Ring vs Blink Comparison

Here’s a situation we don’t come across much: two home security brands offered by the same company. Granted, Amazon is enormous, but it’s still a bit unusual to find two entirely different home security options – Ring and Blink – sharing space under the same corporate umbrella.

Unsurprisingly, Blink and Ring have a good deal in common. Both brands offer high-tech equipment at an affordable price; both are firmly focused on DIY home security; and both offer a wide range of products so it’s easy to get exactly what you need. These two brands also have some crucial differences, and if you want to choose which one is right for you, you need a solid handle on those.

You’ve come to the right place. Below, we take a deep dive into these two home security brands, unpacking everything from installation processes to smart home features. By the time you’re done, we feel pretty certain that you’re going to know which of these two best suits your particular security needs.

Blink and Ring Features & Tech

So we’ll just say it up front: Blink isn’t quite as impressive a system as Ring, especially when it comes to technology. Things aren’t entirely one-sided, though, as a close look at these two illustrates.

Jaime Fraze Unboxing a Blink Security Camera

Blink Features & Tech

Blink doesn’t manufacture stripped-down cut-rate equipment. This is a company with enough high-tech tricks up its sleeve to stay competitive. For instance,

• High-Capacity Sync Modules: You can link an unlimited number of Blink cameras to your system, so it makes for an especially good option if you have a large number of spaces to monitor. Note that Blink’s battery-powered cameras require a Sync Module (hub), and each module is limited to 10 cameras. That’s still a lot of devices routed through one system.

Blink Cameras

• Internal Storage: All Blink cameras feature local storage options. That’s a big advantage if you’re looking to self-monitor. Ring will have you sign up for a monthly cloud storage plan if you want recordings. In the end, you save money long-term with Blink. Blink’s 256 GB isn’t quite as much capacity as the 1 TB available with some  Lorex cameras we tested recently. Even so, you’ve got footage to turn over to the police if you need to, and it doesn’t cost you a dime extra.
• Affordable storage plans: If 256 GB isn’t quite enough for you, Blink also offers cloud storage plans with virtually unlimited capacity. In this case, you do have to pay a monthly subscription fee. However, that fee is just $3 per camera or $10 for unlimited cameras.

• Easy DIY Installation: These days, self-installed systems are a dime a dozen. They aren’t all as DIY as you might expect, though. Plenty of companies offer confusing instructions or don’t manufacture their equipment with self-installation in mind. Not so with Blink. We managed to get our entire system installed in a matter of minutes. In part, that’s because there’s no required wiring and no required drilling. It helps that all Blink products are battery-powered. That also means the system is easy to adjust if you decide you’d rather get a different angle on your living room.
• 1080p HD Image Quality: All Blink cameras – both the outdoor and indoor models – come with 1080p HD resolution. Are there cameras out there with higher resolution? Sure. Lorex, for instance, offers some great models with 4K. Still, 1080p is the industry standard, and there’s a good reason for that. It’s crisp and clear enough to identify whoever or whatever happens by your home. We had no trouble identifying the neighbor’s cat who was digging up our front porch flower pots.
• Camera Selection: Blink doesn’t offer the selection Ring does, but it definitely has the basics covered. Inside, the Blink Indoor lets you monitor kids and nannies or keep an eye on your family dog while you’re at work. Outside, the Blink Outdoor (3rd gen and 4th gen) provides total coverage of your front and back yards. The Blink Mini and the Blink Mini 2 offer more compact options. Or for more coverage, you might want to check out the new plug-in Mini Pan-Tilt, with 360-degree rotation. There’s a video doorbell to keep an eye on your front door, and even a wired outdoor camera with built-in floodlights.

In addition, you might want to check out the new plug-in Mini Pan-Tilt. It can cover a whole room thanks to its 360-degree field of vision which can be remotely accessed from the Blink app. It’s a Blink Mini with a mechanical mount that makes the camera pan and tilt.

Ring Features & Tech

Boxed Up Ring Security Cameras

So now that we’ve seen what Blink has going for it, let’s turn to Ring’s assets.

• Sensors: Blink makes great cameras, but it doesn’t have a full-home security system with sensors like Ring does. If you’re savvy about your security setup, Ring can save you money. Entry sensors are a lot cheaper than cameras, and they let you know every time anyone opens a door or window in your home. Motion detectors don’t let you see what’s happening, but they do alert you to unusual movement. Want to see all the options? Check out our hands-on review of Ring Alarm.
• Doorbell Cameras: Ring offers eight separate models, more than anyone else on the market. All of them work seamlessly with other Ring cameras and feature 1080p HD image quality or higher, night vision, and two-way talk (visit our complete Ring Video Doorbell review).

Ring Video Doorbell 3, Installed

• Indoor/Outdoor Cameras: Blink offers a fair number of cameras, but Ring wins this category. Not only does Ring offer both indoor and outdoor models, but you can get them in wired, wireless, and solar-powered versions. Ring also offers spotlight cameras and floodlight cameras. There’s even a camera for your car.

• Home Automation: Ring offers home automation options, including full Alexa or Google Home integration. Plus, the system works with more than 10,000 smart home devices from Nest thermostats to Hue Philips light bulbs. With that kind of connectivity, you can set your air conditioner to come on the moment your garage door opens and never come home to a hot house again.

Ring Floodlight Cam Mounted Outside

Blink and Ring Similarities

For all their several differences, Blink and Ring also have a fair number of similarities.

• Affordability: Blink is undeniably the cheaper of these two. If saving money is your number one goal, it’s probably going to be the better choice. That said, Ring offers some affordable options of its own. Ring’s lowest-priced camera is just $60. Compare that to SimpliSafe’s lowest-priced option, which costs $100. In addition, both Blink and Ring offer DIY installation, which can save you money up front as well as self-monitoring, which can save you money long-term.
• HD Video: Despite their affordability, both Blink and Ring provide significant value for the money. No matter which company’s cameras you choose, you get crystal-clear 1080p HD resolution with every model. Sure, Lorex security offers some fancier models that provide 2K and even 4K resolution. Unless you’re trying to read addresses off the packages left on your porch, you don’t really need that kind of power. 1080p is the industry standard, and it’s all you need to identify any porch pirates who might be coming after those packages.

Ring Stick Up Cam Video Quality

• Wireless Home Security: Ring and Blink both offer wireless home security options. Wireless equipment doesn’t need professional installation, which saves you money upfront. You don’t have to worry about where you place equipment since you don’t have to worry about wires. Alerts and footage get sent directly to your mobile app so you know in an instant when something’s happening at home. Note that, if wireless systems appeal to you, you can find more options in our best wireless home security systems guide.
• DIY Installation: You don’t just get a box full of equipment delivered to your door. Both Blink and Ring have put time and money into their packaging and instructions so that you know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way. They offer battery-powered and plug-in devices that anyone can install. Both companies also offer extensive tutorials online, so that it’s pretty much impossible to mess things up.
• Two-Way Talk: This is fast becoming a home security camera feature, but both Blink and Ring were early adopters. That’s the thing about these companies – they’re forward-thinking, always looking for new technology that can make life easier and safer. Two-way talk means we can find out who’s at the door without getting off the couch. That’s so convenient that we sometimes forget the fact that two-way talk ensures we never have to open the door to a stranger to find out who’s knocking.
• Night Vision: Another high-tech feature we don’t want to live without? Night vision. All Ring and Blink cameras come with night vision. The quality of that night vision varies depending on how much you’re willing to pay, but both companies recognize that nighttime is when most threats occur and you need to be able to see what’s happening outside your home even if it’s dark.

Ring Indoor Cam Night View

Blink and Ring Differences

Blink and Ring do have some overlap when it comes to their offerings, but there are several key differences that you need to consider before plunking down the credit card. You’ll note that almost all of these differences are in Ring’s favor, one reason why we chose them right up front as the better option.

• Camera Selection: Blink offers a total of seven products, including at least one indoor, outdoor, and doorbell camera. That’s not bad – SimpliSafe, for instance, sells just four camera models – but Ring sells seven products in the doorbell category alone. Fewer cameras certainly isn’t a deal-breaker by any means, but there’s no denying that Ring provides more options if you’re looking for specific home security solutions.
• Range of Protection: Inevitably, more camera options is going to mean better protection. Can Blink cameras protect your home? Of course. When you fine-tune your home security, though, you’re going to catch threats more general systems can’t. A floodlight can scare burglars off in a way ordinary cameras can’t. A spotlight cam can help you see better on your way from your car to your front door. With a choice between seven different doorbell models, you’re more likely to find the one that’s going to work best for your particular home setup. Plus, with Ring, you don’t just get cameras, you get a wide range of home security equipment options, like door and window sensors.
• Reputation: Ring has better name-recognition than Blink. They invented the video doorbell, after all. That said, there’s no doubt that Blink has more to prove, and that sometimes means you can get better deals. If you’re looking for reliability, though, you’re probably better off trusting Ring.
• Field of Vision: Ring has cameras that boast up to a 160-degree field of vision, while many of Blink’s cameras only offer 110-degree FOV. However, with their new Mini Pan-Tilt, Blink now offers one camera with 360-degree coverage.
• Intrusion Protection: Remember that Ring sells the Ring Alarm home security system. This puts another layer of security around your home, with door/window sensors, motion sensors, and a Z-Wave hub with a built-in siren. Unfortunately, you won’t get any of this with Blink.
• Professional Monitoring: With a Ring Alarm system, you can sign up with 24/7 professional monitoring through the Ring Protect Pro plan. Essentially, you’ll pay $20 per month and Ring’s partner monitoring center will monitor your security system for you. This is a huge advantage for Ring. Blink doesn’t offer professional monitoring, so if you go with them, you’ll have to stay on top of everything yourself. That includes checking notifications when they come in, reviewing footage, and alerting the authorities when necessary.
• Pet Monitoring: Ring’s newest product is a set of custom features tailored to pet owners. Not only does Ring let you see and talk to your pets when you’re away from home, it lets you set up a pet profile so Ring Neighbors can help you track them down if they should go missing. You can even set up your Ring Doorbell to keep track of when your furry friends come and go through the front door, so you’ll know exactly when the dog walker stops by to walk them.

As you can see, we think Ring is an all-around better option compared to Blink cameras. Of course, Ring isn’t a perfect system, but there’s a reason why it ranks so high on our list of the best home security cameras available. In fact, there are several reasons!

Ring vs Blink: Snapshot of Costs and Fees

The Blink Indoor retails for $79 per camera, which is a very reasonable price considering the features you get. Keep in mind that you can also bundle and save with Blink — with 2-camera, 3-camera, and 5-camera kits saving you up to $100 or more.

The Blink Outdoor costs $99.99 and you’ll get the same packaged savings if you buy multiple cams at once. Finally, the Blink Mini indoor cam costs $34.99, and the Mini Pan-Tilt costs $59.99. Here’s our full rundown of Blink Camera pricing and packages.

Now, when we compare those costs to Ring, we find that Ring is the more expensive option of the two. Ring Indoor starts at a very reasonable $59.99, which is right in-line with Blink’s cameras. But from there, the outdoor cameras will run up to $249.99 for the newly released Spotlight Cam Pro.

Here’s where it gets tricky. If you’re looking at the bottom line, Blink is the more affordable option. It’s not always about the bottom line, though. Value is more important than price. Ultimately, Ring is worth the higher cost. It offers more options and better protections. You can get a complete rundown of all those options in our Ring Cam pricing guide. But, there’s no denying that Blink has the lower prices, as you can see below.

Blink Pricing Breakdown

And for comparison, here’s a breakdown of some of Ring’s most popular camera equipment:

A Look at Ring Cam Prices

Are Surveillance Systems Effective?

The main goals of a video surveillance system are to deter potential threats, keep you informed, and to notify you in case of an emergency. They act as a deterrent when the cameras are visible. When a criminal knows that he or she cannot enter your home without being seen (and recorded!), they will likely move on to target a different home.

Blink Outdoor Camera

Surveillance systems will also allow you to monitor your home while you are away. They’ll provide you with information such as whether you have packages waiting at the door, a visitor at your entryway, or a looky-loo trying to peek into your windows. Certain alerts and alarms will alert you in the case of an emergency situation as well. So there’s no denying the effectiveness of a camera system like Ring or Blink.

Ring vs. Blink: The Bottom Line

So there you have it: the good, the bad, and the ugly of these two camera-based security systems plus a comparison of those goods, bads, and uglies. But we know, what you really want is the bottom line. Which of these two systems do we prefer?

Well, we spent several weeks testing both Blink and Ring systems, and while we like Blink, we give the edge to Ring in this battle. Ring’s products have a better build, and their cameras come with more features. Plus, it’s easy to expand your system with Ring. They make a wide range of home security devices including a number of different cameras.

However, no security system is right for everyone. Blink has a lot going for it, too. We loved the resolution on Blink cameras, and Blink motion detectors are spot-on. Add in the fact that the company now offers an outdoor model, and you can count on Blink to keep you safe.

So, here’s the real bottom line. When it comes to the security of your home, you should do your homework (that’s why you have us!), weigh your options, and find the best system that makes sense for you, your family, and your budget. Make sure you keep in mind how many cameras you need, whether any will be used outside, how many home automation features you need, and whether or not you need a 24/7 monitoring service, and you can’t go wrong.

Video Recording in the Ring App