Compare Our Picks
Others Tested
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Enabot Ebo Max FamilyBot for $600: I’m usually a big fan of Enabot’s pet tech—especially its line of pet cameras, which are generally affordable and work consistently well without needing a pricey add-on cloud storage system. This camera is touted as an AI family companion that can recognize pets and household members, remember routines and preferences, and come when called. It also has the expected pet camera-on-wheels features, like two-way audio and video, night vision, and 4K imaging. During initial testing, the camera didn’t charge properly on the dock and often froze or stopped charging. I got a second model to test, and it worked better—it handled tasks on command, returned to the charging station, and recognized my cats. However, I still don’t think its AI-powered companion features are cool enough to justify that price tag. If price is no issue for you and you want a moving camera on wheels, it’s worth checking out.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam Plus 3K for $50: I generally liked this pan/tilt camera, which offers a 360-degree horizontal field of view and a 115-degree vertical field of view, and can be mounted with the provided tools. It also has two-way audio, voice commands, and smart-home support like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. It has eight infrared LEDs that support enhanced night vision, with a range of up to 32 feet. Through the app, you can adjust camera settings for motion detection or tracking and switch to privacy mode when you want the camera to stop recording. However, it only works with 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi and, like many other cams on this list, requires a paid subscription plan to access enhanced features like AI recognition, smart event summaries, unlimited cloud storage, and access to historical recordings. It also required several firmware updates throughout testing and would freeze during updates. It also lagged when moving through the app and often froze for a prolonged period when first opening the app.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Amazon Blink Mini 2K+ for $40: This small, budget-friendly camera supports 2K video, 4X hybrid zoom, and color night vision. In his testing, reviewer Simon Hill found its motion detection reliable, but only with a subscription: $3 per month or $30 per year for one camera, or $10 per month or $100 per year for unlimited cameras. You can record locally by purchasing a Sync Module 2 ($50) and inserting a USB flash drive. Luckily, you don’t need a subscription to record the motion-triggered footage from the camera to the Sync Module 2. You just need to insert an approved USB flash drive (up to 256 GB) into the Sync Module 2 to enable subscription-free local storage. Without a subscription, however, live viewing is limited to five minutes, recording is unavailable, videos load much more slowly, people/animal detection isn’t included, and you can’t share clips.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Enabot Ebo Air 2 for $199: The new model from Enabot is an improved interactive robot toy and camera on wheels from the brand’s lineup. It’s got a 2K HD camera, two-way audio, and a built-in laser toy, and you control the robot’s movements from your phone’s app. It’s lightweight and compact, and it can easily maneuver around objects. While acting as a pet camera, the robot also entertains (or scares or confuses) your pet by making animal noises, doing tricks like spinning and zigzagging, and displaying “emotions” via its front screen. It also has a built-in laser toy that my cats actually played with, along with key features like 24/7 video recording with smart playback, motion detection, and activity alerts.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Petcube Play 2 for $75: This Petcube camera attempts to combine popular laser toys that cats love with a pet security cam, with mixed results. Like many other cameras in the brand’s lineup, the Play 2 has excellent color and night vision, an extra-wide view, and two-way audio. The laser toy is supposed to auto-engage when motion is detected, but this often didn’t happen during my tests. When the laser did work and caught my cats’ attention, the feature turned off quickly. Plus, because the camera needed to sit high on a shelf to see the area, the laser was often too high for the cats to attempt to catch. You can manually play with the cat using the laser through the app, although it’s often laggy, and my cats ended up more perplexed than playful when the laser was on. It’s a solid camera, but the toy aspect falls a bit flat.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Furbo Mini for $25: I love this super-affordable, 360-degree-rotating basic pet camera. Furbo’s app is easy to use, the 1080 HD feed is clear, it can be mounted on a wall, and it has two-way audio. It’s powered via USB, but it works only with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, so beware. As with most other pet cameras, to access the full features—like smart detection, alerts, and access to historical video footage—you’ll need Furbo Nanny, the paid subscription service. Luckily, Furbo offers a 14-day free trial to see if the service is a good fit.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Petcube Bites 2 Lite for $80: With HD 1080p live video, night vision up to 30 feet, 8x zoom, two-way audio so you can talk to and hear your pets, and food-dispensing abilities, this pet camera has all of the bells and whistles. It also includes an easily detachable plastic treat dispenser that holds up to 1.5 pounds of kibble. You can toss treats remotely from the app, and you can also control the amount and distance. With the subscription service, the app alerts you when the device detects motion or sound and logs it with playback video. I like the customization options and clear video feed, but—like other Petcube devices—you need the extra Care plan to unlock all the best features.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion for $200 (treat dispensing): A pet camera on wheels, this rolling model has the best of intentions, but the sometimes glitchy app makes the combo pet camera/toy/feeder a little unpredictable. Through the app, you can watch your pets on the security camera and drive the robot around, pressing buttons to do tricks and dispense treats. You can watch the camera feed live in the app, and you can also schedule recordings, which are viewable via cloud playback. It also assembles a 30-second “day in the life” compilation. The robot is also supposed to detect abnormal movement or sounds, like barking or broken glass, and send a smart alert to the owner with a timestamp while away from home. Through AI-powered pet recognition, the bot can also snap a picture of your pet, but the AI features were unreliable when I tested them.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Petcube Cam for $32: It’s simple, compact, and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like more advanced models do, but it’s a great price for a reliable, basic pet camera. Like others in Petcube’s lineup, it has a 1080p HD camera, night vision, and two-way audio. It sits on hinges and can angle up and down, with the option to flip the video feed in-app if you want to lay it horizontally. You’ll need the brand’s subscription Care plan to access any features beyond the live feed. You can set a “motion zone” to receive notifications only in a specific area, and you can connect your phone’s location to the app so you’re alerted more often when you’re away. You can also share the camera feed with others so they can watch remotely, and specify the footage you want to share. This camera is basic, but it delivers a high-quality camera feed and advanced extras that make it a steal at this price.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Catit Pixi Smart Mouse Camera for $51: This cutie looks like a miniature mouse with oversized, magnetic feet that attach to a metal stand. The mouse legs hinge so you can adjust the camera’s height and angle. While adorable, it’s expensive for what it is: The lens doesn’t move, and it requires a microSD card to capture video beyond a live feed. With the SD card, you can scroll through recorded video to see activity from past days, record live footage, and save photos and videos to your smartphone’s camera roll. Even with the SD card, though, it was hard to pinpoint the exact time when reviewing footage. The live video feed can be laggy, and there were connectivity issues a few times. It’s a tad expensive at this price point for its (lack of) capabilities.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Closer Pets TreatView with Pet Camera for $100: With an HD camera, two-way communication, motion detection, a built-in memory card, and a one-cup storage for kibble or treats, which you can schedule or dispense at random—on paper, this pet camera has all of the bells and whistles. The video feed was always clear, though the audio was a bit laggy and hard to hear. The treat portions were huge, dispensing a heaping handful of kibble even at the lowest setting. The dispensing alert was super jarring, and my pets were frightened by it—there was no way to silence it. Because of the kibble-dispensing hole’s placement, the camera is angled low, making it hard to see the area I wanted. This is an okay pet camera, but its additional features become a burden rather than an asset.
To find the best pet cameras to test, I first looked for security cameras with extra pet-specific features. I set up each camera individually, noting any difficulties with initial setup, Wi-Fi configuration, and the camera feed’s speed and reliability. I tested each camera for at least a week (most for much longer) in various spots around my house, and I rigorously tested the extra features available on most of the cameras, like scheduled feedings, food-dispensing, playtime, and scheduled recordings, noting any issues I experienced. Over the months of testing, I went out of town several times and completely relied on these cams to keep an eye on my two children—I mean, cats.
So, Is There Really a Difference Between Security Cameras and Pet Cameras? Sort Of
Security cameras let you keep an eye on your house (and pet) while you’re away, but pet cameras often include additional pet-specific features, such as the ability to dispense treats and interact with your furry friend via a two-way speaker. These cameras with special features can help ease common pet issues like separation anxiety or boredom. The Enabot Rola PetPal Robot Pet Companion, for example, has attachments that let you remotely give your pet a treat or engage in “playtime.”
That’s not to say you can’t use a security camera as a pet cam, but like any other smart home device that connects to Wi-Fi, it could be hacked and compromise your privacy. Make sure your Wi-Fi password is strong, and set up two-factor authentication in your camera’s app. It’s also a good idea to keep it turned off when you’re home, as an extra precaution.
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