When it comes to premium indoor security cameras, few are as popular as the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro. Available in both wired and battery-powered formats, it’s a versatile camera that’s well-suited for most home security systems. However, the lesser-known Canary Pro offers many of the same features as the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro — yet is often on sale for a much lower price.
But is the Canary Pro better than the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro? Or should you just buy the popular Ring product? And, more importantly, what sort of ongoing monthly fees are required for these cameras? Here’s a look at everything you need to know.
Pricing and monthly fees
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro costs $180 for both the battery-powered model and the plug-in model. A monthly plan isn’t required to use the product, but you’ll miss out on key features like video history and smart alerts without one. That means most users will want to sign up for Ring Protect Basic, which will cost $5 per month starting on March 11, 2024.
Here are some of the standout features offered with Ring Protect Basic:
- Video history for up to 180 days
- Snapshot capture
- Person and package alerts
- Rich notifications
The Canary Pro costs $169, but is often on sale for much less. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see it discounted to as little as $90. That immediately makes it more appealing than the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro — but its sticker price doesn’t tell the full story.
Like Ring’s camera, the Canary Pro works best with a monthly subscription plan. In this case, you’ll be looking at Canary Premium. Without Canary Premium, you’ll only be able to receive motion alerts, check your live feed, activate two-way audio, and a few other basic features. Canary Premium costs $13 per month. Here’s a look at a few of its standout features:
- Person detection
- Video clips
- Video history
- Custom activity zones
- Desktop streaming
- Upgraded customer support
That’s eerily similar to everything offered by Ring Protect Basic, yet it’s nearly three times as expensive. So while you might save a few bucks upfront with the Canary Pro, anyone planning to use the device over several years will quickly recoup their losses when purchasing a Ring Stick Up Pro.
Winner: Ring Stick Up Cam Pro
Design and installation
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is a good-looking, but rather bulky device. It features a black faceplate that holds the camera unit and speakers, and is surrounded by a white chassis. Standing over six inches tall, it’s easy to spot when placed on a countertop or table. Aside from resting it on a flat surface, Ring allows for the unit to be mounted on a wall.
Getting the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro working is a breeze. The battery-powered model is arguably the easiest to install, as you won’t have to worry about any wires. Regardless of which model you pick, after getting it powered up, you’ll need to sync it with your mobile app and Wi-Fi network. And since it supports dual-band 5GHz, you shouldn’t run into any compatibility issues. Once that’s done, you’re ready to start using the camera.
The Canary Pro is only sold as a wired unit. It’s unfortunate that it needs to be tethered to an outlet, as the battery-powered option available with the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro gives you the freedom to place it virtually anywhere in your home. Canary designed the unit to look sleek, and it’s arguably better-looking than Ring’s product (though it’s just as large at six inches tall). Setting up and installing the Canary Pro is rather simple, though it only works with 2.4GHz networks — which could pose issues during setup depending on your network.
Winner: Ring Stick Up Cam Pro
Resolution and night vision
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro films in 1080p and supports HDR for enhanced colors. When operating in the dark, it supports color night vision. The unit also films in a generous 155-degree viewing angle, allowing it to capture large portions of your property.
The Canary Pro films in 1080p, though it uses black-and-white night vision when filming in the dark. Its viewing angle isn’t quite as generous as Ring’s, maxing out at 147 degrees. It still captures a significant chunk of your home, but can’t quite compete with the 155-degree diagonal view offered by Ring.
Winner: Ring
Features and spec list
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is strictly a security camera. It offers impressive video capture, a great viewing angle, a simple installation, and a robust smartphone app that lets you customize nearly all aspects of its performance.
By contrast, the Canary Pro does a little bit of everything. It’s billed as a monitor that provides “total home security and intelligence,” as it does more than just capture motion events. Beyond filming, the Canary Pro will also monitor air quality, ambient temperature, and humidity. That makes it a compelling purchase for homes seeking a “do-it-all” device that doesn’t break the bank.
Winner: Canary Pro
Which is the better security camera?
The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is the best option if you’re looking for a security camera. Not only does it offer a better viewing angle and vibrant HDR video, it’s available as both a battery-powered unit and a wired unit — giving you the flexibility that makes it easy to fit into your home. Toss in the robust Ring app for easy customization, and it’s one of the best security cameras you can buy. You can also operate it without a Ring subscription, though its functionality will be limited. Consider picking up the Basic plan to get the most out of your system.
The Canary Pro is no slouch, but its hefty monthly fees and slightly worse video quality make it less appealing than the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro. However, homes that would benefit from an air quality monitor should give it a closer look. It’s not quite as robust as a standalone air quality monitor (and it’s not an air purifier), but it has some unique capabilities that make it a great purchase for the right smart home.
