Blink subscription pricing and what you get

Blink offers two paid subscription tiers: Blink Plus at $3 per month (or $30 per year) and Blink+ for Business at $10 per month. The free tier lets you view live video and recorded clips, but only stores footage for two hours. Paid subscriptions extend storage and add features like person detection and advanced motion alerts.

Your first camera comes with a 30-day trial of Blink Plus at no cost. After that trial ends, you pay the monthly or annual rate if you want to keep the paid features. If you cancel, you drop back to the free tier — you don't lose your camera or your ability to watch live video, but you lose cloud storage and the detection features.

Key Takeaways

  • Blink Plus costs $3 per month or $30 per year and stores video for 30 days instead of 2 hours.
  • Person detection, package detection, and animal detection are only available with a paid subscription.
  • You can use Blink cameras without any subscription, but you will only see live video and clips stored locally on a Sync Module.
  • Blink+ for Business is $10 per month and is designed for small businesses that need multiple cameras and user management.
  • The first 30 days of Blink Plus are free when you set up your first camera.

What Blink Plus includes for $3 per month

Blink Plus adds 30 days of cloud video storage, which means your recorded clips stay available for a month instead of disappearing after two hours. You also get person detection, which filters your motion alerts to show only when a person appears in the frame, cutting down on false alerts from pets or moving branches.

The subscription also unlocks package detection and animal detection, so the app can tell you specifically when a package arrives or when it spots a dog or cat. These detection types help you ignore motion that does not matter to you. Without the subscription, motion alerts fire for any movement, which can be dozens per day if you have trees or traffic near your camera.

Blink Plus also includes live view on demand without a wait, whereas the free tier sometimes has a short delay before the stream starts. You get access to Blink's web portal, so you can check your cameras from a computer as well as the phone app.

Blink+ for Business and when you might need it

Blink+ for Business costs $10 per month and is built for small shops, offices, or rental properties where multiple people need to manage the same cameras. It includes everything in Blink Plus, plus the ability to create separate user accounts with different permission levels — you can let a manager see all cameras while a staff member sees only the front door, for example.

This plan also includes a 24/7 continuous recording option, which records video at all times instead of only when motion is detected. That feature is useful in a retail space where you want a complete record of the day, not just clips when something moved. The plan covers up to 10 cameras, though you pay per camera if you add more.

Using Blink cameras without a subscription

You can set up and use a Blink camera without paying anything. Live view works on the free tier, and you can watch your camera in real time through the app whenever you want. The main limitation is storage: clips are kept for only two hours in the cloud, so if something happens and you do not watch it within that window, it is gone.

If you own a Sync Module (a small hub that connects your cameras to your home network), you can store video locally on a USB drive attached to the module. That storage is not limited by time the way cloud storage is, so you can keep weeks or months of footage if your drive is large enough. This option costs nothing beyond the initial Sync Module purchase, but it requires you to physically retrieve the drive or access it over your home network.

The free tier also lacks the detection features, so every motion alert is treated the same. You will get notifications for wind, passing cars, and people equally, which can be overwhelming if your camera faces a busy street.

How to check your current subscription status

Open the Blink app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right. Select Account, then Subscription. You will see your current plan, the renewal date, and the cost. If you are in a free trial, it will show how many days remain.

From that same screen, you can change your plan, switch from monthly to annual billing, or cancel your subscription. If you cancel, the change takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you will not lose access mid-month.

Comparing Blink to other camera subscriptions

Blink Plus at $3 per month is cheaper than most competitors. Wyze Cam Plus is $1.99 per month but covers only one camera, whereas Blink Plus covers all your cameras. Ring Protect Basic is $3.99 per month and includes video storage and person detection, similar to Blink Plus. Google Nest Aware is $6 per month for one camera or $12 per month for unlimited cameras.

The choice depends on what cameras you already own and what features matter to you. If you have multiple Blink cameras, the $3 flat rate for all of them is a strong value. If you have only one camera and want the cheapest option, Wyze is slightly less expensive. If you want 24/7 recording or advanced features like activity zones, you may need a higher tier from another brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay for Blink Plus after the 30-day trial?

No. The trial is free, and when it ends, your subscription stops unless you manually turn it on. You will drop back to the free tier with two-hour storage and no detection features, but your camera will still work for live viewing.

Does Blink Plus cover all my cameras or just one?

Blink Plus covers all your cameras for one price. If you have five Blink cameras, you pay $3 per month total, not $3 per camera. This is different from some competitors that charge per camera.

Can I use local storage instead of paying for cloud storage?

Yes, if you have a Blink Sync Module. You can attach a USB drive to the module and store video locally without any subscription. Cloud storage and local storage are separate — you can use one, both, or neither.

What happens to my videos if I cancel my subscription?

Videos stored in the cloud are deleted when your subscription ends. Videos stored locally on a USB drive attached to your Sync Module stay on that drive. Live view continues to work on the free tier.

Is there a discount for paying yearly instead of monthly?

Yes. Blink Plus is $30 per year, which works out to $2.50 per month — a small savings compared to $3 per month. The annual plan renews automatically each year on the same date.