Wyze Cam
Not only is the Wyze Cam cheaper than the Blink Mini, but it offers more at a discount. You get free cloud recordings, included onboard storage options, and an HD video camera that can work well with both Alexa and Google Assistant.
Blink Mini
The Blink Mini may cost more than the Wyze Cam, but it's still extremely affordable. It, too, offers limited free cloud storage, and a local storage solution is promised to arrive soon. Plus, it's an Amazon product, so you know it will work fabulously with Alexa.
We're thankful that these two little, affordable indoor security cameras exist in a world where you can easily spend hundreds of dollars on a home security solution. Let's break down the pros and cons of each to see which might be the better option for your household.
Camera showdown
The Wyze Cam and Blink Mini have a ton in common, from their color to their size, to many of the same capabilities. There are, however, a few significant differences to note before you make a purchase decision, so let's lay out the specs and see how they stack up.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Wyze Cam | Blink Mini |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.52 oz | 1.7 oz |
| Dimensions | 2.2 x 2 x 2 inches | 2 x 1.9 x 1.4 inches |
| Colors | White | White |
| Power Source | WiredPlug-in | WiredPlug-in |
| Two-Way Audio | Yes | Yes |
| Image Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
| Field of View | 110 degrees | 110 degrees |
| Infrared Night Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Live View | Yes | Yes |
| Motion Alerts | Value | Yes |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Google AssistantAmazon Alexa | Amazon Alexa |
| Cloud Storage | Free recordings stored for 14 days | Free until December 21, 2020Subscription plans afterward. |
| Local Storage | Yes via microSD card | Forthcoming solutionSeparate equipment required |
Wyze-n up
We've long been fans of Wyze for the company's commitment to offering quality, full-featured smart home devices at very affordable prices. The Wyze Cam can typically be found for under $30 but offers many of the features of cameras two, three, four, and even five times its price.
The Wyze Cam can fold down to a cute little cube, or you can extend its foot to raise it a bit, and even tilt it slightly to fit the needs of your space. It features a 1080p HD camera, with the ability to live stream from anywhere you may be. It can send you motion alerts, and even let you converse with whoever is in your home. You can also get alerts and see footage when it's completely dark, thanks to its four infrared LEDs.
One of the features that make this camera so easy to recommend is that it works with both Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa. Regardless of which smart home ecosystem you live in, you can pick up one or more of these affordable cameras and trust that they'll work with your preferred assistant. If you do happen to be in an Alexa family, you can grab the new Wyze Band for just $25, and have instant access to your Wyze devices and Alexa right from your wrist!
Don't Blink
Blink's parent company Amazon also owns Ring, which features a full suite of impressive home security tech, including several smart cameras. Ring products have always been super easy to use and to integrate with Alexa, Echo, and Fire devices, and for that reason, they are still some of the most popular smart home tech around. However, many people are just a bit wary of Ring these days, due to a series of security and PR snafus. If you're one of those who appreciates all of the conveniences of the Amazon home ecosystem but doesn't want to deal with Ring's issues, you should take a hard look, er blink, at Blink.
Blink has offered a good indoor/outdoor camera for a while now called the XT2, but the Mini is the company's first indoor-only offering. For a first try, and spec for spec, it matches up quite well with the Wyze Cam. It's about the same size, has a nearly identical feature set, and even looks pretty similar.
As a heavy user of Alexa and Amazon smart home products, I'm happy to forgive that it only really works with Alexa (though you can supposedly get it to work with the Google Assistant through IFTTT). I don't even think the price difference is significant enough to push the Wyze Cam over the Blink Mini.
If I have to pick one area where the Mini doesn't quite measure up to the Wyze Cam, it's video storage. Blink is offering free cloud storage for more than half a year (at the time of publication, it's offering free storage through the end of 2020), and the company promises a separate solution for external storage later this year. However, neither of these options quite matches up with what Wyze is offering straight out of the box.
So which should you get?
This is one of the tougher calls I've had to make in a head-to-head matchup. At a time when there are so many great indoor security cameras to chose from, both of these indoor security cameras are so similar in so many areas that I don't think you can go wrong, whichever camera you go with.
While I think that the Blink Mini is a great camera and a great value, I just feel that the Wyze Cam is the better value for most people. With 14 days of free cloud storage, on-device storage capacity built-in, great connections to Alexa and Google Assistant, all at nearly $10 less than the Blink Mini, it seems pretty clear to me that the Wyze Cam is the one to go with.
Either way, you're going to get a quality smart home camera for a bargain of a price. That's a win-win in my book!
A great camera at a low, low price
Wyze does it again, offering a great connected home product at a great price. It has just about all of the features you'd want or expect, and it works with whichever digital assistant you choose.
Blink and you'll miss it
The Blink Mini offers much of the same conveniences of its sister brand Ring without some of the recent headaches that the company has gone through. It is a tremendous value for the Amazon-connected home.
