Blink vs Ring - Which Security System is the Best? | Security.org

After testing both, we recommend Ring for its bigger selection of cameras, more advanced hardware, and better app than Blink.

Editor’s Note: Let’s cut to the chase. We highly recommend the Ring Alarm 8-piece kit, which comes with entryway sensors, motion sensors, and cameras. Read about it in our Ring Alarm review.

In case you didn’t know, Ring and Blink are both owned by Amazon. The online retail giant has positioned each brand differently, so it’s difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison. Therefore, we’re not going to say one is better than the other. We will compare and contrast so you can decide if either of these home security brands is right for you.

Both Ring and Blink have great-looking devices with sleek, modern designs. We have also found after living with both lineups that Blink and Ring provide great value. That’s where the similarities end though. Ring products are more expensive, but they are of higher quality, while Blink devices are easier on your wallet but don’t provide the same level of quality as Ring. Let’s break down exactly what you get from each brand.

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Ring has four types of security cameras available for sale:

Both the Stick Up and Spotlight cameras are available as battery-powered, solar-powered, or hardwired. The Indoor Cam and Floodlight Cam are only available as plug-in, while the Floodlight Cam can be hardwired to your electrical system.

With Blink, each camera type is either battery-powered or hardwired. Some battery cameras can be powered using a solar panel. Blink also doesn’t have as many accessory options as Ring.

Here are the four camera types from Blink:

The other noticeable difference between Blink and Ring is that Blink security cameras are more affordable. The plugged-in Blink Mini Pan-Tilt is just $40, whereas the Ring equivalent, the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, is $60. The battery-powered cameras are more expensive but still cheaper than Ring.

The Wired Floodlight Camera is the odd duck of the lineup. It requires hardwiring, so installation by an electrician might be required. Compared to other cameras with built-in floodlights on the market, it’s affordable. The Ring Floodlight Cam Plus starts at around $200, while the Blink Wired Floodlight Camera costs less than half at only $89.99. It’s a steal at that price.

Pro Tip: Ring may be more popular, but popularity has little to no impact on quality and value. We’ve tested unpopular brands that turned out to be great, and well-known security camera brands that turned out to be the worst, so let’s not take Ring and Blink on face value alone. Let’s dig deeper!

It’s inevitable; despite offering vastly different security camera lineups, Blink and Ring have lots of similarities, from how their equipment is set up to how they are monitored.

So far, we’ve seen two almost identical security camera brands. That’s not really surprising given that they are both Amazon-owned brands. This time though, let’s talk about the differences. Pay close attention because these features are likely going to be your biggest deciding factors.

FYI: Blink’s battery-powered cameras use two AA batteries, while Ring offers rechargeable battery packs. There are pros and cons to each, but we like Blink better. Besides the super-long battery life, it’s easy to acquire AA batteries from any local hardware store.

Now that we know what Ring and Blink are about, let’s start breaking down their respective features. For that, we’ll take a close-up look at what each brand offers in terms of hardware, installation, recording options and so on. Of course, if you want a more detailed review, always feel free to visit our Ring camera review and Blink review.

We chose our assortment of Blink equipment based on our home’s specific needs. First, we purchased a Blink Sync Module, which acts as a base station and local storage for up to 10 Blink cameras. We then selected our combination of Blink cameras, which included:

FYI: While we tested Blink with a Sync Module 2, a new model for the hub came out recently, named Sync Module XR. Its most interesting upgrade is the Extended Range feature, designed to extend the range of the wireless Outdoor 4. The XR model also uses a microSD card for local storage instead of the Sync Module 2’s USB drive.

The current Blink Outdoor camera is the fourth generation, and one of the new features in this iteration is true person detection when paired with a Blink subscription plan. This is a feature that Ring cameras can’t boast because they can only detect “people” by sensing movement paired with certain heat signatures, which is an inferior method. Blink, on the other hand, uses computer vision algorithms to detect people.

Unlike the first-generation Mini, the Mini 2 is made to work both indoors and outside. To use outside, it requires a weather-resistant adapter, which is included in the $49.98 price tag. However, you can get the Mini 2 without the adapter for $39.99. It also offers person detection with a cloud subscription.

For Ring, we decided on:

You may notice one key difference right away: With Blink, we had to set up a Sync Module for the Blink Indoor and Outdoor, but with Ring, there’s no such requirements. The Ring cameras connect to Wi-Fi directly, making it much easier to expand a Ring security camera system than a Blink system.

However, the use of a Sync Module can be considered a feature, rather than a flaw. The module handles digital traffic from your cameras and combines them into a single Wi-Fi signal, reducing the strain on your network. The Sync Module XR can extend the range of your wireless cameras.

Ring, however, has another trump card. We were able to incorporate our Ring cameras into a full security system called Ring Alarm, which has motion sensors, contact sensors, and so on. Doing so gave us more than just video coverage, but also monitoring through security sensors. Better still, there’s a Ring Alarm system called the Ring Alarm Pro that doubles as a Wi-Fi router, so you can pair your Ring cameras to it to reduce network clutter.

Considering that the average home burglary costs homeowners an average of $2,800,1 we liked the affordability of both Blink’s and Rings cameras. That said. Blink is definitely more affordable, but your options are more limited than going with Ring.

Obviously, the biggest factor here is cost. If you can’t shell out the extra money for Ring, cameras from Blink are more than adequate. If you have the money to spend, you should consider the areas that you want your cameras to cover. If you want to cover large spaces, you should probably opt for Ring. If you are only looking to monitor your front porch and living room, Blink cameras should do the trick.

Most of the cameras from both Blink and Ring are made for DIY installation. In our experience, these cameras took two to five minutes to set up and install. Only the floodlight cameras from both brands required a bit of handiwork because they must be hardwired into your electrical system.

With Blink, the one extra step was setting up a Sync Module 2 for our Indoor and Outdoor cameras because they can’t connect direct to Wi-Fi. However, our Blink Mini and Blink Floodlight Camera are Wi-Fi-capable and could connect directly to our home network.

Pro Tip: Reading its manual, it seems that the Sync Module XR offers the same easy setup.

After we inserted the batteries into our Blink cameras, they quickly powered up and we linked each one to the Sync Module by using each camera to scan a QR code. When the cameras finished connecting, we went to the app and named each camera based on their planned location (e.g. Living room, Backyard, etc.).

While all Blink cameras are built capable of resting on a table or shelf, the Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras can also be mounted on the wall. We placed our Minis on an end table and a bookshelf. Since the majority of burglars enter through a first-floor door or window,2 we used the mounting instructions and kit provided to secure our Blink Indoor on the wall near our back door and our Blink Outdoor at the front of our porch.

Our installation for the Ring cameras was somewhat similar to that of Blink. Once we downloaded the Ring app, we selected “set up a device” and “security cameras.” Then, all we had to do to connect our cameras to the app was to scan the QR code on the back or in the battery compartment of our cameras.

This went quicker than our Blink setup because we didn’t have a Sync module acting as the middleman. The only consideration we had was the range of signals on our dual-band Wi-Fi router. While the 5 GHz band was faster, it had less range than the 2.4 GHz band. Therefore, we had to be strategic with our camera placement.

Next, we decided where we wanted to place each camera. We used the mounting tools included to mount our Spotlight Cam and Stick Up Cam. Mounting only took us an extra 10 minutes for each camera, and the only additional tool we needed was a Philips Head screwdriver. In total, we spent just slightly over half an hour installing our cameras.

We found both DIY installation processes to be a breeze but appreciated knowing that there’s always a backup plan with Ring. If you’d rather have an expert technician install Ring cameras for you, you can order professional installation from Ring starting at $129. The service is provided by OnTech, a third-party partner.

Professional installation is a great option especially for Ring’s hardwired cameras, like the Spotlight Cam Pro Wired and Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. Those cameras require wiring to a junction box, which is not something we’d recommend doing on your own.

That’s not to say that you can’t get someone to set up your Blink cameras for you. You can hire a third-party local service provider, but we’d feel more comfortable having our security equipment installed by an official partner of the brand. That’s why if you’re planning to opt for professional installation, our recommendation goes to Ring.

Savings Tip: Keep the savings coming! Ring offers a 20 percent discount on all Ring.com purchases for military, teachers, students and first responders.

At Security.org, we evaluate cameras by comparing them against the industry standards for video, audio, night vision, storage, and more. Below, we’ve detailed our comparison of Blink and Ring for these key features.

On paper, comparing Ring and Blink’s video resolution seems unnecessary. All Ring and Blink cameras offer a 1080p HD resolution, which is the current industry standard. You’re not going to find any 2K or 4K cameras from either brand, even with the newer cameras they released recently.

That said, we liked Ring’s video quality more. This is why we test security cameras. There are just some things you can only find out by testing the units yourself.

Field of view is a big differentiator between these cameras, especially when it comes to indoor cameras. All Ring cameras have a field of view that’s at least 143 degrees, while Blink cameras tend to have smaller fields of view. For example, the Indoor Cam has a 143-degree field of view while the Blink Indoor Camera only offers 110 degrees.

As for outdoor cameras, the latest generations of cameras from each brand have comparable fields of view. They also both offer 1080p HD video. However, Ring’s Outdoor and Floodlight cameras come with a bit more functionality, like advanced audio and “bird’s eye view” capabilities.

Cameras in Ring and Blink systems offer two-way talk, which allowed us to speak with whoever was in view of our cameras. Once again, though, Ring has a slight edge because almost every security camera from Ring uses echo cancellation to record and stream clear audio. If you live near a busy street, we’d definitely recommend Ring over Blink for audio because of that.

Blink and Ring cameras provide either infrared (black-and-white) or color night vision. And it’s easy to find out which cameras offer which type of night vision. Cameras that don’t include built-in lighting like the Ring Indoor, Ring Stick Up Cam, Blink Outdoor, and Blink Mini use infrared night vision. Meanwhile, those that have built-in spotlights or floodlights offer color night vision. Examples are the Blink Mini 2, Blink Wired Floodlight Camera, Ring Spotlight Cam, and Ring Floodlight Cam.

There’s use for both types of night vision, and we prefer to mix and match them. For example, outdoor cameras with color night vision provide more details like what color clothes an intruder is wearing. For indoor use, infrared night vision cameras are more subtle and discreet (they don’t emit visible lights).

It’s a tie for Ring and Blink in this area, but see our list of the best night vision cameras for better options.

As products of Amazon companies, we didn’t find it too surprising that Blink and Ring cameras are all Alexa-enabled. When our arms were full while heading out the door, we could set our alarm by simply saying,“Alexa, ask Blink to arm ‘My Home’.” To view our livestream video feed, we commanded Alexa to “Show me my outdoor camera on our Fire TV.” Ring cameras offered the same options, In addition to Alexa and IFTTT, Ring is compatible with Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and more.

Ring’s compatibility with so many smart products stood out to us against Blink’s limited smart integrations. Despite not choosing to add them to our home’s security this time around, we enjoyed the idea of adding more of Ring’s smart home integrations in the future, such as:

Both Ring and Blink offer cloud storage options, but only Blink comes with local storage.

By selecting a cloud storage subscription, we added artificial intelligence to our Ring cameras, specifically person detection and Ring’s new stay threshold. Person detection, available on all Spotlight, Flood and Stick Up Cams, helps us limit the false alarms we receive by identifying whether the motion our camera catches is from a human. The new stay threshold made sure we only got notifications if the person in our camera’s view remained in a certain motion zone for more than 10 seconds, or whatever amount of seconds we decided.

Although Ring continues to expand its use of artificial intelligence in its security cameras, Blink has still yet to incorporate any artificial intelligence into its cameras.

Cloud storage lets you store events and live recorded videos in the cloud for safekeeping. It also lets you download and share clips.

Ring and Blink both offer affordable options for cloud storage. Blink is slightly more affordable at $2.50 per month for Blink Basic, which covers one camera and offers a 60-day video history. On the other hand, Ring recently increased its pricing for Ring Protect Basic to $4.99, but the video history also expanded. From 60 days, it’s now 180 days, so you get to keep your videos longer.

Both Basic plans are good for one camera only, so if you have multiple cameras, we recommend upgrading to a Plus subscription. Blink and Ring are on equal grounds in terms of pricing – they charge $10 per month or $100 per year. Still, Ring’s 180-day cloud storage is three times as long as Blink’s 60 days, so Ring has a slight edge here.

While Ring’s cloud storage options are slightly better, Blink has a secret trick up its sleeve: local storage. Priced at $59.99, the add-on Sync Module XR supports local storage of up to 256 GB through a removable microSD card (sold separately) for all Blink camera models. It also offers extended range for the Outdoor 4 cameras.

Ring does also have a local storage option, but it involves buying a complete home security system built around the Ring Alarm Pro Base Station. Just to give you an idea, the smallest Ring Alarm Pro system with eight pieces of equipment costs $249. It’s affordable for a security system, but it’s not worth buying for the sole purpose of getting local storage from Ring.

Blink and Ring both have the capability for self-monitoring, but only Ring offers the option for professional monitoring.

Blink’s inexpensive HD cameras are specifically designed for self-monitoring through the Blink Home Monitor mobile app. They have motion detection, so they can alert you to potential break-ins. However, it falls upon your shoulders to respond to those alerts. Upon receiving alerts, we’d always check our livestreams and review our recorded event clips to see what’s going on. It proved a bit tedious, but after fine-tuning Blink’s detection settings, we were able to eliminate most false alarms.

Self-monitoring Ring worked the same way, except we used the Ring app. And if we’re being honest, the Ring app is better because it works with other Ring products like video doorbells and the Ring Alarm security system. That’s a product of Ring’s broader hardware catalog, though.

Now, if you want your cameras to be monitored, Ring offers that option. But before we talk about it, let us make it clear that security camera professional monitoring isn’t standard in the industry. Only a handful or brands offer this type of service, because as you can imagine, there are tricky, privacy-related issues to work around. That said, here’s how it works.

First, you need a Ring cloud subscription. The $9.99 per month cloud plan is the best-value choice for this. Next, you also need a Ring Alarm security system, which starts at about $150 to $200 and includes some security sensors and a base station. Another thing you need is a professional monitoring plan for that Ring Alarm system, which is an additional $10 per month. If you’re still keeping track, that’s $150 to $200 upfront plus about $20 per month.

All that gets you professional monitoring for the Ring Alarm security system, but not for the security cameras yet. That feature requires yet another subscription – the $99 per month Virtual Security Guard plan. We know, it’s pretty pricey. That’s why we don’t recommend it to residential users. It would be a good security system for businesses, but too expensive for most homes.

Green Tip: If you’re considering live monitoring for security cameras, SimpliSafe is currently the most practical choice. SimpliSafe offers security cameras that a professional monitoring center can watch over. SimpliSafe’s pricing for such a feature starts at $31.99 for indoor camera monitoring. If you want to take the feature outdoors, though, that will be $49.99 to $79.99 per month.

User-friendly mobile applications are critical to the success of connected devices like security cameras. It’s these apps that we use to livestream camera footage, employ two-way audio, play back recorded clips, and more, so they must also be free of viruses and bugs. Here’s what we thought of Ring and Blink’s apps.

The Ring— Always Home mobile app has a rating of 4.1 out of five on the Apple store and four on the Google Play store. With both forms of the app, we noticed that when our phones were synced to the Ring Alarm System, the words “disarmed,” “home, ” and “away” appeared at the top of our screen. We found this tool to be extremely helpful since we had a number of users in our household that could arm or disarm our cameras. We also liked that the app allowed us to look at a history of events. As we browsed the recorded clips from our outdoor cameras, we discovered the identity of the porch pirate who had been stealing our packages.

Other features we appreciated about the Ring Always Home app included the opportunities to set privacy zones and change the sensitivity of our motion detector. Once we made that motion sensor adjustment, we no longer had to put up with annoying notifications about our pets exploring our home or yard.

We’d just like to put it out there that Ring’s software has had issues in the past. They’re mostly gone now, but Ring did face a class-action lawsuit in 2020 about its apps and cameras getting hacked. Ring has taken steps to improve the security of its software, but it’s also our part to make sure our security camera systems are safe from hacking by avoiding weak passwords and activating two-factor authentication when possible. After all, it’s our privacy that’s on the line.

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The Blink Home Monitor app is rated 3.3 in the Apple store and four in the Google Play Store.

We mostly used the Blink app to live-stream footage from all our security cameras, but we also set it up so that we received notifications if any of the cameras detected motion while they were armed. We loved how user-friendly the app was and that it allowed us to adjust for motion sensitivity, create activity zones, customize the length of event clips, and more. Our only complaint was that the app kept asking if we were watching.

Since both Blink and Ring offer high-quality and affordable cameras that are easy to use, we concluded that the company with the most suitable cameras will be determined by the user’s specific needs and circumstances.

To learn about our recommendations for brands other than Blink and Ring, check out our best home security camera review page.

The Zebra. (2020). Burglary Statistics, Research, and Facts.thezebra.com/resources/research/burglary-statistics/

WFAA. (2017). We asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes.wfaa.com/article/news/investigations/we-asked-86-burglars-how-they-broke-into-homes/287-344367279