviewing high-quality products across all categories, including tech and audio, and sharing our honest results and feedback through personal experience. Each SPY product tester has particular expertise in a given field that allows them to truly understand any product before them and report accurately on it’s performance. We recently tested the best Bluetooth record players, the best Android smartwatches, and even some of the best home security cameras to keep your home secure.

To learn more about the SPY reviews process, you can read about our process here: How SPY Tests Products.

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About the Author: William Goodman

William Goodman is one of the most experienced product reviewers at SPY.com, and he’s been reviewing audio products, the latest menswear releases, and gaming gear for many years. Goodman is a Washington, D.C.-based e-commerce writer and reviewer. Previously for SPY.com, he’s reviewed the impressive Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds featured here, as well as new bespoke suits and video doorbells. His work can also be found at Robb Report, Complex, and GQ. He’s yet to meet a jacket or cardigan he didn’t love, and in his free time, he’s probably on Twitter (@goodmanw) or at the movies.