10 Best Home Security Cameras Without a Subscription, Tested

Wireless security cameras have never been more affordable, with many highly rated models from our tests costing $100 or less. But that doesn’t factor in the recurring cost of cloud storage for the video captured by the cameras, which can easily cost as much as the camera itself for every year you subscribe.

When you consider those costs, plus fatigue from the sheer number of subscription services offered to consumers and concerns about how camera makers can share your video footage without your consent, some people are turning to security cameras that don’t require a subscription. Instead of storing footage in the cloud, they store video locally, usually on either a microSD card or their internal memory. This frees you from paying a monthly fee and gives you more control over your recordings. But many of these cameras also offer an optional subscription if you feel inclined to store your footage in the cloud for extra protection.

The main downside to cameras that forgo a subscription is that many of them may lack intelligent object recognition of people, animals, vehicles, packages, and faces. That’s because the object recognition often happens on a company’s servers rather than the camera itself. Many security camera manufacturers have been using these AI-driven features to entice consumers into paying for a subscription. But there are still plenty of security cameras without a subscription that will offer at least one of these intelligent features (usually person detection) for no extra charge.

Below, you’ll find the 10 best security cameras from CR’s ratings that don’t require a subscription, broken out by type (indoor, outdoor, and floodlight). The models in each section are in alphabetical order (not rank), and they’re made by Blink, Eufy, Reolink, and TP-Link. We highlight which smart alerts each of these cameras provides, as well as whether they offer an optional subscription should you decide to store your video remotely. We also reveal how each camera fares in our tests for data privacy (how manufacturers collect, use, and share your data, including how transparent they are about this) and data security (whether the camera employs security measures, such as encryption, to protect your data from outsiders). 

For more options, check out our complete home security camera ratings for more than 100 models. And consult our comprehensive home security camera buying guide before you go shopping.