Ring Doorbell Comparison: Which One Should You Buy?

The newly released Ring Doorbell Plus is the middle-ground when it comes to Ring's video doorbell selection. It has better quality video than the Ring Video Doorbell or the Elite. It lacks some features of the higher priced video doorbells, though, like Pre-Roll, Bird's Eye Zones, Bird's Eye View, and Dual-Band Wi-fi.

Why would you choose this Ring doorbell camera over others? Well, if video quality is important to you, but you don't really care about Pre-Roll, Bird's Eye Zones, Bird's Eye View, and Dual-Band Wi-fi, getting this model can save you hundreds of dollars.

It also has a special head-to-toe view that ensures that the whole person is in the video.

The Ring Video Doorbell is what you would call the base model of the Ring lineup. It's the original, but the company has mad quite a few updates to it over the years.

One big improvement in this new version is crisp 1080p video quality and a more polished design. But it still doesn't have a removable battery. Charging the battery on this Ring is a bit of a hassle (since you have to pretty much take the whole doorbell off). But if you hardwire it to your old doorbell, you won’t have to worry about the battery dying.

It also lacks the fancy Pre-Roll feature that captures video from before motion events, which is the higher-priced versions' biggest draw.

If you still want a Ring doorbell but you’re on a budget, those little concessions are worth the over $200 you save on the purchase price compared to the Elite.

But just because it’s budget-friendly doesn’t mean it’s without perks. The Ring Video Doorbell still has a bunch of the other bells and whistles we enjoy with pricier versions, including custom motion zones, motion-activated alerts, and a wide 150º field of view.

The Ring Video Doorbell Wired costs just under $65, making it the most affordable Ring doorbell to date. But there's a catch: you can only use this version if you already have existing doorbell wiring. There's no battery pack.

Even though it's not a wireless camera, it still has all the perks you expect from a video doorbell: two-way audio, motion alerts, 1080p recording, and a Wi-Fi connection.

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro is the device for people who want a subtler, sleeker video doorbell to greet their visitors. It is narrower than its bulkier cousins and has a profile that resembles a standard doorbell. The lack of bulk is because there’s no battery, which means you have to hardwire it to your old doorbell.

It has 1536p resolution, which is higher quality than other Ring doorbell cameras, and it still manages to fit a motion detector and two-way audio into its space-saving design.

What sets it apart from its competitors is the additional features in the app:

• Bird's Eye Zones: This feature allows you to map out your detection to only get alerts about specific areas.
• Bird's Eye View: An aerial view or "bird's eye view" of motion events that tracks a visitor's path.
• Dual-Band Wi-fi: The doorbell works with 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

The Ring Video Doorbell Elite is Ring’s top-of-the-line option with a top-of-the-line price to match. It’s hardwired to your ethernet connection, so you never have to worry about its proximity to Wi-Fi.

But since most homes probably don’t have an ethernet cable running to the doorbell box, the Elite is a better fit for new construction.

Ring recommends professional installation for this device due to the required ethernet connection and because it’s flush-mounted to your outer wall. On the plus side, the flush-mount design makes it a lot less bulky after installation than other Ring video doorbell models.

Want to just upgrade your peephole? Ring has you covered with the Ring Peephole Cam. For a little under $130, you can turn your boring peephole into one that records footage that you can check whether you're at home or not. It even lets you speak to people at your door, just like the doorbell cameras.

With 1080p video, battery power, and knock detection, this little gadget is a great alternative to Ring's doorbell cameras.