Ring Doorbell Comparison: Which One Should You Buy?

The newly released Ring Video Doorbell 4 is basically the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus with an even better battery pack and a new "quick reply" feature. The Ring 4 is even in the same price range as the Ring 3 Plus, so you might as well get the latest and greatest version and go with the Ring 4. 

One of our favorite features on the Ring 4 is the Pre-Roll feature, which saves four seconds of video from before motion triggers the camera to record. This is great for catching the whole event instead of capturing the back of a porch pirate's head as they make a getaway.

The camera on the Ring 4 has 1080p HD video with better night vision than other Ring video doorbells, and you can adjust the camera angle by adding one of the included mounting wedges to tilt it left or right. The Ring Video Doorbell 4 also includes a corner kit.

You can also adjust the motion sensor sensitivity so you’re not getting constant motion-activated alerts.

The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) is a peculiar product. It's a long-overdue update to the original Ring Doorbell (which released in 2014), but it's also not the Ring 2, which is no longer available.

One big improvement in this new version is crisp 1080p video quality and a more polished design. But it still doesn't have a removable battery. Charging the battery on this Ring is a bit of a hassle (since you have to pretty much take the whole doorbell off). But if you hardwire it to your old doorbell, you won’t have to worry about the battery dying.

It also lacks the fancy Pre-Roll feature that captures video from before motion events, which is Ring 4's biggest draw.

If you still want a Ring doorbell but you’re on a budget, those little concessions are worth the $130 you save on the purchase price compared to the Ring 4.

But just because it’s budget-friendly doesn’t mean it’s without perks. The Ring 2nd Gen still has all the other bells and whistles we enjoy with pricier versions, including custom motion zones, motion-activated alerts, and a wide 155º field of view.

The Ring Video Doorbell Wired costs just under $65, making it the most affordable Ring doorbell to date. But there's a catch: you can only use this version if you already have existing doorbell wiring. There's no battery pack.

Even though it's not a wireless camera, it still has all the perks you expect from a video doorbell: two-way audio, motion alerts, 1080p recording, and a Wi-Fi connection.

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is the device for people who want a subtler, sleeker video doorbell to greet their visitors. The Ring Doorbell Pro 2 is narrower than its bulkier cousins with a profile that resembles a standard doorbell. The lack of bulk is because there’s no battery, which means you have to hardwire it to your old doorbell.

It has 1536p resolution, which is higher quality than other Ring doorbell cameras, and it still manages to fit a motion detector and two-way audio into its space-saving design.

The Ring Video Doorbell Elite is Ring’s top-of-the-line option with a top-of-the-line price to match. It’s hardwired to your ethernet connection, so you never have to worry about its proximity to Wi-Fi.

But since most homes probably don’t have an ethernet cable running to the doorbell box, the Elite is a better fit for new construction.

Ring recommends professional installation for this device due to the required ethernet connection and because it’s flush-mounted to your outer wall. On the plus side, the flush-mount design makes it a lot less bulky after installation than other Ring video doorbell models.