Ring’s cheapest subscription plan is going up by $1 a month

The Basic is Ring’s cheapest plan and gives you access to cloud storage of recorded videos from one camera or video doorbell. If you subscribe, you’ll see the bump on your next renewal date after March 11th unless you cancel before then.

Without a subscription, all you can do with a Ring camera is view a livestream and get alerts for motion from your camera.

The hikes feel designed to push users to subscribe to the company’s higher-priced plans, which are not increasing. The next tier up — $10 a month or $100 a year — covers unlimited cameras and now makes more sense if you have two or more Ring devices. Then, it’s an easier jump to add yet another camera since it won’t cost you any more per month.

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, Blink and Wyze offer some of the cheapest plans for viewing cloud-recorded video from a single camera. Both cost $3 a month, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on those prices staying that way.

Local storage of videos is the way to avoid price increases like these. Blink and Wyze offer local storage, as do cameras from Eufy and Reolink. Video doorbells that support Apple HomeKit Secure Video record to your iCloud account, but Apple’s subscription services aren’t immune to price increases.