Two of the biggest names in home security, Blink and Ring, are owned by retail giant Amazon.
But the companies cater to different markets, covering some of the best security cameras available today.
Blink's product range is nowhere near as vast as Ring's. The company's focus lies in offering affordable and easy-to-use cameras designed for home use.
Ring, on the other hand, has a vast variety of products, including security cameras, video doorbells, trackers, and more. While the company offers more advanced features compared to Blink, there is a higher price tag attached to its products.
What Do Both Security Camera Systems Offer?
Before we pit Blink and Ring against each other in a head-to-head, it's worth understanding some key similarities these popular smart security systems offer (aside from being owned by Amazon.)
Both Blink and Ring home security cameras are designed to be DIY-friendly. This means you won't need professional help to install your security camera.
Neither security camera system requires you to sign up for a payment plan or contract. However, both do offer an optional subscription service if you want the extra benefits. Blink's basic plan starts from as little as $3 per month, as does Ring's.
In addition, both Blink and Ring offer indoor and outdoor cameras, all of which can be accessed remotely via individual smartphone apps. With the apps, you can view events, alerts, footage, and more.
At this stage, it might seem as though these companies offer pretty much the same products. While the products do have similarities, there are differences in features and capabilities.
Blink vs. Ring: Devices
Blink and Ring security cameras come in all shapes and sizes, including indoor and outdoor options.
Currently, Blink offers an indoor plug-in camera (Mini), an outdoor wireless camera (Outdoor), and an indoor wireless camera (Indoor.) While not technically another product, the company also sells a floodlight mount that can be used alongside the Blink Outdoor security camera.
You can use the Blink Home Monitor app to access all of your Blink products in one place. This extends to the video doorbell and solar mount.
Ring has an indoor camera (Indoor Cam), indoor or outdoor camera (Stick Up Cam), an outdoor camera with lights (Spotlight Cam), and a floodlight camera (Floodlight Cam).
However, Ring offers many more additional products compared to Blink, from video doorbells to smart lighting, whole-home security systems and more.
Winner: Ring
Blink vs. Ring: Price
When looking to purchase a security camera, price can be a tricky stepping stone to conquer. On one hand, users could be swayed to purchase a more expensive product under the guise it likely offers more features.
However, security cameras can be expensive, so an affordable alternative may be a more suitable option.
Blink was once known for rock-bottom prices, but since releasing new products and a wider variety of options, the company is creeping up behind Ring more rapidly than you may think.
One thing is for sure though, Blink's indoor security camera at just $34.99 hands-down beats Ring's Indoor Cam, which is the cheapest alternative at $59.99.
Both offer 1080p video recording, night vision, two-way audio, and monitoring by companion apps.
Blink's only outdoor wireless camera fights neck and neck with Ring's Stick Up Cam, both priced at $99.99.
Essentially, if you're looking to fill your home with indoor security cameras, Blink's products are going to be the cheapest way to do this. If you compare this to how much it would cost to do the same with Ring, it's a no-brainer.
Winner: Blink
Blink vs. Ring: Features
When it comes to finding the best security cameras, there are some features that shouldn't be compromised—video, audio, and night vision.
All Blink and Ring security cameras record at 1080p HD. This includes indoor and outdoor cameras. Both cameras produce photos at a resolution of 1920x1080 which is enough for most general surveillance purposes. Some granular details may be hard to spot, but this is sufficient for home security.
In terms of audio, Blink and Ring both support two-way talk, allowing voices and sounds to be heard clearly on recordings. Users can also talk via the cameras, meaning people in view can hear the speaker. These features come in handy for reassuring children, babies, and pets, as well as being able to warn off potential criminals.
The minor difference between Blink and Ring security cameras are night vision capabilities. Both companies offer infrared night vision across all products. However, Ring's Floodlight Cam, Spotlight Cam (wired), and Stick Up Cam (wired) support color night vision.
Ring's color night vision uses ambient light to create "false color." It allows users to define finer details where low light night vision isn't able to.
Winner: Ring
Blink vs. Ring: Storage
Storing video clips and photos is an important feature of security cameras since you may need to retrieve the information as evidence.
But before going into the individual options for Blink and Ring, let's take a look at their subscription plans.
Starting at $3 per month (per device), Blink and Ring users can access up to 60-day unlimited video history. You can also save and share videos under Blink and Ring's Basic plans. The Plus plans cost $10 per month and extends the supported devices to all devices, rather than one. The plans also offer users a 10% discount on Blink or Ring devices purchased from Amazon.
Ring's Pro plan is unique to Ring and costs $20 per month. It opens up options for 24/7 professional monitoring, backup internet, and more security features.
If you want to make use of local storage, you can do this with Blink's Add-On Sync Module 2, which costs $34.99. It's compatible with up to 10 of any Blink Indoor, Outdoor, or Mini devices. However, you will need to purchase a USB flash drive (up to 256GB) separately.
Ring, on the other hand, requires you to subscribe to the Ring Protect Plan for any form of local or cloud storage.
Winner: Blink
Blink vs. Ring: Smart Home Integration
It probably comes as no surprise that Blink and Ring security cameras are all Alexa-enabled. This means if you have an Alexa product, like the Amazon Echo, you can say something like "Alexa, show me my indoor camera on my Echo Show".
In addition, Ring cameras are also compatible with Google Assistant and Samsung SmartThings.
Ultimately, if you're looking to turn your house into a smart home, Ring's security camera and other products can create an integrated network, including smart locks, remote doors, lights, and more.
Winner: Ring
Blink vs. Ring: Apps
Smart devices rely on user-friendly apps. In order to make the most out of Blink and Ring's security cameras, you'll need to download their relevant apps on your smartphone.
The Blink Home Monitor app allows you to view real-time footage via live streaming from any connected Blink security cameras. In addition to this useful functionality, users will receive alerts and notifications when the cameras detect any motion.
Adjustments can be easily made to the settings to customize motion sensitivity, zones, event clips, and more.
Ring's Always Home app is a little more all-encompassing since it connects to any Ring device, including the Ring Alarm System. You can easily pinpoint whether your home is disarmed, assign multiple approved users, and view a history of events.
Motion sensitivity can be adjusted so that pets are ignored, removing the unnecessary notifications every time your dog or cat roams the yard.
Winner: Blink and Ring
And the Winner Is...
While Blink and Ring both dominate the home security camera market, each has its own pros and cons in different areas.
Blink is undoubtedly the cheaper option, especially if you want to extend your home's security net further.
But Ring's range of devices, compatibility with other smart home integrations, and extended features