Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) vs. Ring Video Doorbell Wired

Two of the most popular smart home companies — Ring and Google — recently refreshed their video doorbell lineup with a pair of wired-only options. As usual, though, the biggest consideration between these two isn't necessarily features or money — although those are important distinctions. Rather, it's the ecosystem.

If you have any Ring products at all, you'll know how well they work together. Ring has ensured that its app and accompanying products all work in harmony and, when paired with Alexa, your home can feel really smart at times. Google, on the other hand, wants users to mainly use its Google Home app and tries to loop everything into that app, not just Google products.

If you're not particularly invested in either of these or don't mind having multiple smart home apps installed, keep reading so we can help you choose the best video doorbell.

Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) vs. Ring Video Doorbell Wired: Design and specs

Right off the bat, it's pretty clear that Ring and Google are going for a very different aesthetic with their latest video doorbells. Google ushers in a more modern design than any other doorbell on the market complete with four attractive colors to choose from to best fit your home. Ring, on the other hand, sticks with a single black colorway and a slightly refined version of its classic rectangular design.

Ring's doorbell might be a little boring looking but it's quite small, particularly when it comes to height. Ring Video Doorbell Wired is more than one inch shorter than Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) and it's a bit thinner, too. Google's latest wired doorbell is at least less chonky than the wireless one the company released in 2020, though.

Ring also offers up an optional wireless doorbell chime that can be purchased for $35 separately or together in a bundle with the doorbell for a bit less. Google doesn't offer such an option but the best Google Assistant speakers will announce when someone presses the button, replacing a traditional chime in most cases.

Nest Doorbell supports 5GHz networks as well as 2.4GHz, while Ring Video Doorbell Wired only supports 2.4GHz. That could be important on some networks, although so many smart home gadgets only support 2.4GHz so it's unlikely you'll be getting rid of that network any time soon.

Google backs up its water and dust resistance claims with a proper IP rating, meaning the company paid for certification to assure customers it means business. Ring says its doorbell is water-resistant and that it's built to withstand normal snow and rain, but it has no official rating. We've never had a Ring doorbell die from the elements in any of our testing, however, so this likely isn't a huge oversight on Ring's part.

Neither company supports local-only storage although Ring does offer a local backup option when you have a Ring Alarm Pro.

Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) vs. Ring Video Doorbell Wired: Video and AI

For me, this is the area where Google really wins the argument. Ring Video Doorbell Wired utilizes higher-resolution 1080p (1920 x 1080) video than Nest Doorbell's 960 x 1280 resolution video, but that's its only real advantage. It's still using a wide 16:9 aspect ratio which just isn't ideal for a video doorbell.

Meanwhile, Google utilizes a more ideal 3:4 aspect ratio for its video which provides taller video. Since you're likely going to want to see most of the person at your front door and not the surrounding areas, Nest Doorbell's aspect ratio is preferable.

Additionally, Google's AI smarts are built into Nest Doorbell so the doorbell can differentiate between pets, people, vehicles, and packages. If you've got a Nest Aware subscription, you can even have your doorbell recognize familiar faces and alert you differently for them. Meanwhile, Ring Video Doorbell Wired can only differentiate between packages and a vague idea of what a person might look like based on body heat.

Not only that, but Nest Doorbell doesn't require a subscription for its people/pets/packages/vehicles detection. It's all done on-device so nothing has to go to the cloud, meaning it's not only free but it's done more quickly, too.

To top it off, Google offers free 3-hour recording with every Nest camera, so you don't have to pay a dime for cloud storage so long as you don't need any recording longer than three hours ago. Ring, on the other hand, requires a Ring Protect Plan to store any video at all. So unless you're just content with viewing the live feed, you'll need to pay at least $3 per month to Ring to see video.

Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) vs. Ring Video Doorbell Wired: Which should you buy?

If you're not already married to Ring or Google's ecosystems, Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd Gen) is worth the additional price over Ring Video Doorbell Wired. It's not only a nicer-looking doorbell on the outside but it's a lot smarter on the inside, too.

It's got more robust Wi-Fi network support and built-in AI detection that can tell the difference between people, pets, vehicles, and packages without a subscription. Not only that, but you won't need a subscription for basic 3-hour cloud storage, either.

Ring's doorbell isn't bad by any means but it lacks support for Google Assistant and offers a mostly basic experience. That makes sense given its bargain price, but it's nice to have all the extra features Google offers without having to pay for a subscription. You'll certainly make up the cost between these doorbells after a year or two of paying for a Ring plan, anyway.