Popular home security camera companies Ring and Google Nest have never been more competitive. With new hardware releases and massive AI upgrades in Gemini for Home and Alexa Plus in Oct. 2025, these are the security brands to watch if you want a new device for the holidays. But which is most worthwhile?
A lot depends on your home and what smart devices you already have. Ring and Nest offer different devices, different voice assistants, varying levels of setting options — you get the idea. Here’s how these brands match up and everything you need to know about which one to choose.
Ring overview
Amazon-owned Ring has worked on home security technology for years, producing so many cameras and doorbells that even I occasionally got confused. They’ve streamlined their products since then, updating designs in 2025 and announcing two new lines, a 2K option and a 4K option with indoor cams, outdoor cams, and video doorbells (no battery options since its 2025 Ring Battery doorbell, though).
As you can image, Ring devices play very well with Amazon Alexa but not much else, and new Alexa Plus features plus updated resolutions make its latest security offerings very competitive. It’s also been several years since Ring’s privacy snafus, and they appear to be on top of security issues at this time. Just keep in mind that Ring locks many of its features behind at least a $5 subscription.
Nest overview
Google’s Nest line has been a popular option for straightforward, high-quality home security cameras and doorbells. Its third-generation line was just released, upgrading resolution to 2K across the board with a more compact design and a growing number of Gemini for Home AI features (like Ring, they’re sticking with wired-only models this generation, possibly because AI work burns through battery life too fast).
Google Nest products have made it into my security recommendations not only for their reliable AI performance and Google’s great security track record (at least in the home tech world), but also because Nest offers better freebies than most brands, including 3 to 6 hours of free cloud video storage time and free package recognition, although you do have to pay for advanced AI features.
Note: Google is still using the Nest name for cameras, but it is moving toward Google Home for products like its upcoming smart speaker, a trend that could, in time, eclipse the Nest brand.
Ring vs. Nest: Device variety and cost
You can still find a bewildering number of Ring cameras and doorbells for sale, but the latest offerings have narrowed choices down to a pan/tilt camera line, a battery doorbell, and a 2K line of wired cameras and a doorbell, and a higher-end 4K line of wired cams and a doorbell. That still gives you a variety of choices to pick from, with prices ranging from around $60 to over $200.
But Ring doesn’t just do cameras. There’s also the very solid Ring alarm system, which is expandable and one of my favorite DIY picks (it also enables local video storage in the Pro version), as well as Ring-powered smoke detectors. It even has a line of lighting options. And the company offers the Ring Neighbors app, a Nextdoor-like app for sharing video, comments and questions with the local Ring-using community.
Nest’s offerings are much more streamlined. The second generation has an indoor camera, outdoor camera, a cam that can be indoors or outdoors, and battery/wired doorbells. The third gen is even more limited so far, with a wired indoor cam, wired outdoor cam and video doorbell. Nest does include a smart learning thermostat line, something Ring doesn’t provide, as well as compatible First Alert smoke detectors and integration with ADT security systems. Costs are generally higher for Nest, starting around $100.
Winner: Ring
Ring vs. Nest: Design and durability
Ring has made strides in design quality recently, especially with its latest battery doorbell. However, its products sometimes struggle with a flimsier design and awkward battery management. Nest, meanwhile, has very solid devices with strong design features and long-lasting components that I’ve never worried about.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: App quality
Ring’s dedicated app allows for complete camera management, helping you dig into a wide variety of settings and make the changes you need with minimal fuss. There’s definitely a learning curve with so many features to dig through on their advanced cameras, but the app UI is user-friendly and pleasant enough.
For Nest devices, you’ll be using the Google Home app, which benefits from a recent overhaul to make it more streamlined and speedy. Yes, it’s a little too streamlined in some cases (you’ll have to learn what all of Google’s unique icons mean), but it’s designed for quick phone use, which is important for security cam alerts.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: AI features
Both these brands have invested in bringing AI features to their home cameras, with promising results that are still ongoing — and the most advanced features are locked behind subscriptions.
Ring has brought descriptive smart alerts that tell you what AI thinks is happening in video footage, past video search, object recognition for people, packages and similar items, and (upcoming) facial recognition. It’s also provided a timetable for adding features like Alexa Plus Greetings for video doorbells, an AI-fueled Search Party mode to locate lost pets in your community and more advanced facial recognition features.
Nest’s Gemini for Home also brings conversational AI features, but it’s been slower to roll out. For now, Gemini for home can do video summaries, daily summaries and answer questions about past video footage. Package and person detection are free, while face detection does require a subscription. I expect Gemini for Home to advance into better doorbell greetings and other features, but for now, Ring with Alexa Plus has an edge here.
Winner: Ring
Ring vs. Nest: Smart home support
Ring’s smart home support is limited to Amazon’s Alexa, as are most of Amazon’s own security products. There’s no budging there, but you do get reliable connectivity with devices like Echo Shows. Nest, on the other hand, offers the best support with Google Home and Gemini, but also provides compatibility with Alexa. Apple Home and Siri users are, however, out of luck.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: Installation and use
With the latest generations of both Ring and Nest being wired-only, installation is a bit more complicated, especially outdoors. Some wiring work may be involved with doorbells, for example. Previous-gen battery models were much easier to install and remain viable options. I’ve given this category to Nest thanks to its compact devices, magnetic camera bases and overall simplicity.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: Subscriptions
Ring’s subscriptions start at $5 per month for basic video storage and object detection for a single camera. You can upgrade to $10 for more devices, doorbell calls, extended live view, alarm cellular backup and other features. The $20 adds AI features like video search and summaries, as well as SOS emergency response.
Nest’s new subscription format is Google Home Premium. The basic package begins at $10 per month for longer video history, intelligent alerts, face recognition and Gemini for Home AI features like conversational voice commands and routines. But you’ll have to upgrade to the $20 subscription to get video search and summaries, event descriptions, daily summaries and other more advanced AI.
Those fees are quite similar, but Nest gets bonus points for offering much better features at the free level, including package and person detection and up to 6 hours of cloud storage.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: Security and privacy
Both brands have a more or less dependable track record in security at this time. However, Ring did have some serious problems in the late 2010s, including data leaks and failures to properly restrict access to data. Google Nest hasn’t had the same issues with data access, although there was that infamous time back in 2017 when a bug in its first smart speaker caused it to eavesdrop on homes.
As far as privacy, the companies both work to encrypt data like facial recognition until it’s needed, but it’s your decision if you want that data uploaded onto company servers at all. And with both Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home, it’s always possible that the AI will be using your videos for training purposes if you sign up for those advanced features.
Winner: Nest
Ring vs. Nest: Customer service
From my experiences and research, both Ring and Nest have acceptable customer service and response performance, although that can still entail frustrations. Both brands also have very useful community support with the Ring Community website and Google Nest Community forum, where you can review past questions and ask your own.
Winner: Tie
Ring vs. Nest: The bottom line
Both Ring and Nest are solid smart home security choices, but they work better in some homes than others. Ring works best for Alexa and Amazon fans, while Nest is for those who prefer Google Home or have a mix of Google and Alexa devices. Nest is more streamlined overall, while Ring offers more customization options in general.
While Ring offers greater device variety and is currently a bit more advanced in AI features, Nest’s latest Gemini for Home offerings continue to expand — although you’ll need to pay for the most advanced capabilities in either case. If you don’t like paying subscriptions at all, Nest is the clear choice with its free object detection and free hours of cloud video storage. If you prefer integration with a full security system and add-ons like smart lights without going third-party, Ring’s more expansive offerings are a better bet.
Still can’t make up your mind? Take a look at the best picks for security systems, cheap security systems and cheap video doorbells.
