Local vs Cloud Storage for Security Cameras: Cost Math
Local storage (an SD card, hub or NVR) is a one-time cost with no monthly fee; cloud storage costs every month but survives the camera being stolen. At October 2026 annual prices, three years of cloud for one camera runs from about $90 (Wyze Cam Plus) to $300 (Google Home Premium Standard). A Reolink Home Hub is $149.99 once.
Figures researched 2026-10-01; each source below carries its access date. Prices change; treat any price here as "as of" its date.
What does each storage method cost over three years?
Cloud plans are cheap per month and add up over time. Local storage front-loads the cost. The table compares three years of each, using annual billing where the maker offers it, since that is the cheaper way to pay. Prices are from each maker's own pages as of October 2026; the three-year totals are our arithmetic.
| Storage option | Published price | Three-year cost | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyze Cam Plus | $29.99/yr per camera | $89.97 per camera | One camera, 14 days of cloud events |
| Eufy Cloud Basic | $39.99/yr | $119.97 | One device, rolling 30 days |
| Blink Basic | $39.99/yr | $119.97 | One device, up to 60 days |
| Ring Solo | $49.99/yr | $149.97 | One device, up to 180 days |
| Arlo Smart Aware (single camera) | $95.88/yr | $287.64 | One camera, 60 days |
| Google Home Premium Standard | $100/yr | $300.00 | 30 days of event history |
| Eufy Cloud Plus | $139.99/yr | $419.97 | Unlimited devices, 30 days |
| Reolink Home Hub (local) | $149.99 once | $149.99 | Up to 8 cameras; takes microSD cards up to 1TB x2 (cards extra) |
| Eufy HomeBase S380 (local) | $199.99 once | $199.99 | 32GB built in, expandable to 16TB with a drive |
The pattern: for one camera, a cheap cloud plan and a hub cost about the same over three years. For three or more cameras, per-device cloud plans multiply while a hub does not, so local pulls ahead fast. Multi-camera plans narrow that gap; the full plan lineup is in security camera cloud plans compared.
Two caveats on the local column. Each hub is sold to work with that maker's cameras, so the hub price assumes you are buying into Reolink or Eufy; check the maker's compatibility list before buying. And a microSD card inside the camera is the cheapest local option of all, but card prices are set by retailers, so we do not quote one; Reolink lists a Home Hub bundle that includes a 256GB card at $239.99.
What happens to your footage if the camera is stolen?
This is the real difference between the methods, more than price.
| Where footage lives | If the camera is stolen | If the internet goes down |
|---|---|---|
| microSD card in the camera | Footage leaves with the camera | Camera can keep writing to the card |
| Hub or NVR indoors | Footage stays inside the house | Recording stays local; remote viewing stops |
| Cloud | Footage already uploaded is safe | New clips cannot upload |
An SD card in an outdoor camera is a single point of failure: the person you most want on video is the one most likely to pull the camera off the wall. Moving storage indoors to a hub or recorder removes that risk, and Reolink markets its Home Hub on exactly this point, listing offline local storage with AES-128 encryption. Cloud keeps copies off-site, which also protects against a fire or a stolen hub.
Wired recorders add one more option: cameras that run on a single Ethernet cable to an NVR, which can sit on a battery backup. That trade-off is covered in PoE vs WiFi security cameras.
Is local storage more private than cloud?
Local storage keeps video off a company's servers, which removes one category of risk: a cloud breach or an employee looking at clips. The Federal Trade Commission's 2023 complaint against Ring, for example, centered on employee and contractor access to customer videos and on account takeovers.
Local is not automatically private, though. Most local-storage cameras still connect to the maker's app and servers for remote viewing and alerts. New York's Attorney General settled with distributors of Eufy cameras in January 2025 after finding that, in certain situations, video sent over the internet was not end-to-end encrypted, even though Eufy markets local storage. The documented incidents by brand, and the settings that reduce risk, are in can security cameras be hacked.
One workable setup: record locally to a hub or recorder indoors, and add a cloud plan only for the one or two cameras that face the most likely point of theft. Every camera on our no-subscription security cameras list records locally with no plan, which lets you decide on cloud later.
Frequently asked questions
- Is cloud storage worth it for security cameras?
- It is worth it when losing the footage would hurt, for example if the camera is easy to reach and steal. For one camera, three years of a basic plan costs about $90 to $150 at October 2026 annual prices. For many cameras, a local hub is usually cheaper.
- Can I use Ring with local storage and no subscription?
- No. Ring sells a 64GB Ring Edge microSD card for $14.99, but its product page states that Ring Alarm Pro and a Ring subscription are required to use Ring Edge features. Without a subscription Ring records nothing.
- What is the cheapest way to store security camera footage?
- A microSD card in a camera that supports local recording with no plan, such as many Wyze and Reolink models. It costs the card and nothing monthly. The trade-off is that the footage is lost if the camera is stolen.
- Do I need a hub to record locally?
- It depends on the camera. Wyze and Reolink cameras with a microSD slot record directly to the card. Some Eufy models store on a HomeBase instead, and Reolink's Home Hub collects footage from up to 8 cameras in one place indoors.
Sources
- Wyze Cam Plus $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr per camera with 14-day cloud event history: https://www.wyze.com/pages/service-plans (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Eufy Cloud Basic 1 device $3.99/mo or $39.99/yr; Plus unlimited devices $13.99/mo or $139.99/yr; rolling 30-day history: https://service.eufy.com/article-description/Introducing-Cloud-Storage (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Blink Basic $3.99/mo or $39.99/yr; up to 60 days cloud video history: https://blinkforhome.com/plans (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Ring Solo $4.99/mo or $49.99/yr; up to 180 days video history: https://ring.com/plans (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Arlo Smart Aware single camera $9.99/mo or $95.88/yr; 60-day video history: https://us.arlo.com/pages/arlo-secure (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Google Home Premium Standard $10/month or $100/year with 30 days of event video history: https://store.google.com/us/product/google_home_premium?hl=en-US (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Reolink Home Hub US $149.99; bundle with 256GB microSD card $239.99; up to 8 cameras; microSD up to 1TB x2; no monthly fees; offline local storage; AES-128 encryption: https://reolink.com/us/product/reolink-home-hub/ (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Eufy HomeBase S380 $199.99; 32GB eMMC built in; expandable up to 16TB with external drive; no monthly fees: https://www.eufy.com/products/t80301d1 (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Ring Edge 64GB microSD card $14.99; Ring Alarm Pro and a Ring Home Premium subscription are required to use Ring Edge features: https://ring.com/products/ring-edge-microsd-card-64gb (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Ring: without a subscription events are not recorded: https://ring.com/support/articles/lw54x/Understanding-Ring-Protect-subscriptions (accessed 2026-10-01)
- FTC May 31, 2023: Ring allowed employees and contractors to access customers' private videos and failed to implement security protections, enabling hackers to take control of accounts, cameras and videos: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/05/ftc-says-ring-employees-illegally-surveilled-customers-failed-stop-hackers-taking-control-users (accessed 2026-10-01)
- NY AG January 28, 2025: $450,000 from three distributors of eufy cameras; in certain situations video sent over the internet was not end-to-end encrypted: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-secures-450000-companies-selling-home-security-cameras (accessed 2026-10-01)
- Wyze: cameras with a microSD slot record continuously or events-only to the card with no subscription: https://support.wyze.com/hc/en-us/articles/32776621952539-Is-24-7-Local-Recording-going-away (accessed 2026-10-01)
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