Ring Doorbell Subscriptions Cost $3 to $10 Per Month
Ring Protect Plan costs $3 per month or $30 per year for a single device. Ring Protect Plus costs $10 per month or $100 per year and covers all Ring devices in your home. Both plans let you save video recordings to the cloud, review footage after events happen, and get notifications when motion or someone presses the doorbell. Without a subscription, your Ring doorbell still works — it rings and sends live notifications — but video recordings disappear after 24 hours and you cannot review past events.
The choice between plans depends on how many Ring devices you own. If you have only a doorbell, Protect Plan is cheaper. If you have a doorbell plus Ring cameras, motion sensors, or other Ring products, Protect Plus usually saves money because it covers everything under one subscription instead of paying per device.
Key Takeaways
- Ring Protect Plan ($3/month) covers one device and stores video for 30 to 60 days; Ring Protect Plus ($10/month) covers unlimited devices in your home.
- Without any subscription, your Ring doorbell still receives visitors and sends notifications, but video recordings delete after 24 hours.
- Video storage length depends on activity: busier devices keep 30 days of footage, quieter ones may keep up to 60 days.
- Ring also offers a free tier with no subscription, though it only stores live video while you are actively watching.
What Video Storage You Get With Each Plan
Both subscription tiers store video in the cloud so you can watch it later on your phone or computer. Ring Protect Plan keeps recordings for 30 to 60 days depending on how much activity your doorbell captures. Busier doorbells with frequent motion or visitors keep about 30 days; quieter ones may store up to 60 days before older footage is deleted automatically.
Ring Protect Plus offers the same storage window — 30 to 60 days — but applies it to every Ring device you own at once. If you have a doorbell, a front-door camera, and a side-yard camera, all three record to the same 30 to 60-day rolling window under one subscription.
The free option (no subscription) does not store video at all. You can watch live video while someone is at your door, but once you close the app, that footage is gone. This is the main trade-off: free access to live alerts and live viewing, but no way to review what happened after the fact.
When You Might Not Need a Subscription
A subscription makes sense if you want to review footage later — to see who delivered a package, check on a visitor, or investigate a suspicious person. If your main goal is to answer the door remotely and see who is there in real time, the free tier does that without paying anything.
Some people use local storage instead. Ring offers a Ring Protect Pro option (hardware you buy separately, around $200) that stores video on a device in your home rather than in the cloud. This eliminates the monthly subscription but requires you to maintain the hardware and manage storage yourself. It is less common than the cloud plans.
How to Check Your Current Subscription Status
Open the Ring app on your phone. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right. Select "Subscriptions" or "Ring Protect." The screen shows which plan you have, when it renews, and how much you are paying. If you see "No active plan," you are using the free tier.
You can change your plan from this same screen. Downgrading from Protect Plus to Protect Plan takes effect when ready, though you are charged a prorated amount if you paid for a full year. Canceling a subscription also happens here — Ring will ask if you want to keep the plan but will let you stop if you confirm.
Comparing Ring Plans to Other Doorbell Cameras
Most video doorbell brands charge for cloud storage. Logitech Circle View costs $3 per month for one device or $12 per month for unlimited devices. Google Nest Aware costs $6 per month for one camera or $12 per month for all cameras in your home. Wyze charges $1.99 per month per camera or $15 per month for unlimited devices.
Ring's pricing sits in the middle: cheaper than Nest for a single device, more expensive than Wyze, and comparable to Logitech. The real difference is not the price but what video features each brand includes — motion zones, person detection, package detection — and whether those features require a subscription or come free. Ring includes basic motion and person detection free; some competitors charge extra for those.
How Billing Works and When Charges Appear
Monthly plans renew on the same day each month. If you sign up on the 15th, you are charged on the 15th of every month. Annual plans renew once per year on the anniversary of your purchase. You can see your next billing date in the Subscriptions section of the Ring app.
Charges appear on the payment method you have on file — usually a credit card linked to your Amazon account, since Ring is owned by Amazon. If you change your payment method, the new one is used for the next renewal. Canceling stops future charges but does not refund money already paid for the current billing period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a Ring doorbell without paying for a subscription?
Yes. Without a subscription, your doorbell still rings, sends notifications to your phone, and lets you watch live video. You just cannot save recordings to review later — video disappears after 24 hours. For most people who mainly want to see who is at the door in real time, the free tier is enough.
Does Ring Protect Plus really cover all my devices?
Yes, one Ring Protect Plus subscription covers every Ring device in your home — doorbells, cameras, motion sensors, and alarm systems. You do not pay per device. If you have three cameras and a doorbell, one $10/month subscription covers all four.
What happens to my videos if I cancel my subscription?
Existing videos are deleted within 24 hours of cancellation. If you want to keep any footage, read it to your phone before you cancel. After cancellation, you can still use your doorbell for live viewing and notifications, but you cannot save new recordings.
Is there a way to store Ring videos without paying monthly?
Ring Protect Pro uses a hardware device you buy once (around $200) to store video locally in your home instead of the cloud. This eliminates monthly fees but requires you to manage the device and storage yourself. It is less convenient than cloud storage but costs nothing per month.
Do I need a subscription to get motion alerts?
No. Motion alerts work free. Your doorbell notifies you when it detects motion or someone presses the button. The subscription only affects whether you can save and review those recordings later.