- Classic radio monitors (no Wi-Fi, no app) cost $50–200 once and nothing after: VTech VM819 about $50, Motorola VM75 $69.99, Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO $199.99.
- Smart cameras cost $199–380 up front. Nanit, Owlet and Cubo Ai all work without a plan, but the features in the ads (video history, sleep reports) are $50–300 a year extra.
- Apps are the cheapest way in: Baby Monitor 3G $7.99 and Cloud Baby Monitor $6.99 once; Dormi $17 for life; Mamoon $24.99 a year; Bibino $39.99 a year; Annie $64.99 a year.
- Over two years the spread is $7 (a one-time app on phones you own) to about $620 (Owlet Dream Duo with Owlet360).
- Cheapest with night vision: a $22–30 Tapo C200 with its free app, or with Mamoon for cry detection ($22–30 plus $24.99 a year).
The table: what you pay up front, per year and over two years
| Product | Type | Up-front price | Subscription | 2-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTech VM819 | radio video monitor, 2.8" screen | $49.95 list ($45.26 at Babylist) | none, no app | about $50 |
| Motorola VM75 | radio video monitor, 5" screen | $69.99 | none, no app | $70 |
| Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO | radio video monitor, 5" screen | $199.99 (Target) | none, no app, no Wi-Fi | $200 |
| eufy Baby Monitor C10 | radio video monitor | $99.99 (list $129.99); add-on camera $59.99 | none | $100–130 |
| Philips Avent Premium Connected (SCD973) | smart camera with a 5" parent unit and an app | about $350 (Amazon) | app is free; Cry Translation is free for 3 months, then paid (price not published) | $350 plus Cry Translation if you keep it |
| Nanit Pro | smart Wi-Fi camera, phone app | $289.99 | optional Insights: Sleep plan free for 3 months; Memories $10/mo or $120/yr; Milestones $25/mo or $300/yr | $290 without a plan; about $530 with Memories both years |
| Owlet Dream Sock | wearable sock, phone app | $299.99 | optional Owlet360 $9.99/mo after a 7-day trial (reports, 14-day clip history) | $300 without; about $540 with Owlet360 |
| Owlet Dream Duo | sock plus Wi-Fi camera | $379.99 | optional Owlet360 $9.99/mo | $380 without; about $620 with Owlet360 |
| CuboAi Smart Baby Monitor 3 | smart Wi-Fi camera, phone app | $199 (list $239), stand or wall mount included | 1 year of Care Premium included; then Premium $4.17/mo billed yearly ($9.99 monthly), Ultimate $6.67/mo billed yearly; Basic stays free | $199 on Basic; about $250 keeping Premium in year two |
| TP-Link Tapo C200 | Wi-Fi camera, free Tapo app | $21.98 (list $29.99) | optional Tapo Care cloud $3.49/mo or $34.99/yr; microSD recording is free | $22–30; about $92–100 with Tapo Care |
| Baby Monitor 3G | app, two phones | $7.99 once per platform | none | $8 (two iPhones) or $16 (iPhone plus Android) |
| Cloud Baby Monitor | app, two Apple devices | $6.99 once | none | $7 |
| Dormi | app, Android only | free 4 hours a month | $2/mo, $10/yr or $17 for life | $17–20 |
| Bibino | app, two phones | free audio only | Premium $5.99/mo or $39.99/yr for video | $80 |
| Annie Baby Monitor | app, two phones | 3-day trial | $12.99/mo, $64.99/yr or $149.99 for life | $130 yearly, or $150 lifetime |
| Mamoon | app, old phone or RTSP Wi-Fi camera | $0 with an old phone, or a Tapo C200 for $22–30 | 30 days free, then $3.99/mo or $24.99/yr, paid only on the watching phone | $50 with an old phone; $72–80 with a Tapo |
US prices from the makers' sites, the US App Store, Target and Babylist on September 29, 2026; see sources. Two-year totals assume the yearly plan where one exists.
Why does a $290 camera end up costing $500?
Because the box price buys the camera, and the plan buys the features from the ad. Nanit says plainly that a plan is not required: live video, sound and motion alerts, two-way audio and temperature work without one. Sleep analysis and video history live in Insights, which after three free months is $120 or $300 a year. Owlet is the same shape: the Dream Sock's readings are free, and Owlet360 adds daily reports and a 14-day clip history for $9.99 a month. Cubo Ai includes its first year of Premium and then asks about $50 a year for the AI alerts and sleep analytics.
None of that is a scam. But ask yourself whether you will still open the sleep report in month nine. Many parents don't. Decide before you buy which features you actually want, and price the plan in only if the answer is yes. Mamoon vs Nanit and Mamoon vs Owlet go through the features themselves.
Three cost profiles
First year at home, nothing bought yet
A radio monitor is the simplest answer: VTech VM819 for about $50 or Motorola VM75 for $69.99, nothing to renew. If you want your phone as the screen, a Tapo C200 at $22–30 is the cheapest video with night vision; add Mamoon ($24.99 a year) and it wakes you for crying, not for the washing machine. The smart cameras start at $199 (Cubo Ai) and $290 (Nanit) before any plan.
You already own a spare phone or a Wi-Fi camera
Then the hardware is $0 and you pay for software only. For two iPhones the one-time apps are hard to beat: Cloud Baby Monitor $6.99 or Baby Monitor 3G $7.99. On Android, Dormi is $17 for life. Mamoon is $24.99 a year, and if your camera is a Tapo, Hikvision or Dahua with RTSP, it is one of the few baby monitor apps that can use it. How to set up an old phone, which Wi-Fi cameras work.
You travel, or the baby sleeps at grandma's
Radio monitors travel well: one camera, one screen, no network needed. Among apps, Bibino, Annie, Baby Monitor 3G and Cloud Baby Monitor work over mobile data out of the box. Mamoon works on any Wi-Fi you're on, a phone hotspot included, and from another town over the free Tailscale VPN. Smart cameras need power and Wi-Fi wherever you go, and their plans keep billing while you're away.
Hidden costs people forget
- A second parent unit. Radio monitors come with one screen, and a second camera for eufy's C10 is $59.99. With Mamoon, Bibino or Cloud Baby Monitor, both parents watch from their own phones.
- Cloud storage. Video history is almost always the paid part: Nanit Memories keeps 2 days for $120 a year, Owlet360 14 days of clips, Tapo Care 30 days for $34.99 a year. A $10 microSD card in a Tapo does the same job locally, and an app that doesn't record (Mamoon, Baby Monitor 3G) has no storage bill.
- Per-platform purchases. Baby Monitor 3G is bought once per platform: an iPhone and an Android phone means paying twice. Mamoon is paid once, on the watching phone, and covers every device on that Apple or Google account.
- Buying twice. The most expensive monitor is the one replaced at month three. Use the trial first: Mamoon 30 days, Bibino and Annie 3 days, Dormi's free hours.
When a one-time app or a basic radio monitor is the cheapest choice
Often. If you have two iPhones and want video and nothing more, Cloud Baby Monitor at $6.99 or Baby Monitor 3G at $7.99 is the cheapest video baby monitor there is, and Dormi's $17 lifetime license does the same on Android. Mamoon is a subscription, $24.99 a year, below Bibino's ($39.99) and Annie's ($64.99). What it buys is cry detection right on the phone, night-vision Wi-Fi cameras as the camera, and no account or server. Mamoon vs Baby Monitor 3G and Mamoon vs Dormi spell out the difference.
A radio monitor wins when you don't want a phone involved at all: one purchase, done. For $50–70 the VTech or Motorola will do the whole job for one child, and often the next one too. The best video baby monitors compares them on picture and range rather than price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a baby monitor cost?
On September 29, 2026: radio video monitors $50–200, smart cameras $199–380 plus optional plans of $50–300 a year, and apps from $6.99 once to $64.99 a year. Radio monitors and one-time apps have no subscription at all.
Does Nanit require a subscription?
No. Nanit's site says an Insights plan is not required for live video, sound and motion alerts, two-way audio and temperature. Sleep analysis and video history need Insights: Memories at $10 a month or $120 a year, Milestones at $25 a month or $300 a year, after a free Sleep plan for the first three months.
How much is the Owlet subscription?
Owlet360 is $9.99 a month after a 7-day trial and is optional; the Dream Sock and Dream Duo work without it. It adds daily reports, comparative sleep data and a 14-day video clip history, and Owlet lists it as US only.
What is the cheapest way to get night vision?
A TP-Link Tapo C200 for $21.98–29.99 with its free app. Phones have no infrared light, so a phone app shows a dark room only with a night light on. With Mamoon the same Tapo adds cry detection for $24.99 a year; here is the setup.
Sources
- Babylist: VTech VM819, $45.26 (list $49.95) (September 29, 2026)
- Motorola Nursery: VM75, $69.99 (September 29, 2026)
- Target: Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO, $199.99 and Infant Optics: no app, Wi-Fi or subscription (September 29, 2026)
- eufy: baby monitors, C10 $99.99, add-on camera $59.99 (September 29, 2026)
- Amazon: Philips Avent Premium Connected SCD973/37 (about $350, September 29, 2026) and Philips: Cry Translation free for 3 months
- Nanit: Pro camera, $289.99, plan not required and Nanit: Insights plans (September 29, 2026)
- Owlet: Dream Sock, $299.99, Dream Duo, $379.99 and Owlet360, $9.99/month (September 29, 2026)
- CuboAi: Smart Baby Monitor 3, $199, 1 year of Care Premium included and CuboAi Care plans (September 29, 2026)
- Tapo store: C200, $21.98 (list $29.99) and Tapo Care plans (September 29, 2026)
- App Store: Baby Monitor 3G, $7.99 (September 29, 2026)
- App Store: Cloud Baby Monitor, $6.99 (September 29, 2026)
- Dormi FAQ: 4 free hours a month, $2/month, $10/year, $17 lifetime (September 29, 2026)
- App Store: Bibino, in-app purchases $2.99, $5.99, $39.99 (September 29, 2026)
- Annie Baby Monitor: pricing (September 29, 2026)
Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Write to [email protected].