In an unfortunate trend, Ring has announced a 25% price increase on its most affordable subscription plan. This marks the second increase in under two years.

Starting March 11th, 2024, Ring Protect Basic will jump from $3.99 per month to $4.99, or from $39.99 to $49.99 when paying annually. The Basic plan provides cloud storage for recorded video from one Ring camera or video doorbell. Current subscribers will see the new rate reflected at their next renewal date after March 11th, unless they cancel prior.

Just last month, competitor Arlo also boosted pricing on its single-camera plan from $4.99 to $7.99 monthly. And late last year, Google Nest increased its cheapest subscription covering unlimited cameras on an account from $6 to $8 per month. While Ring’s bump is lower, users aren’t getting any new capabilities in return — just universally higher costs.

Without any subscription at all, Ring devices allow only for live viewing and motion alerts. So while inconvenient, the hikes seem designed to push more device owners into continuing their subscriptions. Ring’s next level plan covering unlimited cameras for $10 monthly or $100 annually probably looks more tempting to those managing two or more devices. And adding another camera won’t raise costs, making expansion more palatable.

For those seeking alternatives, Blink and Wyze currently offer two of the most affordable single-camera plans at $3 per month including cloud storage. But it’s unlikely those prices will endure as competition continues driving the market. Another option is cameras supporting local storage on a microSD card or base station, avoiding cloud costs altogether. This includes products from Blink, Wyze, Eufy, and Reolink. Apple HomeKit Secure Video also records locally to iCloud for no added fees, though Apple too has shown a willingness to periodically raise prices across the board.