Arlo vs. Google Nest Comparison 2025

Here’s a look at our Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery-powered) before we mounted it above our garage.

We regularly test security cameras, and both Arlo and Nest made our latest roundup of the best security cameras of 2025. That says a lot, as the security camera market is very competitive.

For the purposes of this comparison, we retested Arlo and Nest side-by-side, and we made some pretty interesting discoveries. For one, even though Arlo offers way more options than Nest’s three-camera lineup, we didn’t find that to be a huge issue. We’re convinced that both brands offer enough equipment to suit most users. That said, we like that Arlo offers options with higher-quality video (2K and 4K cameras). As for Nest Cams, we like that they work with one of the best security systems of 2025: ADT.

Let’s see more in this Arlo vs. Nest Cam comparison!

>> Learn About: Everything to Know About Security Cameras

Arlo vs. Google Nest: An Overview of Two Camera-Based Security Systems

Both Arlo and Nest offer some of the best security cameras for keeping your home safe and sound. They both offer a full lineup of camera models to cover every inch of the inside and outside of your home with some unique features we rarely see from other providers.

That’s everything we received from the Nest Doorbell (battery) box.

Arlo and Nest are also known as DIY brands, although they both partner with a third party to offer professional installation if needed. Even with a DIY installation, they both offer cutting-edge technology like facial recognition from Google Nest and 4K resolution from Arlo. And, of course, you can access and control Google Nest and Arlo cameras from pretty much anywhere using your smartphone. Add it up and you get feature-packed home security cameras with all the bells and whistles from both providers. Just don’t be too surprised if it’s not cheap, but we’ll get to that.

A High-Level Comparison of Arlo and Google Nest

Although both providers offer great functionality and ease of use with security that focuses on cameras, they’re by no means identical. Here’s a high-level comparison between Arlo and Google Nest:

• Artificial Intelligence: Sure, Arlo and Google Nest both use AI in their cameras, but Google Nest’s AI is smarter. It can learn your visitors’ faces and then automate connected smart devices based on who your camera sees. Plus, it offers all the AI capabilities as Arlo, such as person, package, and vehicle detection.
• Professional Monitoring: Only Arlo offers professional monitoring. Google Nest used to, but they discontinued it after partnering with ADT. Now, you need to buy an ADT system to get professional monitoring for your Google Nest cameras.
• Security System Equipment: Google Nest only offers cameras and smart locks for security equipment, whereas Arlo offers a complete security system. Although, Arlo’s security system uses an all-in-one sensor we’re not a huge fan of.
• Camera Specs: If you’re just looking for the best camera specs, Arlo’s going to be the way to go. They offer cameras with 4K resolution, whereas all Google Nest Cams are 1080p. That’s four times more pixels giving a clearer image and more capability to zoom in without your picture getting too blurry. Arlo’s cameras also feature wider fields of view.
• Pricing: Price-wise, we find Arlo and Google Nest to be in the same ballpark. Arlo offers a lot more options, though, including cameras that are significantly less and significantly more than Google Nest’s lineup. Google Nest sits right in the middle of Arlo’s options.
• Installation: Both Arlo and Google Nest primarily offer DIY installation with a couple of hardwired exceptions, namely the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired and Google Nest Cam with Floodlight. They both partnered with a third-party installer to offer professional installation for these pieces of equipment.

Breaking Down the Details: Arlo vs. Google Nest

Now that we gave you a high-level overview, let’s dive into the details. We’ll compare all the aspects of our experience buying and using a Google Nest and Arlo system. By the end, you’ll know exactly which provider is the best fit for your needs.

Equipment and Pricing

Like we mentioned, Arlo offers more options for security cameras; with that, they offer cameras that cost more and cameras that cost less than Google Nest Cams. Value-wise, though, we feel we get more bang for our buck with Google Nest.

Google Nest’s Costs

Everything I got with my Nest Cam.

Including their video doorbell, Google Nest only offers four options for security cameras. There’s an indoor/outdoor battery camera, a wired indoor camera, a floodlight camera, and a video doorbell. That covers all of the camera types we look for, but nothing else. Here’s how much each Google Nest camera costs:

As for subscriptions, Google Nest offers two plans called Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus that cost $8 per month and $15 per month, respectively. Nest Aware provides 30 days of cloud storage while Nest Aware Plus provides 60 days of cloud storage with 10 days of 24/7 recording. Both plans unlock the full functionality of Google Nest’s cameras, such as facial recognition and glass-break detection. We opted for Nest Aware when we tested Google Nest.

>> Read More: Best Cloud Storage Home Security Cameras of 2025

Arlo’s Costs

Here’s our wireless Arlo Video Doorbell before we took it out of the box.

Arlo’s pricing ranges a lot. We’re talking all the way from $39.99 up to $299.99. Even with that wide range of prices, we find they offer solid value at every price point — although, we prefer the simplicity of Google Nest’s pricing. Here’s a look at Arlo’s pricing:

For subscriptions, Arlo offers three plans. Two of the plans are for 60 days of cloud storage for your cameras. The cheapest plan offers cloud storage for one camera and costs $9.99 per month ($7.99 per month when billed annually). Cloud storage for unlimited cameras costs $19.99 per month ($17.99 per month when billed annually). We prefer Google Nest’s plans, as they both cover unlimited cameras and cost a bit less.

Their third plan includes 24/7 professional monitoring, as well, and costs $29.99 per month ($24.99 per month when billed annually). That’s a bit more than Ring’s pricing — $19.99 per month — for a similar plan, but we still think it’s solid value.

Winner: Google Nest

Main Features and Tech

Our Google Nest Doorbell told us when it saw a package get delivered at our doorstep and created an event for it.

There’s no getting past it. Google Nest offers more features and tech than Arlo. Sure, they don’t offer any 2K or 4K cameras like the Arlo Pro 5S or Arlo Ultra 2. But, we found a lot more uses for the AI capabilities of Google Nest’s cameras, like facial recognition rather than higher resolution. Plus, the 1080p HDR resolution of the Google Nest cameras offered enough clarity to still read the license plates of cars as they pulled into our driveway when we mounted our camera above our garage.

So, what are the features that Google Nest offers? First of all, they offer some of the best facial recognition cameras on the market. When paired with an ADT system, you can make your home automatically open for specific people at set times or during an active alarm. We set ours to open for our dog walker every Thursday morning and for our neighbor during confirmed alerts. Arlo doesn’t offer any features comparable to that.

We will say we liked the color night vision when we tested the Arlo Pro. It costs the same as the Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, wireless), but it has a built-in spotlight. For color night vision from Google Nest, you’d need to go with the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight.

Winner: Google Nest

>> Read About: Ring Floodlight Camera Review and Pricing in 2025

Installation

Here we are mounting our Arlo Pro security camera so that it can keep an eye on our backyard.

Installing Google Nest cameras and Arlo cameras is a very similar process. Aside from each brand’s hardwired products, we were able to install any of their cameras in about 10 minutes. We’d recommend getting professional help for installing their hardwired options, though — namely, the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight and the wired Arlo Video Doorbells. Both brands offer professional installation, but it’s through third parties, so you won’t see either of them on our list of the best professionally installed home security systems.

If there’s one difference between the brands, it’s that Arlo also offers their hardwired video doorbells in wireless versions; the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight is only available as a hardwired camera. That’s why we’re going to have to give the win to Arlo when it comes to installation.

>> Learn More: Best DIY Home Security Systems in 2025

Winner: Arlo

Arlo vs. Google Nest — Which One’s Right for You?

Anyone looking for a camera-based security system really can’t go wrong with either Arlo or Nest. It really comes down to your personal preferences. Even though we prefer Google Nest, Arlo gives great value with a wide selection of cameras. And, specs-wise, Arlo’s cameras actually beat Google Nest.

What sells us on Google Nest is their advanced AI technology that enables facial recognition. Those intelligent alerts telling us who the camera sees — and not just that it sees a person — really come in handy. That’s really the feature that puts Google Nest a notch above Arlo in our book.

FAQs About Arlo vs. Google Nest

Who makes better security cameras, Arlo or Google Nest?

Even though we prefer Google Nest, Arlo actually makes cameras with better specs. The thing we like about Google Nest cameras is their facial recognition capabilities.

Can I buy a complete security system from Arlo or Google Nest?

Arlo advertises a complete security system, but we don’t think it’s very good since it uses an all-in-one sensor that leaves a lot to be desired. If you want a complete security system, we recommend buying Google Nest cameras alongside an ADT security system.

Do Arlo and Google Nest require subscriptions?

No, neither provider requires a subscription. If you don’t plan to pay for a subscription, we recommend Google Nest since they offer three hours of cloud storage for your videos for free.

Which provider is more expensive, Arlo or Google Nest?

Arlo and Google Nest offer cameras at similar price points, although Arlo sells entry models that start at $39.99. Google Nest only sells premium products which start at $99.99.

Can I buy professional monitoring for my Arlo or Google Nest cameras?

Yes, Arlo offers their own professional monitoring service that starts at $24.99 per month. Google Nest offers monitoring for their security cameras through ADT, which also starts at $24.99 per month. However, to access ADT’s monitoring, you’ll need to buy an ADT security system as well.