One of the most common questions buyers ask before purchasing a Eufy doorbell is whether they need to pay a monthly subscription. The short answer is no — Eufy doorbells store footage locally without any ongoing costs. That said, Eufy does offer an optional cloud subscription that adds some useful features. Here's everything you need to know about Eufy doorbell subscription costs in the UK.
Does the Eufy Doorbell Require a Subscription?
No. Eufy is one of the few smart doorbell brands that provides free local storage as standard. When paired with a HomeBase 2 hub, your Eufy doorbell saves motion-triggered clips directly to the device — no cloud account, no monthly fee, and no footage held hostage behind a paywall.
Without any subscription you still get:
- Motion-triggered recording stored on HomeBase 2 (16 GB internal, expandable via microSD)
- Live view from the Eufy Security app
- Two-way audio
- Push notifications on motion
- Local 4K or 2K recording depending on the model
This puts Eufy ahead of Ring, where a subscription is effectively required to view any recorded footage at all. See our Ring vs Eufy doorbell comparison for a full side-by-side breakdown.
What Is the Eufy Secure Subscription?
Eufy Secure (formerly called eufy Security Plus) is the brand's optional cloud plan. It adds AI-powered features, cloud backup, and more intelligent alert filtering on top of the free local recording.
As of 2026, Eufy Secure is priced at approximately:
- £2.99 per month per device (or around £29.99 per year per device)
- £9.99 per month for up to 10 devices (or around £99.99 per year)
Prices are subject to change and may vary between the Eufy app and the eufylife.com website — always check the current rate before subscribing.
What Does Eufy Secure Add?
The subscription unlocks features that Eufy's local processing alone cannot deliver:
- 30-day cloud video backup — footage is encrypted and stored on Eufy's servers, giving you a safety net if the HomeBase is stolen or damaged
- AI person, vehicle, and pet detection — cloud AI filters alerts so you receive far fewer false positives triggered by swaying trees or passing cars
- Activity zones — define specific areas of the camera frame that trigger alerts, ignoring the rest of the scene
- Priority customer support
If you already have HomeBase 2, the AI detection improvements are the most tangible upgrade. The cloud backup is genuinely useful for security-critical installs where local storage alone feels insufficient.
Eufy HomeBase 2: The One-Off Hardware Cost
Most Eufy battery-powered doorbells — including the popular Video Doorbell E340 — require a HomeBase 2 hub to enable local storage. HomeBase 2 is sold separately and typically costs around £79.99, though it is sometimes bundled with doorbell kits. It stores up to 16 GB of footage internally, with expansion available via a microSD card slot.
Wired Eufy doorbells (such as the Video Doorbell Dual 2K) can store footage on a microSD card inserted directly into the doorbell unit, so HomeBase 2 is optional for those models.
The E340 is one of the brand's more capable options — a dual-lens doorbell with a 4K wide-angle front camera and a 2K telephoto lens that can read parcel labels from a distance. You can read more in our detailed Eufy doorbell review.
How Does Eufy's Cost Compare to Ring and Arlo?
The subscription picture looks very different across the three main doorbell brands sold in the UK.
Ring Protect Basic — £3.49/month per device
Ring cameras store nothing locally. Without a Ring Protect subscription (currently £3.49 per month per device or £34.99 per year), your Ring doorbell cannot save any recorded clips — you can only view live footage. This means the subscription is effectively mandatory, making Ring's true cost of ownership higher than Eufy's even before accounting for hardware prices.
Arlo Secure — from £2.99/month
Arlo's model sits between Ring and Eufy. Arlo cameras support a free tier with 30-day cloud storage for a single camera, but advanced features (AI detection, longer history, more cameras) require an Arlo Secure plan starting at around £2.99 per month. Like Ring, Arlo relies entirely on cloud storage — there is no local HomeBase equivalent. For more detail, see our guide to the best smart doorbells in the UK.
Eufy — free local storage, optional £2.99/month cloud
Eufy's free tier is genuinely functional, not crippled. Most UK households that install a Eufy doorbell never subscribe to Eufy Secure, and the doorbell works well without it. For homes that want cloud backup as a secondary safety net, the per-device plan at around £2.99/month is competitively priced against Ring and Arlo.
Is the Eufy Secure Subscription Worth It?
For most UK users, the answer is probably no — at least for a single doorbell installation. The local storage on HomeBase 2 is reliable, the live view and two-way audio work without a subscription, and basic motion alerts are included for free.
The subscription makes more sense if:
- You have multiple Eufy cameras and want centralised cloud backup for all of them (the 10-device plan at £9.99/month works out cheaply per device)
- You are experiencing a high rate of false-positive alerts and want cloud-powered AI filtering
- Your HomeBase is installed in a location where it could be stolen alongside the doorbell (cloud backup provides a secondary copy)
- You need activity zones to focus alerts on a specific area (e.g. the doorstep only, not the street)
If you're evaluating the wider ecosystem, our best home security systems guide covers how Eufy fits alongside professional-monitoring options.
Summary: Eufy Doorbell Subscription Costs at a Glance
Here is a quick reference for UK buyers in 2026:
- Free tier: Local recording via HomeBase 2, live view, two-way audio, push notifications — no monthly fee
- HomeBase 2 (one-off): around £79.99 — required for battery models
- Eufy Secure per device: around £2.99/month (or ~£29.99/year)
- Eufy Secure 10-device plan: around £9.99/month (or ~£99.99/year)
- Ring Protect Basic (for comparison): £3.49/month per device — required for any video history
- Arlo Secure (for comparison): from £2.99/month
Eufy's subscription-free model is its clearest advantage over the competition. The optional Eufy Secure plan is reasonably priced if you want the extra features, but it genuinely is optional — the doorbell is fully functional without it.
Related: best video doorbells no subscription, Ring doorbell subscription costs, and best smart doorbells UK.
