But the real question is, do you need it? And is it worth the cost? In this article, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about Ring Protect.
What is Ring Protect?
Ring Protect Plan is an optional subscription plan which will give you access to paid features for different Ring devices. That includes video doorbells, security cameras and security alarms. With a Ring Protect Plan, you are able to save, review and share video recordings from your Ring devices to your Ring account. Without a plan, you can still view real-time video for Ring Doorbells and cameras and answer doorbell notifications as they happen. But you won’t get video recordings of those events. So while Ring Protect is not needed, it is a very useful subscription to have.
How much does Ring Protect cost?
You can get started with Ring Protect for just $3.99 per month, or $39.99 per year. That is for the Basic Plan, and it’s really only meant for those with a single camera or doorbell. So if you’re just getting started with Ring, this is a good option. Ring also has Plus and Pro plans available. Plus will cover all of your home security cameras and doorbells for $10/month or $100/year. While Pro does that and includes professional monitoring with the Ring Alarm for $20/month or $200/year. For most people, Ring Protect Basic is going to be perfect. But if you do use more than just a doorbell, you’ll have to upgrade to the “Plus” plan. It’s rather unfortunate that they don’t offer something in the middle for someone who has a doorbell and a camera, that’s around $5 or $6 per month. But that’s how it is.
What plans are available?
The Ring Protect plans are pretty self explanatory, but in the table below, we’ll show you how the three stack up. It’s worth mentioning that the Plus and Pro plans are only available in the US.
Should I buy Ring Protect on a monthly or yearly plan?
Ring does offer the Protect plans in both monthly and yearly plans. As usual, the yearly plan is a bit cheaper. You’re basically paying for 10 months and getting two for free. So for the Plus plan, it equates to about $8.33 per month, versus the $10 per month if you were to pay monthly. So that’s a good thing to keep in mind. However, if you are unsure whether you want to keep the Ring Protect plan, going monthly at first might be a good option. But remember that you do get a free trial when you activate a new product. That free trial lasts about 30 days.
Is there a free trial?
Ring does offer a free trial for Protect. Whenever you register a new device, you will get a free 30 day trial which starts immediately. You can’t choose to activate it later on, it starts the minute you activate the device. The only exception here is if you are already a subscriber of Ring Protect at the same location of the new device. If you bought a bundle from Costco, you may have a longer Ring Protect trial. The trial is the same, the only difference is the length may differ. You’ll need to check on the bundle you bought at Costco to get all of the details.
Can I cancel Ring Protect at any time?
Yes, you can cancel your Ring Protect plan at anytime, though you will need to do it through the Ring website. Whether you canceled on a yearly or monthly plan, you’ll get a refund. Unlike some other subscriptions, Ring Protect will cancel the day you cancel it. So you will get a prorated refund to the credit or debit card Ring has on file. That’s actually really nice to have, in case you forgot to cancel Ring Protect and got charged for a yearly plan. You can get it all back, which is really awesome.
Is Ring Protect worth the price?
If you’re heavily invested in the Ring ecosystem, then it’s definitely worth it. If you have just one device, it may not be entirely worth it, even at $3.99 per month. While it’s pretty annoying that Ring doesn’t let you download any recorded videos without paying for its subscription, at least it’s not super expensive. And you likely won’t need to download those videos all that often. So that’s a good thing. If you’ve got a Ring Video Doorbell 4, a Ring Spotlight Cam and the Ring Alarm, then the Pro plan is definitely well worth it. Since you do get professional monitoring. Since competitors like Simplisafe and ADT charge $20 per month or more just for professional monitoring, and here you’re getting a lot more than just that. So it’s worth it, but the ultimate decision comes down to you and how you use Ring products in your home.
