Blink and Wyze produce some of the best home security cameras we have tested Both companies focus on affordable smart home devices, but Blink is an Amazon subsidiary while Wyze is a small independent company These brands have developed a David and Goliath-like rivalry over the years in their quest to be the best budget security camera

Both companies' flagship security cameras cost less than $50 and are IP65 weatherproof, allowing them to be installed indoors or out The latest of these hybrid models are the Wyze Cam v4 and the Blink Mini 2 Both cameras are useful additions to any home, but which one you should buy depends on how you plan to use the camera and which smart home platform you will be using See a breakdown of the features and costs of both to find out which is best for your smart home

The Blink Mini 2 security camera comes in black and white for $39 It has a sealed rear port and a longer, sturdier power cord to withstand the elements

The Wyze Cam v4 comes in white and light gray for $35 It ships with a weatherproof power connector installed right out of the box

Winner: Wyze Cam v4

Both cameras require a subscription to their respective subscriptions in order to use all of their features, including saving video to the cloud and person detection

Both Blink and Wyze charge $299/month for a single camera subscription and $10/month for an unlimited number of cameras, and both are among the better security camera storage plans However, Wyze only allows 14 days of video history, whereas Blink has 60 days

Winner Blink

The Blink Mini 2 and Wyze Cam v4 have similar 2 x 2 inch cubic bodies Both are weatherproof, and both allow the camera to rotate along the bottom to capture video from different angles Both have the same hardware layout, with a bright spotlight on top, a camera lens in the center, and a speaker above the power port on the back

Blink's Mini 2 is slightly smaller and has a Go-Pro-like ball joint on the underside that allows it to pop up and away from the base or lay flat I prefer Wyze's design The base folds flat against the bottom of the cube because it can be folded down for added height while standing up or mounted on a wall

The Wyze Cam v4 cannot be removed from the base, but you won't want to It is a versatile magnetic system, so it can be instantly attached to a variety of locations I used the metal corner beads on the wall and the screws on the outdoor plant hangers as contact points to move it quickly between rooms Plus, I didn't have to replace the power kit when moving it outside like I did with the Blink Mini 2, so that was one less thing to worry about

Blink's camera has a 1080p resolution, while Wyze's is a sharper 1440p And while resolution is not necessarily everything, side-by-side testing has shown that the Wyze Cam v4 provides better images both indoors and outdoors

When shooting a bright window from indoors, the Blink camera focused on the sunlight and blacked out the entire room; the Wyze camera overexposed the view through the window, so you couldn't see what was going on outside, but indoors it was properly exposed

Outside at night, the Wyze camera illuminated the backyard better than the Blink camera However, the Wyze camera's field of view was 116°, much narrower than Blink's 143°

Winner: Wyze Cam v4

Both security cameras have an equally simple setup process: download the app and connect to the camera via Bluetooth After that, it is just a matter of entering the Wi-Fi password and updating both to the latest firmware

Blink's lightweight interface has no ads and feels spacious without the hints that clutter most camera app interfaces You can easily view your device, jump to event clips, and enter detailed settings such as motion sensitivity with a single push Navigation through these three tabs is simple and doesn't feel like you're trying to upsell a device or subscription

Creating privacy and motion zones is equally easy in the Blink and Wyze apps There is no need to stretch the corners of a shape or draw barriers to ignore certain zones Simply tap a grid point to activate the zone you want the camera to focus on and double-tap the zone you want to ignore

The Wyze app, on the other hand, is designed for smart home power users Its home page is streamlined with thumbnails for each device On top of that, rule buttons are placed for one-touch routines These include programs such as "I'm away," which activates all security cameras and locks the door While useful, these buttons and suggestions make the app seem busier Wyze also has dedicated sections for "Home Monitoring" and "New (products)"

This Home Monitoring feature allows you to activate or deactivate the camera as an alarm system if you subscribe to the service When the camera detects motion, a clip is sent to a live agent who can dispatch emergency services on your behalf 24/7 This comes in handy if you are away on vacation Nevertheless, this tab is useless without paying a subscription Additionally, the shopping tab for purchasing other Wyze devices feels like unnecessary UI bloat

Winner Blink Mini 2

The Wyze Cam v4 focuses on cutting-edge AI-assisted security and smart home features With higher resolution and a larger sensor, it produces smoother, more vivid images with more detail; Blink's basic HD camera employs a simplicity that allows users to set and forget motion zones and receive notifications only when a person is detected

Person Detection Both cameras are equipped with a computer chip that can recognize and alert the user to motion events triggered by a person Thus, an animal or a swaying tree branch does not need to be in view to receive a notification; Wyze also recognizes luggage and vehicles for more specific types of alerts

Subject Tracking Bink cameras do not track subjects; the Wyze Cam v4's highly intelligent Smart Focus feature zooms in and tracks people moving around in space This improves the video by capturing more detail, such as text on a shirt or a tattoo design

Custom Motion Zones

Both cameras make it easy to create custom motion zones to reduce unwanted motion alerts easily identify the sections you want the camera to ignore

Triggering Smart Home Routines The Wyze camera can be used to trigger smart home automation For example, it can turn on the lights or turn up the smart thermostat when it detects that you have entered a room; since the Blink Mini 2 works with the Alexa smart home, it cannot be used to initiate the same automated actions

Siren

Both cameras use a built-in spotlight that can be activated by motion or manual control to light the way and deter thieves Wyze also goes a step further with a 99-decibel siren, which can alert neighbors with a loud screech and scare away suspicious people

Advanced Detection Features The Wyze Cam can detect the sound of breaking glass, crying, talking, barking, and even gunfire It can also passively listen for CO and smoke detector beeps (standard T3 or T4 tones) and alert you with a push notification if they sound while you are out If you subscribe to the Cam Plus plan, you can also use Wyze's Friendly Faces feature to recognize up to 10 people The registered faces activate a custom notification that tells you exactly who activated which camera and where

Winner: Wyze Cam v4

Both the Blink Mini 2 and Wyze work with Alexa; Amazon owns Blink, so that's as far as the Mini 2 goes; Wyze's independence is an advantage since the more universal third-party approach is Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT for more complex automation, and thus has an advantage

Wyze's Cam v4 can be used to trigger smart home devices to display live video feeds to more and better smart displays and web browsers the best thing Blink has going for it outside of Blink and the Alexa app is that Blink Video Doorbell can be used as a doorbell chime, which is very useful

Winner Wyze Cam v4

Wyze Cam 4 has a clear advantage over Blink MIni 2 due to sharper image quality, advanced features like subject tracking, and more versatile installation options Wyze Cam v4 is also less expensive, has advanced sound detection and 24-hour The Blink Mini 2 is of more limited value, especially if you don't have an Amazon smart home

That said, the Blink Mini 2's cleaner app is much easier to use and integrates well with the Alexa smart home These simple controls make it a strong choice for those who simply want a camera to check your home There is no artificial cooldown period between notifications, the timeline makes it easy to swipe between events, and captures can be quickly shared even when overwhelmed by the large number of buttons and feature options

Ultimately, the choice depends on what you want from a security system If you want top-of-the-line home management, then the Wyze Cam v4 should be your choice However, if you simply want to look into your home, manage clips quickly, and have a wider field of view, then the Blink Mini 2 is a better choice