Ring vs Wyze: one records with no plan, and one prints its price
Wyze records to a card with no plan and prints every price. Ring keeps nothing without one and prints none. Where Ring is ahead: returns and Ethernet.
Last updated · source-check dates are listed at the foot of this page
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Wyze, if you want to record without paying every month: a Wyze camera with a microSD card keeps video with no plan, and a Ring camera keeps nothing. Ring is ahead if you want a longer return window, an Ethernet option, or a doorbell that opens itself on an Echo Show. Every figure is from Ring's and Wyze's own pages, each with the date it was read.
If you want to record without a monthly fee, this Wyze camera keeps video on a microSD card with no plan, which no Ring camera does.
Check the price on AmazonWyze Cam v4(paid link)Is Ring or Wyze better without a subscription?
On the question this site exists for, they are opposites. The rest of the table is where Ring earns its place, and it is worth reading as a list of conditions: if you need one of the rows Ring wins, that may outweigh the monthly bill.
| Ring | Wyze | |
|---|---|---|
| Records with no plan | No | Yes — to a microSD card |
| Plan for one camera | Price not printed on its plan pages | $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr |
| Plan for all cameras | Price not printed | $99.99/yr (Cam Unlimited) |
| Cloud history | Up to 180 days | 14 days; up to 60 on the top plan |
| 5 GHz Wi-Fi | Pro and some Plus models | A few models; not the Cam v4 |
| Network cable | Two Elite models (PoE) | None |
| Alexa / Google Home | Yes / No route offered | Yes / Yes, US only |
| Battery life stated | "Months between charges" | Up to 6 months (Battery Cam Pro) |
| Return window | 45 days from ship date (Ring.com) | 30 days from purchase (Wyze) |
| Camera warranty | 1 year | 18 months from Wyze |
Plans read from each maker's own pages on 3 October 2026. Wi-Fi read 30 September; cables, assistants and battery 3 October; returns and warranty 27 September 2026 — each on this site's page for that subject, from the maker's own pages.
Do Ring and Wyze record without a plan?
Wyze does, to a card in the camera; without a plan its cloud keeps a still image rather than a clip. Ring keeps no recording at all without a plan — not even on Ring Edge, its own local storage, which needs a subscription too.
That is the whole of the Wyze answer: put a card in the camera. The full detail, including what the free cloud tier shows, is on the Wyze page; Ring's, including Ring Edge, is on the Ring page.
What do Ring and Wyze plans cost?
Wyze prints it: Cam Plus is $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year for one camera, Cam Unlimited $99.99 a year for all of them. Ring's plan pages, read on 3 October 2026, describe each plan's features and print no price at all.
Wyze's plans page was redesigned this autumn and now shows the annual price beside each tier: Cam Plus reads "$2.49/mo per camera · billed $29.99/yr", Cam Unlimited "billed $99.99/yr" and Cam Unlimited Pro "billed $199.99/yr". Until that redesign it showed monthly prices only, which is what the Wyze annual page was about.
Ring's Solo and Multi pages are the opposite case. Each lists what the plan does, from video history to "Download up to 50 Videos at Once", with a "Subscribe Now" button and no figure anywhere. How far you have to go to find one is on the Ring price page.
Which keeps video longer, Ring or Wyze?
Ring, by a long way, if you pay. Its plan pages promise "Up to 180 Days of Video Event History"; Wyze's Cam Plus keeps 14 days and its top plan up to 60. A Wyze card keeps whatever fits on it, with no plan.
Ring's footnote on that figure says videos are "stored, up to 180 days from recording", and that changing the storage length "affects only recordings created after the change is applied". For a reader who wants months of history and is happy to pay, Ring's plan is the longer one. For a reader who wants none of it, a Wyze card keeps what fits.
Do Ring and Wyze work with Alexa and Google Home?
Both work with Alexa, and Ring opens a doorbell's live view on an Echo Show when it is pressed. Google Home splits them: Wyze works with it in the US, and Ring's pages offer no Google route at all.
Both are on Alexa because Ring is an Amazon company and Wyze has an Alexa skill; the difference is what happens without asking. For a Google home the choice is made before price comes into it; the details are on the Google Home page. On Wi-Fi, Ring's Pro models and some Plus models take 5 GHz, while the Wyze Cam v4 is 2.4 GHz only — model by model on the 5 GHz page.
Which has the better return policy and warranty?
Ring gives longer to return and Wyze a longer warranty. Ring.com allows "45 days from the ship date"; Wyze 30 days from purchase. Ring's camera warranty is one year; Wyze's is 18 months for cameras bought from Wyze since 1 January 2026.
Both apply only to their own stores. Ring says it can only process returns for products bought from Ring.com, and Wyze will not accept returns of products bought elsewhere; an Amazon order follows Amazon's policy. Every maker's terms are on the returns page.
The Wyze answer, and the card it needs
A Wyze camera records to a microSD card with no plan; the card is sold separately. Specifications as published by each maker; nothing was tested.
- Form
- Small cube, indoor or outdoor with a socket
- Power
- Mains, USB-C — needs a socket
- Video goes to
- microSD in the camera, or Wyze's cloud with a plan
- Resolution
- 2560 × 1440 (2.5K)
- Form
- microSDXC card, full-size SD adapter included
- Built for
- Continuous recording — dashcams and security cameras
- Goes in
- The camera itself, on every brand that takes a card
- Replaces
- Nothing — it is what makes the free tier work
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Corrections
If either company changes a price, a policy or a model here, tell us and it is corrected with the date noted. A Ring price will be added the day Ring prints one on its plan pages.
How this was checked
Wyze's plans were read at https://www.wyze.com/pages/service-plans and Ring's at https://ring.com/support/plans/solo and https://ring.com/support/plans/multi on 3 October 2026. Every other row comes from the pages linked above, each with its own read date. Nothing was tested.
