Best Cheap Security Cameras Under $200 We Actually Recommend

Security cameras are one of the easiest ways to jump into home security without buying a full-blown security system. They watch over your home so that you don’t have to wonder what happens when you’re not around.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on security cameras when there are plenty of affordable options to choose from. Here’s our list of the best surveillance cameras that cost less than $200.

Logitech Circle 2 is our favorite security camera that costs less than $200. Its impressive flexibility lets you install it anywhere you need it, indoors or outdoors.

Logitech Circle 2 is a cool little camera with a lot of useful details. It continuously records as long as there’s motion in front of the camera. This is different than standard continuous recording where the camera records hours of empty footage. Motion detection uses less data, which is always a good thing, even if you don’t have a data cap.

The Circle 2 has an expansive field of view thanks to an ultra-wide, 180° lens. While it’s ideal for monitoring large areas, it also works in smaller spaces too. For example, if you need a tricky camera placement that would otherwise limit cameras with a narrower field of view, the Circle 2 is a great choice.

We love the Circle 2’s versatility. Its multiple mounting options let you put it almost anywhere in your house—or outside since it’s waterproof. The mounting options include a magnetic mount, a plug mount, and a unique window mount that sticks to any window.

Logitech sells a weatherproof extension kit that’s great if you install the Circle 2 outside but the closest power outlet is too far for the included 10-foot power cable.

Circle 2 has a built-in speaker and microphone for two-way communication. This two-way audio helps you talk with people near the camera, which you can use to tell the kids it’s dinnertime or scold a would-be trespasser.

Logitech also offers 24 hours of free cloud storage so you can watch your footage as time-lapse videos in the Logi Circle app. You can access 14 days of cloud storage for $3.99 a month.

The Circle 2 can do more techy stuff, but you’ll have to pay a $9.99/month subscription fee to access person detection, motion zones, and advanced event filters. Also, some users note that while the installation is easy, changing settings within the app requires them to reset the camera completely.

At 15 feet, the night vision range on the Circle 2 is the shortest on this list. This is still good enough for most people, but the Amcrest UltraHD POE Bullet Camera is better for recording nighttime video outdoors.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Logitech Circle 2 is a solid video surveillance camera with distinct advantages. It provides clear video, day and night, and is one of the only security cameras out there with continuous recording when activated by motion.

The Arlo Q does a few things better than the Logitech Circle 2. It has a longer night vision range and offers more free cloud storage. It’s an exceptional indoor camera worth checking out.

It missed the top spot in this list only because it’s not as flexible as the Logitech Circle 2, which works outdoors and also has a battery-powered version.

The Arlo Q has great image and audio quality, a long night vision range, and easily customizable settings. It also offers a generous Basic Cloud Service Plan with one gigabyte of storage or seven days of cloud recording. Plus, you can easily download videos from the app to save on another device.

The Arlo Q offers continuous recording starting at $2.99 a month for a single camera. You can choose what length of clips you want Arlo Q to record. Just know that it sometimes has to reboot itself after a recording, leaving gaps between recordings.

We also like that the Arlo Q is easy to set up. You place the camera where you want it, as long as it’s close enough for the power cable to reach the outlet. After plugging in the camera, you follow the simple instructions to connect it to your Wi-Fi network.

Although Arlo makes some exceptional outdoor security cameras, like the Arlo Pro 2, these aren’t as affordable as the Arlo Q, which is strictly for use indoors.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: The Arlo Q is a great indoor camera. It has almost all of the same features as the Logitech Circle 2 but is a cheaper option if you don’t need an outdoor security camera.

>>Learn more: Read the full Arlo review.

Very few security cameras under $50 match the quality of the Wyze Cam 2. Sure it’s not a perfect product, but it's unbeatable for basic video monitoring on the tightest of budgets.

Like most of the cameras on this list, the Wyze Cam 2 has 1080 HD video quality so it doesn’t sacrifice picture quality for a low price. Night vision range is an impressive 30 feet under the right circumstances, which is better than Logitech Circle 2 and Arlo Q.

While you would reasonably expect the Wyze Cam 2 to stop there, it doubles down on offering premium features. Its motion-triggered recording, motion zones, sound detection, and person detection all come with the camera. Most importantly, you don’t need a paid subscription to use them, unlike similar features on Arlo Q, Logitech Circle 2, and Amazon Cloud Cam (which has been discontinued).

The Wyze Cam 2 has two-way audio so you can talk to people using your phone. This makes it a good option for a cheap baby monitor, a pet camera, or a way to check in with your kids when they get home from school.

Although Wyze’s free cloud storage lets you save clips for up to 14 days, it has some heavy restrictions. It records only a single 12-second clip every five minutes when it detects something. This leaves some significant gaps in your security, but there’s no restriction if you have a microSD card in the camera; we highly recommend using it.

We recognize that the Wyze Cam 2 doesn’t have the robust security features of the competition. Customers report that the camera keeps recording after turning it off, but we should note that this flaw was mentioned in a minority of customer reviews. This could mean most people don’t notice a problem or that it’s an isolated bug. Either way, it’s a bit concerning.

The camera is easy to use with the mobile app, but it takes a lot of effort to delete videos from the cloud. We’d prefer a more intuitive way to do this, so hopefully Wyze makes the change in a future version. You can’t use the Wyze Cam 2 outdoors, but the Wyze website says the company has plans for an outdoor model.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: Even with its flaws, we think the Wyze Cam 2 is an excellent value. This is especially true when you compare it to more expensive security cameras with slightly better features and security.

The Blink XT2 has a simple, easy-to-use design meant to keep your home safe, whether you use it indoors or out. The batteries last for up to two years—much longer than the battery version of the Logitech Circle 2, which lasts only three months on a charge.

The Blink XT2 is one of two cameras on this list with free cloud storage (Wyze Cam is the other). The camera records a short video clip up to 60 seconds long when it detects motion (like people and pets), though the default clip length is 15 seconds. The free cloud storage doesn’t hold much video—only 120 minutes’ worth—but it’s enough for most people.

Among the upgrades from the original Blink XT, this model supports two-way audio so you can talk with anyone near the camera using your smartphone. It’s important to note that using two-way voice and streaming live video feeds too often can significantly reduce battery life.

The Blink XT2 has rubber seals to protect its sensitive electronics from the weather. Depending on your needs, you can install it outdoors or inside your home. Blink is an Amazon-owned company, so it’s a given that it works with Amazon Alexa smart home devices.

It’s easy to set up the Blink XT2. You create a Blink account, set up the sync module, and put the batteries into the camera before syncing.

But the HD quality leaves much to be desired, with the problems of the original XT also showing up in this newer model. Although Blink lists its HD video capability as up to 1080p, some customers note that the quality lacks clarity and definition at times.

Blink doesn’t list a specific range for its night vision feature since it varies by location and existing lighting. But it does state that the camera detects motion up to 20 feet away both day and night.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: If you want a no-fuss outdoor, cheap wireless security camera that’s low maintenance and easy to set up, the Blink XT2 is a great fit.

>>Learn more: Read the full Blink review.

Amcrest’s UltraHD POE Bullet Camera thrives outdoors with its weatherproofing and outstanding night vision. It’s the only camera on this list with 4K Ultra HD resolution that lets you livestream footage in ultrahigh definition.

This 4K bullet camera has a higher streaming quality than Amcrest’s older products, with night vision up to 131 feet. This is a full 100 feet farther than the next closest competitor: Wyze Cam.

You can even record events as they happen and store them on a microSD card. This security camera doesn’t have free cloud storage like the competition, but it has a bewildering variety of plans (10 plans total) that cost as little as $6 a month. You can save up to seven days on video on the base plan and up to 90 days on the most expensive plans. Despite the variety of plans, we recommend sticking with the base plan since it’s good enough for most people.

ASecureLife’s recommendation: With its POE setup, the Amcrest UltraHD POE Bullet Camera is great for areas where Wi-Fi can be spotty. But we think it’s an excellent outdoor camera wherever you use it.

>>Learn more: Read the full Amcrest review.

Finding the best cheap security cameras isn’t just about picking cameras under a specific price. It’s about getting a camera that exceeds the low expectations that come with a low price.

For this list, we started with a price of $150 (give or take a few dollars) since this is below the $200 starting point for decidedly premium brands like Google Nest. It also helps us highlight lesser-known brands that make capable security cameras.

After price, we looked at quality since some budget security cameras may trade performance for the chance to undercut the competition. We looked for features like waterproofing, HD video, cloud storage, smart home compatibility, and mobile app controls over Wi-Fi.

We have hands-on testing experience with all of the cameras we recommend, except the Amcrest UltraHD Bullet Camera. To further bolster our conclusions, we compared our testing experiences with user reviews to help us find other unique features and flaws that didn’t pop up in testing.

We kept doorbell cameras off the list for now. These specialized devices can give you an essential look at your porch and yard, but aren’t as flexible as a typical security camera.

We consider a few features to be non-negotiable. If the security camera you choose has some or all of these features, you’re getting enough security, even at a lower price point.

With a high-definition image quality—1080p or higher—you can see more of what’s happening with a clear picture. Higher video quality also gives you the chance to zoom in on important details like faces or license plates.

Field of view refers to the area that a camera can see. The bigger the number, the wider the image frame will be, and the more territory the camera will cover. The average field of view in this list is 120°.

Night vision allows your camera to produce a clear image when it’s dark. That way, your camera captures clear images, no matter what time of day. The average night vision range in this list is 25 feet.

Two-way audio is a nice bonus. Security cameras with two-way audio have both a built-in speaker and a microphone. They allow you to listen and speak—to your family or the FedEx delivery person, for example—in real time.

IP (Internet Protocol) cameras transmit data through an internet source, like Wi-Fi or Ethernet. You can access that data as digital video from your mobile device or web browser. Because they deal in the digital space, all the surveillance cameras we recommend here are IP cameras.

Ring has many innovative security camera products but didn’t sell any standard security cameras for less than $179 when we wrote this review. The Ring Video Doorbell costs $99, but its limited placement options prevent it from being as flexible as regular security cameras.

>>Learn more: Read the full Ring review.

We think the Reolink Argus 2 is one of the best night vision security cameras. Its features are similar to those of the Logitech Circle 2 and Blink XT2, making it an excellent alternative to these cameras.

It isn’t a top contender because of limited smart home compatibility. It supports only Google Assistant, though Reolink plans to add Amazon Alexa support eventually.

D-Link’s cameras have some impressive features but poor reviews for the mobile app. The app is where you control everything you want your security camera to do, so a majorly glitchy app is a real issue.

>>Learn more: Read the full D-Link review.

Although Q-See’s Wi-Fi bullet camera itself is solid, users note a complicated setup process. There are also too many complaints of unreliable customer support to ignore.

For most people, the Logitech Circle 2 is the best choice in inexpensive security cameras. It works both indoors and outdoors, has two-way audio, and includes cool extras like 24 hours of free cloud storage that you can watch as a short time lapse video. It’s a great choice whether you’re new to home security or a seasoned pro.

>>Ready to secure your home from the inside out? Buy the Logitech Circle 2 from Amazon.

>>Learn about the top contenders: Read our review of the best home security cameras.