Ring Doorbell Subscription Pricing
Ring offers two subscription tiers for doorbell owners: Ring Protect Basic at $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year, and Ring Protect Plus at $10.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Basic covers a single device and stores video for 60 days. Plus covers unlimited Ring devices at your address and also includes professional monitoring for Ring Alarm systems if you have one.
You can also pay month-to-month or commit to annual billing, which saves you about $8 per year on Basic and about $31 per year on Plus. Ring occasionally runs promotional pricing — sometimes offering the first three months at a discount — but the standard rates above are what you should expect to pay after any introductory period ends.
If you own multiple Ring doorbells or cameras, Basic requires a separate subscription for each device, while Plus covers all of them under one subscription. For most households with more than one Ring device, Plus becomes the cheaper option once you add a second device.
Key Takeaways
- Ring Protect Basic costs $3.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly and covers one device with 60 days of video storage.
- Ring Protect Plus costs $10.99 monthly or $99.99 yearly and covers unlimited Ring devices plus professional alarm monitoring if you use Ring Alarm.
- Annual billing saves roughly $8 to $31 depending on the plan you choose.
- Without a subscription, your Ring doorbell still works for live view and two-way talk, but video is not stored and you cannot review past recordings.
What You Get Without a Subscription
A Ring doorbell functions without any subscription — you can still see live video when someone rings the bell or approaches your door, and you can talk to them through the speaker. The catch is that no video is recorded or stored. Once the live view ends, that footage is gone.
This means you cannot review what happened while you were away, check who delivered a package, or have video evidence if something goes wrong. For most people, the ability to review past events is the main reason to pay for a subscription.
What Ring Protect Basic Covers
Basic stores 60 days of video from one Ring device. You can rewind through that footage in the Ring app, download clips, and share them with others. The 60-day window is a rolling one — older footage automatically deletes to make room for new recordings.
Basic does not include professional monitoring for Ring Alarm systems, and it does not cover multiple devices. If you have a Ring doorbell and a Ring camera, you need two separate Basic subscriptions at $3.99 each.
Basic also does not include 24/7 recording — the doorbell records only when motion is detected or someone presses the button. Continuous recording is not an option on Ring devices regardless of subscription level.
What Ring Protect Plus Covers
Plus includes everything in Basic — 60-day video storage and the ability to download and share clips — but extends it to unlimited Ring devices at your address. If you have a doorbell, a stick-up camera, and a floodlight camera, one Plus subscription covers all three.
Plus also adds professional monitoring for Ring Alarm systems. If you have Ring Alarm sensors and a base station, Plus monitors them 24/7 and dispatches emergency services if an alarm is triggered. This monitoring costs extra if you use a different alarm system.
Like Basic, Plus records only on motion detection and button presses, not continuously. The 60-day storage window applies to all devices under the subscription.
When You Might Not Need a Subscription
If you only care about live view — checking your doorbell when someone rings or when you get a notification — you do not need to pay. The Ring app sends you a notification the moment motion is detected or the doorbell is pressed, and you can watch live video instantly without any subscription.
Some people use Ring this way and rely on their phone's notification to catch activity in real time. This works well if you are usually home or nearby, but it does not help if you miss a notification or want to review what happened hours later.
If you have a Ring doorbell but rarely use it or live in a low-traffic area, the cost of a subscription might not be worth it. The decision depends on whether you value the ability to review past video.
Comparing Ring to Other Doorbell Subscriptions
Logitech Circle View charges $4.99 per month for one camera or $9.99 per month for unlimited cameras, with 24-hour continuous recording included. Wyze Cam offers cloud storage at $1.25 per month per camera with 14-day rolling storage, or you can use local storage on a microSD card for free. Nest Aware costs $6 per month for one camera or $12 per month for all cameras, with 30 days of video history.
Ring's pricing is middle-of-the-road. Basic is cheaper than most competitors for a single device, but Plus is more expensive than Nest Aware if you have multiple cameras. The main trade-off is that Ring stores 60 days of video compared to Nest's 30 days, but Logitech offers continuous recording while Ring does not.
How to Manage Your Ring Subscription
You set up a subscription through the Ring app or the Ring website. Go to Control Center, select your device, and choose your plan. You can change plans, pause your subscription, or cancel anytime. If you cancel, you lose access to stored video immediately, so download any clips you want to keep first.
If you switch from Basic to Plus, the change takes effect right away and you are charged a prorated amount for the remainder of your billing cycle. If you switch from Plus to Basic, the same applies — you get a credit for the unused portion of Plus.
Ring does not offer a free trial for new subscribers, though promotional offers sometimes appear in the app. Check your Ring account settings periodically to see if you are may be able to access for any current deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Ring subscription to get notifications?
No. You get motion and doorbell notifications without a subscription. The subscription only controls whether video is stored for later review. Notifications work the same way whether you pay or not.
Can I use a microSD card instead of paying for cloud storage?
Ring doorbells do not have a microSD card slot. Some Ring cameras do, but even then, the microSD card only stores local video on the device itself — you cannot access it remotely through the app. Cloud storage through a subscription is the only way to review video from anywhere.
What happens to my videos if I cancel my subscription?
Your stored video is deleted immediately when you cancel. Ring gives you no grace period to download clips. If you think you might cancel, download any important footage first through the Ring app.
Is the annual plan cheaper than paying monthly?
Yes. Basic annual is $39.99 versus $47.88 if you pay monthly ($3.99 × 12). Plus annual is $99.99 versus $131.88 monthly ($10.99 × 12). Annual billing saves you about $8 on Basic and $31 on Plus per year.
Does Ring Protect Plus really cover all my Ring devices?
Yes, as long as they are registered to the same address and account. One Plus subscription covers your doorbell, cameras, floodlights, and any other Ring devices you own. Each device at a different address would need its own subscription.