Key Takeaways
- Arlo has increased the price of its single-camera subscription by 60%, which may prompt some users to switch to other security systems.
- The price increase does not affect multi-camera users, who will continue to pay $13 per month.
- Single-camera users can still use their Arlo camera without a subscription but will lose access to features like Cloud storage and smart alerts.
Arlo is one of the more popular home security brands. It offers many camera models and other devices, all supported by the company’s premium Arlo Secure subscription. Unfortunately, Arlo has just announced a substantial price increase to its subscription service for single-camera users, based on an email shared by a Reddit user from Arlo (via The Verge).
Depending on how deeply they are involved in the Arlo system, this change could cause some users to want to switch to another security system. This is especially true for this bump because it only applies to single-camera users, who are less heavily invested in Arlo and its products.
An Arlo camera with the Arlo app
How much will Arlo Secure cost after the increase?
While some services only bump up their costs by a dollar here and there, Arlo has elected to increase its single-camera subscription from $5 to $8. That’s a 60 percent price increase, which is quite a sizable bump. Arlo increased the price from $3 to $5 last year, so it’s definitely squeezing its users as much as possible. Arlo also raised the price for its yearly single-camera plan, now $90 from $60. That makes it a little cheaper overall, but it’s still a massive price increase.
For multi-camera users, who would be Arlo’s more invested customers, the price remains $13 per month. Last year, the price went up from $10 to $13, so it’s good to see Arlo not pushing that price higher for those users.
It seems like Arlo is trying to push its users away from the single-camera plan and trying to sell them on the idea of having more cameras since that plan’s price has stayed the same. That’s a risky move, though, as many users might decide that Arlo isn’t worth the money and move on to something else. Only time will tell if this is a smart move for the company, but it seems like a risk.
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Do you need Arlo Secure to use Arlo cameras?
Thankfully, if you’re a single-camera Arlo user who doesn’t want to buy another security camera, you can continue using your Arlo camera without paying for the Secure subscription. However, you lose out on many of the features that make Arlo cameras beloved. You won’t get Cloud storage for your videos, nor will you get smart alerts for people, pets, packages, and vehicles. Still, if you want to look in on your cameras live, then you can use the camera without the monthly cost.
Users can also get an Arlo Smart Hub for $99 and record video from their camera locally, but they won’t get the smart features. Additionally, that’s a considerable upfront expense that puts users even deeper into the Arlo ecosystem, which might not be something they want to do.
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