Cloud vs. Local: What’s the Best for Security Camera Footage? (2025)

Whether you want to support tabs connected your kids, package deliveries, aliases pets erstwhile you’re distant from home, security cameras and video doorbells are an affordable and easy measurement to do so. But there’s 1 important mobility to settee earlier deciding connected your perfect location information setup: Where will you shop those videos? Cloud convenience tin beryllium cleanable for some, while others whitethorn for illustration to support things section and subscription-free.

I’ve been testing information cameras and video doorbells for galore years now, and I’m going to locomotion you done nan main differences betwixt unreality and section storage, talk nan pros and cons of each, and supply you pinch a costs comparison that includes each nan main unreality retention services.

Looking for recommended devices? Our Best Outdoor Security Cameras, Best Indoor Security Cameras, Best Video Doorbells, and Best Pet Camera guides tin help.

Cloud vs. Local Storage

Videos stored successful nan unreality are uploaded to aliases downloaded from internet-connected retention servers astatine a distant location, astir apt nan camera manufacturer's installation aliases connected hardware rented by them. Videos stored locally are saved to hardware successful nan camera (like a microSD card) aliases connected a hub aliases plug-in chime wrong your home.

What Is Cloud Storage?

Cloud retention is simply a unafraid distant server space. Your videos will beryllium encrypted, and your login specifications are required to entree them. You tin watercourse your video from anyplace utilizing nan app connected your phone. There are only really a mates of different kinds of unreality retention for information camera videos.

• Clip recording: When a camera detects motion, it will trigger a short recording, usually betwixt 10 and 30 seconds. The long is often configurable, and location is sometimes a cooldown play earlier it tin beryllium triggered again. A fistful of manufacturers connection constricted free clip recording, but this is uncommon nowadays. Subscriptions usually springiness you 30 aliases 60 days of arena recording, aft which immoderate unsaved clips are deleted. Only uploading clips helps to support bandwidth and powerfulness demands low.
• Continuous recording: With continuous recording, nan camera is perpetually uploading video to nan cloud. When you reappraisal your video, you usually person a timeline you tin scrub done pinch mobility discovery events marked. Again, it is uncommon for this to beryllium offered for free, but immoderate manufacturers do connection a fewer hours of video without a subscription. For a monthly fee, you tin widen nan signaling period, mostly from astir 7 to 30 days. Cameras signaling continuously to nan unreality request a beardown Wi-Fi awesome and plentifulness of bandwidth, and mostly request to beryllium plugged successful (a fewer battery-powered cameras tin grounds continuously now, but only astatine very debased framework rates, usually a maximum of 1 fps).

The Pros of Cloud Storage

• Video is stored securely online (if personification steals aliases destroys your camera, nan footage still exists)
• Video is usually speedy to entree and watercourse wherever you are aliases immoderate instrumentality you are using
• You don’t request immoderate further hardware, conscionable nan camera and an net connection
• Video nonaccomplishment is little apt (lower nonaccomplishment consequence and nary attraction required)

The Cons of Cloud Storage

• Cloud retention usually requires an ongoing paid subscription
• If nan camera goes offline for immoderate reason, it won’t grounds immoderate video
• You are trusting nan supplier pinch your video (data breaches happen, and vendors tin raise subscription prices)
• Uploading and downloading videos tin usage up a batch of bandwidth

Compare These Cloud Storage Services

Top Cloud Storage Cameras

What Is Local Storage?

Local retention is retention hardware wrong your home. When you shop information camera footage locally, it is not sent to nan internet. You tin entree your video from anyplace utilizing nan app connected your telephone (provided nan instrumentality is internet-connected). Your videos will beryllium encrypted, and you request your login specifications to entree them. There are a mates of different kinds of section storage.

• Built-in storage: Some information cameras, video doorbells, aliases hub devices travel pinch built-in retention that cannot beryllium removed. It would usually beryllium constricted to a fewer gigabytes. Network Video Recorders (NVRs) aliases Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) besides often travel pinch built-in storage, but they thin to connection terabytes.
• Removable storage: Most information cameras pinch a section signaling action usage removable storage. This includes microSD cards, USB flash drives, SSDs, aliases difficult drives. Whether nan removable retention goes into nan camera itself, a connected hub aliases chime, aliases a DVR aliases NVR, it will usually beryllium sold separately, and location will mostly beryllium a size limit, truthful ever check.

Pros of Local Storage

• No subscription needed; you salary erstwhile for hardware, and location are nary ongoing costs
• Video will beryllium recorded moreover if your net goes down
• Locally stored clips are harder for anyone different than you to access
• You tin support videos and stock them aliases backmost them up for arsenic agelong arsenic nan hardware works

Cons of Local Storage

• You often person to bargain storage, specified arsenic a microSD paper aliases difficult drive, separately
• If personification physically steals nan camera aliases hub, they tin destruct nan footage
• Most cameras person a retention limit, and it tin beryllium rather debased (for example, 128 GB)
• Local retention tin beryllium slower to access, particularly erstwhile you are distant from home

Top Local Storage Cameras

Should I Choose Local aliases Cloud Storage, aliases Both?

It depends connected your home, favourite brand, and different preferences. If you don’t mind paying for a subscription and deliberation you are apt to entree videos erstwhile you are distant from location frequently, unreality retention is astir apt nan champion action for you. If you balk astatine different monthly interest aliases interest astir a camera institution having each your footage, opt for section retention instead. To get nan astir from your information cameras and guarantee you don’t suffer videos, see both.

While subscriptions are technically optional for immoderate information cameras, I wouldn’t urge buying Nest, Arlo, Ring, Blink, aliases Philips Hue cameras if you aren’t going to pony up for nan subscription, because their champion features are bundled in. You tin get cameras pinch section retention that see astir of nan champion features without a subscription from Eufy, Aqara, and Ezviz. Annoyingly, TP-Link and Reolink, some coagulated section options, bundle rich | notifications that see photos into their subscriptions.

Cloud vs. Local Storage Costs

Cloud retention plans tin beryllium costly complete nan years, but you mostly get a discount if you salary annually. While nan single-camera plans are comparatively expensive, subscriptions are a amended worth if you person aggregate devices. Local retention is each upfront costs unless your hardware fails, but this is improbable (I’ve ne'er had a microSD paper aliases SSD neglect successful respective years of testing, though it tin happen).

As a last decider, let’s comparison nan costs of immoderate of our apical recommendations complete time. This is based connected prices astatine nan clip of writing, truthful it whitethorn change.