Ring Doorbell vs. Nest

The two top choices of video doorbell are the Ring Doorbell and the Nest Doorbell. Both have an app that allows you to see who is at your door on a phone or computer screen. The two brands have many great features, but there is one big difference. The Ring’s most popular model is significantly less expensive than the Nest’s, making it the clear winner in the price wars.

Here’s our comparison review of two of the most popular video doorbells: the Ring Doorbell Pro 2 and the Nest Hello to help you choose the best one for you.

Comparison – Ring Doorbell vs. Nest

Here are the five main features that users look for in a video doorbell:

• Appearance
• Type of Power Source
• Quality of Video
• Smart Home Compatibility
• Subscription Storage Plan

Although both Ring Doorbell and Nest share many great functions, such as built-in Wi-Fi, HD video with a wide aspect ratio and night vision, we did find differences between the two.

1. Appearance

Both doorbells are sleek and polished in appearance and suit modern homes best. The Nest is available in more colors than the Ring and is slightly bigger at 6.3 x 1.8 x 0.95 inches. The Ring is 5.1 x 2.5 x 1.1 inches.

Ring Pros

• Classy appearance of brushed metal and black plastic
• Button shaped video camera is discreet

Ring Cons

• Only available in bronze and nickel

Nest Pros

• Simple rounded oblong shape
• The black circle makes the camera obvious to guests
• Available in four colors: ash, linen, ivy, and snow

Nest Cons

• Plastic shell may be easy to break

2. Types of Power Sources

The Ring and the Nest can be connected by wire to a power source in the home, or be powered by rechargeable batteries. The Ring doesn’t need charging for 12 months, which far exceeds the one-month battery life of the Nest battery.

Ring Pros

• Powered by wire or battery
• The battery lasts 12 months before needing recharging

Ring Cons

• Non-removable batteries
• The entire doorbell box must be removed to charge the battery
• A rechargeable battery takes 12 hours to charge

Nest Pros

• Powered by wire or battery
• A rechargeable battery takes two hours to charge

Nest Cons

• Non-removable batteries
• The entire doorbell box must be removed to charge the battery
• Nest rechargeable battery only lasts a month

3. Quality of Video

The quality of a doorbell video is partly about its video resolution, but also its aspect ratio. They determine how much of the porch you can see on your cell phone or computer screen. In both regards, Nest is the winner, but at a higher cost.

Ring Pros

• 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Person detection
• Package delivery detection
• Extended video recording
• Program custom motion areas
• Two-way audio with noise cancellation

Ring Cons

• Horizontal orientation limits your view of the porch and package delivery
• No continuous video recording
• No end-to-end video encryption

Nest Pros

• Vertical orientation offers a view of the porch and package delivery
• HDR makes it easier to see faces in shadow
• Person detection
• Package delivery detection
• Program custom motion areas
• Facial recognition is offered with a subscription
• Two-way audio with noise and echo cancellation

Nest Cons

• Only 960 x 120 resolution
• No extended video recording
• Continuous video recording requires wiring and Nest Aware Plan

4. Smart Home Compatibility

Both devices integrate with smart home features. Ring works best with Alexa, and Nest works best with Google Assistant.

Ring Pros

• Control the status of the camera with voice commands
• Alexa announces package arrivals
• Can be linked to porch lights and motion sensors
• Integrates Lutron-controlled ultra-bright lights
• Notification and alert sounds
• Select sounds can be assigned to different detections
• Plug-in ring chimes available as an accessory
• Offers a neighborhood alert feature with a subscription
• View a live feed from a device with Echo Show or Fire TV
• Chime Pro accessory also acts as a Wi-Fi repeater

Ring Cons

• Doesn’t integrate with Smart Home Kit
• Doesn’t integrate with Starling Home Kit

Nest Pros

• Control the status of the camera with voice commands
• Google Assistant Announces Visitors
• Offers a full-color pre-roll feature with a subscription
• View a live feed from a device with Echo Show or Fire TV

Nest Cons

• Nest only works with Google Assistant
• Doesn’t integrate with Smart Home Kit
• Doesn’t integrate with Starling Home Kit
• No different chime integrations or options

5. Subscription Storage Plan

Subscription plans matter when it comes to video doorbells since they determine how many videos you can store on a cloud. Both Ring and Nest offer monthly plans that offer users different amounts of storage.

Ring Pros

• $4.00 a month buys 180 hours of recordings
• $10.00 a month supports unlimited security cameras

Ring Cons

• No 24/7 video history

Nest Pros

• Nest Aware available at $6.00 per month
• Stores 30 days of event history

Nest Cons

• 60 days of event history is $12.00 per month
• Only offers ten days of 24/7 video history
• Facial recognition only available with a subscription

FAQS

What is package detection?

Package detection is a notification that tells you when a package has either been delivered or picked up. Both Ring and Nest video doorbells come with this feature.

What is extended video recording?

Extended video recording allows you to capture more than a glimpse of a person who’s moving too swiftly to identify. The footage is looped to add a four-second prefix, which may help to capture the person’s face. Note that this feature is only offered by Ring.

What is a custom motion zone?

Keep an eye on your entrance’s vulnerable zones by assigning motion zones to your doorbell camera. You can designate them in the doorbell video app by drawing polygons on the screen. Both Ring and Nest subscriptions offer this feature.

What is a neighborhood alert?

Ring video doorbell has a feature that allows you to engage with other users of Ring video. This function allows you to share videos of package thieves. Your neighbors can also send you an alert of trouble in the neighborhood.

Is end-to-end video encryption available for either Nest or Ring?

End-to-end video encryption means that only you can see who is at your door. It is used to prevent law enforcement from seeing who is delivering packages. While not offered by Nest, you can install it on Ring provided the device isn’t on battery power.

Installing end-to-end encryption is simple. Disconnect the video doorbell by removing its inner rechargeable battery from the casing. Connect it to your home’s doorbell wiring, and then enable end-to-end encryption.

The Ring Is Slightly Better Than the Nest

The Ring is $80.00 cheaper than the Nest, yet has many of the Nest’s great features such as package delivery detection and two-way audio and integration with Smart Home devices. However, The Ring’s monthly subscription plan is half the price of the Nest subscription. The Ring offers one-third more cloud storage for your surveillance videos at two-thirds the price of Nest. The small brushed metal doorbell casing of the Ring video doorbell has a classier look that matches bronze or nickel door fixtures. In contrast, the Nest looks more like a plastic afterthought. If you need a wide horizontal view of your porch, the Nest’s diagonal view is better. But the Ring’s higher video resolution, vertical view, and motion detection offer you the most versatility when it comes to video security.

Have you ever used Ring or Nest video doorbells? If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments section below.