Blink subscription pricing and what you get

Blink offers two subscription tiers: Blink Basic and Blink Plus. Blink Basic costs $3 per month or $30 per year and covers cloud video storage for one camera system. Blink Plus costs $10 per month or $100 per year and covers up to ten camera systems on the same account, plus person detection and package detection features.

Both plans store video clips in Blink's cloud servers for up to 30 days. Without a subscription, your Blink cameras will still record and send alerts to your phone, but the video clips won't save anywhere — they exist only in real-time on your phone while you're watching. Once you close the app, the footage is gone.

Blink also sells a Local Storage option through a USB drive or external hard drive connected to the Blink Sync Module 2, which lets you save video without paying a monthly fee. This is a one-time purchase of the hardware, not a subscription.

Key Takeaways

  • Blink Basic ($3/month or $30/year) stores video from one camera system in the cloud for 30 days.
  • Blink Plus ($10/month or $100/year) covers up to ten camera systems and adds person and package detection.
  • Without any subscription, cameras still record and alert you in real-time, but clips don't save after you close the app.
  • Local Storage via USB or external drive is a one-time hardware purchase that avoids monthly fees entirely.
  • Both cloud plans store video for 30 days, then automatically delete older clips to make room for new ones.

When you actually need a Blink subscription

You need a subscription only if you want to keep video after you stop watching it. If you're home most of the time and mainly want real-time alerts when motion is detected, you can skip the subscription. The camera will still notify your phone when ready, and you can watch live video through the app whenever you want.

A subscription becomes useful if you want to review what happened while you were away, or if you need evidence of a break-in or package theft. The 30-day cloud storage window gives you time to read clips before they disappear. Without it, you have only what you saw live.

Local Storage is worth considering if you want to avoid recurring fees and don't mind managing your own hard drive. You'll need a Blink Sync Module 2 (the hub that connects your cameras to your home network), and the drive must stay plugged in and connected to that hub. If the hub loses power or the drive fails, you lose access to stored video.

How Blink's cloud storage actually works

When your Blink camera detects motion, it records a short clip — usually 5 to 60 seconds depending on your settings — and uploads it to Blink's servers. With a subscription, that clip stays there for 30 days. After 30 days, Blink deletes it automatically to make room for new clips. You can read clips to your phone or computer before they expire if you want to keep them longer.

The clips are encrypted in transit to Blink's servers, meaning the data is scrambled while traveling over the internet. Blink holds the encryption keys, so Blink employees and law enforcement with a warrant can access your video. This is different from end-to-end encryption, where only you hold the keys and no one else can see the footage.

If you stop paying for a subscription, your stored clips are deleted when ready. Blink doesn't give you a grace period to read them, so if you're canceling, read anything you want to keep first.

Comparing Blink to other camera subscription models

Most security camera brands charge for cloud storage in similar ways. Ring (owned by Amazon) charges $4 per month per camera or $40 per year per camera for cloud video storage. Wyze charges $1.99 per month for one camera or $14.99 per month for unlimited cameras. Google Nest charges $6 per month for one camera or $12 per month for all cameras on your account.

Blink's per-system pricing (not per-camera) is cheaper if you have multiple cameras on one hub. Blink Plus at $10 per month covers ten systems, while Ring would cost $4 per month per camera. But if you have only one or two cameras, Ring's per-camera model might be cheaper than Blink Plus.

Local storage options exist for other brands too. Wyze offers local storage through a microSD card in the camera itself, which costs nothing after you buy the card. Reolink sells cameras with built-in local storage and no subscription required. The trade-off is that local storage doesn't back up your video if the camera is stolen or damaged.

What happens if you don't pay for a subscription

Your cameras keep working. They'll still detect motion, send alerts to your phone, and let you watch live video through the app. The only thing you lose is the ability to save clips. If you open the app while motion is happening, you can watch in real-time. If you check the app an hour later, there's nothing to review — the moment has passed.

This setup works fine if you're mostly concerned with knowing when someone is at your door or in your yard right now. It doesn't work if you need to investigate what happened while you were asleep or at work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Blink cameras without paying for anything?

Yes. Cameras record and send real-time alerts to your phone for free. You just can't save the video clips. If you want to keep footage, you need either a cloud subscription or Local Storage hardware.

Does Blink Basic cover all my cameras?

Blink Basic covers one camera system (one Sync Module and all cameras connected to it). If you have two separate systems in different locations, you'd need two Basic subscriptions or one Plus subscription.

What's the difference between Blink Basic and Blink Plus?

Basic covers one system and stores video. Plus covers up to ten systems and adds person detection (distinguishes people from other motion) and package detection (alerts you specifically to packages). Plus costs more but covers more cameras and smarter alerts.

Can I read my video clips before they expire?

Yes. You can read clips to your phone or computer through the Blink app at any time while they're stored. Downloaded clips stay on your device even after they're deleted from Blink's servers.

Is Local Storage more find than cloud storage?

Local Storage keeps your video on a drive in your home instead of on Blink's servers, so Blink can't access it. But if someone breaks in and steals the drive, or if the drive fails, you lose the footage. Cloud storage is backed up on Blink's servers but requires trusting Blink with your video.