Which baby monitors need a subscription?

The table

US prices and plan details from the makers' sites and the US App Store on October 13, 2026; see sources. Plans change often, so check the maker's page before you buy. For what each monitor costs over two years, hardware included, see baby monitor cost in 2026.

Can you use the Nanit without a subscription?

Yes. Nanit says plainly that "a Nanit Insights plan is not required to use the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor". Without one you still get live HD video, sound and motion notifications, Breathing Motion with Nanit's breathing wear, the room's temperature and humidity, and two-way audio.

What the plan adds is memory. Every new camera starts with three free months of the Sleep plan. After that, Memories ($120 a year) keeps 2 days of continuous video history and 30 days of sleep analysis, and Milestones ($300 a year) keeps 7 days of video and 90 days of sound and motion events. So the honest answer to "does Nanit require a subscription" is: not for watching, only for looking back. Mamoon vs Nanit goes through the features side by side.

What "optional" really means

For most smart monitors "no subscription required" is true, and it can still mislead. The camera keeps working; the feature you chose it for may not.

• CuboAi includes a year of Premium, counted from the day you pair the camera. After it ends, CuboAi says you are left with "only basic camera functions": cry detection and live video stay, the AI safety alerts and sleep analytics go. Mamoon vs CuboAi.
• Owlet keeps the Dream Sock's live readings free; Owlet360's reports and trends are $9.99 a month and sold in the US only. Mamoon vs Owlet.
• Tapo and Hubble charge for cloud recordings. With a Tapo, a $10 microSD card does the same job at home.
• Philips Avent gives Cry Translation for 90 days, then asks for a monthly subscription without publishing the price.

Before you buy, decide which feature you actually want, and price its plan in for as long as you'll use the monitor.

Baby monitors with no subscription at all

If you never want a renewal reminder, there are three kinds:

• Radio monitors with their own screen: Motorola VM75 ($69.99) and Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO. No Wi-Fi, no app, no plan, and the best range.
• eufy's Wi-Fi baby monitors. eufy says they "do not require a subscription for live viewing, cry or motion alerts, two-way audio, or night vision". Mamoon vs eufy.
• One-time apps on phones you already own: Cloud Baby Monitor ($6.99) and Baby Monitor 3G ($7.99 per platform) are the cheapest video baby monitors in our cost comparison. Dormi's $17 lifetime license does the same on Android.

To be fair: Mamoon costs more than Cloud Baby Monitor or Baby Monitor 3G. What it adds is cry detection on the phone, Wi-Fi cameras with night vision as the camera, and no account or server. And unlike Bibino or Annie, you pay it once, not every year.

How to avoid paying twice

• Set a reminder the day a free period starts: Nanit's 3 months, Philips' 90 days, Tapo's 30 days and Owlet's 7 days end quietly.
• CuboAi's year starts at pairing, not at purchase. Unbox it when the baby arrives, not at the baby shower.
• Cancel in the store you paid in. A plan bought in an iPhone app is canceled in Settings → your name → Subscriptions; on Android, in Google Play → Payments and subscriptions.
• Prefer a lifetime option if you'll use the monitor for more than a year: Annie's $149.99, Dormi's $17 and Mamoon's $29.99 all beat their monthly plans by then.
• The baby monitor cost calculator works out the total for what you already own.

Frequently asked questions