Smart Home · alternatives
Alternatives to Ring
21 smart home tools sit alongside Ring in this directory. Below is what separates each from Ring on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 21
- With a free tier
- 8
- Cheaper to start
- 0
- Ring starts at
- $4.99/month
Why people look past Ring
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Ring entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Ring carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 8 of the 21 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Google's smart home hardware and software ecosystem
Priced and rated the same as Ring on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Wire-free security cameras with cloud intelligence
- 2 tiers to Ring's 3.
Smart locks that work with your existing deadbolt
- Starts $25 a month dearer, at $29.99/month.
- 5 tiers to Ring's 3.
Cloud-based IoT platform with visualization and workflow automation
- Can be used without paying; Ring cannot.
- 2 tiers to Ring's 3.
Custom firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 smart home devices
- Can be used without paying; Ring cannot.
- 1 tier to Ring's 3.
Apple's secure smart home platform integrated with Siri
- Can be used without paying; Ring cannot.
Every Ring alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring (this page) | $4.99/month | - | 3 | |
| NestGoogle-owned video doorbell and security camera system with advanced person/package detection | On request | One-time | - | vs Ring |
| ArloStandalone wireless doorbell and camera system with strong privacy controls and no subscription for basic features | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Ring |
| August Smart LockSmart lock and video doorbell integration platform with advanced unlock controls and activity logs | $29.99/month | One-time | 5 | vs Ring |
| Losant | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Ring |
| ESPHome | Free | Open-source | 1 | vs Ring |
| Apple HomeKit | Free | - | 3 | vs Ring |
| Eufy Security | Free | One-time | 3 | vs Ring |
| Google Home | Free | - | - | vs Ring |
| Arduino Cloud | Free | Subscription | 2 | vs Ring |
| Amazon Alexa | Free | Free | 2 | vs Ring |
| Blynk | Free, then $29/month | Freemium | 5 | vs Ring |
| Rachio Pro | $10/month | One-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription | 3 | vs Ring |
| Hubitat Elevation | $189.95/one-time | - | 3 | vs Ring |
| Crestron | On request | Quote | 2 | vs Ring |
| Lutron Caseta | On request | One-time | 2 | vs Ring |
| Homey | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Ring |
| Control4 | $1000/project | - | - | vs Ring |
| LIFX | On request | One-time | 1 | vs Ring |
| Govee | $30/one-time | One-time | 3 | vs Ring |
| Ecobee | $139.99/one-time | - | 3 | vs Ring |
| Aqara | On request | One-time | 3 | vs Ring |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Ring badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (8)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Losant , Free
- ESPHome , Free
- Apple HomeKit , Free
- Eufy Security , Free
- Google Home , Free
- Arduino Cloud , Free
- Amazon Alexa , Free
- Blynk , Free, then $29/month
What you would be giving up
Ring is most often brought in for video doorbell monitoring, security camera recording and event review, diy alarm system with optional professional monitoring, motion alerts and package-theft deterrence, remote live view while away from home. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Ring is broadly right and the question is cost, the Ring pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Smart Home category lists everything the directory holds, and best smart home tools ranks them.
Ring runs on ios, android, web, amazon alexa. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Ring alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Ring?
- 21 other smart home tools are listed in this directory, led by Nest, Arlo, August Smart Lock, Losant. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Ring?
- 8 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Losant, ESPHome, Apple HomeKit, Eufy Security, Google Home.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Ring?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Ring?
- Ring is most often brought in for video doorbell monitoring, security camera recording and event review, diy alarm system with optional professional monitoring, motion alerts and package-theft deterrence, remote live view while away from home. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Ring?
- ESPHome is recorded with an open-source licence model.
- How were these Ring alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Smart Home, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Ring against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Ring covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every smart home tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Smart Home category, 21 tools beside Ring. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.